Ski Flying World Championships

• The FIS Ski Flying World Championships have been held since 1972.
• The individual event takes place over two days.
• Four jumps count toward the individual standings.
• A team event has also been held since 2004.
• Events take place on hills built specifically for ski flying.
• The title is decided at a single venue.

The Ski Flying World Championships are international title competitions in ski flying. The FIS has held them every two years since 1972. Ski flying is a form of ski jumping performed on purpose-built flying hills. Athletes speed down the inrun, take off and aim for a long, controlled flight. The larger facilities make flight distance the defining feature of the competition.

The individual world champion is decided over four scoring jumps across two competition days. The total score takes both distance and execution into account. Forty jumpers qualify for the event and take part in the first round. Ten are then eliminated, while the remaining 30 jumpers contest the final three rounds. These additional jumps complete the overall standings and reward consistency across the event.

A team event has been part of the programme since 2004. Four jumpers form a national team and each makes two jumps. The team standings complement the individual competition and reward a balanced performance. Points from all four team members are added together, so each jump contributes to the team's result. Both events use the same kind of hill, but call for different team composition and consistency.

Ski-flying hills are built for long flights. Their safety zones, landing hills and overall dimensions distinguish them from regular ski-jumping hills. The flight requires a stable body position and precise landing. Competition officials coordinate the start with the wind-measurement team. If wind conditions are unstable, the start procedure may be interrupted and restarted.

The Ski Flying World Championships award titles at one venue. By contrast, the Four Hills Tournament is a series of four events at different venues. Ski flying is part of ski jumping, and together with World Cups, tours and title events it forms part of events in skiing.