At the opening of the World Cup in Ruka new rules called the ”wind factor” and the ”gate factor” are adopted for the first time.

The wind factor allows every competitor to be evaluated equally. When jumping only once, luck plays too big role. Avoiding that there are five meazuring points on the flight path and the most important meazuring area is in the middle. More points are given when there is fairwind and less due to contrary wind so that 1m/s equals 9.75points. By this change the competitor doesn’t have to wait his turn so long.

The gate factor was created in order to ease up going through the competition. If the jump is too long, the jury has the right to lower the in-run gate. According to this new rule extra rounds are no longer necessary as they were before. Lowening the in-run gate by one meter gives approximately eight extra points depending on the hill. In Ruka, the lowening with one unit (0.75 meters) gives the competitor little less than six points.

Both of these rules have already been adopted in the summer season and according to the chief of Nordic Combined, Jyri Pelkonen, everyone has been satisfied.

”The only possible risk is the always unsure technique but that will not happen because of the good backup system”, Pelkonen says.

Text: Anni Solja & Jarkko Litmanen

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