Popularity

Ski jumping is popular among spectators and TV audiences in Scandinavia and Central Europe, and almost all world-class ski jumpers come from those regions. Traditionally, the strongest countries are Finland, Norway, Germany and Austria. The Four Hills Tournament, held annually at four sites in Bavaria and Austria around New Year, is very popular and draws huge crowds.

There have been attempts to spread the popularity of the sport by finding ways by which the construction and upkeep of practising and competition venues can be made easier. These include plastic 'fake snow' to provide a slippery surface during the summer time and in locations where snow is a rare occurrence, and the Ski jumping sling invented by Spede Pasanen which allows construction of an inexpensive and unobtrusive jumping tower.