Microchips for Ski Jumping suits - levelling the playing field and reducing waste

The custom-made suits worn by ski jumpers are among the most scrutinized equipment in winter sports, and for good reason. As well as having a thickness of 4-6mm, and possessing a specific permeability, excess slack (tolerance) can unfairly aid “flight”. 

Coaches and athletes continue to ask suit manufacturers to push the boundaries in terms of materials used to maximize distances. And while jumpers from top nations can use multiple outfits in a competition - some getting through 40 or 50 in a season - those from smaller nations may only be able to source a handful for an entire campaign. 

In order to promote fairness and reduce waste, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) has limited the amount of suits an athlete can wear per season. To achieve this, suits will be marked with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips for identification purposes. 

From now on, an athlete can only wear one suit per competition and a maximum of eight per FIS Ski Jumping World Cup season with an extra two for FIS World Championships.

Why would a ski jumper use multiple suits? 

Ski Jumping suits comprise a number of sections - nine for men’s suits and 11 for women’s due to their different cut - stitched together. Tiny holes which allow air through expand with use, increasing permeability and reducing performance. 

A new suit with holes of original size, only available to teams with bigger budgets, would counter that reduction in performance. A different cut, or even a slightly bigger suit, may also offer increase distances. However, the latter carries the risk of being discovered by race control. 

FIS Ski Jumping Men’s Race Director Sandro Pertile says, “Every extra centimeter on a suit counts. If your suit has a 5% bigger surface area, you fly further. Of course, this is a competitive sport and everyone’s on the limit with the rules because everyone wants to win. 

Ski Jumping has until now had a random control system with an Equipment Controller checking that suits - as well as skis, bindings, and boots - conform to the rules.  

NFC chips on Ski Jumping suits - how it works 

Suit marking is not a new concept but, as Pertile admits, previous attempts were simply not effective enough. 

“We were using one metal chip which was applied after the initial size check,” he recalls. “But if  only one section is marked, you can easily change the rest of the suit to one that’s bigger or with lower permeability.” 

“For 18 months, we were working to find a system to mark all the sections. We were thinking of a barcode, but you could just take a photo and reapply it. So we had to find something physical that you cannot destroy or replace or reapply.” 

The solution came from a company which arranges accreditation for FIS events. “The first part was to develop the software and the application,” said Pertile. “Imagine that a suit is like a venue. You have different areas and you need to have access to them.” 

After passing the preliminary suit size control, seven NFC chips for men (five for women) in the biggest areas and those most impactful on flight, are heat-pressed onto the inside. Each chip is assigned to a specific jumper and can be scanned and identified using a mobile phone app. All chips can be checked either at the start or at the exit gate in a matter of seconds. 

Equipment Controller Christian Kathol explains, “The chips cannot be replaced or exchanged from one suit to the next suit. If somebody tries to remove it, even with a knife or a razor blade, it can never be applied again.” 

Testing was conducted in the summer with Pertile and his team running into immediate obstacles. “We went to Planica and had the opportunity to mark eight suits, but we didn’t apply the chips at the right temperature or in the right way,” he revealed.

“Three pillars” underpin suit marking initiative 

As well as making competition fairer, there are two other drivers behind suit marking in Ski Jumping. “The three pillars of the discussion are fairness, financial sustainability, and environmental sustainability,” states Pertile. 

“We started with fairness. Very often, the athletes that are successful are those from nations that can invest more money in developing equipment. We are trying somehow to reduce the gap between the top nations and smaller nations in terms of resources. 

“That was the start, but also the financial impact on our federation would be huge because we can reduce costs and move this saving into the development of the next generation of ski jumpers. Each suit costs between € 600 and € 700, so going down from 40 to 10 suits is a big saving. 

“The third point is the waste of material if suits are thrown away after just two jumps. And if a suit is damaged due to a fall, the athlete has to report it to the Equipment Controller who will allow a change. They can then replace the damaged section, disconnect the old chip and connect the new chip on the suit. This is far more sustainable than changing the whole suit.” 

Pertile believes the bigger nations still hold an advantage but hopes restricting the number of competition suits will help level the playing field. “They will still invest a lot of money in research and preparing prototypes,” he says. “To develop the suit and find the best cut, you need extensive testing.

The season ahead and beyond 

The six nations that have dominated Ski Jumping in recent years are Germany, Austria, Norway, Poland, Japan, and Slovenia. How have their National Ski Associations felt about the new procedure which could reduce their edge on the rest? 

“Of course, they have seen that they lose some of their advantage, but we had unanimous approval of the new system when we had to take the final decision in the autumn,” observed Pertile. “In principle, everybody sees the opportunity.” 

Women’s Race Director Chika Yoshida commented, “We have been testing it at summer competitions and so far, we have received positive feedback from the athletes and coaches. 

Nordic Combined will test out suit marking this season with Race Director Lasse Ottesen saying, ”This system will allow us to identify each suit, who it belongs to, when it was tested and chipped. This will give us the chance to reduce the number of suits each athlete can use per weekend and per season. 

“This is the first step, and we are looking forward to the further possibilities and options this gives us.” 

Men’s Ski Jumping has been the main testing ground so far, and Pertile believes the new processes will have an immediate impact. “I expect the suit limitations will mean more athletes from more nations will reach the top 10,” he claims. “And for some nations, a top-10 result is like a victory. 

The new suit marking procedure undergoes its first FIS World Cup test in Lillehammer, Norway, from 22 to 24 November.