The Jump: The Events
Brush up on your bob-sleighing and get to grips with the alpine lingo before The Jump hits your screens Sunday 28th January, 8pm on Channel 4.
SKELETON
Definition: Skeleton is a fast winter sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g and reaching speeds of 60mph.
Britain’s Gold medal winning Winter Olympic athlete Amy Williams will be coaching the competitors for this event. Amy won her gold medal for skeleton in the 2010 Vancouver games.
The fitter our celebrities are the better they should do at the skeleton as it requires cardio and explosive strength. The two slowest competitors down the track will have to then face ‘The Jump’.
GIANT SLALOM
Definition: Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of gates widely spaced across the course.
Our competitors will be faced with a 1000m track and if they push themselves they could reach speeds of 50mph on the slope.
Fitness levels will be key here for the celebrities taking part and the slowest two will have to compete in ‘The Jump’.
TECHNICAL SLALOM
Definition: Technical slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of gates placed tightly together across the course.
For the technical slalom, the celebrities will have to travel over a 400m track, travelling through the very tight and compact gates. This event is slower but requires excellent technique.
Again, fitness levels will be key and the slowest two will have to compete in ‘The Jump’.
TWO PERSON BOBSLEIGH
Definition: Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams of two make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled. It’s a dynamic, exciting but hazardous sport.
The celebrities will be paired up with an experienced pilot from the Olympic Sliding Centre in Innsbruck, who not only knows the course but will be training the celebrities. And we’ll be making sure the heavier or taller competitors aren’t at an advantage by weighting the bobsled accordingly.
The competitors will need explosive cardio strength to get the sled going and the slowest two will face ‘The Jump’.
SKI CROSS
Definition: Ski Cross (also known as Skiercross or Skier-X) is a type of skiing competition. Every competitor skis down the course, which is built to encompass both naturally occurring terrain and artificial features like jumps, rollers, or banks as part of a time trial.
Cardio and explosive strength will be needed to take on the twists and turns of the terrain and the slowest two competitors will take on ‘The Jump’.
SPEED SKATING
Definition: Speed skating, is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling over a set distance on skates.
Speed skating will be highly physically demanding for the competitors and previous experience of roller-blading, cycling or balanced based sports will help. However, those who have done a lot of ice skating might be at a disadvantage due to speed skaters using a different technique.
For this event, the competitors will face a series of races to reveal the slowest two celebrities who will face ‘The Jump’.
SPEED SKIING
Definition: Speed skiing is the sport of skiing downhill in a straight line as quickly as possible. It is one of the fastest non-motorized sports on land.
During this event it will be possible for the contestants to reach speeds of around 60mph as they negate the course.
They will need to focus on their leg and core strength to do their best at this event and the best competitors will be the ones who keep their nerve and stay on the aerodynamic position to accumulate speed. The two slowest down the course will then face ‘The Jump.
SKI JUMP
Definition: Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below.
Our 12 brave celebrities will be coached for the ski jump by none other than Winter Olympic legend Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, who rose to fame in 1988 for his performance as the first British Winter Olympic ski jumper.
Each night the two celebrities who performed the worst in the day’s event will face each other in ‘The Jump’. They’ll be given the option of three jumps – K15, K 24, or the K40 with the largest, the K40 taking them up to speeds of 50-60mph. Height, weight and general fitness will all affect how well the contestants fair.
The contestants will be judged on the distance they jump. The lowest scoring celebrity will be eliminated from the competition.
