The distance they jump/the speed at which they fall seems like it would be impossible to land without falling flat on your face. There is obviously some cool physics going on, but please.
In: Mathematics
For starters they are never too far off the ground. Secondly they land on a slope which significantly reduces the force you experience since most of your momentum is carried down the slope and you can gradually slow down as you come to the bottom. Lastly while in the air they actually have some control over the speed and attitude, using their body positioning and their skis for control. They can also somewhat slow themselves down. If a skier overshot the slope the results would be disastrous. The same principle applies on all jumping disciplines. If you’ve ever seen a motorcycle jumper overshoot the landing ramp you know how rough the landing can be, but if they hit the ramp they roll away like nothing happened. It’s the same for car jumps, motocross, skateboarding, snowboarding and a host of other sports with ramp jumps. Perhaps the closest equivalent is the mega ramp used in skateboarding/bmx competitions, most notably the x games. Landing on the right part of the slope of the second ramp is crucial for a soft landing. Coming up short or overshooting it is very bad.
Landing on a slope means that most of your downward momentum is conserved.
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