1) 291 m – Ryōyū Kobayashi (unofficial, Akureyri, Iceland)
This is widely regarded – by distance alone – as the longest ski jump ever attempted by a human. In April 2024, Japanese star Ryōyū Kobayashi soared 291 meters off a custom‑built snow ski ramp on a mountain near Akureyri, Iceland.
That jump shattered all previous distances by a massive margin – 37.5 m farther than the official competition record at the time.
However, it remains unofficial because it was not performed on a sanctioned ski flying hill or under regulated competitive conditions; the International Ski Federation (FIS) does not count this in the ski flying record books.
The hill was sculpted specifically for record‑chasing, months in advance, and involved creating enormous inrun speed and flight opportunity on a natural mountain slope.
Kobayashi’s flight time exceeded roughly eight seconds – a duration rarely seen in controlled competition.
The feat captivated ski fans and mainstream media alike because it tested the outer limits of human flight on skis.
Kobayashi is already one of the sport’s greatest competitors, with multiple World Cup wins and Olympic medals.
While never ratified, this jump continues to inspire discussions about how far the sport could one day go.
It also raised safety questions, because jumps of this length stretch the design and landing expectations of ski flying venues.
Finally, though unofficial, the 291 m flight stands as a testament to what might be possible if modern ski flying hills are ever expanded further.
2) 254.5 m – Domen Prevc (Planica, Slovenia, 30 March 2025)
This jump is recognized as the longest official competition jump in ski flying history.
Slovenian jumper Domen Prevc achieved it during a World Cup event at the legendary Letalnica bratov Gorišek hill in Planica, Slovenia.
Prevc reached 254.5 m, breaking the previous official mark and setting a benchmark longer than any recorded in sanctioned competition.
He executed the flight in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, reinforcing Slovenia’s reputation as a ski flying powerhouse.
Before this, the official record had stood for several years, underlining how difficult it is to add even a few meters at this elite level.
Prevc’s performance combined impeccable inrun speed, timing, and body position — a rare confluence of factors that must align for record‑challenging distances.
The jump occurred toward the end of the 2024‑25 World Cup season, adding a dramatic highlight to that competitive circuit.
It was also a personal high point in Prevc’s career, following consistent podium finishes.
Unlike Kobayashi’s Icelandic leap, this distance counts officially because it was achieved under FIS competition rules.
For this reason, Prevc’s 254.5 m remains the recognized benchmark of human flight in structured ski flying events.
3) 253.5 m — Stefan Kraft (Vikersund, Norway, 2017)
Before Prevc’s 254.5 m jump, Austrian legend Stefan Kraft held the ski flying world record at 253.5 m.
The feat was accomplished on the massive Vikersundbakken hill in Norway — long considered the premier venue for record distances.
Kraft’s flight stood as the official record for several years, showing how stiff competition is at the cutting edge of ski flying.
That mark was the culmination of years of incremental progress on large hills, including advances in hill design, training, and ski equipment.
Many jumpers came close to or slightly beyond this number in unofficial or invalid efforts, but Kraft’s remains a benchmark under proper competitive conditions.
The importance of this record is not just the distance but how it demonstrated consistency in performance at extreme altitude and speed.
He combined excellent take‑off technique with optimal aerodynamic form to maximize flight time.
This 253.5 m mark was long regarded as the peak of modern ski flying until Prevc’s 2025 record.
Still, Kraft’s jump remains iconic — often replayed and celebrated in ski jumping circles.
And it continues to stand as one of the rare distances ever achieved under pressure in an elite competition.
4) 252 m — Tilen Bartol (Planica, Slovenia, 2016)
Slovenian jumper Tilen Bartol soared to 252 m at Letalnica bratov Gorišek during a test round in March 2016.
His leap was one of the earliest pushes beyond 250 m at competition‑level events.
Bartol’s jump came outside the main scoring rounds — meaning it was considered a test jump and not always listed as a competitive result — but it remains one of the longest measured distances.
The distance demonstrated that ski flying hills had reached a point where very long flights could become routine among top athletes.
Bartol’s flight helped influence how organizers and the FIS evaluated hill safety limits and jump scoring.
It also underlined how Planica — like Vikersund — has evolved into a premier site for pushing the sport’s boundaries.
Notably, Bartol achieved this before Prevc’s 254.5 m, showing that the Slovenian contingent was consistently close to the eventual record.
The weather and inrun conditions that day were near perfect, which helped enable such a long flight.
Bartol’s performance inspired other jumpers to refine their technique for long hills.
And it remains one of the most memorable jumps in the lead‑up to the record era of the mid‑2020s.
5) 250 m — Peter Prevc (Planica, Slovenia, 2015)
Before the current official benchmarks were set, Peter Prevc — Domen’s older brother — reached 250 m in competition.
This milestone was one of the earliest clean 250 m+ jumps in ski flying history.
Prevc had already become a household name in ski jumping due to consistent World Cup success.
His 250 m jump showed that athletes could reliably exceed this psychological barrier in actual competition.
It also helped confirm that training, inrun tracks, and ski design were all converging to make such distances possible.
This flight occurred at the same Planica venue that would later host the 254.5 m official record.
Peter’s jump was followed closely by other jumpers in that period — indicating a competitive leap forward in the sport.
His technique emphasized stability in flight rather than merely chasing distance.
Fans remember it as a moment when 250 m was no longer an anomaly.
And it remains one of the all‑time longest official ski jump distances.
6) ~246.5 m — Johan Remen Evensen (Vikersund, Norway, 2011)
Norwegian Johan Remen Evensen pushed beyond earlier records with jumps up to around 246.5 m at Vikersundbakken.
In 2011, Evensen set a new bar, breaking the previous records held by others with this formidable flight.
He broke the previous distance of 239 m, showing that the sport was on an upward trajectory toward the 250 m mark.
His record was not just about one insect‑long leap — it marked the maturation of Vikersund as the go‑to ski flying hill.
The 246.5 m distance remained a high watermark for elite jumpers over several ensuing seasons.
Evensen trained rigorously for ski flying competitions, focusing on maximizing lift and speed.
He frequently competed against other top jumpers like Kraft, pushing each other further.
This era laid the groundwork for the dramatic leaps of the mid‑20200s.
Fans remember Evensen’s performance as daring and ground‑breaking for its time.
And even today, his jump is celebrated as one of the longest in ski flying history.
7) ~236 m — Nika Prevc (Vikersund, Norway, 14 March 2025)
In the women’s discipline, Nika Prevc set a remarkable benchmark of 236 m in 2025.
This jump came at Vikersundbakken, the same iconic hill that has hosted countless remarkable distances.
She reached this milestone in training rounds during a ski flying event, doing it not just once but twice in the same session.
It broke the previous women’s world record of 230.5 m set by Silje Opseth the previous year.
Prevc’s achievement was particularly notable because women were only recently permitted to compete in ski flying events at top level.
Her 236 m leap demonstrated that women can challenge distances once thought unattainable in the discipline.
She flew at nearly 102 km/h when she launched off the ramp — an impressive inrun speed.
For many fans, her achievement was one of the most exciting developments of the 2025 season.
Her performance helped spark new interest and investment in women’s ski flying.
And it remains the longest competitive female ski jump on record as of 2025.
8) ~230.5 m — Silje Opseth (Vikersund, Norway, 2024)
Prior to Nika Prevc’s record, Norwegian Silje Opseth held the women’s ski flying record at around 230.5 m.
She set the mark at Monsterbakken in Vikersund during March 2024.
Opseth’s performance broke previous benchmarks and showed how rapidly the women’s discipline was evolving.
She achieved this distance in competitive conditions, landing safely despite the extreme flight.
Earlier in the same event, she had even gone beyond this during a trial run but failed to stick the landing.
Nonetheless, her official jump set a new standard for women’s ski flying.
Opseth’s leap was widely covered in ski sport media due to its historical significance.
Her success helped build momentum for broader inclusion of women in ski flying competitions.
For both fans and fellow athletes, this jump symbolized the rapid progress of women in what was once a male‑dominated discipline.
And it remains one of the top female distances ever recorded under competitive rules.
9) ~282 m — Ryōyū Kobayashi (intermediate jumps, Akureyri, Iceland)
During his historic April 2024 campaign in Iceland, Kobayashi didn’t just jump 291 m — he set multiple distance marks leading up to that peak.
Among these was an intermediate effort of approximately 282 m, showing incremental progress on that specially prepared hill.
This jump occurred after Kobayashi had already pushed beyond 256 m and 259 m on preceding days.
It demonstrated how athletes could build confidence and technique across multiple attempts on an extreme slope.
Though unofficial like his 291 m leap, this distance remains one of the longest flights ever measured.
It again underlined how customized terrain can allow extraordinary jumps outside regulated competition.
Onlookers and commentators at the time were stunned, noting that this was already past anything seen even in elite World Cup ski flying.
Kobayashi’s fluid flight posture and control at such lengths were widely praised.
While not a record that counts officially, it remains an epic distance in the lore of ski jumping.
And among ski enthusiasts, it’s often cited — along with 291 m — as proof of what the human body can achieve on skis.
10) ~256 m — Ryōyū Kobayashi (earlier Iceland attempt)
Still during the same April 2024 campaign, Kobayashi set an earlier mark near 256 m before pushing farther.
This distance was the jump that first hinted he might exceed the official world record by a large margin.
The 256 m flight occurred on the initial day of his attempts on the Akureyri snow ramp.
At this point, even observers familiar with ski flying were astonished — as most competitive hills don’t regularly see flights beyond 250 m.
It gave Kobayashi confidence and momentum as he worked toward 259 m, then 282 m, and ultimately 291 m.
While this 256 m mark is technically a warm‑up in the record progression, it still stands as one of the longest measured distances.
It’s a reminder that, even outside competition, athletes can push boundaries incrementally across attempts.
Some observers compare it to historic early breaks such as when Stefan Kraft first surpassed previous records — showing how small gains lead to big historical changes.
For that reason, Kobayashi’s 256 m jump is remembered by fans and analysts alike.
And it helps illustrate the journey of record‑breaking flights, not just the final peak itself.
The Knowledge Base 
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