Anchor leg: The fourth and final leg of the relay race in the team event.
Fall Line: A designated line on the outrun of a ski jumping hill. If a ski jumper loses his balance and falls after the fall line, style points will not be deducted from his jump.
Freestyle Technique: The skating, or freestyle, technique, developed in the 1970s, closely resembles the motions of ice skating, pushing the inside edge of the ski simultaneously backward and outward at about a 45° angle. It is faster than classical technique and thus always used in nordic combined, though there are no rules that stipulate which technique is to be used.
Glide Wax: Wax used to decrease the friction between the skis and the snow. It is applied to the entire ski in freestyle races.
Inrun: The portion of the jump during which the athlete travels down the ramp.
K Point: The distance from the takeoff that is equivalent to the height of the hill. For the large hill in Pyeongchang, the K Point is 125 meters from the takeoff; for the normal hill, it is 98 meters. The K Point determines the amount of distance points awarded to a jump.
Outrun: The flat area at the bottom of the jumping hill where skiers decelerate and stop.
Piste: The snow-covered track or course that is used for racing.
Pursuit Start: Also known as the staggered start. In all three nordic combined events, the start positions and time deficits of the individual (or team) at the beginning of the cross-country skiing portion are dictated by individual (or team) score in the preceding ski jump. The top jumping individual (or team) is pursued by the second-placed individual (or team), who is pursued by the third, and so on.
Speed Trap: A section of the course a coach will set to gage ideal skis and wax before a race.
Takeoff: At the end of the inrun, the moment where the jumper takes flight.
Telemark Position: Landing with one ski in front of the other, lunging forward.
V-Position: The position of the skis most jumpers use while in the air. The skis are touching or nearly touching at the tail, and spread apart at the tips to form a “V.” The position improves the aerodynamics of the ski jumper.
Vertical: An uphill climb.
Wax Technician: Called a wax tech for short, a staff member responsible for finding the ideal glide and/or kick wax for a given race and snow temperature.
