Figure Skating Jumps Easiest to Hardest [Difficulty]

The level of difficulty may be subjective to the Skater but there are Base Values assigned to each of the jumps which are calculated based on their perceived difficulty to execute in a competition.

BV is a solid measure to rank the different type of figure skating jumps difficulty. Here are the jumps ordered from easiest to hardest.

Toe Loop

The toe loop has a BV of 0.40 for a single-toe loop, 1.30 for a double-toe loop, 4.20 for a triple-toe loop, and 9.50 for a quadruple-toe loop. Invented in 1920 by American Professional figure skater Bruce Mapes, the toe loop is regarded as the simplest of the jumps.

Salchow

It requires the skaters to jump with one foot and land with another. The BV assigned to the Salchow is 0.40 for the Single, 1.30 for the double, 4.30 for the triple, and 9.70 for the quadruple Salchow.

Loop

 The loop is often performed as the second jump in a combination. The BV assigned to the loop is 0.50 for the Single, 1.70 for the double, 4.90 for the triple, and 10.50 for the quadruple loop.

Flip

The BV assigned to the flip is 0.50 for the Single, 1.80 for the double, 5.50 for the triple and 11.00 for the quadruple flip.

Lutz

Named after Austrian figure skater Alois Lutz, it is considered the second most difficult jump in figure skating. The BV assigned to the lutz is 0.60 for the Single, 2.10 for the double, 5.90 for the triple and 11.50 for the quadruple lutz.

Axel

Axel is universally recognized to be the most difficult by most in the figure skating world. It has a BV of 1.10 for the Single, 3.30 for the double, 8.00 for the triple, and 12.50 for the quadruple axel.

The difference between figure skating jumps varies on the take-off. There are two types of jumps in figure skating toe jumps and edge jumps.

The toe jumps start with a takeoff from the front of the blade. Meanwhile, the edge jumps start with a takeoff from the edge of the blade.

Types of figure skating jumps 

The two types of jumps are the toe jump and the edge jump. The six jumps modified by their takeoff in figure skating fall into these two types.

Toe Jumps

• The Toe Loop: This jump involves taking off from the back outside edge and landing on the same foot. This is a toe jump as it requires the skater to jump form and land on their toes.
• The Flip: This jump requires the skater to take off from the back inside leg and land on the opposite foot. The execution of this jump requires support from the toe of the free foot. 
• The Lutz: It is the most difficult of the toe jumps and requires the skater to take off from the backward outside edge and land on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. It is named after the Austrian figure skater Alois Lutz, the first man to land this jump in 1913.

Edge Jumps:

• The Salchow: In this jump, the skater takes off from the backward inside edge and lands on the backward outside edge of the other foot. This is an edge jump as it requires the skated to jump from and land on the edge of their foot.
• The loop: It requires the skater to take off from the backward outside edge and land on the backward outside edge of the same foot. German Skater Werner Rittberger is believed to be its creator and is commonly referred to as the Rittberger in Europe. 
• The Axel: The Axel requires the skater to take off in a forward motion from the forward outside edge and land on the backward outside edge of the opposite foot. It is executed in three phases the entrance phase, the flight and the landing phase.

A quadruple jump also referred to as a quad is a figure skating jump that demands the skater to make at least four not exceeding revolutions.

The number of revolutions is four for all quad jumps with the only exception being the axel jump with four and a half revolutions. The most commonly performed quads in competitions are the quad salchow and the quad toe loop.

The optimum height for a quad is approximated to be 20 inches but most skaters stay below 18 inches. The first ratified quad jump was landed by Canadian Skater Kurt Browning at the 1988 World Championships in Hungary. He landed a quad-toe loop.

Miki Ando became the first woman to land a quad in figure skating in 2002. Ando, the Japanese skater managed to accomplish the feat at the 2002 Junior Grand Prix Final held in the Netherlands.

The first woman to ever attempt a quad jump in competition was Surya Bonaly at the 1990 European championship. She attempted the jump unsuccessfully four more times in separate competitions.

The first successful ratified quad jump by a female skater was in 2018 when the Russian Skater Alexandra Trusova landed the quad toe loop. 

The quad has been subject to some controversy as it is believed to have a higher risk of injury among all the jumps. There are concerns about the long-term effects of the quad on a young skater's body.

Loop Jump in figure skating is an edge jump. It is executed by taking off from the back outside edge of the foot and landing on the back outside edge of the same foot.

Most commonly executed as the second jump by skaters, the loop is known as the Rittberger after its creator Werner Rittberger in Europe.

Werner Rittberger was a German figure skater who won the German Nationals 11 times and the Silver Medal at the World Figure Skating Championships for 3 consecutive years from 1910 to 1912.

A loop jump starts with a takeoff from the back outside edge of the foot, the skater then takes one rotation in the air and lands on the back outside edge of the same foot. 

This jump is considered to be easier than the flip and the lutz as the weight shift does not to be exact during its execution. It is considered to be more difficult than the loop and the salchow as the free leg is crossed over during the takeoff.

The first figure skating triple loop jump was landed in a competition at the 1952 Winter Olympics by the American skater Dick Button. The first woman to achieve this feat was Gabriele Seyfert in 1968.