Salchow

American  

[sal-kou] / ˈsæl kaʊ /

noun

Ice Skating.

1. a jump in which the skater leaps from the back inside edge of one skate, making one full rotation of the body in the air, and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate.

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salchow British  

/ ˈsɔːlkəʊ /

noun

1. a figure-skating jump made from the inner backward edge of one foot with one, two, or three full turns in the air, returning to the outer backward edge of the opposite foot

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Usage

What does Salchow mean? A Salchow (pronounced SAL-cow) is a figure skating jump in which the skater jumps from the back inside edge of one skate, fully rotates (at least once) in the air, and lands on the back outside edge of the other skate. It is sometimes spelled uncapitalized, as salchow. The jump can be performed with multiple rotations, resulting in a double Salchow (two rotations), triple Salchow (three rotations), or quad (or quadruple) Salchow (four rotations). The Salchow is one of the six recognized jumps in competitive figure skating and is classified as an edge jump (along with the loop and axel; the toe loop, Lutz, and flip are classified as toe jumps). Example: She had some trouble with the Salchow in warmups, which is unusual for her, but I expect her to nail it during the routine.

Etymology

Origin of Salchow

1920–25; after Ulrich Salchow (1877–1949), Swedish figure skater, who first performed it

Example Sentences

Shaidorov hit five quads and an incredible opening triple Axel-Euler-quadruple Salchow combination which racked up big points and settled his nerves.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

That exhibition, which concluded in May, featured a fictional installation by artist Mona Kuhn, with a soundtrack by Boris Salchow, inspired by Schindler’s romantic life and the home’s bohemian vibe.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 15, 2022

Her very first jump, the quadruple Salchow, illustrates her jumping power.

From Washington Post • Feb. 16, 2022

Skaters should be mathematically able to do a quint Salchow or toe loop.

From Scientific American • Feb. 14, 2022

The Salchow, the Biellmann, the Charlotte spiral — these figure skating standards are named after white people from the 20th century.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 10, 2022