The Four Hills Tournament has been captivating the crowds for 70 years! In 1953, the ski jumping elite met for the first time in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the traditional New Year’s competition. Since then, thousands of winter sports enthusiasts have made the pilgrimage to the other competitions in Oberstdorf, Innsbruck and the final in Bischofshofen every year. SnowTrex knows when and what is happening there and now provides details of all the venues of the 2023/24 Four Hills Tournament.
The competitions of the 2023/2024 Four Hills Tournament
| Date | Ski resort | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 02/01 - 03/03/2024 | Innsbruck | Austria |
| 05/01 - 06/01/2024 | Bischofshofen | Austria |
| 28/12 - 29/12/2023 | Oberstdorf | Germany |
| 31/12/2023 - 01/01/2024 | Garmisch-Patenkirchen | Germany |
History of the Four Hills Tournament
Since its foundation in 1953, the Four Hills Tournament has developed into one of the most prestigious events in the ski jumping calendar and has established itself as an integral part of the Ski Jumping World Cup to this day. The first competition of the first tour in 1953, in which all four competitions were held in one calendar year for the only time to date, took place on 1 January in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The winner at the time was Asgeir Dølplads from Norway. His compatriot Jakob Vaage achieved the same feat in the very first New Year’s competition in 1922.
In the second edition of the Four Hills Tournament in 1953/54, the order of the venues was changed to Oberstdorf, Garmisch, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen. To this day, this order has remained the same from the start of the tour in the Allgäu to the New Year’s competition, the Bergisel competition and the final on Epiphany Day. Incidentally, the record for the most overall victories has been held by Finland’s Janne Ahonen since 2008 with five overall wins. He is followed by German ski jumping legend Jens Weißflog with four overall victories and third place in the all-time list is shared by Helmut Recknagel (GDR), Bjørn Wirkola (Norway) and Kamil Stoch (Poland) with three tour victories each. The latter is also one of only three athletes to achieve the feat of winning all four competitions in one edition of the tour. In addition to Stoch (2017/2018), the German Sven Hannawald (2001/2002) – the first ski jumper in history – and the Japanese Ryōyū Kobayashi (2018/2019) also achieved this “Grand Slam”.
Start of the Four Hills Tournament in Oberstdorf
Ski jump height: 140 m
In-run length: 108 m
Hillsize: 137 m
The Schattenbergschanze is one of the most important ski jumping hills in the world: since 1987, the ski jumping competitions of a Nordic World Ski Championships have been held on the facility a total of three times (most recently in 2021). This makes the ski jump under the Nebelhornbahn with a hill size (HS) of 137 m one of the five facilities that have been used most frequently for world title competitions, alongside Oslo, Innsbruck, Lahti and Falun. In addition, around 30,000 fans gather here every year when the Four Hills Tournament opens in the Oberstdorf Allgäu World Cup Ski Jumping Arena at the end of December.
It is obvious that the atmosphere is always particularly good in Oberstdorf due to the great anticipation at the opening competition of the Four Hills Tournament.
However, Oberstdorf is not just known for its ski jump: it is also one of the most important German winter sports centres, which is why several ski areas are grouped around the “southernmost spot in Germany”. The two-country ski region Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal has a total of 128 km of pistes. These include the Fellhorn-Kanzelwand, Söllereck, Walmendingerhorn, Ifen and the Heuberg Arena. Incidentally, the Nebelhorn is also home to Germany’s longest valley run at 7.5 km!
New Year’s ski jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Ski jump height: 149 m
In-run length: 103,5 m
Hillsize: 142 m
Beautiful, elegant and a new landmark of the city: In the winter of 2007/2008, the new construction of the Große Olympiaschanze replaced the previous Olympic jump, which had been built in preparation for the 1936 Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Around 30,000 spectators are drawn here every year at New Year’s.
There is no competition that ski jumpers want to win more than the world-famous New Year’s competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The competitions there usually end in dramatic fashion.
With its location at the foot of Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze (2,962 m), Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Germany’s #1 winter sports resort. In addition to the Four Hills Tournament, the Winter Olympics and the World Ski Championships have also taken place here. Winter sports fans have the choice between the glacier ski area on the Zugspitze and the “Garmisch-Classic” area, which is spread over the local mountain, the Kreuzeck and the Alpspitze. One of the highlights: the legendary Kandahar run at Kreuzeck.
The Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck
Ski jump height: 134 m
In-run length: 91,3 m
Hillsize: 128 m
With its futuristic inrun tower designed by British star architect Zaha Hadid, the Bergisel ski jump in Innsbruck, with a hill size of 128 m the smallest jumping facility in the Four Hills Tournament, has become even more of an eye-catcher since its modernisation in 2002. A special feature of the ski jump is its location on the outskirts of the Alpine metropolis. Due to its proximity to the city centre, it offers a wonderful panoramic view of the city and the surrounding mountains.
Innsbruck is also considered the “Capital of the Alps”. This metropolis is the only city to have hosted the Winter Olympics three times (1964, 1976 and the 2012 Youth Olympic Games). Nine ski areas form the Olympia SkiWorld Innsbruck and can all be reached quickly from Innsbruck with the free ski bus. The Nordkettenbahnen and the Patscherkofel with its men’s Olympic downhill run are also close to the city. In addition, there are the Axamer Lizum, Muttereralm, Kühtai, Rangger Köpfl, Glungezer, Schlick 2000 and the Stubai Glacier, the largest glacier ski area in Austria.
Epiphany ski jumping in Bischofshofen
Ski jump height: 132,5 m
In-run length: 118,5 m
Hillsize: 142m
The Paul-Außerleiner-Schanze is named in honour of the Austrian ski jumper who fell here so badly in 1952 that he died of his injuries a few days later. It is one of the largest hills in the FIS World Cup.
At the end of the Four Hills Tournament in Bischofshofen, the overall winners are always setting new records.
Bischofshofen, the “city with momentum”, lies in the middle of the Ski amadé world. It’s just a few kilometres away from St. Johann/Alpendorf and Mühlbach am Hochkönig. When snow conditions are good, you can even ski down the 8 km long “Knappensteig” ski tour run to Bischofshofen. Flachau or Grossarl are also not too far away.The Record Winners of the Four Hills Tournament
| Overall Wins | Name | Nationality | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Janne Ahonen | Finland | 1998/99 2002/03 2004/05 2005/06 2007/08 |
| 4 | Jens Weißflog | GDR/FRG | 1983/84 1984/85 1990/91 1995/96 |
| 3 | Helmut Recknagel | GDR | 1957/58 1958/59 1960/61 |
| 3 | Bjørn Wirkola | Norway | 1966/67 1967/68 1968/69 |
| 2 | Veikko Kankkonen | Finland | 1963/64 1965/66 |
| 2 | Jochen Danneberg | GDR | 1975/76 1976/77 |
| 2 | Hubert Neuper | Austria | 1979/80 1980/81 |
| 2 | Matti Nykänen | Finland | 1982/83 1987/88 |
| 2 | Ernst Vettori | Austria | 1985/86 1986/87 |
| 2 | Andreas Goldberger | Austria | 1992/93 1994/95 |
| 2 | Gregor Schlierenzauer | Austria | 2011/12 2012/13 |
| 2 | Kamil Stoch | Poland | 2016/17 2017/18 2020/21 |
| 1 | Ryōyū Kobayashi | Japan | 2018/19 2021/22 |
FAQ about the Four Hills Tournament
When will the Four Hills Tournament 2023/2024 take place? The 2023/2024 Four Hills Tournament begins with the qualification in Obersdorf on 28 December 2023, with the first competition jump on the Schattenberg ski jump taking place there one day later. The second stop is the New Year’s competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on 1 January 2024, before continuing in Innsbruck on 3 January and the final on 6 January in Bischofshofen.
Who is the record winner of the Four Hills Tournament?
One name in particular stands out in the history of the Four Hills Tournament: Janne Ahonen. The Finn has won the prestigious competition series a total of five times (1998/99, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2007/08). The record winner is followed by German ski jumping legend Jens Weißflog with four overall victories (1983/84, 1984/84, 1991/92 and 1995/96). He is followed by Helmut Recknagel (GDR), Bjørn Wirkola (Norway) and Kamil Stoch (Poland) with three triumphs each.
When did the first Four Hills Tournament take place?
The Four Hills Tournament took place for the first time in 1953 and is still the only event to be held within one calendar year. On 1 January 1953, the New Year’s competition was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, followed by competitions in Oberstdorf, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen.
Where does the traditional New Year’s competition of the Four Hills Tournament take place?
As the name suggests, the New Year’s Ski Jump takes place every year on 1 January on the large Olympic ski jump in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was part of the Four Hills Tournament for the first time in 1953, but the first New Year’s competition was held here in 1922 and was won by the Norwegian Jakob Vaage. The record winner, however, is the German Martin Neuner, who triumphed five times in a row in Garmisch between 1924 and 1928.
