Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck, Bischofshofen 29 Dec 2025 – 06 Jan 2026
Source: https://www.vierschanzentournee.com/en/
Tickets jetzt erhältlich
Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1. Januar 2026
The Vierschanzentournee (Four Hills Tournament) is one of the most prestigious events in winter sports, rivaling the Olympic Games in the world of ski jumping. Established in the aftermath of WWII, it has grown from a humble binational meeting into a global media spectacle.
The Origins (1949–1953)
The idea was born in 1949 in a cozy living room in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Members of the local ski club and the ski club from Innsbruck (Austria) wanted to create a cross-border tournament.
- Political Context: At the time, German athletes were still banned from many international competitions. The tournament helped reintegrate them into the international sporting community.
- The “Birth Certificate”: The official organizational plan was signed on May 17, 1952, on the Seegrube above Innsbruck.
- The Four Locations: Three locations were fixed from the start: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Innsbruck, and Bischofshofen. Oberstdorf was later chosen as the fourth partner to balance the German and Austrian participation (two hills in each country).
The First Tournament (1953)
The inaugural tour didn’t start in Oberstdorf as it does today. It kicked off on January 1, 1953, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
- First Winner: The Austrian Sepp “Buwi” Bradl became the first overall champion.
- Television: The tournament’s popularity exploded when ARD (Germany) began broadcasting the New Year’s jump live in 1956.
Legendary Milestones
Over the decades, several athletes and events have defined the “Myth of the Four Hills”:
| Milestone | Athlete / Event | Significance |
| The Triple | Bjørn Wirkola (NOR) | The only jumper to win the overall title 3 times in a row (1967–1969). |
| The Record | Janne Ahonen (FIN) | Holds the record for the most overall titles (5 wins). |
| The Grand Slam | Sven Hannawald (GER) | In 2001/02, he became the first to win all four individual jumps in one tour. |
| The Shared Win | Ahonen & Janda | In 2005/06, for the only time in history, two jumpers tied for the overall victory. |
| Modern Slams | Stoch & Kobayashi | Kamil Stoch (2018) and Ryoyu Kobayashi (2019) repeated the “Grand Slam” feat. |
The “KO-System”
In 1996, the tournament introduced a unique KO-System to make the first round more exciting for TV. Instead of just jumping in a sequence, the 50 qualified jumpers are paired up (1st vs 50th, 2nd vs 49th, etc.). The 25 winners of these duels, plus the 5 “Lucky Losers” (the highest-scoring losers), move on to the final round.
The Tradition Today
The schedule is now almost sacred, rarely changing unless extreme weather intervenes:
- Oberstdorf (GER): Dec 29/30 (The Opening)
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER): Dec 31/Jan 1 (The New Year’s Jump)
- Innsbruck (AUT): Jan 3/4 (The Bergisel Jump)
- Bischofshofen (AUT): Jan 5/6 (The Finale/Epiphany Jump)
The winner receives the Golden Eagle trophy, a massive 20kg statue introduced in 2013.
Fun Fact: The German-Austrian rivalry is a huge part of the atmosphere, yet Germany is currently in its longest “dry spell” in history—no German has won the overall title since Sven Hannawald in 2002.
