The hills are ready

It is set for the world's best ski jumpers around the German high flyer Pius Paschke and the chasing trio from Austria. On Tuesday, the organizers of the 73rd edition of the Vierschanzentournée gave the green light to host the winter sports highlight at the turn of the year. We have enough snow at all four places and we can start with the filling of the ski jumps. We are ready and looking forward to a spectacle," said tour president Manfred Schützenhofer from Bischofshofen.

In Oberstdorf, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck the touring slopes will be prepared before Christmas, at the final place Bischofshofen the pistes will start right after the Christmas holidays.

Ticket sales are booming

The euphoria is great at all tour locations, with Pius Paschke currently leading the field of favourites, followed by the three Austrians Daniel Tschofenig, Jan Hörl and Stefan Kraft and the Swiss Gregor Deschwanden.

„This exciting starting situation is extremely good for our ticket sales. Everyone is hot for New Year's ski jumping," said Michael Maurer, chairman of the Partenkirchen ski club.

Meanwhile, the Oberstdorf Ski Club expects to set a new record for qualifying in the opening ski jump on the 28th. December. The competition in Allgäu on 29. December has been booked for months. “After the gala performances of Pius Paschke at the first jumps, the qualifiers are now also booming,” explains Florian Stern, Managing Director of the Skiclub Oberstdorf Veranstaltungs GmbH and General Secretary of the Vierschanzentournee.

The salt in the soup

Officials in Austria are hoping that the current German-Austrian duel will continue on the tour. "These duels are the salt in the soup at the Vierschanzentournee and add to the atmosphere here in Innsbruck and also at the final in Bischofshofen," said the organiser.

This will be a hammer tour,” says Max Obergruber, the chairman of the organizing committee for the Bergisel-Jumping in Innsbruck.

Both the German and Austrian ski jumping fans are looking to end a long tour drought. The last German tour winner was Sven Hannawald with his legendary Tour Grand Slam (2001/2002), 23 years ago. Ski Austria has been waiting for ten years for a successor to Stefan Kraft, who won the Tour in 2014/15.

Tickets are available in advance at www.vierschanzentournee.com.