Four Hills ski jumping 2022-23: How to watch, TV and live stream details, dates & schedule, how does it work?

Hurtling down a snow-covered ramp at speeds approaching 60mph, jumping off the edge into the unknown, then landing over 100 metres away. One question springs to mind: why?

But for a select group of brave souls, that question isn’t something to get bogged down with. The very best men’s ski jumpers will descend on Germany and Austria to show off their daredevil talents at the Four Hills Tournament over the festive period, with Poland’s Dawid Kubacki arriving as the in-form flier having scooped four World Cup wins this season.

A first women’s Four Hills is expected to arrive in the 2023-24 season.

When is the Four Hills Tournament in 2022-23?

The 2022-23 Four Hills Tournament runs at four locations across a 10-day period, from December 29, 2022 to January 6, 2023.

• December 28-29: Oberstdorf, Germany
• December 31 – January 1: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
• January 3-4: Innsbruck, Austria
• January 5-6: Bischofshofen, Austria

How to watch the Four Hills Tournament in 2022-23?

How does the Four Hills Tournament work?

As you might expect, the Four Hills Tournament takes place on, err, four hills. The event is one of the most prestigious on the ski jumping calendar, with the format differing to other events on the World Cup circuit.

While qualification sees the top 50 athletes progress to the second day’s action, as you would expect, the event then moves to a head-to-head format for the first round. The winner of each duel progresses to the second and final round, along with the five best lucky losers. The ski fliers then go in rank, with the 30th-ranked athlete going first and the top jumper in the first round going last.

The Four Hills champion is the skier who wins the most points over the four individual events.

What are the rules in ski jumping?

There aren’t too many we need to be concerned with.

But the height of the gate (the starting position on the ramp) is adjusted depending on the conditions to ensure a proper take-off speed. This is reflected in the overall score. A higher gate means athletes will fly further, so the score is weighted down. Similarly, points are added when a lower gate is used.

There are also points subtracted when jumping with a favourable wind, while the reverse happens when the wind impedes the jumpers.

Ski jumpers’ suits are regulated, plus there is a minimum BMI (body mass index) for athletes to prevent unnecessary – and potentially unhealthy – weight loss.

How does scoring work in ski jumping?

Ski jumpers are awarded points based on how far they jump in relation to the K-point (the target for landing). Probably stating the obvious, but you earn more points the further you go.

Athletes are also graded on their landing and style by a panel of five judges. A clean landing with parallel skis will score highly; turning the skis inwards for balance, or just stacking it completely, will be penalised. A maximum of 60 points is available here.

As mentioned above, points are also awarded or subtracted based on the gate and wind. All the points (distance + landing/style + wind + gate) are added up to give the score for each jump.

Each competition sees athletes go twice, with the scores of both jumps added together for the final total.

How high is the ramp in ski jumping?

Ski jumping is about flight rather than height. The television pictures present an illusion of a jumper being suspended miles in the air, but in reality they are only ever hovering 6-8 metres above the slope.

The more important mark is the K-point – how far athletes are reasonably expected to fly. This is 90 metres on the normal hill and 120 metres on the large hill.

What is gate compensation in ski jumping?

Gate compensation is a score adjustment based on where the ski jumpers start on the launch ramp. The gate can be moved up and down to facilitate optimal take-off speed.

A higher gate obviously makes it easier for athlete to build more speed, so the gate compensation sees points taken off. A lower gate makes it trickier, so the gate compensation would see points added in that scenario.

Why are there plants at the bottom of the ski jumping hill?

You’ve probably noticed the row of plants poking out from the snow near where the ski jumpers land. So what are they for? Well, they bless the competitors and ensure evil forces stay away.

Actually that’s not true. The plants provide depth perception for the athletes to help them spot their landing point – when you are flying face first through a snowy mist, it’s often hard to work out precisely where you are.