The 61st 4-Hills-Tournament qualifying will begin on Saturday 29th December in Oberstdorf, Erdinger Arena with the first competition round to take place from four o’clock the following day.
The start of the ski season has saw Germany achieve above what is expected setting their hopes high ahead of the 4-Hills-Tournament. Germany has a team with mixed experience however with the first two hills on home turf the challenge is much less daunting.
Michael Neumayer has been chosen for the tenth time for the four hills challenge. The 33 year-old achieved bronze in the 2011 team normal hill in Oslo. Neumayer, has five individual career victories to his name will joined by Severin Freund. The 24 year old whose first world cup was in 2007 is currently second in the world standing a good chance to snatch first place.
The inexperience in the German side comes through 17 year old Andreas Wellinger and 19 year old Karl Geiger. Wellinger enters his debut having been on the podium twice this year and being part of the winning large hull team event in Kuusama, Finland.
The final three members of the German team are made up by Richard Freitag (21), Andreas Wank (24) and Danny Queck (23).
Aurstria have named two of the favourites in their seven man team Gregor Schlierenzauer in total has 43 world cup victories despite only being 22 years of age and Andreas Kofler (28).
The remaining places of the Austrian team have also all already featured on the world stage this year, Thomas Morgenstern, Wolfgang Loitzi, Martin Koch, Michael Hayboeck and Manuel Fettner.
The first hill is in Oberstorf, Schattenbergschanze, stands tall at a height of 137m. With the world record jump held since 2003 at 143.5m. The second round will take place on the first of January, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Große Olympiaschanze translates in English to the Large Olympic Hill is the joint largest of the competiton standing at 140m with the fourth hill in Bischofschofen, Austria.
The third hill is the smallest of the four, the 130m meter hill at Innsbruck has a jump record of 134.5 held by Sven Hannawald since 2002.