Bischofshofen Back After 19 Years
The Paul-Ausserleitner-Schanze in Bischofshofen returned to the Nordic combined Summer Grand Prix calendar on Friday after a 19-year absence, hosting the opening reserve rounds of the 2026 summer tour on its HS142 hill. Saturday's Gundersen competitions — the first events that award Summer Grand Prix standings points — are now underway, with the individual compact rounds to follow on Sunday. The resort was long associated with ski jumping's Four Hills Tournament, and its reappearance in the Nordic combined calendar has been welcomed by organisers and athletes alike as a venue with genuine atmosphere and a technically demanding take-off.
The dominant story before a jump has been contested is the absence of overall World Cup title holder Johannes Lamparter. The Austrian fell during a training jump in Courchevel on 5 August, fracturing his right ankle and tearing the syndesmotic ligament in the same joint, with an additional sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee. He underwent surgery the following day at the Sanatorium Kettenbrücke in Innsbruck. Ski Austria has given no return date, and the extent of the impact on Lamparter's 2026-27 season remains unclear. Without the reigning champion, the field at Bischofshofen is the most open it has been at any recent summer opener.
Oftebro Brothers Dominate Men's Reserve Round
Jens Luraas Oftebro took top honours on the HS142 with a jump of 137.5 metres, earning him the ideal start position for Saturday's Gundersen. The 24-year-old Norwegian has consistently been among the sport's best all-round performers and will be a favourite to convert a jumping lead into a podium when the cross-country section follows. Austria's Thomas Rettenegger was second at 135.5 m — a strong early signal that the Austrians remain competitive despite Lamparter's forced absence. Einar Luraas Oftebro, Jens's younger brother, completed an all-Norwegian top three by landing 133.5 m for third place.
France endured a difficult afternoon on the hill. Gaël Blondeau was the best-placed French athlete in 32nd position with 118 m; Edgar Vallet finished 45th (106.5 m) and Lubin Martin 47th (101.5 m). Marco Heinis was disqualified, while Maël Tyrode did not take part in the reserve round. The French team will need a significant improvement to be relevant in Saturday's standings.
Women: Brabec Leads, Hagen Second, Baud Twelfth
American Alexa Brabec delivered the standout jump of the women's session with 129 metres, taking a clear lead into Saturday's Gundersen. Brabec, one of the sport's rising forces in the women's field that has grown considerably since mixed events became standard, had previously shown strong Holmenkollen form this season. Norway's Ida Marie Hagen was second at 123 m, and Slovenia's Ema Volavsek claimed third with 117 m. France's sole women's representative, Romane Baud, jumped 107.5 m to finish twelfth — a workable gap to carry into the cross-country section, where she has shown the ability to move up the order.
Tour Continues Through Oberstdorf to Chaux-Neuve
The 2026 summer tour packages three venues into a single action-packed week. After Bischofshofen (Saturday Gundersen, Sunday compact), the circuit moves to Oberstdorf before concluding in Chaux-Neuve, France, on 22 and 23 August. Norway will not compete in the Chaux-Neuve finale following fire damage to the jump installation there — making the Austrian and German legs of the tour the decisive scoring events for Norwegian athletes. That reality gives Saturday's Gundersen in Bischofshofen additional weight: Jens Luraas Oftebro, starting first, cannot afford to give away points he will not be able to recover later in the series.