Horrorible weather postpones Four Hills opener

Competitors were forced to wait for more than five hours as winds above the maximum allowed speed delayed the start of the first Four Hills event on Sunday.

Japan's Junshiro Kobayashi was able to complete the first jump at around 5:30 p.m. local time, but the competition was immediately suspended once more. It resumed roughly an hour later after the ramp was shortened to the minimum distance allowed.

But the terrible conditions had an obvious effect on most of the competitors. After turning in a disappointing result, Germany Marinus Kraus said he wouldn't jump again in that sort of weather, even if the jury declared a restart. In particular, the swirling nature for the winds, which featured gusts of up to 50 kilometers an hour (about 30 miles per hour), posed a risk for the athletes.

"I waited for more than an hour up there, and the jury kept delaying the jumping by 15 minutes," Kraus told reporters. "That's pure horror for us."

Much credit should go to the crowd of 20,000 spectators who somehow kept up the party atmosphere despite repeated interruptions. But by 7:17 p.m., after only 11 jumps, organizers decided to abandon the competition for the day - the first time that has happened in Oberstdorf in the 63-year history of the Four Hills tournament.

"I'm relieved at the decision," said Germany coach Werner Schuster. "It made no sense - you might as well have rolled dice by the end."

The jury plans to restart the competition on Monday - weather permitting, of course.

Another possibility would be to hold two rounds of jumping in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. That is where the second installment of the Four Hills Tour will take place mid-week, with qualifying on Wednesday and jumping on Thursday.