From Friday 24th until Sunday 26th, January 2025 Kitzbühel will host three Men's Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events: A Downhill and a Super-G on the famous Streif and a Slalom in the Ganslernhang.
January 24th Super-G / Men 11:30 CET
January 25th Downhill / Men 11:30 CET
January 26th Slalom / Men 10:15 CET 1st run 13:30 CET 2nd run
Kitzbühel is a medieval town and a ski resort located in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache, only 95 kilometers east of Innsbruck and 120 km from Munich.
Kitzbühel has always epitomized the perfect combination of sport and lifestyle. The historic town center offers a variety of exclusive shopping opportunities ranging from international brands to local dressmakers.
The town is also home to more than 13 award-winning restaurants and many Tyrolean mountain huts and traditional inns serving traditional local cuisine.
The Kitzbühel / Kirchberg ski area, or Kitzski, nestles between the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Hahnenkamm, and also the Pengelstein and Resterhöhe, between 800 and 2000 meters altitude. From the legendary 'Streif' ski run to pistes ideal for beginners, the ski area around Kitzbühel has 57 cable cars and lifts giving access to 234 km of pistes, including 119 covered by a modern snow-making system, and 36 km of ski routes. As well as variety-packed pistes, countless 'gmiatliche' (= cozy) ski lodges right at the ski runs tempt you in for some refreshments.
The Downhill race is held on the Hahnenkamm mountain (the name translates to "Rooster’s Comb"), one of the mountains surrounding the ski resort town of Kitzbühel, Tirol, Austria.
The Hahnenkamm racecourse, the Streif (or the "Stripe"), is considered one of the most demanding runs of the FIS downhill calendar.
Hot on the heels of the Lauberhorn Races in Wengen, Switzerland – another of the great alpine ski classics and the oldest one-, the first race took place on today’s Streif course in 1937.
Adelboden, Wengen, and Kitzbühel are the only venues that have been part of the World Cup since its foundation in 1967.
The Streif ski run is incomparable and has all the elements of a classic Downhill race track: steep edges with breathtaking high-speed jumps, steep slopes, schuss sections, curves, gliding sections, spectacular bumps, and much, much more.
The world-famous ski slope takes its name from the Streifalm, the meadow on the upper part of the course.
Streif Racecourse facts:
Start Elevation: 1665 m
Finish Elevation: 805 m
Vertical Drop: 860 m
Length: 3312 m
Max. slope: 85 %
Average slope: 27 %
Skiers start from the “Starthaus” at 1,665 meters above sea level.
The first third of the racecourse comprises three of the key sections – the Startschuss, Mausefalle (mousetrap), and Steilhang (steep slope).
After the 160-meter-long Startschuss and 51 percent gradient “Starthang”, skiers reach the “Mausefalle” in only 8.5 seconds. This is followed by the first jump, which is also the longest. skiers fly distances of up to 80 meters over the steepest section of the Streif, which has an 85 percent gradient and where speeds accelerate up to 110/120 kilometers per hour. Before entering the “Steilhang”, the “Karussell” is a key section where skiers are forced to endure centrifugal forces of 3.1 g.
The following “Steilhang” is considered to be one of the World Cup’s most technically challenging Downhill sections.
The track then enters the varied and more easy middle stretch – with the Brueckenschuss, Gschöss, Alte Schneise, Seidlalm, Laerchenschuss, and Oberhausberg sections.
From the “Gschöss”, the longest gliding section of the Hahnenkamm run, the skiers jump into the “Alte Schneise” where extremely bumpy spots and a gradient of 45% await them. The speed here exceeds 120 km/h
After an energy-consuming “S”, skiers push on and jump over the “Hausbergkante” (local mountain edge) into a compression, followed by a challenging left turn to the “Hausberg Querfahrt", before the Zielschuss, where skiers accelerate to over 150 km/h, and the Zielsprung (final jump) sections. The finish line is located at the end of the run, on the Rasmusleitn.
Austria has won the World Cup Downhill event on the Streif (Kitzbühel) a record 25 times.
In its long history, only one person has achieved five Downhill victories on the Streif: Didier Cuche (1998, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012). On January 19, 2012, Cuche announced the end of his career in Kitzbühel. Two days later he triumphed on the Streif for the last time.
Only Beat Feuz (7) has collected as many World Cup Downhill podiums on the Streif as Didier Cuche.
With three wins in The Streif Beat Feuz is level with Dominik Paris (3), Franz Heinzer (3), Karl Schranz (3), Luc Alphand (3), and Pirmin Zurbriggen (3) as triple winners in Kitzbühel.
Franz Klammer won on the Streif in 1975, 1976 and 1977. This was followed by seven without a win - until he achieved his fourth victory with a sensational comeback in 1984.
These American Downhiller Podcasts look at the craziest and most dangerous Downhill on the Alpine Ski World Cup: Kitzbuhel's Hahnenkamm Races.
Commenti