Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel

Hahnenkamm

Hahnenkamm above Kitzbühel, May 2005
Highest point
Elevation 1,712 m (5,617 ft)[1]
Coordinates 47°25′27″N 12°21′55″E / 47.42417°N 12.36528°E / 47.42417; 12.36528Coordinates: 47°25′27″N 12°21′55″E / 47.42417°N 12.36528°E / 47.42417; 12.36528
Geography
Hahnenkamm

Austria

Location Tyrol, Austria
Parent range Kitzbühel Alps
Hahnenkamm
Location in the Alps of Europe

The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Austria, directly south of Kitzbühel, in the Kitzbühel Alps. The elevation of its summit is 1,712 metres (5,617 ft) above sea level.

The Hahnenkamm (German: rooster's comb) is part of the ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts the annual World Cup alpine ski races, the Hahnenkammrennen. The most famous slope on the Hahnenkamm is the classic downhill course, the Streif (streak, or stripe), which is regarded as the most demanding race course on the World Cup circuit. The course features highly technical, "fall-away" turns (reverse bank), many with limited visibility. It also contains several flat gliding sections, immediately preceded by difficult turns, placing a premium on both technical and gliding skills. A run on the mountain's north face, the Streif course, is mostly in the shade in January. It is usually overcast and coupled with fog, the result being "flat" lighting which compounds the course's difficulty.

Hahnenkamm race

The Hahnenkammrennen are the annual races, held since 1931 and a fixture of the men's World Cup since its inception in the 1967 season. The races were originally held in March, and sometimes in early February (1949 & 1951). Beginning in 1953, the races at Kitzbühel have been held in mid to late January, often the week following the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland, another classic downhill.

Since 1959, the race has been broadcast on Austrian television.[2]

In 2009, as well as in 2008, the total prize money was 550,000.[3]

The Hahnenkamm races are currently held in the following disciplines:[4]

Traditionally, the winner of the Hahnenkamm race was determined by the combined results of the downhill and slalom competitions. During the World Cup era, the man most likely to be referred to as Hahnenkammsieger (champion) is the winner of the prestigious downhill race.

The Super-G made its debut at Kitzbühel in 1995, and returned as a regular event in 2000, scheduled the day before the downhill.

Because of challenging weather conditions in January at the top of the mountain, the downhill course is often not run in its entirety. In the decade of 2000-09, the Streif full course was run in only four of the ten years (2001, 2002, 2004, & 2009). Unfortunately, this often eliminates one of the most exciting jumps in ski racing, the Mausefalle (mousetrap), seconds from the top of the course. The competitors reach high speeds quickly out of the starting gate on the Startschuss and fly up to 80 m (260 ft) off the steep jump. Upon landing the racers experience a severe compression immediately followed by a sharp left turn, often negotiated unsuccessfully. Speeds entering the turn are 75–80 mph (120–130 km/h).

In 2006, morning fog at the top of the course forced race organizers to lower the start 115 m (380 ft) to the middle of the Karusell, below the Mausefalle. This shortened the length of the course by 347 m (1,140 ft).[5] The downhill race was cancelled in 2005 and 2007.

In 2008, strong upwinds at the Mausefalle caused race officials to lower the start 50 m (160 ft), shortening the course by 100 m (330 ft). This eliminated most of the Startschuss and its instantaneous speed; the Mausefalle was accordingly altered to a speed-inducing pitch, rather than a formidable jump and compression. Though Didier Cuche won the race, the 2008 edition is likely best remembered for the high-speed crash of Scott Macartney on the Zielsprung, seconds before the finish, as well as Bode Miller tying for second with Mario Scheiber after riding the safety fencing in the Steilhang stection.

The full course returned in 2009, for the first time in five years, with Didier Défago of Switzerland winning the race. In addition to having the fastest time, he also had the highest speed on the Zielschuss at 88.4 mph (142.3 km/h). It was the second consecutive downhill victory for Défago; he won the Lauberhorn downhill the previous week at Wengen to join a handful of skiers to win both classic races in consecutive weeks.[6] It was last accomplished by Stephan Eberharter of Austria in 2002 and had been 17 years since a Swiss racer won both (1992 - Franz Heinzer). The final training run on Thursday saw the serious crash of Swiss racer Daniel Albrecht, again at the Zielsprung. It resulted in a three-week coma and Albrecht's absence from the World Cup circuit for the remainder of the 2009 season and the entire 2010 season.

The full course was run in 2010 under clear skies and again won by Didier Cuche, who had also won the Super-G the previous day. The only significant crash was by former champion Michael Walchhofer, who twisted into the net fence at the final left turn, less than 20 seconds from the finish; he was quickly back on his feet. Cuche's downhill victory was his third on the Streif, his first was in 1998 on a Friday "extra" race. The Zielsprung was significantly moderated in 2010 due to the serious accidents the previous two years.

In 2011, Didier Cuche won the Hahnenkamm downhill for the fourth time to tie the record with Franz Klammer.[7] A year later, and two days after announcing his retirement at the end of the season, Cuche claimed his third consecutive downhill victory at Kitzbühel and a record fifth total.[8]

Dominik Paris claimed the title in 2013 to become the second winner from Italy and the first in fifteen years.[9][10]

Due to lack of snow in 2014, the lower course was altered. The dramatic Querfahrt sidehill traverse and speed-inducing Zielschuss were bypassed; the racers detoured toward the Ganslern slalom slope, then rejoined the course for the final Rasmusleitn. This extended the overall length by 182 m (199 yd) to 3.494 km (2.171 mi) and reduced the finishing speed. Hannes Reichelt was the first winner from Austria in eight years.

Upper mountain fog in 2015 forced the start to the Seidlalm jump, the lowest in history. Kjetil Jansrud of Norway won in less than a minute on the lower 50% of the course.[11]

Course sections

Alte Schneise section of the Streif

Sections of the Streif downhill course include:[12]

Facts and figures

Streif - Downhill

Finish area (Ziel) in 2011
Vertical    860 m (2,822 ft)
Top elevation 1,665 m (5,463 ft)  
Base elevation    805 m (2,641 ft)

Downhill champions

The following is a list of Hahnenkamm downhill winners, with their winning times:[17]

Year Date Winner Nat. Time Notes
2016 January 23 Peter Fill Italy 1:52.37 start lowered 40 m to top of Mausefalle, due to high winds
2015 January 24 Kjetil Jansrud Norway 0:58.16 fog - shortened to lower 50% of course - 1.6 km [11][18]
2014 January 25 Hannes Reichelt Austria 2:03.38 lack of snow, Querfahrt and Zielschuss bypassed, course length extended
2013 January 26 Dominik Paris Italy 1:57.56 [19]
2012 January 21 Didier Cuche (5)  Switzerland 1:13.28 snowing - shortened to lower 60% of course - 2.0 km [20]
2011 January 22 Didier Cuche (4)  Switzerland 1:57.72 [21]
2010 January 23 Dider Cuche (3)  Switzerland 1:53.74 [22]
2009 January 24 Didier Défago  Switzerland 1:56.09 [6][23]
2008 January 19 Didier Cuche (2)  Switzerland 1:52.75 start lowered 50 m to top of Mausefalle, due to upwinds [24]
2007 - - - - no downhill or Super G races held - lack of snow, warm temperatures [25]
2006 January 21 Michael Walchhofer Austria 1:46.75 start moved to the bottom of the Mausefalle due to fog/safety [26]
2005 - - - - no downhill race held - snow/rain - safety [27]
2004 January 24 Stephan Eberharter (2) Austria 1:55.48
2004 January 22 Lasse Kjus (2) Norway 1:58.78 (Thursday)
2003 January 25 Daron Rahlves United States 1:09.63 shortened due to fog - lower 60% of course - 2.0 km [28]
2002 January 19 Stephan Eberharter (1) Austria 1:54.21
2001 January 20 Hermann Maier Austria 1:56.84
2000 January 22 Fritz Strobl (2) Austria 1:46.54 shortened
1999 January 23 Hans Knauß Austria 1:54.18
1999 January 22 Lasse Kjus (1) Norway 2:14.13 (Friday)
1998 January 24 Kristian Ghedina Italy 2:05.49
1998 January 23 Didier Cuche (1)  Switzerland 2:31.55 two shortened runs [29]
1997 January 25 Fritz Strobl (1) Austria 1:51.58 record time for full course [14]
1997 January 24 Luc Alphand (3) France 2:12.55 (Friday)
1996 January 13 Günther Mader Austria 1:54.29 record: held for 1 year
1995 January 14 Luc Alphand (2) France 1:40.97 shortened
1995 January 13 Luc Alphand (1) France 1:40.33 (Friday) shortened
1994 January 15 Patrick Ortlieb Austria 2:00.12
1993 - - - - no races held - lack of snow - snowmaking added that summer
1992 January 18 Franz Heinzer (3)  Switzerland 1:56.63
1992 January 17 Franz Heinzer (2)  Switzerland 1:56.04 (Friday) record: held for 4 years
1991 January 12 Franz Heinzer (1)  Switzerland 1:58.71
1990 January 20 Atle Skårdal Norway 2:26.20
1989 January 13 Marc Girardelli Luxembourg 2:01.25 (Friday)
1989 January 14 Daniel Mahrer Austria 1:58.42
1988 - - - - no races held
1987 January 25 Pirmin Zurbriggen (3)  Switzerland 1:58.06
1986 January 18 Peter Wirnsberger (2) Austria 2:02.04
1986 January 17 Peter Wirnsberger (1) Austria 2:01.77 (Friday)
1985 January 12 Pirmin Zurbriggen (2)  Switzerland 2:08.65
1985 January 11 Pirmin Zurbriggen (1)  Switzerland 2:06.95 (Friday)
1984 January 21 Franz Klammer (4) Austria 2:02.82
1983 January 22 Todd Brooker Canada 2:01.96
1983 January 21 Bruno Kernen  Switzerland 2:06.68 (Friday)
1982 January 16 Steve Podborski (2) Canada 1:57.24
1982 January 15 Harti Weirather Austria 1:57.20 (Friday) record: held for 10 years [14]
1981 January 17 Steve Podborski (1) Canada 2:03.46
1980 January 12 Ken Read Canada 2:04.93
1979 January 20 Sepp Ferstl (2) West Germany 2:04.48
1978 January 21 Josef Walcher (2)
& Sepp Ferstl (1)
Austria
West Germany
2:07.81 tie
1978 January 20 Josef Walcher Austria 2:06.90 (Friday)
1977 January 15 Franz Klammer (3) Austria 2:09.71
1976 January 25 Franz Klammer (2) Austria 2:03.79
1975 January 18 Franz Klammer (1) Austria 2:03.22 record: held for 7 years
1974 January 26 Roland Collombin (2)  Switzerland 2:03.29 record: held for 1 year
1973 January 27 Roland Collombin  Switzerland 2:13.32
1972 January 15 Karl Schranz (4) Austria 2:24.36
1972 January 14 Karl Schranz (3) Austria 2:23.70 (Friday)
1971 - - - - no downhill race held
1970 - - - - no downhill race held
1969 January 18 Karl Schranz (2) Austria 2:18.80
1968 January 20 Gerhard Nenning Austria 2:14.49
1967 January 21 Jean-Claude Killy France 2:11.82 record: held for 7 years [14]
 1966* Karl Schranz (1) Austria 2:16.6 record: held for 1 year
1965 Ludwig Leitner West Germany 2:30.8
1964 - - - - no races - lack of snow
1963 Egon Zimmermann Austria 2:20.7 record: held for 3 years
1962 Willi Forrer  Switzerland 2:37.6
1961 Guy Périllat France 2:29.2
1960 Adrien Duvillard France 2:26.1 record: held for 3 years[14]
1959 Buddy Werner United States 2:33.4 record: held for 1 year
1958 Anderl Molterer (2) Austria 2:40.7 record: held for 1 year
1957 Toni Sailer (2) Austria 2:47.1
1956 Toni Sailer Austria 2:57.8
1955 Anderl Molterer Austria 2:46.2 record: held for 3 years
1954 Christian Pravda (2) Austria 2:47.9 record: held for 1 year
1953 January 17 Bernhard Perren  Switzerland 2:54.5 record: held for 1 year
1952 - - - - no races
1951 February 7 Christian Pravda Austria 2:57.1
1950 March 11 Fritz Huber Austria 3:04.3
1949 February 5 Egon Schöpf Austria 3:03.0
1948 March 13 Helmut Lantschner Austria 3:16.33
1947 March 7 Karl Feix Austria 3:36.0
1946 March 2 Thaddäus Schwabl (2) Austria 3:04.3
1945 - - - - no races
1944 - - - - no races
1943 - - - - no races
1942 - - - - no races
1941 - - - - no races
1940 - - - - no races
1939 - - - - no races
1938 - - - - no races
1937 March 19 Thaddäus Schwabl (1) Austria 3:53.1 first on Streif course
1936 March 7 Freidl Pfeifer Austria 5:03.2
1935 March 23 Siegfried Engl Austria 4:38.8
1934 - - - - no races
1933 - - - - no races
1932 March 19 Walter Prager  Switzerland 7:56.4
1931 March 28 Ferdl Friedensbacher Austria 4:34.2

* pre-World Cup era

Each downhill champion's name is affixed to a gondola car on the Hahnenkammbahn lift,
which extends from the Kitzbühel base to the top of the Hahnenkamm mountain.

Videos

Various - Vertical Up

In the evening dawn of 25. February 2011 the first Streif VerticalUp race took place with a mass start. No rules, just up the route of the ski race, but in the "rucksack-class" up the less steep family ski piste. 79 in the speed class and 116 with rucksack reaches the goal: the start booth of the ski race. On shoes with spikes, with pickel or ski sticks, snow shoes, touring or cross-country skis, whatever.

The fastest man (Urban Zemmer (ITA) 0h32:52) and the second fastest as well as the fastest woman (Barbara Exenberger (AUT) - 0h54:47) have all been in sub-class "over40" and used touring skis. See http://www.verticalup.at/ .

Notes and references

  1. Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel in the Aeiou Encyclopedia (German)
  2. "Heuer zum 50. Mal: Kitzbühel total im ORF" (in German). ORF. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  3. "550.000 Euro Preisgeld für Kitz-Sieger" (in German). Tiroler Tageszeitung. 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
  4. "Hahnenkamm racing courses". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  5. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2006" (PDF). International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  6. 1 2 "Defago wins World Cup downhill on Streif". USA Today. Associated Press. 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  7. "Cuche wins Hahenkamm DH, pushes Bode Miller to second". Ski Racing.com. January 22, 2011.
  8. "Cuche wins Hahnenkamm DH for record fifth time". Ski Racing.com. January 21, 2012.
  9. "Dom Paris wins Hahnenkamm DH for Italy". Ski Racing.com. January 26, 2013.
  10. Jelusic, Ana (January 26, 2013). "Dominik Paris tames the Streif". FIS Alpine.com.
  11. 1 2 3 Mintz, Geoff (January 24, 2015). "Jansrud wins shortest-ever Hahnenkamm downhill". Ski Racing.
  12. 1 2 3 "Racing courses overview diagram". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  13. "Downhill "Streif"". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Distance Records "Streif" Course record". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  15. "Results for Ken Read". FIS-ski.com. Retrieved 2014-02-15.
  16. "Results - Former HKR" (in German). Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  17. "Honor Roll - the champions, men, downhill". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  18. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2015". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
  19. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2013". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  20. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2011". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  21. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2011". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
  22. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2010". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  23. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2009". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  24. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2008". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  25. "Like it or not, men prep for Kitz slalom-fest". skiracing.com. 2007-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  26. "Kitzbuehel: Walchhofer wins downhill; Rahlves, Miller check in at 3-4". skiracing.com. 2006-01-21. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  27. "KITZBUEHEL 2005: Hahnenkamm downhill cancelled for safety reasons". skiracing.com. 2005-01-22. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
  28. "Results Kitzbühel Downhill 2003" (PDF). International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  29. "Results Kitzbühel Extra Downhill 1998". International Ski Federation. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  30. FIS-ski.com - results of 2004 race

External links

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