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°ECoordinates: 47°25′27″N 12°21′55″E / 47.42417°N 12.36528°E
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]

• Super-G on the Streifalm, on Friday
• Downhill on the Streif, on Saturday
• Slalom on the Ganslernhang, on Sunday

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]

• Startschuss
• Mausefalle (mousetrap) - jump & compression
• Karusell (carousel) - S turns
• Steilhang - (steep slope) - technical entrance to the flats
• Brückenschuss & Gschöss - gliding flats
• Alte Schneise (old corridor)
• Seidlalmsprung (jump at Seidlalm) - introduced in 1994
• Lärchenschuss - gliding among larch trees
• Hausberg (local mountain) - jump & sharp corner
• Querfahrt (traverse) - a rough sidehill of glaring ice
• Zielschuss (with compression & jump) - speeds over 140 km/h (87 mph)
• Rasmusleitn to the finish (Ziel).

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)

• The length of the Streif course is 3.312 km (2.06 mi).^[12]
• The starting gate is at an elevation of 1,665 m (5,463 ft) above sea level;
  the Streif vertically descends 860 m (2,822 ft) to the finish at 805 m (2,641 ft).^[12]
• The average grade of the course is 27 percent (15.1 degrees).
• The maximum grade is 85% (40.4°) at the Mausefalle; minimum is 2% (1.1°) ^[13]
• The record for the full 3.3 km course was set in 1997 by Fritz Strobl of Austria at 1:51.58,^[14] an average speed of 106.9 km/h (66.4 mph), and an average vertical descent rate of 7.7 m/s (25.3 ft/sec).
• The first non-European to win a downhill race at Kitzbühel in the World Cup era was Ken Read of Canada in 1980.^[15] Previously, the only non-European champion was Buddy Werner of the U.S., who won in 1959 at age 22. Canadians won races four consecutive years from 1980-83; the only non-European winner since 1983 is Daron Rahlves of the U.S., who prevailed on an abbreviated course of 2.0 km (1.2 mi) due to fog in 2003.
• Four victories have gone to Scandinavians, all from Norway. Atle Skårdal was the first in 1990 and Lasse Kjus won twice, in 1999 and 2004. Both of Kjus' victories were "extra" races, held on Friday and Thursday, respectively. Kjetil Jansrud won on a shortened course in 2015.^[11]
• The Streif course was one of several featured in the 1969 movie Downhill Racer, starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman. It was shown as itself and later as the Olympic course.
• The Streif course was first used in 1937; eight years without Hahnenkamm races followed (1938–45) until the return in 1946.^[16]
• Since returning in 1946, the downhill races have been run in all but eight years: 1952, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1988, 1993, 2005, & 2007.

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

• STREIF - One Hell of a Ride - 2015 Documentary about the Streif downhill race
• YouTube video - 1981 race live - 18-Jan-1981
  • YouTube video - 1981 race - crashes only
• YouTube video - Franz Klammer, age 30, wins his 4th Hahnenkamm on full course - 21-Jan-1984
• YouTube video - career-ending crash of Todd Brooker, 1983 winner, at top of Zielschuss, Friday training run - 24-Jan-1987
• YouTube video - Kristian Ghedina on full course - spread eagles at Zielsprung - 6th place - 24-Jan-2004
• YouTube video - Hermann Maier on full course - 9th place - 24-Jan-2004^[30]
• YouTube video - 2004 race coverage from ORF (Austrian Broadcasting) - 24-Jan-2004
• YouTube video - Bode Miller skis onto fence exiting Steilhang, takes 2nd - 19-Jan-2008
• YouTube video - crash of Scott Macartney at Zielsprung, takes 33rd - 19-Jan-2008
• YouTube video - crash of Daniel Albrecht at Zielsprung - Thursday training run - 22-Jan-2009
• YouTube video - Didier Défago wins 2009 Hahnenkamm on full course - 24-Jan-2009
• YouTube video - crash of Hans Grugger at Mausefalle - Thursday training run - 20-Jan-2011

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. "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. Mintz, Geoff (January 24, 2015). "Jansrud wins shortest-ever Hahnenkamm downhill". Ski Racing.
12. "Racing courses overview diagram". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
13. "Downhill "Streif"". Kitzbüheler Ski Club. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
14. "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

• Hahnenkamm race (English)
• Bergbahn Kitzbühel (English)
• Bergbahn Kitzbühel (German)
• Ski Racing.com - "Kitzbühel is cool" - a U.S. coach's perspective - Jan-2010
• FIS-ski.com - 2013 Hahnenkamm downhill results
• Alpine Ski Maps.com - Kitzbühel area - winter
• Alpine Ski Maps.com - Kitzbühel area - summer
• Ski-Europe.com - winter map of Kitzbühel area (with elevations)