Alpine Skiing
12 things you need to know about the Streif
The Hahnenkamm Race is a highlight of the skiing calendar. But what’s so special about it and its Streif course? Here's what you should know about Austria’s legendary event.
The Hahnenkamm Race is one of the most challenging events for alpine skiers and most famous for its classic: the downhill race on the Streif slope on Hahnenkamm mountain in Kitzbühel, Austria.
This year's Hahnenkamm Races take place from January 15 to January 21. Whether it be downhill, slalom or the combination event, the Hahnenkamm Race sees the world's best skiers tackle one of the steepest slopes on the World Cup circuit.
Here are 12 facts about the legendary event…
01
87 years of the Hahnenkamm
Races have been organised in Kitzbühel since 1906 and the first winner of a race on the Hahnenkamm was Austrian downhill skier Ferld Friedensbert, who won it in 1931. However, the first proper Hahnenkamm races didn't take place on the Streif, but on the nearby Fleckalm slope. The winner of the first official Streif event back in 1937 was another Austrian: Thaddäus Schwabl.
It’s all downhill from here
© samovidic.com/Red Bull Content Pool
02
The Streif has big drop
The Streif starts at an elevation of 1,665m (5,463ft) above sea level, finishes at 805m (2,641ft) and covers a distance of 3.312km (2.06 miles).
03
It’s really, really steep
The 'Mausefalle', the steepest part of the Streif course, has a maximum grade of 85 percent (40.4 degrees). Depending on the conditions, athletes fly up to 80m (260ft) through the air on this section.
2 min
Lindsey Vonn takes on the Streif
Lindsey Vonn is the first skier to take on the ultimate challenge in downhill skiing – the Streif – at night.
04
It’s a bit fast, too
The average speed at the Hahnenkamm race is 103kph, but racers can be hit speeds of an incredible 140-145kph (85-90mph).
Learn more about the Streif
05
Didier Cuche is king of the Streif
For a long time Austrian legend Franz Klammer held the record for the most wins at the Hahnenkamm race. But in 2011 Swiss ski racer Didier Cuche equalled Klammer's record with his fourth victory, and then a year later he claimed the record outright when he won the Streif for a fifth time, celebrating victory in 1998, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Thaddäus Schwabl: First winner at the Streif
© hahnenkamm.com
06
It’s dominated by Austrians
A Swiss skier owns the wins record on the Streif, but since 1931 Austrians have won 43 times at the Hahnenkamm races. No other country comes close to that tally. Switzerland is next best, with 20 wins. Other nations to record wins across the races on the Hahnenkamm slope include France, Canada, Germany, the USA, Norway, Italy and Luxembourg.
07
Young versus old
The youngest downhill winners in Streif history are Roland Collombin from Switzerland and Franz Klammer, both of whom won the race at the age of 21. At the other end of the scale is Didier Cuche, who won the race at the age of 37.
08
A cat holds the course record
The Streif course record was set on January 25, 1997, by Fritz 'The Cat' Strobl at 1 minute 51.58 seconds.
The slalom event at the Hahnenkamm
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
09
It has a mind-blowing speed record
The course speed record was claimed by Michael Walchhofer in 2006, when the Austrian ski racer came flying down the finish-line slope at an incredible 153kph.
10
It’s about glory, honour and prize money
There is much to win in Kitzbühel besides the glory. The winner of the Super-G gets around €53,200. The winner of the combination receives around €48,200 and for winning the slalom or the downhill race earns in the region of €75,000. Not bad for a day's work.
11
It’s a real crowd puller
In 1999, a record crowd of 100,000 spectators flooded into Kitzbühel over the course of the weekend to watch the races. On average, though, about 15,000 people watch the Super-G, and 25,000 watch the slalom. Unsurprisngly, the real crowd puller is the downhill race, which regularly attracts about 45,000 people.
Marco Odermatt racing on the Streif
© Samo Vidic/Red Bull Content Pool
12
From Austria to the whole world
During the Streif race weekend, around 45 TV stations and 30 radio stations broadcast from Kitzbühel, reaching somewhere in the region of 262 million viewers all over the world during 55 hours of reporting.
Find out more about the world’s toughest downhill skiing challenge by watching Streif, One Hell of a Ride on Red Bull TV.