Competition
15 October 2019
Enter to WIN a ski holiday at the Vaya Resort in Galtür, Austria
Between 16 and 22 January 2023, the 83rd edition of the Hahnenkamm Races will take place. Training is scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on the Streif, and the race will start on Friday. The Streif is, without doubt, the most spectacular downhill in the World Cup races, and for Kitzbühel, the World Cup is the highlight of the year. The competitive skiers are cheered on live, but some 450 million people also follow the race live on TV. The Streif is one of the most challenging pistes in the Alps. Its slope reaches a gradient of up to 85%, meaning the skiers sometimes jump up to 60 metres before touching the ground again. It’s no wonder that skiers have reached speeds of over 130km/h on this piste. Read more about the Hahnenkamm Races 2023 in this blog!
Hahnenkamm Races 2023: descending the Streif
The Streif is the downhill this race is all about. This steep and very dangerous descent cannot be overlooked in Kitzbühel. The run is 3,312 metres long, and the fastest time ever achieved was by Austrian skier Fritz Strobl in 1997, who sailed down the whole thing in just 1:51:58, or an average of 107km/h. Would you also like to try the Streif yourself? You can! The slope is open, except during the Hahnenkamm Races and its preparation. You can try the original descent, which is listed as an extreme ski route, but there is also an easy red variation called the 'Family Streif'.
Information on the Streif |
|
|---|---|
| Mountain station: Hahnenkamm | Length: 3312 m |
| Highest point: 1665 m | Height difference: 860 m |
| Max. gradient: 85 % | Level of difficulty: very difficult |
| Suitable for: (very) advanced | Condition: variable, sometimes very icy |
| Ski area: Kitzbühel | Rating:4 stars |
Experience that Streif yourself in 360 degrees! Press play, then use the arrows in the top left corner to decide from which angle you want to view the descent. It's even easier on your mobile: just move your phone!
Hahnenkamm Races 2023: Programme
Kitzbühel will host several Word Cup races on the Streif. The programme is as follows:
- Friday 20 January 2023: Kitzbhühel Downhill (Streif)
- Saturday 21 January 2023: Hahnenkamm Downhill (Streif)
- Sunday 22 January 2023: Hahnenkamm slalom (Ganslernhang)
As you can see, there will be no Super G in Kitzbühel this year. The organisers have opted for a second run on Saturday instead. The reason is that they consider the slope less suitable for Super G. Previously, it took the organisers half a day to make the descent suitable for Super G, so by skipping it, they save a lot of time and are more flexible. The total awarded prize during the 2023 edition is 1 million euros which will be divided among the various winners.
The Kitzbühel ski resort
From Kitzbühel, you have access to the KitzSki ski area with 233 km of runs, including over 180 km of pistes, 41 km of ski routes and 4 km of runs in the snowpark. From Kitzbühel, you can head towards the slopes of the Kitzbüheler Horn (1,996 m) on one side of the village. On the other side of the village, the Hahnenkammbahn can take you towards a large ski area suitable for beautiful tours. You can ski to Kirchberg or cross to the Wurzhöhe via the 3-S Bahn. Do you need a break while skiing the Streif? The Seidlalm is right on the slopes and is a perfect spot for a coffee or lunch break.
About Nina Jan
I grew up in Slovenia, close to the Julian Alps. Early on, my parents put me on skis and skates, and the winter sports enthusiasm hasn't left me since. I also enjoy cross-country skiing and have been a keen snowboarder for the past 20 years.