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Witness / Attend in KitzbuhelAT
Tirol's medieval ski town, host every January to the Hahnenkamm Races and the Streif, the most feared downhill in world sport.
Why here
The Hahnenkamm weekend is alpine skiing's Super Bowl. Since 1931 the world's best downhillers have thrown themselves at the Streif, a course so violent that simply finishing it is a career credential, with the Mausefalle jump and the Hausbergkante taken at over 100 km/h in front of 85,000 spectators. The town doubles as the sport's social summit: celebrities, ex-racers and Tirolean farmers pack the finish arena and the medieval center for three days of racing and legendary apres. Standing at the finish when a racer holds the line off the final compression is one of the great live-sport moments in Europe, and general admission keeps it accessible.
Best months
Race weekend falls in mid-to-late January, with the downhill on Saturday as the centerpiece and the slalom on Sunday. Expect deep winter conditions and plan for standing outdoors in the cold for hours. The town operates at maximum capacity all week, with training runs from Tuesday drawing serious fans to emptier slopes. General admission to the race arena is cheap and unreserved; grandstand and VIP tiers sell ahead. Outside race week, Kitzbuhel is a premier ski resort in its own right from December to March.
Getting there & around
Innsbruck airport is about an hour by car, Munich two hours, and Kitzbuhel has its own rail station with direct Austrian connections. Race-week accommodation in town books out nearly a year ahead at painful rates; St. Johann and the Brixental villages are the sane alternatives with train and shuttle access. Dress for a full day standing in snow. The Streif spectator zones along the course reward arriving early with a radio for commentary.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Hahnenkamm Races
organizerThe organizing body of the Hahnenkamm Races, run under the Kitzbüheler Ski Club since 1931. Manages tickets, course access and the full race-week program around the Streif downhill and Ganslern slalom. General admission and grandstand tickets sell through the official site from autumn.