KITZBÜHEL
RECOMMENDED BY Atle Skårdal
Before becoming chief race director for the Ladies’ Alpine World Cup, Atle Skårdal was a back-to-back World Cup champion in the Super-G. When asked what mountain he recalled the most from his racing days, Atle did not hesitate. “The best memories from my racing career come from Kitzbühel,” he enthused. “It’s special in many different ways—its legacy, its place in the history of ski racing, the quality of the resort itself. And, naturally, the courses themselves. I first competed there in 1986, and then almost every year thereafter until I retired from racing in 1997. There was a special feeling I had each time I came to Kitzbühel, a combination of fear and excitement—really an unbeatable combination. I would start to feel it in my stomach when I saw the sign along the highway, and it would intensify when the mountain came into view, and I knew a big week was coming up.”
Kitzbühel sits near the center of the Kitzbühel Alps in the western Austria province of Tyrol. Relative to some areas in the Alps, the peaks are of modest size, with Kitzbüheler Horn, the highest mountain, topping off at less than 6,600 feet. (Kitzbühel’s lower elevation means that snow coverage can be a little iffy, especially on the lower sections of the area. Climate change may not bode well for future skiing.) Nonetheless, the area has come to play a central role in the world of international ski racing. It all started in 1892, when a local man named Franz Reisch came upon a book by polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen, titled Across Greenland on Snowshoes. The book mentioned Nansen’s love of skiing, and Reisch, inspired by the notion, ordered a pair of wooden skis. Many of his contemporaries were dismissive of his efforts at this very new sport, but doubters were put in their place when Reisch made his way down from the summit of Kitzbüheler Horn. (According to the Kitzbühel Tourism Department, Reisch, in his enthusiasm, is said to have told a friend, “It was so beautiful that I have to slap you in the face!”) Reisch wrote of his downhill experience in the first edition of Der Schneeschuh (The Snowshoe) magazine, and the seeds for Kitzbühel’s skiing future were planted. By 1895, regular ski races were being held, and by 1902, the Kitzbühel Winter Sports Association was founded; it was rechristened the Kitzbüheler Ski Club in 1931.
It was also in 1931 that the first race was held on Hahnenkamm (Rooster’s Comb), perhaps the most famed hill at Kitzbühel. Over time, the race has expanded into a series of races known as the Hahnenkammrennen, now a fixture on the men’s alpine World Cup circuit. Tens of thousands of fans gather on the slopes each January to take in the Super-G, Slalom, and Downhill; 250 million other enthusiasts follow the event on television.
The Hahnenkammrennen’s downhill course—the Streif, or “streak”—is one of the most famous racing trails in the world … and among the most demanding. (It’s been used for the downhill since the early days; its name stems from the Streifalm pastures, which were once located in the upper part of the course.) The data points give pause: jumps up to 260 feet, steeps to 85 percent, and speeds to 87 miles per hour, with an average speed of 64 miles per hour. The Streif’s diversity makes it a classic, and it seems each stretch has a name. As described in the Kitzbühel ski program, it includes “steep edges that result in high jumps at high speeds, steep downhill portions, tricky straight downhill racing sections, curves and bends, gliding tracks, undulating terrain, and even a short uphill passage right before the Seidlalm jump … the most difficult parts of the run are the straight section at the beginning, the Mausefalle jump, the steep Steilhang slope, the Hausberg edge, the traverse, and the final straight section.” Except during the weeks before the Hahnenkammrennen, the Streif is open for advanced skiers (it’s recommended that you sharpen your edges before taking it on). Even skiers of more modest abilities can have a moment in the limelight on the “Family Streif,” which bypasses the course’s most challenging elements.
“As you come out of the starter’s hut, you’re shocked at how steep it is at the outset,” Atle described. “In competition, you’re supposed to push as hard as you can out of the gate, though your instinct makes you want to go slow. Once you leave the starting gate, you begin to feel relieved and start to have fun. Pretty soon you’re straight into business. There’s no time to reconsider, you just go with the flow.”
Kitzbühel is the center of the competitive racing world for the last few weeks of January, though for the remainder of the winter season, it attracts skiers and boarders whose main objective is less about victory and more about fun. Despite the notoriety of Streif and Ganslernhang (the Hahnenkammrennen’s famed slalom course), much of the area—more than eighty miles of trails—is given over to beginner and intermediate terrain. For many visitors, a stay at Kitzbühel is about going slow, rather than going fast. There are fifty-six ski “huts” scattered among the area’s six sections (Hahnenkamm, Bichlalm, Resterhöhe, Pengelstein, Gaisberg, and Kitzbüheler Horn), and a leisurely lunch in one of these comfortable lodges is almost a given. “If there’s one dish that you’ll never forget in Austria, it’s the Wiener schnitzel,” Atle said. “They’re famous for it.” (The breaded and fried veal is indeed the Austrian national dish.) A few favorites on Hahnenkamm include Berghaus, Tyrol, and Hahnenkammstüberl; on Resterhöhe, Hanglalm and Bruggeralm come well recommended; on Pengelstien, Usterweis gets good ratings; and on the Horn, Hornköpfl-Hütte receives praise. When you come off the slopes, Kitzbühel is not the sleepy town its medieval architecture might hint at. There’s a bustling nightlife that includes several discos.
“Austria sets very high standards for its hotels and food,” Atle added. “The complete package is hard to beat for a good ski vacation.”
ATLE SKÅRDAL has been involved with alpine skiing since he was four years old. During his racing career, Atle won the overall World Cup title in Super-G, became a back-to-back Super-G World Champion in the years 1996 and 1997, and won the silver medal at the downhill race during the World Championships in 1993, among other victories. He ended his career after the 1996-97 season, and became head coach for the Norwegian National Ski Team. Since 2005, he has worked with FIS as chief race director for the Ladies’ Alpine World Cup. While the director position is a year-round job, the summer season is slightly more relaxed. In between his slope inspection trips and the preparation for the upcoming season, Atle spends what he calls his “protected time” fishing and eating plenty of seafood on the coastline of his home country, Norway. “When I get the chance to go skiing, my mind still believes I am able to race down the slope as well as I used to, but my legs seem to disagree,” Atle shared.
Getting There: Kitzbühel is roughly sixty miles from Innsbruck, which is served by Austrian Airlines (+43 5 1766 1000; www.austrian.com) and British Airways (800-247-9297; www.ba.com).
Season: Kitzbühel usually opens by early November and closes in late April.
Lift Tickets: Adult day tickets are 41.50 euros. Multi-day tickets are available.
Level of Difficulty: Kitzbühel (www.kitzbuehel.com) has terrain for everyone. The area’s 125 miles of terrain are rated as follows: 33 percent beginner; 39 percent intermediate; and 28 percent expert.
Accommodations: Kitzbühel Tourism (+43 5356 66660; www.kitzbuehel.com) lists the many lodging options available in Kitzbühel and the neighboring towns of Reith, Aurach, and Jochberg.