Some Birds of Prey crew members asked for info about our trip to Kitzbuhel for the 65th Hahnenkamm this January. The short story: it was cool. Really, really cool.
The Streif (the actual name of the course) is long, and although less steep than Beaver Creek's steepest sections (The Brink and Super-G start), it hammers at you constantly. There is no place to relax, and the course keeps throwing challenges at you. Sideslipping the course alone is exhausting. Keep in mind that there are only 3 gates, about 250', from the start to the top of the Mausefalle - and in that distance the racers will go from 0 to about 65mph.
Sections:
Start to Mausefalle: 3 gates, steep sidehill, to edge of Mausefalle.
Starthouse from the top of the Gondola
Entering the Starthouse
Departing the Start
Mausefalle (Mousetrap): Should be called "Free Falle". The pitch drops off quickly to about 35 degrees. Racers will fly about 50 meters, landing into a compression.
Top of Mausefalle - note pitch change
Ambrosi Hoffman (SUI) in flight
Looking up Mausefalle from gate adjacent to Karosel
Kompression to Karosel: The Kompression is not as abrupt as the bottom of Golden Eagle, but it sends the racer into a high banked sidehill and a 180 degree turn. Through the turn, the pitch also switches from high left to high right, and leads to the Steilhang.
Shoveling the Kompression before dawn
Entry to karosel from Kompression
Karosel exit to top of Steilhang
Steilhang to Brukenschusse: The Steilhang is a steep sidehill which leads to a narrow road. The Pitch is steep, but not scary, particularly if you are standing in powder at the edge of the couse. If you are standing on it, however, you had best pay attention. It leads to a steep left-footed sidelill, which rolls to a narrow road about 4 meters across.
Inspection at top of Steilhang
Hermann inspects with a grin
Looking up the Steilhang
Steilhang Shovelers
Skiing the bottom of the Steilhang
Looking up the Bruckenschusse to bottom of Steilhang
Bruckenschusse to Alte Schneise: The road allows a few seconds to breathe, before shooting at an angle into the Alte Schneisse section, a steep right-footed sidehill which descends sharply, then climbs back up slightly to the Sidlalm Sprung.
Top of Alte Schneise
Looking up Alea Schneise from Sidlalm Sprung
Inspecting Sidlalm Sprung
Sidlalm Sprung to Sidlalm turn to Larcheschusse: A rolly jump leads to a steep left-footed landing, into a roundhouse rightfooter around the Sidlalm restaurant. This leads into the Larcheschusse, a large left-foot roundhouse turn not shown on TV.
D and Hump chatting at Sidlalm Sprung, Sidlealm turn in background
The crew at Larchenschusse
Larchschusse to Ober Hausberg and the Hausberg Bump: The course is quite flat here, setting the racers up for a shot straight off the Hausberg bump. The face of Hausberg is quite steep, and the landing is into a hard right-foot turn whcih leads to the finish traverse, a steep sidehill.
Ober Hausberg
Edge of the Hausberg
Looking back up the Hausberg
Side view of Hausberg from HahnenkammBahn (gondola)