Famous Ski Race Track/Course Names

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Do you know your Streif from your Lauberhorn ? or your Hahnenkamm from your Kandehar ? Well get the lowdown on all the races and slope names on the FIS World Cup circuit with our list of the most famous ski racing tracks and courses in the sport.

Downhill Course Names

Venue	Country	Track/Course Name	Details
Bad Kleinkirchheim	Austria	Franz Klammer	Bad Kleinkirchheim (or BKK as some like to shorten it to) appears every few years on the women's world cup tour for a downhill. The Carinthian town is Franz Klammer's home ski resort and the legendary racer still lives just down the road, hence it's no great surprise that the race slope has been named after him.
Beaver Creek	USA	Birds of Prey
Bormio	Italy	Stelvio	Built for the 1985 Skiing World Championships, the slope takes it's name from the nearby Stelvio Pass, the 2nd highest pass in the Alps. It's become a regular on the downhill ski race circuit since 1993, and now has a seemingly permanent fixture as the traditional end of year downhill race on the 29th December before the skiers get a short New Year break. It now has a growing reputation as one of the most feared and technically difficult courses on the circuit, right up their alongside the likes of Kitzbuhel, Wengen and Beaver Creek, although many skiers give it the nod as the 2nd most difficult behind the Hahnenkamm.
Chamonix	France	La Verte Des Houches	Les Hoches is a ski resort about 6km from Chamonix. La Verte is the name of the slope, and it translates as "the Green", although that obviously has nothing to do with the rating of the piste ! The green refers to the colour of the fir trees that border the race slope.
Kitzbuhel	Austria	Streif	Streif means streak, or stripe. The course is set on the Hahnenkamm mountain.
Kvitfjell	Norway	Olympiabakken	Named after the 1994 Winter Olympics, when Kvitfjell held the alpine racing events whilst Lillehammer hosted the games.
Lenzerheide	Switzerland	Silvano Beltrametti	The course is named in honour of the promising young Swiss skier Silvano Beltrametti who was paralysed from the chest down after crashing during the Val d'Isere race in December 2001 whilst travelling at more than 80mph.
Sestriere	Italy	Kandahar Banchetta	The Arlberg-Kandahar is a traditional alpine ski race, and the races have been held over the years at a number of resorts and courses, such as St Anton (in Arlsberg, Austria), Murren, Chamonix, Garmisch and Sestriere. Some of the slopes, such as those at Garmisch and Sestriere, have been named after the race - such as the Kandahar Banchetta at Sestriere which takes the 2nd part of it's name from Monte Banchetta, the local mountain.
Val Gardena	Italy	Saslong	Named after the magnificent pink-tinged Sassolungo mountain, who's craggy peak dominates over the course, the Saslong is one of the most beautiful downhill slopes on the world cup circuit , and also one of the most famous. The Saslong is best known for it's seeimingly neverending series of bumps and sharp turns of the Ciaslat section and for it's Camel Hunches, it was also the setting for Britain's greatest ever moment in ski racing, Konrad Bartelski's famous 2nd place in 1981, missing out by just 0.11 seconds to Austrian skier Erwin Resch.
Wengen	Switzerland	Lauberhorn	Named after the mountain which overlooks Wengen, and where the world famous course is held on.

Slalom Course Names

Venue	Country	Track/Course Name	Details
Lenzerheide	Switzerland	Silvano Beltrametti	The course is named in honour of the promising young Swiss skier Silvano Beltrametti who was paralysed from the chest down after crashing during the Val d'Isere race in December 2001 whilst travelling at more than 80mph.
Lienz	Austria	Hochstein	The course is named after the local mountain at Lienz. Lienz is a popular stop on the women's World Cup tour and has alternated with Semmering every other year to host end-of-year slalom and giant slalom events.
Sestriere	Italy	Kandahar Slalom	The Arlberg-Kandahar is a traditional alpine ski race, and the races have been held over the years at a number of resorts and courses, such as St Anton (in Arlsberg, Austria), Murren, Chamonix, Garmisch and Sestriere. Some of the slopes, such as those at Garmisch and Sestriere, have been named after the race - such as the Kandahar Banchetta at Sestriere which takes the 2nd part of it's name from Monte Banchetta, the local mountain.
Wengen	Switzerland	Mannlichen	Named after the mountain which overlooks Wengen, and where the slalom course is held, as opposed to the downhill, which runs down the Lauberhorn.

Giant-Slalom Course Names

Venue	Country	Track/Course Name	Details
Adelboden	Switzerland	Chuenisbaergli	This legendary giant slalom course starts off with the cannon's muzzle (the Kanonenrohr) and ends with a dramatic change in direction at Piere's Lagi before the awesome final slope that overlooks the finish area. And Chuenisbaergli ? That's the name of the hill.
Lenzerheide	Switzerland	Silvano Beltrametti	The course is named in honour of the promising young Swiss skier Silvano Beltrametti who was paralysed from the chest down after crashing during the Val d'Isere race in December 2001 whilst travelling at more than 80mph.
Lienz	Austria	Hochstein	The course is named after the local mountain at Lienz. Lienz is a popular stop on the women's World Cup tour and has alternated with Semmering every other year to host end-of-year slalom and giant slalom events.

Super-G Course Names

Venue	Country	Track/Course Name	Details
Kvitfjell	Norway	Olympiabakken	Named after the 1994 Winter Olympics, when Kvitfjell held the alpine racing events whilst Lillehammer hosted the games.
Lenzerheide	Switzerland	Silvano Beltrametti	The course is named in honour of the promising young Swiss skier Silvano Beltrametti who was paralysed from the chest down after crashing during the Val d'Isere race in December 2001 whilst travelling at more than 80mph.