World Cup Ski Racing - Kitzbuhel Men's Downhill

The word 'classic' is often over-used, but not in the case of this race. Set on the Streif slope of the Hahnenkamm mountain above the glitzy Austrian resort of Kitzbuhel, this is a race that has the lot - history, drama and some of the steepest slopes on the world cup calendar.

SnowKings favourite ski race is probably the best known in the world. The Hahnenkamm is the name of the mountain on which the downhill course, the Streif, is held. And it's a brute of a course. Best known for the enormous Zielschuss jumps at the foot of the course, it's actually some of the features higher up the course that make it so hard - the Mausefalle (mousetrap) jump kicks things off immediately, hurtling the skiers through the air just seconds into the race. Immediately following this there are a number of incredible turns and compression sections to get to grips with, areas of poor visibility and several demanding gliding sections. Just making it to the bottom can be considered a result, let alone winning the damned thing ! As with the other classics of the ski racing calendar, the days leading up to the race has made it a real social event too, with thousands of people visiting the town for the race, which almost has the status of a national holiday in Austria. Nowadays the race is normally held in January, usually the weekend after the other major classic downhill, the Lauberhorn, with the downhill being held on the Saturday, sandwiched between a Super-G on the Friday and a slalom on the Sunday.

Kitzbuhel Men's Downhill Champions

The list of winnners of the Kitzbuhel Downhill since the event started back in the early 1930's is as follows:

Year	Winner	Nationality	Notes
2011	Didier Cuche	Switzerland
2010	Didier Cuche	Switzerland
2009	Didier Defago	Switzerland
2008	Didier Cuche	Switzerland
2007		No Race
2006	Michael Walchhofer	Austria
2005		No Race
2004	Lasse Kjus	Norway	Extra Race on the Thursday
2004	Stephan Eberharter	Austria
2003	Daron Rahlves	USA
2002	Stephan Eberharter	Austria
2001	Hermann Maier	Austria
2000	Fritz Strobl	Austria
1999	Hans Knauss	Austria
1999	Lasse Kjus	Norway	Extra Race on the Friday
1998	Didier Cuche	Switzerland	Extra Race on the Friday
1998	Kristian Ghedina	Italy
1997	Fritz Strobl	Austria
1997	Luc Alphand	France	Extra Race on the Friday
1996	Gunther Mader	Austria
1995	Luc Alphand	France	Extra Race on the Friday
1995	Luc Alphand	France
1994	Patrick Ortlieb	Austria
1993		No Race
1992	Franz Heinzer	Switzerland	Extra Race on the Friday
1992	Franz Heinzer	Switzerland
1991	Franz Heinzer	Switzerland
1990	Atle Sk_rdal	Norway
1989	Daniel Mahrer	Switzerland
1989	Marc Girardelli	Luxembourg	Extra Race on the Friday
1988		No Race
1987	Pirmin Zurbriggen	Switzerland
1986	Peter Wirnsberger	Austria
1986	Peter Wirnsberger	Austria	Extra Race on the Friday
1985	Pirmin Zurbriggen	Switzerland	Extra Race on the Friday
1985	Pirmin Zurbriggen	Switzerland
1984	Franz Klammer	Austria
1983	Todd Brooker	Canada
1983	Bruno Kernen	Switzerland	Extra Race on the Friday
1982	Steve Podborski	Canada
1982	Harti Weirather	Austria	Extra Race on the Friday
1981	Steve Podborski	Canada
1980	Ken Read	Canada
1979	Sepp Ferstl	West Germany
1978	Josef Walcher	Austria	Tied Race
1978	Sepp Ferstl	West Germany	Tied Race
1978	Josef Walcher	Austria	Extra Race on the Friday
1977	Franz Klammer	Austria
1976	Franz Klammer	Austria
1975	Franz Klammer	Austria
1974	Roland Collombin	Switzerland
1973	Roland Collombin	Switzerland
1972	Karl Schranz	Austria	Extra Race on the Friday
1972	Karl Schranz	Austria
1971		No Race
1970		No Race
1969	Karl Schranz	Austria
1968	Gerhard Nenning	Austria
1967	Jean-Claude Killy	France
1966	Karl Schranz	Austria
1965	Ludwig Leitner	West Germany
1964		No Race
1963	Egon Zimmerman	Austria
1962	Willi Forrer	Switzerland
1961	Guy P'rillat	France
1960	Adrien Duvillard	France
1959	Buddy Werner	USA
1958	Anderl Molterer	Austria
1957	Toni Sailer	Austria
1956	Toni Sailer	Austria
1955	Anderl Molterer	Austria
1954	Christian Pravda	Austria
1953	Bernhard Perren	Switzerland
1952		No Race
1951	Christian Pravda	Austria
1950	Fritz Huber	Austria
1949	Egon Sch"pf	Austria
1948	Helmut Lantschner	Austria
1947	Karl Feix	Austria
1946	Thadd"us Schwabl	Austria
1945		No Race
1944		No Race
1943		No Race
1942		No Race
1941		No Race
1940		No Race
1939		No Race
1938		No Race
1937	Thadd"us Schwabl	Austria
1936	Freidl Pfeifer	Austria
1935	Siegfried Engl	Austria
1934		No Race
1933		No Race
1932	Walter Prager	Switzerland
1931	Ferdl Friedensbacher	Austria

Kitzbuhel Men's Downhill Most Successful Skiers

Swiss skier Didier Cuche recently joined Austrian legends Franz Klammer and Karl Schranz as the stand out skiers on the Hahnenkamm with four wins each, whilst Swiss champions Franz Heinzer and Pirmin Zurbriggen have taken the title three times along with French racer Luc Alphand.

Number of Titles	Name	Nationality	Years
4	Franz Klammer	Austria	1975 1976 1977 1984
4	Karl Schranz	Austria	1966 1969 1972 1972
4	Didier Cuche	Switzerland	1998 2008 2010 2011
3	Franz Heinzer	Switzerland	1991 1992 1992
3	Luc Alphand	France	1995 1995 1997
3	Pirmin Zurbriggen	Switzerland	1985 1985 1987
2	Anderl Molterer	Austria	1955 1958
2	Christian Pravda	Austria	1951 1954
2	Fritz Strobl	Austria	1997 2000
2	Josef Walcher	Austria	1978 1978
2	Lasse Kjus	Norway	1999 2004
2	Peter Wirnsberger	Austria	1986 1986
2	Roland Collombin	Switzerland	1973 1974
2	Sepp Ferstl	West Germany	1978 1979
2	Stephan Eberharter	Austria	2002 2004
2	Steve Podborski	Canada	1981 1982
2	Thadd"us Schwabl	Austria	1937 1946
2	Toni Sailer	Austria	1956 1957
1	Adrien Duvillard	France	1960
1	Atle Sk_rdal	Norway	1990
1	Bernhard Perren	Switzerland	1953
1	Bruno Kernen	Switzerland	1983
1	Buddy Werner	USA	1959
1	Daniel Mahrer	Switzerland	1989
1	Daron Rahlves	USA	2003
1	Didier Defago	Switzerland	2009
1	Egon Sch"pf	Austria	1949
1	Egon Zimmerman	Austria	1963
1	Ferdl Friedensbacher	Austria	1931
1	Freidl Pfeifer	Austria	1936
1	Fritz Huber	Austria	1950
1	Gerhard Nenning	Austria	1968
1	G_nther Mader	Austria	1996
1	Guy P'rillat	France	1961
1	Hans Knauss	Austria	1999
1	Harti Weirather	Austria	1982
1	Helmut Lantschner	Austria	1948
1	Hermann Maier	Austria	2001
1	Jean-Claude Killy	France	1967
1	Karl Feix	Austria	1947
1	Ken Read	Canada	1980
1	Kristian Ghedina	Italy	1998
1	Ludwig Leitner	West Germany	1965
1	Marc Girardelli	Luxembourg	1989
1	Michael Walchhofer	Austria	2006
1	Patrick Ortlieb	Austria	1994
1	Siegfried Engl	Austria	1935
1	Todd Brooker	Canada	1983
1	Walter Prager	Switzerland	1932
1	Willi Forrer	Switzerland	1962

2011 Race

Pre-race favourite Didier Cuche destroyed the rest of the field by storming to victory by nearly a second ahead of American Bode Miller. 26 year old Frenchman Adrien Theaux pulled off the shock of the day as he grabbed the final place on the podium, just edging out Austrian Mario Scheiber. It was a sad day for home favourite Michael Walchhofer, who having announced that this would be his final season was skiing the event for the final time. Nearly 45,000 packed the slopes and finish area, many hoping to see Walchofer extend his lead at the top of the downhill standings, and despite suffering knee and throat injuries in a training run the Austrian started well but then hit a bump in the mid section and came a cropper over the Seidalmsprung. There were no such problems for veteran Swiss-ace Cuche though, who had been fastest in training and carried his form into the race proper, hurtling down the Streif to take the race for the 2nd year running, and becoming only the third racer in history, alongside Austrian legends Franz Klammer and Karl Schranz, to win the race 4 times. Cuche also became the oldest winner of an FIS World Cup race, his 36 years and 5 months making him older than the previous record holder - Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel having won a Super G in Kitzbuhel back in 2008 when he was also 36.

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Keywords : FIS Alpine Ski World Cup List of Men's Downhill Champions Kitzbuhel : alpine ski racing annual competition kitzbuhel austria : list of best downhill skiers and ski racers in kitzbuhel history