Kitzbuhel Hahnenkamm 09 – the countdown

Sometimes comments get buried beneath articles and never read, this one we need to reproduce as it offers some of the most compelling reasons to visit the greatest ski race on earth – the Kitzbuhel Hahnenkamm:

“I have drunk my body weight in alcohol ,got the wrong train and ended up in Germany ( Munich to be precise ), lead a courageous snowball assault on the balcony of the French ski team and had a couple of incredibly fast descents down the side of the course (on my backside ). I’ve drunk with members of the Italian and British ski teams without really knowing who the heck they were, I’ve watched thousands of fans drunk before 9 a.m on passion for the sport and expectation of another amazing day and driven to the race in a freezing clapped out vw with no heater and an increasingly deep film of ice on the inside of the car. I’ve also witnessed the bravest athletes I have ever seen, watched men slide or fly across snow at speeds of up to 90 mph ,heard the cheers of 70,000 Austrians as Ebehater won in style, watched Ghedina do the splits at 80 mph when hitting the last jump, had to hang on for my dear life on the steeper sections of the course and met total strangers and shared memories that last a lifetime.
I have attended 4 Hannenkhams and I could not ever recommend the experience enough. If you marvel at all that is daring, beautiful,hilarious and truly authentic you must go to this historic gladatorial event in the heart of some incredible mountains once in your life. If you go enjoy it all and savour the memories just check which direction your train is going in.”

The message seems to be – just go.