Line-up, course etc.

Ladies on the Streif: Facts about the Super-G weekend

Nadine Fest is considered a contender for victory in Kitzbühel.

(Bild: GEPA)

The ladies will be "rocking" the Streif this weekend. The facts about the two Super-Gs.

What exactly is being raced?
On Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, two women's Super-Gs in the European Cup will take place on the legendary Streif. The start is at 10.30 am

Who is racing for Austria?
Austria will be at the start with 15 skiers, the ÖSV line-up is set: Viktoria Bürgler, Magdalena Egger, Nicole Eibl, Nadine Fest, Pia Hauzenberger, Emilia Herzgsell, Michelle Niederweiser, Victoria Olivier, Elisabeth Reisinger, Valentina Rings-Wanner, Angelina Salzgeber, Eva Schachner, Anna Schilcher, Carmen Spielberger and Leonie Zegg.
Nadine Fest is not only the leader in the discipline ranking, but also a real "Streif expert". For her final thesis at the Bad Hofgastein ski school in 2016, she wrote about the myth of the Streif, as she revealed to the "Krone".

Nadine Fest

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Why the Streif in particular?
Kitzbühel was chosen as the venue for the two races at relatively short notice. At the autumn FIS meeting, two women's Super-Gs were still vacant. "That's when I showed up," Michael Huber recently told the "Krone". He is President of the Kitzbühel Ski Club and is "fired up" for the races. "I asked myself: why not on the Streif?" Now the question has been answered.

K.S.C. President Michael Huber

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Are these the first women's races in Kitzbühel?
Not at all. Between 1932 and 1961, downhill, slalom and combined races were held regularly on the Streif. Back then, Traudl Hecher, mother of Lizz and Stephan Görgl, was a real serial winner. She triumphed five times in the Gamsstadt. The last women's race held there was therefore 64 years ago. "With Lydia Fuchs-Gstrein and Rosi Sailer-Hofreiter, only two of the former winners are still alive," says Kärntner Krone.

Are the ladies racing on the "full" Streif?
Not quite. They will be skiing the middle section of the infamous course. Mausefalle is skipped, Brückenschuss and Alte Schneise are bypassed. The end is before the Hausberg. "The slope is completely new territory for all skiers, including our ladies, who, like everyone else, will have the opportunity to view and ski the course for the first time on Friday," says Reinhard Fernsebner, group coach of the speed ladies in the European Cup: "It will definitely be a spectacle that the athletes are really looking forward to. Both the upper and lower sections are technically very demanding and the course certainly requires courage and stamina. The exit after the steep slope will also be crucial in order to pick up enough speed. I have a lot of confidence in our ladies and am optimistic that we can be among the front runners." Spectators on skis can reach the starting area "Mausefalle Boden" and watch the athletes' performances on site from the Gschößwiese along the parallel Streif slope, the Kitzbühel Ski Club announced.

For Nadine Fest, the course design makes sense. "There is a reason why the particularly difficult sections are reserved for the men. It wouldn't necessarily be too difficult, but it certainly wouldn't be as spectacular for the ladies - we would have to pick up the pace a lot more and there would be more turns," she says.

Will it be broadcast on TV?
Yes, ORF will be broadcasting on Sport+ from 10.25 am on both days. On Saturday there will be a summary on ORF eins at 6.35 pm, on Sunday at 4.05 pm. 17 cameras will be in action to produce similarly spectacular images to the legendary men's races.

Will the Streif weekend remain unique?
For the time being, yes. European Cup races at Pass Thurn are already fixed in the calendar for the 2025/26 season. On the other hand, short-term adaptations to the schedule - as the example of 2025 shows - are not unthinkable, especially if the upcoming weekend turns out to be a success. It is therefore entirely possible that March 2025 will be the starting signal for the women's tradition in Kitzbühel.