It is still summer, and the high temperature in Bozeman is pushing 90 degree Fahrenheit. Naturally, I got to thinking about the Hahnenkamm. Check out this video from USST member Travis Ganong documenting his first race down the Streif last season:
Note the 137 kph (85 mph) speed in the Zielschuss near the bottom of the run!
If you aren't familiar with the course, check out this animated tour narrated by former World Cup skier Doug Lewis.
Here are a few fun facts about this toughest of all downhill races:
- Franz Klammer and Didier Cuche have each won the race four times.
- Fritz Strobl holds the record for the full course at 1:51.58. At a course length of 3,312 meters, that translates into an average speed of 66.4 mph.
- The steepest part of the course is the Mausefalle (the "mousetrap"). At its steepest, the Mausefalle has a 40 degree slope. For comparison, the average slope of the face of Marx at Big Sky is 39 degrees.
- Two Americans have won the Hahnenkamm: Dahron Rahlves (2003) and Buddy Werner (1959).
- Big Sky's own Martin Bell raced in the Hahnenkamm downhill four times.
Just for fun, here is a clip of "The Kaiser" winning his fourth Hahnenkamm back in 1984:
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