Kitzbuhel Ski Resort

The historic Tirolean town of Kitzbühel has two claims to fame which combine to make it a major attraction for skiers and non-skiers worldwide. One is the stunningly picturesque town itself; the other is the greatest World Cup downhill ski race in the world. Kitzbühel is quite simply the perfect medieval setting for the ultimate winter jousting match: the Streif descent on the celebrated Hahnenkamm.

Kitzbühel has it all, except altitude. The skiing, which includes the nearby villages of Kirchberg and Jochberg, as well as a separate area, the Kitzbüheler Horn, is extensive, the après-ski formidable, the visual impact dramatic, but at 760 m the resort is worryingly low.

During the lean snow years of the 1980s, this caused considerable anxiety. After being forced to cancel the Hahnenkamm in 1964, 1988 and 1993 due to poor snow conditions, the Kitzbühel Lift Company installed artificial snow-making equipment to provide total coverage along the Streif and Ganslern runs, and the resort has subsequently built up a considerable armoury of snow cannon.

On race weekends as many as 70,000 people pack the town centre; the nearby Rasmusleitn finish area is a sea of red and white Austrian flags and post-race fireworks. Ironically in January 2005 there was too much snow, accompanied by bad visibility, to hold the downhill.