But the “myth” is damaged
The Streif – brutal ride through hell
By Tobias Nordman
01/20/2022, 7:08 p.m
Mausefalle, steep slope, local mountain edge, traverse – slope sections from hell. Two minutes on two skis at the limit, speeds of up to 150 km/h. Fear, adrenaline, the Streif. Whoever wins here becomes a legend. Anyone who flies here ends up in the hospital.
Josef Ferstl was the first to take off. And that is to be understood in two senses of the word. The German speed specialist got too close to the safety tarpaulin at the exit of the steep slope in the first training session, then lost control of his skis and fell. He went to the hospital by helicopter. But there was the all-clear. Bruises, cramped muscles, a slight abrasion and the feeling of a “full wash”, a “harmless” medical bullin for a take-off on the Hahnenkamm piste. There have been far more than 20 brutal falls over the past three decades on the most legendary descent in the World Cup circus.
Almost year after year, athletes and spectators are reminded that the “Streif” does not forgive mistakes. Last year, the Swiss Urs Kryenbühl was hit. The 27-year-old, who has had three World Cup podiums in his career, lost control on the last jump. At around 140 kilometers per hour, he hit his head hard and finally lay motionless in the finish area. Kryenbühl suffered a severe concussion, a fracture of the right collarbone and a tear in the cruciate and medial ligaments. He wasn’t the only one caught on the “Ghost Streak” in 2021. American Ryan Cochran-Siegle found no footing in the brutal traverse and flew spectacularly. His diagnosis: vertebral fracture.
But it all goes even harder, even worse, even more merciless. Just like with Hans Grugger. In 2011, the Austrian loses his balance during a training run in the mouse trap. He hits his back and head hard. Danger to life, coma, end of career. Or with Daniel Albrecht. The Swiss once recalled that his fall at the finish jump was “actually a very small mistake. I could have died.” That was in 2009. Contused lungs, severe craniocerebral trauma, almost four weeks in a coma. But he survives. Two years later, Albrecht competes in World Cup races again. He is no longer successful, but happy: “I rate it very highly that I made it back into the World Cup after my accident and the most important thing: I can stop healthy!” Sentences that give you goosebumps.
The fascination for the merciless
The fascination of this almost two-minute ride through hell is a constant thrill, one that knows no break. Not for the driver, who must not lose focus and body tension for a millisecond, and also not for the spectator, who is enthusiastic about the maximum willingness to take risks of the downhill skiers – always taking into account that one of the brave ones sometimes challenges the risk too much. As merciless as that sounds, the falls are part of the myth that has always hung around this race. The fascination for the dangerous is part of human curiosity. Of course, the myth is made up of other pieces of the puzzle. Above all, there are the wild heroes on the boards. The fight of the best for the most prestigious victory in the World Cup. And then there are the fanatical viewers. A wild mix of celebrities, rich and crazy. But this piece of the puzzle will not really fit in 2022 either.
Only 1000 spectators are allowed on the mighty tubular steel grandstand. They must be vaccinated or recovered and are only admitted with a negative PCR test. Sponsors, officials, regulars – no superstars, no fans without elevated status. The virus is rampant in Kitzbühel. The seven-day incidence is over 3000. Masks are compulsory everywhere. The police have announced that they will be very present around the races and will ban all parties. Parties are also part of this “Streif” myth.
However, this year the organizers have watered it down a bit. As in the previous year, there will be two downhill runs (due to the weather forecast with lots of fresh snow on the traditional race Saturday, the downhill runs will be held on Friday and Sunday). In 2021 Kitzbühel stepped in with the second race for the failed Lauberhorn descent. This year, however, the double pack was planned early. The reason for this: The organizers wanted to absorb the originally expected massive number of visitors. Up to 50,000 people were there before the pandemic.
The plan’s problem: the uniqueness of the victory is lost. Presumably there is honor and recognition to be shared, even though the Swiss “Kugelblitz” Beat Feuz was able to celebrate the historic double last year. Thomas Dreßen, among others, who surprisingly won in 2018, has little good to say about this plan.
Why do you do this?
The drivers can and should not care. When they heave themselves out of the starting gate, it takes four seconds before they have accelerated to 100 km/h. The ride at the limit lasts almost two minutes and 3312 meters. Only in the Gschöss gliding passage is there a short breather. “It takes strength and focus to defeat something you’re afraid of,” says Canadian Eric Guay. The quote comes from the 2014 film “Streif – One Hell of a ride”. Mousetrap, carousel, steep slope, local mountain edge, traverse, target shot – sections of piste from hell, gradients of up to 80 percent, jumps over 30, 60, 70 meters into what feels like nothing. If that sounds tempting to you, you must be crazy and full of yourself. “Before you back down, the smartest thing to do is unbuckle your seat belt and go home,” Austrian Max Franz once said. He also knows the ruthlessness of the slopes. The “Streif” had already thrown him off as well. That’s what the speed stars call it. The ride is not just a fight for seconds, but also a ride at your own risk. You have to “conquer” the slope. As soon as possible of course. Franz recovered and came back. Again and again.
It is the eternal addiction to maximum adrenaline that drives the drivers. “There’s this kick. It’s the best feeling of happiness to cross the finish line and to have mastered such a difficult task. Only a few have that courage,” said Swiss record winner Didier Cuche (five successes) a few years ago to “WAZ “. It’s “a ride through the inferno.” A sacred cow of alpine sports. And so the drivers react extremely sensitively when there is again a discussion about whether the spectacle is perhaps too dangerous. Whether sections need to be defused. Just like in 2022. The local mountain and the entrance to the traverse, in the past often the scene of serious falls, have been redesigned. “It’s a curve, a passage. It’s not like Kitzbühel was reinvented,” said Feuz, who is also one of the favorites this year. Meanwhile, DSV star Romed Baumann thinks that the Hahnenkamm slope is in “excellent” condition. “It was restless, but not pointless, just challenging, really cool.”
There are very different views among the drivers as to whether the change was absolutely necessary. After all, nobody wants to be told that they had become a hero on the easier Streif.