Hahnenkamm races are on!

The racing week in Kitzbuehel started earlier than usual this year, as the Organising Committee held a Europa Cup downhill on the Streif for the first time on Monday, offering the youngster a chance to battle on the scariest hill of the World Cup.

On Wednesday, the world’s best and fastest athletes took over the hill for the first official training with regard to the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill on upcoming Saturday. The course is in a perfect shape with firm and compact snow from top to bottom and it seems like the weather will be sunny and cold through the whole week.

Steven Nyman is the one that used those ideal conditions the best in the first training run. The American, who has three downhill wins in Val Gardena and four podiums last season, again showed that he gets along well with rough conditions.

“I skied well even though it didn’t feel very good, you just get raddled and bumped all the way down, but every time I went off the jumps I was further than anyone else, so I thought ‘oh, maybe I’m going fast’. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

Behind Nyman, last year’s runner-up in the Kitzbuehel downhill Beat Feuz finishes the training run with +0.37, while surprise guest Johan Clarey ends 3rd with +0.95. The Frenchman claimed three World Cup podiums so far and ranked 4th in last year’s Hahnenkamm downhill.

A second and last training will take place tomorrow on the Streif, last chance to try new lines or adapt the setup before things get serious and athletes switch to race mode. The program starts with a super-g on Friday, followed by the downhill on Saturday and the slalom on Sunday.