Ski History

Kitzbühel and skiing sports is a truly timeless and legendary combination that dates back more than 120 years.  There are few alpine ski resorts that can look back on such a deeply rooted and successful history of winter sports. In March of 1893, skiing pioneer Franz Reisch conquered Austria's very first high alpine ski route by skiing down majestic Kitzbüheler Horn peak.

"Seppi come here, it was so beautiful that I have to slap you in the face”, is what Franz Reisch is rumored to have said to his friend Josef Herold in the winter of 1892/93 after his first successful ski mountaineering trip. Reisch had read the polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen’s book titled "Across Greenland on Snowshoes," which caused quite a stir at the time. In the book, the author discusses his passion for skiing. His book was well received around the world, including in Kitzbühel. It helped trigger a very unique metamorphosis, which transformed Kitzbühel from a sleepy mountain village into one of the world’s top skiing Meccas.

Franz Reisch, who was not born in Kitzbühel but lived here for many years, was inspired by Nansen’s story and ordered a pair of wooden skis from up north. At the time, Kitzbühel locals were mostly sceptical of Reisch’s endeavours and, as legend has it, he soon became known as the "completely crazy guy". In spite of this, Reisch embarked on longer and longer ski tours. On 15 March 1893, he managed to ski down from majestic Kitzbüheler Horn summit. In the first edition of "Der Schneeschuh" (The Snowshoe) magazine from 1 November 1893, he described his experience. With it, he wrote the first known article about skiing. Josef Herold contributed photographs from the days of the skiing pioneers in Kitzbühel.

Very soon thereafter, other passionate early skiing enthusiasts came together to organize ski trips. In 1895, they started holding regular ski races. The early days of winter tourism were a natural extension of these activities. For the first time, apartments were rented, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts opened, and professional skiing instruction was made available. The year 1902 marked the founding of the world-famous Kitzbühel Ski Clubs (K.S.C.).

In March 1931, the first Hahnenkamm Race became a milestone in the history of Kitzbühel's skiing. After World War II, the spectacular races were held on different courses and increased in importance over time. In the late 1940s, the Streif downhill and the Ganslernhang slope developed into the favourite location for future Hahnenkamm Races.

Since then, the Hahnenkamm race has become the most important skiing race in the world. No other winter sport event even comes close in terms of media interest and international spectators and TV viewers. Up to 100,000 spectators come to Kitzbühel for race weekend. The outstandingly difficult downhill ski race on the Streif is the world’s most challenging racing course and pushes the professional athletes’ limits. It is worth noting that in all these years, the famous Hahnenkamm race had to be cancelled because of lack of snow a total of only three times: in 1964, 1988 and 1993.

The so-called "Alpine Skiing Dream Team" composed of Toni Sailer, Ernst Hinterseer, Hias Leitner, Anderl Molterer, Fritz Huber and Christian Pravda, who dominated the skiing circuit in the 1950s, played a very special role in Kitzbühel’s glamorous history.  In particular, it was Toni Sailer who became an idol and was the first true superstar in the world of winter sports. In 1956, he won a total of three Olympic gold medals at the games in Cortina d’Ampezzo as well as four world titles, thus establishing himself as an extraordinary athlete with an outstanding career. He became the shining light of the local skiing world and the symbol of recovery in post-war Austria. In 1999, with his popularity extending as far as Japan, he was selected as the Austrian athlete of the century. 

In 1902, the Kitzbühel Winter Sports Association was founded, which was renamed Kitzbühel Ski Club (K.S.C.) in 1931. Since then, thanks to club’s highly successful members (49 Olympic medals and world championships) as well as the professional standards of its organizing committee, it has become a highly internationally respected sports association. K.S.C., with more than 4,700 members, is now one of the world’s oldest and most successful ski clubs. It pays special attention and devotes a lot of resources to the development of young athletes, including alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping and snowboarding.
 

Kitzbühel's Skiing history by the Numbers

1888	For the first time, Hotel Schloss Lebenberg opens its doors in the winter season in addition to the summer season.
1893	Franz Reisch completes Austria's first high alpine downhill run from Kitzbüheler Horn on 15 March 1893.
1893	Franz Reisch publishes the first article on alpine skiing in "Der Schneeschuh" (The Snowshoe) magazine on 01 November 1893.
1895	First ski race in Kitzbühel, which is won by Josef Herold.
1898	The first international skiing guests arrive in Kitzbühel.
1902	Foundation of the Kitzbühel Winter Sports Association, renamed Kitzbühel Ski Club (K.S.C.) in 1931.
1926	Foundation of the Kitzbühel Ski School - "Rote Teufel" (Red Devils).
1929	The brand-new Hahnenkamm gondola, Austria's first lift for recreational purposes, starts operations.
1931	First Hahnenkamm races on 28 and 29 March 1931.
1950	First night slalom event with floodlights at Ganslernhang slope on 25 December 1950.
1950s	Kitzbühel's "Alpine Skiing Dream Team" composed of Toni Sailer and his fellow skiers dominates the skiing world.
1956	Toni Sailer's great Olympic success in Cortina d'Ampezzo yields three Olympic gold medals and 4 world champion titles. He becomes the first worldwide winter sports superstar – literally overnight.
1971	Commander of the Apollo 13 James Arthur Lovell skiing in Kitzbühel
2004	The "3S" Triple Rope Gondola, the world’s most spectacular and modern detachable mountain gondola in the world, commences operations.
2007	Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann, two extreme skiers from Kitzbühel, conquer the longest ski run in the world on 11 August 2007. They climb up mighty Mount St. Elias (Alaska) and ski down from its peak. The documentary based on their experiences is enthusiastically received by cinema audiences.
2010	In the olympic games 2010 in Vancouver David Kreiner won the gold medal in the nordic combination team competition.
2011	On both team competitions in Oslo David Kreiner and his colleagues are again the best combiner - double gold for Austria.