In two weeks time one of the great traditions in all international sport returns to the spotlight: the Hahnenkamm-Races, held on the hallowed slopes of Kitzbühel, Austria, and a key component in the Alpine Ski World Cup.

The three Downhill trophies, Photo by: Rolex /Kurt Arrigo

Since 1931, the world's premier alpine ski racers have been venturing to the picturesque and charming Tyrolean village of Kitzbühel in search of glory, competing on what is arguably the world's most treacherous piste. Over the weekend of 20 - 22 January, the current crop will test their courage at the 72nd edition of the Hahnenkamm-Races. Swiss watchmaker Rolex has been the Official Timing Sponsor of this festival of skill and speed on snow since 2007.

The crowd at the Downhill finish area 2011, Photo by: Rolex /Kurt Arrigo

Four disciplines are tested over the three intense days. In the Downhill, Saturday's main attraction, Swiss racers are aiming to extend their Hahnenkamm winning streak to five on the fabled Streif. Didier Cuche started the trend in 2008, Didier Defago, the 2010 Olympic Downhill champion, won in 2009, before Cuche added two more wins in 2010 and last year.

Kitzbühel panorama, Photo by: Rolex /Kurt Arrigo

Friday's highly demanding super-G is held lower down Kitzbühel mountain on the Streifalm. Last season's race was impressively taken by Croatia's Ivica Kostelic, en route to his first career overall World Cup title.

Concluding the programme on Sunday is the slalom, with two runs on the adjacent Ganslern. French slalom ace Jean-Baptiste Grange was victorious last year.

Trophies and World Cup points will also be awarded in the "Classic Combined," the last of its kind in elite level alpine ski racing, where the winner is determined by their results in the Downhill and both Slalom runs.

While handicapping potential winners at the Hahnenkamm-Races is never an easy task, one thing is certain, any racer who can overcome and survive the ferocious downhill beast known as the Streif, successfully navigate the highly technical, physical challenge which the super-G presents or slice through the tricky maze of slalom gates with aplomb on the Ganslern course, better than the rest will forever etch his legacy among the legends in Kitzbühel's history.

Ambiance at the Super-G Prizegiving Ceremony 2011, Photo by: Rolex /Kurt Arrigo

Rolex Testimonee, Carlo Janka, the 2010 overall World Cup champion and Olympic giant slalom gold medallist, will be making his fourth appearance in Kitzbühel. "Kitzbühel is really special. [it] has a very important tradition and every downhill racer would like to win this race once in his life," says Janka. "What is very different to other races is the mental challenge due to the difficulty of the courses. The courses in Kitzbühel are very demanding and require a lot of experience. In recent years, there have been sections [of the Downhill] where I did not perform perfectly, for example the traverse right before the finish. I hope that is going to change this year."

Kitzbühel has a magnetic pull. A Tyrolean village of 8,500 people, it is steeped in mountain history, lore and culture. During the weekend, over 700 media are onsite, not to mention nearly 100,000 thousand fans, scores of racers and hundreds of clanging cowbells that unite to create Kitzbühel's famously festive alpine atmosphere.

Rolex and skiing

Inextricably linked since 1968, when triple Olympic gold medal medallist Jean-Claude Killy became a Rolex Testimonee following his extraordinary performance at the Winter Games in Grenoble, Rolex and skiing is an association that exemplifies shared principles: passion, precision and excellence.

Der Abfahrtsläufer - Max Kössler (K.S.C. Centennial sculpture) Photo by: Rolex /Kurt Arrigo

Killy was the first emblematic link between the Rolex and alpine skiing, embodying, through his enthusiastic dedication and ceaseless quest for perfection, cardinal values that mirror those of Rolex. In 2007, Austrian alpine skiing legend, Hermann Maier, marked a wider commitment in Rolex's partnership with the sport. A Testimonee with an impressive array of victories to his name, the highly respected Maier personifies the philosophies of Rolex and the core qualities of a truly great athlete.

In the same year that Maier's relationship with Rolex began, the commitment to this elite sport reached beyond individual exponents. In 2007, Rolex became the Official Timekeeper of the most iconic leg of the Alpine Skiing World Cup: the Hahnenkamm-Races in Kitzbühel, Austria. An event, which marks the highlight of the ski season and ignites the imagination of sporting enthusiasts from around the world, Kitzbühel is another perfect fit with the values of Rolex.

More recently, the connection has been extended to include the greatest female skier of her generation, American Lindsey Vonn. A gold medal winner at the 2010 Winter Games, between 2008 and 2010 Vonn secured the overall Alpine Ski World Cup title three times in a row. And, confirming the enduring nature of the link with the sport, two rising Swiss stars have also become testimonees - Lara Gut and Carlo Janka - both determined athletes with a yearning for perfection in performance in their chosen sporting discipline.

For detailed information about the 72nd Hahnenkamm-Races please visit: www.hahnenkammnews.com

KPMS
January 6, 2012

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