What would be Kitzbühel Without the Hahnenkamm descent, better known as the the Streif? We want to show the most famous and at the same time The most difficult and dangerous ski run in the world hike down.

Tour dates:

• Start: KitzSki Hahnenkammbahn (Hahnenkammstraße 1, 6370 Kitzbühel)
• Costs Hahnenkamm cable car: Ascent 22,5€. Here are the current Prices and Operating hours.
• Walking time: 2,5 hrs.
• Difficulty: medium
• Total path length: approx. 3.8 km
• Altitude metres: downhill 900 m
• Season: Recommended from June to mid-October

Hahnenkamm cable car

We buy a ticket for the Hahnenkamm cable car for €22.50, just for the ascent of course, as we wanted to hike down the Streif.

There's not a soul in the queue, so we hop on the Marcel Hirscher gondola at 9.12am. You can enjoy a marvellous view and even ride over a ski jump. Less than 15 minutes later, we arrive at the mountain station.

The hike:

The starting house

Naturally, our hike begins at the start house. From here it is 3,312m to the finish. The starting house on the Hahnenkamm offers an incredible view of the surrounding mountains and Kitzbühel. Even the starting shot is impressive, you wouldn't even want to walk down here, let alone ski at full speed.

We prefer to take the less steep hiking trail and reach the Hocheckhütte after just 2 minutes. From here, we continue towards the Mausefalle, one of the most famous spots on the Streif and in the ski circus in general.

First, however, we go through a pasture gate and up to a rather dilapidated viewing platform.

The mousetrap

A few metres further on is the famous Mousetrap. My first thought is "Are they insane!" It doesn't look so wild on TV. But when you stand here yourself, it's simply unbelievable that someone has the courage to hurtle down at top speed. I wouldn't even be able to bogie down here. No wonder, the gradient is 85%!

We continue downhill along the serpentine path. To stay on the track, you have to leave the main path after a few minutes and turn right. Don't worry, the path is well signposted. Head back towards the lake.

Steep slope

Earlier on, I thought it would be steep, but only when we reach the steep slope do we realise why it has that name! We have to continue in serpentine lines, as the steep slope would simply not be feasible on foot (and in summer, nature is spared). In winter, this passage is the iciest part. 

the Gschöss

We reach the gliding section of the race track, which is still fast enough for us. The racers are still doing a whopping 90 km/h here. However, we have time to enjoy the surrounding mountains, such as the Wilder Kaiser.

This is followed by the old aislethe roughest part of the route. If you want to take a longer break, you can hike on to Seidlalm See.

After more than 1 hour we reach the Seidl Alm the centre section of the race track. If you wish, you can also stop off here.

We continue along the narrow path and after a few minutes reach a beautiful forest, which we cross.

Local mountain Kante

After the Larch shot we finally arrive at the famous Local mountain Kantewhere you can sit down on a park bench to enjoy the view. It is simply unimaginable that the skiers jump down here at full speed. What looks impressive on television is almost unbelievable here. The idea is simply absurd. 

At the end comes the Target shot. The racers reach speeds of up to 140 km/h here. However, you don't go over it, but onto the road towards the centre of Kitzbühel.

The Austrian Olympic champion Fritz Strobl only needed 1:51.57 minutes in 2002 for the Streif.

It only took us just over 2 hours 😉

Conclusion: a really exciting and beautiful hike, whether you watch ski races or not.