Great Vibes at the Media Evening

Even in their 86th year, the irresistible allure of the Hahnenkamm Races remains unabated, drawing media representatives from all over the world to Kitzbühel. A total of 740 accredited media representatives from 20 countries are covering the event this year, including 21 TV stations. On Wednesday evening, Kitzbühel Ski Club and Kitzbühel Tourism invited journalists to the traditional media evening at Hotel Tiefenbrunner.

After an intense start to the week with two downhill training sessions and numerous appointments, interviews and background discussions, around 120 journalists from the print, online, TV and radio sectors, as well as the race doctors, took up the invitation to enjoy a relaxed evening full of personal exchanges, networking and lively specialist discussions. This year, 740 media representatives travelled specially to Kitzbühel for the Hahnenkamm Races, with around 250 of them working during the day in the spacious K3 press centre near the finish area.

The media evening also provided the perfect setting to honour two extraordinary personalities who have accompanied the Hahnenkamm Races for decades as journalists and photographers:
Erich Spieß, who has documented the races with his camera for the past 42 years and served as Kitzbühel Ski Club’s photography coordinator for 20 years, was awarded the KSC Badge of Honour by KSC President and Organising Committee Chief Michael Huber for his decades of support. Spieß will enter his well-deserved retirement after this year’s Races.

Georg Fraisl, who has been working as a journalist since the early 1980s and reporting on the Hahnenkamm Races since 1982, also bade farewell. Employed by the Austrian Kronen Zeitung newspaper since 1992, he is now also retiring. However, both Erich Spieß and Georg Fraisl will be back in action at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Kitzbühel Tourism also used the media evening to draw attention to the Austrian Alpine Open 2026. The high-profile golf tournament – featuring Sepp Straka, amongst others – will take place from 28 to 31 May 2026 at the Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith Golf Club.

Photo © K.S.C./Jürgen Klecha