Soldiers with a special story arrive in Kitzbühel
The Hahnenkamm Races benefit from the support of 100 soldiers from Upper Styria. Two of them have already mastered the Streif. One from top to bottom, the other from bottom to top.
It’s not normally a good sign to see so much “green” on the Streif, but on Monday afternoon it was down to the 100 uniforms worn by the soldiers who are providing support to the Hahnenkamm Races. The 18th Infantry Battalion from St. Michael in Upper Styria have arrived to assist with preparation and maintenance work on the Downhill and Super-G racecourses. They will be helping until next week and the recruits are staying at Wintersteller barracks in the neighbouring town of St. Johann.
This military support has tradition stretching back decades, having first taken place in 1956. “May the fresh air do you good, may no one slip over, and may everyone be able to say on Monday that they had a great time!” said Michael Huber, Chief of the Hahnenkamm Races Organising Committee, addressing the recruits before adding: “You can travel wherever you want. To the Amazon, to Africa and even to the moon. But the Hahnenkamm Race community experience – if all goes well – is an extraordinary encounter and I am delighted that you are here and taking part.” Streif Slope Manager, Herbert Hauser, was also pleased and grateful to have assistance from soldiers with special alpine training: “Let’s all work together and we’ll have a great week. And when you’re having fun, the work is half as arduous.”
Two soldiers from St. Michael in Upper Styria have a very special connection to the Streif. Just a year ago, recruit Elias Gmeinbauer was at the start-line himself – as one of the forerunners: “It was a unique experience, even though I wasn't feeling too good until just before the start. I didn't sleep well and couldn't eat much either. Being able to ski down to the finish line in one piece and looking back up at it was a very special moment.” He has since ended his ski racing career, but the more he looks at the Hahnenkamm, the more he is “tempted to go back to it.”
Deputy Officer Wolfgang Rieglthalner celebrated one of his greatest emotional triumphs on the Streif: “I was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and read about the “Vertical Up” in Kitzbühel during my chemotherapy,” a spectacular event held every February, where participants run up the Streif from bottom to top. “At the time, I said to myself that if I survive the disease, I'll take part. I did just that in 2018 and it was an incredibly fulfilling experience,” Wolfgang Rieglthalner recalls with delight. His best friend, Christian Hoffman, who holds the record for the Vertical Up, also helped and motivated him in the run-up to the event. The cross-country skiing Olympic champion conquered the Streif from bottom to top in 30 minutes. “I told Christian I wanted to take at least twice as long, which I am pleased to say I managed to do.”
Photo © K.S.C./alpinguin
