Virtus Open Premiere on the Kitzbüheler Horn
The Virtus Open will be held for the very first time in Kitzbühel from 4 to 7 February. This international race series brings together athletes with intellectual disabilities, including those with Down syndrome and autism. The programme features super-G, giant slalom and slalom. Last Saturday, five Austrian athletes were in action on the Kitzbüheler Horn for a training session.
While preparations for the 86th Hahnenkamm Races are in full swing on the Hahnenkamm just opposite, the next ski event is already taking shape on the Kitzbüheler Horn. The Virtus Open, organised by the Kitzbühel Ski Club in partnership with the Austrian Disabled Sports Federation from 4 to 7 February, will bring international ski racing for athletes with intellectual impairments to Kitzbühel.
The Virtus Open is an international race series closely aligned with elite and squad-based competitive sport. Alongside titles and medals, one of its core aims is to ensure that performances are internationally comparable. This season, the series stops not only in Kitzbühel but also in Italy, France and the USA.
Brothers Lukas and Thomas Moser, local heroes from Aschau in the municipality of Kirchberg, were training on the Kitzbüheler Horn on Saturday, alongside Eva-Maria Dünser from Vorarlberg, Markus Grameiser from Seefeld and Michael Konrad from Arzl in Pitztal. A 37-gate giant slalom course had been set. The start was just below the Horn Chapel, with the finish a little way beneath the Alpenhaus.
“The course is awesome,” said Eva-Maria Dünser after her first two runs. She is already looking forward to returning to the start gate under race conditions in February. Until then, it will be all about focused training – because the 27-year-old’s goal is crystal clear: “To win.”
Thomas Moser is also looking forward tremendously to the Virtus Open. His favourite disciplines are giant slalom and slalom, with a slight preference for the tighter gates. “I really like this slope,” says the 14-year-old, whose role models are Marco Schwarz and Manuel Feller. He would be more than happy with a top-three finish at the Virtus Open.
The programme for the Virtus Open on the Kitzbüheler Horn includes a super-G on 5 February, a giant slalom on 6 February and a slalom on 7 February. Entry is free, and the organisers are expecting around 50 athletes from eight nations.
Paula Grameiser-Scherl of the Austrian Disabled Sports Federation shares the athletes’ eagerness. “The Virtus Open in Kitzbühel is so much more than just a race for my team and me. They represent years of development work, active inclusion and the clear goal of making alpine skiing for athletes with intellectual disabilities a Paralympic sport. Here, our athletes show that they are capable of world-class performances.”
