“We’re not ones to rest on our laurels”
Questions directed at HKR staff actually sound quite strange to the team: “So what are you doing next week, you’re probably going on holiday now?” No way, it’s time to clear up now, settle accounts, get organized and much more. There are no days off for the majority of the team.
They are all, however, fully motivated and work with great dedication. For all Organizing Committee members, the races at Hahnenkamm are their passion, their friend and “family”. “We are proud to have such committed team members in the OC”, says Michael Huber, OC Chairman and President of the Kitzbühel Ski Club. “The last day of the races is the first day of the next Hahnenkamm Races!”
“Snowfall makes our job harder!”
The Stadium Team is the most challenged. Within an incredibly short period of time, the grand stands, containers, video walls, TV towers and much more have to be dismantled. The problem is that everything is buried in snow, which makes work that much harder. “We actually have to search for certain items under the snow”, explains Mandi Goller. “The snow has to be cleared off everything before our work can even begin. It is cold, wet and you can’t even wear gloves for the finer details. Bad weather also prevents helicopter transportation.
This includes the structures in the start area, Start House facades, warm-up tents and the large energy station. “Unbelievable, everything has to be cleared away within a week, we want to do everything perfectly, but are currently battling with huge amounts of new snow”.
“The mountain is our gym”
Dismantling of the safety nets, Airfence and various safety devices should be completed within five days. “The snow dump is making our work difficult”, muses Tom Voithofer, team leader. Workers are using shovels to dig down to the ground cables to release the anchor poles. The B-nets are rolled up, dried and stowed. Material checks are also very thorough.
“We treat everything with care, every single item has to be serviced”.
Hundreds of shovels, rakes, drills and so-on are now going to be inspected and replaced when necessary, before being stored away. And that does not include the slalom gates, PVC poles, netting, tarpaulin, floor plates and much more.
“Everything gets done that couldn’t be done before, due to time constraints!”
The offices are also busy. The various setups in the race, press, ticket and organizer’s offices are all cleared away within just one day. Everything is transported back to Kitzbühel Ski Club’s main office. Invoices, statistics, countless pieces of paper are all stored in transport crates, from where they are processed.
“We don’t have time for holidays and days off”.
Say all members of the Organizing Committee unanimously. “We really need to get a move on now, there is no other way, the work is not over for us yet!” Having said that, initial meetings are already being scheduled for a detailed recap. So work carries on throughout the year. All members of the Organizing Committee are therefore delighted to receive worlds of praise. They deserve it! Nevertheless, they still all say: “We’re not ones to rest on our laurels”