Kitzbühel departure 2013

Kitzbühel Departure 2013 - South Tyrol Wins

Every year Kitzbühel is at the center of skiing. The probably most difficult and spectacular downhill race in the world takes place here. It is the dream of every athlete to stand on the winner's podium here. Over 100,000 people come to Kitzbühel this weekend to cheer on their idols in the ski World Cup. This year, Kitzbühel was once again the highlight, where the South Tyrolean Dominik Paris won the crown, the victory in the Kitzbühel Departure.

74th Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel, Airshow

On Saturday, January 26, 2013, the 73rd Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel took place. Countless fans and celebrities from all over the world were at the finish line and around the track to watch the Kitzbühel Departure 2013. Shortly before the start at 11:00, there was a taste of the upcoming Airpower 2013 in June, which takes place every two years in Zeltweg. 2 Eurofighters, the Red Bull Airways planes and helicopters showed their skills in a airshow in the skies of Kitzbühel.

Then the time had finally come, the 73rd Kitzbühel Departure started at 11:30 am. On icy slopes with gradients of up to 85% and speeds of up to 140km/h, the world's best downhill skiers raced to the finish, providing tens of thousands of spectators with an exciting and spectacular racing adventure. Anyone who dares to ski here deserves great respect. Some did not fare so well, like Peter Fill from South Tyrol, who had a spectacular fall. But fortunately, the 30-year-old South Tyrolean is fine and came away without any injuries.

Exciting Kitzbühel Departure - Dominik Paris Wins

The two South Tyroleans Christoph Innerhofer and Dominik Paris, the Canadian Erik Guay, the world champion in downhill, and as always the Austrians, Hannes Reichelt and Klaus Kröll, were without a doubt the favorites for victory in the Kitzbühel Departure 2013. Christoph Innerhofer was already assigned the 46th start number instead of the 19th due to a rule violation in the qualification. The chance for a podium for Italy was thus smaller. But everything turned out differently than expected. The South Tyrolean Dominik Paris, winner of the Bormio downhill this winter, set a top time that could not be surpassed by the following top favorites for this Kitzbühel Departure 2013, Hannes Reichelt and Erik Guay. Thus, victory for Paris was almost perfect. Only his teammate Christoph Innerhofer could still take the victory from him, who started the race with the high start number 46. Innerhofer was still on the best way to take the victory between time, but in the lower section of the track he was exposed to too many bumps and lost a lot of time as a result. The track deteriorated gradually. Nevertheless, Christoph Innerhofer showed a great race and was able to finish in 20th place. The victory for Dominik Paris was thus perfect, he was able to fulfill the dream of winning the Kitzbühel Departure 2013.

Results of the Kitzbühel Departure 2013

1. Paris Dominik                  ITA
2. Guay Erik                          CAN
3. Reichelt Hannes               AUT
4. Poisson David                  FRA
5. Franz Max                         AUT
6. Kroell Klaus                      AUT
7. Jansrud Kjetil                    NOR
8. Streitberger Georg            AUT
9. Svindal Aksel                    NOR
10. Osborne Manuel               CAN

Dominik Paris, the radiant winner

Dominik Paris had a truly great success on Saturday in the Kitzbühel Departure 2013. The South Tyrolean is well on his way to becoming a super downhill skier at the young age of only 23. Many will now wonder where this young lad comes from exactly? The young Dominik, who races for the Squadra Azzurra, comes from the beautiful Ultental in South Tyrol, which is located near the town of Merano. His entire hometown of Ultental is excited every week when he zooms down the steep slopes at speeds of over 100 km/h. Ultental and South Tyrol are very proud of this likable racer, who was always at the front as a junior. The victory in the Kitzbühel Departure 2013 was Dominik Paris' 2nd World Cup victory so far, which has a great importance for him. In an interview with ORF, he said that he had dreamed of a victory in Kitzbühel since he was a child and that this meant more to him than the gold medal at the World Championships. The Ski World Championships in Schladming will take place in two weeks. We are curious to see if he still feels the same way if he wins gold for Italy there.

My Conclusion

The Kitzbühel Departure 2013 was really a great event, where I could be there live for the first time. It is unbelievable how steep these slopes are, you can hardly see that in photos and on TV. The atmosphere is breathtaking, even if no Austrian won the downhill this year. Of course, the atmosphere would have been even greater, but on the following Sunday, the Austrian victory in the slalom worked out. If you are already planning to watch the race next year, I can only advise you to be at the very bottom instead of going further up on the track, because you won't see much there. The speakers at the Kitzbühel Departure are too quiet there and it can also be dangerous when you go up the steep slope.