The 85th edition of the Hahnenkamm races attracted the crowd.
Imago
Kitzbühel hahnenkamm races, the 85th edition of which was held between Friday and Sunday in the Austrian station, remain one of the most important winter alpine ski cup events. Financial envelope, local economy, crowds: Tyrolian tests panic the meters. The proof in a few figures.
9000 lits
Kitzbühel’s meeting, officially spread over a week (from Monday to Sunday), attracted tens of thousands of people. If the majority came from Austria, many spectators or professionals have moved from abroad.
“During the Hahnenkamm races, the most distant travelers come from Australia, Japan, Southeast Asia, South America or Hawaii,” reveals Viktoria Veider-Walser, the CEO of Kitzbühel Tourimus . The others, the most numerous, arrive from Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the United States. Ski nations such as Switzerland, France, Italy and Norway are very represented. ”
To welcome everyone, the Kitzbühel region “had around 480 accommodation providers (Editor’s note: campsite, apartments or farm rentals, hotels …), offering more than 9000 beds ”. For an occupancy rate around 100%.
81,000 tickets sold
The three races on the program in the Austrian station once again attracted the crowds: 18,000 spectators were present on Friday for the Super-G, 45,000 for the next day’s descent (closed counters) and, again, 18 ‘000 for the Sunday slalom.
Note that many celebrities have set sail for Tyrol to attend the show proposed on the Streif: the accustomed to the places Arnold Schwarzenegger, the ex-footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic or the personalities of Formula 1 Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Alesi were seen for the queen test. On Sunday, footballer Thomas Müller and his former teammate, the retiree Bastian Schweinsteiger, braved the rain and took place in the stands.
On Saturday, Bernie Ecclestone was present in the arrival racket to attend the descent.
-Imago
1 million de prize money
The Kitzbühel tests offer the most important cachet of winter. For the fourth year in a row, the prize money distributed to runners reached one million euros.
The winners of the Super-G (the Swiss Marco Odermatt), the descent (the Canadian James Crawford) and the slalom (the French Clément Noël) received a check for 100,000 euros. The 2nd and 3rd of the three events received 50,000 and 25,000 euros respectively.
This season, the other World Cup events bring a bonus of 50,000 euros to their winner.
8.5 million de budget
According to Viktoria Veider-Walser, Hahnenkamm races rely on substantial financial means. “The budget for the event amounts to around 8.5 million euros,” announces the Kitzbühel Tourismus CEO. However, it is impossible to have a turnover. One thing is certain: these tests, thanks to their exhibition, have invaluable value for Kitzbühel. ”
By way of comparison, and according to information from the “Tages-Anzeiger”, the budget for the 2025 edition of the LAUBERHORN events in Wengen was “between 9 and 10 million francs”.
300 million viewers
An essential event of the Alpine ski season, the Kitzbühel meeting is followed everywhere on the planet. “The orf, as an official broadcaster, covers 150 countries, with live broadcasts in 50 of them, explains Viktoria Veider-Walser. In 2024, 300 million viewers watched the races live, while 1.2 billion viewers saw clips on the descent during the Hahnenkamm weekend. ”
The Kitzbühel Tourismus CEO is necessarily delighted with this international exhibition. “This event is priceless for us – not only for tourism, but also for its reputation as a professional organizer of major events. For a week, the station turns into a hub for sport, business, media and spectators, and attracts visitors throughout the year. ”
