It's all downhill from here at Hahnenkamm

THINK you're a master of the slopes? Just wait till you're standing at the starting gate of the Hahnenkamm racecourse in Austria for the first time.

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THERE comes a time in an experienced skier's life when they believe they can handle virtually anything within a ski resort boundary.

But that's before they stand at the starting gate of the Hahnenkamm racecourse in Kitzbuhel, Austria, for the first time.

It's here, looking down its long, sheer iciness, that skiers develop a whole new respect for heading downhill on two planks.

For a start, there's a near-vertical drop straight out of the starting gate. This means when a racer tips off the top they hit 100km/h almost immediately. What's more, this precipitous pitch leads to the ferociously steep Mousetrap section. This infamous block of blue ice sees many a racer come unstuck.

If they get through, they career into the course's first turn at, by this time, close to 130km/h. And that is just all in the first few seconds. It is little wonder that the Hahnenkamm is not only the world's most exciting ski race but the benchmark for all others.

When to visit
You don't have to be there for the three-day January race event to see the Hahnenkamm (which is so jam-packed that watching it on TV is a far better option).

The course itself is wide open just like any other ski run through the entire season, which runs from November through to late April.

Yet to most skiing the Hahnenkamm is like tackling Daytona in a Datsun.

In fact, one of Kitzbuhel's most entertaining places is at the bottom of the Mousetrap section, safely tucked away near the trees on either side. Watching punters in their dozens fling themselves down, it becomes clear that this place is obviously on a lot of people's lists of must-ski runs no matter what their ability.

The Mousetrap's ice is so slick thanks to a sophisticated water pumping system that turns it into a vertical skating rink that staying upright is almost impossible with edges as sharp as a samurai sword.

Fortunately for the average skier, the course mellows out somewhat after this point, going almost flat for a little way before picking up the pace. It narrows and widens, twists and turns, with several rolling sections that are fun to hit at a modest pace but easily throw a skier or boarder into the air when taken at speed.

Ingeniously, there is also an easy meandering Family Trail criss-crossing the 3.3km Hahnenkamm so you do not even have to ski it to see it.

Take an instructor
But if you are up for the course, do try to engage the services of a ski instructor to explain all the twists and turns.

We were lucky enough to book a man named Christian Meier, a long-time Kitzbuhel ski instructor who is the race's best course sweeper (known as a Rutschkommando or race commander). He knew the Hahnenkamm intimately and was able to fill us in on where a racer has to fly over a jump and land on one leg or face sections so dangerous crashing is not an option.

Kitzbuhel, of course, has far more to offer than its infamous racecourse. The resort extends over three mountains linked by 53 lifts, servicing 60 ski runs across 170km of terrain. There are plenty of on-mountain restaurants, high-speed lifts, heated lifts with covers and padded seats, off-piste runs, steeps as well as groomed, wild areas and many well-groomed family trails.

It is one of the best resorts to visit if the budget does not extend to a ski guide or instructor. Kitzbuhel's three ski regions are easy to negotiate simply with a trail map. Unlike many other sprawling European ski fields where getting lost several mountains away and being forced to take an expensive taxi ride home is a real possibility, Kitzbuhel is fairly easy to navigate without going astray.

Make sure you head across to the adjoining ski field of Jochberg on the huge, new cable car, the impressive 3S lift, which spans an enormous alley, as the terrain over there is well worth exploring. This is a good thing to do to end the day as, again unlike many European resorts, it is simple and inexpensive to take a taxi down the road back to Kitzbuhel.

There is another mountain on the other side of the town, too, with skiing off the Kitzbuheler Horn, and the town itself is a delight. Colourful and historic Austrian buildings line the cobblestone streets and all are well maintained. The whole place seems to have a regal air about it and, like a St Moritz of Austria, it attracts film stars, Austria's leading politicians and European royalty.

Most of the hotels, shops, restaurants, bars and apr agrs ski bars flank a section of cobblestone streets that are wonderful to stroll at night.

A large town with a population of 8200 and a further 1000 holiday homeowners, Kitzbuhel not only has the high-end European fashions typical of the world's top resorts but also affordable shops. There's even a casino in the main pedestrian area.

So even if the Hahnenkamm is not quite your speed, there are plenty of delightful reasons to put Kitzbuhel on the European skiing checklist.

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