5 Ski Slopes You Must Ski
Buckle up and off you go – these five ski slopes are really fun.
There are ski slopes that you won't forget so quickly! Because they are steep, because they have the perfect slope for carving or because they offer a particularly beautiful panorama. We present you five slopes that you absolutely have to try at least once.
Copyright: Michael Grössinger
From Harakiri to Kandahar to the Lauberhorn descent – you should ski on these slopes in Austria, Germany and Switzerland at least once in your skiing life.
Copyright: Zefram, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The name says it all on the Harakiri , because with a gradient of 78 percent, the slope in the Mayrhofner Bergbahnen ski area is steeper than a ski jump. But that's not all: Due to the artificial snow and the steep slope, the snow conditions here are often extremely icy. Anyone who tries the Harakiri should therefore have a solid short-turn technique. With a pulling force of four tons and an additional cable winch, the slope is groomed daily by particularly powerful snow groomers.
The most important facts at a glance
+ Country: Austria
+ Ski area: Mayrhofner Bergbahnen
+ Length: 1.5 kilometers
+ Highest point: 2,081 meters
+ Difficulty: Hard
+ Highlight: Entrance to the steep slope
+ Tip: Experts can perfect their short swing technique here
Copyright: Michael Fleischhacker, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
2. The Streif: Legend and Myth
The Streif in the KitzSki ski area is one of the most demanding runs in the Ski World Cup. Ski racers reach top speeds of over 130 km/h in the Hahnenkamm race and overcome a gradient of up to 85 percent in the Mausefalle . Anyone who wants to tackle this steep ski slope has two options: the original race course is marked as a " ski route " in the key areas "Mausefalle" , "Steilhang" and "Hausbergkante" and is not groomed. Alternatively, these areas can be bypassed on the red Streif family run.
The most important facts at a glance
+ Country: Austria
+ Ski area: KitzSki
+ Length: 3.3 kilometers
+ Highest point: 1,665 meters
+ Difficulty: Medium to difficult
+ Highlight: Entry from the start house into the mousetrap
+ Tip: If you are 100 percent confident on your skis, you can enjoy perfect slope preparation shortly after the race.
View of the humps from Gamsleiten 2.
Copyright: Raul Heinrich, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
3. Gamsleiten II: mogul slope of superlatives
Anyone who dares to go up the Gamsleiten II in Obertauern should know what they are doing with the boards under their feet. The slope has a gradient of over 100 percent in places and the resulting bumps do not make it any easier to ski. For experienced skiers, 1.3 kilometers of the best skiing fun awaits. The descent starts off relatively flat and leads underneath the old 2-seater chairlift. From halfway up, it gets really steep. Mogul fans who love to get active will find paradise here.
The most important facts at a glance
+ Country: Austria
+ Ski area: Obertauern
+ Length: 987 meters
+ Highest point: 2,313 meters
+ Difficulty: Hard
+ Highlight: Perfect mogul slope in the middle section
+ Tip: Take part in the Gamsleitenkriterium – Austria’s biggest treasure hunt on skis.
4. The Kandahar: In Free Fall
The Kandahar in the Zugspitze ski area near Garmisch-Partenkirchen is one of the steepest runs in the Alpine Ski World Cup. The ski slope has a gradient of up to 92 percent in what is known as " free fall". Driving at full speed, the ski racing pros make jumps of well over 60 meters. Anyone who wants to conquer the Kandahar themselves has two options: The men's run (Kandahar 2) starts at the Kreuzjoch and then winds its way down to the valley via challenging forest passages - such as the Tröglhang, the Stegerwald and the Tauberschuss. The women's run (Kandahar 1) starts at almost 1,500 meters on the Tröglhang. After Schussanger and Himmelreich the descent leads into Waldeck, the steepest traverse on the Kandahar 1 with a gradient of 85%. Via Hölle you get back to the Herrenstrecke and further down into the valley .
The most important facts at a glance
+ Country: Germany
+ Ski area: Garmisch-Classic
+ Length: 3.3 kilometers (men), 2.9 kilometers women
+ Highest point: 1,690 meters (men), 1,490 meters (women)
+ Difficulty: Medium to difficult
+ Highlight: Free fall – with a gradient of 92%, the steepest passage in the entire Ski World Cup
+ Tip: Visit the Ski World Cup
Copyright: Reto Nyffenegger on behalf of the Internationale Lauberhornrennen Wengen association , CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
5. Lauberhorn downhill: classic with a view
The Lauberhorn downhill run in the Jungfrau Ski Region is one of the absolute classics of the Alpine Ski World Cup and is one of the longest downhill runs in the racing circuit. The course leads from the southern shoulder of the Lauberhorn down to the hamlet of Schiltwald near Innerwengen, south of Wengen. The winners currently complete the almost 4,500-meter-long course in around 2 1/2 minutes. Anyone who wants to conquer the piste themselves should have good short-turn technique and plenty of stamina. The constant steepness, the length and the sometimes very narrow sections of the piste really make your thighs burn.
The most important facts at a glance
+ Country: Switzerland
+ Ski area: Jungfrau Ski Region
+ Length: 4.48 kilometers
+ Highest point: 2,315 meters
+ Difficulty: Medium
+ Highlight: View from the permanent start house to Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau
+ Good to know: The slope is only open to the public after the ski race.
+ Tip: In the official start house you can take a souvenir photo and download it later.
The perfect companion
Would you like to bring even more safety and fun to these or other dream slopes? Then let us build a ski for you that is optimally tailored to your weight, your skiing style and your skiing ability. Because only when your ski fits you 100 percent can you fully develop your skiing potential.
Conclusion
No matter whether steep, scenic or bumpy - each of these five ski slopes has that certain something that you won't forget in a hurry. And let's be honest: isn't it the variety that we love about skiing? So strap on your skis and off you go.
