Kitzbühel: Where the World’s Best Athletes Come to Play

Sports Illustrated

The Austrian Alps town that hosts the world’s most spectacular ski race is also one of Europe’s most compelling destinations for sports lovers and adventure seekers. Sports Illustrated was there this winter, and plans to return.

Tucked into the Tyrolean Alps, Kitzbühel is the kind of place that earns its reputation the hard way. This is the town that hosts the Hahnenkamm—the FIS World Cup downhill widely regarded as the most technically demanding and psychologically punishing ski race on earth. Every January, the world’s best alpine skiers hurl themselves down the Streif at speeds exceeding 80 mph, and the entire town turns into a festival. The energy is something you have to experience to believe.

This past January, Sports Illustrated was there for it. In partnership with Hofmann Experiences and Charlie Raposo, SI launched The Chalet by Sports Illustrated at the Hahnenkamm, bringing together ski legends Daron Rahlves, Luc Alphand and Jan Hudec alongside Spyder athletes Steven Nyman and River Radamus for a night that felt like a natural extension of everything the destination represents. A live performance by Robin Paul and Sauber (Bausa + Valenzuela) closed out the evening. It was the kind of night that makes Kitzbühel hard to leave. 

But the Hahnenkamm is just the beginning of what Kitzbühel, working with Kitzbühel Tourismus, has built here. This May, the town adds another marquee sporting event to its calendar: the Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel—Tirol, the first DP World Tour stop in the Tirol region. The tournament runs May 28-31 at Golfplatz Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith, a historic course that has been upgraded to meet elite tour standards, with practice rounds beginning May 25 and the ProAm on May 27. World No. 13 Sepp Straka, a four-time PGA Tour champion and the most successful Austrian golfer in history, will compete at home. Ryder Cup veterans Rafael Cabrera-Bello and Bernd Wiesberger, defending champion Nicolai von Dellingshausen and local rookie Maximilian Steinlechner round out a compelling field.

Beyond the events, the draw is the place itself. Four golf courses, 54 holes, Alpine scenery that makes every tee shot feel cinematic. Downhill skiing, hiking trails and a mountain town that transitions from race week chaos to refined quiet with ease. This is what Kitzbühel is: a destination built around sport and beauty in equal measure, the kind of place Sports Illustrated is drawn to by instinct.

Tickets for the Austrian Alpine Open are available at kitzbuehel.com.