The most famous slope on the Hahnenkamm is the classic downhill course, the Streif (streak, or stripe), which is regarded as the most demanding race course on the World Cup circuit[citation needed].

The Streif is located on the mountain's northeast face which in January is mostly in the shade, adding the difficulty of flat vision to the already exceptionally demanding run.

Beginning in 1953, the races at Kitzbühel have been held in mid to late January, often the week following the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland, another classic downhill.

The Super-G made its debut at Kitzbühel 30 years ago in 1995, and returned as a regular event in 2000, scheduled the day before the downhill.

The competitors reach high speeds quickly out of the starting gate on the Startschuss and fly up to 40 m (130 ft) off the steep jump.