‘Streif’, Hahnenkamm, Kitzbühel, Austria
The Streif run is famous for causing exactly that / Image: Adobe Stock
Spoken of in hushed tones, the Streif is one of the most terrifying, death-defying and technically-demanding runs in the world. Known to reduce grown men to trembling leaves when it rolls round on the men’s World Cup circuit, it’s a huge crowd pleaser – the party atmosphere in Kitzbühel is off the scale as the town is filled with the sound of cow bells being shaken enthusiastically. Over 3km in length, with an average gradient of 27% and jumps of up to 80 metres, the time to beat is Fitz Strobl’s 1997 record of 1:51.58 minutes.
kitzbuehel.com
Fly to Innsbruck or Munich
Åre, Hammarbybacken, Stockholm, Sweden
You Åre gonna want to ski this central-Stockholm gem / Image: @skistar
One for the less faint-hearted and cautious, but who still enjoy a good vista when they see one, the Åre run is all about the location. This artificial slope is in the centre of Stockholm at Hammarbybacken, where there are five runs, a terrain park, a beginners’ area and a vertical drop of just 83 metres. What it lacks in peril it makes up for in convenience and great views – particularly in the evening as the lights of the city twinkle around it.
skistar.com/en/ski-destinations/hammarbybacken/winter-at-hammarbybacken/
Fly to Stockholm
Armentarola, Alta Badia, Italy
The horse-drawn carriage at Armentarola / Image: Alta Badia – Alex Moling
It’s not everyday you get to be dragged along on your skis by a horse-drawn carriage – but that’s exactly what happens at the end of the Armentarola red run in the Dolomites. Known locally as the hidden valley, Armentarola is quite possibly one of the most beautiful runs in the world – a not-overly-technical red, it starts from Mount Lagazuoi at 2,835m and descends for 8.5km past ice falls, centuries-old pines and rock faces before arriving at Sas Dlacia, where your horse-drawn carriage awaits to return you to civilisation.
altabadia.org
Fly to Venice
Lauberhorn, Wengen, Switzerland
The Lauberhorn might be the world's longest downhill race course – but it's also perfectly manageable for plebs / Image: jungfrau.ch
The Lauberhorn oozes with history; its founder, Ernst Gertsch created it to prove the Swiss could beat the British, which they promptly did. First raced in 1930, the course highlight is its signature jump, the Hundschopf, in the shadow of the resort’s three famous peaks – the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Despite being the longest downhill race course in the world (at 4.48km), the Lauberhorn is actually only a red run and, when not tackled at near warp speed, surprisingly manageable for intermediate skiers.
wengen.swiss/en/winter
Fly to Zurich
La Face de Bellevarde, Val d’Isère, France
The Bellevarde – possessed of a very pretty Face / Image: Andy Parant
In a prime position above the fashionable resort of Val d’Isère, La Face is do or die. A steep black, 3km in length, it gained notoriety at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics, where it hosted the men’s downhill and was roundly complained about for being too steep for a downhill course (and better suited to a Super G). Justified or not, if you’re tempted to tackle it, it’s the bottom third you need to brace yourself for – the top section is actually a lovely, swooping piste round the Bellevarde shoulder.
valdisere.com
Fly to Geneva or Lyon
Les Cascades, Flaine, France
Cool cruising on Les Cascades in Flaine / Image: © OT Flaine - Y.Havis
A ski run where you’re more likely to see ibex and chamois than racing jumps and gravity-defying gradients, Les Cascades is a 14km-long blue run in Flaine. Make a whole day of it – it starts from Tête Pelouse at 2,474m and swoops down across broad open slopes before winding its way through the trees and finishing at the small village of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, 1,700 metres lower. It’s a proper cruising blue through the Sixt Nature Reserve and not in the least bit hairy.
en.flaine.com
Fly to Geneva
Mont Fort, Verbier, Switzerland
This bumpy black run is as hard as the mountain's name / Image: © Verbier 4Vallées
Mont Fort translates as ‘hard’ or ‘strong mountain’. How apt – this peak, the highest in Verbier at 3,300m, is also the name of the black run that descends down its front and is covered with huge lumpy moguls. It’s as if all the cows from the valley below have walked up the mountain and sat down on the piste, and it’s your job to find a route round their backsides to reach the end. Sounds utter madness, but judging by the amount of people who attempt it, it must be fun too.
verbier.ch
Fly to Geneva
Franz Klammer World Cup Run, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria
Maybe leave this one to aspiring Franz Klammers / Image: BRM/Mathias Prägant
When a run is designed by and named after the greatest downhill skier the world has ever seen, it’s not likely to be a gentle blue. Franz Klammer dominated downhill skiing in the ’70s, winning 26 World Cup races and putting in a legendary performance at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics to take the gold. Here in his home resort of Bad Kleinkirchheim, wannabe contenders for his crown can take to the Franz Klammer black run. It’s 3.2 kilometres long; steep, narrow and intrinsically fast. The course record is 1:38 minutes – we don’t recommend attempting that.
badkleinkirchheim.com
Fly to Salzburg
