Kitzbühel (Austria) (AFP)

The skiers will tackle the legendary Kitzbühel stage on Friday, the usual highlight of the alpine ski season, an event where everything is excessive, on and off the track.

Everything has been said on the "Streif", the terrible downhill slope that descended on Saturday: skiers reach 85 km / h a few seconds after the start, before a first 80m jump (the Mausefalle) which leads them on a monstrous turn to right (Karussel), then on the icy Steilang, one of the most demanding passages of the season.

"The track is crazy. You can do it ten times and it's incredible," breathes France team coach Xavier Fournier.

These two minutes of pure madness perfectly sum up the major sporting event of the year in Austria, a country in love with alpine skiing.

The "Hahnenkamm" weekend (rooster crest, name of the mountain that houses the Streif) attracts around 90,000 spectators to this colorful Austrian Tyrol resort of 8,000 inhabitants.

"Most of the beds are reserved several years in advance, explains to AFP Viktoria Weider-Vasler, the head of the tourist office of the city. It is very complicated to find a room in the city center. "

"A week before the races, the whole city begins to vibrate, as if people could not wait for the start," she continues.

- Skiers are "kings" -

The "Hahnenkamm" has its own station where the number of trains is almost doubled, spectators arriving from cities around this wide valley rather dedicated to cross-country skiing.

"It has become such a spectacle, with people ... But here everything is done for the runners, they are the kings, assures Mr. Fournier. For us it is the top. At the bottom of the track they have a bar for them, at the top only the runners can go up, the lifts are well organized. "

Pampered, the champions are also pampered with the most generous prize-money on the circuit, further increased by 25% this year: a total of 725,000 euros will be distributed for the three races, including a round check of 100,000 euros for the winners the downhill on Saturday and the slalom on Sunday, against 68,500 euros for the one who will lift the trophy for the super-G on Friday.

In Kitzbühel, the festivities, sprinkled, continue late at night around local stars attracted by the lights of the station, notably Arnold Schwarzenegger.

One star, however, is missing: defending champion and triple winner on the Streif, the Italian Dominik Paris broke his anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee on Tuesday in training and ended his season while he was 2nd in the downhill classification and 4th in the World Cup general.

The Swiss Beat Feuz therefore inherits the status of favorite, while the French will count notably on Johan Clarey, 2nd in the super-G last year and 3rd in the downhill in 2017.

Program of the Kitzbühel World Cup stage:

Friday January 24, super-G from 11:30 am

Saturday January 25, descent from 11:30 am

Sunday January 26, slalom, 1st round at 10:30 a.m., 2nd round at 1:30 p.m.

© 2020 AFP