The Hahnenkamm in Summer: Walk the Streif Race Course

If you’ve watched the Hahnenkamm race on television, walking the Streif in summer is a strange and good experience: the course you’ve seen covered in ice turns out to be grass and gravel, and it’s even steeper than it looks on screen. This guide covers how to get up, the walk itself, how hard it is and what else is on the mountain.

What the Hahnenkamm is like in summer

The race mountain becomes a walking and biking mountain. Lifts carry hikers and bikes, the huts open their terraces, and the Streif becomes a signed walking route with information points along the way. At the top there’s the Streif start house, a viewing platform, an easy panoramic trail and a play trail for children.

It’s a good half day even if you never walk down. For the rest of the season, start with the summer guide, and for the town as a whole see our full guide to Kitzbühel.

Getting up: the Hahnenkamm cable car

The Hahnenkammbahn starts at Hahnenkammstraße 1, on the edge of the centre. The Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm train stop and bus stop are right by it, and parking was free for cable car users in 2026. The ride takes about 15 minutes to the top station at 1,712 m, in gondolas named after past race winners (KitzSki Alpine Summer 2026).

In 2026 the lift ran from 1 to 31 May and again from 15 June to 1 November, from 8:30 to 17:00. On Fridays from 26 June to 18 September it ran until 23:00, and on Saturdays from 27 June to 31 October until 18:00 (as of November 2026, same source). Next year’s dates hadn’t been published when we checked.

For prices, see kitzski.at. Staying overnight in the region in May, June, September or October? In 2026 the KitzCard guest card included one free return ride per person per day on the Hahnenkammbahn (kitzbuehel.com, as of November 2026).

Walking the Streif: KitzTrail Streif-live

You start at the top station by the Streif start house and follow the race line down to the valley station. Kitzbühel Tourism’s route sheet gives 7.1 km, 907 m of descent, a high point of 1,666 m and about three hours, rated medium (as of November 2026). Other sources quote slightly different distances; we use the official sheet.

On the way you pass the race’s famous sections: the Mausefalle, the Steilhang, the Brückenschuss, the Alte Schneise and the Seidlalmsprung, then on past the Seidlalm, the Lärchenschuss, the Hausberg and the Ganslern before finishing at the valley station. The route sheet mentions five key points marked by red gates and digital screens that show the race.

KitzSki says the Mausefalle has a gradient of up to 85% but can be safely bypassed on the walking route. The surface is gravel throughout.

Pack what the route sheet lists: ankle-high boots, waterproofs, sun protection, plenty to drink, snacks and walking poles.

How hard is it?

Harder on the knees than the numbers suggest. Seven kilometres sounds short, but losing over 900 m in that distance means long stretches of steep downhill on loose gravel. Walking poles make a real difference.

Skip the full descent with small children, if anyone has knee trouble, or in wet weather when the gravel is slippery. Instead, walk to the Mausefalle and back from the top station: KitzSki describes a loop to the jump’s take-off edge and back in about one and a half to two hours on gentle paths, then you ride down.

If you’d like to learn about the race as you go, KitzSki ran a free guided Streif Viewing hike several times a week in summer 2026 for anyone with a valid lift ticket: 7.5 km, about four hours, with a stop at the Seidlalm.

Other things on the Hahnenkamm

The top station has the Hochkitzbühel restaurant, and the start house opposite is free to visit, with a photo point and the golden race trophy on display. From there, three easy options:

The panoramic trail follows the ridge to the St. Bernhard chapel and the Ehrenbachhöhe reservoir, with four play stations for children and views to the Wilder Kaiser. The Streif Summer Adventure is a free loop of about an hour between the start house and the Ehrenbachhöhe, where nine sections of the course become slides, swings and balance features. And the huts tour links seven huts in two and a half to three hours.

For a longer day, walk on to the Pengelstein mountain restaurant, about 7 km one way. The best hikes on our list include two on this mountain. Bikes ride the Hahnenkammbahn too, and the Hahnenkamm Trail runs back to town; see our guide to mountain biking.

The race connection

The Streif hosts the Hahnenkamm downhill every January, one of the hardest races in skiing. In summer the start house is open almost all year, and the gondolas carry the winners’ names. If you want to see the race itself, read our guide to watching the Hahnenkamm downhill.

Hahnenkamm or Horn?

Come here for the Streif. For an easy scenic day with a mixed group, we’d choose riding up the Horn instead: its paths at the top are gentler and its flower garden is free.

Planning your visit

Go early on a clear day, and start the walk down by late morning so you’re off the steep parts before any afternoon storm. Check the forecast, carry a waterproof even if it’s sunny, and wear proper boots rather than trainers.

Staying close to the valley station makes early starts easy; our guide to which area to stay in compares the options. If you’re flying in, here’s getting here from Salzburg.

Should you walk it?

If you watched the race on TV, walk at least the top section to the Mausefalle and look down. It’s worth it for the scale alone. If the race means nothing to you, start your summer with the Horn and come back to the Hahnenkamm for the panoramic trail.