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24-635: The Geißstein , sometimes also called the Gaisstein , is a mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps with a height of 2,366  m (AA) that straddles the border between the federal Austrian states of Tyrol and Salzburg The Geißstein lies about seven kilometres southeast of Jochberg . To the east of it is the Vogelalmgraben , a right-hand side valley of the Glemmtal . To the southeast

48-587: A premium on both technical and gliding skills. 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. The Hahnenkammrennen are the annual races, held since 1931 and a fixture of the men's World Cup since its inception in the 1967 season. The races were originally held in March, and sometimes in early February (1949 & 1951). Beginning in 1953,

72-545: Is also a large number of mountain huts belonging to the various Alpine clubs . Their highest peaks are concentrated to the south-western corner and reach rather modest 2,500 m, the highest being the Kreuzjoch at 2,558 metres above sea level. Roughly in the centre of the range lies the famous ski resort of Kitzbühel , the venue of the Hahnenkamm race, one of the most spectacular and well-known ski races in

96-737: Is formed by the valley of the Inn between Wörgl and Jenbach . The Kitzbühel Alps are divided by the Kitzbüheler Ache into the Glemmtal Alps in the east (Salzburg) and the Kelchsau Alps in the west. The highest summit in the Kitzbühel Alps is the Kreuzjoch in the southwest of the mountain range northwest of Gerlos at 2558 metres above sea level . The general height of the peaks descends gradually from around 2500 m in

120-579: Is the Mühltal , a left-hand valley of the Upper Pinzgau ( Oberpinzgau ). This is the site of the 1,699 m high Bürgl Hut , one of the most important bases for climbing the mountain. A signposted trail runs from the hut along the southern arête to the summit. Alternatively the Geißstein can be approached from the 2,035 m high Sintersbach wind-gap ( Sintersbachscharte ) to the southwest over

144-781: The Schmittenhöhe (1,965 m). Popular mountain destinations on the edge of the Inn valley are the Pölven (1,595 m) and the Gratlspitz (1,899 m). The Kitzbühel Alps are found in the regions of St. Johann in Tirol , Kitzbühel and its environs, Pillerseetal , Brixental , Wildschönau and Alpbach . The Kitzbühel Alps Tourist Region only covers part of the geographical Kitzbühel Alps. The Kitzbühel Alps have relatively few rugged mountain tops and are well suited to walking and skiing. There are several large ski resorts in

168-542: The Silurian period that are often clayey-sandy on top. In the vicinity of Kitzbühel itself, Silurian limestones may also be found and, to the west, the grey, coarse-grained Schwaz dolomite which transitions towards the east, near Leogang, into Spielberg dolomite. Also represented is the post- Variscan period, with its Rotliegendes (red slates), and thick sandstones from the Permoskyth . All these successive layers of

192-482: The greywacke zone and are mainly composed of slate and phyllites . The mountain top profiles and the cirques are relatively smooth; their slopes mostly green with numerous alpine meadows ( Almwiesen ). Nevertheless, rock formations of limestone and dolomite do occur e.g. on the Großer Rettenstein . n the western part of the Kitzbühel Alps most of the valleys run in a north-south direction; in

216-727: The ski resort of Kitzbühel, and hosts an annual World Cup alpine ski race, the Hahnenkammrennen . 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 . The course features highly technical, "fall-away" turns (reverse bank), many with limited visibility. It also contains several flat gliding sections, immediately preceded by difficult turns, placing

240-452: The Hahnenkamm race was determined by the combined results of the downhill and slalom competitions. During the World Cup era, the man most likely to be referred to as Hahnenkammsieger (champion) is the winner of the prestigious downhill race. The Super-G made its debut at Kitzbühel 29 years ago in 1995 , and returned as a regular event in 2000 , scheduled the day before the downhill. Because of challenging weather conditions in January at

264-577: The area both in the Tyrolean and Salzburg regions. The Dienten Mountains are a geologically-related extension of the mountains to the east. The Pinzgau Ridgeway ( Pinzgauer Höhenweg ) runs through both ranges in an east-west direction. Many ski route and the Saalach Valley Ridgeway ( Saalachtaler Höhenweg ) run through the Kitzbühel Alps. The mountain ranges that surround the Kitzbühel Alps are: The Kitzbühel Alps belong to

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288-469: The east they are predominantly oriented east-west. The Alpine geographical reason for this is the striking longitudinal trench of the river Salzach . This so-called Tauern Northern Edge Fault ( Tauernnordrand-Störung ) played an important role during Alpine folding and even today forms a distinct landscape and geological boundary with the three-thousanders of the High Tauern . The western border of

312-585: The greywacke zone were probably - together with those of the Northern Limestone Alps - overturned to the northern edge of the Alps during the time of Alpine orogeny from a region of deposition far to the south. Their mainly gently rolling nature makes the Kitzbühel Alps suitable for alpine farming , hiking and skiing . The Kitzbühel Alps are a very popular tourist destination. In addition to innumerable managed Alpine pastures and inns, there

336-631: The mountain range is, petrographically , less clear because here its transition to the Innsbruck quartz phyllites is not clear-cut. By contrast, in the northwest and north (Inn valley near Schwaz , Brixental and the Steinernes Meer ) the difference between the gently folded slate and the limestone and dolomite rock of the Limestone Alps hits the observer in the eye. The major rocks of the Kitzbühel Alps divide into two groups by age,

360-799: The north by the Inn River and the Northern Limestone Alps . The boundary of the region runs along the Salzach valley via Zell am See, where the Salzach swings north, to Saalfelden . Its northern boundary runs from east to west from the Saalfelden basin along the valley of the Leoganger Ache to the Grießen Pass and from there through the Pillersee valley, Leukental and Sölllandl to Wörgl and Kufstein . Its northwestern boundary

384-503: The older rocks probably dating to the Ordovician period. For example, the deep underground complex of Wildschönau slate is quite uniform and has no fossils at all, just volcanic deposits. Above it lies weakly metamorphosed volcanic rock , up to 600 metres thick, made up of quartz porphyroids and tuff , mainly in the west ( Hohe Salve , Hahnenkamm and Wildseeloder ). Over the porphyroids lie various horizontal beds of slate from

408-511: The races at Kitzbühel have been held in mid to late January, often the week following the Lauberhorn in Wengen , Switzerland , another classic downhill. Since 1959, the race has been broadcast on Austrian television . In 2009, as well as in 2008, the total prize money was € 550,000. The Hahnenkamm races are currently held in the following disciplines: Traditionally, the winner of

432-522: The relatively gently sloping, grassy southwest side of the mountain. Another signed trail runs through the much steeper southeastern flank which is accessible from the Vogelalmgraben or from the 2,048 m high Schlaberstatt crossing to the north. The Geißstein may also be climbed in winter as part of a ski tour using the southwestern route from the Bürgl Hut. According to legend , gold

456-708: The remaining third is in Salzburg province . They are about 80 kilometres (50 mi) long from east to west and 25 to 35 km wide. They extend from the Ziller valley and Tux Alps in the west to the Saalach river and Zell am See on Lake Zell ( Zellersee ) in the east. They are bordered to the south by the Zillertal Alps and the High Tauern mountain range on the other side of the Salzach River, on

480-525: The starting gate on the Startschuss and fly up to 40 m (130 ft) off the steep jump. Upon landing the racers experience a severe compression immediately followed by a sharp left turn, often negotiated unsuccessfully. Speeds entering the turn are 55–60 mph (90–100 km/h). In the open Streif VerticalUp event, first held in 2011, participants race the Streif upwards to the start booth of

504-513: The top of the mountain, the downhill course is often not run in its entirety. In the decade of 2000–09, the Streif full course was run in only four of the ten years (2001, 2002, 2004, & 2009). Unfortunately, this often eliminates one of the most exciting jumps in ski racing, the Mausefalle ( mousetrap ), seconds from the top of the course. The competitors reach high speeds quickly out of

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528-924: The west to around 2000 m in the east. Other important summits are the Western Salzachgeier (2,469 m), the Kröndlhorn (2,444 m), the Großer Rettenstein (2,366 m), the Geißstein (2,363 m), the Wildseeloder (2,118 m), the Großer Beil (2,309 m), the Großer Galtenberg (2,425 m), the Kitzbühler Horn (1,996 m), the Hohe Salve (1,828 m), the Hahnenkamm (1,712 m) and

552-515: The world. The highest summits in the range are (in order of height above the Adriatic): Hahnenkamm (Kitzb%C3%BChel) The Hahnenkamm is a mountain in Europe , directly southwest of Kitzbühel in the Kitzbühel Alps of Austria . The elevation of its summit is 1,712 metres (5,617 ft) above sea level . The Hahnenkamm ( German : rooster 's comb ) is part of

576-591: Was supposed to have once been mined on the Geißstein and Venetians or Venediger - a German term for foreign mineral prospectors - were supposed to have been here. In addition, festivals were supposed to have been celebrated On the Schlaberstatt at which even the Devil was to be found amongst the musicians. Kitzb%C3%BChel Alps Two-thirds of the Kitzbühel Alps lie within the Austrian province of Tyrol,

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