Brutally steep and icy, the course has spat out the best downhill racers over the years, many never racing again. So Kitzbuhel devised plan to further the racing season and make it open to more competitors. The variation they came up with involves a sprint on foot or touring skis from the finish area to the start hut - literally back up the race course.
It has to hurt
It is one thing to contemplate how racers fling themselves of the wall that is the Mausefalle, it is another to imagine that after 3km and 800m plus vertical climb, the sprinters are then faced with this beast of a slope to reach the finish line. The 2015 race is set to take place on the 21st February and makes for a really special event spectacle. For the unhinged - the race is also open to participants in various classes with serious if not unrivalled bragging rights on offer for all those participating.