Downhill is a form of alpine skiing competition. Whereas the other alpine skiing events emphasize turning and technique, downhill emphasizes "the six components of technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition and judgement", according to the FIS "International Ski Competition Rules (ICR)". Speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) are common in international competition. Athletes must have an aerodynamically efficient tuck position to minimize drag and increase speed.
Franz Klammer is a former champion alpine ski racer from Austria. Klammer dominated the downhill event for four consecutive World Cup seasons (1975–78). He was the gold medalist at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, winning the downhill at Patscherkofel by a margin of 0.33 seconds with a time of 1:45.73. He won 25 World Cup downhills, including four on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbühel. He also holds the record for the most victories (four) on the full course at Kitzbühel.
Kenneth John Read is one of the most respected sports leaders in Canada. This World Cup alpine ski racer from Canada was a specialist in the downhill and a two-time Olympian. He won five World Cup races during his ten-year international career, all in downhill.
Hartmann "Harti" Weirather is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Austria. Born in Reutte, Tyrol, he specialized in the downhill event.
Daron Louis Rahlves is a former American World Cup alpine ski racer and freestyle skier.
Daniel Albrecht is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. He was a world champion in super combined in 2007, but was severely injured in a training run in 2009.
Didier Défago is a Swiss retired World Cup alpine ski racer.
Roland Collombin is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland, a two-time World Cup downhill champion and Olympic silver medalist.
Jan Hudec Jr. is a Czech-Canadian alpine ski racer who previously represented Canada until 2016 and specializes in the speed events of downhill and super-G. Beset by injuries for several seasons, he returned to World Cup form in 2012 at age 30 and gained his second victory. At the 2014 Winter Olympics, Hudec won the bronze medal in the super-G at Rosa Khutor. It was the first Olympic medal for Canada in men's alpine skiing in 20 years.
Carlo Janka is a Swiss former alpine ski racer. Born in Obersaxen, in the canton of Graubünden, he had the winter sports facilities right in front of his home. Janka has won gold medals at both the Winter Olympics and the World Championships, as well as one World Cup overall title, one discipline title and also, one unofficial alpine combined title.
Todd Brooker is a former alpine ski racer member Crazy Canucks and a ski commentator on television.
Dominik Paris is an Italian alpine ski racer, who specializes in speed events of downhill and super-G. He was the world champion in super-G, as the gold medalist in 2019 at Åre, Sweden.
Beat Feuz is a Swiss former World Cup alpine ski racer, specializing in the speed events of downhill and super-G. He is 2017 World champion and 2022 Olympic champion in downhill. In 2021, he won consecutive downhills on the famed Streif at Kitzbühel.
Patrick Küng is a Swiss former World Cup alpine ski racer. He specialised in the speed events of Downhill and Super G and made his World Cup debut at Wengen in 2009.
Matthias Mayer is an Austrian retired World Cup alpine ski racer and Olympic champion.
The Lauberhorn ski races (Lauberhorn World Cup alpine ski races are among the highest-attended winter sports events in the world, attracting around 30,000 spectators each year. An established attraction is the airshow by the Patrouille Suisse, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Swiss Air Force. The 2016 races were held 15–17 January.
Streif is a World Cup downhill ski course in Austria, located on Hahnenkamm mountain in Kitzbühel, Tyrol, competing for the Hahnenkamm Races since 1937.
Urs Kryenbühl is a Swiss World Cup alpine ski racer, and specializes in the speed events of Downhill and Super-G. He is part of the Swiss-Ski national team.
The men's downhill in the 2022 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup included eleven events including the final. A scheduled downhill on 5 December 2021 at Beaver Creek, Colorado was cancelled due to bad weather, but after several abortive attempts to run it at other venues, it was finally added to Kvitfjell on March 4, the day before the previously-scheduled race.
The men's downhill competition in the 2016 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup involved eleven events, including the season finale in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
