Kandahar Races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen: course and tradition

• The Kandahar is a World Cup downhill course in the Garmisch Classic ski area.
• The Arlberg-Kandahar Races were first held in St. Anton in 1928.
• Garmisch-Partenkirchen first hosted the Kandahar Races in 1954.
• At the 1936 Olympics, the official downhill was held on today's Olympia course, then known as the Neuner course.
• Today's Kandahar roughly follows the former Krembs course.
• The Kandahar joined the Alpine World Cup in 1969/70 and was rebuilt in 2008.

The name Kandahar refers both to a long Alpine racing tradition and to a specific downhill course. The Arlberg-Kandahar Race was founded in St. Anton in 1928 by the Ski Club Arlberg and the British Kandahar Ski Club; it is a longstanding event in skiing. The competition initially alternated between St. Anton and Mürren, with other venues added later. Garmisch-Partenkirchen first hosted it in 1954. When the Alpine World Cup was established in the late 1960s, the traditional races became part of the new standings. The Kandahar downhill in Garmisch joined the World Cup in 1969/70.

The distinction between the courses matters: the 1936 Olympic downhill took place on the former Neuner course, now known as the Olympia downhill. Today's Kandahar, by contrast, roughly follows the Krembs course. Both courses begin at Kreuzjoch and split below the Tröglhang: the Kandahar follows the left-hand route, while the Olympia downhill continues straight ahead. This distinguishes the Kandahar racing tradition from the Olympic downhill rather than combining both under one name.

The Kandahar was rebuilt in 2008 ahead of the 2011 World Ski Championships. Since then, the course has included two variants. Named sections include the Tröglhang, Olympia-Kurve, Panorama Jump, Höllentor and Tauber-Schuss. The “Free Fall” is a steep section with a 92 per cent gradient. This succession of different passages defines a World Cup downhill: alongside speed, racers need to choose lines through turns and negotiate jumps safely.

Downhill and super-G are speed disciplines in Alpine skiing. The Kandahar combines these race formats with a history extending from the 1928 Kandahar Race through Garmisch in 1954 to World Cup racing and the course rebuild.