Afterwards: “Life is beautiful – in the Alpine village” to the winter sports hotspot in Salzburg’s St. Johann im Pongau
Vienna (OTS) – It is described as the most difficult downhill race course in the world – the Streif in Kitzbühel. Every year, tens of thousands of fans make a pilgrimage to the small Tyrolean town to be able to admire the ski stars live. Countless celebrities enjoy parties with champagne and caviar and millions of people shake along with the ORF broadcast. (All information about the ORF broadcasts Kitzbühel 2024 is available at presse.ORF.at.) But who is actually responsible for the spectacle becoming what it is? In “Doc 1: The Silent Heroes of the Streif” on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 8:15 p.m. on ORF 1, Lisa Gadenstätter looks behind the scenes of the Gams city and dedicates herself to the people who often put on months of preparatory work for the mega event put your feet up. At 9:05 p.m. in “Kitzbühel and the Germans” the complicated relationship between part-time newcomers and locals is the focus of the documentary. At 9:55 p.m., “Life is Beautiful – In the Alpine Village” delves into the turbulent events of Salzburg and shows an entertaining snapshot of a modern but authentic winter sports destination.
“Doc 1: The Silent Heroes of the Streif” with Lisa Gadenstätter at 8:15 p.m
In order to find out first-hand what it takes to turn the ski run into the infamous Streif, Lisa Gadenstätter has come up with a special campaign – she walks the Streif from bottom to top. Together with Streif piste manager Herbert Hauser, she fights her way uphill – 3,312 kilometers and 860 meters in altitude. Will she even be able to climb the mousetrap with an 85 percent gradient? Before we start, Lisa Gadenstätter is equipped with special crampons at the sports store so that she doesn’t slip down on the icy slopes. Along the route that is currently being prepared for the race, she already meets a few unsung heroes of the Streif: timekeepers, forerunners, piste workers and many more. She visits other unsung heroes at home or at their places of work, such as a doctor from the St. Johann Hospital who takes extra vacation to work in the accreditation office. A farmer also shows his brilliant idea, with which he contributes significantly to the success of the race. He has converted his manure machines into water cannons to ice the track. Lisa Gadenstätter also looks over the shoulder of the trophy maker, is allowed to gild a chamois herself, meets students from the HAK Kitzbühel who work on admission controls, and finds out how many cables are necessary to be able to set up the timekeeping system. She quickly realizes: The Streif has many silent heroines and heroes. There are more than a thousand people working on the event. On their behalf, Lisa Gadenstätter brings a few of them in front of the curtain and puts them in the spotlight.
Documentary: “Kitzbühel and the Germans” at 9:05 p.m
Kitzbühel and the Germans – one might say: a complicated relationship. It’s an hour’s drive from Munich, and that’s why the Bavarian posh world has chosen the Tyrolean cult ski resort as their “Alpine front yard”, so to speak. Super class chalets characterize Kitzbühl’s townscape today, houses on which the shutters are drawn for 49 weeks of the year. Many of the German guests only come around the race weekend and during the absolute peak season. The community seems to be happy with this boom and is defending the building permits, even if long-time residents have to give way due to real estate prices. But some locals are uncomfortable with the part-time newcomers and see the place as being on the wrong path in terms of spatial planning. Nina Nierscher took a look around Kitzbühel in this ORF production from 2020.
Report: “Life is beautiful – In the Alpine Village” at 9:55 p.m
The “Alpendorf” district in Salzburg’s St. Johann im Pongau is considered a hotspot for local ski tourism. High-class hotels and restaurants are lined up next to ski schools, après-ski bars and lifts. In this world, which is tailored to the winter season, there are very different people in the mountains and valleys. The show delves into the turbulent events and, in the midst of flourishing tourism, also tracks down places that existed before the winter sports boom. In “Life is Beautiful – In the Alpine Village,” Michael Reisecker and his team search for life-affirming people who are sparkling with passion in a magical alpine landscape.