To take off – five ski slopes for the brave

It takes courage to look like this. The small wooden house is at a good 2300 meters in the Jungfrau region, one of the most popular winter sports areas in Switzerland, directly opposite are the three postcard mountains Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. But you don't have time to enjoy the landscape panorama up here. Because the wooden hut is the starting point for the Lauberhorn descent, at almost 4500 meters one of the longest professional slopes in alpine ski racing. And one of the most exciting.

The good thing: As soon as the annual Ski World Cup is over, you can rush down the racetrack even as a normal skier. However, anyone who wants to try this black slope should have some experience with fast descents. Goosebumps, tingling in the stomach and feelings of happiness are guaranteed.

If you want, you can quickly hold your ski pass against a control panel before you set off to take a photo. The picture then shows the brave on the first few meters of the famous descent. It initially leads down over the south shoulder of the Lauberhorn down into the valley. At first, the slope is undramatic - during normal ski operations, a giant slalom course is even flagged up here on a section.

But after the Wengeralp, the piste turns straight down. Now every swing has to be right. Just ski down like the World Cup participants, that's not possible on a public slope, because there are always unsafe winter sports enthusiasts out there. That's why it's important to find the right balance between speed and caution. If that succeeds, if the edges grip and even small movements at high speed trigger a change of direction, even a good amateur will feel something of the fascination that this World Cup track is able to trigger.

Not all sections are open to normal skiers. The demanding Russisprung, for example, which enables professionals to fly 40 to 50 meters, is only ever prepared for the race. Ski vacationers should also have enough to do with the rest of the route, for example with the Hundschopf, where you have to jump 15 meters, or the Hanneggschuss: Here in 2013 the fastest speed driven in a World Cup race was measured at 161.9 kilometers per hour – set up by Frenchman Johan Clarey.

The famous mountain trio is now in the back. In this way, the entire concentration can be applied to the other challenges, for example the shaky knees and the burning thighs before the target shot, which has a gradient of a good 40 percent. Due to many falls, the piste has been made a little easier here.

Professionals race down the Lauberhorn descent in two and a half minutes to Wengen, a thoroughly idyllic, car-free mountain resort that offers the best opportunities for relaxation - which is also necessary if you needed 20 minutes for the wow slope.

Information: lauberhorn.ch, jungfrau.ch; the route is open to skiers from 01/21/23

Skiing in the USA and especially in Colorado is a special experience: heated handrails in man-made winter sports resorts like Vail, Aspen or Beaver Creek; Wet wipes handed out by the receptionists in the ski huts - and snow that is called champagne powder because the air is so dry here that the flakes hardly clump together.

Driving is at an unusual 3500 meters above sea level. At this remarkable height is the start of the notorious "Birds of Prey" slope in Beaver Creek. Unlike in Europe, the runs here are not numbered consecutively and divided into three levels of difficulty (blue, red, black), but are named with a lot of imagination. That explains the name of the predatory piste, in nearby Breckenridge a difficult descent is called - not politically correct - "Goodbye Girls".

In professional sports, almost only men are on the “Birds of Prey” slope, otherwise everyone is allowed down here – if he or she can. The descent, designed by the former Swiss ski racer Bernhard Russi for the 1999 Alpine World Ski Championships, is one of the most difficult in the world. On the 2.6 kilometers of pistes, you go down 750 meters in altitude.

The passages "The Flyaway" and "The Talon" are famous and feared with a gradient of up to 65 percent. The "Experts only" signs should be taken seriously - those who aren't very good skiers should skip jumps that are too difficult and prefer to weave down through the snowy forests that line the routes. These off-piste off-piste descents are expressly permitted in Beaver Creek.

Once at the bottom, the best place to have your picture taken is where the pros also have their picture taken after surviving the downhill run: under the wings of a mighty bronze eagle, which was erected in the valley as a symbol of the place. You don't have to tell anyone that you've secretly ducked into the woods here and there.

Information: beavercreek.com; Season opening on November 23rd

Many people think of the second largest city in Afghanistan when they hear the name Kandahar – but winter sports enthusiasts will surely think of something else here: if there is a downhill race in the German Alps in the World Cup, then it will be on the Kandahar route in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

In fact, one thing is connected with the other: the Briton Frederick Roberts was made Earl Roberts of Kandahar and Waterford because of his military successes in Afghanistan. In 1911, as a keen winter sports enthusiast, he donated a trophy that was named after him. After a few years in Austria, the race moved to the Zugspitze in Bavaria – on the slope then known as Kandahar for short.

However, nobody who plunges down the slope from the 1690 meter high Kreuzjoch will think about the historical references. One of the steepest and most demanding routes in the world awaits here – 3330 meters long, more than 900 meters in altitude difference. It takes some effort to give yourself a push up here and feel like you're racing headfirst down the black run number 5. Those who don't dare to climb the steep Kreuzjochhang can get off at the middle station of the Kandahar Express chairlift and "skip" the challenging start.

The Tröglhang follows, also very steep, then the Eishang, which is always in the shade and has thus earned its name. Here it is better to let the skis run; only beginners try to correct their ski position on icy ground - and immediately regret it, because the risk of falling is high. If you have managed the difficult section without an accident, you can take a break and take a look at the beauty of the surrounding Werdenfelser Land and Garmisch-Partenkirchen down in the valley. This helps to calm your pulse and breathing.

The track, on which the men race down to the valley for the World Cup, ends with a section that is not called free fall for nothing: the gradient here is 92 percent. The professional racers simply do a 60-meter jump here, everyone else should make well-considered large arcs on this steep wall. Those who reach the finish without falling can have a medal made in one of the many wood carving workshops down in the valley.

Information: zugspitze.de/de/Garmisch-Classic/Winter/Skigebiet

Today, St. Anton is one of the most sophisticated and party-prone ski resorts in the world. It is the center of Austria's largest winter sports region, the Arlberg, with a good 300 kilometers of pistes. At the same time, St. Anton is one of the traditional winter resorts in the Alps - skiing was made popular here with the first schools a good 100 years ago.

It goes without saying that one of the most demanding downhill runs in Austria can also be found here: the 2100 meter long World Cup run, which the women will be able to master this winter in January. Since 2001 it has been named after the Austrian ski hero Karl Schranz, who comes from St. Anton and has been world champion three times.

However, the route is not signposted as the Karl-Schranz piste, it is a combination of the black runs 42 (Kandahar-Kapall piste) and 34 (Fang piste). The start is at an altitude of 2330 meters on the summit of the Kapall. Insidiously, the descent at the entrance looks rather friendly, the inner stop sign of the amateur driver is often run over.

Roughly where piste 42 turns into descent 34, those ski vacationers who have planned too much turn pale. Here they come after all, the narrow and steep sections like the ice fall with a very demanding cross passage, on which it is difficult to coordinate speed and balance - especially since emergency braking is anything but easy here. This is followed by the Fang piste, where a gradient of 78 percent has to be mastered, at least your thighs will burn.

The big advantage: thanks to the dense network of pistes, the most difficult spots can be bypassed on other routes. Down at the finish, in the après-ski bars of St. Anton, one or the other drink provides the necessary relaxation. If you're still shaky from the descent, it's best to order a Flying Hirsch - a long drink glass with Red Bull in which a bottle of Jägermeister is floating. After that, the terror of the slopes is quickly forgotten.

Information: stantonamarlberg.com/de/winter/skigebiet; Season start on December 2nd

In Val Gardena they know about the fascination that their World Cup piste exerts on ambitious amateurs: "When the magic of racing is over, put on your skis and try your luck on this special route!" says the South Tyrolean valley's website. This special route is the Saslong, which the pros tackle every year just before Christmas.

The snowmakers in the Dolomites are among the best in the world, which is why there are usually good artificial snow conditions here early in the winter season, even if the surrounding forest and meadows still appear brown in autumn.

The name Saslong comes from the Ladin spoken in this part of South Tyrol - and in German it means Langkofel. This is one of the defining peaks of the region, and the Ciampinoi cable car station is also located on the Sassolungo massif. This is the almost 3.5 kilometer long route, which can be easily recognized by the orange safety nets in the curves.

The descent down the valley towards St. Christina and Selva is also fun for normally talented skiers: the best gateway drug into the world of black slopes. Although specially created ice passages make the descent difficult from time to time, there is plenty of space on the Saslong in the non-slip snow.

In addition, the sections that require good technique, but forgive small and medium-heavy driving mistakes, dominate. The greatest challenge for the professionals are the famous three camel humps, which have to be mastered with jumps - amateurs simply avoid them.

It is particularly nice that the finish line can be seen from far above and that you can use the brakes with a decent final speed even as a normal person, so that the snow blows up properly like the pros. Then unbuckle your skis, wave to the audience and enjoy the applause! If only in the imagination...

Information: val-gardena.com; Season start on December 3rd