Beat Feuz flies into the safety nets with a big lead in the downhill traverse in 2017
Image: Keystone
The Emmentaler miraculously escapes with bruises and abrasions
Image: Keystone
Four years later, the "Kugelblitz" secures his first golden chamois
Image: Keystone
Feuz wins in 2022 ahead of his teammate Marco Odermatt
Image: Keystone
The man from Nidwalden is still waiting for his first downhill victory in Kitzbühel
Image: Keystone
Beat Feuz flies into the safety nets with a big lead in the downhill traverse in 2017
Image: Keystone
The Emmentaler miraculously escapes with bruises and abrasions
Image: Keystone
Four years later, the "Kugelblitz" secures his first golden chamois
Image: Keystone
Feuz wins in 2022 ahead of his teammate Marco Odermatt
Image: Keystone
The man from Nidwalden is still waiting for his first downhill victory in Kitzbühel
Image: Keystone
He is a three-time Kitzbühel winner, was Marco Odermatt's mentor and now classifies his performances as an SRF expert. Beat Feuz on the Streif myth, the Odermatt phenomenon and his 2017 departure.
22.01.2026, 05:01
22.01.2026, 07:09
SDA
Beat Feuz, last weekend Marco Odermatt surpassed you with his fourth victory on the Lauberhorn. Was that already a topic of conversation between you?
No. But what can I say? The only thing I can argue with is the number of podium places: I have seven, he has six. So he has to come to Wengen at least once more. (laughs)
How do you rate Odermatt's most recent victory in Wengen?
It was magnificent. There's nothing to complain about, from the start to the finish. He had a perfect plan and executed it perfectly. No one had a chance.
Change of scene: Nine years ago in Kitzbühel, nobody had a chance against you. You were well ahead of the field when you carelessly missed out on your first victory on the Streif in the Traverse. What was going through your mind when you were heading towards the safety nets at high speed and knew you were about to crash?
There's not much going through your head, you try to save yourself somehow and not end up in the nets. When you realize that this isn't going to work, you try to go into the net in such a way that it doesn't hurt quite so much.
Apart from bruises and abrasions, you survived the fall unharmed. Did the crash affect you in the following years when you were at the start in Kitzbühel?
No. The crash and the thoughts about it served more as proof that it was a pointless action. I wanted to dominate the race, not to be satisfied with a good performance, but to drive the competition into the ground - that's a mistake in Kitzbühel.
Four years after the crash - after four second places - you finally won your first golden chamois. Why did it take you so long to reach your full potential on the Streif?
I was able to show my potential four times beforehand, it was just that someone was always faster. The only thing I was annoyed about was 2nd place in 2018, when Thomas Dressen overtook me. He had sunshine, I didn't. But you get over that too. It just wasn't meant to be back then.
You often went to Kitzbühel as the favorite, but weren't able to win for a long time. How did you deal with that?
Of course you want to win in Kitzbühel, especially if you've already been successful in many other places. But on the Streif, a lot of things just have to come together.
What distinguishes Kitzbühel from other World Cup courses such as those in Wengen or Bormio? What makes it so difficult to win here?
The myth alone. Kitzbühel is the biggest race, it's the most in the spotlight: the many spectators, parties left and right, chic chici, celebrities everywhere. Then, of course, there's the course itself. The first 30 seconds are some of the toughest there is in the World Cup, and the last 20 are even tougher.
Marco Odermatt is someone for whom the Streif is tailor-made. Like you in the past, he also dominates the downhill. Why hasn't he managed to win in Kitzbühel yet?
Because everything has never come together one hundred percent.
In 2023 Odermatt overdid it on the steep slope, in 2024 Cyprien Sarrazin excelled. Last year, Odermatt won the super-G on Friday and, by his own admission, was unable to maintain the tension on Saturday.
Friday in Kitzbühel is a long day, I can confirm that from my own experience. You can lose your focus and tension a bit, especially when you win. And then it's not enough for Marco either.
So would Odermatt's "slipper" on the day before the downhill be helpful for Saturday?
Could be. But these are all theoretical questions. He would then have more time to prepare. But he also wants to be fast in the super-G and start the downhill with a sense of achievement.
The competition this season seems manageable. Who can challenge Odermatt for victory on the Streif?
Franjo von Allmen showed in Wengen that he has a fast turn, probably just as fast as Odi, if he gets through without making any mistakes. Franjo is just a bit more inconsistent. Then I also see Vincent Kriechmayr in front. And then there are the other Swiss like Alexis Monney or Stefan Rogentin, who could be faster. But then you need a very good day.
Odermatt has already finished second twice in the downhill in Kitzbühel, and you were ahead of him in 2022. Can you still remember what you said to him back then?
No. We had a cool battle and a big lead over the third-placed skier (Daniel Hemetsberger; editor's note). Marco was happy for me, I was happy for him. And he wasn't unhappy with second place at the time.
You were a mentor to Odermatt during your active career and gave him tips during the inspection. How did that come about?
It turned out that way. He joined the team I was in at the time. He joined, we chatted together. And then at some point we both realized that the exchange was good for both him and me. We agreed the night before that we would go out to the hotel and onto the train at the same time.
Do you have an explanation for Odermatt's rapid development in a discipline where experience can't really be weighed against talent?
He now has a lot of experience. And he didn't come to the downhill and win his second race straight away.
But he has made faster progress than others.
That's how it is. He wasn't that fast in the first training session, but in the second he implemented tips and was significantly faster. That also helped me, because although he had hardly any experience on the downhill, he already had good ideas. He saw things from a young perspective, didn't have many ulterior motives in certain places and didn't yet know any limits.
What characterizes the downhill skier Odermatt?
That he knows that he is currently the fastest. And he knows what he needs to function on every course. In the end, the mind is a very big part of success.
Odermatt is an Olympic giant slalom champion, three-time world champion and four-time overall World Cup winner. How important is it, especially at his comparatively young age of 28, to have goals like winning the downhill in Kitzbühel?
They make motivation easier. It's important to have goals like that. It pushes you, even during the season.
Would it be counterproductive for Odermatt's career if he were to win on Saturday?
(laughs) What would be counterproductive about that? When you have 52 World Cup victories, nothing is counterproductive anymore. You can't get carried away everywhere. He likes skiing and knows that he's good. That's why he doesn't even think about such questions.
What advice would you give Odermatt for Saturday - as a three-time Kitzbühel winner who had to be almost 34 years old to win his first golden chamois?
Show what he can do. Want nothing more and nothing less. Because if he calls up what he can do, not many have a chance.
