5th World Cup in Hinterstoder (1996)

Exactly a decade of Ski World Cup history was celebrated in 1996 in Hinterstoder with a giant slalom of men. It became a Swiss ski festival with Michael Von Grünigen, the superstar of the time and Urs Kälin. In third place with Mario Reiter the best Austrian. The race was hard to beat for the quality of the athletes, Hinterstoder was the last dress rehearsal before the World Cup, which took place in 1996 in the Sierra Nevada. 12,000 visitors followed a dramatic race in which for the first time a new Austrian name should appear in the World Cup result list. With start number 34, Hermann Maier celebrated his World Cup debut in Hinterstoder. The then 26th place was "only" the beginning of a unique ski career.

Also in 1996, there were no problems with the implementation. There was stress after the race because the Austrians Günther Mader, Hans Knauß and Patrick Wirth had to reach the airliner from Hörsching for the World Cup in Spain. Thanks to the exemplary cooperation with the executive, this hunt could finally be won.