The "Birds of Prey" course was developed for the 1999 World Championships, designed by Swiss 1972 Olympic champion Bernhard Russi. The first World Cup race was won by Kristian Ghedina of Italy in December 1997, but the course was then dominated by Austrians, led by the legendary Hermann Maier. He won three consecutive "Birds of Prey" downhills: the 1999 world title in front of 20,000 spectators, followed by World Cup victories in each of the next two seasons.