45 years later, a Crazy Canucks tradition lives on at The Londoner bar in Kitzbuhel
Not far from the Kitzbuhel finish line, in the shadows of the daunting Streif slope on Hahnenkamm Mountain, sits an English Pub that has for more than four decades been the home of champions – the men who tame skiing's most treacherous slope come to The Londoner to soak up the adoration of fans.
It's a tradition that was started by a group of Canadian skiers, the Crazy Canucks, who took Europe by storm beginning in 1980 when Ken Read won Kitzbuhel, triggering four years of Canadian wins. As the story goes, the owner of The Londoner, Rick Gunnell, promised free champagne to whoever won.
Read made good on the offer, cashing in on his champagne celebration. Little did Read and his Canadian teammates at the time know that they're champagne swilling, cigar smoking and beer chugging antics would lead to a tradition that lives on today.
"The previous owner has confirmed it was them who started all of this. It was the Crazy Canucks," says current Londoner owner, David Jamieson.
"Those boys liked to party."
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And there was a lot to party about back then. Read won it in 1980, then Steve Podborski won back-to-back titles and finally Todd Brooker made it four straight Canadian wins at Kitz.
"If you've survived that thing, that slope, you deserve a beer as soon as you stop. They should have beers handed out at the bottom," Jamieson said.
"These guys have put their bodies on the line for our entertainment, just give them a beer. Let them enjoy themselves."
In the somewhat quaint confines of The Londoner, complete with tartan wallpaper throughout, the skiers are welcomed to the