NSWIS speed skier Craig Branch has finished in 38th place in the renowned Hahnenkahm downhill in Kitzbuhel, his best placing in one of the toughest events on the circuit.

Branch covered the 3.2km Streif course in a time of one minute 56.26 seconds, 3.41 seconds behind the gold medal-winning time of World Cup downhill defending champion Didier Cuche of Switzerland.

Silver was split between Bode Miller of the USA and Austrian Mario Scheiber, both 0.27 seconds behind Cuche.

Earlier in the week, Branch had skied out of the super G at the same venue. That event was won by Liechtenstein’s Marco Buechel in a time of one minute 15.44 seconds, 0.26 seconds ahead of Austrian legend Hermann Maier.

It was Maier’s first World Cup podium since December 2006, and Buechel’s first super G victory since February 2003.

“Kitzbuhel definitely lived up to its name of the gnarliest beast of a course out there,” Branch reports following the downhill.

“The top and bottom sections of the course are by far the most intimidating out there. I think the race organisers tried to make the hill as challenging as possible. They succeeded!”

“I actually skied really well in the tough sections of the course and seemed to lose most of my time on the flatter mid-section of the course.”

“I finished 38th, 3.5 seconds behind, which was a pretty good effort from where I started at number 59.”

“I was happy to see in the split times that I was fast in the toughest sections, with seventh and 20th up top and 29th at the bottom. It was such a warm day and after a few course holds from crashes, the snow in the mid-section really turned to mush and felt like glue when I came down.”

“It was a little disappointing to not drop into the top 30, but I felt like I did as good a job as possible considering the conditions, and I’m stoked to be still standing.”

Branch now heads to France for the next two World Cups in Chamonix and Val’d’Isere.