Surrounded by the Nockberge Mountains in the southern Austrian Alps, Bad Kleinkirchheim makes a big reappearance onto the ladies’ World Cup circuit after a six-year hiatus.

One of the southern-most resorts in Austria, Bad Kleinkirchheim hosted its most recent World Cup events in December 2007, with the men’s giant slalom and slalom races.  The ladies raced GS and downhill here in January 2006, and before that, just on a handful of occasions throughout World Cup history … in 1997 with DH and SG, in 1991 and 1985 with a pair of downhill races and a slalom and for the first time in 1978 with two downhills. The resort has hosted the gamut of men’s events over the years, beginning with a World Cup GS in 1982 and Carinthia’s first World Cup men’s downhill race in 1985.

Like the races that came before it, the 2012 ladies’ races will be held on Bad Kleinkirchheim’s Franz Klammer course, named after the Carinthian native four-time World Cup downhill champion and Olympic gold medalist.

The course, which begins at 1,904 meters above sea level, measures 3,150 meters in length with an 842-meter vertical drop.

In 2006, Anja Pärson won one of the downhill races while Janica Kostelic won the other and also won the super-G.

Bad Kleinkirchheim is also the location of several ancient thermal springs and has served as an alpine spa location since 500 BC, due in part to the popularity of one of the Nockberge Mountain’s prized plants, Alpine Valerian, which was coveted by the likes of Cleopatra back in Caesar’s era for cosmetic applications. Bad Kleinkirchheim’s famed thermal baths have been open to the public since 1969.