International Tirol Koasalauf

The International Tirol Koasalauf in St. Johann in Tirol is one of the biggest cross-country ski events in Austria. This cross-country event takes place every year on the second weekend in February, with the breath-taking Wilder Kaiser as the backdrop. More than 2000 starters from 20 nations take part in the International Tirol Koasalauf, which is a huge sporting and tourist event for the St. Johann in Tirol region. The races are part of the Euroloppet race series - the association for the biggest cross-country events in Europe.

For the 50th time the International Tirol Koasalauf will be staged in February 2023. The Koasalauf has long been legendary in St. Johann in Tirol and casts a spell over thousands of cross-country skiers every year. In the shadow of the ‘Koasa’ - from which the event takes its name - as the impressive mountain massif of the Wilder Kaiser is called by locals, in a mix of pride and reverence – it is not just the sporting activity that provides joyous moments for spectators & participants, the dreamy backdrop does too. Some much has remained the same at the Koasalauf, yet it has not become ‘dated’ or ‘quiet’. For instance, over the course of the decades the route has changed considerably.

At its première in 1973 the Koasa, in which more than 1000 competitors took part, proceeded from Kitzbühel via Kössen to St. Johann in Tirol. However after a short time, the race, which has its roots in St. Johann, found a home in the towns at the Wilder Kaiser too. Newly built roads and houses meant that the routes had to be moved. Since 2010 the Koasa has been held exclusively on the cross-country trails in the St. Johann in Tirol region. Every year around 300 volunteers help make this huge sporting event a success, and once again this year a superb programme awaits.