Intro:

Nejc Kuhar and Michaela Essl took victory in ski mountaineering's Erztrophy at Bischofshofen on Sunday.

Script:

The start of Ski Mountaineering's Erztrophy looks difficult enough but what lies ahead for these skiers is much harder. In all, they have to make four ascents trudging up mountains through deep snow and carrying their equiptment, once they get to the top it's time to take off their climbing shins and slide down the other side as fast as possible.

110 athletes put themselves through this in Austria hoping to qualify for the world championships in Switzerland later this year.

Slovenia's Nejc Kuhar won the men's race, his second win here in three years.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Nejc Kuhar, Erztrophy winner

"Yes, last time was Palzer (Toni) so today he was not here so I could win. I'm very happy. The conditions were tough because I didn't ski off-piste yet in this season. We don't have much snow in Slovenia so the downhills were very difficult."

Michaela Essl won the women's competition for a third consecutive year. If you ever get standed in a log cabin, she would be handy to have nearby.