World Cup alpine ski racing is well underway. With a few races already in the books, it’s the perfect time to dive into the storylines and athletes to watch as the World Cup ski racing season unfolds. Spoiler alert: it’s shaping up to be an exciting one!
This winter brings a slew of exciting comebacks, five North American World Cup race series, and some fast American ski racers. Buckle up your boots and zip your GS suit; let’s start.
The Schedule
This winter’s World Cup ski racing schedule offers a mix of iconic classics, new venues, and fan favorites to watch. We’ve already seen several technical events (GS and slalom) and one speed series for each gender.
The World Cup returns to Europe for January and February, with racing at legendary speed venues, including Gardena/Gröden, Garmisch, Adelboden, Kitzbuhel, and Cortina. Kitzbuhel is a must-watch for any ski racing fan — mark your calendars for January 24-26.
North American ski racing fans will have a few opportunities to tune into races live without setting a 3 AM alarm. The men will race the Schladming slalom night race on January 28-29; the first run starts at 11:45 AM Eastern Time. The women compete in night slaloms at Flachau on January 14, starting at 11:45 AM Eastern, and Courcheval on January 30, starting at 11:00 AM Eastern Time.
The World Championships, a biennial event, take place February 4-16 in Saalbach, Austria. This year, they’ll debut the team combination race, a new format ahead of the 2026 Olympics. This event replaces the unpopular super-combination, which combined one downhill run and one slalom for individuals.
Finally, for North American fans, the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley are the season’s crown jewel. Sun Valley will host its first World Cup event on the steep Warm Springs venue, with a new speed track built just for this event.
The Comebacks
This season is unlike any other, with the exciting return of formerly-retired legends to the World Cup stage. FIS has introduced a wildcard start to facilitate comebacks for former pros. Athletes with an Olympic, World Championships, or World Cup title who haven’t raced in at least two years can now start just behind the top 30.
Marcel Hirscher – Marcel Hirscher, who holds the record for most World Cup Overall titles won with eight, returned to competition this season after a five-year hiatus. Hirscher is the second-most-winning male ski racer of all time, with 67 wins to his name. Unfortunately, Hirscher suffered an ACL injury that will put him out for the remainder of the season. It is unclear whether he will return again next year.
Lindsey Vonn – Rumors swirled this summer, and they were true — Vonn is back! After five years in retirement, Vonn is returning to the World Cup this weekend in Val D’Isere. A partial knee replacement earlier this year inspired her comeback. Vonn said at a recent press conference, “I feel stronger now than I did in my later 20s. The passion for skiing has never gone away, I just wasn’t physically able to do it anymore.” The 40-year-old is also excited to mentor the younger generation of speed skiers.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen – The charismatic Norwegian retired in October 2023, just before the start of the World Cup competition season. After some time away from sport, he realized his passion for ski racing had not waned. This season, he returns under his mother’s native flag, Brazil. He is the first World Cup alpine skier representing the South American country of 218 million people. Watch as Braathen seeks to make history with Brazil’s first World Cup win.
Ski Racers to Watch
Mikaela Shiffrin – Shiffrin has already shattered records as the most-winning alpine ski racer ever. After wins at Levi and Gurgl to start the year, she sits at 99 wins and will be looking to break the 100-win mark this season. She was skiing toward that milestone in the Killington GS this November when she crashed and lacerated her abdomen just a few gates from the finish. No word on when she’ll return to competition, but when she does, we’ll be hoping to watch her make history (again).
Marco Odermatt – The 26-year-old Swiss phenom has dominated in recent years, securing the overall crystal globe for three consecutive seasons. Last season, he was dominant in every discipline he competed in, winning four crystal globes—the overall, GS, Super G, and Downhill titles. The last man to win four World Cup titles in a single season was the great Hermann Maier in 2000-2001. Odermatt also tied the men’s record for most World Cup wins in a season with 13 victories in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. As he told Swiss newspaper Blick, “I still need to win the downhill race on the legendary Streif. That is my main goal for the season.”
Lara Gut Behrami – The Swiss veteran is coming off a stellar season, winning the overall crystal globe and titles in Super G and GS. With 45 career victories, she’s just ten wins shy of Switzerland’s all-time record. At 33, Gut Behrami remains one of the most consistent competitors on the circuit.
Fast Americans
The US Ski Team is off to a strong start this season, with several racers establishing themselves in the World Cup rankings. On the women’s side, the tech team has been stacking Americans into the top 30. In the Solden GS, four Americans finished in the top 11. After the first run in the Killington GS, four American women were in the top 10.
Women
Katie Hensien – The 25-year-old former Utah Ute returned to competition this season following a year on the sidelines with an ACL injury. In her first race back, Solden GS, she skied from bib 47 to 4th place. Hensien followed that up with a 13th in the Killington GS.
Nina O’Brien – O’Brien and Hensien were partners in rehab over the past year. O’Brien missed the last competition season recovering from a broken leg sustained in August 2023, the same leg she broke in the 2022 Olympic GS. In her first race back, Solden, she took 7th, her personal best result, until she followed it up with a 6th in the Killington GS.
Paula Moltzan – This tech specialist has been racking up top-10s over the past few years. Watch her try to get onto the podium more this season. So far, Moltzan has posted an 11th in the Solden GS, 8th in Levi slalom, 6th in Gurgl slalom, and a 5th in the Killington GS.
Lauren Macuga – Macuga, a 22-year-old hailing from Park City, UT, made a storm at the Beaver Creek women’s speed races. She finished 4th in the downhill and 12th in the super-g, leading the Americans on the results sheet. Last season, she started to find her speed, with 3 top-10s in SG. Her inspired skiing at Beaver Creek was fun to watch. A handful of tactical mistakes kept her from the podium, but we’ll be excited to see how this young gun progresses this year.
Men
River Radamus – Radamus has made a name for himself over the last few years, with a litany of top-10s and a few podiums. He’s shown consistency so far this season, with an 11th in the Solden GS, 8th in Beaver Creek Super G, and a 7th in the Beaver Creek GS.
Ben Ritchie – The 24-year-old slalom skier achieved his career-best finish in Levi with a 13th.
Bryce Bennett – This lanky Veteran started the speed season with a 6th in the Beaver Creek downhill, his best performance there to date. Last season, he won a World Cup downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden and was 3rd in a second downhill there. Bennett has been building momentum over the past year; let’s hope he keeps it going!
Watching World Cup ski races is not as straightforward as we wish, but US Ski and Snowboard put together a helpful guide to know where to stream what.
This should be an exciting season for ski racing fans, and the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley will surely be the cherry on top for North American fans. If you’re making the trip to Sun Valley to watch live, make sure you’re warm enough to really enjoy it with a cozy down jacket.
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