Alpine Skiing World Cup Starts this Weekend
25th October 2024
The 2024/25 season looks like it could be a memorable one in the run-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics.
There are less than 500 days to go until the Milan-Cortina Games and valuable qualification points are up for grabs.
Switzerland’s Olympic champions Marco Odermatt and Lara Gut-Behrami will be defending their overall titles in a season that will start on 26th October in Soelden, Austria, and ends on 27th March with the Finals in Sun Valley, USA.
The US skier Mikaela Shiffrin is looking to set the new benchmark with 100 World Cup wins and GB’s Dave Ryding is looking to build on his best-ever season last winter when he came 7th overall in the slalom.
Though Ryding will be up against one of the greatest ever skiers, Marcel Hirscher who has come out of retirement and is racing for the Netherlands.
Another athlete back is Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who raced for Norway until leaving the sport a year ago. He is now competing for Brazil.
- Shiffrin drops downhill as she aims for 100th World Cup win
- Dave Ryding is 7th best slalom skier in the world
- Hirscher is back and racing for Holland
Dave Ryding in Schladming, Jan 2024. Image © PlanetSKI
One racer missing this season is Mikaela Shiffrin’s fiancée, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde from Norway who has said he will not be racing this winter as he recovers from injury.
The female Olympic slalom champion, Petra Vlhova from Slovkia, will miss the start of the Alpine skiing World Cup season as she continues to recover from surgery to her right knee.
This weekend though it is all about the Giant Slalom with both the men and the women racing on the Rettenbach glacier above Soelden.
View this post on Instagram
“The current training conditions are really excellent. The athletes also confirm this,” said the Slope Director, Isidor Grüner.
He was speaking after the official “go-ahead” given by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as part of the snow inspection.
There are signs it may snow this weekend, but hopefully not too much, with the current forecast predicting light snowfall.
The teams have been in town and training for the past few days with thousands of fans expected over the weekend.
The women will be racing on Austria’s national holiday, 26 October, with the men’s race on Sunday, 27 October.
World Cup Opening Sölden
Friday, 25.10.24
from 17.00 World Cup Party & drawing of Women’s bib numbers – Giggijoch Gondola car park
Saturday, 26.10.24
10.00 – 1st run: Women’s Giant Slalom – Rettenbach Glacier
13.00 – 2nd run: Women’s Giant Slalom – Rettenbach Glacier
followed by presentation of winners & Glacier Party
from 17.00 – World Cup Party, Fan Club Parade, prize giving ceremony and drawing of Men’s bib numbers – Giggijoch Gondola car park
Sunday, 27.10.24
10.00 – 1st run: Men’s Giant Slalom – Rettenbach Glacier
13.00 – 2nd run: Men’s Giant Slalom – Rettenbach Glacier
followed by Men’s award ceremony and prize giving & Glacier Party
View this post on Instagram
A total of 38 and 37 individual events are scheduled in the men’s and women’s calendar, respectively, with a majority of tech races (slalom, giant slalom – 21 and 20) compared to speed events (super-G, downhill – 17 for both genders).
The World Cup season will take a break from 4th to 16th February 2025 for the World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, where the combined team event will make its senior debut ahead of featuring at Milan-Cortina 2026 one year later.
Image c/o Saalbach World Championships
2024/25 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup calendar – Men
- 27 October 2024
Soelden (Austria): Giant Slalom
- 17 November 2024
Levi (Finland): Slalom
- 24 November 2024
Gurgl (Austria): Slalom
- 6 – 8 December 2024
Beaver Creek (USA): Downhill , Super-G, Giant Slalom
- 14 – 15 December 2024
Val d’Isere (France): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 20 – 21 December 2024
Val Gardena – Groeden (Italy): Super-G, Downhill
- 22 – 23 December 2024
Alta Badia (Italy): Giant Slalom, Slalom
- 28 – 29 December 2024
Bormio (Italy): Downhill / Super-G
- 8 January 2024
Madonna di Campiglio (Italy): Slalom
- 11 – 12 January 2025
Adelboden (Switzerland): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 17- 19 January 2025
Wengen (Switzerland): Super-G / Downhill / Slalom
- 24 – 26 January 2025
Kitzbuehel (Austria): Super-G / Downhill / Slalom
- 28 – 29 January 2025
Schladming (Austria) Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 2 February 2025
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany): Downhill
- 22 – 23 February 2025
Crans Montana (Switzerland): Downhill / Super G
- 8 – 9 March 2025
Kvitfjell (Norway): Downhill / Super-G
- 15 – 16 March 2025
Hafjell (Norway): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 22 -27 March 2024
Sun Valley (United States): Finals (All disciplines)
- Total: 38
- Slalom: 12
- Giant Slalom: 9
- Super-G: 8
- Downhill: 9
2024/25 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup calendar – Women
- 26 October 2024
Soelden (Austria): Giant Slalom
- 16 November 2024
Levi (Finland): Slalom
- 23 November 2024
Gurgl (Austria): Slalom
- 30 November – 1 December 2024
Killington (USA): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 7 – 8 December 2024
Tremblant (Canada): Giant Slalom (2x)
- 14 – 15 December 2024
Beaver Creek (USA): Downhill , Super-G
- 21 – 22 December 2024
Saint Moritz (Switzerland): Super-G (2x)
- 28 – 29 December 2024
Semmering (Austria): Giant Slalom, Slalom
- 4 – 5 January 2025
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 11 – 12 January 2025
St. Anton (Austria): Downhill / Super-G
- 14 January 2025
Flachau (Austria): Slalom (Night)
- 18 – 19 January 2025
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy): Downhill / Super-G
- 21 January 2025
Kronplatz – Plan de Corones (Italy): Giant Slalom
- 25 – 26 January 2025
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany): Downhill / Super-G
- 30 January 2025
Courchevel (France): Slalom (Night)
- 16 – 18 February 2025
Crans Montana (Switzerland): Downhill (2x) / Super-G
- 22 – 23 February 2025
Sestriere (Italy): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 28 February – 2 March 2025
Kvitfjell (Norway): Downhill (2x) / Super-G
- 8 – 9 March 2025
Are (Sweden): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 14-15 March 2025
La Thuile (Italy): Downhill / Super-G
- 22 -27 March 2024
Sun Valley (United States): Finals (All disciplines)
- Total: 37
- Slalom: 10
- Giant Slalom: 10
- Super-G: 9
- Downhill: 8
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 in Saalbach, Austria – Medal events Schedule
- 4 February: Team Parallel event
- 6 February: Women’s Super-G
- 7 February: Men’s Super-G
- 8 February: Women’s Downhill
- 9 February: Men’s Downhill
- 11 – 12 February: Team combined event (Downhill/Slalom)
- 13 February: Women’s Giant Slalom
- 14 February: Men’s Giant Slalom
- 15 February: Women’s Slalom
- 16 February: Men’s Slalom
Information subject to change. An updated calendar can be found on the FIS Website.
Related Articles:
- 5 GB athletes to look out for at Milan-Cortina 2026
- GB snowboard athletes eye up 2026 Olympics
- Eve Muirhead to lead Team GB at 2026 Winter Olympics
