Alpine World Cup Season in Sölden, Austria, Starts in 4 Weeks

With only four weeks to go until the FIS Alpine World Cup season opening in Sölden, Austria, the local organization committee (LOC) is busy prepping the course for the famous event. The resort has been hosting the season opener of the Alpine calendar since 1993.

The race at the Rettenbach Glacier is a staple on the FIS calendar, and the race course features the steepest downhill stretch in the entire Sölden ski area. It is a highlight for spectators and racers alike, and almost the entire race course can be observed from the stands in the finish area. Prepping the course for the race takes weeks of work by the LOC. On top of getting the race course up to FIS standards, volunteers and organizers need to set up 5,000 meters (16,404 feet) of security fence, 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) of safety nets to keep athletes safe, lay 11,500 meters (37,730 feet) of electric cables for timing, loudspeakers, and the media’s camera and sound requirements, 210 meters (689 feet) of air-fence, and another 260 meters (853 feet) of fence.

RACE COURSE STATS

Each year, Sölden hosts two Giant Slalom events on the Rettenbach Glacier: a women’s and a men’s event. This year’s events are scheduled for October 26 and 27, with the women’s event on Saturday and the men’s on Sunday.

• Related: Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami Wins Women’s FIS World Cup Giant Slalom in Sölden, Austria

Last year, the women’s Giant Slalom was won by Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami ahead of Italy’s Federica Brignone and Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. With her victory, Gut-Behrami tied with Tina Maze for the most victories at the season opener since the event started in 1993. The men’s event was canceled last year due to heavy winds.

• Related: Men’s FIS Alpine World Cup Giant Slalom Race in Sölden, Austria, Canceled Due to Heavy Winds

Record holders for most victories for the season opener at Sölden are Tina Maze and Lara Gut-Behrami in the women’s with three victories each and U.S. ski racer Ted Ligety in the men’s race with four victories. Mikaela Shiffrin has won twice at Sölden and come in second a total of three times and once in third, awarding her the title of most podiums at Sölden.

Sölden opened for skiing last weekend, on Friday, September 20. The Sölden ski area has two glacier ski areas and a winter ski area. The glacier ski area on the Rettenbach Glacier is located at an altitude of 2,670 meters (8,760 feet). The resort is situated at a base elevation of 1,350 meters (3,445 feet) and reaches a peak elevation of 3,340 meters (10,958 feet). The combined ski area offers 144 kilometers (90 miles) of groomed runs.

• Related: Which European Ski Areas are Open in September?

2024 WORLD CUP EVENT SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27