Industry News
New to the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup calendar for 23/24 will be a race at Gurgl, Austria. The Austrian ski resort will host a Men’s Slalom event in what is considered one of the snow-surest ski areas in Europe. The ski area stretches from 5,906ft (1,800m) to 9,941ft (3,030m) in altitude and receives, on average, 187 inches (475cm) of annual snowfall.
Gurgl is located about 15 minutes south of Sölden ski resort, in the Ötz Valley in Austria, where the famous ‘Ötzi-Man,’ a mummified man from the copper age and oldest European mummy, was found (although technically, he was found 100 yards into the Italian side of the Alps). The Gurgl ski area comprises two ski areas, Obergurgl and Hochgurgl, which offer 35 miles (56 km) each of skiable terrain for a combined 70 miles (112 km), serviced by 25 lifts, including 11 gondolas. The modern lift infrastructure at Gurgl has an hourly capacity of 43,000 pax. The Top Express 8-person gondola connects Obergurgl and Hochgurgl directly across a 2.25-mile (3.6 km) long panoramic route across two scenic side valleys in only 9 minutes.
The Gurgl ski area opens each year in mid-November, making it one of Austria’s first non-glacier ski areas to start the winter season. The FIS Slalom race will run concurrently with the resort’s opening weekend, the ‘Gurgl Ski Opening,’ from November 16-19, 2023. The opening weekend is a wonderful festival of events and activities with live music at several on-mountain lodges and other fun activities.
The Audi FIS Alpine World Cup will be held on November 18, 2023, and the race will start on the Kirchenkar slope in Hochgurgl, and the finish area will be located at the Top Mountain Crosspoint. The Top Mountain Crosspoint is an existing multi-purpose center located mid-mountain, which can accommodate athletes, teams, members of the press, and spectators.
“For us this is a unique chance to present Gurgl on the international stage and demonstrate our wintersport and snow quality. We are hoping to become an established member of the annual FIS World Cup circuit by proving that we are equipped to master this.”
Oliver Schwarz, CEO Ötztal Tourism
