Marco Odermatt Unveils Wooden Bust at Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy

Marco Odermatt received one of alpine skiing’s most unique honors on Thursday, July 23, when a life-size 3D wooden bust of the Swiss superstar was unveiled at the Fienile Monte mountain hut on the Sella Pass in Gröden/Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Italy. The ceremony marked Odermatt’s victory in the Dolomites Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy, which is awarded to the skier who accumulates the most World Cup points during the race week in Gröden/Val Gardena. At the 58th Saslong Classic last December, Odermatt claimed the trophy with ease, winning the sprint downhill and finishing second in both the super-G and classic downhill to amass 260 points.

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Among those present for the unveiling were Odermatt’s girlfriend Stella, his family, mayors Tobias Nocker of Wolkenstein and Christoph Senoner of St. Christina, Ambros Hofer of Dolomites Val Gardena, and Rainer Senoner, head of the organizing committee for Val Gardena.

The Dolomites Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy is one of alpine skiing’s most distinctive prizes. Alongside the life-size wooden bust, the winner receives €5,000 in prize money, a short vacation in Gröden/Val Gardena, and a guided ascent of the Sassolungo — the iconic peak stretching above the resort at 3,181 metres (10,436 feet). Its name means “long rock” in Italian, a reference to the peak’s remarkable one-kilometer (0.6-mile) length.

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The wooden bust is not just a trophy but will join the other busts of past winners along the Ski Champions Walk in Wolkenstein/Selva, a 2.1-kilometer (1.3-mile) hiking trail dedicated to all those who have won a World Cup or World Championship race in Val Gardena since 1969. The trail is a living museum of alpine ski racing history, complete with a free audio guide narrated by former FIS President Erich Demetz. Gröden/Val Gardena is renowned throughout South Tyrol and beyond for its tradition of wood carving, making the wooden bust a meaningful expression of local culture and history.

During the ceremony, the 54-time World Cup winner reflected on his relationship with the Saslong — one of the most technically unusual courses on the circuit. Eight podium finishes across the last four editions speak for themselves, but success did not come easily. “For the first year or two, it didn’t work at all here in Gröden/Val Gardena,” Odermatt told guests at the mountain hut. As a giant slalom specialist by background, the flat and technically demanding nature of the Saslong initially confounded him. “I had to adjust a lot of things with my equipment, change my setup — I even had to build completely new skis, specifically for this race. Only when that worked did this winning streak begin. It surprises me that I can ski so fast on this course.”

While Odermatt’s tight race schedule in winter leaves no time for exploring the Dolomites in anything other than race mode, the ski racer is planning to take the opportunity explore the valley. On Friday he planned to climb the Sassolungo with his family, with further hikes scheduled across the weekend. Asked what he was most looking forward to, he smiled: “The delicious food.”

Odermatt also addressed the upcoming season and the Alpine Ski World Championships in Crans-Montana — held on Swiss soil for the first time in decades. “It’s wonderful to be able to experience a home World Championship. It’s a major goal. But I’m already a world champion in three disciplines, so I can take some pressure off and enjoy the home World Championships.”

He also had a message for his hosts with a glance toward 2031, when Gröden/Val Gardena will host the FIS Alpine World Championships. “I can promise you I’ll definitely be here,” he said with a smile — leaving open whether that would be as an active racer or simply as a tourist finally getting to ski the Saslong for the pleasure of it.