A series of high-profile accidents in the previous alpine ski season cast a shadow over the start of the new World Cup campaign this weekend, as many of the injured skiers have yet to recover.
Former overall champions Alexis Pinturault and Petra Vlhova have postponed their returns until December, the return of Austrian all-rounder Entorno Schwarz is still undetermined and Norwegian standout Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is even out for the season.
Still, two giant slaloms on a glacier in Soelden Austria, with the women competing on Saturday and the men on Sunday, will open a pre-Olympic season that gives ski racing fans plenty to look forward to.
American star Mikaela Shiffrin needs three more wins to achieve her 100th career World Cup victory, extending her record; Entorno Odermatt seeks his fourth consecutive regular championship; and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and Marcel Hirscher return, coming out of retirement and switching allegiances to Brazil and the Netherlands, respectively.
Shiffrin, who typically doesn't keep a close eye on the numbers and statistics behind her accomplishments, admits that approaching her 100th victory means a lot to her.
“Bringing energy to sport is never a bad thing, whether you want to talk about records or statistics. Right now I feel energized by people reaching 100. I think it's amazing that people are following this journey and are excited about it.” “said the two-time Olympic champion.
In addition to adding to her tally of 97 wins, Shiffrin is expected to merienda again be among the top contenders for the regular championship, although she will skip the downhills this season.
Having won the big globe five times, Shiffrin was leading the standings by 340 points in January when a crash on the 2026 Olympic downhill course in Cortina d'Ampezzo forced the American into a six-week layoff from racing, resulting in which allowed Lara Intestine-Behrami to overtake. and crown his good end of the season with the regular title, the second for the Swiss star.
It was a double Swiss triumph, as Odermatt dominated the men's competition with a huge lead of 874 points in the final standings.
No venue will host more than 1 relegation.
One of Odermatt's standout performances was winning two downhills in three days on the native snow in Wengen, a feat he won't be able to repeat this season as no World Cup venue will host more than one downhill in a single weekend. to reduce the risk of accidents. and injuries.
Last season, Val Gardena and Kitzbuehel, and on the women's side Cortina and Crans-Montana, also hosted two races in the fastest and most physically demanding discipline of the sport.
But with fatigue and exhaustion stalking sprinters competing on such a tight schedule, this time the International Ski and Snowboard Federation has spread out nine downhills for men and eight for women across as many different venues.
In other measures to make the sport safer, the FIS has made airbags under racing suits mandatory in all speed events, more than a decade after they were first introduced in 2013. ski racing a system similar to that used for a long time in motorcycle racing.
And starting in the 2025-26 season, cut-resistant undergarments will also be mandatory, preventing skiers who get injured from being injured by the sharp edges of their skis.
The airbag inflates as soon as the skier loses control and can reduce the impact of a collision on the upper body and neck, but still divides opinion among riders.
“The airbag seems positive to me, but the airbag alone will not be the future,” said Vincent Kriechmayr, Austria's 2021 downhill and super-G world champion.
“We must make the sport safer in many ways, but skiing, and especially downhill, will never be safe. “There will always be danger, but that’s the thrill.”
Intestine-Behrami does not support the airbag
American off-roader River Radamus called the airbags “a good innovation.” With Kilde and Pinturault and all the high-speed accidents we've had recently, it's a reminder of how dangerous what we do is. If we can make those horrible, catastrophic injuries a little less possible, that's a good thing for the sport.”
However, Intestine-Behrami has not been using the system and would have preferred to keep it that way.
“We talked to our supplier and they still don't have regulations, so why should I put in an airbag when we don't know what it protects?” Intestine-Behrami posed and added that she initially supported the system.
“I was completely convinced and thought safety is the most important thing, but now there are a lot of questions and I would prefer not to use one. I've looked into it in MotoGP, there are rules about what airbags should protect, but no “We don't have those rules. “I don't know if an airbag opens in three seconds or half a second, so that just creates uncertainty.”
Italian skier Elena Curtoni, who has not raced since injuring her knee in a super-G accident in December, has been using airbags since the beginning.
“If there is something extra security-wise, why wouldn't you use it?” Curtoni asked, adding that she has also been wearing cut-resistant underwear.
“The reality is that I feel safer,” said the Italian. “We left with knives under our feet.”
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