The races of the Alpine Ski World Cup Season Opener Soelden will be held again in the Rettenbach Glacier World Cup Racecourse

On Saturday, October 25, all eyes will turn to the majestic Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden for the opening event of the Alpine Ski World Cup

The 2006 Olympic Games were particularly satisfactory for the Austrian skiers winning a total of 14 medals. Two skiers from Austria won two gold medals in Turin: Michaela Dorfmeister and Benjamin Raich. Dorfmeister won the gold medal in the Downhill and the Super-G. Raich won gold medals in Slalom and Giant Slalom.

In the Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games, Janica Kostelic was to become the first woman to win four alpine skiing medals at the same Games, and her three golds were also an unprecedented achievement in the sport.

Katja Seizinger led the individual medal table in Nagano 1998, with two gold medals and a bronze, while Hermann Maier was the most successful male skier, with two gold medals.

The Games were the first to be held in a different year from the Summer Olympics, the first and only one to be held two years after the previous Winter Games, and the most recent to be held in a small town. The Games were the second Winter Games hosted in Norway, after the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo.

Petra Kronberger of Austria led the individual medal table with two gold medals in Slalom and the Alpine Combined, while Alberto Tomba of Italy was the most successful male skier with two medals, one gold in Giant Slalom and one silver in the Slalom.

The Alpine Skiing Olympic Winter Games program was expanded in Calgary 1988 from three to five events with the inclusion of the Super-G and the return of the Alpine combined.

Yugoslavia won its first-ever Winter Olympic medal at these Games, with Jure Franko sending the crowds wild by coming second in the Men’s Giant Slalom. The USA’s Phil Mahre won the gold medal in the men’s slalom, with his twin brother, Steve, finishing in second place.

Ingemar Stenmark and Hanni Wenzel were the highlights of Alpine Skiing in the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid.

The most memorable image of the Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck was local hero Franz Klammer flying wildly down the Downhill course, barely in control, on his way to a gold medal.

The biggest surprise of the Olympic Winter Games held in Sapporo was the victory of 21-year-old Francisco Fernandez Ochoa, who won the Slalom by a full second.

In the first Winter Olympic Games to be broadcast in color, French hero Jean-Claude Killy swept the Men’s Alpine events, but only after great controversy.

The IX Olympic Winter Games were held in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The Alpine Skiing events at the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck took place in Axamer Lizum, except for the Men's Downhill race, which was held in Patscherkofel.

The Squaw Valley Olympic Winter Games were held from 18 to 28 February 1960. The Alpine Skiing events took place on Squaw Peak (Men’s Downhill), KT-22 (Men's Giant Slalom and Slalom), and Little Papoose Peak (Women’s events).

The Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games, were held from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Led by Toni Sailer, the Austrians dominated the Men's and Women's Alpine Skiing events, winning nine of the eighteen medals available

The Oslo Olympic Winter Games were held from 14 to 25 February 1952. In Alpine skiing, the combined event was replaced by the Giant Slalom. The top three in each Alpine Skiing event received World Championship medals in addition to the Olympic medals. Alpine skiing is the oldest Olympic sport for which the Men’s and Women’s programs have always been precisely the same.

The St. Moritz Olympic Winter Games were held from 30 January to 8 February 1948. The expansion to six Olympic alpine competitions put Alpine Skiing in the spotlight (the program was expanded to include Downhill and Slalom for Men and Women).

The Garmisch-Partenkirchen Winter Games were held from February 6 to 16, 1936. Alpine skiing made its Olympic debut at the IV Olympic Winter Games, featuring a combined format that included Downhill and Slalom events for both Men and Women.

Downhill is considered the premier discipline and is the longest and, after the slalom, second-oldest alpine skiing competition. Since its inception in 1967, Downhill has been an integral part of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.