Preview of the 2026 Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Lillehammer
- Raúl Revuelta
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
The journey we began in Soelden in October will conclude in March with the Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Lillehammer, Norway.
From 21 to 25 March, the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025-2026 Finals will take place in Lillehammer. This marks the first time since 2003 that the World Cup Finals will be held in Norway. The speed events, Downhill and Super-G, will be held in Kvitfjell on March 21–22, while the technical events, Giant Slalom and Slalom, will take place in Hafjell on March 24–25.
Since 1993, the International Ski Federation has hosted a World Cup Final at the end of each season in March. During the Finals, Men's and Women's races are held in four disciplines: Downhill, Super-G, Slalom, and Giant Slalom. Only a limited number of racers are invited to ski at the Finals, including the top 25 in the World Cup standings in each discipline, plus the current junior World Champions in each discipline, with World Cup points only awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race.
March 21st Downhill / Men & Women / 10:45 - 12:30
March 22nd Super-G / Women & Men / 10:45 - 12:30
March 24th Giant Slalom / Men / 1st run 9:30 - 2nd run 12:30
March 24th Slalom / Women / 1st run 10:00 - 2nd run 13:30
March 25th Giant Slalom / Women / 1st run 9:30 - 2nd run 12:30
March 25th Slalom / Men / 1st run 10:00 - 2nd run 13:30
The XVII Olympic Winter Games were held from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway.
These Games were called the "White-Green Games" by President Samaranch. The main goal for The Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee (LOOC) was to give the Olympic Movement a third dimension, Environment, in addition to Sport and Culture.
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.
In 2016, Lillehammer hosted the Second Winter Youth Olympic Games, reusing venues from the 1994 Winter Olympics. This made Lillehammer the first city to host both the regular and Youth Olympics.
Lillehammer and the surrounding Gudbrandsdalen region offer top-notch alpine skiing in Norway, featuring five main ski areas, including Olympic-quality resorts like Hafjell and Kvitfjell.
Kvitfjell is a ski resort in the municipality of Ringebu, Norway, 58 kilometers north of Lillehammer. Kvitfjell was built for the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games, and it is probably best known for hosting the Alpine speed events (Downhill and Super-G). Since the Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games, it has become one of the best and most modern ski resorts in Northern Europe. Kvitfjell is located just 2.5 hours north of the Oslo Airport.
The Kvitfjell Alpine facilities were opened to the public in December 1991. After the Winter Games, the resort has developed tremendously. Now the facility extends over 3 mountain sides.
Kvitfjell has been a regular stop on the World Cup circuit since March 1993, hosting men's speed events late in the season. The Downhill racecourse, the challenging Olympiabakken, was designed by Bernhard Russi for the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games.
Kvitfjell was the Olympic arena for Downhill and Super-G for Women and Men. The Downhill piste was, by many experts, characterised as one of the world’s most challenging. Downhill is skiing’s “Formula 1”, and a demanding piste in this discipline was important when applying to host the Games. Lillehammer’s application specified that the Downhill event would be held on a new piste, and after Lillehammer was chosen to host the Winter Games, the final location was decided in close cooperation with FIS advisor Bernhard Russi. The Men's Downhill piste had a length of 3035 metres and a fall of 838 metres. The start area was 1020 metres above sea level, and the finish area was 182 metres above sea level. The piste had several spectacular sections with 70-meter jumps and directional changes of up to 80-90 degrees. The maximum slope was 64%, and skiers often reached speeds of over 130 km/h at the finishing area.
Technical Data
Course Name: Olympiabakken
Start Elevation: 1020 m (Downhill) 832 (Super-G)
Finish Elevation: 182 m (Downhill and Super-G)
Vertical Drop: 838 m (Downhill) 650 (Super-G)
Length: 3035 m (Downhill) 2451 (Super-G)
The Norwegian Ski Resort of Hafjell is hosting the Men’s technical disciplines.
Hafjell Ski Resort, nestled in the picturesque Gudbrandsdalen valley of Norway, is one of Scandinavia's premier ski destinations. Its history is closely tied to the development of winter sports in Norway and the global spotlight of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics.
Hafjell's origins date back to the early 1980s when local enthusiasts saw the potential for developing a ski area in the region. Construction of the resort began in 1988, with the first lifts and slopes opening in the 1989-1990 season. However, it was the awarding of the 1994 Winter Olympics to Lillehammer that truly put Hafjell on the map.
As one of the main venues for the Games, Hafjell hosted the men's and women's slalom and giant slalom events. The infrastructure built for the Olympics, including expanded slopes and state-of-the-art facilities, transformed Hafjell from a local ski area into an internationally recognized resort.
The Olympic slope has hosted several races since the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, including the World Cup finals in 1996 and 2003, the women's World Cup in 2006, the Youth Olympics in 2015, the Junior World Championship in 2016, the Para World Championship in 2021-2022, and the European Cup finals in 2024.
Technical Data
Course Name: Olympia-Loypa
Start Elevation: 645 m (Giant Slalom) 490 (Slalom)
Finish Elevation: 275 m (Giant Slalom and Slalom)
Vertical Drop: 370 m (Giant Slalom) 220 (Slalom)
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