After Christmas it's time to turn our mind to the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup European Downhill Classics: Bormio, Wengen, and Kitzbühel.
Bormio (ITA)
December 28th Downhill / Men 11:30 CET
December 29th Super-G / Men 11:30 CET
Bormio is a town and comune in the Lombardy region of the Alps at the center of the upper Valtellina valley. Some of the most beautiful and meaningful pages of alpine skiing were written in Bormio.
Alongside the Streif of Kitzbuhel, the Stelvio slope is considered to be one of the most technical and spectacular slopes all over the world.
In the 2026 Winter Games the Stelvio will be the official venue for all the Alpine Skiing Men races.
Dominik Paris is the King of the selective and exhausting Stelvio. The 34-year-old Italian skier won the Downhill in Bormio six times (2012, 2017, 2018, a double in 2019, and 2021). Bormio means a lot to the Südtiroler as many career highlights, including his first World Cup win, have come in the Italian ski resort. Paris set in 2021 a new record for most World Cup Downhill wins at a specific ski resort, edging Didier Cuche with five in Kitzbühel.
Paris also won a Super-G in 2018. The only male skier to have achieved more than seven victories in World Cup speed events at a single resort is Aksel Lund Svindal (8 in Lake Louise). Paris is tied in this ranking with Kjetil Jansrud (7 in Kvitfjell).
Last season, in a extremely demanding Stelvio -icy, hard rock and dark slope-, Vincent Kriechmayr beat Canadian James Crawford and Downhill season dominator Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and celebrated his first victory in Bormio. The 32-year-old Austrian skier has won all the European Downhill Classics -Val Gardena-Gröden, Bormio, Wengen (twice) and Kitzbühel.
Wengen (SUI)
January 11th Downhill / Men (replaces Beaver Creek) 12:30 CET
January 12th Super-G / Men 12:30 CET
January 13th Downhill / Men 12:30 CET
January 14th Slalom / Men 1st run 10:15 2nd run 13:15 CET
Wengen is a car-free mountain village located on a sheltered, sun-soaked terrace, 400 meters above the picturesque Lauterbrunnen Valley. The fantastic surrounding scenery is dominated by the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau massif.
The first Lauberhorn races took place in Wengen in 1930. In 2024 the 94th edition of the International Lauberhorn Races will be held in Wengen. The Lauberhorn Downhill is the longest race in the FIS Ski World Cup calendar.
Local skier Karl Molitor won the Downhill ski race in Wengen in 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945 and 1947. Toni Sailer won in Wengen five consecutive times between 1955 and 1959.
Franz Klammer with three consecutive times the Lauberhorn World Cup Downhill (1975, 1976, and 1977). Beat Feuz has also won three times the Downhill in Wengen (2012, 2018, and 2020).
Last season Aleksander Aamodt Kilde won the Downhill on the Lauberhorn racecourse. The Norwegian had won a shortened Downhill in 2022.
Kitzbühel (AUT)
January 19th Downhill / Men 11:30 CET
January 20th Downhill / Men 11:30 CET
January 21st Slalom / Men 1st run 10:15 2nd run 13:15 CET
Kitzbühel is a medieval town and a ski resort located in the Kitzbühel Alps along the river Kitzbüheler Ache in Tirol, Austria.
The Downhill race is held on the Hahnenkamm mountain (the name translates to "Rooster’s Comb"), one of the mountains surrounding Kitzbühel. The Hahnenkamm racecourse, the Streif (or the "Stripe"), is considered one of the most demanding runs of the FIS downhill calendar. Hot on the heels of the Lauberhorn Races in Wengen, the oldest of the great alpine ski classics, the first race took place on today’s Streif course in 1937.
Austrian skiers have won a record 25 World Cup Downhill races in Kitzbühel. Switzerland (18) is the only other country to have recorded more than six wins on the Streif.
The seven skiers to have won on the Streif more than twice in the World Cup Downhill in Kitzbühel are Didier Cuche (5), Franz Klammer (4), Dominik Paris (3), Franz Heinzer (3), Karl Schranz (3), Luc Alphand (3) and Pirmin Zurbriggen (3).
In 2012 Didier Cuche claimed his third consecutive Downhill victory at Kitzbühel and a record fifth in total.
On January 20, 2023, Vincent Kriechmayr won the first of the Downhills held in the Streif. In a super thrilling and spectacular race Vincent Kriechmayr beated Italian Florian Schieder and Swiss Niels Hintermann.
On January 21, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde claimed, under challenging conditions, his second career win on the Streif. He finished ahead of Johan Clarey, and Travis Ganong.