Kranjska Gora Men's Alpine Ski World Cup Preview
- Raúl Revuelta
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Next weekend, two Men's races of the Alpine Ski World Cup will be held in the Slovenian Ski Resort of Kranjska Gora.
Kranjska Gora (SLO)
March 7th Giant Slalom / Men 09:30 CET 1st run 12:30 CET 2nd run
March 8th Slalom / Men 09:30 CET 1st run 12:30 CET 2nd run
Kranjska Gora is an alpine resort in Slovenia, near the mountains and glacial lakes of Triglav National Park. The Upper Sava Valley, one of the most beautiful Alpine valleys, lies in the north-westernmost part of Slovenia, right next to the tri-border with Austria and Italy.
The Vitranc Cup celebrates its 65th anniversary in this year’s Men’s Alpine Ski World Cup. Back in 1962, the first competitors descended the ski run from the top of Vitranc to its foothills along the upper reaches of the Sava Dolinka River. The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Tour stopped in Kranjska Gora for the first time in March 1968.
Since then, 92 World Cup competitions have been carried out within the Vitranc Cup (48 GS, 42 SL, 2 Ladies’ SL), 11 European Cup competitions (3 GS and 8 SL), and 20 FIS competitions at various levels.
Ted Ligety, Marcel Hirscher, and Henrik Kristoffersen had won six times in Kranjska Gora. Ligety achieved all his wins in Giant Slalom. Hirscher finished on the podium a record of 15 times in the Vitranc Cup.
The Podkoren racecourse, due to some blind turning, hanging terrain, and spectacular finish, is one of the most challenging race slopes in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
Technical Data
Course Name: Podkoren 3
Start Elevation: 1278 m (Giant Slalom) 1035 (Slalom)
Finish Elevation: 843 m (Giant Slalom) 836 (Slalom)
Vertical Drop: 435 m (Giant Slalom) 199 (Slalom)
Max. slope: 59 % (Giant Slalom) 47% (Slalom)
Last season, due to unfavorable weather conditions and the safety situation, the Men's Alpine Ski World Cup races in Kranjska Gora were canceled.
In 2023, two Giant Slalom events were held in Kranjska Gora, both won by Marco Odermatt.
In the first one, he finished 0.23 seconds ahead of Alexis Pinturault. Henrik Kristoffersen rounded out the podium in third place, +0.37 seconds behind Odermatt.
The second event had the same protagonists with a change in positions. Marco Odermatt was again the winner. He finished 0.32 seconds ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen. Alexis Pinturault rounded out the podium in third place, +0.70 seconds behind Odermatt.
Last season, Henrik Kristoffersen secured a remarkable victory at the Giant Slalom World Cup in Kranjska Gora, finishing ahead of his former teammate, Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, by 0.41 seconds. Marco Odermatt came in third place, 0.52 seconds behind.
The day after, Henrik Kristoffersen completed an exceptional weekend in Kranjska Gora, securing back-to-back victories in the Alpine Ski World Cup for both Giant Slalom and Slalom events. He achieved a remarkable victory, leading a Norwegian one-two finish on the podium at the Slalom Alpine Ski World Cup held in the Slovenian ski resort. He beat his teammate Timon Haugan by 0.17 seconds. Manuel Feller finished in third place, 0.23 seconds behind.
Kristoffersen achieved 13 World Cup podiums in Kranjska Gora, including another Slalom win on 15 March 2015. Only Marcel Hirscher (15) claimed more top-three finishes in Kranjska Gora in the Men's World Cup.
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