The 47th Alpine World Ski Championships will be held in Méribel and Courchevel from February 6th to 19th. These two ski resorts in the beautiful French Alps will jointly hold the most important event in the world of skiing.
L’Eclipse racecourse in Courchevel has been designed and built to host the Men’s events at the 2023 World Championships.
The Eclipse made its official debut on Wednesday 16 March 2022 with the Men’s Downhill of the World Cup Finals.
Its dimensions already make it one of the most impressive and demanding pistes on the world circuit alongside the Streif in Kitzbühel and the Stelvio in Bormio. For instance, the average slope of the Downhill track is 30% meanwhile The Streif has an average slope of 27%.
“We worked to create the perfect piste. We tried to imagine the position of the gates, laying them out, discussing them, and changing them in order to optimize the line”, explains Bruno Tuaire, Courchevel's Organizing Committee General Manager.
The piste starts close to Col de la Loze (2,234m), on the the ridge that separates the resorts of Méribel and Courchevel. From its summit, skiers will enjoy a panoramic view of the valley before descending on a 3,200m and 945 m of difference in altitude vertiginous slope.
This extreme and challenging piste features technically difficult jumps and alternating zones of light and shade.
After a first section in the open, skiers will pass through a dense forest with reduced light levels, before skiing back into the sunshine at Le Praz (1,290m) where the finish line is located.
The Downhill ends in the heart of Le Praz, a picturesque village of wooden chalets and narrow streets. Located at the foot of the Olympic ski jumps, L’Eclipse’s finish area is located on the roof of the Alpinium complex, which has a two-storey car park for the public and a gondola lift.
"I have discovered L’Eclipse difficulty and its distinctive features, and it is this which makes it so beautiful. The top part is not particularly steep but, on the other hand, the last wall is very steep and the spectators will be able to watch us skiing for a large part of the race. Even if we are used to this sort of profile, at Schladming or La Face in Val d’Isère for example, L’Eclipse will be one of the most technical runs of the winter", said local hero Alexis Pinturault.
The track has all the makings of a World-class racecourse: (big jumps, magnificent bends and alternating zones of light and shade.
Men’s Downhill
Start: 2235 m
Finish: 1290 m
Drop: 945 m
Length: 3100 m
Max Gradient: 58%
Min Gradient: 11%
Average Gradient: 30%
Sébastien Santon, race director in charge of the Eclipse, explains this unique Downhill piste.
The Zenith Jump: the skiers have passed through four gates when they arrive on the bump. Once over the jump, they dive into the wall. At this point, there is a magnificent plunging view down the valley and Mont Blanc in the distance.
The Sound Wall: it is on the high part that the curves are the longest. The downhillers will build up a lot of speed on this wall which is rather long and with natural movements in the terrain.
The S Des Arolles: this is the signature of this part of the Downhill with curves of over 200m long. At this point, you can’t see the end of the course. It looks like the chicanes of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. The start of the Ladies’ Downhill will be at this point.
The Jockey's Jump: this is the most spectacular and biggest jump on the course. There is a steep slope behind and in the shade.
The Black Hole: on this part, the athletes arrive with great speed. As the name suggests, one dives into the dark. It is relatively dark and the light is considerably lower than above.
The Bux Wall: here there is a triple gate with a 300m long S. This is the penultimate wall of the race. It is long and demanding. You need a lot of heart. The maximum gradient is 58%.
The Take-Off: the track passes over the Olympic jumps of Le Praz. There is a jump. You can imagine this area as a springboard before the last wall.
The Braves Jump: this is the steepest wall and is spectacular. The skiers will put their last efforts into this stretch. We are 2’ into the race after 3 km of descent and 945 m of difference in altitude. Behind it is the last schuss with a jump that ends this descent in spectacular style.
Men’s Super-G and Alpine Combined
Start: 1880 m
Finish: 1290 m
Drop: 590 m
Length: 1857 m
Max Gradient: 58%
Min Gradient: 16%
Average Gradient: 32%
Men’s Slalom and Alpine Combined
Start: 1485 m
Finish: 1280 m
Drop: 205 m
Length: 575 m
Max Gradient: 56%
Min Gradient: 43%
Average Gradient: 36%
Men’s Giant Slalom
Start: 1730 m
Finish 1280 m
Drop 450 m
Length 1340 m
Max Gradient 56%
Min Gradient 43%
Average Gradient 34%