The alpine skiing teams barely had time to unpack after the World Championships, and the show must go on. The upcoming weekend, we will witness men’s speed races in the Swiss Crans Montana and ladies’ technical competitions in Italian Sestriere.
Italian Technicians In Sestriere
Sestriere lies in Piedmont, Italy. Apart from the 1997 Alpine Skiing World Championships, this resort hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic Games Alpine skiing competitions. Sestriere has a long history of organizing the alpine skiing World Cup races, as the first event was held here in 1967. Then, France’s Jean Claude Killy won the downhill race. Alberto Tomba, a legendary Italian alpine racer, is crowned king of Sestriere, winning here 6 times, the last time as a winner of the first-ever FIS World Cup night slalom.
The 2025 show will begin on Friday, as the first giant slalom race replaces the cancelled event in Tremblant. Then, on Saturday, there will be a giant slalom, and on Sunday a slalom, according to the schedule.
It has not been that long since we witnessed the World Championships competition. Mikaela Shiffrin will probably not start in the giant slalom, and even her form in slalom is disputable.
With giant slalom, Federica Brignone (ITA) would love to please the home crowd and confirm her role of a champion. Undoubtedly, other medalists from the World Champs, Alice Robinson (NEZ) and Paula Molztan (USA), would love to prove that their medals were not a one-time show.
But then there is Sara Hector (SWE), who did not like the slope in Saalbach and complained about the soft terrain, and with freezing temperatures this week, she might return to the top.
In the slalom competition, Wendy Holdener and Camille Rast (SUI) are in excellent form. Katharina Liensberger (AUT) was breathing at their necks in Saalbach; we will see what she will accomplish on the Italian slope.
Speed Races in Crans Montana
Crans Montana lies in the canton of Valais in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. The resort is a fusion of two resorts, Crans and Montana, and hosted the 1987 World Championships. In the past, mainly women competed here. The last time men raced in Crans Montana was in 2012, with Didier Cuche and Benjamin Raich winning the super-G races. Interestingly, the French Adrien Theaux, still racing this season, finished second in the 2012 super-G.
Now, who will win? The Swiss racers dominate the speed season and come to Switzerland to show their local fans what they already showed the Austrians. Franjo Von Allmen, Alexis Monney, and Marco Odermatt seem unstoppable in speed disciplines. Vincent Kriechmayr was highly motivated in Saalbach; we will see what happens on Swiss soil. Also, Raphael Haaser (AUT) is in the form of his life and would love to return the favor to the Swiss. But the World Cup is not only about the Swiss-Austrian competition. Miha Hrobat (SLO) did not like the Saalbach slope but might perform better in Crans Montana. The same applies to James Crawford (CAN), who was genuinely unhappy in the Saalbach downhill.
So, let us look forward to watching just one more thrilling weekend of races.
