This weekend, women will travel to the Italian resort of La Thuile to measure their speed skills, while men will remain in the North and participate in the technical races in Norwegian Hafjell.
What’s At Stake?
So, what is at stake in the last races of the season? Of course, the globes but also the final position for everybody. You want to finish the season well to be motivated enough to train over the summer. Sometimes, how you finish the season determines how you start the next one in the autumn. Remember Marco Odermatt and his DNF in the last giant slalom of the 2024 season and how he began in Sölden.
But in these races, more than points in the final ranking are at stake.
Only the best will participate in the big final in Sun Valley. Who?
The rules state that the best 25 in every discipline can start, but additionally, they must acquire at least 500 FIS points in the current season. World Champions and Junior World Champions do not need to meet any criteria; their spots are reserved.
So, if they want to compete in the finals, all athletes need to perform at their best in the penultimate races of each discipline.
For those who do not qualify for the finals, the season ends here, and they cannot get more points.
Speed Races in La Thuile
Women will race on the legendary Franco Berthold slope n. 3. With a maximum gradient of 73%, this is the steepest slope in Italy. With its gradient and firm surface (the whole slope is north-oriented), it belongs to the most challenging slopes in the women’s World Cup circuit. The organizers pride themselves on comparing it to the women’s Kitzbühel. However, only two events took place here in the past. In 2016, Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) and Tina Weirather (LICH) counted among the winners. In 2020, only super-G took place due to the cancellation of other races. Then, Nina Ortlieb (AUT) won in front of Federica Brignone (ITA) and Corinne Suter (SUI).
Well, we sure expect Brignone to continue with the winning streak.
As for the schedule, it is pretty confusing.
The FIS wanted to use La Thuile to replace the canceled super-G race and thus rescheduled the downhill.
The downhill should have occurred on Thursday, with super-G races on Friday and Saturday. However, the weather conditions did not permit the obligatory training on Wednesday.
At the time of publication of this article, the FIS did not find a solution.
If the downhill does not take place, the decision about the downhill crystal globe would be pushed to the finals, with Brignone currently only 16 points ahead of Cornelia Hütter (AUT) and 34 points ahead of Sofia Goggia (ITA).
With super-G, Lara Gut-Behrami has a 55-point lead on Brignone, but as there are three more super-G races scheduled before the season ends, it makes no sense to count the points yet.
Technical Races in Hafjell
Hafjell is an old ski area built in the 1980s. Alpine ski racing’s beginnings in this area are tied to the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Then, Hafjell hosted both men’s and women’s slalom and giant slalom events. The Olympic slope has been used for racing multiple times after 1994, with the World Cup finals in 1996 and 2003 and other elite events. There will be a giant slalom on Saturday and a slalom on Sunday.
Let us see the chances and the standings.
Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) was in fantastic form last weekend, and he is in the best position to complicate Marco Odermatt’s reaching for the giant slalom crystal globe for the fourth time in a row. Odermatt only has a 41-point lead on Kristoffersen and is not in his best giant slalom form. With this race and the finals, we can look forward to the champions giving their best.
In slalom, Kristoffersen seems unstoppable, with a 77-point lead on the second Clement Noel (FRA). Noel seemed dominant at the beginning of the season but then struggled with consistency.
Loic Meillard (SUI) is not fighting for the globe, but he is in superb form after the World Championships and would wish to show that.
So would the Norwegian pack Timon Haugan and Atle Lie McGrath. Also, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) is fighting for his place in the final rankings because he wants to start with better bib numbers next season.
So, let us enjoy the thrill of the skiing season while we can.
