PlanetSKI Previews the Alpine Ski World Cup Season

GB Athletes to Watch

All eyes will be on GB’s slalom specialist Dave Ryding in his final season.

The Rocket is giving it one last push as he prepares to retire.

Dave Ryding. Image © PlanetSKI

He is joined by regular team mates Billy Major and Laurie Taylor.

All three were at the London Snow Show last weekend.

Billy Major, Laurie Taylor & Dave Ryding. Image c/o PlanetSKI.

Here’s Dave’s thoughts on the season ahead:

The new GB kid on the block is 18-year old Freddy Carrick-Smith who races in the opening World Cup races in Soelden in Austria this coming weekend, Sunday October 26th.

• 18-year old British ski racer to make World Cup debut

Freddy Carrick-Smith. Image c/o Team Carrick-Smith.

He’s competing in giant slalom.

Freddy was also at the London Snow Show with his twin brother Zak and elder brother Luca.

Zak, Freddy and Luca at London Snow Show. Image c/o PlanetSKI.

Here are Freddy’s thoughts on the race this weekend:

We reported on the other alpine hopefuls earlier on PlanetSKI:

• GB alpine squads announced

GB Snowsport posted some out-of-season sporting updates over the summer:

• Six World Cup athletes named in 33-athlete GB Alpine squad
• 21 athletes confirmed in Cross-Country squads
• 22 Park & Pipe selected across World Cup and Next Generation squads /
• Mateo Jeannesson and Makayla Gerken Schofield named in two-athlete Moguls World Cup squad
• Four athletes selected to Ski and Snowboard Cross World Cup squads for 2025/26 season:
• 13 Para athletes named in Para Alpine, Para Nordic, and Para Snowboard squads

World Cup Alpine Ski Racing:

Olympic champions Marco Odermatt and Mikaela Shiffrin are among the stars in action across a total of 75 individual events – 38 for men and 37 for women.

The World Cup tour begins with the traditional opening giant slaloms in Sölden, Austria, on 25–26 October.

It concludes with the Finals in Lillehammer,  from 19–25 March.

The athletes head to North America in November, with Copper Mountain, Colorado, making its return to the Alpine elite calendar for the first time in over 20 years.

Back in Europe, the tour will visit some of the sport’s most iconic venues:

• Val Gardena (Italy)
• Val d’Isère (France)
• Adelboden and Wengen (Switzerland)
• Kitzbühel and Schladming (Austria)

The Planai race course in Schladming, Jan 2024, ahead of the men’s GS night race. Image © PlanetSKI

The Italian resort of Tarvisio, which hosted the 2023 Winter EYOF (European Youth Olympic Winter Festival) and the 2025 FIS Alpine Junior World Championships, will make its World Cup debut in January.

The circuit will pause from 6-22 February for the 2026 Winter Olympics, with the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio hosting the men’s events and the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina staging the women’s competitions.

The season will then continue with several European stops, including the men’s speed races in the famed German resort of Garmisch, before wrapping up in Lillehammer, Norway on the slopes that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Overall World Cup season preview from Olympics.com

The Men:

For the second season in a row, Marco Odermatt begins the new campaign as the defending holder of four titles: overall, downhill, Super-G and giant slalom (GS).

The Swiss star is chasing his fifth consecutive big Crystal Globe, which would place him second on the all-time list alongside Luxembourg legend Marc Girardelli and behind Marcel Hischer with eight.

Odermatt leads a powerful Swiss contingent that dominated the speed disciplines in both the last World Cup and World Championships.

All eyes will be on rising star Franjo von Allmen, the reigning downhill world champion from Saalbach 2025, who could challenge “King Odi” in the downhill standings after finishing runner-up last season.

Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr prevented a Swiss podium sweep in last year’s Super-G standings, while Canada’s James ‘Jack’ Crawford – winner of the prestigious downhill race in Kitzbühel – is another speedster to watch.

In the technical disciplines, giant slalom and slalom, Henrik Kristoffersen – the slalom globe holder and runner-up in the overall standings – headlines a talented Norwegian team, with Atle Braathen and Timon Haugan also chasing podiums and victories this season.

Another Swiss skier, Loïc Meillard – third overall and on the podium in both slalom and GS rankings – is expected to be a strong contender for the globes.

Meanwhile, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, after securing Brazil’s first-ever World Cup podium last season, is ready to compete for the overall title and will add several Super-G events to his programme.

Austrian-born legend Hirscher, who returned to competition last season under the Netherlands’ flag, resumed snow training a month ago after a serious knee injury cut his comeback short.

• Marcel Hirscher to race again this season

He is now aiming to qualify for his fourth Olympic Games.

Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI

The Women:

With Brignone sidelined for at least the first few months, two former overall champions – Lara Gut-Behrami and Mikaela Shiffrin – are  expected to battle for the big Crystal Globe.

Switzerland’s Gut-Behrami, the reigning Super-G World Cup champion, finished runner-up in the 2025 campaign and aims to cap her final season before retirement with a third overall title.

Shiffrin concluded last season with four victories, all in slalom, extending her record to 101 World Cup wins.

Her campaign, however, was disrupted by a crash in the Killington race, after which she struggled to regain form, particularly in giant slalom.

• Shiffrin set to return after crash

The US athlete finished 16th in the overall standings — her lowest ranking since her debut season in 2012 (43rd).

Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI

This year, Shiffrin returns with renewed confidence after a productive summer of training and plans to resume competing in Super-G, albeit on a reduced schedule.

“I focused a lot on giant slalom this summer, and I feel much stronger now than at the end of last season,” she recently told reporters at a sponsor event.

She is targeting a sixth overall title and a record-extending ninth slalom globe.

Following her comeback last season, Lindsey Vonn remains one of the biggest draws in the women’s field.

• Lindsey Vonn impresses on World Cup return

The 40-year-old ski legend has her sights set on her farewell Winter Games, but she’s already shown she can still compete with the best in the speed disciplines, reaching the podium in her last Super-G race in Sun Valley.

Among Vonn’s rivals are Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who is eager to reclaim the downhill crown after two years, and her American teammate Lauren Macuga, who will look to build on her breakout campaign.

In slalom, globe winner Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia leads the Gen Z talent wave alongside Swiss world champion Camille Rast.

Another gold medallist from Saalbach, Alice Robinson of New Zealand, has rediscovered her top GS form after a few difficult seasons and is targeting her first globe in the discipline, while 18-year-old prodigy Lara Colturi looks to continue making history for Albania after claiming her first World Cup podiums last season.

Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI 

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2025/26 calendar 

Disciplines: DH – downhill, SG – super G, GS – giant slalom, SL – slalom, AC – team combined

Source: FIS

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