Alpine skiing: New season with lots of Austria and overseas
Traditionally, the women and men begin on the 22nd/23rd. October with giant slalom in Sölden, on 12./13. November there is a parallel night race in Lech/Zürs. The other stations in Austria are Semmering, Flachau and St. Anton for women and Kitzbühel and Schladming for men.
Shortly before the turn of the year on 28./29. December Katharina Liensberger and Co. drive a giant slalom and slalom on the Semmering, on 10 January 2023 the night slalom awaits in Flachau, on 14/15 the speed riders in St. Anton will get down to business in downhill and super-G. The men will compete in the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel from January 20th to 22nd and determine the winners in two downhill runs and a slalom, followed by the night slalom in Schladming on January 24th.
Premiere rides on the Matterhorn
The calendar includes a total of 41 women’s individual races at 20 locations, including eleven downhills, eight super-Gs, ten giant slaloms, eleven slaloms and one parallel race. Of the 42 men’s competitions in 21 locations, a remarkable 14 downhills are listed as well as a further seven Super-Gs, ten giant slaloms and slaloms each, as well as the parallel event. Combinations are not restrictions in the program.
The season for the speed departments begins unusually early. It takes place on 29/30. October for the men and on 5./6. November for the women there will be two descents on the Matterhorn in the Zermatt/Cervinia region, starting in Switzerland and finishing in Italy – a novelty in the World Cup.
After slaloms in Levi at the end of November, the women will go to the technical races in Killington (USA) and then on to the speed competitions in Lake Louise in Canada. For the men, Lake Louise and Beaver Creek are probably traditionally on the agenda at the end of November/beginning of December. The men’s Zagreb slalom starts right after the beginning of 2023 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Second overseas trip is pending
An important new point in the coming season is that after the World Championships in Meribel/Courchevel in February (February 6th to 19th) the men will be heading to North America. A giant slalom and a slalom await in Palisades Tahoe (February 25/26), in Aspen two downhill runs and a super-G (March 3-5).
For FIS President Eliasch, who was re-elected for four years on Thursday, this is a necessity: “Ski racing is big in the USA, but the FIS is not on schedule there as it should be,” he said. “Interest in Europe for the World Cup is declining in March, but there is still a lot of interest in the USA. This is therefore a very good time to go there.” The US trip in November/December, on the other hand, is the result of the fact that there is usually a lack of snow elsewhere.
The women crown on 4./5. January in Zagreb twice the Snow Queen. Spindleruv Mlyn (Spindlermühle) in the Czech Republic celebrates a comeback at the end of January, and Kvitfjell (NOR) appears on the calendar at the beginning of March with women’s instead of men’s speed races. As in 2019, the World Cup final will take place from March 15th to 19th in Soldeu/Andorra.
Elijah defends calendar
“The current calendar (for 2022/23, note) was approved unanimously in close cooperation with the board of directors,” said Eliasch at the subsequent press conference. Criticism of some changes should not have surprised him. “When you change something for the better, some people always have other interests. But the new calendar is a basis to build on and make further improvements.”
In addition, Eliasch also has China in focus, and his impressions of the Winter Games confirm this. “They showed their great potential. We hope to have China on the calendar in all disciplines. This WILL give us another opportunity to carry skis and snowboards as far out as possible. It’s a process. We have to find a way to have a permanent calendar.” But it is a challenge to have as simple a calendar as possible with as few travel kilometers and as low costs as possible and in beautiful, iconic places.