The 2026/27 Alpine Ski World Cup season opens on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, Austria, where Swiss star Marco Odermatt enters the weekend as the favorite in men’s giant slalom. The opening races set the stage for a winter highlighted by the upcoming World Championships in Crans-Montana in February.
Swiss Hopes in Sölden Rest Heavily on Odermatt
Switzerland’s prospects for the opening weekend rely largely on Odermatt, who has dominated the Ötztal venue in recent years. The Nidwaldner secured three victories in the last five Sölden races—winning in 2021, 2022, and again last year—alongside a second-place finish in 2020. Beyond Odermatt, Swiss top-five finishes on the glacier remain rare. Gino Caviezel finished third in 2020 and fourth a year later, while Loïc Meillard achieved his best Ötztal result with a fifth-place finish in 2020. Caviezel returns to competition this Sunday following a lengthy injury layoff, having made only one race start since late December 2024.
On the women’s side, Swiss-Ski enters Saturday with ten athletes on the start list but without Lara Gut-Behrami. The three-time glacier prologue winner retired in August, leaving Beat Tschuor’s team without its Sölden specialist. Aside from Gut-Behrami, the last top-ten finish by a Swiss woman on the Rettenbach glacier was Michelle Gisin’s fourth place on October 17, 2020. New team leader Camille Rast posted three giant slalom podium finishes last season, though her best Sölden result across six starts remains 12th place in 2024.
International Contenders Challenge the Defending Champions
In the men’s field, Odermatt points to Lucas Pinheiro Braathen as his primary challenger for both the Sölden prologue and the overall season title. Braathen captured the giant slalom crystal globe and Olympic gold last winter while finishing second in the overall standings, roughly 600 points behind Odermatt’s five-time title run. Marco Schwarz also demands attention; last year’s Sölden runner-up has ended his slalom career to concentrate on giant slalom and speed disciplines.
Women’s racing features Julia Scheib, who ended Austria’s nearly ten-year giant slalom drought with her maiden World Cup victory last year before claiming the discipline title. Mikaela Shiffrin remains a constant force in crystal globe races. The American dominator holds 110 World Cup victories and six overall titles, though she sidesteps her specialty slalom discipline at the start of the winter. Shiffrin’s Sölden record includes two victories and four additional podium appearances.
Notable Absences Shape the Early Winter Roster
Several marquee names miss the opening weekend due to injury or illness. Dual Olympic champion Federica Brignone targets a mid-December World Cup return following a secondary procedure on her leg, which she severely injured in the spring of 2025. Sofia Goggia’s return date remains undetermined as she recovers from a viral illness. From the Swiss perspective, Michelle Gisin sits out Sölden with an uncertain timeline for her return to racing.
The men’s circuit loses Aleksander Kilde for the long term following an Achilles tendon rupture suffered shortly before the season start. Meanwhile, Marcel Hirscher’s comeback progression continues, though Sölden arrives too early for the eight-time overall champion. Cyprien Sarrazin aims for a potential return at the North American speed opener, nearly two years after his heavy crash in Bormio forced him onto a lengthy sidelines recovery with the French team.
Retirements and the Path Forward Through the Calendar
The sport turns a page following high-profile retirements, most notably 48-time World Cup winner Lara Gut-Behrami and Alexis Pinturault, who accumulated 34 victories. Additional Swiss departures include Joana Hählen, Niels Hintermann, Marc Rochat, and Livio Simonet.
Following the Sölden action, the World Cup splits continents as women travel to Killington and men head to Copper Mountain. Slalom specialists contest events in Levi on November 14 and 15, followed by Gurgl on November 21 and 22. The 40-race women’s calendar and 43-race men’s calendar conclude in Sun Valley, Idaho, running from March 20 to 25.
World Cup Stops Coming to Switzerland
Swiss fans welcome multiple domestic stops later in the winter. St. Moritz hosts women’s events featuring two Super-G races on December 18 and 19, followed by a giant slalom on December 20. January brings the traditional men’s classics to Adelboden with a giant slalom on January 9 and slalom on January 10, then to Wengen for a Super-G on January 15 and the Lauberhorn downhill on January 16, concluding with a slalom on January 17.
Following the Crans-Montana World Championships scheduled from February 1 to 14, the World Cup circuit returns to Lenzerheide for the first time in five years, hosting two Super-G races on February 20 and 21.
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