What's new in the 2026/27 season?
Technical changes have also been introduced ahead of this season, primarily aimed at improving athlete safety. The carbon protector, which could still be used last year thanks to a loophole in the regulations, is now definitively a thing of the past. For women in the speed disciplines, speeds are to be reduced by imposing limits on ski weight and length.
Also new for women is the World Cup stop between Christmas and New Year's Eve: two technical races will take place in Gosau, Upper Austria. St. Anton, however, is no longer on the program. For men, Saalbach returns to the calendar; speed races will be held there in February, in the 2025 World Championships venue.
Are Shiffrin and Odermatt untouchable in the Overall World Cup?
The two dominators of recent years, Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt, are once again the favorites for the big Crystal Globe this year. But both are not untouchable. Odermatt recently stated that he feels he has already reached the peak of his career. His primary challengers are likely Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, Atle Lie McGrath, or Loic Meillard.
Shiffrin is branding this winter as a "Season of Exploration." The 31-year-old is reducing her schedule in her signature discipline, slalom, and focusing more on giant slalom and Super-G. This opens up new opportunities for her competitors, especially Emma Aicher. The German finished only 87 points behind Shiffrin in the final standings last season.
What can we expect from the ÖSV team?
With Julia Scheib, Ski Austria boasts the best giant slalom racer of last winter. The Styrian's small Crystal Globe was the only one to go to Austria. Five of the ÖSV women's total six victories last season were credited to Scheib, and she remains the hottest prospect for the ÖSV this winter. Super-G Olympic bronze medalist, Conny Hütter, is competing in her farewell season and can race freely.
This could also be Vincent Kriechmayr's last season. The Upper Austrian continues to be the leader of the speed team, which performed well especially in Super-G last year, but largely lagged behind in downhill. Stefan Eichberger is celebrating his comeback after tearing his ACL.
The former all-rounder Marco Schwarz has declared his slalom career over and is focusing on giant slalom and Super-G – disciplines in which he won one race each last winter.
Last year's ÖSV benchmark: twelve victories. It was the highest tally since Marcel Hirscher's retirement in 2019.
Will Marcel Hirscher be at the start?
Speaking of Hirscher: The eight-time Overall World Cup winner will make his comeback this winter after tearing his ACL, that much is certain. Despite season preparation in South America, the 37-year-old does not yet feel ready for the season opener in Sölden. A start in the slalom in Levi (Nov 14/15), however, is quite realistic.
Speaking of comebacks: Kitzbühel winner Cyprien Sarrazin and Petra Vlhova are two other big names returning to the World Cup stage. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, however, has to cope with another severe injury; he tore his Achilles tendon.
Is there reason to worry about the FIS?
Yes, indeed. The FIS is in a "critical phase" in several respects. Firstly, financially. Under former president Johan Eliasch, the ski governing body's equity has fallen by almost 50 percent, from 81 to 43 million Swiss Francs (46.18 million Euros).
Currently, under new president Alexander Ospelt, new sources of income are being sought. Annual World Championships could be one such source, but this idea has been postponed at least until 2032.
To save money, employees were laid off at the FIS. One person left voluntarily: Men's Race Director Markus Waldner. The likeable South Tyrolean is said to have advocated for fewer races per season, among other things, which likely did not find favor within the FIS.
Head of Speed, Hannes Trinkl, declined the offer to succeed Waldner and is instead considering his own departure from the FIS. So, there's a lot of unrest at the international ski federation.
