The Men’s World Cup in Sölden to Start on a Shortened Course Due to Weather Conditions

Following the women’s race, the men take to the Rettenbach course in Sölden today as the new men’s Alpine Ski World Cup season gets under way on the Austrian glacier. A year ago, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt won here, Austria’s Marco Schwarz was second and Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath finished third.

Weather conditions had a significant impact on preparations for the race. Snow fell in Sölden overnight, the wind strengthened in the morning and visibility on the course was very poor. Even before the course inspection began, the start was moved to the reserve position. As a result, the men are competing today on a shortened version: the start is at an altitude of 2,977 metres, with a vertical drop of 307 metres. By comparison, yesterday’s women’s race was held on a course with a vertical drop of 357 metres.

By the time the race started, the weather had improved: the sun came out at the top, it became warmer, the temperature rose to -2°C and partly cloudy conditions settled in. However, the wind is still quite strong, particularly in the lower part of the course. The decision to move the start had already been made, so it was not possible to change the length of the course.

At the end of last season, Odermatt lost the giant slalom Crystal Globe to Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. The Brazilian won the discipline standings for the first time in his career, leaving the Swiss skier in second place. Loïc Meillard was third: he finished 61 points behind Braathen and just 9 behind Odermatt.

Marco Odermatt (Switzerland/Stoeckli) begins the new season as the holder of three World Cup “Crystal Globes” — the overall, downhill and super-G titles. The Swiss skier has also drawn level with Marc Girardelli (Luxembourg) for the number of overall titles: both now have five “Crystal Globes”. Only Marcel Hirscher remains ahead of them on the list, having won eight “Big Crystal Globes” in a row — one in each season from 2011/12 to 2018/19.

From 2021/22 to 2024/25, Odermatt won the giant slalom “Small Crystal Globe” four times in a row. In doing so, he equalled the record of Austria’s Hermann Maier.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen finished last season particularly strongly. He won the final two World Cup giant slaloms — in Lillehammer and Kranjska Gora. In February this year, the Brazilian won his country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal, taking victory in the giant slalom at the Olympics in Milan and Cortina. A year ago in Sölden, however, Braathen failed to finish the first run.

Today, Odermatt can draw level with Ted Ligety for the number of victories in Sölden. The American still holds the record with four wins. Marco has so far achieved three victories on the Rettenbach: in 2021, 2022 and 2025.

Atle Lie McGrath has already reached the podium in Sölden twice: last year and the year before, when the entire podium was occupied by Norwegians. Last season, he finished among the giant slalom medallists twice — in the first and final races.

Loïc Meillard ended last season with two consecutive giant slalom podium finishes — in Kranjska Gora and Lillehammer. In addition, the Swiss skier won the giant slalom in Schladming at the end of January. At the Olympics in Italy, Meillard won the bronze medal in this discipline.

Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner finished fourth in the giant slalom standings last season. A year ago in Sölden, he was also fourth, and at the end of November he claimed the first victory of his career, winning the event at Copper Mountain.

The home team are also pinning their hopes on Marco Schwarz. A year ago, the Austrian reached the podium in the home race. During the off-season, Schwarz decided to give up slalom and will now compete only in the speed events and giant slalom. Last year, he won the giant slalom in Alta Badia.

There are no Russian Alpine skiers in today’s race. The first course was set by the Norwegian team’s coach. Gusts of wind remain in some sections, while flat light is making it difficult to judge the terrain. We are beginning our coverage of the first men’s Alpine Ski World Cup race.

12:00. Atle Lie McGrath opens the race. There is strong wind in the start area, with poor visibility and “flat” light on some sections. After a short pause, the Norwegian is released onto the course. He starts confidently enough despite the gusts and challenging conditions. On the lower run-out, Atle reaches 79 km/h and finishes in 53.04 seconds. Yesterday’s best time was 1.07 seconds.

12:03. Stefan Brennsteiner comes out of the start gate. At the first split, he is 9 hundredths ahead of the Norwegian, then 12 hundredths. The Austrian shows better speed and finishes in the lead, gaining 15 hundredths on McGrath.

12:04. Marco Schwarz, who finished second in Sölden a year ago, appears in the start gate. But on the very first section, his left ski slips. The Austrian hits a gate and goes out. There is no fall, but Schwarz’s race is over.

12:05. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (Brazil) attacks the upper section very aggressively and beats Brennsteiner by 14 hundredths. The Brazilian then makes several small mistakes, but continues to extend his advantage — it grows to 23 hundredths. Lucas is exceptionally quick on the lower section, which is immediately reflected on the clock: at the finish, he is 49 hundredths ahead of the Austrian. Braathen beats his friend Atle Lie McGrath by 64 hundredths.

12:08. Loïc Meillard is the first of the Swiss skiers to start. He moves into the green at the top, although the first section is very short. After the steep section, Meillard is almost matching Braathen’s pace and is just one hundredth behind. At the finish, he is second, 0.24 behind. Brennsteiner drops to third.

12:09. Marco Odermatt starts now. His relationship with Rettenbach is a mixed one: the Swiss skier has won here three times, including last year, but he has also had plenty of disappointments on this course. Odermatt begins rather cautiously and is behind not only Braathen but also Meillard. He makes a mistake on a steep turn, after which his deficit increases to 39 hundredths. Marco builds up good speed at the bottom, but finishes only fourth, +0.55. The results are tightening up: Brennsteiner retains third place and remains 6 hundredths faster than Odermatt.

12:11. During the off-season, Henrik Kristoffersen switched to HEAD. Now it remains to be seen how the change of skis will affect his results. The Norwegian handles the acceleration well, losing 16 hundredths, but then noticeably loses speed. Kristoffersen ends up sixth, currently last, +0.74.

12:12. Slovenia’s Žan Kranjec comes out of the start gate. He has reached the podium in Sölden three times, most recently in 2022. Today, Kranjec is already behind at the first split, and then loses around half a second. His pace is noticeably slower, and the Slovenian finishes seventh. He is the first to lose more than a second to Braathen — +1.40.

12:14. Last season, Léo Anguenot finished third in the event in Adelboden, but the Frenchman has yet to achieve a similar result in Sölden. After the acceleration, he is 9 hundredths behind, with the deficit growing to 61 hundredths at the next split. Anguenot makes a serious mistake and loses speed. His result is almost identical to Kranjec’s: the Frenchman finishes eighth, +1.39, just one hundredth ahead of the Slovenian.

12:16. Germany’s Fabian Gratz loses half a second after the steep section, but handles the lower part well and records the best speed — 82 km/h. At the finish, the German is sixth, +0.69. Kristoffersen moves down to seventh.

12:17. Alex Vinatzer is the first of the Italians to start. His acceleration is decent, but much is decided in the middle section today. There, the Italian is noticeably slower than his rivals and loses almost a second. Good speed at the bottom is not enough to help him: Vinatzer is eighth, +1.09.

12:18. Sam Maes is caught by a strong crosswind. The Belgian handles the start confidently and is just 3 hundredths behind at the top split. He also maintains a good pace through the steep section and is challenging for third place. But at the bottom he briefly loses his balance, his speed drops and the entire advantage disappears on the run-out. Maes finishes eighth, +0.92.

12:20. Timon Haugan does not start his run particularly confidently and immediately loses 23 hundredths. The Norwegian then loses the optimum line and his deficit quickly grows. He comes home last, almost two seconds behind, +1.90.

12:22. The only American in the top 30 is River Radamus. He loses 27 hundredths on the upper section, then reaches the pace of eighth place, but lacks speed. Radamus finishes tenth, +1.15.

12:23. Luca Aerni takes to the course, having finished second in the event in Val d’Isère last year. The Swiss skier also loses too much at the top, and his pace becomes even slower further down. In the lower section, Aerni is the last of those to finish and takes 14th place, +1.97.

After 15 competitors have raced, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen leads. Loïc Meillard is 24 hundredths behind, with Stefan Brennsteiner third at +0.49. They are followed by Marco Odermatt (+0.55), Atle Lie McGrath (+0.64), Fabian Gratz (+0.69) and Henrik Kristoffersen (+0.74).

12:27. Austria’s Raphaël Haaser is battling both the course and the difficult conditions. After the upper section, he is 93 hundredths behind. There are no problems with speed: at the bottom, Haaser reaches 81 km/h, but his final result is not especially impressive — 11th place, +1.28.

12:28. Thomas Tumler starts outside the leading group. The Swiss skier also loses a lot of time, with his deficit at the second split standing at 89 hundredths. Tumler finishes 14th, +1.42. A rut is already visible on one of the turns: the course is beginning to break up there.

12:30. Germany’s Anton Grammel records the fastest time after the acceleration. However, he is unable to maintain that pace further down. By the next split, he is 68 hundredths behind, and at the finish the deficit is considerably larger — +1.63, currently the 15th-best result.

12:31. Filip Zubčić changed skis during the off-season and is now racing on Nordica. The Croatian knows this course well and puts together a confident run overall. He is 61 hundredths behind after the steep section and finishes ninth, +0.98.

12:31. Alban Elezi Cannaferina competes in three disciplines. Despite his limited World Cup experience, the Frenchman already reached the podium last season, finishing third in Schladming. Today, his ski catches in a rut and Alban almost goes off the course. He loses more than a second on the mistake and finishes 16th, +1.57.

12:34. Thibault Favrot (France) takes the most difficult section fairly cautiously, but then builds up good speed on the flatter stretch and makes up places. The Frenchman moves into eighth, +0.90.

12:35. Joshua Sturm (Austria) handles two sections very well and is challenging for seventh place. He is unable to maintain the same speed in the lower part, so the Austrian finishes only 13th, +1.16.

12:38. Another Austrian, Patrick Feurstein, negotiates the middle section well and is currently 61 hundredths behind. His speed is not the best at the bottom, giving him 12th place overall, +1.15. Patrick himself is not especially pleased with the result, although it remains a respectable one.

12:39. Last year, Switzerland’s Gino Caviezel attempted to return after a fall, but continued his recovery after one start. Today, he makes a serious mistake and only just stays on the course. Caviezel reaches the finish last, in 23rd place, +2.46. It is not yet clear whether he will qualify for the second run: the competition is extremely strong.

12:39. Joan Verdú, Andorra’s only representative, is also returning from injury. He initially loses little — 22 hundredths — but the deficit then grows to 73 hundredths. Things do not go perfectly on the lower section, and Verdú finishes 21st, +1.77.

12:42. Germany’s Jonas Stockinger does not handle the steep section particularly confidently and is heading for 22nd place. He is unable to make up ground at the bottom: the German finishes 21st, +1.75.

12:43. Alexander Schmid is another German on the course. His run is going well and he is challenging for a place in the top ten. Schmid maintains a good pace all the way to the finish, bursts into the top ten and takes eighth place, +0.84.

12:45. Norway’s Eirik Hystad Solberg races very quickly through the first section. He then follows the pace of sixth place and is 31 hundredths behind at the intermediate split. His pace drops slightly at the bottom, but the final result remains good: 12th place, +1.04.

12:46. Giovanni Borsotti matches Braathen’s pace through the first section, but then encounters problems. The Italian is pushing the limit and makes a serious mistake on the steep section, but manages to make up ground at the bottom and finishes eighth, +0.79. Borsotti is clearly pleased with the result.

12:48. France’s Flavio Vitale is the final competitor in the first 30. He is unable to produce an optimal result, finishing 26th, +1.87.

After the first 30, the leading group is as follows:

• Lucas Pinheiro Braathen — 1st place;
• Loïc Meillard — 2nd place, +0.24;
• Stefan Brennsteiner — 3rd place, +0.49;
• Marco Odermatt;
• Atle Lie McGrath;
• Fabian Gratz;
• Henrik Kristoffersen.

Giovanni Borsotti, who started 29th, has unexpectedly climbed to eighth, while Alexander Schmid is ninth.

12:50. Giovanni Franzoni, a specialist in the speed events, is now also trying his hand at giant slalom. The weather is helping him today: visibility has improved and the strong wind has eased slightly. The Italian puts together a fairly successful run and moves into the top 20 — he is 18th.

12:52. Franzoni immediately surrenders his position to Norway’s Oskar Andreas Sandvik. Sandvik is now 18th.

13:10. Nineteen-year-old Englishman Freddie Carrick-Smith, starting with the distant number 46, produces a very impressive run from top to bottom and climbs to 21st place. He overtakes many strong rivals, finishing +1.37 behind. Norway’s Hans Grahl-Madsen records the same time.

Alpine Ski World Cup, men. Sölden (Austria). Giant slalom. First-run results. The second run will begin at 15:00 Moscow time.

Photo: footage from SRF Sport; Superski.ru. 10:14, 25.10.26