Season-opening Sölden begins with packed schedule

The Audi FIS Ski World Cup’s traditional opener in Sölden kicked off with a packed schedule of events.

As ski fans look forward to the first weekend’s racing of the new season, things got under way in the Austrian resort with the Audi Talk and ever-popular Alpine Forum, as well as presentations of the Trovati Prix Photo and Skieur d'Or annual awards.

A host of Alpine stars – including the record-breaking Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and Marco Odermatt (SUI) – attended the events, and shared their thoughts going into the 2023/24 campaign on the eve of competition.

Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), who won two silver medals at last season's world championships, told Thursday’s Audi Talk that motivation is not always easy to find. “It’s about trying to find new goals,” he said. “For me, it’s the joy of winning races that keeps me going.”

Frenchman Alexis Pinturault (FRA) is keen to get going in Austria. “The motivation is always here (in Sölden),” he said, “especially, because it’s the first (race) of the winter.”

On Friday, the FIS-hosted Alpine Forum featured a Q&A session with FIS Secretary General Michel Vion, as well as a season preview with FIS Chief Race Directors Markus Waldner and Peter Gerdol, before Shiffrin and Odermatt opened up on their heroic performances last season.

Odermatt told the Forum what he’s aiming for this campaign, having claimed the giant slalom and super-G globes last time out, and set the men’s record of 2,042 points.

“My two big goals I still have are the downhills in Wengen and Kitzbühel,” the 26-year-old Swiss star said. “To win those races. I’m still very motivated for that.”

Shiffrin, meanwhile, is aiming for a third victory in Sölden.

“I’m really looking forward to the race,” said the American, who famously broke the all-time record for most World Cup wins during 2022/23.

“This race is probably the best conditions that we’ve skied on for the whole summer. I’m going to try to do my best skiing and see where that stacks up,” Shiffrin said, before adding an ominous warning for her rivals: “I feel much more ready this season than I did last season.”

And it was Shiffrin who was elected by members of the AIJS, the International Association of Ski Journalists, as the winner of the 2023 AIJS Skieur d’Or, following her astonishing 2022/23 season.

“Both Mikaela and Marco Odermatt were impressive last winter,” AIJS President Patrick Lang said.

“Alpine ski racing is very lucky to have such kind of leaders competing on the circuit.

“They really are remarkable not only on the snow but also in their normal life.”

Also nominated for the prize were Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) and Lucas Braathen (NOR) – who has announced his retirement from competitive skiing – and Jasmine Flury of Switzerland, who claimed world championship downhill gold at Courchevel Meribel last season.

Shiffrin’s win is the third time the 28-year-old has won the award, which is also known as the Serge Lang Trophy. She also won it in 2017 and 2019, and becomes the only woman to have claimed it three times. Only Pirmin Zurbriggen (SUI) and Marcel Hirscher (AUT) have more, with four wins each.

Shiffrin won seven of the 10 World Cup GS races she started last season, notching up an astonishing 800 points. As well as the GS globe – her second – she also claimed her seventh slalom title and fifth big globe.

The American star also claimed her first world championship giant slalom gold in Courchevel Meribel (FRA), and enters her 13th World Cup season having amassed a remarkable 88 victories since 2012 – two more than skiing legend Ingemar Stenmark (SWE).

Action gets under way with the women’s giant slalom at 10:00/13:00 CET on Saturday, followed by the men, who race at the same times on Sunday.