Swiss Stars lead the charge to Crans-Montana: an appetizer ahead of 2027 World Championships

Newly crowned men’s Downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen (SUI/Head) and World Cup Downhill and Super G season standings leader Marco Odermatt (SUI/Stöckli) head a dominant Swiss squad christening the modernized Crans-Montana Nationale course at this weekend’s Audi FIS World Cup Downhill (22 February) and Super G (23 February).

The pair of speed races will also serve as a test event for the 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships.

 The Swiss Ski Team will be looking to continue their lightening pace from the recent World Championships in Saalbach, where between them von Allmen and Odermatt swept the speed events. Additionally, Swiss racers went 1-2-3 in the new Men’s Team Combined event, to further underline their dominance right now.

 Entering the home snow races, it is Odermatt they will all be chasing. In the Downhill, he owns a 93-point lead over teammate von Allmen, while in Super G, his advantage is 119 points ahead of Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT/Head).

 The trio and the rest of the field will get their first taste of Crans-Montana’s legendary 3,600-meter Nationale Downhill Course, with just under two years until the 100-year-old Swiss resort hosts the 2027 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, 1-14 February.

Crans-Montana’s Nationale Downhill Course

Switzerland’s 2010 Olympic downhill champion Didier Défago is the CEO of the Crans-Montana 2027 Organizing Committee. The 47-year-old former ski racer – who competed on tour between 1996-2015 – shared his expertise on what he believes it will take to master the Nationale, as the course returns to the spotlight, having hosted the World Championships back in 1987.

“It’s a very challenging slope – you have everything with jumps, long turns, speed and some gliding passages,” Défago said, during a recent tour of the piste. “This course is for a complete athlete – a more technical athlete.

“You need lots of feeling and there are also some parts where you have to push hard. It’s a real Downhill where you must find the right rhythm.”

Racers leave the start and immediately confront a 40% gradient, proceeding to make six or seven turns before launching off the spectacular Cassure de Cry d’Er Jump. The opening jump is preceded by a critical long and sweeping left turn. Upon landing, athletes will encounter a quick left turn and then a pivotal long right-footer as they increase velocity.

“It will be crucial to bring the speed off the sidehill and over the jump,” Défago noted. “It’s very fast, there is a lot of terrain, and also some blind gates adding to the high difficulty. You”ll have to ski with all of your heart.”

Flights continue as three more breathtaking jumps follow, culminating with the Roger Moore Jump, which honors the renowned James Bond actor, who owns a chalet alongside the course.

“You can really make up time on this final jump and the athletes will certainly feel the atmosphere of the crowd,” Défago added.

The Nationale downhill boasts an exhausting 969 meters of vertical drop. In 1987, Peter Müller (SUI) won with a time of 2:07:80.

“I expect times of around two minutes,” Défago predicted.

Mont Lachaux Downhill

The women will face the familiar Mont Lachaux downhill slope at the 2027 World Championships. The 2,451-meter course – revered for its selective and technical difficulty – was re-modeled in 2010 and remains a popular destination on tour. Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami (Head) and Priska Ming-Nufer (Kaestle) both own downhill victories on Mont Lachaux.

The men’s Nationale and women’s Mont Lachaux courses meet approaching the final pitch and will share the Barzettes finish stadium.

Rising Swiss talent Malorie Blanc (Atomic), two-time world championship medalist Michelle Gisin (Salomon) and von Allmen have been named as ambassadors for the 2027 Championships, forming a dynamic and passionate trio to help showcase the event.

Swiss dominance four decades ago

Crans-Montana previously hosted the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in 1987, meaning the historic Swiss ski resort will celebrate the 40th anniversary when the marquee event returns.

Not that Odermatt, von Allmen, and rest appear to need added inspiration these days, however should they want it, they can turn back the clock four decades to a Swiss performance that ranks among the greatest ever in world championship history.

On January 31, 1987, Switzerland’s stars of that era: Peter Müller, Pirmin Zurbriggen, and Karl Alpiger swept the Downhill podium, winning gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. Zurbriggen also charged to gold medals in the inaugural world championship Super G and Giant Slalom, while on the women’s side fellow Swiss Maria Walliser and Erika Hess both won two titles each.

It was undoubtedly one of the top performances by a host nation ever at an Alpine Ski World Championships. Swiss racers sped to eight gold medals across 10 events, capturing 14 of 30 total medals and electrifying the home crowd.

Perhaps the current Swiss Ski Team athletes can conjure similar magic, starting with this weekend’s World Cup.

Hard work and great opportunities ahead

Défago informs that there is still plenty of work ahead to deliver a top-notch event like Swiss clockwork in two-years time. He briefly outlined his long-term gameplan for success.

Crans-Montana lies on a high plateau above the Sierre district in the French-speaking Canton of Valais. The neighboring towns of Crans and Montana are perched at an elevation of approximately 1,500m above sea level, with the top of the resort at Plaine Mort ascending to 2,927m.

The venerable Swiss ski resort also holds the distinction of being the home of the first-ever downhill ski race, in 1911.

Défago believes that blending Crans-Montana’s storied history with future opportunities like the world championships will inspire youth and perhaps even help bring a return of the Olympic Winter Games to Switzerland.

“Our regions have invested a lot in these world championships – it will be a great opportunity for Crans-Montana to take the next generation forward and for more people in the ski world to discover our resort,” Défago said.