Wide Open Snowboard Alpine World Championships set to begin in Engadin

Mar 19, 2025·Snowboard Alpine

The 16th Snowboard World Championships are taking over Engadin and St. Moritz, Switzerland. That includes the peak of the snowboard alpine season as the world’s best will compete for one of the most coveted titles in the sport.

Want to know how much it means, just ask veteran Benjamin Karl who skipped the last World Cup event of the season to go full force in pursuit of a world championship.

“Yes, I skipped Winterberg to save energy and have a better prep for the PGS world champs. Now I‘m ready to go with a great feeling. I‘ve done everything to be in the best shape. This season showed me once again how close the fights are. So I hope I can make a bigger difference between me and the others.” “I‘m super motivated for this one. The conditions are looking super cool. I love the slope and the view. Every world champs are something special,” – Karl said.

Snowboard alpine will take center stage in Engadin on March 20, 22, and 23. The men and women will kick off the week’s loaded snowboard action with the parallel giant slalom individual race on March 20. They will get an off day before taking the slopes once again for the parallel slalom event on March 22. The snowboarders will partner up for a mixed team event that starts the day’s programming on March 23.

Austrian men look to repeat success

Karl won his first world championships in 2009 and his fifth and most recent in 2021. Karl will bring his treasure trunk of experience to Switzerland in a wide-open field for one of the world championship crowns. Karl will be angling for the PGS crown.

There will be plenty of competition on the men’s side as 13 different men won World Cup races this season. Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) and Andreas Prommegger (POL) topped the podium at the 2023 World Championships on the men’s side. Kwiatkowski is out this season due to injury but Prommegger is back and eager to defend his title. His past performance already gives him a mental edge and gives him confidence in both disciplines.

"I think experience is the key to success in our sport. It makes me feel no, or maybe less, pressure and keeps me calm in preparation periods which maybe are running out of plan,”– Prommegger said.

The Austrian group of hopeful medalists continues with Arvid Auner who is on fire after claiming the PSL crystal globe. Auner will be chomping at the bit to avenge his second-place PSL finish at the 2023 world champs, behind the aforementioned Prommegger. He knows how to prepare for the sport’s biggest moment.

“I am prepared and it’s all in my riding. I have good memories on last year here and I know how to repeat. The days before the race on Saturday will be pretty similar. I will have a good training, rest and get the feeling for the snow and the setup here. The energy will go where my focus is on anyway, so no need to really think about what to do, just do things I love to do and I like to be on the snow and around this area in Switzerland,” – Auner said.

Alexander Payer (AUT) came in third in the previous PGS world championships and is a contender as well. The Austrians will face a stiff test from the mighty men of Italy as well. Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) headlines the bunch after claiming the overall crystal globe title this season.

He will be gunning for his first career world championships medal. The Italian team is deep with experience and world championship history. However, none might have quite the same experience Dario Caviezel (SUI) brings to the battle.

The Swiss star took second in PGS in the 2023 world championships. He also has a home snow advantage.

“The advantage is certainly that a lot of people will be there for me and I've already trained on this slope for 3-4 times. The key section is definitely after the steep part. It's important to carry a lot of speed there,”– Dario Caviezel said.

Dario Caviezel will not be alone in having the home crowd support. His wife will also have plenty of friends and family spurring her on.

The women’s field is suddenly wide open at the top with a huge wild card

Ladina Caviezel (SUI) also often trains in Engadin. She will hope the home crowd helps her repeat her second-place PSL finish from the 2023 world championships as she breaks down the keys to the course.

“We trained here for about five days. It’s good to get a feel for the slope, especially for the crest. The key is the diversity of the slope. There are very flat sections, a crest, and medium-steep parts. The most important thing will be to handle the transitions well,”– Ladina Caviezel said.

Her Swiss teammate Julie Zogg knows a thing or two about performing on the world championship stage. Zogg took home the PSL world title in 2023 and 2019. Given her previous world champs success, Zogg is nothing but free-flowing expectations this time around.

“My goal is that I can enjoy the world champs at home and that I can have fun. I think that is also my key to success. My last victory was at the World Championships in Bakuriani. I can still remember this race very well and it certainly helps to emphasize these memories again. As I've already been world champion twice, I certainly don't have too much pressure. It hasn't been an easy season for me with a few injuries. So I hope that I can start healthy and without pain on Thursday,”– Zogg said.

The Swiss team will face a tough test to make the podium on home snow. Tsubaki Miki (JPN) and Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) dominated the season and will be the ones to beat this week.

Miki announced her stardom with a PGS world championship in 2023 and is in the best form of her young career. She is laser-focused on nothing but another title.

Hofmeister has dominated the World Cup circuit but has never won a world championship gold. She won six of the last nine World Cup races this season and is in prime form.

Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL) also figures into the fight. She took third in PGS at the 2023 world championships. She wants to taste the podium champagne once again.

“I feel good and ready. Can’t wait for some action and racing. I just need to go fast and make no mistakes because the one who gets a medal is the athlete who makes less mistakes that day,”– Krol-Walas said.

Sabine Payer (AUT) came on strong in the final part of the season. She is getting hot at the right time and is a podium threat this week. She does not mind the pressure of being included amongst the favorites.

“That’s a good question, self-confidence plays a big role in competitive sports. On the one hand this kind of hype after a World Cup win can make races afterwards easier. On the other hand, the own expectations get higher. Pressure is high, but that’s good,”– Payer said.

There is one wild card looking to mix up all of the expectations. Ester Ledecka (CZE) started the first race of the snowboard alpine season and won. She then skipped the rest of the World Cup season and focused on her alpine skiing work.

The dual-sport star captured a bronze in downhill at the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships. She is in St. Mortiz will try to become the first athlete to win two winter world championship medals in different sports in the same season.

The mixed team event will also be heavily contested with the winner likely coming from Italy, Austria, Germany or Switzerland. Aaron March and Nadya Ochner (ITA) won in 2023. Ochner has since retired.

Check out all of the action all week. Check out the schedule and all the info you need below.

Snowboard Alpine Schedule

Thursday March 20 will be the PGS individual race with qualifications at 9:00 CET and the finals at 13:00 CET. The medal celebration will be Friday March 21 at the medal plaza at 19:00 CET.

The next snowboard alpine race will be the PSL individual race on March 22 with qualifications at 9:00 CET and the finals at 13:30 CET. The medal celebration will be at 19:00 CET the same day at the medal plaza.

The snowboard alpine discplines at the world championships will conclude with the mixed team event on Sunday March 23 with qualifications at 11:45 CET and the finals at 13:30 CET.