The long summer wait is over. This weekend the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup returns to its traditional high-alpine launch pad on the Rettenbach Glacier, where the world’s best technical skiers will fight for the first crystal points of the 2026/27 season.
Women’s giant slalom is set for Saturday, 24 October, with the first run at 10:00 and the second at 13:00 local time. The men follow on Sunday, 25 October, on the same demanding schedule. Both races take place on a course that drops roughly 370 metres with pitches reaching 68 percent — one of the steepest and most unforgiving openers on the calendar.
FIS officials cleared the piste on 15 October after a successful snow inspection. Organizers had banked roughly 60,000 cubic metres of snow last spring and supplemented it with recent machine-made snow once temperatures dropped, guaranteeing race-ready conditions even as the valley below still shows autumn colour.
The contenders
On the men’s side the spotlight falls on Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, the dominant force of recent years who won last season’s Sölden giant slalom, and Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the reigning World Cup giant-slalom champion and Olympic gold medallist who ended Odermatt’s long hold on the discipline title. Swiss teammate Loïc Meillard and Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner are also expected to contend.
Among the women, defending Sölden champion and 2025/26 giant-slalom crystal-globe winner Julia Scheib races on home snow with strong local support. American star Mikaela Shiffrin is expected to start, while Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova is making a notable return. Italy’s Federica Brignone, last year’s Olympic and world giant-slalom champion, will miss the opener while recovering from knee surgery.
Atmosphere and access
The weekend also marks the first fully cashless World Cup event in Sölden. Fans can expect the traditional Friday-night women’s bib draw and party at the Giggijoch parking area, a fan-club parade through town on Saturday afternoon, and glacier-side music between runs. More than 140 athletes and over 30,000 spectators are expected.
Tickets are available online and at venue booths; valid ski-pass holders receive free standing access. Shuttles run from the valley to the glacier for ticket holders.
With training already under way and the first World Cup points on the line, the question hanging over the Ötztal is simple: who will conquer Sölden and set the tone for the long winter ahead?
The action begins Saturday morning on the Rettenbach.
