Since 2016, the fastest racer at the Ski World Cup in Val Gardena/Gröden can look forward to a fantastic additional prize. The winner of the so-called Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy can look forward to a 3D wooden bust that is true to the original, extra prize money of 5,000 euros, a short vacation in Val Gardena and a climb up the Sassolungo/Langkofel mountain accompanied by a local mountain guide. The latter prize can also be redeemed by the lucky winner after the end of his career.

Val Gardena/Gröden is without doubt the cradle of alpine skiing. The World Cup races, which have been hosted by the Saslong Classic Club every year since 1969, have contributed significantly to this reputation, as has the successful staging of the Alpine Ski World Championships in 1970. The local organizing committee is constantly striving to make the races on the legendary South Tyrolean downhill slope even more professional and attractive. Among other things, this has led to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) awarding the 2031 Alpine World Ski Championships to Val Gardena/Gröden. And it is also one of the reasons why the organizers have launched a special prize in close cooperation with Val Gardena Marketing.

The Val Gardena Südtirol Ski Trophy in Val Gardena/Gröden will be awarded to the racer who scores the most World Cup points in the super-G on Friday, 20 December, 2024 and the following day in the classic downhill. If two racers are tied on points, the athlete with the better placing in one of the two races will prevail. If there is also a tie here, the better result in the downhill will decide in favor of the winner. The defending champion is Bryce Bennett from the USA, who won this special classification last year for the second time since 2021. The record winner is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde with a total of four victories (2022, 2020, 2018 and 2017). His compatriots Kjetil Jansrud and Rasmus Windingstad are also on the list of winners in the past.

The true-to-original 3D wooden busts of the successful racers are on public display. They can be admired at the new headquarters of the Saslong Classic Club in S. Cristina. The Ski Champions Walk in Selva Gardena, on the other hand, immortalizes all the winners of a World Cup race in Val Gardena/Gröden, as well as the world champions from 1970. The Ski Champions Walk also commemorates the commitment of all the people of Val Gardena/Gröden who believed in the idea of skiing in their home valley with great ambition and pioneering spirit. The trail starts at the footpath on the old railroad line behind the ski school in the village center of Selva.