Many potential winners, but no clear favorite

Could we see a completely new face at the top of the podium at the 57th edition of the Saslong Classic? It is quite possible, as there are only three skiers in this year's field who have already medaled in Val Gardena/Gröden.

50 years of service on the Saslong

He is a living legend in timekeeping circles and has so many anecdotes that a whole day would probably not be enough to fit them all in. We are talking about Mario Stegher, who has been at every Saslong Classic since the legendary World Cup final of the 1974/75 season.

50 years of the legendary World Cup final in Ortisei/St.Ulrich

1975 is the year in which the Vietnam War comes to an end and Spain's dictator Francisco Franco dies. It is the year in which Muhamed Ali wins the "Thrilla in Manila" against Joe Frazier, in which Michael Walchhofer, Renate Götschl and Daniela Ceccarelli are born and in which the rock band Queen releases "Bohemian Rhapsody", their first number one hit. It is the International Year of Women - and the year of the legendary World Cup final on the Ronc slope in Ortisei.

James Crawford wins the downhill training

The second and final downhill training session took place on the Saslong on Wednesday. James Crawford of Canada set the best time in the dress rehearsal for Saturday's downhill classic.

“I still have room for improvement”

While James Crawford still sees room for improvement after his best time in training, the Saslong, which is a little slower than in previous years, is generally well received by the racers. We have collected the comments of some of the protagonists.

Storie della Saslong di un tempo

Abbiamo scavato nei nostri archivi e riportato alla luce storie incredibili accadute 10, 20, 30 e 40 anni fa in Val Gardena. Dalle triple vittorie austriache alle discese cancellate, fino a carriere interrotte all‘improvviso.

Val Gardena South Tyrol Ski Trophy: Will Bryce Bennett grab the triple?

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.

The Saslong dominator is out this year due to injury

No other speed racer has left his mark on the World Cup races on the Saslong in recent years like Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. The 32-year-old Norwegian will not be in the starting gate this year for the first time since his debut eleven years ago. Kilde has to miss the race due to injury.

“You have to learn to deal with success and failure”

On the day of the first downhill training, Christof Innerhofer celebrated his 40th birthday. The fact that the South Tyrolean, who is one of the most successful athletes in local skiing history, was able to celebrate his milestone birthday on the course, made him extremely happy. In the interview, “Inner” talks about his development as a person and an athlete, as well as his motivation to continue competing in the World Cup at the age of 40.

No downhill training on Thursday

While the second training run for the downhill classic is scheduled for Wednesday on the Saslong, there will be no training on Thursday. This was announced by the organizers of the Val Gardena/Gröden race week at the second team captains' meeting on Tuesday evening in Selva/Wolkenstein.

Mattia Casse makes the first mark

The 57th Saslong Classic opened on Tuesday with the first downhill training session. In fantastic weather conditions, Italy's Mattia Casse set the fastest time.

“The course will change”

During the first training session for the downhill classic on the Saslong, the speed aces concentrated on getting a feel for the course - even though it is clear that the conditions during the race will be different. We have collected the comments of some of the atheltes after the training session.

Up close and personal: the Saslong editorial team is ready

Everything is ready in Val Gardena/Gröden for the 57th edition of the Saslong Classic: On Friday and Saturday, two exciting speed competitions are on the program at the foot of the Sassolungo/Langkofel - a super-G and a downhill. While the world's best speed specialists officially started the race action with the first downhill training on Tuesday, the Saslong editorial team also started its work.

All set for a spectacular speed week in Val Gardena

The first team captains' meeting is the official start of every World Cup race for Alpine ski racers. On Monday evening, the 57th Saslong Classic was also opened as part of this mandatory meeting. At the same time, the starting numbers were drawn for the first training session on late Tuesday morning from 11.45 am.

On the trail of Peter Runggaldier and Werner Perathoner

In recent years, there has been no athlete from Val Gardena in the alpine skiing circuit who has been among the absolute world leaders after the era of Peter Runggaldier and Werner Perathoner. However, this could soon change: With Max Perathoner, a great talent is maturing.

Now it's time to get started on the Saslong

As every year, the Saslong Classic was heralded in on the Sunday before the race week with a kick-off meeting. The organizing committee, the staff and the various institutions gathered at the Kulturhaus in Selva to look ahead to the 57th edition of the World Cup races in Val Gardena.

The FORST Saslounge is sold out

Advance ticket sales for the 57th Saslong Classic last weekend bevor Christmas are in full swing. However, there are now no more tickets available for one sector, namely the exclusive FORST Saslounge.

One month to go until the 57th Saslong Classic in Val Gardena/Gröden

In exactly one month, the Alpine Ski circuit will be back on the prestigious Saslong downhill course in Val Gardena/Gröden. Top international stars such as overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt (Switzerland), local favorite Dominik Paris and Vincent Kriechmayr (Austria) will compete for victory in a super-G and a downhill on the last weekend before Christmas.

50 days to the 57th Saslong Classic

The big winter sports highlight in Val Gardena is getting closer and closer! On Friday 20th and Saturday 21st December, the international ski stars will once again speed down the legendary downhill course at the foot of the Saslonch mountain.

"The trend is clearly towards online tickets"

Not only on the slopes is there intense preparation underway for the 57th Saslong Classic, but the workload is also increasing day by day in other areas. This includes ticketing, where the busiest phase is still ahead, as Marcello Cobelli, the longtime head of Ticketing & Spectators, reveals in a brief interview.

Rainer Senoner is the new president of Club5

A new board was elected at the Club5 workshop in Madonna di Campiglio on Monday. In future, Rainer Senoner, President of the Saslong Classic Club and Race Director at the World Cup in Val Gardena, will be in charge of the association of classic World Cup venues. 19 organisers are now members of Club5.

The FIS inspection on the Saslong heralds the start of preparations for the Ski World Cup

The upcoming South Tyrolean World Cup classic is clearly on the horizon, as evidenced by the traditional autumn inspection visit from representatives of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to Val Gardena/Gröden. On Thursday, just over three months before the competition, the FIS team reviewed last year's Saslong Classic in detail and previewed this year's event, which will feature the Super-G on December 20 and the Downhill on December 21.

Secure your participation in the 57th Saslong Classic

Dear Saslong Classic Club friends,

We must admit that, with such beautiful late summer weather, we rarely think about the upcoming winter, even though we are, of course, in full swing preparing for the 57th Saslong Classic. Because on the last weekend before Christmas, the international ski elite will once again be racing down the legendary Val Gardena downhill slope.

The dream becomes reality: the 2031 Alpine World Ski Championships will take place in Val Gardena

June 4, 2024 will go down in the annals of South Tyrolean sports history. At the 55th FIS Congress in Reykjavik (Iceland), the Executive Board of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation FIS awarded Val Gardena/Gröden the 2031 Alpine World Ski Championships. This means that for the second time since 1970, the Alpine Championships will be held at the foot of the Sassolungo mountain. The entire delegation, which includes Governor Arno Kompatscher, is naturally overjoyed.

33 letters, one single goal

The solidarity and cohesion shown by institutions, associations, administrators and partner companies is one of the major strengths of Val Gardena's candidacy to host the 2029 World Ski Championships.

HOSPITALITY with a capital H

This is a major first: for the first time in the long history of FIS Alpine World Ski Championship bids, a candidate destination has concluded an agreement with several accommodation facilities, BEFORE the eventual awarding of the title, ensuring accommodation for the entire FIS family.

Solid roots

We are talking about traditions, aspects of a culture that do not end in the course of one generation but are passed on to the succeeding ones. A complex of skills, knowledge, values that you learn when you are part of a certain society.

Innovating to preserve

‘Technology at the service of nature’, this is the mantra with which organisations, technicians and institutions in Val Gardena approach the topic of innovation. Thanks to the collaboration with reliable and recognised partners, technology is employed in order to guarantee the highest energy saving possible.

Optimise all that exists and avoid waste

Tangible actions and fewer words. Following this mantra, the people, associations and istitutions from Val Gardena have been working for quite a while now, aware of two things: the first is that living in a unique and universally beautiful place entails responsibility and a concrete commitment; the second is that preserving one’s environment is an important step towards leaving a true legacy to future generations, and this require projects, actions and initiatives.

Speed Clinic: supporting the champions of tomorrow

Sustainability has a wide variety of meanings which are not limited to paying attention to the environment, but also being able to invest in the community to leave something tangible to the territory and the future generations. The organisation of the second Speed Clinic in Val Gardena goes in this direction and represents the will of the World Cup Organising Committee to invest in young talents and help them grow up and have the right experiences.