Sölden, Austria, traditionally opens the FIS Alpine World Cup season. | Image: soelden.com
In exactly 100 days, the world’s best alpine ski racers will once again stand in the start gate atop the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, ushering in another FIS Alpine World Cup season. On Saturday, October 24, the women will contest the opening giant slalom, followed by the men’s giant slalom on Sunday, October 25, marking the traditional start of the 2026-27 campaign.
For ski racing fans, there is perhaps no more recognizable image than the steep, glacier-backed race hill overlooking the Ötztal Valley. Every October, while much of the Northern Hemisphere is still waiting for winter to arrive, Sölden delivers the sport’s first meaningful benchmark, and the first answers to months of off-season speculation.
Sölden has become synonymous with the beginning of the World Cup season. The Austrian resort first hosted a World Cup race in 1993 and has served as the annual opening venue since 2000, becoming one of the most iconic weekends on the alpine calendar. What was once viewed as a gamble — a World Cup race on a glacier — has evolved into one of the sport’s most important races which signals the start of the race season.
The venue itself is spectacular with a large stretch of the course visible from the finish area. Racing takes place on the Rettenbach Glacier, where the giant slalom course pitches over sections reaching gradients of nearly 68% before dropping toward the finish arena at approximately 2,670 meters (8,760 feet). The glacier ski area spans the Rettenbach and neighboring Tiefenbach glaciers, offering 34 kilometers (21 miles) of pistes served by nine lifts. More than 140 athletes from around the world are expected to compete this October, with crowds typically exceeding 30,000 spectators across race weekend.
The race course on Sölden’s glacier ski area. | Image: FIS
No World Cup race generates more intrigue than Sölden. After six months without competition, nobody truly knows where they stand. Summer testing is private, national teams reveal little, and equipment changes remain largely behind closed doors. Sölden is the first glimpse into what the upcoming season might bring.
Last October, Austria’s Julia Scheib claimed her first career World Cup victory in Sölden before going on to win the giant slalom Crystal Globe. Second place went to Team USA’s Paula Moltzan, who went on to deliver the strongest FIS season of her career. Marco Odermatt won the men’s race before capturing yet another overall and giant slalom Crystal Globe.
This October’s opener already comes with plenty of intriguing storylines. Can Federica Brignone return to World Cup racing after missing most of last season with the devastating leg fracture she suffered in April 2025? She returned in spectacular fashion to win two Olympic gold medals, but has admitted she is still skiing through pain. Can Marco Odermatt begin yet another dominant campaign? Which young racers are ready to become the sport’s next stars? And which veterans still have another season left in them? The answers begin in 100 days.
The finish area in Sölden on Saturday, October 25. | Image: Alice Robinson IG