[PHOTOS] Marcel Hirscher Dials Up Training on Zermatt’s Glacier in Switzerland

Nine months after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear cut short his comeback season, Marcel Hirscher has returned to proper race training. The 36-year-old Austrian-born skier shared photos on Instagram on Sunday, September 21, from Zermatt, Switzerland, showing himself back on the glacier slopes.

Marcel Hirscher shared snaps from his training in Zermatt, Switzerland. | Image: Marcel Hirscher IG

For one of Alpine skiing’s most decorated athletes, the return to Zermatt marks an important step in his ‘comeback after the comeback.’ Hirscher, who holds a record eight overall World Cup titles, announced a surprise comeback for the 2024–25 season under the Dutch flag, enabled by a new International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) wildcard rule. He had retired in 2019 but re-entered the circuit last year alongside Lindsey Vonn, the only other ski racer to make use of the new wildcard.

Marcel Hirscher with coach on the slopes in Switzerland. | Image: Marcel Hirscher IG

His return was cut short in December 2024 when he tore his ACL during giant slalom training. In the months that followed, Hirscher was candid about the grueling rehab and uncertainty surrounding his future. “I was definitely at rock bottom nine months ago,” he admitted earlier this month, describing how rehab gave him a new appreciation for the resilience of fellow athletes recovering from similar injuries—Hirscher had been lucky to never have sustained a knee injury in the past. At the time, he emphasized that he was far from race-ready, unsure how much risk he would be able—or willing—to take.

Hirscher’s first steps back on snow came earlier this month at SnowWorld in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands, an indoor center with controlled conditions ideal for a cautious restart. Training on Zermatt’s glaciers, by contrast, signals a transition back into true Alpine terrain. The Swiss resort, with its high-altitude glacier training slopes, is a long-time pre-season hub for the world’s top teams preparing for the World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria, scheduled for October 26.

After his first turns on artificial snow at an indoor ski center, Hirscher is back on real snow in Zermatt. | Image: Marcel Hirscher IG

Whether the Dutch-Austrian ski racer will be on the start line in Sölden remains uncertain, with only five weeks to go until the season opener, a race start seems unlikely. Hirscher still has 17 wildcard starts available this season, but he has downplayed expectations. For now, his focus is on regaining confidence in the gates after nearly a year away. What is clear, though, is that one of skiing’s greatest champions is back on real snow, taking his next step toward his comeback. Last year’s comeback by Hirscher was—along with Vonn’s comeback—one of the most anticipated events of the 2024-25 season.

The race suit still fits—Marcel Hirscher in Zermatt. | Image: Marcel Hirscher IG