The 48th Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach are in the history books. With the Men’s Slalom and the Closing Ceremony, followed by the handover to the Swiss delegation of Crans Montana 2027, Saalbach 2025 bids farewell to the international stage, after two weeks of spectacular races and thrilling sports moments.
The Salzburg governor, Wilfried Haslauer, handed over the World Championships relay to Fréderic Favre, State Councillor of Valais-Wallis. "You have set the bar very high for us. Congratulations on a perfect World Championship," said Favre.
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 in Saalbach represented a perfect blend of top sporting performance, incomparable natural scenery, an ultra-modern ski area, and a unique atmosphere. The World Ski Championships in Saalbach were not only a celebration of skiing passion but also offered the perfect opportunity to showcase Austria as a winter sports nation on the international stage.
From an organizational point of view, the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), the municipality of Saalbach-Hinterglemm, and the Team of Bartl Gensbichler, Head of Sport at Saalbach 2025, outdid themselves. Everyone, from the media representatives from all over the world to the ski fans, all praised the Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach. Short distances, tens of thousands of frenetic fans (175,000), genuine hospitality, a team of friendly volunteers, an impressive finish stadium, sunny weather, and great skiing conditions (all races went ahead as scheduled and without any delays ) contributed to the success.
"This was an unbelievable experience for everyone—athletes, fans, and the entire region. The energy, the excitement, the passion—these are the things that defined this event. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to making this the coolest World Ski Championships of all time," said Wolfgang Breitfuß, Director of the Saalbach Hinterglemm Tourism Board.
"We wanted to set a benchmark, we wanted to be the best. It was a winter fairytale. My thanks go to everyone who made this possible, but also took part," said Roswitha Stadlober, President of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV).
"We also had the necessary luck, the luck of the hard-working. But I do believe that we have set a new standard and raised the bar very high for everyone," said Christian Scherer, General Secretary of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV).
Switzerland tops the Medal Table at the Saalbach 2025 World Ski Championships, boasting 13 medals, including five golds, five silvers, and three bronzes. Switzerland has only been more successful at a Ski World Championship once: in 1987 in Crans-Montana with 13 medals including eight golds. Switzerland tops the medal table in back-to-back Championships for the first time since Vail in 1989 (11 medals including three golds). Two years ago, Switzerland led the medal table in Courchevel-Méribel with seven medals including three golds (Norway won nine medals but only two golds).
Switzerland's outcome is not surprising, especially considering how the World Cup has unfolded. The Swiss team arrived at Saalbach 2025 leading the Alpine Ski World Cup Nations Cup with 7150 points, with a lead of 2422 points over second-placed Austria (4728 points).
Looking back at the Alpine Ski World Cup season, the Austrian Ski Team has exceeded its expectations at the World Championships in Saalbach. They secured a total of seven medals: 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. The only team that surpassed them in the medal standings was the impressive Swiss team.
Nine nations are listed in the medal standings of the Alpine World Ski Championships. For the first time since 2005 in Bormio, the French Team did not win a medal.
The Alpine World Ski Championships is an Alpine Skiing competition organized by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). After the Olympic Winter Games, the Alpine World Ski Championships is the most important event in the world of skiing.
In Saalbach, eleven World Championship gold medals were awarded, with Switzerland claiming five of them, thanks to double world champions Loïc Meillard and Franjo von Allmen.
Loic Meillard provided a perfect conclusion from a Swiss perspective at the Alpine Ski World Championships in Saalbach. With his World Championship title in the Slalom, the 28-year-old Valais skier crowned himself as the most successful athlete in Saalbach. This marks Meillard's third medal at the Alpine World Ski Championships, having previously secured gold in the Team Combined with Downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen, and bronze in the Giant Slalom. Meillard showed in Saalbach that he is in enviable form. His brilliant technique and impressive consistency make him one of the most brilliant skiers on the alpine ski circuit. Pirmin Zurbriggen is the only Swiss skier to have won more medals than Meillard at a Ski World Championships: two golds and two silvers in Crans Montana in 1987.
"At the World Championship, only the medals count. And if you get one in every race, that's brilliant," Meillard said.
On the Women's side, Breezy Johnson won two gold medals in Saalbach. In two remarkable races within 36 hours of one another at the World Championships in Saalbach, the 29-year-old US skier won the women’s Downhill gold, and then with Mikaela Shiffrin took gold in the debut of the Team Combined event at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach 2025. All after arriving in Saalbach having never previously won a single World Cup race.
For the first time, four different Americans won medals across the women’s events: Breezy Johnson's Downhill and Team combined, with Mikaela Shiffrin, gold medals, Lauren Macuga Super-G bronze, and Paula Moltzan Giant Slalom bronze.
Switzerland claimed two more gold medals, in the Downhill and the Team Combined, at the Saalbach 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships in the name of young talent 23-year-old Franjo Von Allmen. He is the youngest Downhill world champion since the German Hans-Jörg Tauscher won in Vail in 1989, and the 15th Swiss Downhill World Champion.
Federica Brignone won two medals in Saalbach, gold in the Giant Slalom and silver in the  Super-G. She became
Italy's first women's Giant Slalom world champion since Deborah's Compagnoni victory in Sestriere in 1997. With Saalbach's victory, the 34-year-old Italian skier became the oldest-ever winner of a gold medal in the women’s Giant Slalom.
23-year-old Alice Robinson grabbed silver in the Giant Slalom, claiming New Zealand’s first-ever FIS Alpine World Ski Championship medal.
Raphael Haaser won a gold medal in the Giant Slalom and silver in the Super-G at the Alpine World Ski Championships held in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. 34 years after Rudi Nierlich's victory, Haaser sensationally won the Giant Slalom delighting local ski fans. This was Austria's ninth gold medal in the Men's Giant Slalom event at the World Championships. Marcel Hirscher won the last gold medal for Austria at the Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz in 2017. Haaser had never won or stood on the podium in a Giant Slalom event in the Alpine Ski World Cup.
Stephanie Venier was also a double medalist in Saalbach. The Tyrolean claimed the Super-G title on the Hinterglemmer Zwölferkogel thanks to a flawless run, becoming the first Austrian to win the women's Super-G at the World Championships since Nicole Schmidhofer in 2017. The 31-year-old celebrated the greatest triumph of her career and gave Austria the eighth gold medal in the Super-G event. She was the 5th woman to win World Championships Super-G gold on home snow. Maria Walliser in Crans Montana in 1987, Ulrike Maier in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in 1991, Isolde Kostner in Sestriere in 1997, and Anja Pärson in Are in 2007 are the other four.
Five days later, Venier with teammate Katharina Truppe secured Bronze in the Team Combined, her second medal at the home World Championships.
In the Men's Super-G there were no surprises. The top favorite in Saalbach 2025, Marco Odermatt, secured gold becoming the fourth Swiss skier to win World Championships Super-G gold and the first since Didier Cuche's victory in Val d'Isère in 2009. With Saalbach's World Champion title, the exceptionally talented 27-year-old skier secures the triple crown: Olympic Champion, World Champion, and World Cup Champion. Odermatt adds his third World Championship gold, following his victories in Giant Slalom and Downhill at Courchevel-Meribel 2023. Only Pirmin Zurbriggen and Hermann Maier, and now Odermatt are the only skiers to triumph at the World Championships in the Downhill, Super-G, and Giant Slalom.
Camille Rast brought her top form to the Saalbach 2025 World Ski Championships to claim gold in the Slalom event ahead of teammate Wendy Holdener. They secured the first-ever Swiss double victory in the women's Slalom at the World Championships. The Slalom Alpine Ski World Cup standings leader became the first Swiss woman to win the Women's Slalom since Vreni Schneider's victory in 1991 at the Ski World Championships in Saalbach. The 25-year-old skier from Valais outclassed the competition securing Switzerland's seventh Women’s Slalom World Championship gold medal.
Wendy Holdener won three silver medals in Saalbach in the Team Event, the Team Combined with Lara Gut-Behrami, and the Slalom. It was her ninth world championship medal her second one in the Slalom. The 31-year-old skier won silver in St. Moritz 2017.
Italy opened the 48th Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach with a historic win in the Team Event. The Italian Team claimed their first-ever gold medal in the Mixed Team Parallel at Saalbach 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships. Italy, who won bronze in Are in 2019, had never appeared in a Big Final at the World Championships. The Azzurri edged Switzerland in the Big Final. Alex Vinatzer, Lara Della Mea, Filippo Della Vite, and 18-year-old Giorgia Collomb gave the Italians their first-ever Team gold medal beating Wendy Holdener, Luca Aerni, Thomas Tumler, and Delphine Darbellay.
For the first time in the World Championships history, the program in Saalbach included the Team Combined event. This format was introduced at the senior level on February 11 with the Women's event during the 2025 Alpine World Ski Championships after being tested at the Junior World Ski Championships in 2023 and 2024.
The final test for the Team Combined Event was a complete success if you consider the impact the new format made on skiers and fans alike at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach. The combination of the very best speed specialists teaming up with the top tech experts made fans super happy.
"It was fun to race with her (Wendy Holdener), it’s a different format, and it makes it fun for the athletes. And it makes sense for everyone to watch. It was a great, great start for the Team Combined," Gut-Behrami said.
"I think it should stay, it’s definitely different, and it’s the perfect transition from the speed to the technical week, both for the fans and for us as a team," said Loic Meillard who won gold alongside Franjo von Allmen.
"In this event, you can be in your little bubble with your teammate and say, hey this for the goddam love of the sport. I wanted to do well more for her than for me and that was such a fun, interesting place to be. After everything that has happened these last two months, I couldn’t imagine a better world championships experience," said Mikaela Shiffrin who won gold alongside Breezy Johnson.