The Alpine Ski World Cup returns to Crans Montana next weekend with two events: a Downhill and a Super-G.
For the first time since 2012, the Men's World Cup will take place on the high plateau. The most recent Men's Downhill race took place in 1998. The event will take place on a demanding Nationale course starting from Bella Lui, just like the legendary Downhill at the 1987 Alpine World Ski Championships.
This track truly lives up to its name: in 1987, the "Piste Nationale" witnessed three Swiss skiers on the World Championships podium.
Crans Montana (SUI)
February 22nd Downhill / Men 10:00 CET
February 23rd Super-G / Men 10:30 CET
The Nationale requires a high level of commitment, constant activity, and exceptional technical skills, presenting diverse terrain that leaves no room for hesitation. Starting at an altitude of 2,514 meters, the Downhill begins on a demanding slope. Then quickly reaches the well-known “cassure de Cry d’Er” and leads to the start of the Super-G, at an altitude of 2,147 meters. Along the course, athletes face four spectacular jumps as well as steep and technical sections.
The course leads skiers to the finish at an altitude of 1,545 meters, requiring constant engagement from the world’s top athletes. This 3800-metre-long route, with a 969-metre vertical drop, promises a thrilling spectacle.
The Nationale is legendary. Its rich history is proof of this. In 1940, the Swiss downhill championships were due to be held here, with a start at Cry d'Er and a finish just above the Clinique Lucernoise, however, this had to be canceled due to the mobilization of the Swiss army at the start of the Second World War.
Between 1942 and 1966, the Nationale was the setting for the annual Mont Lachaux Trophy for both women and men, the latter started from Bellalui. Local skier Georges (Collo) Felli, who was also a ski jumper and ice hockey player, held the course record for a long time. In the last edition of the competition, which was won by the German Franz Vogler, Bernhard Russi, aged 18, finished in 20th place after starting with race number 80. Famous names appear on the roll of honor for race winners: Madeleine Berthod, Erika Netzer, Brigitte Lafforgue and Annerösli Zryd in the women's category, Edy Rominger, Stein Eriksen, Chiharu Igaya, Edy Reinalter, Christian Pravda, Egon Zimmermann and Karl Schranz in the men's. The Mont Lachaux Trophy disappeared when the municipality of Crans-Montana withdrew the 30,000 francs that they contributed towards it each year
In 1977, the Women's Alpine Ski World Cup made its first stop in Crans-Montana. Austria’s Brigitte Totschnig won the downhill on the Nationale, in front of Evi Mittermaier, Anne-Marie Pröll, and Marie-Therese Nadig. France’s Perrine Pelen triumphed in the slalom ahead of Lise-Marie Morerod and Fabienne Serrat. The Nationale Ski Area hosted the White Circus five more times (three times for the men, twice for the women) up until the unforgettable 1987 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships on the Haut-Plateau. The Lauberhorn downhill and slalom, which had to be canceled due to lack of snow, were held in Crans-Montana.
They hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1987, with Swiss skiers Pirmin Zurbriggen, Maria Walliser, Erika Hess, and Peter Müller who took 8 of 10 available gold medals, dominating in front of the home crowd. Other events were held on another two nearby ski courses, "Mont Lachaux" and "Chetzeron"
The women's World Cup debut was held in 1977 with downhill, slalom, and combined.
The men's World Cup events on this slope premiered in 1979 with slalom
The new era of World Cup races, relaunched by Marius Robyr and Hugo Steinegger, began with women's competitions in 2008 and 2010 on the Nationale, followed by three men's races in 2012.
From 2014 onwards, the Crans-Montana stage has become a classic on the women's World Cup calendar on the attractive Mont Lachaux piste – the site for the women's races in the '87 WC. The piste has been renovated and modernized in several stages, thanks to major investment. It now meets the requirements for the 2027 World Championships, as does the Nationale. Both pistes were approved once again by the FIS in 2022.
The Nationale slope has also undergone several major facelifts, notably in 1971, to create the course for the 1987 World Championships, and in 2007, to be able to host the Alpine Ski World Cup again on the Haut-Plateau from 2008. In the autumn of 2021, extensive work was carried out on the upper part of the course between the start at Bellalui and Cry d'Er.
The Nationale Piste in Crans-Montana successfully passed its FIS inspection on March 2023. Hannes Trinkl, the International Ski Federation FIS race director for speed events, and his assistant Raimund Plancker have given the green light to the legendary Crans-Montana piste to host the World Championship men's competitions.
Racecourse facts:
Start Elevation: 2514 m (Downhill) / 2147 m (Super-G)
Finish Elevation: 1545 m
Vertical Drop: 969 m (DH)
Length: 3800 m (DH)
Max. slope: 61 %
Average slope: 31 %
Located on a sunny plateau at 1,500 m above the Rhone Valley, Crans Montana offers visitors an outstanding Alpine panorama over the most beautiful peaks in the Alps, such as the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. The ski domain of Crans Montana (1500-3000) allows skiers and snowboarders to enjoy snow thanks to 30 lifts and 140 km of pistes including the mythical Plaine Morte and the National. The Mont Lachaux Downhill racecourse was remodeled in 2006-2007. The slope winds its way down from the spectacular Cry d'Err vantage point and on through the mountain forest down to the Barzettes ski stadium.
Crans-Montana stretches up to the Plaine Morte glacier at an altitude of 3,000 meters, where the first alpine ski race took place in 1911 when the English skiing pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn organized the world's first timed downhill ski race, on the high Valais plateau from the Plaine Morte glacier to Mollens. Crans-Montana has so far hosted more than 25 FIS European Cup and FIS World Cup competitions, two World Cup Finals (1992 & 1998), the European Cup Finals 2009, and the unforgettable 1987 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
In May 2022, Crans-Montana, Switzerland was awarded to host the 2027 Alpine World Ski Championships.
Vail Resorts, announced on November 30, 2023, that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland from CPI Property Group ("CPIPG").