The 48th Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach will begin next Tuesday, February 4th, with an event showcasing top-level sports performance and spectacular show elements. For the first time in the World Championships' history, the Opening Ceremony will be combined with a race: the Team Parallel.
After 34 years since the iconic “Sun World Championships” in 1991, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are returning to Saalbach.
Opening Ceremony / Team Parallel
Tuesday, February 4. 15:00 - 17:50 CET
Location: Course "Schneekristall" at the Zwölferkogel in Hinterglemm
Start: 1165 m.
Finish: 1060 m.
During the breaks of Team Parallel, the Opening Ceremony will immerse spectators more deeply in the world of skiing. Under the theme "Welcome to #skiverrückt," the story follows two ski-obsessed children who dream of becoming ski racers.
The show consists of four acts and features a total of 37 performers. Through a combination of music, visual effects, and emotional moments, it brings to life the passion for skiing. The connection between the love for winter sports and the excitement of the World Championships race is beautifully illustrated.
The Team Parallel race is an exciting and dynamic event in Alpine skiing. The top 16 nations in the overall World Cup Nations Cup standings, determined after the last World Cup race before the event, qualify to compete for the first World Championship medals. Each nation fields a team of six athletes, consisting of at least two women and two men. Each nation fields a team of six athletes, including at least two women and two men.
The race will be conducted as a parallel event with Giant Slalom gates and panels.
The top nation, based on the current Nations Cup standings, will receive number 1, while the last nation will receive number 16.
In each round, four out of the six team members race. Who competes is decided by the Team Captain, a strategic decision that can make the difference between victory and defeat. The captain of the lower-ranked nation announces their lineup first, allowing the better-ranked team to react. So, strategy and tactics
In every round, four of the six team members participate in the race. The Team Captain selects the competitors, a strategic decision that can determine the outcome between winning and losing. The captain of the lower-ranked nation reveals their lineup first, giving the higher-ranked team the chance to respond. Thus, in addition to the athletes' performance, strategy and tactics play a crucial role.
The 16 Nations classified will form 8 heats. The bracket list will be arranged as follows:
Heat 1: Nation 1-16
Heat 2: Nation 8-9
Heat 3: Nation 5-12
Heat 4: Nation 4-13
Heat 5: Nation 3-14
Heat 6: Nation 6-11
Heat 7: Nation 7-10
Heat 8: Nation 2-15
The teams compete in four runs per round:
Red Course: Nation 1 – female Athlete 1 vs. Blue Course: Nation 16 – female Athlete 1
Red Course: Nation 16 – male Athlete 1 vs. Blue Course: Nation 1 – male Athlete 1
Red Course: Nation 16 – female Athlete 2 vs. Blue Course: Nation 1 – female Athlete 2
Red Course: Nation 1 – male Athlete 2 vs. Blue Course: Nation 16 – male Athlete 2
The blue course will be located on the skier’s right.
Ultimately, the team with the most victories progresses to the next round. If there's a tie, the team with the fastest combined times from the top female and male competitors advances. The competition begins with the Round of 16, then proceeds to the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, the Small Final for 3rd and 4th places, and the Grand Final, where the gold medal is contested.
The introduction of the team competition in Alpine skiing was a reaction to the popular success of the team competitions in Nordic skiing.
A test rehearsal in the European Cup on March 11, 2004, in Sierra Nevada (Spain) was followed by the premieres at the World Championships on February 13, 2005, in Bormio (Italy), in the World Cup on March 19, 2006 in Åre (Sweden) and at the Olympic Winter Games on February 24, 2018 in Pyeongchang (South Korea).
The "Combined Team Event," consisting of a mixed combination of Super-G and Slalom, was run in the Bormio 2005 and Åre 2007 Ski World Championships.
At the Garmisch 2011 World Championships, the Team event was conducted as a Parallel Giant Slalom.
The Nations Team Event competition in its current format was first held on 12 February 2013 during the Ski World Championships in Schladming, Austria.
The Austrian Team with Nicole Hosp, Michaela Kirchgasser, Carmen Thalmann, Marcel Hirscher, Marcel Mathis, and Philipp Schörghofer, defeated the Swedish team in the Final.
The US Ski Team enters Saalbach 2025 as the defending champion. They claimed their first-ever gold medal in the Mixed Team Parallel at Courchevel Méribel 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships. The USA edged Norway in the Big Final. Paula Moltzan, Nina O'Brien, Tommy Ford, and River Radamus gave the Americans their first ever Team medal beating Kristin Lysdahl, Alexander Steen Olsen, Thea Louise Stjernesund, and Timon Haugan.
Schladming 2013 Austria
Vail / Beaver Creek 2015 Austria
St. Moritz 2017 France
Are 2019 Switzerland
Cortina d'Amppezo 2021 Norway
Courchevel Meribel 2023 United States of America
Saalbach-Hinterglemm is one of the regular venues for the Alpine Ski World Cup.
The ski resort made its World Cup debut on December 19, 1972, hosting a Women's Downhill event won by Austrian skier Annemarie Moser-Pröll.
Saalbach is hosting the event for the second time. From January 22nd to February 3rd, 1991, Saalbach Hinterglemm was the venue for the 31st Alpine World Ski Championships.
Austria will host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships for the 10th time, including those that were shared with the Olympic Winter Games.
Saalbach has developed into one of Europe's leading ski resorts. The modern infrastructure, first-class slopes, and breathtaking mountain scenery in the Glemmtal provide the perfect stage for an event of this magnitude.
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