2023/2024 FIS alpine ski World Cup season preview: Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt seek title defence
The 58th edition of alpine's top international circuit will see the best skiers in the world compete in 90 events across four disciplines. Discover below the complete calendar and find out more about the upcoming season.
Alpine Skiing
Can anyone halt the dominance of Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt in alpine skiing?
The two-time defending champions are widely regarded as the frontrunners to retain their overall titles, as the 2023/2024 World Cup season kicks off on Saturday 28 October (one week later than in previous years) with the traditional opening giant slaloms in Soelden, Austria.
The 58th edition of the international elite alpine circuit features a total of 90 events (barring cancellations) across four disciplines (Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Downhill).
Competitions will run until the end of March, culminating in the finals in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, which will also host the 2025 World Championships.
Read below to learn about the new stops on the alpine tour, the events that have been cancelled, and the standout stars to watch.
2023/2024 Alpine World Cup programme and events: What's changed?
In a season without major championships, most of the action on the Cirque Blanc will unfold in Europe, with four stops confirmed in North America, three of which are in the USA (Killington, Beaver Creek, Palisades Tahoe).
The Canadian resort of Mont-Tremblant in Quebec will make its inaugural appearance on the tour, hosting two women’s giant slaloms in December, while the historic venue of Lake Louise was removed from the calendar, after being a feature since 1993 (excluding 2020).
In November, the speed season will kick off with the long-awaited downhills in Zermatt-Cervinia, marking the first-ever cross-border races in World Cup history. Following last year's cancellation for unfavourable weather conditions, this time the event is expected to go ahead.
Notably, the individual combined and parallel events have been excluded from the World Cup programme. The debut of the team combined, originally set for Kitzbuehel and Crans Montana, has been postponed.
For the first time, the season finale will span over two weekends instead of a single week.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (Left), Marco Odermatt (Centre), Henrik Kristoffersen (Right) on the podium of the 2022/2023 overall World Cup.
Stars to watch in 2023/2024 Alpine World Cup
Men: Who can challenge king 'Odi'?
Thirteen victories plus nine podium finishes across three different disciplines, along with three globes (overall, GS and Super-G), and a new record of points (2,042) in a single campaign: these were the astonishing stats of Marco Odermatt, aka ‘Mr. Consistency,’ during the past season.
The Swiss star has showed that he’s a podium contender in every event he competes in. The 26-year-old could also upset speed specialists on their own turf as it happened during the World Championships in Courchevel, where he dominated the downhill race.
It will probably take an amazing season to dethrone the two-time overall reigning champion. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who was last year’s runner-up in the overall rankings and also won the downhill globe, needs to be competitive in the speed events - and beyond. The Norwegian must start racking up points in GS, a discipline where he failed to finish in three of the seven races he took part in last season, including the Worlds.
Olympic medallist Henrik Kristoffersen has finished in the top-3 overall in seven of the last eight seasons. However, the ‘Prince’ is likely to focus on the tech disciplines, trying to reclaim the slalom title from his teammate Lucas Braathen.
After a challenging 2022, Austrian Marco Schwarz displayed remarkable versatility last season. The three-time Youth Olympic champion from Innsbruck 2012 excelled in Giant Slalom with a World Championship bronze and three World Cup podiums. He also impressed in Super-G (Second in the finals in Soldeu) and Downhill (Fourth at the Worlds). If he rediscovers his slalom prowess, the 28-year-old could become a strong contender for the overall GC title again, following his 2021 third-place finish.
Last season Mikaela Shiffrin won three globes and three medals at the Worlds.
Women: Shiffrin on a quest for more records
In the women’s field, Mikaela Shiffrin, now coached by Norwegian Karin Harjo, is expected to continue rewriting the history of the sport.
Having already become the most successful alpine skier, male or female, by surpassing Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 86 World Cup victories last season, the 28-year-old now has the opportunity to secure her sixth big crystal globe, putting her on par with Annemarie Moser-Proell at the top of the women’s all-time list for overall titles.
During last year's triumphant campaign, Shiffrin topped the podium on 14 occasions across three disciplines. She is now just 12 wins away from the illustrious 100-victory milestone.
Shiffrin's main rivals will have to find something extra special in order to challenge the US superstar.
Beijing 2022 gold medallist Petra Vlhova and Wendy Holdener have proven they can give her a run for her money in slalom, while Italian Federica Brignone and Lara Gut-Behrami pose strong challenges in both GS and Super-G.
In the downhill, Olympic champion Sofia Goggia will chase her fifth title in the discipline, an event she’s dominated for the last three seasons.
Ljutic, Aronsson Elfman and Colturi lead the Gen-Z
The future is now for some of the young budding stars.
Croatia’s teenager Zrinka Ljutic continued her meteoric rise in the sport last season by securing her first career World Cup podium, while at just 20 years old, Sweden’s Hanna Aronsson Elfman drew comparisons with her illustrious compatriot Anja Parson, consistently finishing in the top-10 in slalom.
Albania’s teen sensation Lara Colturi, daughter of Olympic champion Daniela Ceccarelli, has recovered from a knee injury and is expected to build on her impressive debut in the senior circuit.
The 16-year-old was one the youngest athletes in the field during the Junior World Championships in St. Anton in January, clinching gold in Super-G and bronze in Giant Slalom.
The event also showcased other emerging talents, including Stefanie Grob of Switzerland and Beatrice Sola of Italy, who won three and two medals respectively.
Finally, another junior world champion to keep an eye on is Livio Hiltbrand: the Swiss skier has just turned 20 and, on his World Cup debut at the finals in Soldeu, he finished with an impressive 17th in the Super G just weeks after winning gold in St. Anton.
2023/24 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup calendar - Men
Information subject to change. An updated calendar can be found on the FIS Website.
- 29 October 2023
Soelden (Austria): Giant Slalom
- 11 – 12 November 2023
Zermatt/Cervinia (Switzerland/Italy): Downhill (2x)
- 18 November 2023
Gurgl (Austria): Slalom
- 1 – 3 December 2023
Beaver Creek (USA): Downhill (2x), Super-G
- 9 – 10 December 2023
Val d’Isere (France): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 15 – 16 December 2023
Val Gardena - Groeden (Italy): Super-G, Downhill
- 17 – 18 December 2023
Alta Badia (Italy): Giant Slalom (2x)
- 22 December 2023
Madonna di Campiglio (Italy): Slalom
- 28 – 29 December 2023
Bormio (Italy): Downhill / Super-G
- 6 – 7 January 2024
Adelboden (Switzerland): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 12- 14 January 2024
Wengen (Switzerland): Super-G / Downhill / Slalom
- 19 – 21 January 2024
Kitzbuehel (Austria): Downhill (2x) / Slalom
- 23 – 24 January 2024
Schladming (Austria) Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 27 - 28 January 2024
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany) Super-G (2x)
- 2 – 4 February 2024
Chamonix (France): Downhill (2x) / Slalom
- 10 – 11 February 2024
Bansko (Bulgaria): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 17 – 18 February 2024
Kvitfjell (Norway): Downhill / Super-G
- 24 – 25 February 2024
Palisades Tahoe (USA): Giant Slalom, Slalom
- 2 – 3 March 2024
Aspen (USA): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 9 – 10 March 2024
Kranjska Gora: Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 16 – 17 / 22 – 24 March 2024
Saalbach (Austria): Finals (All disciplines)
Total:
Slalom: 13
Giant Slalom: 11
Super-G: 8
Downhill: 13
2023/24 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup calendar - Women
Information subject to change. An updated calendar can be found on the FIS Website.
- 28 October 2023
Soelden (Austria): Giant Slalom
- 11 – 12 November 2023
Levi (Finland): Slalom (2x)
- 18 – 19 November 2023
Zermatt/Cervinia (Switzerland/Italy): Downhill (2x)
- 25 – 26 November 2023
Killington (USA): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 2 – 3 December 2023
Tremblant (Canada): Giant Slalom (2x)
- 8 – 10 December 2023
Saint Moritz (Switzerland): Downhill, Super-G (2x)
- 16 – 17 December 2023
Val d’Isere (France): Downhill / Super-G
- 21 December 2023
Courchevel (France): Slalom
- 28 – 29 December 2023
Lienz (Austria): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 6 – 7 January 2024
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 13- 14 January 2024
Altenmarkt-Zauchensee (Austria): Downhill / Super-G
- 16 January 2024
Flachau (Austria): Slalom
- 20 – 21 January 2024
Jasna (Slovakia): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 26 – 28 January 2024
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy): Downhill (2x) / Super-G
- 30 January 2024
Kronplatz (Italy): Giant Slalom
- 3 – 4 February 2024
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany): Downhill / Super-G
- 10 – 11 February 2024
Soldeu (Andorra): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 16 – 18 February 2024
Crans Montana (Switzerland): Downhill (2x) / Super-G
- 24 – 25 February 2024
Val di Fassa (Italy): Super-G (2x)
- 2 – 3 March 2024
Kvitfjell (Norway): Downhill / Super-G
- 9 – 10 March 2024
Are (Sweden): Giant Slalom / Slalom
- 16 – 17 / 22 – 24 March 2024
Saalbach (Austria): Finals (All disciplines)
Total:
Slalom: 11
Giant Slalom: 11
Super-G: 11
Downhill: 12
TV, live stream coverage during 2023/24 Alpine Ski World Cup season
In Europe, all FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events are streamed live on Eurosport's digital platforms and Discovery+.
More details about streaming in the US will be released closer to the start of the season, and for a provisional list of the rights-holding broadcasters you can check here.