Let’s talk FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, 140km/hr athletes, space-age technology and risking everything to get on that podium.
As we observe athletes charging down the course at the World Ski Championships, clocking awe inspiring speeds approaching 140km/hr, taking just the right level of risk to cross the line first, we can only watch in wonderment.
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is the Super Bowl, World Cup, the pinnacle of ski racing—rolling in to spectacular locations biannually. It features all the thrilling disciplines of Ski Racing, including downhill – the fastest event, Super-G – a mix of speed and technical turns, Giant Slalom - big, sweeping turns requiring precision and power, Slalom – The most technical event, with rapid turns, Alpine Combined – a mix of speed and Slalom and finally, the Team Event – a head-to-head race that adds excitement and national rivalries.
It’s a high-Stakes, all-or-nothing event all about who performs best on the day — so the races are usually intense and dramatic. Only top athletes qualify, making it an elite showdown.
Our legacy began with Howard Head, an aircraft engineer who transformed skiing with his ground-breaking ski design. Traditional skis were made of wood, heavy, absorbed water and were difficult to master. Using his aero engineering skills, he designed and built the world’s first metal composite ski, the same fundamental design still in use to this day.
Over the many years of World Ski Championships and on to today, our top athletes perform to the highest level using HEAD state-of-the-art equipment, giving them the edge. We think the results speak for themselves.
At the World Ski Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2021, we were the most successful ski brand, winning 12 medals in total. In Courchevel, Meribel in 2023 we were once again, the most successful ski brand, winning no less than 13 medals.
Some of the biggest names in the ski racing world have achieved great success at the World Ski Championships. In 1989, HEAD racer Helmut Mayer took Silver in the Giant Slalom in Vail, while in 1996, Patrick Ortlieb became the first HEAD Alpine World Ski Champion winning the Gold in Downhill at Sierra Nevada.
Continuing on from this success, some of the greatest HEAD racers have achieved fantastic results at the World Ski Championships over the years, including early successes from Rainer Salzgeber (1993), Hannes Trinkl (2001) and Patrick Staudacher (2007).
Didier Cuche proved his versatility with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals across multiple disciplines, including a Super-G victory in Val d’Isère (2009). Aksel Lund Svindal dominated the slopes, claiming multiple Golds in Downhill and Super-Combined, with standout wins in Garmisch (2011) and Schladming (2013).
Ted Ligety solidified his status as a Giant Slalom master, collecting an incredible five World Championship Golds, including a clean sweep in Schladming (2013). In 2017, Eric Guay also found success at the World Ski Championships in St. Moritz, taking Silver in the Downhill and winning Gold in the Super-G. In the same year Beat Feuz consistently shined in the Downhill, winning Gold. Meanwhile, Kjetil Jansrud showcased his speed with podium finishes in Alpine Combined, Super-G, and Downhill over the years, culminating in Downhill Gold in Åre (2019).
On the women’s circuit, Šárka Strachová set the standard for our female athletes who followed, taking a bronze in the Slalom in Santa Caterina (2005) before claiming Slalom Gold in Åre (2007) following that with a Slalom Silver in Val d’Isère (2009).
Maria Höfl-Riesch delivered across multiple events, securing Golds in Slalom and Super-Combined, while Elisabeth Görgl dominated Garmisch (2011) with double Gold in Downhill and Super-G. Ragnhild Mowinckel showcased her all-around talent with a Bronze medal in the Alpine Combined in Åre (2019) and a Bronze in Giant Slalom in Courchevel, Méribel (2023).
Finally, legendary Lindsey Vonn has already claimed Silver in the Downhill in Garmisch in 2011, Bronze in the Super-G in Vail, Beaver Creek in 2015, Bronze in the Downhill in St. Moritz in 2017, and Bronze in the Downhill in Are in 2019 over her illustrious career and is back once again, coming out of retirement ahead of this season’s championships.
This season, our roster is stronger than ever, our athletes are already having impressively successful seasons, so winning trends look set to continue.
The women to watch and their results at time of publishing are, Camille Rast who claimed her first Worldcup win and has followed it with four further podiums this season already. Sara Hector with two Giant Slalom wins and 5 Worldcup podiums in total this season, Lara Gut-Behrami with one Super-G win and 6 Worldcup podiums, Wendy Holdener with three Worldcup podiums, Cornelia Hütter with two Worldcup podiums, and of course, afore mentioned Lindsey Vonn who is edging closer to the podium, looking to the next step in her comeback season.
The men to watch are, Atle Lie McGrath with five Worldcup podiums, Franjo von Allmen who took his first Worldcup win and four Worldcup podiums in total, Justin Murisier and Albert Popov have also claimed their first Worldcup wins in their careers this season. Lukas Feurstein claimed his first Worldcup podium place whilst, James Crawford and Ryan Cochran-Siegle have also started off their season’s well, with one Worldcup podium each so far.
We’ve all come a long way since that very first metal composite ski went into production, 75 years ago. We’re excited for the coming World Ski Championships and are busy supporting our athletes with a team of 25 ski and 4 ski boot technicians all dedicated to keeping our athletes exactly where they belong – way out in front.
