Skeleton racing
Onset of winter: World Cup must be canceled
02/01/2026 – 12:34 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Heavy snowfall forces the organizers to cancel the skeleton race in Winterberg. Whether and how the race will continue remains unclear.
The onset of winter in Sauerland has stopped the Skeleton World Cup race in Winterberg. The world association IBSF has not yet decided whether and when the race will continue. During the first round, the snowfall caused surprises among the field of participants.
In the first round, the persistent snowfall disrupted the starting field. Alexander Schlintner from Austria was the last starter and surprisingly took first place. The German Olympic champion Christopher Grotheer was in fourth place and had a good chance of a podium finish. The British favorites Matt Weston and Marcus Wyatt, however, found themselves in 18th and 8th place.
Grotheer, who is still waiting for his first podium place after a difficult start to the season, also needs the Olympic standard for the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Lukas Nydegger and Axel Jungk were also promising in seventh and ninth place after the first round. Felix Keisinger, however, missed the second round with 27th place.
In a statement published about an hour after the end of the first round, the world association IBSF left it open whether and how the race would be continued or repeated. The women’s race was initially postponed by an hour. There is still a team decision on the agenda in Winterberg in the evening.