Spring-like temperatures
Weather chaos in Garmisch: Ski World Cup about to be canceled?
02/27/2026 – 4:41 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
The men’s downhill and super-G events in the winter sports metropolis are eagerly awaited this weekend. But conditions are still uncertain.
17 degrees on Friday, 15 degrees on Saturday and lots of sun: The current weather in Garmisch-Partenkirchen has absolutely nothing of a winter sports atmosphere – and yet the Alpine Ski World Cup is taking place in the winter sports mecca this weekend. On Saturday the men will first start in the downhill on the legendary Kandahar, and on Sunday the Super-G will take place there.
The route is considered at least challenging, if not dangerous. With its starting slope, rocky curve, a long sliding section and other difficult areas, it demands everything from the athletes. But the temperatures this weekend – and the rain of the past few days – could make conditions even more difficult.
Ski racer Luis Vogt therefore expects “an uneasy race”. Meanwhile, the organizer announced: The slope is there and even the heavy rain hasn’t changed the conditions.
“Everyone was in a very positive mood,” explains Martina Betz, head of the organizing committee for the Ski World Cup in Garmisch, in an interview with “Merkur”. “The Fis (the world ski association, editor’s note) was very pleased with the condition.” Nevertheless, she emphasizes: “The path to two races on the weekend will not be easy.” Because: “We depend on the weather report, on this one piece of paper.” You send “surgical prayers upwards that it will actually be cold at night.”
On the positive side, despite the spring-like temperatures during the day, it still cools down significantly at night. On Wednesday, during the inspection by FIS inspectors, “the ground was frozen in the morning,” Betz reports.
You also protect the route before the races. The first downhill training on Thursday was brought forward from 11:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. If training goes well today, the FIS could forego a second training run.
And: The team on site had done a lot of preparatory work, and the “very good preparatory work by the Zugspitzbahn piste crew” can be seen. “We just have a lot more snow than usual, the slope is wide, we’ve never had it so wide before.”
On Friday, the organizer nevertheless announced: Both the downhill run and the Super-G will take place 30 minutes earlier instead of 11:45 a.m. The event now starts at 11:15 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
