The Ski World Cup season starts in Sölden this weekend. In addition to the top favorites like Mikaela Shiffrin and Marco Odermatt, the DSV athletes are also attacking again. An Olympic winter awaits them with new goals, new rules and new races.
One of the steepest slopes in the World Cup, tens of thousands of spectators, the start at over 3,000 meters above sea level: the first Alpine giant slalom races in Sölden don’t exactly invite you to start the new season in a relaxed manner. The women take to the slopes in the Ötztal on Saturday and the men follow suit on Sunday.
Odermatt and Shiffrin are big favorites, Brignone is missing
The contenders for the first win of the season include overall World Cup winner and giant slalom dominator Marco Odermatt, as well as Henrik Kristoffersen and Loic Meillard.
A top favorite will be missing among the women: the winner of the big crystal ball and giant slalom ace Federica Brignone was seriously injured at the end of the season – when she will return is uncertain. The big contender for overall victory is Mikaela Shiffrin, who broke the 100-win mark last season.
DSV all-purpose weapon Emma Aicher
But the DSV is also going into the Olympic winter with big names and goals: Emma Aicher is probably hoping that her season will start the way the last one ended: At the end of the winter, the all-rounder really got going, raced to her first World Cup victory in the downhill run in Kvitfjell and was also able to win the Super-G in La Thuile a little later. And so Aicher’s star rose after years of being treated as a “talent of the century” and having to listen to comparisons with Maria Höfl-Riesch.
Lena Dürr and Fabiana Dorigo start in Sölden with good memories: Dürr started her best giant slalom season to date with a tenth place on the difficult steep slope last year, while Dorigo was able to score points for the first time in her career in October 2024.
Schmid and Holzmann attack again, Grammel is chasing the podium
Last year, two top German technicians, Alexander Schmid and Sebastian Holzmann, were injured. Schmid from Allgäu is now in the DSV squad for Sölden – he decides spontaneously whether he will start.
Anton Grammel knew how to close the gap left by Schmid last year due to his knee injury. The 27-year-old finished in the top 15 several times. As he said in an interview with Eurosport, he is aiming for a podium finish this season.
Two junior world champion, two hopes for the season
There are also two youngsters in the starting blocks: 20-year-old Felix Rösle and 19-year-old Benno Brandis. In 2025, the two Allgäu residents were completely unexpectedly crowned junior world champions and were therefore able to get a taste of World Cup air for the first time at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley. Brandis showed a courageous, risk-taking journey until he had to retire; Rösle’s departure was canceled due to the weather. This season the two have many more chances to prove themselves.
Olympic season with new rules: airbag, underwear, carbon
The past alpine ski season was marred by serious falls. The list of the injured was long, the names on it prominent: Cyprien Sarrazin, Mikaela Shiffrin, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. The FIS responded with new rules: the mandatory wearing of cut-resistant underwear, the obligation to have airbags in speed races and the ban on carbon shin insoles are already in effect this season. But the new measures are also met with dissatisfaction and criticism.
With the accidental death of Matteo Franzoso, the ski world was confronted with the issue of safety weeks before the start of the World Cup season. The debate is likely to enter the next round next winter.
In the audio: DSV director Maier criticizes FIS: “Pure populism”
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Source: BR24Sport October 24, 2025 – 6:30 p.m
