FIS Alpine Ski World Cup explained

Alpine Ski World Cup
Genre:Alpine skiing
Location:Europe and North America; occasionally in Japan, Russia, Australia, Argentina, South Korea, New Zealand
First: (men)
(women)
Founders: Serge Lang
Honore Bonnet
Bob Beattie
Organised:International Ski Federation
(FIS)
People:Chief Race Directors
Markus Waldner (men)
Peter Gerdol (women)
Sponsor:Audi Quattro

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France (Honore Bonnet) and the USA (Bob Beattie).[1] It was soon backed by International Ski Federation president Marc Hodler during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966 at Portillo, Chile, and became an official FIS event in the spring of 1967 after the FIS Congress at Beirut, Lebanon.

The inaugural World Cup race was held on 5 January 1967 in Berchtesgaden, West Germany, a slalom won by Heinrich Messner of Austria. Jean-Claude Killy of France and Nancy Greene of Canada were the overall winners for the first two seasons.

Rules

Competitors attempt to achieve the best time in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, super G, and downhill. The fifth event, the combined, employs the downhill and slalom. The World Cup originally included only slalom, giant slalom, and downhill races. Combined events (calculated using results from selected downhill and slalom races) were included starting with the 1974–75 season, while the Super G was added for the 1982–83 season.

The current scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. For every race points are awarded to the top 30 finishers: 100 points to the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, winding down to 1 point for 30th place. The racer with the most points at the end of the season in mid-March wins the cup, represented by a 9 kilogram crystal globe.[2] Sub-prizes are also awarded in each individual race discipline, with a smaller 3.5 kg crystal globe.

Since 1967, the big crystal globe has been awarded for the overall title. From the beginning to 1971–72, discipline titles were awarded with medals. Statistically, those titles have the same value as the small crystal globes, which first appeared for discipline titles in slalom, giant slalom and downhill in the 1977–78. In super-G, the small globe has been awarded since 1985–86. For super-g races in the three seasons previous, points were added and calculated in the giant slalom ranking.

The World Cup is held annually, and is considered the premier competition for alpine ski racing after the quadrennial Winter Olympics. Many consider the World Cup to be a more valuable title than the Olympics or the biennial World Championships, since it requires a competitor to ski at an extremely high level in several disciplines throughout the season, and not just in one race.[3]

Races are hosted primarily at ski resorts in the Alps in Europe, with regular stops in Scandinavia, North America, and east Asia, but a few races have also been held in the Southern Hemisphere. World Cup competitions have been hosted in 25 countries around the world: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.[4]

Lower competitive circuits include the NorAm Cup in North America and the Europa Cup in Europe.

Overall winners

See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's champions and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's champions.

Multiple individual overall World Cup winners are marked with (#).

Individual

SeasonMenWomen
NameCountryNameCountry
align=center
align=center Jean-Claude Killy (2) Nancy Greene (2)
align=center
align=center Karl Schranz (2)
align=center
align=center Gustav Thöni (2) Annemarie Pröll (2)
align=center Gustav Thöni (3) Annemarie Pröll (3)
align=center Annemarie Pröll (4)
align=center Gustav Thöni (4) Annemarie Moser-Pröll (5)
align=center
align=center Ingemar Stenmark (2)   
align=center Ingemar Stenmark (3)
align=center   
align=center Hanni Wenzel (2)
align=center   
align=center Phil Mahre (2)   
align=center Phil Mahre (3)
align=center    Erika Hess (2)   
align=center   
align=center Marc Girardelli (2)   
align=center Pirmin Zurbriggen (2)    Maria Walliser (2)   
align=center Pirmin Zurbriggen (3)    Michela Figini (2)   
align=center Marc Girardelli (3)   
align=center Pirmin Zurbriggen (4)   
align=center Marc Girardelli (4) Petra Kronberger (2)
align=center    Petra Kronberger (3)
align=center Marc Girardelli (5)
align=center Vreni Schneider (2)   
align=center Vreni Schneider (3)   
align=center
align=center
align=center Katja Seizinger (2)
align=center Lasse Kjus (2)
align=center Hermann Maier (2)
align=center Hermann Maier (3)
align=center Stephan Eberharter
align=center Stephan Eberharter (2) Janica Kostelić (2)
align=center Hermann Maier (4)
align=center Anja Pärson (2)
align=center Janica Kostelić (3)
align=center
align=center Bode Miller (2)
align=center Aksel Lund Svindal (2) Lindsey Vonn (2)
align=center    Lindsey Vonn (3)
align=center
align=center Lindsey Vonn (4)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (2)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (3)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (4) Anna Fenninger (2)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (5)   
align=center Marcel Hirscher (6)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (7) Mikaela Shiffrin (2)
align=center Marcel Hirscher (8) Mikaela Shiffrin (3)
align=center
align=center
align=center    Mikaela Shiffrin (4)
align=center    Mikaela Shiffrin (5)
align=center    Lara Gut-Behrami (2)  

Individual titles by country

NationTotalMenWomen
align=left 34 17 17
align=left    23 10 13
align=left 15 5 10
align=left 7 6 1
align=left 6 6
align=left 6 3 3
align=left 5 5
align=left 5 4 1
align=left 4 1 3
align=left 3 3
align=left 3 1 2
align=left 2 2
align=left 1 1
align=left 1 1
align=left 1 1

Men overall titles

The following skiers have at least three overall alpine World Cup titles.

NameCareerOverallDisciplines
DHSGGSSLKB
2007–2019 8 6 6
1980–1996 5 2 1 3 4
1969–1980 4 N/A 3 2
1981–1990 4 2 4 3 3
4 2 5 3
1975–1984 3 2 1 4
1973–1989 3 N/A 8 8
2016–active 3 1 2 3

Women overall titles

The following skiers have at least three overall alpine World Cup titles.

NameCareerOverallDisciplines
DHSGGSSLKB
1969–1980 6 7 N/A 3 2
5 1 2 8
2001–2019 4 8 5 3
1987–1992 3 1
1984–1995 3 5 6
1998–2006 3 3 4

Discipline winners

See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's champions and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's champions.

See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup winners of men's discipline titles and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup winners of women's discipline titles.

Top ten small crystal globe podiums

Men

width:80"width:140"Skierwidth:100"Period1st2nd3rd
11975–19871671
21231
31982–19961056
41983–19901053
41998–20061053
62006–2019933
71988–1996850
82001–2010845
91993–2003842
101978–1983723

Women

width:80"width:140"Skierwidth:190"Period1st2nd3rd
12000–20191656
21969–19801255
31165
41984–19951153
51993–20091093
61989–1999952
71972–1984764
81998–2007722
92008–active644
101977–1987634

Most small globes per discipline

Combined crystal globes were officially awarded from 2007 to 2012. Here are counted all season titles, official and unofficial. The records for most World Cup titles in each discipline are as follows:

Men

DisciplineCountryTitles
Downhill 5
Super-G 5
8
Slalom 8
Combined 6

Women

DisciplineCountryTitles
Downhill 8
Super-G 5
   5
Slalom 8
Combined    4

Multiple disciplines small crystal globe winners

Only four men's racers have ever managed to win small crystal globe in four or more different alpine skiing disciplines during their career, as listed in the table below.

Men

CareerDifferent discipline titles wonWinsDHSGGSSLKB
1980–19974 10 2 - 1 3 4
1981–1990 4 10 2 4 1 - 3
1990–2006 4 8 - 1 1 1 5
2003-2019 4 9 2 5 1 - 1

Wins

Most race wins in each discipline

As of 2 March 2024

Men

RankDownhillWins
1 25
2 19
3 18
18
5 15
15
RankSuper-GWins
1 24
2 17
3 13
4 12
5 10
RankGiant slalomWins
1 46
2 31
3 24
4 23
23
RankSlalomWins
1 40
2 35
3 32
4 23
5 16
RankCombinedWins
1 11
11
11
4 10
5 9

Women

RankDownhillWins
1 43
2 36
3 24
4 18
5 17
RankSuper-GWins
1 28
2 22
3 17
4 16
5 12
RankGiant slalomWins
1 22
2 20
3 16
16
5 14
14
14
14
RankSlalomWins
1 60
2 35
3 34
4 22
5 21
RankCombinedWins
1 8
2 7
7
4 6
5 5
5
5

Most races won

See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's race winners and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's race winners. A common measurement of how good individual skiers are is the total number of World Cup races won during their skiing career. The following skiers have won at least 20 World Cup races:

Men

RankMenCareerWinsDHSGGSSLKBPSLCEPGSK.O.
1 1973–1989 86 46 40 N/A N/A N/A
2 2007–2019 67 1 31 32 N/A 2 1 N/A
3 1996–2009 54 15 24 14 1 N/A N/A
4 1986–1998 50 15 35 N/A N/A N/A
5 1980–1996 46 3 9 7 16 11 N/A N/A N/A
6 1981–1990 40 10 10 7 2 11 N/A N/A N/A
7 37 2 12 23 N/A
8 1996–2015 36 1 14 14 7 N/A
2001–2019 36 14 17 4 1
10 34 1 18 3 10 N/A 1 1 N/A
11 1997–2017 33 8 5 9 5 6
12 align=left 30 7 23 NA
13 1989–2004 29 18 6 5 N/A N/A
14 1975–1984 27 7 9 11 N/A N/A N/A
15 1972–1985 26 25 1 N/A N/A N/A
1998–2017 26 1 14 9 1 1
17 2004–2021 25 24 1 N/A
18 1969–1980 24 N/A 11 8 4 1 N/A N/A N/A
1977–1992 24 19 2 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A
20 1989–2003 23 23 N/A N/A
23 8 13 1 1
22 22 18 4 N/A
23 1989–2006 21 1 5 6 1 8 N/A N/A
1993–2012 21 12 6 3 N/A
21 12 9 N/A
update: 17 March 2024

Women

Twenty or more speed and technical wins

Speed events

As of 2 March 2024

RankMenWins (DH+SG)
1 Hermann Maier39
2  Aksel Lund Svindal31
3 Franz Klammer25*
4 Stephan Eberharter24
Dominik Paris22
6   Peter Müller21
  Kjetil Jansrud21
  Aleksander Aamodt Kilde21
9   Pirmin Zurbriggen20
10   Didier Cuche18
RankWomenWins (DH+SG)
1 Lindsey Vonn71
2 Renate Götschl41
3 Annemarie Moser-Pröll36*
4   Lara Gut-Behrami35
5 Katja Seizinger32
6   Sofia Goggia24
7   Michela Figini20
8   Maria Walliser17
   Michaela Dorfmeister17
10 Hilde Gerg15
   Isolde Kostner15

Technical events

As of 10 March 2024

RankMenWins (GS+SL)
1 Ingemar Stenmark86
2 Marcel Hirscher63
3 Alberto Tomba50
4 Henrik Kristoffersen30
5  Benjamin Raich28
6 Ted Ligety24
7 Marc Girardelli23
   Michael von Grünigen23
   Marco Odermatt23
10  Alexis Pinturault21
RankWomenWins (GS+SL)
1 Mikaela Shiffrin82
2   Vreni Schneider54
3 Marlies Schild36
4 Anja Pärson29
5 Petra Vlhová28
6   Erika Hess27
7   Lise-Marie Morerod24
8 Hanni Wenzel23
9 Janica Kostelić22

All-event winners

Only a few racers have ever managed to win races in all five classic World Cup alpine skiing disciplines during their career, as listed in the table below. Marc Girardelli (1988–89), Petra Kronberger (1990–91), Janica Kostelić (2005–06) and Tina Maze (2012–13) are the only skiers to have won all five events in a single season. Bode Miller is the only skier with at least five World Cup victories in all five disciplines.

Men

CareerTimesSeasonsWinsDHSGGSSLKBPGSPSLCE
1997–2017 5 0 33 8 5 9 5 6
1980–1996 3 1 46 3 9 7 16 11 N/A N/A
1981–1990 2 0 40 10 10 7 2 11 N/A N/A
1 0 21 1 5 6 1 8 N/A N/A
1982–1998 1 0 14 1 6 2 1 4 N/A N/A

Women

CareerTimesSeasonsWinsDHSGGSSLKBPGSPSLCE
1998–2012 3 0 42 6 4 11 18 3 N/A
1990–2002 2 0 24 2 3 2 14 3 N/A N/A
1987–1992 2 1 16 6 2 3 3 2 N/A N/A N/A
2001–2019 2 0 82 43 28 4 2 5 N/A
1998–2006 1 1 30 1 1 2 20 6 N/A N/A
1999–2015 1 1 26 4 1 14 4 3 N/A
align=left bgcolor=#CFECEC1 0 97 4 5 22 60 1 2 3

Most race wins in a single season

The following skiers have won at least ten World Cup races in a single season (events not available in a given season are marked "NA"):

Men

SeasonWinsDHSGGSSLKB
13 NA 10 3
13 5 3 5
13 6 7
13 6 7 NA
13 2 2 9 NA
12 5 NA 4 3 NA
11 NA 6 5
11 2 2 7
11 5 1 3 2
11 4 7
10 NA 3 7
10 NA 6 4
10 2 4 3 1
10 3 4 3
10 6 3 1

Women

SeasonWinsDHSGGSSLKBPSL+CE
17 3 4 8 2
14 1 7 6 NA NA
14 6 7 1
12 5 4 2 1 NA
12 1 2 7 2
11 8 NA 3 NA NA
11 5 6 NA
11 6 4 1 NA
11 1 1 5 2 2
11 3 6 1 1
10 2 NA 5 3

Hosts

See main article: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup hosts.

Men's

See main article: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's hosts.

Total

RankHostEvents
1 Kitzbühel186
2   Wengen129
3 Val d'Isere101
4 Val Gardena92
5 Garmisch-Partenkirchen92
6 Kranjska Gora87
7   Adelboden75
8 Beaver Creek70
9 Kvitfjell65
10 Madonna di Campiglio56

Downhill

RankHostEvents
1 Kitzbühel69
2 Val Gardena62
3   Wengen51
4 Garmisch-Partenkirchen39
5 Kvitfjell38

Super-G

RankHostEvents
1 Kvitfjell26
2 Garmisch-Partenkirchen23
3 Beaver Creek22
Val Gardena22
5 Kitzbühel21
Lake Louise21

Giant slalom

RankHostEvents
1   Adelboden53
2 Kranjska Gora46
3 Alta Badia41
4 Val d'Isere33
5 Sölden22

Slalom

RankHostEvents
1 Kitzbühel57
2   Wengen45
3 Kranjska Gora41
Madonna di Campiglio41
5 Schladming30
Updated: 10 March 2024

Women's

See main article: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's hosts.

Total

RankHostEvents
1 Cortina d'Ampezzo102
2 Val d'Isere91
3 Lake Louise85
4 Åre70
5 Maribor68
6   St. Moritz53
7 Aspen45
8 Garmisch-Partenkirchen39
9   Crans-Montana37
10 Altenmarkt-Zauchensee36

Downhill

RankHostEvents
1 Lake Louise55
2 Cortina d'Ampezzo44
3 Val d'Isere35
4   St. Moritz19
5   Crans-Montana17

Super-G

RankHostEvents
1 Cortina d'Ampezzo36
2 Lake Louise28
3   St. Moritz20
Val d'Isere20
5 Garmisch-Partenkirchen17

Giant slalom

RankHostEvents
1 Maribor29
2 Sölden25
Åre25
4 Val d'Isere19
5 Aspen17

Slalom

RankHostEvents
1 Maribor37
2 Levi23
Åre23
4 Aspen18
5 Semmering15
Zagreb15

Most podiums and top ten results

As of 3 March 2024.[5] [6]

Career podiums

RankMen1st2nd3rdTotal
1 Ingemar Stenmark864326155
2 Marcel Hirscher674724138
3 Marc Girardelli462826100
4 Hermann Maier54212196
5 Benjamin Raich36292792
6 Alberto Tomba50261288
7align=left bgcolor=CFECEC Henrik Kristoffersen30322486
8   Pirmin Zurbriggen40261783
9 Aksel Lund Svindal36192580
10 Bode Miller33291779
RankWomen1st2nd3rdTotal
1align=left bgcolor=CFECEC Mikaela Shiffrin972728152
2 Lindsey Vonn823520137
3 Annemarie Moser-Pröll623219113
4 Renate Götschl463727110
5   Vreni Schneider552818101
6 Anja Pärson42292495
7align=left bgcolor=CFECEC Lara Gut-Behrami45222390
8 Hanni Wenzel33253189
9 Maria Höfl-Riesch27272781
Tina Maze262827

Career top ten results

RankMenTop 10s
1 Kjetil André Aamodt233
2 Benjamin Raich227
3 Marc Girardelli212
4 Ingemar Stenmark205
5   Didier Cuche186
6align=left bgcolor=CFECEC Alexis Pinturault182
7 Aksel Lund Svindal181
8 Marcel Hirscher179
9   Pirmin Zurbriggen170
10 Bode Miller166
RankWomenTop 10s
1align=left bgcolor=CFECEC Mikaela Shiffrin220
2 Lindsey Vonn214
3 Renate Götschl198
4align=left bgcolor=CFECEC   Lara Gut-Behrami197
5 Anja Pärson196
6align=left Hanni Wenzel189
7 Martina Ertl188
8 Maria Höfl-Riesch175
9 Annemarie Moser-Pröllalign=center rowspan=2172
Tina Maze

Greatest alpine skiers of all time

Based on ski-database super ranking system (since 1966), this scoring system is calculated using points from three categories: Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup (overall titles, discipline titles and individual top ten results).

Men's super ranking

OverallPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center359.40
2 290.10
3 252.10
4 227.50
5 224.00
6 211.20
7 201.45
8 195.60
9 176.15
10 175.30
DownhillPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center76.3
2 73.9
3 72.0
4 66.0
5 54.5
6 53.6
7 51.4
8 49.8
9 48.9
10 43.5
Super-GPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center88.2
2 68.9
3 67.3
4 55.0
5 47.6
6 45.9
7 40.6
8 38.4
9 33.6
10 32.2
Giant slalomPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center120.0
2 104.1
3 97.3
4 80.9
5 73.7
6 65.1
7 59.8
8 57.0
9 55.0
10 43.5
SlalomPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center124.8
2 105.8
3 98.5
4 69.6
5 61.8
6 55.8
7 52.8
8 50.2
9 47.0
10 46.4

Women's super ranking

OverallPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center357.90
2 297.20
3 272.50
4 255.10
5 217.40
6 203.65
7 194.40
8 181.00
9 167.00
10 164.90
DownhillPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center126.9
2 115.4
3 78.6
4 76.0
5 68.0
6 64.3
7 55.4
8 51.4
9 48.9
10 41.3
Super-GPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center84.1
2 76.5
3 60.3
4 57.8
5 47.2
6 43.0
7 39.0
8 34.1
9 30.1
10 29.9
Giant slalomPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center87.5
2 71.5
3 70.0
4 62.6
5 60.8
6 57.6
7 54.1
8 47.6
9 45.5
1044.7
SlalomPoints
1 bgcolor=gold align=center165.3
2 110.3
3 90.5
4 71.2
5 67.8
6 62.4
7 57.5
8 51.0
9 49.1
10 43.3

Parallel events

Parallel slalom

Parallel slaloms from 1976 to 1991 counted for Nations Cup. There were no limitations regarding the number of athletes who could enter the competition, but each main event was limited to 32 competitors.

Men

DatePlaceSeasonWinnerSecondThird
Nations Cup
20 March 1976  
26 March 1977   Manfred Brunner Bruno Nöckler
19 March 1978  
Karl Trojer
14 March 1980  
30 March 1981  
28 March 1982  
21 March 1983  
25 March 1984   Ingemar Stenmark
6 January 1986   align=center rowspan=2
22 March 1986  
28 December 1986  
22 December 1987   align=center rowspan=2
27 March 1988  
11 March 1989   Rudolf Nierlich
24 March 1991  
Promotional event
2 January 2009  
21 November 2009  
World Cup
23 March 1975  
24 October 1997  

Women

DatePlaceSeasonWinnerSecondThird
Nations Cup
20 March 1976  
26 March 1977  
19 March 1978   Christa Zechmeister Viki Fleckenstein
16 March 1980  
30 March 1981  
28 March 1982  
21 March 1983   Hanni Wenzel
25 March 1984  
22 March 1986      Corinne Schmidhauser
18 January 1987      Corinne Schmidhauser
align=center rowspan=2
27 March 1988  
11 March 1989   Tamara McKinney
24 March 1991  
Promotional event
21 November 2009   Frida Hansdotter
World Cup
24 March 1975  
24 October 1997   align=center rowspan=2
28 November 1997  
20 December 2017  
9 December 2018   Mikaela Shiffrin (2)    Wendy Holdener
15 December 2019  

City event

Parallel city event is a version of parallel slalom where only Top16 ranked are allowed to compete. Length of the track and course/gates setting are also different from classic parallel slalom, and as of 2019/20 season, they are completely replaced with normal parallel races with qualification run.

Men

DatePlaceSeasonWinnerSecondThird
2 January 2011  
1 January 2013   align=center rowspan=2
29 January 2013  
23 February 2016   Marcel Hirscher (2) Stefano Gross
31 January 2017  
1 January 2018   align=center rowspan=2
30 January 2018  
1 January 2019   align=center rowspan=2
19 February 2019   Marco Schwarz

Women

DatePlaceSeasonWinnerSecondThird
2 January 2011  
1 January 2013   align=center rowspan=2
29 January 2013   Mikaela Shiffrin
23 February 2016   Maria Pietilä-Holmner
31 January 2017  
1 January 2018   align=center rowspan=2 Mikaela Shiffrin (2)    Mélanie Meillard
30 January 2018  
1 January 2019   align=center rowspan=2   Wendy Holdener
19 February 2019   Mikaela Shiffrin (3) Anna Swenn-Larsson

Knockout slalom

There were a total of two races (one in the men's category and one in the women's category) and it was in 2002/03 season. The points were added together with slalom races.

Women

Parallel giant slalom

Introduced by the International Ski Federation to the World Cup as a spectator-friendly event in late 2015, the parallel giant slalom competition, or shortened parallel-G, joining the parallel slalom, is intended to lure more speed specialists into the faster of the two technical disciplines, along with attracting their fans to watch the races at the venue, on-line, and on television.[7] Few venues offer the slope and conditions required to host an extremely short Giant slalom course that can be readily viewed in its entirety by a compact gallery of fans. Modified or not, the Federation has not suggested that they will push the format to lower-level tours like the NorAm and Europa Cup.

Format

The Chief Race Director of the inaugural event at Alta Badia, Markus Waldner, on 20 December 2015 stated that "great performances" and "head-to-head fights" between the best giant slalom racers is the goal of the competition. The course for the first race was very compact at about 20–22 seconds duration, or about one-third of a normal GS run. The pace and cadence was the same as Giant slalom, not standard Slalom. Gates were set at roughly the same distances as GS and on a slope of about the same pitch. The field of thirty-two were drawn following an invitational format. The top four men in the overall World Cup rankings were automatic invitees, if they chose to compete. Another 16 racers were selected from the top of the current GS start list rankings, and the final twelve competitors were selected from the 1st run efforts at the standard GS event the day prior at the same venue. Overlapping qualifications allowed the sponsors to invite lower ranked participants to fill in gaps, as needed, and to replace individuals who declined to participate. Points were awarded and accumulated according to current standards for the race season in all relevant categories: the GS discipline, Overall and Nations Cup. The field was filled with thirty-two first round participants, each getting a run on either course. The best combined times moved the fastest racer to the second round through bracket preference protocols. From the second round, skiers the head-to-head competitions were held over one run only, with the faster skier from the previous round granted course selection between the 'red-right' or 'blue-left' course. At about one-third the time of a standard GS event, top performers/finalists were able to make multiple runs without the fatigue of a longer event. The course was methodically set with lasers, and a GPS-equipped Snowcat, to guarantee that both courses on the hill were as identical as possible to ensure equity and a fair competition. The Race Director suggested the difference between the two lanes were within "1–to–2 centimeters" tolerance of one another.

Events

Men's World Cup parallel giant slalom events
Venue Date WinnerSecond Third Fourth Notes
Alta Badia21 December 2015   Kjetil Jansrud Aksel Lund Svindal Andre Myhrer Dominik Schwaiger  [8] [9]
Alta Badia19 December 2016   Cyprien Sarrazin   Carlo Janka[10] [11]
Alta Badia18 December 2017   Matts Olsson Aleksander Aamodt Kilde[12]
Alta Badia17 December 2018   Marcel Hirscher Thibaut Favrot Alexis Pinturault Matts Olsson[13] [14]
Alta Badia23 December 2019   Stefan Luitz[15]
Chamonix9 February 2020     Loïc Meillard   Thomas Tumler Tommy Ford[16]
Lech/Zürs27 November 2020   Alexander Schmid Adrian Pertl[17]
Lech/Zürs14 November 2021   Henrik Kristoffersen[18]
Women's World Cup parallel giant slalom events
Venue Date WinnerSecond Third Fourth Notes
Sestriere19 January 2020   Clara Direz Marta Bassino[19]
Lech/Zürs26 November 2020   Paula Moltzan Sara Hector[20]
Lech/Zürs13 November 2021   Kristin Lysdahl Marta Bassino[21]

Various records

Men

CategorySeason(s)Record
Prize money in CHF (single season) align=center 2023 align=center 941,200
Overall points align=center align=center 2042
Margin of victory align=center align=center 874
Avg. points per race (all participated races - career) align=center 2008-2018 align=center 55,69
Avg. points per race (all races in a season) align=center 2024 align=center 55,63
Avg. points per race (all participed races) align=center 2018 align=center 81
Overall titles align=center 20122019 align=center 8
Consecutive overall titles align=center 20122019 align=center 8
Discipline titles align=center align=center 16
Discipline titles (single season) align=center align=center 4
Total wins align=center align=center 86
Wins (single season) align=center align=center 13
Most wins at one venue (all disciplines) align=center 20122019align=center 9
Most wins at one venue (single discipline) align=center 20082016
20062016
20142019
align=center 6
Most wins (within one calendar year) align=center 2018 align=center 14
Consecutive wins (all disciplines) align=center align=center 10
Consecutive wins (single discipline) 14
Total podiums align=center align=center 155
Podiums (single season) align=center 2000
2023
align=center 22
Consecutive podiums (all disciplines) align=center align=center 41
Consecutive podiums (single discipline) align=center align=center 37
Top ten results align=center align=center 231
Top tens (single season) align=center align=center 28
World Cup starts align=center align=center 441
Participated races (complete season) align=center align=center 37
Winner with the highest start No. align=center align=center 66
Youngest race winner align=center align=center 18.1
Oldest race winner align=center align=center 37.5
Top speed align=center align=center 161.9 km/h
(101 mph)

Women

CategorySeason(s)Record
Prize money in CHF (single season) 2023 964,200
Overall points 2414
Margin of victory 1313
Avg. points per race (all participated races - career) 2012-2019 59.14
Avg. points per race (all races in a season) 69
Avg. points per race (all participed races in a season) 85
Overall titles 6
Consecutive overall titles 5
Discipline titles 16
Discipline titles (single season) 3
Total wins 20122024 97
Wins (single season) 17
Most wins at one venue (all disciplines) 18
Most wins at one venue (single discipline) 14
Most wins (within one calendar year) align=center 2018 align=center 15
Consecutive wins (all disciplines) 10
Consecutive wins (single discipline) 11[22]
Total podiums 20122024 152
Podiums (single season) 24
Consecutive podiums (all disciplines) 14
Consecutive podiums (single discipline) 23
Top ten results 20122024 220
Top tens (single season) 32
World Cup starts 408
Participated races (complete season) 35
Winner with the highest start No. 66
Youngest race winner 16.0
Oldest race winner 33.8
Top speed 143.2 km/h
(89 mph)

Scoring system

The World Cup scoring system is based on awarding a number of points for each place in a race, but the procedure for doing so and the often-arcane method used to calculate the annual champions has varied greatly over the years. Originally, points were awarded only to the top ten finishers in each race, with 25 points for the winner, 20 for second, 15 for third, 11 for fourth, 8 for fifth, 6 for sixth, 4 for seventh, then decreasing by one point for each lower place. To determine the winner for each discipline World Cup, only a racer's best three results counted, from a typical six to eight races in each discipline (consistent with the then-current classification of skiers as amateurs, who couldn't be expected compete all the time). For the overall Cup, only these best three results in each discipline were included. Until 1970, the results of Winter Olympic Games races and Alpine World Ski Championship races were also included in the World Cup points valuation (i.e., Grenoble 1968 and Val Gardena 1970); this was abandoned after 1970, mainly due to the limited number of racers per nation who are permitted to take part in these events. Beginning with the 1971–72 season (the sixth season), the number of results counted was increased to five in each discipline. The formula used to determine the overall winner varied almost every year over the next decade, with some seasons divided into two portions with a fixed number of results in each period counting toward the overall, while in other seasons the best three or four results in each discipline would count.

Starting with the 1979–80 season (the 14th season), points were awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race. After 1980–81, the formula for the overall title stabilized for several years, counting the best 5 results in the original disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) plus the best three results in combined. When Super G events were introduced for the 1982–83 season, the results were included with giant slalom for the first three seasons, before a separate Cup for the discipline was awarded starting in 1985–86 and the top 3 Super G results were counted toward the overall. The formula for the overall was changed yet again the following season, with the top four results in each discipline counting, along with all combined results (although the combined was nearly eliminated from the schedule, reduced to one or two events per season).

This perennial tweaking of the scoring formula was a source of ongoing uncertainty to the World Cup racers and to fans. The need for a complete overhaul of the scoring system had grown increasingly urgent with each successive year, especially once the FIS and the International Olympic Committee accepted after 1984 that the skiers were fully professional and not amateurs, so they no longer needed an artificial limitation on their number of events.

In 1987–88 (the 22nd season), the FIS decided to simplify the system: all results would now count in each discipline and in the overall. This new system was an immediate success, and the practice of counting all results has been maintained in every subsequent season.

With the ongoing expansion of the number and quality of competitors in World Cup races over the years, another major change to the scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season (the 26th season). Instead of only the top 15 skiers scoring points, with 25 points awarded for winning, 20 for second, and 15 for third (as had been done every season after the end of 1978-79), the top 30 finishers in each race would now earn points, with 100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, and then decreasing by smaller increments for each lower place. The point values were adjusted slightly the following season (to adjust and reduce the points for places 4th through 20th), and the scoring system has not been changed again since that year.

The table below compares the point values under all five scoring systems which have been in use:

Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Current system
1993
100 80 60 50 45 40 36 32 29 26 24 22 20 18 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1992 system
1992
100 80 60 55 51 47 43 40 37 34 31 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Top 15 system
19801991
25 20 15 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1979 system †
1979
25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Original system
19671979
25 20 15 11 8 6 4 3 2 1
Place 1 2 3 4 T5 (4) T9 (8)
Parallel slalom
100 80 60 50 40 15
† The scoring system changed during the 1978–79 season; this special system was used for the last two men's downhills and the last three races in every other discipline except combined.

Statistical analysis

Since the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92., the number of completed men's or women's World Cup races each year has ranged from 30 to 44, so the maximum possible point total for an individual racer is about 3000–4400 under the current scoring system. Very few racers actually ski in all events. Bode Miller is the only skier who competed in every World Cup race[23] during the three seasons from 2003 to 2005. The current record for total World Cup points in a season is Tina Maze's 2414 points in 2012–13, with the men's record of 2042 points set by Marco Odermatt in 2022–2023. The fewest points for an overall champion under the current system thus far have been 1009 for men by Aksel Lund Svindal in 2008–09 and 1248 for women by Vreni Schneider in 1994–95. The largest margin of victory in the overall has been Maze's 1313 points in 2012–13, more than doubling second-place finisher Maria Höfl-Riesch's total, while the largest men's margin was 743 points by Hermann Maier in 2000–01. Note that in the early days of World Cup (when the first place was awarded only 25 points), even larger relative margins of victory were recorded in 1967 by Jean-Claude Killy with 225 points over Heinrich Messner with 114 points and in 1973–74 by Annemarie Moser-Pröll with 268 points over Monika Kaserer with 153 points. The closest finishes since 1992 have been minuscule margins of 6 points in 1994–95 (Vreni Schneider over Katja Seizinger), 3 points in 2004–05 (Anja Pärson over Janica Kostelić) and in 2010–11 (Maria Riesch over Lindsey Vonn), and only 2 points in 2008–09 (Aksel Lund Svindal over Benjamin Raich). The current men's record for total World Cup points in one month of the season is Ivica Kostelić's 999 points from January 2011.

The tables below contain a brief statistical analysis of the overall World Cup standings during the 21 seasons since the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92. In general, over 1000 points are needed to contend for the overall title. At least 1 man and 1 woman has scored 1000 points in each of these seasons, but no more than 5 men's or women's racers have crossed that threshold in any single season. Of the 42 men's and women's overall champions in these years, 38 scored over 1200 points, 30 had over 1300 points, 19 reached 1500 points, and only 7 amassed more than 1700 points during their winning seasons. As for the runners-up, 37 of the 42 second-place finishers scored over 1000 points, 18 had over 1300 points, and only 4 reached 1500 points yet failed to win. Most overall titles have been won quite convincingly, by more than 200 points in 23 of 42 cases, while only 11 margins of victory have been tighter than 50 points.

Annual Statistics Calculated for the 19922012 Seasons
Men's overall World Cup
Races Completed 1st Place Points Margin of Victory 2nd Place Points 3rd Place Points Number of Skiers per Season:
> 1000 Pts > 500 Pts > 200 Pts
Maximum44 2000 743 1454 1307 5 21 50
Average35.4 1414 258 1155 1001 2.5 14 41
Minimum30 1009 2 775 760 1 8 37
Women's overall World Cup
Races Completed 1st Place Points Margin of Victory 2nd Place Points 3rd Place Points Number of Skiers per Season:
> 1000 Pts > 500 Pts > 200 Pts
Maximum39 1980 578 1725 1391 5 19 45
Average33.4 1570 244 1326 1117 3.3 13 37
Minimum30 1248 3 931 904 1 9 32
Aggregate Statistics Calculated for the 19922012 Seasons
Men's and Women's overall World Cups: Total Numbers Across 21 Seasons
> 1700 Pts > 1500 Pts > 1300 Pts > 1200 Pts > 1100 Pts > 1000 Pts > 900 Pts > 800 Pts
First place7 19 30 38 41 42 42 42
Second place1 4 18 24 28 37 40 41
Third place4 7 15 27 36 40
> 600 Pts > 500 Pts > 400 Pts > 300 Pts > 200 Pts > 100 Pts >= 50 Pts < 50 Pts
Margin of Victory2 6 10 19 23 28 31 11

Finals

Since 1993 the International Ski Federation (FIS) has hosted a World Cup Final at the end of each season in March. During five days, men's and women's races are held in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, Super G, and downhill, as well as a team event. Only a limited number of racers are invited to ski at the Finals, including the top 25 in the World Cup standings in each discipline, the current junior World Champions in each discipline, and any skiers with at least 500 points in the general classification. Because of the smaller field, World Cup points are only awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race.

From inception, the finals took place during one week, with the speed events held during the week and the technical events during the weekend. However, beginning in 2024, the schedule was changed so that the finals took up two weekends, with the technical events during the first weekend and the speed events during the second.

Hosts

Winners by country

The table below lists those nations which have won at least one World Cup race (current as of 23 March 2024).[29] [30]

Men

RankNationTotal Wins by disciplines
DHSGGSSLKBPSL PGSCEK.O.
1 bgcolor=gold553 bgcolor=gold192 bgcolor=gold86 bgcolor=gold112 bgcolor=gold133 24 bgcolor=gold1 bgcolor=gold2 bgcolor=gold3
2    333 130 48 96 25 bgcolor=gold31 1 2
3 197 53 49 30 49 14 bgcolor=gold2
4 192 46 17 49 74 5 bgcolor=gold1
5 168 33 7 44 68 13 bgcolor=gold2 1
6 130 31 10 45 25 19
7 120 3 53 62 1 1
8 56 11 8 3 30 2 2
9 46 3 9 7 16 11
10 38 30 6 2
11 29 1 3 14 9 1 bgcolor=gold1
12 27 4 3 20
13 24 3 3 4 8 6
14 14 4 10
15 5 1 3 1
16 2 1 1
17 1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
Total 1939 537 249 458 540 134 2 8 10 1

Women

RankNationTotal Wins by disciplines
DHSGGSSLKBPSL PGSCEK.O.
1 bgcolor=gold391 bgcolor=gold124 bgcolor=gold63 bgcolor=gold93 88 22 1
2    334 99 45 82 79 bgcolor=gold28 1
3 260 71 37 43 bgcolor=gold93 10 bgcolor=gold2 bgcolor=gold4
4 190 49 44 52 31 12 1 1
5 163 24 24 53 60 1 bgcolor=gold1
6 129 38 28 45 12 6
7 90 8 8 20 46 6 1 bgcolor=gold1
8 62 11 7 21 18 4 bgcolor=gold1
9 45 3 7 14 13 8
10 41 15 5 12 6 3
11 36 6 26 1 bgcolor=gold1 2
12 30 1 1 2 20 6
13 15 2 4 5 3 1
11 5 6
11 1 7 3
16 8 3 5
17 6 2 2 2
18 5 4 1
19 3 1 1 1
20 1 1
1 1
Total 1832 453 276 463 514 106 6 3 10 1

Alpine team event

RankNationTotal By disciplines
PSL PGS
1 bgcolor=gold5 bgcolor=gold5
2 3 bgcolor=gold2 1
3 3
4 2 2
2 2
6 1 1
1 1
Total 17 3 14

Individual race wins are counted in this table, along with the nations team events held at World Cup Finals since 2006 (counts double as men and women in mixed competition contribute to a win). The "parallel race" is a head-to-head slalom race format used occasionally from the 1970s through 1990s, and again in 2011. Team event wins are doubled (because on one team event race competed both women and men; so it's counted separately each for women and men). Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table. All of Yugoslavia's wins are currently lumped in with Slovenia, since the skiers who won races for former Yugoslavia were all Slovenes from Slovenia (one of six Yugoslav Republics), and thus are listed under Slovenia in online databases. The Soviet Union and Russia are counted separately, as are Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.

A total of 24 countries have won World Cup races, with 19 countries winning men's races and 20 winning women's races. As expected, the top ten nations in this list are the ten nations listed in the Nations Cup summary table (with slight changes in order).

Marc Girardelli accounted for all of Luxembourg's 46 wins, while Janica Kostelić has 30 of Croatia's 56 and her brother Ivica has the rest. Ingemar Stenmark still has nearly one-half of Sweden's 192 wins more than two decades after his retirement. Some nations specialize in either speed (downhill and Super G) or technical (slalom and GS) disciplines, while others are strong across the board. Among nations with 30+ wins, the Canadian team has won 73% of its races in speed events, while Yugoslavia/Slovenia has won 84% and Sweden 86% of their races in technical events, especially notable in Sweden's case given its large number of wins. Several nations with under 30 wins have 100% of them in technical events, led by Finland and Spain. In contrast Germany and Norway have the most even distribution without disproportionate strength or weakness in any one discipline. Some nations have strong teams in only one gender, as 92% of Norway's wins have come from their men and 83% of Germany's from their women, while the Swiss, French and Canadian totals are split almost equally.

Nations Cup

See main article: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Nations Cup standings.

The Nations Cup standings are calculated by adding up all points each season for all racers from a given nation.

The total number of top-three placings for each nation in the Nations Cup (through the 2022–23 season) are summarized below:

NationTotal standings Men's standings Women's standings
FirstSecondThirdFirstSecondThirdFirstSecondThird
align=left 42 14 1 42 11 2 34 15 6
align=left   10 26 12 9 26 12 11 13 10
align=left 5 2 2 3 7 5 6 3 4
align=left 10 19 3 6 20 2 3 11
align=left 3 10 2 3 10 9
align=left 1 9 1 4 12 13
align=left 1 2 5 10
align=left 1 1
align=left 1 1
align=left 4 1 2
Note: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table.

See also

Other world competitions
Statistics

External links

See main article: world cups.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lang, Serge . Serge Lang (skiing) . 21 Years of World Cup Ski Racing . Johnson Books / James Wotton . 1986 . 1-55566-009-6 . Also available under .
  2. Web site: FIS NewsFlash, Edition 72, April 26th, 2006 . 15 August 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930042331/http://www.fis-ski.com/cms/impression_page.htm?page_id=2400&gab_id=5&id_newsflash=18&URL=%2Ffr%2Factualitesinformations%2F1687%2Fnewsflash2006 . 30 September 2007 . dead .
  3. Web site: World Cup History: The FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup . 14 December 2008. Lang . Patrick.
  4. Web site: FIS: Complete Calendar of Alpine Ski World Cup Races . https://archive.today/20120730022851/http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/disciplines/alpineskiing/fiscalendar.html?place_search=&seasoncode_search=all&sector_search=AL&category_search=WC&rec_start=0&limit=100 . dead . 30 July 2012 . 12 February 2012 .
  5. Web site: COMPETITORS HAVING MORE THAN ONE PODIUM. fis-ski.com. 3 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20230319111758/https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/statistics.html?statistictype=positions&positionstype=multi-position&sectorcode=AL&seasoncode=&categorycode=WC&disciplinecode=&gendercode=M&place=&competitornationcode=&position=4&positionsnumber=2. 19 March 2023. dead.
  6. Web site: COMPETITORS HAVING MORE THAN ONE TOP 10 POSITION - ALPINE SKIING MEN. fis-ski.com. 4 February 2018.
  7. Web site: Parallel Giant Slalom Introduced. 9 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20151223231200/http://www.fis-ski.com/alpine-skiing/news-multimedia/news/article=parallel-giant-slalom-introduced-new-discipline.html. 23 December 2015. dead. . International Ski Federation. 20 December 2015.
  8. http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=82786 Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2015
  9. http://data.fis-ski.com/pdf/2016/AL/0119/2016AL0119RLL.pdf Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2015
  10. http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=86820 Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2016
  11. http://medias2.fis-ski.com/pdf/2017/AL/0129/2017AL0129RLL.pdf Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2016
  12. Web site: Alpine Skiing-World Cup Alta Badia men's parallel giant slalom results . . 19 December 2017 . . 2 January 2018 . 3 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180103072749/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/sports/alpine-skiing-world-cup-alta-badia-mens-parallel-giant-slalom-results/articleshow/62126647.cms . dead .
  13. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=95494 Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2018
  14. http://medias2.fis-ski.com/pdf/2019/AL/0057/2019AL0057RLR0.pdf Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2018
  15. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=100120 Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2019
  16. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=100149 Parallel GS Results Chamonix 2020
  17. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=104274 Parallel GS Results Lech/Zürs 2020
  18. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=109239 Parallel GS Results Lech/Zürs 2021
  19. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=100060 Parallel GS Results Ladies Sestriere 2020
  20. https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/results.html?sectorcode=AL&raceid=104275 Parallel GS Results Ladies Lech/Zürs 2020
  21. https://medias1.fis-ski.com/pdf/2022/AL/5004/2022AL5004.pdf Parallel GS Results Ladies Lech/Zürs 2021
  22. Web site: en-US. 'He's on a different planet': Odermatt holds on for 12th straight giant slalom win. FIS. 2024-03-02. 2024-03-03. .
  23. News: World Cup Skiing: Miller pushes limits on slopes despite desire . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Erica . Bulman . 22 October 2005.
  24. News: FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals in Cortina Cancelled . . US Ski and Snowboard . 6 March 2020 . 20 March 2021.
  25. Web site: FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Long Term Calendar . 16 March 2019 . 15 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215212257/https://assets.fis-ski.com/image/upload/v1550074833/fis-prod/assets/LongtermL_M_2019-2022_30.01.2019.pdf . live .
  26. https://www.grandvalira.com/en/news/andorra-will-host-2023-alpine-ski-world-cup-finals Andorra will host the 2023 Alpine Ski World Cup Finals
  27. https://www.saalbach.com/en/saalbach2025/worldcup-finals-2024 Saalbach Hinterglemm will host both the 2024 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals and the 2025 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
  28. News: Sun Valley set to host 2025 Alpine Ski World Cup Finals. Gabe. Barnard. Idaho Mountain Express. 19 December 2023. 29 March 2024.
  29. Web site: World Cup Men's Races, Team Stats. Ski-db.com. 14 December 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100101104413/http://www.ski-db.com/db/stats/WC_m_nations.asp. 1 January 2010. dead.
  30. Web site: World Cup Women's Races, Team Stats. Ski-db.com. 5 January 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20100102082401/http://www.ski-db.com/db/stats/WC_f_nations.asp. 2 January 2010. dead.