This weekend, the fastest ski racers in the world descend upon Lake Louise Ski Resort to begin the Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup. An adrenaline-pumping event with races in two categories – downhill and super-G – Lake Louise Ski Resort is the first stop in North America on the men’s and women’s World Cup circuit. The men’s World Cup races begin Nov. 26-28 while the women’s races kick off next weekend, Dec. 3-5.
In other words, the World Cup at Lake Louise Ski Resort is the first major alpine speed racing event of the season – and you’re invited!
World cup racing is back
It’s hard to believe that it was only one year ago that World Cup racing decided to take a hiatus from the event circuit. (Well, events outside Europe that is.) A tough, but important call, this move was made to ensure the health and safety of fans, athletes, and supporters of the alpine ski racing community.
Now, after a brief pause, the much-anticipated World Cup or “White Circus” is back in locations around the world, including it’s kick-off at Lake Louise Ski Resort – a famed alpine skiing destination known for its fantastic early season snow conditions and one of the only North American stops on the World Cup racing circuit. (Plus, the only stop that hosts men’s and women’s racing events back to back!)
Events schedule – Men’s World Cup
Friday, November 26 | Men’s Downhill ***CANCELLED DUE TO SNOWFALL***
Sometimes you get too much of a good thing! 27cm (11″) of snow in 24 hours resulted in the cancellation of this race.
11:00am-2:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
11:15am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
12:00pm – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Men’s Downhill Day 1
2:00pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Saturday, November 27 | Men’s Downhill
11:00am-2:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
11:30am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
12:15pm – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Men’s Downhill Day 2
2:15pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Sunday, November 28 | Men’s Super-G ***CANCELLED DUE TO SNOWFALL***
11:00am-2:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
11:30am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
12:15pm – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Men’s Super-G
2:15pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Events schedule – Women’s World Cup
**Schedule subject to change based on weather conditions**
Friday, December 3 | Women’s Downhill
11:30am-2:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
11:45am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
12:30pm – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Women’s Downhill Day 1
2:30pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Saturday, December 4 | Women’s Downhill
11:30am-2:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
11:45am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
12:30pm – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Women’s Downhill Day 2
2:30pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Sunday December 5 | Women’s Super-G
9:30am-12:30pm – FREE fan cheering zone, at the finish area
9:45am – Opening ceremonies, at the finish area
10:30am – Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Women’s Super-G
12:30pm – Winterstart Awards – Following the race, at the finish area
Types of races
The World Cup circuit features more than 80 races where competitors attempt to achieve the best time in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, super G, and downhill. At the World Cup at Lake Louise Ski Resort, both male and female racers will be racing in downhill and super-G events.
What’s the difference between downhill & super-G?
Downhill: Considered the top “speed” event, the gates are narrow and the stakes are high as racers reach speeds of up to 130km/h and drop 800 vertical metres on Lake Louise’s downhill course.
Super-G: Also considered a “speed event” (although not quite as fast as downhill) in this event the gates are wider forcing racers to cut wide, technical turns around the gates.
What’s the best spot to watch the action?
The World Cup races will take place on Lake Louise’s famous ‘Men’s Downhill’ run, on the front side of Whitehorn Mountain. While mother nature has been very kind (blessing the resort with more than 100cm of new snow this month!) the operations team at Lake Louise Ski Resort have also been hard at work snow-making, grooming, and reinforcing hundreds of metres of fencing in preparation for this event.
If you and your friends and family are coming up to Lake Louise this weekend and want to check out the action, it’ll be hard to miss the large, loud spectator area at the bottom of the run. Just up the run right in front of the Lodge of Ten Peaks, between the Glacier Express and Grizzly Gondola, you won’t miss it!
Featuring bleacher seating at the base and a large margin of standing room along the right side of the course, fans are invited to walk up the run and stand outside of the fencing to catch a glimpse of the world-famous racers as they flash down the hill and tear into the finish line. Big screens at the racecourse base will also be projecting the action for fans further back.
Women’s World Cup: athletes to watch out for
Don’t know who to cheer for? New to alpine racing? No problem. Here are a few “ones to watch” during the World Cup at Lake Louise Ski Resort, both weekends.
Team Canada
Marie-Michelle “Mitch” Gagnon | @mmgagnon
Claiming an impressive 12th place in this week’s training runs, Gagon is hungry for the podium and a top contender for a medal this year.
View this post on Instagram
Team USA
Mikaela Shiffrin |@mikaelashiffrin
2 time Olympic and 6 time World Cup winner, Shiffrin is one serious racer to keep your eyes on (if you can!).
Team Italy
Sofia Goggia | @iamsofiagoggia
View this post on Instagram
Team Switzerland
Lara Gut Behrami | @laragutbehrami
Team Czech Republic
Ester Ledecka | @esterledecka
Men’s World Cup: athletes to watch out for
Team Canada
“Iron” Jeff Reid | @jeffread
Banff’s very own superstar who got his start racing Mt. Norquay!
Brodie “The Bullet” Seger | @brodieseger
A young talent helping Team Canada pull towards a major breakthrough.
Ben Thomsen | @thomsenshow
Another Canuck to watch “with a serious golf and dirt bike addiction”.
Cameron Alexander | @_camalexander
Hailing from Whistler, BC, this young star has been showing a breakout performance.
Manny Osborne-Paradis |@manny_ski
Look out for this legendary skier who will be skiing his ceremonial “last run” before retirement, a run he never got to do because of the pandemic last season.
Team USA
Ryan Cochrane-Siegle | @rc.s
This Vermonter has been on fire the last few seasons.
Travis Ganong | @travisganong
The Tahoe speed king himself.
Team Austria
Otmar Striedinger | @otistriedinger
Or “Oti” as he’s known, is a young talent that’s hungry for the podium and pushing hard to prove his merit on the high-performing Austrian team. He finished 2nd on the first training day for men’s downhill (Nov. 23).
Max Franz | @maxfranzz
Austrian team veteran with a ton of victories under his belt
Matthias Mayer |@matthiasmayer_
This Austrian legend, with many victores, will be tough competition to beat.
View this post on Instagram
Team Norway
Kjetil Jansrud |@kjansrud
A Norwegian skiing icon who’s won almost everything under the sun, this may be his final trip to Lake Louise.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde | @akilde
An overall World Cup Globe winner – he placed first on the second training day, Nov. 24.
View this post on Instagram
Team Switzerland
Beat Feuz | @feuz87
Aka “Kugelblitz” (which means lightning ball in Swiss-German), this rockstar and 4 time Crystal Globe winner will be on the podium for sure!
Marco Odermat | @marcoodermat
At only 24 years old, this young competitor is proving his incredible talent early.
View this post on Instagram
Team Italy
Dominik Paris | @dominikparis
When he’s not winning World Cup races he’s the lead singer of a heavy metal band.
Team France
Johan Clarey | @yoclarey
With a big heart and big frame, he will be skiing for teammate Adrian Theaux who had a serious racing accident last week.
What happens to the winners
So what is the World Cup even about? What do the winners win? These racers are putting everything on the line to achieve the ultimate goal – winning the coveted crystal globe and title of the best alpine ski racer in the world. The World Cup circuit is an epic journey with more than 80 races on the calendar the most notable of these being the races at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, scheduled from 6-19 February 2022, on the new pistes in Yanqing at China’s new National Alpine Skiing Centre.
Be a part of the action. Watch where it all begins! World Cup at Lake Louise Ski Resort welcomes the world.
At SkiBig3, we’re excited to be welcoming both athletes and visitors from around the world back to the Canadian Rockies. Can’t make the races this weekend, experience these mountain for yourself and check out these famous runs on your own time. To book your winter ski vacation to Banff and Lake Louise this season, call 1-844-754-2443 to speak with a reservation specialist or go online to access some exceptional Ski & Stay Package deals.
