From sunbathing in Portugal to training in Austria: skiing’s finest are loving life post Sölden

After the high of the Audi FIS World Cup season getting underway with record breaking crowds and TV viewers in Sölden, Austria on 26-27 October, the world’s best Alpine skiers were presented with somewhat of a conundrum: how to handle a near three-week break until racing starts again?

Answers have been brilliantly varied, as everyone seeks to grab an advantage while balancing the need to stay fit and healthy.

The fact that the two men’s and women’s mid-November slalom double-headers – in Levi, Finland 16-17 November and Gurgl, Austria 23-24 November – are followed by an electrifying run of four North American speed and technical World Cups in the space of just 16 days only adds to the intrigue.

Sölden staycation

First up, some skiers clearly loved the vibe so much that they simply decided not to leave Sölden.

The Austrian and Swiss will have had plenty of time to renew skiing’s oldest rivalry, with many of the two nation’s technical teams having chosen to continue to fine tune down the famous Rettenbach Glacier.

Neither Marco Odermatt (SUI) nor Manuel Feller (AUT) got much time to test their race pace in the World Cup giant slalom – both skiing out at the same turn in run one. But they should be in good shape by the time they leave the Austrian resort.

“Hopefully the weather is clear, no clouds in the night, so that it's freezing overnight because the temperature is really high for the next two weeks,” defending men’s slalom World Cup champion Feller said. “So hopefully good conditions to make some slalom turns.”

Fellow Austrian Julia Scheib has also been putting the hours in down the Rettenbach. Fresh from grabbing her first ever World Cup podium, in front of home fans, Scheib admitted “ambitions are high” as she looks to kick on.

Landing early in Levi

It is of course the time of the season when objectives are stratospheric across the board. Given this, it is no surprise plenty of athletes have taken the opportunity to see if they can get extra time on the race slopes in Levi.

“The season is on,” Lena Duerr (GER) said, revealing that after snatching 10^th in Sölden, her best GS result in almost 13 years, she was heading to Finland as quickly as possible.

“I like having a gap and changing to shorter skis again. Three weeks training is not that much. It will be quick and then we will be racing again.”

Like Duerr, Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) was a somewhat unfamiliar sight on GS skis in the season opener. And while he won’t be in Levi, or indeed Gurgl, the speedster has just as intense a schedule planned for the coming weeks.

To train or to holiday…?

With the gap not quite long enough for athletes to travel too far, the USA women’s technical team have neatly illustrated the differing approaches for those based the far side of the Atlantic Ocean.

First up, Mikaela Shiffrin revealed post Sölden that she would be “staying in Europe somewhere” to train. That somewhere ended up being the Tiefenbach glacier in Austria, where she worked alongside arguably the form women’s GS skier, Alice Robinson (second in four of her past five races for the New Zealander) and the four-time downhill World Cup champion Sofia Goggia (ITA). What a trio.

But with a long and demanding season ahead, Shiffrin’s teammate Nina O’Brien pointed out that training is not the only option.

There’s no doubting O’Brien and Hensien deserve some R&R. The duo returned to action in Sölden after more than a year out with injury and both secured their best ever World Cup finishes.

“Nina and I are talking about a lot of sightseeing, and we are going to try some new food,” said Hensien who finished fourth, three places ahead of O’Brien.

Escaping the spotlight

For those based in Europe, it may not be traditional holiday time but that has not stopped some heading home for some valuable downtime.

Five-time Olympic medallist Wendy Holdener admitted that it had been “a big challenge” to be in Sölden after injury and the devastating death of her brother, Kevin.

“I am totally happy with the break,” Holdener said. “I will go home for eight, nine days and do some weight-lifting and dry land stuff and also enjoy family time before being on the road again.”

Fellow superstar Marcel Hirscher (NED) is another in need of moments away from the spotlight. After the huge hype of his return to the action, the 35-year-old slipped off to his happy place.

He is planning to be in Levi, where he will join fellow comeback king Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. The 2023 men’s slalom World Cup champion can’t wait to continue his mission.

“I don't want to be an inspiration for people to start skiing,” Braathen said. “I want to be an inspiration for people to do whatever makes them happy, because that's what matters.”

But of course, not everyone will be heading to the snowy depths of Scandinavia. Conny Hütter (AUT) is one who is taking the opposite route. The winner of last season’s downhill World Cup crown is relishing the chance to find her speed again on a four-week training trip to Copper Mountain, USA.

“I need this time to go slowly back so I can feel ready not only in my mind, but also in my body. I need a few days with my knees, the tension around my knees,” Hütter said. “I need to find the mindset for racing, and also find the speed, the line, the position and everything.”

Even off the snow she’ll be focused on skiing…