Sölden post-mortem

Like many ski racing enthusiasts, I watch the recent opeing race in Sölden and while some think the Rettenbach slope is one of the most punishing on the circuit with gradients of up to 68% (approximately 34 degrees) on its steepest section, it’s quite brutal and, in my view, lacks the variety of sites like Adelboden or Alta Badia. 

The race starting at an altitude of 3,040 meters drops about 370 meters over a course length of nearly 1.2 kilometers. This "very long and steep ascent" is considered the key passage of the Rettenbachferner glacier. To break the monotony of the flat end-section, 2026 saw its profile further “enhanced” by deliberately modeling it three wave-like bumps. 

Without natural snowpack, the snow on the race course was praised for being in excellent condition. This was achieved through a massive logistical effort involving 60,000 m³ of snow stockpiled from the previous spring and preserved over the summer using the "snow farming" method allowing to keep 70 to 80% of the stored snow over the summer. 

That old snow, combined with high-performance snowmaking systems activated by a cold spell, created a "compact and race-ready base" with an "ideal snow surface". The result was the hard, icy, and consistent racing surface required for a fair World Cup race. This said, it was hard to shy away from the view of the Rettenbach Glacier looking "unusually brown" just before the races, with the prepared piste looking like a narrow white ribbon in a barren landscape. 

Whatever snow was there was ultimately tested by difficult and rapidly changing weather on race day, which became a major story-line for pundits as the women's GS was delayed by 30 minutes due to snow and wind on the glacier, setting a chaotic tone for the day. 

Then the race became a battle not just against the clock, but against the elements, with a changing weather becoming a decisive factor in the race outcome. Mikaela Shiffrin, who led after the first run, encountered fog and increasingly dark conditions in her second run. 

Meanwhile, Paula Moltzan who won the day, caught a crucial break of sunlight, allowing her to ski a flawless second run and take the victory. Shiffrin later admitted, "It was tough, you can say that, this second run... It was getting darker and darker on the course". I didn’t particularly enjoyed the race, but based on the press articles I read, I must have been the only one!