Alexis Pinturault / GEPA pictures
There has been a wave of high-profile retirements across the men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup, with several of the sport’s big names announcing their retirement during the 2026 season. We said goodbye to some true ski racing legends as well as some racers forced into early retirement, and in this article, we take a closer look at the careers, achievements, and lasting impact of the alpine ski racers retiring in 2026.
🇫🇷 Alexis Pinturault (FRA, 1991, Head)
At 35, Alexis Pinturault steps away as one of the defining all-around skiers of his generation. Competing on Head skis, boots, and bindings, the Frenchman built a career on versatility, strength, and the ability to push the limit across every discipline.
Pinturault earned three Olympic medals and three World Championship titles, including two in alpine combined and one in team parallel, consistently delivering on the sport’s biggest stages.
On the World Cup, he amassed 34 victories and 77 podiums, highlighted by 18 giant slalom wins, 10 alpine combined victories, three slalom wins, and one victory each in super-G, parallel, and city event.
He captured the Overall World Cup title in 2021, along with the giant slalom globe that same season, confirming his status as the most complete skier in the world at his peak.
He made his World Cup debut in Åre, Sweden, in March 2009, launching a career that spanned more than 15 years at the highest level.
Alexis Pinturault is one of the best ski racers of his generation and ranks highly among the sport’s all-time all-around skiers.
🇫🇷 Adrien Théaux (FRA, 1984)
At 41, Adrien Théaux retires after a long and consistent career among the speed elite. He recorded 13 World Cup podiums, including six in downhill, six in super-G, and one in alpine combined.
The Frenchman is a three-time World Cup downhill winner. Théaux won in Lenzerheide 2011, Kvitfjell 2013 and Santa Caterina in 2015, marking a strong multi-year stretch competing at the limit in speed disciplines.
He represented his country at nine World Ski Championships between 2007 and 2025, securing a bronze medal in the 2013 super-G in Schladming.
Théaux also flew the French flag at three Olympic Winter Games (2010, 2014 and 2018) with a personal best finish of 11th in the 2014 super-G.
A dependable presence for France over his 22-year World Cup career, Théaux brought strength and commitment to some of the most demanding tracks in the world.
🇬🇧 Dave Ryding (GBR, 1986, Head)
At 39, Dave Ryding closes one of the most remarkable careers in British alpine skiing history. He became a consistent force in slalom through hard work and determination over the last 25 years.
Ryding recorded seven World Cup slalom podiums, highlighted by his historic victory in Kitzbühel in 2022, the first and, so far, only World Cup win for a British alpine skier. He also added two city event podiums.
A five-time Olympian, Ryding’s career was defined by relentless progression, technical strength, and his ability to push the limit against the world’s best alpine nations.
Beyond results, his impact continues through the inspiration he has provided to young British skiers progressing toward the World Cup tour.
🇷🇺 Alexander Khoroshilov (RUS, 1984)
Having had his career cut short by the FIS ban on Russian athletes following the war in Ukraine, Alexander Khoroshilov has now retired, aged 42.
Khoroshilov spent nearly 18 years on the World Cup circuit, making his debut in December 2004 and recording 192 World Cup starts in total.
He is one of only two Russian skiers to have won an alpine World Cup race and remains the most recent to do so, with his victory in Schladming in 2015 among his 10 podiums.
He represented Russia at nine World Championships (2005-2021), and five Olympic Games (2006-2022), with fifth place in the 2017 World Championships slalom in St. Moritz marking his best major championship result.
It is unfortunate that one of the sport’s nicest guys, as well as someone who represented one of the “smaller skiing” nations, never got a goodbye from the World Cup tour, but his career and consistency emphasize the quality of athlete he was.
🇨🇭 Niels Hintermann (SUI, 1995, Atomic)
At 30, Niels Hintermann steps away after establishing himself as a powerful force in downhill. He recorded six World Cup downhill podiums, including two victories, both in Kvitfjell in 2022 and 2024.
Earlier in his career, he won an alpine combined race in Wengen in 2017, showcasing his versatility.
Hintermann’s career was interrupted when he missed part of the 2024 season and all of 2025 while battling lymph node cancer, a challenge he faced with the same strength he brought to every ski race.
During his comeback and final season (2025–26), Hintermann added two more World Cup top-10 results, including a best performance of sixth in the Kitzbühel downhill in January.
Even within a Swiss team stacked with speed, Hintermann stood out for his strength and commitment in downhill.
🇩🇪 Andreas Sander (GER, 1989)
At 36, Andreas Sander concludes a long career as a regular competitor in the speed disciplines. He earned one World Cup downhill podium and one World Cup super-G podium during his 15-plus years on tour.
Sander made his World Cup debut in Bormio in March 2008 (super-G), beginning a career that would span nearly two decades.
Both Sander’s podiums came in the same month, March 2023. He finished runner-up in the Aspen super-G before placing third in the Soldeu downhill at finals in an unforgettable fortnight.
His biggest achievement came at the global level with a World Championship downhill silver medal in 2021, just a hundredth of a second behind Vincent Kriechmayr in Cortina, demonstrating his ability to deliver under pressure on the sport’s biggest stage.
🇬🇷🇺🇸 A.J. Ginnis (GRE/USA, 1996)
At 31, A.J. Ginnis has called time on his career after being hampered by injury over the last two seasons.
Ginnis formerly represented the United States but switched his allegiance to his native Greece, which he has represented since. While competing for the United States, he won a bronze medal in slalom at the 2015 World Junior Championships in Hafjell.
He scored a historic World Cup podium and World Championship medal within a few weeks of each other, finishing third in the World Cup slalom in Chamonix and taking silver at the 2023 World Championships in Courchevel.
His results marked a rare breakthrough for a non-traditional alpine nation and highlighted his ability to compete at the limit in slalom.
🇺🇸 Jared Goldberg (USA, 1991) — Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, Utah
At 34, Jared Goldberg steps away after a long career as a consistent presence in the U.S. speed program. He made 194 World Cup starts and represented the United States at two Olympic Winter Games (2014, 2018) and five World Championships.
Goldberg recorded one World Cup podium, finishing second in Val Gardena in 2024, just 0.01 seconds from victory, along with seven top-10 results.
Known for his versatility, he proved capable across a wide range of tracks—from the terrain of Val Gardena to the power demands of Kvitfjell and the challenges of Kitzbühel, where he finished fourth on the Streif in 2023.
A long-time member of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Goldberg built his career on resilience, consistency, and the ability to push his skiing to the limit in the speed disciplines.
🇨🇭 Marc Rochat (SUI, 1993, Nordica)
After over a decade on the World Cup circuit, Marc Rochat announced his retirement this spring.
The man from Lausanne has been a regular feature on the World Cup tour since his debut in December 2015, scoring points in his second World Cup start the following month.
Over his 105 World Cup starts, the 33-year-old scored 11 World Cup top-10 results with a personal best of fourth from the 2023 Finals in Soldeu and in Schladming in 2024.
Rochat represented Switzerland at two World Championships, taking a team combined bronze medal in 2025 in Saalbach.
In one of the deepest slalom fields on the World Cup tour, Rochat remained a consistent presence.
🇮🇹 Simon Maurberger (ITA, 1994)
At 31, Simon Maurberger retires after a decade competing primarily in slalom. He made his World Cup debut in Sölden in 2014.
While he did not reach a World Cup podium, he achieved a key milestone by qualifying for the World Cup Finals in slalom in 2020, placing him among the top technical specialists that season.
The Italian scored five World Cup top-10 finishes in his career, four in slalom, with a personal best of fifth in the 2020 Schladming slalom.
He went to two World Championships for Italy and won team event bronze in 2019 in Åre, Sweden.
Maurberger built his career through persistence in one of the most competitive disciplines on the World Cup tour.
🇨🇦 Riley Seger (CAN, 1998)
At 28, Seger announced his retirement.
Seger made his World Cup debut in Sölden in the 2019 giant slalom.
He recorded a World Cup career-best 10th in the 2023 Aspen super-G, one of four top-15 results during his World Cup career.
Seger represented Canada at the 2025 World Championships and became an Olympian in 2026, competing in the super-G.
In 2021/22, Seger won the Nor-Am Cup giant slalom title, reflecting his versatility across both speed and technical disciplines.
At Montana State University, Seger built an outstanding NCAA career:
First-Team All-American (2023): 3rd place in giant slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships, (2022): 3rd place in giant slalom at the NCAA Skiing Championships.
Second-Team All-American (2021): 6th place in giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
Seger’s versatility across disciplines and levels made him a valuable part of Alpine Canada in recent seasons.
🇮🇹 Hannes Zingerle (ITA, 1995)
At 30, the Italian giant slalom specialist has announced his retirement.
With over 50 World Cup starts to his name over the last nine years, Zingerle recorded three World Cup top-15 results.
One of his top-15 finishes came when he finished 13th in Schladming in 2024. A year earlier, he placed 14th at the same venue from bib 58.
Having spent the 2022/23 season with Paul Epstein’s Team Global Racing, his improved results earned him a spot back on the Italian team—a place he was unable to utilize while struggling with injury.
🇨🇭 Daniele Sette (SUI, 1992, Nordica)
At 34, Daniele Sette has announced his retirement.
After his World Cup debut at home in Adelboden in 2014, Sette didn’t start another World Cup race for over five years. He retires with 34 World Cup starts, including 13 World Cup top-30 finishes.
In 2021, Sette managed a career best of 11th in Bansko, Bulgaria, in the giant slalom.
Sette was another member of the now-defunct Team Global Racing.
🇨🇦 Simon Fournier (CAN, 1997)
At 28, Simon Fournier steps away after building his career through the NorAm circuit, NCAA competition, and the World Cup. He made 33 World Cup starts, debuting in Levi in November 2019.
He found his greatest success on the NorAm circuit, winning the slalom title in 2019, and in 2024, capturing both the giant slalom title and the overall NorAm title.
At the University of Denver, Fournier built a strong NCAA career:
First-Team All-American (2022): 4th place in slalom at the NCAA Championships, (2021): 3rd place in slalom at the NCAA Championships, (2020): 5th place in giant slalom at the NCAA Championships, (2019): NCAA runner-up (2nd place) in giant slalom as a freshman.
🇦🇺 Harry Laidlaw (AUS, 1996, Völkl / Marker)
Harry Laidlaw concludes his career after competing across World Cup, Olympic, and championship stages. He made 19 World Cup starts, along with two Olympic appearances and four World Championship starts.
He achieved success on the continental circuits, earning a Europa Cup giant slalom podium, along with three NorAm victories and another podium.
Laidlaw also qualified for a World Cup second run, a milestone achieved by few skiers and an especially notable accomplishment for an Australian athlete, though he did not finish the run.
A graduate of Burke Mountain Academy and a member of Global Racing, Laidlaw’s career reflects a strong development pathway from elite junior programs to international competition.
🇨🇦 William St-Germain (CAN)
At 33, the Canadian tech skier William St-Germain has announced his retirement.
St-Germain grew up in Mont St. Anne, Quebec, skiing alongside his sister, Laurence—the 2023 world slalom champion.
Despite only starting three World Cup races, all in the last two seasons, St-Germain enjoyed a successful NCAA career with the University of Vermont:
First-Team All-American (2017): NCAA runner-up (2nd place) in slalom.
Second-Team All-American (2015): giant slalom at the NCAA Championships.
St-Germain spent the last three seasons with Team Global Racing.
He retired from competitive ski racing at the U.S. Nationals at the end of March.
🇺🇸 Jacob Dilling (USA, 1999, Atomic)
At 26, Jacob Dilling, an American from the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and the University of Colorado, has announced his retirement.
A constant presence on the Nor-Am Cup circuit, including a win in 2023 and a podium in Lake Louise last January, Dilling may not have started a World Cup race but was a fierce competitor on the Continental Cup tour.
Before attending the University of Colorado, Dilling was a member of the U.S. Ski Team and competed in 14 career Europa Cup races.
At the University of Colorado, Dilling built a strong NCAA career:
Second-Team All-American (2022): NCAA Championships.
Dilling’s career was impacted by back pain, which ultimately prevented him from reaching his full potential at the highest level.
He concluded his career as a member of Global Racing at the U.S. Nationals in his hometown of Vail at the end of March.
A Class That Reflects the Depth of the Sport
Over a hundred World Cup podiums and 41 wins have been split between the retiring male athletes in 2026, highlighting the depth and strength of the athletes leaving the sport and how they will be missed on tour.
From Overall World Cup champions to NorAm and NCAA standouts, this group reflects the full pathway of alpine ski racing at the highest level.
The memories of their incredible performances, results, and the emotions these athletes brought to fans across the sport highlight the lasting impact they will leave behind.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
