Ryan Cochran-Siegle / GEPA pictures
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men’s downhill in Courchevel, France, now scheduled for Friday, March 13, is the eighth downhill of the 2025-26 season and the final regular-season downhill race before the World Cup Finals field is finalized. The race will take place on L’Éclipse, one of the newest and most demanding tracks on the men’s circuit.
This article provides everything fans need ahead of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men’s downhill in Courchevel, France. Readers will find how and when to watch the race, the official start list, the daily program, and analysis of the field, including the current downhill standings, podium trends from the season, and a look at the skiers most likely to challenge for the podium on the L’Éclipse course.
With only two downhill races remaining this season, the stakes are high across the standings. Marco Odermatt leads the discipline standings by a wide margin and could effectively lock up the downhill crystal globe with another strong result in Courchevel.
What does the 2025-26 downhill season look like so far?
| Venue | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek (USA) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇺🇸 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) | 🇳🇴 Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) |
| Val Gardena / Gröden DH1 (ITA) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) | 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA) |
| Val Gardena / Gröden DH2 (ITA) | 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇮🇹 Florian Schieder (ITA) |
| Wengen (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇦🇹 Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) | 🇮🇹 Giovanni Franzoni (ITA) |
| Kitzbühel (AUT) | 🇮🇹 Giovanni Franzoni (ITA) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇫🇷 Maxence Muzaton (FRA) |
| Crans-Montana (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) | 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA) | 🇺🇸 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) |
| Olympic Cortina (ITA) | 🥇 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) | 🥈 🇮🇹 Giovanni Franzoni (ITA) | 🥉 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA) |
| Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) | 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Alexis Monney (SUI) | 🇨🇭 Stefan Rogentin (SUI) |
Season podium snapshot (through Garmisch-Partenkirchen)
- 4 different race winners
- 10 different skiers have reached the podium
- 6 countries represented on the podium
Podium totals by country
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland — 10
🇮🇹 Italy — 6
🇦🇹 Austria — 2
🇺🇸 United States — 2
🇳🇴 Norway — 1
🇫🇷 France — 1
The numbers highlight Switzerland’s dominance in the discipline this winter, capped by the Swiss podium sweep in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which extended the nation’s lead in total podium appearances.
Who leads the downhill standings heading into Courchevel?
Top Five – World Cup Downhill Standings (7 of 9 races)
1st 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI, 1997, Stöckli) — 610 pts
2nd 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI, 2001, Head) — −175
3rd 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA, 1989, Nordica) — −285
4th 🇮🇹 Giovanni Franzoni (ITA, 2001, Oakley) — −336
5th 🇮🇹 Florian Schieder (ITA, 1995, Atomic) — −359
With two downhill races remaining — Courchevel and the World Cup Finals — the race for the downhill crystal globe heavily favors Odermatt.
The Swiss star holds a commanding 175-point lead over Olympic downhill champion Franjo von Allmen, making it difficult to see anyone else taking the season title. For von Allmen to overtake him, Odermatt would essentially have to collapse over the final two races while von Allmen produces near-perfect results.
Given Odermatt’s consistency this season, the downhill globe is firmly in his control heading into Courchevel.
Which skiers are most likely to fight for the podium?
The podium contenders in Courchevel are most likely to come from the group of skiers currently holding the top ten positions on the World Cup Downhill Start List (WCSL). Their bib numbers indicate when the strongest racers will start, giving viewers a clear sense of when the most likely podium contenders will push the limit on L’Éclipse.
Top 10 – WCSL Downhill (ordered by bib)
- Bib 6 🇮🇹 Giovanni Franzoni (ITA, 2001, Oakley) — WCSL DH Rank 4
- Bib 7 🇨🇭 Alexis Monney (SUI, 2000, Stöckli) — WCSL DH Rank 5
- Bib 8 🇫🇷 Nils Allegre (FRA, 1994) — WCSL DH Rank 8
- Bib 9 🇦🇹 Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT, 1991, Head) — WCSL DH Rank 6
- Bib 10 🇮🇹 Mattia Casse (ITA, 1990) — WCSL DH Rank 10
- Bib 11 🇮🇹 Florian Schieder (ITA, 1995, Atomic) — WCSL DH Rank 7
- Bib 12 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI, 2001, Head) — WCSL DH Rank 2
- Bib 13 🇺🇸 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA, 1992, Head) — WCSL DH Rank 9
- Bib 14 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI, 1997, Stöckli) — WCSL DH Rank 1
- Bib 15 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA, 1989, Nordica) — WCSL DH Rank 3
What does the North American picture look like before the Finals?
The standings also create an important subplot for several North American racers heading into Courchevel. It is surprising to see 2025 Kitzbühel Champion James Crawford currently outside the projected World Cup Finals downhill field; he would need something spectacular in Courchevel to move into the top 25 and earn an invitation.
Two North Americans, however, have already secured their places in the Finals. Cameron Alexander of Alpine Canada and Ryan Cochran-Siegle of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team both have enough points to qualify regardless of how they ski in Courchevel.
For several others, the margin is extremely tight. A few racers could still move into the top 25 with an exceptional performance and some help from athletes immediately ahead of them in the standings. That reality means Friday’s race will be the final World Cup downhill of the season for many skiers.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team
- Bib 13 🇺🇸 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA, 1992, Head) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Mt. Mansfield Ski Academy / Cochran’s Ski Club — World Cup DH Rank 8, 192 DH pts
- Bib 25 🇺🇸 Bryce Bennett (USA, 1992) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team — World Cup DH Rank 37, 32 DH pts
- Bib 30 🇺🇸 Kyle Negomir (USA, 1998, Atomic) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail / Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy — World Cup DH Rank 30, 39 DH pts
- Bib 37 🇺🇸 Wiley Maple (USA, 1990, Atomic) — USA Independent — World Cup DH Rank 46, 20 DH pts
- Bib 41 🇺🇸 Jared Goldberg (USA, 1991) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team
- Bib 42 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (USA, 1996, Head) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team / Middlebury College — World Cup DH Rank 33, 36 DH pts
- Bib 46 🇺🇸 Sam Morse (USA, 1996) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Carrabassett Valley Academy — World Cup DH Rank 52, 7 DH pts
- Bib 58 🇺🇸 Isaiah Nelson (USA, 2001) — Stifel U.S. Ski Team
Alpine Canada
- Bib 16 🇨🇦 Cameron Alexander (CAN, 1997) — Alpine Canada — World Cup DH Rank 13, 122 DH pts
- Bib 17 🇨🇦 James Crawford (CAN, 1997, Head) — Alpine Canada — World Cup DH Rank 39, 28 DH pts
- Bib 32 🇨🇦 Brodie Seger (CAN, 1995, Atomic) — Alpine Canada — World Cup DH Rank 47, 18 DH pts
- Bib 38 🇨🇦 Jeffrey Read (CAN, 1997, Atomic) — Alpine Canada — World Cup DH Rank 55, 4 DH pts
GB Snowsport
- Bib 56 🇬🇧 Owen Vinter (GBR, 2001)
Friday’s downhill takes place on March 13th and begins at 6:00 a.m. EDT / 3:00 a.m. PDT. Fans in Great Britain can watch the race at 10:00
How to Watch
- 🇺🇸 United States: Live and replay coverage on Ski and Snowboard Live
- 🇨🇦 Canada: Live streaming on CBC Sports.
- 🇬🇧 Great Britain: Both races air live on Discovery+
Daily Program
Click on the image to download
Men’s Start List
About the Author: Peter Lange
