Patrouille Suisse Wengen prerace air show / GEPA pictures
Lauberhorn legend awaits as Wengen’s downhill takes center stage
The tight valley above Wengen comes alive before a single racer pushes out of the start gate. A Swiss Air Force, Patrouille Suisse, air show rips through the mountains, echoing off the cliffs, setting the tone for one of alpine skiing’s most iconic days. Then attention turns to the Lauberhorn — by far the longest downhill on the World Cup circuit and a true classic. Win here and you don’t just claim a World Cup victory — you become a legend.
Saturday’s men’s downhill is only the fourth race of the discipline this season, amplifying the stakes in a winter with limited downhill opportunities. With so few starts so far this season, every result carries outsized importance — and nowhere more so than on the Lauberhorn.
Season context: just three downhills so far
The men have raced only three World Cup downhills this winter:
- Beaver Creek
- Val Gardena / Gröden (two races)
That scarcity adds urgency to Wengen, where one run can reshape the season narrative.
Men’s World Cup downhill podium table — 2025–26
| Venue | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Podium snapshot: Swiss dominance
- Winners: 2 — both 🇨🇭 Swiss (Odermatt, von Allmen)
- Countries on the podium: 4 (🇨🇭 SUI, 🇮🇹 ITA, 🇺🇸 USA, 🇳🇴 NOR)
Podium finishes by country (9 total):
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland: 5
- 🇮🇹 Italy: 2
- 🇺🇸 United States: 1
- 🇳🇴 Norway: 1
Bottom line: Switzerland has won all three downhills and claimed more than half of the podium places, underscoring clear Swiss dominance in men’s World Cup downhill this season.
Odermatt, von Allmen, and the Swiss standard
Marco Odermatt arrives as the pre-race favorite. He is the two-time defending World Cup downhill season champion (2024, 2025) and he leads the 2025–26 downhill standings again. Yet downhill remains brutally unforgiving.
The defining stat: Odermatt has only six career World Cup downhill victories, despite owning two season titles in the discipline — a reminder of how hard it is to win even one downhill at this level.
Right alongside him is teammate Franjo von Allmen, a contender every time he leaves the gate. Switzerland’s depth remains unmatched. Last season, the Swiss swept the top three in the downhill standings — Odermatt, von Allmen, and Alexis Monney — and placed five skiers inside the top eight, a standard they continue to set in this Olympic season.
Men’s downhill — season standings top five (after three races)
- Bib 7 — 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) — 1997 — 280 pts — Leader — Stöckli
- Bib 13 — 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) — 2001 — –50 — HEAD
- Bib 15 — 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA) — 1989 — –140 — Nordica
- Bib 4 — 🇮🇹 Florian Schieder (ITA) — 1995 — –162 — Atomic
- Bib 26 — 🇫🇷 Nils Alphand (FRA) — 1996 — –185 — HEAD
Men’s downhill — World Cup Start List WCSL DH top 7
- Bib 6 — 🇦🇹 Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) — 1991 — WCSL DH Rank 5 — HEAD
- Bib 7 — 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) — 1997 — WCSL DH Rank 1 — Stöckli
- Bib 9 — 🇨🇭 Alexis Monney (SUI) — 2000 — WCSL DH Rank 4 — Stöckli
- Bib 11 — 🇫🇷 Nils Allègre (FRA) — 1994 — WCSL DH Rank 7
- Bib 12 — 🇸🇮 Miha Hrobat (SLO) — 1995 — WCSL DH Rank 6 — Atomic
- Bib 13 — 🇨🇭 Franjo von Allmen (SUI) — 2001 — WCSL DH Rank 2 — HEAD
- Bib 15 — 🇮🇹 Dominik Paris (ITA) — 1989 — WCSL DH Rank 3 — Nordica
Stifel U.S. Ski Team: momentum and belief
From a North American perspective, one result already stands out. Ryan Cochran-Siegle’s second place at Beaver Creek makes him the only USA athlete to reach a World Cup podium so far this season.
Seven U.S. athletes are entered on the Lauberhorn, blending experience with the grit required to survive one of the sport’s most exhausting tracks.
🇺🇸 USA — seven starters
This is the final downhill where U.S. skiers can qualify for the Olympic team on downhill criteria; any remaining spots after Wengen will be filled by discretion.
- Bib 1 — 🇺🇸 Bryce Bennett (USA) — 1992 — DH Rank 40 — Oakley
- Bib 10 — 🇺🇸 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) — 1992 — DH Rank 7 — HEAD
- Bib 38 — 🇺🇸 Wiley Maple (USA) — 1998 — Independent — Atomic
- Bib 44 — 🇺🇸 Kyle Negomir (USA) — 1991 — DH Rank 16 — Atomic
- Bib 45 — 🇺🇸 Jared Goldberg (USA) — 1991
- Bib 47 — 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (USA) — 1996 — HEAD
- Bib 51 — 🇺🇸 Sam Morse (USA) — 1996 — DH Rank 41 — Toko
Independent watch: Maple’s entry deserves recognition. Racing independently is a brutally demanding path, especially in downhill and super-G, where logistics and resources matter as much as courage.
Canada: four starters, three already scoring
Canada arrives with four men on the downhill start list, and three have already scored World Cup points this season.
🇨🇦 Canada — four starters
- Bib 17 — 🇨🇦 Cameron Alexander (CAN) — 1997 — DH Rank 26
- Bib 20 — 🇨🇦 James Crawford (CAN) — 1997 — DH Rank 36 — HEAD
- Bib 27 — 🇨🇦 Brodie Seger (CAN) — 1995 — DH Rank 35 — Atomic
- Bib 39 — 🇨🇦 Jeffrey Read (CAN) — 1997 — Atomic
The Lauberhorn test
With a start at 2,315 meters, a finish at 1,287 meters, and more than 1,000 meters of vertical drop over 4.4 kilometers, the Lauberhorn offers no place to hide. It demands speed, line execution, endurance, and nerve from the first push to the final finish compression.
That is why this race still matters the way it does. Win the Lauberhorn downhill, and your name is etched into alpine history.
How to Watch
The men take the hill on Thursday, Dec 4, at 6:30 a.m. EST / 3:30 a.m. PST
- 🇺🇸 United States: Live coverage and replay on Ski and Snowboard Live
- 🇨🇦 Canada: Stream on CBC Sports
- 🇬🇧 Great Britain: Races air live on Discovery+ — 11:30 UK time
Daily Program
Click on the image to download
Men’s Start List
About the Author: Peter Lange
