H Kristoffersen & M Odermatt / GEPA pictures
This January, Marco Odermatt and Henrik Kristoffersen might write their names into another chapter of ski racing history. Very few alpine skiers have captured 100 World Cup podiums during their careers, and now both Odermatt and Kristoffersen are nearing this impressive milestone. Both enter the heart of the season within striking distance of the mark.
To understand the significance of that chase, it helps to look at just how exclusive the 100-podium threshold is across alpine skiing history. Only a small group of athletes—spanning multiple eras, disciplines, and generations—have reached or approached that level of sustained excellence. Kristoffersen and Odermatt are now pressing into that territory.
The 100+ World Cup Podium Club (All-Time)
- 🇺🇸 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) — 163 World Cup podiums (active, Stifel U.S. Ski Team)
- 🇸🇪 Ingemar Stenmark (SWE) — 155* (163)
- 🇺🇸 Lindsey Vonn (USA) — 142 World Cup podiums (active, Stifel U.S. Ski Team)
- 🇦🇹 Marcel Hirscher (AUT) — 138 World Cup podiums
- 🇦🇹 Annemarie Moser-Pröll (AUT) — 114* (118)
- 🇦🇹 Renate Götschl (AUT) — 110 World Cup podiums
- 🇨🇭 Vreni Schneider (SUI) — 101* (102)
- 🇨🇭 Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) — 101 World Cup podiums
- 🇱🇺 Marc Girardelli (LUX) — 100* (101)
- 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) — 98 World Cup podiums
- 🇨🇭 Marco Odermatt (SUI) — 96 World Cup podiums
Kristoffersen and Odermatt now sit just outside this group, underscoring both the rarity of the milestone and how close each is to joining it.
*Official FIS World Cup podium totals are listed first. Numbers in parentheses include additional podiums earned in officially sanctioned parallel or city events that did not count toward individual World Cup podium statistics under the regulations in place at the time, but would be counted under modern FIS rules.
Victories and Podiums
Odermatt is known for his four World Cup overall titles, nine discipline globes and 50 race victories, most of them in giant slalom. In addition, the 28-year-old has won one Olympic and three World Championship gold medals.
So far this season, the Swiss skiing phenom has captured five wins and eight podiums across 12 starts since October. His current career record boasts 96 World Cup podiums in 186 starts.
While Odermatt leads in World Cup victories between the two, Kristoffersen also impresses with 33 victories and currently leads the race towards 100 World Cup podiums with 98 podiums in 260 starts. So far this season, the Norwegian tech skier has captured three podiums in nine starts.
Additionally, 31-year-old Kristoffersen has won six World Cup discipline globes, five of them in slalom, and two World Champion titles.
Kristoffersen and Odermatt are uniquely impressive skiers who can perform magic on skis. However, the way they accumulate podiums — and the paths they take toward 100 — clearly differ.
Odermatt – The Risk-Taker Finding the Limit
Odermatt (born in 1997) is a three-discipline racer, competing in giant slalom, super-G and downhill.
He is known for impeccable timing and execution, skis pointing down the fall line as much as possible, while taking risks and a short line that sometimes leaves him on his inside ski through several turns, while amazingly carving clean lines most of the time.
Odermatt is the extreme risk-taker with a natural feel for how to move and ski on a limit in any conditions and courses. He usually manages to stay on the right side of this fine line, leading to his famed fast runs.
Dominating most giant slalom competitions in recent years, he has won 28 giant slalom World Cup races since his first GS victory in Santa Caterina, Italy, in December 2020. He has earned 45 giant slalom podiums since his third-place finish at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, in March 2019, when Kristoffersen won.
Odermatt is also a strong speed racer. Notably, his first-ever World Cup victory came in a super-G in December 2019 in Beaver Creek, Colo. He has climbed onto the super-G podium 27 times so far, 16 times on the top step.
More recently, he won his first two World Cup downhill competitions on home snow in Wengen, Switzerland, in January 2024. He has six downhill victories and 24 podiums in total.
Kristoffersen – The Textbook Technical Wonder
Kristoffersen (born in 1994) races two disciplines, focusing entirely on slalom and giant slalom. So he typically races fewer World Cup events per season than Odermatt, while his World Cup debut came four years earlier (March 11, 2012, at age 17) vs. Odermatt’s (March 19, 2016, at age 18).
Kristoffersen masters alpine skiing’s fundamental technical skills better than most, a strength that has served him for more than a decade. He is the textbook example the rest of us could learn from.
His extensive skill set, grounded in solid technique, gives him an advantage in handling a wide variety of course setting. He masters challenging course sets and difficult conditions and rarely DNFs. Some runs — especially second runs — are extremely fast, yet he still maintains control. At times, however, he does not quite find the optimal balance between precision and maximum risk, leaving speed untapped rather than losing it to mistakes.
The Norwegian has secured 58 of his World Cup podiums in slalom, including 25 victories. He captured his first slalom victory in the legendary Schladming, Austria, night event in January 2014. He recorded his first podium (third place) 12 years ago in Levi, Finland, in November 2013.
Kristoffersen has won eight World Cup giant slalom races, four of them in Slovenian Kranjska Gora. His first giant slalom victory came in Meribél, France, in March 2015. He has reached the GS podium 38 times, starting in March 2014, when he finished third in Kranjska Gora.
Kristoffersen has also podiumed in two parallel events.
The January Schedule
Many iconic events at legendary Central European locations are held in January. Madonna di Campiglio, Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel, Schladming, and Crans-Montana all have long, celebrated histories in alpine ski racing.
So, what opportunities do Kristoffersen and Odermatt have to reach 100 World Cup podiums before the XXV Olympic Winter Games open in Italy on February 3?
Kristoffersen—who needs two more podiums to reach 100—has seven January starts, including five slalom races and two giant slaloms.
Odermatt needs four podiums to reach the milestone and also has seven opportunities, spread across two giant slaloms, two super-G races, and three downhill events.
Where the milestone is most likely to fall
Several of these venues have played a significant role in the careers of both Kristoffersen and Odermatt, making January a remarkably realistic window for each to close in on the 100 World Cup podium milestone.
Kristoffersen’s strongest historical opportunities are concentrated in slalom. He has recorded multiple podium finishes in Madonna di Campiglio, Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel, and Schladming. Schladming, in particular, stands out as one of his most successful stops on the calendar, while Madonna di Campiglio’s night slalom has also been a consistent source of strong results.
Odermatt’s best chances are spread across giant slalom and the speed disciplines. Adelboden’s giant slalom has been one of his most dominant venues in recent seasons, where he has repeatedly combined aggressive skiing with execution. In the speed events at Wengen, Kitzbühel, and Crans-Montana, he has consistently produced podium finishes, with his recent downhill victories in Wengen highlighting how quickly his podium total can grow when speed races align.
Taken together, January’s schedule offers both skiers multiple realistic opportunities—through different disciplines and strengths—to reach a milestone achieved by only a select few in World Cup history.
The Chase for 100
Odermatt and Kristoffersen have already reached several milestones in their careers. Their pursuit of 100 World Cup podiums will be exciting. Will it be a quick or drawn-out journey to get their remaining podiums? And how do they stay motivated after every race, given all they’ve already accomplished?
In an October 2025 Red Bull article, Odermatt talked about motivation: “I think any athlete wants to get better. You set goals for yourself and you know you have to work hard to achieve them — whether it’s a specific race, a record, or even the perfect run. I guess you can call it the pursuit of excellence. That’s a big driver. And then you have competitors who help bring out the best in you. I thrive on competition and love when we can push each other.”
Kristoffersen treasures his World Cup wins and records and views 100 podiums as one of his goals. However, securing podium finishes is not guaranteed. During a December 2025 media event, Kristoffersen said, “I have some time for that if I keep at it for a few more years. 100 is a big number.” Now, with January underway, that number feels suddenly and tangibly close.
Thoughts go out
Our thoughts and empathy go to the victims, their families, and everyone else affected by the recent fire in Crans- Montana.
About the Author: Bente Bjørnsen Sherlock
