Sölden Women’s GS 2026: Start List, Rankings, Times & How to Watch

Oct 23, 2026

Mikaela Shiffrin / 2026 Sölden bib draw / GEPA pictures

The 2026-27 women’s World Cup season opens Saturday on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden. Defending winner and reigning giant slalom champion Julia Scheib leads a 67-racer field that includes Mikaela Shiffrin, Paula Moltzan and the long-awaited return of Petra Vlhová.

Sölden launches another World Cup season Saturday, Oct. 24, with 67 women representing 19 nations on the start list.

For Julia Scheib, the Rettenbach glacier is where last season began to change everything. The Austrian earned her first World Cup victory here, then went on to win five GS races, reach eight podiums and capture her first giant slalom Crystal Globe.

The recent history adds weight to the opener. The Sölden winner has gone on to win the women’s GS globe in each of the past three seasons — Scheib in 2025-26, Federica Brignone in 2024-25 and Lara Gut-Behrami in 2023-24.

What to know before Sölden

  • 🇦🇹 AUT — Julia Scheib returns as the defending Sölden winner and reigning World Cup GS champion.
  • 🇺🇸 USA — Eight Stifel U.S. Ski Team women are entered. Six Americans qualified for the second run here last year, with five finishing inside the top 15.
  • 🇸🇰 SVK — Petra Vlhová, one of the sport’s biggest stars, returns to World Cup racing after more than 1,000 days away.
  • 🇨🇦 CAN — Valérie Grenier, Canada’s top women’s GS skier and WCSL Rank 9, will not race after suffering a knee injury in Sölden training.

Last year in Sölden

Scheib’s breakthrough victory came by 0.58 seconds over American Paula Moltzan. Gut-Behrami finished third in what ultimately became the final World Cup start of her decorated career.

  1. 🇦🇹 AUT — Julia Scheib — YOB 1998
  2. 🇺🇸 USA — Paula Moltzan — YOB 1994
  3. 🇨🇭 SUI — Lara Gut-Behrami — YOB 1991 | HEAD
  4. 🇺🇸 USA — Mikaela Shiffrin — YOB 1995 | Atomic | Oakley
  5. 🇳🇴 NOR — Thea Louise Stjernesund — YOB 1996

The American depth extended well beyond Moltzan and Shiffrin. Nina O’Brien finished sixth, Katie Hensien 12th, AJ Hurt 13th and Elisabeth Bocock 19th. Six U.S. women qualified for run two, and five finished among the top 15.

Women’s GS WCSL: The opening group

There are no 2026-27 World Cup standings yet, making the World Cup Start List the best measure of the field entering Sölden.

Gut-Behrami remains tied for sixth on the official WCSL with 408 points despite her retirement. The seven highest-ranked active starters extend through Thea Louise Stjernesund at Rank 8.

Bib 1 | 🇳🇿 NZL Alice Robinson — WCSL Rank 5, 440 points | HEAD

Bib 2 | 🇦🇹 AUT Julia Scheib — WCSL Rank 1, 765 points

Bib 3 | 🇸🇪 SWE Sara Hector — WCSL Rank 2, 559 points | HEAD

Bib 4 | 🇳🇴 NOR Thea Louise Stjernesund — WCSL Rank 8, 352 points

Bib 5 | 🇺🇸 USA Mikaela Shiffrin — WCSL Rank 4, 446 points | Atomic | Oakley

Bib 6 | 🇺🇸 USA Paula Moltzan — WCSL Rank 6, 408 points

Bib 7 | 🇨🇭 SUI Camille Rast — WCSL Rank 3, 533 points | HEAD

Scheib enters as the clear WCSL leader, but the opening draw puts Robinson first on course, followed by Scheib and Hector. Shiffrin starts fifth and Moltzan sixth.

Shiffrin also owns a Sölden benchmark no other woman can match: six GS podiums on the Rettenbach glacier. She shares the record of 11 Sölden top-10 GS finishes with Tessa Worley, meaning another top 10 Saturday would give Shiffrin the record outright.

🇺🇸 USA — Stifel U.S. Ski Team

The United States enters eight women, including two inside the first six bibs.

O’Brien arrives with added momentum after earning the first World Cup top-five finish of her career last season, placing fifth in the Spindleruv Mlyn GS.

Rowekamp adds another storyline. The 17-year-old will make her World Cup debut in one of the sport’s most recognizable season openers.

🇨🇦 CAN — Alpine Canada

Canada has four women on the start list, but its highest-ranked GS racer is missing.

• Bib 8 | 🇨🇦 CAN Britt Richardson — YOB 2003 | WCSL Rank 17 — ACA

• Bib 54 | 🇨🇦 CAN Arianne Forget — YOB 2003 — ACA, Atomic

• Bib 59 | 🇨🇦 CAN Cassidy Gray — YOB 2001 | WCSL Rank 40 — ACA, Atomic

• Bib 62 | 🇨🇦 CAN Justine Lamontagne — YOB 2002 | WCSL Rank 64 — ACA, Montana State University

Valérie Grenier sits ninth on the WCSL with 332 points. The three-time World Cup GS winner will not start after injuring her knee during training in Sölden.

Richardson leads the active Canadian group from bib 8.

Petra Vlhová returns

One of alpine skiing’s biggest stars is back.

Petra Vlhová will start bib 18 in her first World Cup race since suffering a knee injury in the January 2024 giant slalom in Jasná, Slovakia. FIS lists the gap at 1,008 days entering the Sölden weekend.

The Slovakian returns with six career World Cup GS victories and 19 GS podiums. Her presence adds another major storyline to an opener already filled with them.

Course setters

  • 🇳🇴 NOR — First run: Kai Grønningsæther
  • 🇮🇹 ITA — Second run: Luca Agazzi
Shred

When to watch

First run: 10:00 a.m. local | 4:00 a.m. ET | 2:00 a.m. MT | 1:00 a.m. PT

Second run: 1:00 p.m. local | 7:00 a.m. ET | 5:00 a.m. MT | 4:00 a.m. PT

How to watch the Sölden women’s GS

United States: Peacock will stream both runs live and on demand. NBC Sports also lists both runs on NBCSN. Watch Run 1 and Run 2 on Peacock. A free full-race replay will be available on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard YouTube channel 24 hours after the race.

Canada: Watch through CBC Sports.

Great Britain: Watch via TNT Sports/HBO Max using the direct Sölden women’s GS event link.

Daily Program

Click on the daily program and start list to download

First Run Starlist

About the Author: Peter Lange

Lange is the current Publisher of Ski Racing Media. However, over 38 seasons, he enjoyed coaching athletes of all ages and abilities. Lange’s experience includes leading Team America and working with National Team athletes from the United States, Norway, Austria, Australia, and Great Britain. He was the US Ski Team Head University Coach for the two seasons the program existed. Lange says, “In the end, the real value of this sport is the relationships you make, they are priceless.”

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