Lindsey Vonn / St Moritz training run / GEPA pictures
The women’s speed season finally launches this weekend in St. Moritz, opening the Olympic year with two downhills and a super-G on the legendary Corviglia slope. With Olympic qualifying and seeding now underway, National Olympic Teams will begin to take shape over the next six downhills and five super-Gs before the February break.
These early races matter. St. Moritz offers both opportunity and consequence, and it often reveals the athletes ready to lead the speed tour.
Speed Skiers: The Warriors of Alpine Racing
Speed athletes are a different breed. They thrive on adrenaline, accept fear, and attack terrain that demands full commitment. Mistakes at more than 100 km/h carry real consequences, and St. Moritz’s big gliding sections and terrain features force athletes to trust their instincts. These are the warriors of alpine skiing—women who push the edge of possibility every time they leave the start gate.
St. Moritz: A Historic and Demanding Stage
St. Moritz is one of the most storied venues in ski racing history, host of the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Winter Games and several World Championships. The Corviglia speed track delivers classic early-season demands: fast acceleration, sweeping turns, and rolling terrain that launches racers into the air.
It is a venue where legends have excelled—and where many rising athletes have scored their first World Cup points.
U.S. Team: Leadership, Depth, and One Major Absence
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team arrives with strength and experience despite losing Lauren Macuga for the season after her Copper Mountain knee injury. The rest of the group brings momentum and depth:
- Breezy Johnson — reigning World Champion and ranked No. 4 on the WCSL Downhill Start List.
- Lindsey Vonn — the most successful speed skier in history, with 43 downhill wins and 28 super-G victories.
- Jackie Wiles — healthy and confident after two strong comeback seasons.
- Bella Wright — skiing with the least pain she has felt in years, well-positioned for a strong start.
- Keely Cashman, Allison Mollin (DH only), Tricia Mangan — experienced World Cup veterans capable of scoring well on this track.
- Haley Cutler (Independent) — scored her first World Cup points last winter in Kvitfjell.
It is a versatile mix of proven contenders and athletes prepared to seize early-season opportunity.
Shiffrin Returns to Super-G
One of the major storylines of the weekend is Mikaela Shiffrin’s expected return to super-G, which would mark her first World Cup SG start since December 2023 in Val d’Isère.
- 5 World Cup SG wins
- 10 SG podiums
- 5 St. Moritz SG podiums, including two victories
Injury challenges have kept her out of speed disciplines for most of the past two seasons, but when she races super-G, she becomes an immediate podium threat—especially in St. Moritz. While the current plan is for her to race, the final decision will come closer to Sunday’s start, adding a compelling layer of anticipation to the Olympic-season opener.
Canada: Grenier and Gray Lead the Charge
Canada brings strong potential into the weekend:
- Valerie Grenier — carrying confidence after her Tremblant GS podium and skiing well in early-season preparations.
- Cassidy Gray — an emerging speed racer showing growing consistency across both disciplines.
Both have been training the downhill in St. Moritz, and while their primary focus remains the super-G, strong training runs could lead them to start one or both downhills.
Both have the skills to challenge on Corviglia.
Downhill WCSL Outlook (Top Racers, With Injury Status
- 1. Cornelia Hütter (AUT) — 418
- 2. Federica Brignone (ITA) — 410 — OUT
- 3. Sofia Goggia (ITA) — 350
- 4. Breezy Johnson (USA) — 289
- 5. Lauren Macuga (USA) — 275 — OUT (season)
- 6. Ester Ledecká (CZE) — 243
- 7. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) — 229 — OUT (season)
- 9. Corinne Suter (SUI) — OUT (season)
Downhill has major absences, but several frontrunners remain in the hunt.
Super-G WCSL Outlook (Top 7, With Injury Status)
- 1. Federica Brignone (ITA) — 710 — OUT
- 2. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) — 697 — OUT (season)
- 3. Sofia Goggia (ITA) — 511
- 4. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) — 377
- 5. Lauren Macuga (USA) — 339 — OUT (season)
- 6. Elena Curtoni (ITA) — 313
- 7. Stephanie Venier (AUT) — 312 — OUT (pregnancy)
- 9. Corinne Suter (SUI) — OUT (season)
Super-G is even more depleted than downhill, creating immediate opportunity for athletes like Goggia, Vickhoff Lie, Curtoni, Vonn and Shiffrin.
Sunday’s super-G will be set by longtime Stifel U.S. Ski Team coach Alex Hoedlmoser, adding another storyline to the American weekend.
A Weekend That Will Shape the Season
With two downhills and a super-G to open the Olympic year, the stakes are high. Strong early results can secure start positions, build confidence, and strengthen Olympic prospects. And in St. Moritz—where the line between control and chaos is razor-thin—every run can reshape the early picture.
By Sunday afternoon, the women’s speed hierarchy will be clearer, and the first significant chapter of the Olympic speed discipline season will be written.
Women’s Downhills and super-G — Start Times and How to Watch
Friday’s downhill takes place on December 12th and begins at 4:15 a.m. ET / 1:15 a.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can watch the first run at 9:15
Saturday’s downhill takes place on December 13th and begins at 4:45 a.m. ET / 1:45 a.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can watch the first run at 9:45
Sunday’s super-G takes place on December 14th and begins at 4:45 a.m. ET / 1:45 a.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can watch the first run at 9:45
United States: Live and replay coverage on Ski and Snowboard Live.
Canada: Stream on CBC Sports.
Great Britain: Both races air live on Discovery+
North Americans Racing: World Cup Start List — FIS Rank Shown if Outside Top 30 on WCSL
Downhill
- Breezy Johnson, WCSL 4th, Stifel USST, Rowmark Ski Academy, Atomic
- Jacqueline Wiles, WCSL 17th, Stifel USST, White Pass Ski Club
- Lindsey Vonn, WCSL 19th, Stifel USST, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. HEAD, Oakley
- Isabella Wright, WCSL 40th, FIS Rank 45th, Stifel USST, Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, Atomic
- Valérie Grenier, WCSL 39th, FIS Rank 53rd, ACA, Club de Ski Mont Tremblant / Potentially will start the downhill
- Haley Cutler, WCSL 46th, FIS Rank 56th, Independent, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Atomic
- Keely Cashman, WCSL 44th, FIS Rank 63rd, Stifel USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, HEAD
- Allison Mollin, FIS Rank 77th, Stifel USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, HEAD
- Trish Mangan, FIS Rank 83rd, Stifel USST, HoliMont Snowsports, Dartmouth College, HEAD
- Cassidy Gray, FIS Rank 90th, ACA, Team Panorama, Atomic / Canada brings strong potential into the weekend:
- Valerie Grenier — carrying confidence after her Tremblant GS podium and skiing well in early-season preparations.
- Cassidy Gray — an emerging speed racer showing growing consistency across both disciplines / Potentially will start the downhill
super-G
- Lindsey Vonn, WCSL 15th, Stifel USST, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail. HEAD, Oakley
- Keely Cashman, WCSL 28th, Stifel USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, HEAD
- Valérie Grenier, WCSL 30th, ACA, Club de Ski Mont Tremblant
- Breezy Johnson, WCSL 33rd, FIS Rank 35th, Stifel USST, Rowmark Ski Academy, Atomic
- Mikaela Shiffrin, FIS Rank 74th, Stifel USST, Burke Mountain Academy, Atomic, Oakley / Likely will race
- Trish Mangan, WCSL 41st, FIS Rank 63rd , Stifel USST, HoliMont Snowsports, Dartmouth College, HEAD
- Haley Cutler, WCSL 46th, FIS Rank 69th, Independent, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Atomic
- Isabella Wright, WCSL 40th, FIS Rank 77th, Stifel USST, Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, Atomic
- Jacqueline Wiles, WCSL 42nd, FIS Rank 92nd , Stifel USST, White Pass Ski Club
- Cassidy Gray, FIS Rank 118th, ACA, Team Panorama, Atomic
About the Author: Peter Lange
