Beat Feuz will race his last Swiss World Cup in the Laberhorn downhill: Photo Credit: GEPA

Who is racing, when and how to watch the Wengen Lauberhorn downhill.

From the top start, the Wengen Lauberhorn downhill is the longest course on the World Cup calendar.  At 4,415 meters in length, it is incredibly tiring. It is common to see athletes collapse at the finish. Racers also reach the highest speeds. The Lauberhorn holds the unofficial record of 161.9 km/h (100.4 mph), set by Frenchman Johan Clarey in January 2013. 

After today’s super-G, the favorite will be Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, but the young Swiss star Marco Odermatt is hot on his trail. However, expect Beat Feuz, “Kugelblitz,” to be the crowd favorite. Feuz is a four-time downhill globe winner, 16-time World Cup winner, reigning Olympic downhill champion, and 2017 downhill FIS World Champion. He has delivered significant victories to Swiss fans. He deserves a thunderous ovation tomorrow as he crosses his last Swiss World Cup finish as a competitor. Feuz has announced he will retire after next week’s Kitzbühel event. A brief race suspension should occur after bib 11 completes his run to allow the fans to applaud Mr. Feuz. However, there is nothing in the program. SRM has reached out to officials to motivate them to acknowledge the moment, but I doubt we have any influence. It is hoped there will be a welcome surprise.

Weather permitting, the speed events start with a spectacular airshow presented by the Patrouille Suisse, the Swiss Air Force. Hopefully, the weather will allow the complete Lauberhorn experience, as its length makes the racecourse uniquely special. 

Thirteen North Americans will race the Saturday, January 14th Wengen Lauberhorn downhill. Alpine Canada Alpin will race eight and the Stifel US Alpine Team will race seven. Two of them are ranked among the top ten in the season’s downhill standings – Canada’s James Crawford is ranked 4th and USA’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle is 7th. Eleven North American men have scored downhill points this season. 

Current North American men’s World Cup downhill standings 

Click on images to enlarge

North Americans entered in the Saturday Wengen Lauberhorn downhill

• Bib 2, Travis Ganong, USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, Atomic
• Bib 7, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, USST, Mt Mansfield Ski Club, Cochran’s Ski Club, HEAD, SWIX, ASP
• Bib 8, James Crawford, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, HEAD
• Bib 18, Bryce Bennett, USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, Fischer, ASP
• Bib 22, Jared Goldberg, USST, Snowbird Sports Educational Foundation, Rossignol, LOOK
• Bib 26, Cameron Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, LOOK
• Bib 32, Sam Morse, Sugarloaf Ski Club, Carrabassett Valley Academy, Fischer, Swix, ASP, TOKO
• Bib 34, Brodie Seger, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Atomic
• Bib 38, Jeffery Read, ACA, Banff Alpine Racers, Atomic, UVEX
• Bib 40, Broderick Thompson, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, HEAD, Oakley
• Bib 51, Kyle Negomir, USST, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Atomic
• Bib 52, Erik Arvidsson, USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, Middlebury College, HEAD
• Bib 55, Kyle Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, Look

The race will begin at 6:30 am Eastern Time and 3:30 am on the West Coast. Remember, in the USA, live and full replay is available with English-speaking announcers on Ski and Snowboard Live. The Canadian live stream is available on CBC Sports

January 14th start list and daily program for the Wengen Lauberhorn downhill

Daily program for the January 14th Wengen Lauberhorn downhill