World Ski Championships 2023 take place from 5–19 February, the world’s skiing elite will converge on the world’s biggest ski area, Les 3 Vallées, for the bi-annual FIS Alpine World Ski Championships that’s heading to Courchevel and Méribel.
It will be only the fourth time that France has staged the Championships, after Chamonix in 1937 and 1962 and Val d ’Isère in 2009, and for the first time in the event’s history, competitors will be racing down the slopes at two different locations. The women’s competitions and men’s parallel slalom heats will take place on the Roc de Fer slope in Méribel, while the men’s speed events will take place on the new L’Éclipse downhill slope in Courchevel.
Attending The Championships
Les 3 Vallées are keen to stress that it’s business as usual for ski holidays during the Championships, which take place during the busy February half-term period. 99% of the huge region will remain open with just four runs closed, the two race courses and Choucas and Éterlou in Méribel and Grange in Courchevel. All lifts will be open to everyone as usual, and all the links between the valleys will be open.
Four ski-in fan zones will be set up along the L’Éclipse slope. A chance to enjoy the event with your skis on, watching the races live and on the giant screens installed for the occasion.
Who To Watch
Although skiing greats and Beijing Olympic gold medallists Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Austria’s Matthias Mayer announced their retirements ahead of the Championships, there are lots of famous names and up-and-coming starts to watch out for.
The top star has to be America’s Mikaela Shiffrin, who at the time of writing has equalled her compatriot Lindsey Vonn to be the most successful woman racer of all time with 82 victories and is on her way to overtake the all-time number one with 86 wins. In the downhill, Italy’s Sofia Goggia is a force of nature. On the men’s tour the big name and current world number one, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, is set to impress while Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Henrik Kristoffersen and young gun Lucas Braathen are always exciting to watch.
French fans will be cheering for Courchevel local boy Alexis Pinturault among others.
Team GB
GB Snowsport will take a squad of 12 athletes to the 47th Alpine World CHAMPIONSHIPS, the biggest British Alpine World Championships Squad in recent History.
With British representation confirmed across Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super-G, Downhill, Alpine Combined and Parallel, the squad travels with a wealth of talent combining some of the biggest names in Alpine skiing with some of the most exciting young talent in the British system.
In Slalom, the men’s World Cup Squad of Dave Ryding, Billy Major, and Laurie Taylor will be joined by Ed Guigonnet, while the women’s team will see Reece Bell, Victoria Palla, Charlie Guest, and Alex Tilley line up to compete. Guest and Tilley’s selection comes at a time that each are recovering from injuries sustained at the start of the year, with high hopes that both will be fit to compete.
Charlie Raposo, Calum Langmuir, Victoria Palla, and Alex Tilley have accepted selection for Giant Slalom, while Super G will see Langmuir, Roy Steudle and Owen Vinter in contention. Steudle will also compete in Downhill, where he is the sole British entrant, as well as Alpine Combined alongside Guigonnet, Langmuir and Vinter.
Parallel will have confirmed entries for Raposo and Langmuir, with Guigonnet and Tilley set to decide closer to competition.
Participation in the Team event will be determined based on an assessment of athlete fitness during the Championships, with the intention to enter a British team if availability and athlete health permits.
The Championships, which will run from 6 to 19 February in Courchevel and Meribel, will see the world’s top Alpine talent battle it out on French territory for the first time since the 2009 Championships in Val d’Isere.
“It’s great to be in the World Championships squad again, and even more so to be selected alongside so many brilliant British Alpine skiers. This will be my eighth World Championships, and I’m determined to put down the best runs that I can, as will everyone on the British team. Everybody in the squad has worked incredibly hard to reach this level, and I’m confident we can make a real mark on these Championships,” Dave Ryding commented.
Team GB Full Squad Selection:
Men’s
Dave Ryding (SL)
Billy Major (SL)
Laurie Taylor (SL)
Charlie Raposo (GS, PAR)
Ed Guigonnet (SL, AC)
Calum Langmuir (GS, SG, AC, PAR)
Roy Steudle (SG, DH, AC)
Owen Vinter (SG, AC)
Women’s
Charlie Guest (SL)
Alex Tilley (SL, GS)
Reece Bell (SL)
Victoria Palla (SL, GS)
Championships Calendar
5th: Courchevel, 6pm, Opening Ceremony
6th: Méribel, 11am, Women’s Combined
7th: Courchevel, 11am, Men’s Combined
8th: Méribel, 11.30am, Women’s Super G
9th: Courchevel, 11.30am, Men’s Super G
11th: Méribel, 11am, Women’s Downhill
12th: Courchevel, 11am, Men’s Downhill
14th Méribel, Noon, Alpine Team Slalom
15th: Méribel, Noon, Men’s & Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom
16th: Méribel, 10am, Women’s Giant Slalom
17th: Courchevel, 10am, Men’s Giant Slalom
18th: Méribel, 10am, Women’s Slalom
19th: Courchevel, 10am, Men’s Slalom; 6pm, Closing Ceremony
The World Champs in Numbers
Skiers Competing: 600
Disciplines: 6 (Downhill, Slalom, GS, Super G, Combined & Parallel Slalom)
Spectators Daily: 20,000
Countries Competing: 75
TV Audience: 500 million
Media Attending: 1,800
% of 3V still open to all: 99
Image Credits – Red Bull
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