Start of the season in Sölden Holdener's anniversary, Odermatt's unfinished business and Gut-Behrami's possible record

At the start of the season in Sölden, ambition and upheaval are close together in the Swiss team: Wendy Holdener is celebrating an anniversary, Marco Odermatt wants revenge and others are breaking new ground.

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25.10.2025, 05:00

25.10.2025, 08:39

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Holdener's 300th World Cup start

Wendy Holdener is celebrating an anniversary at the start of the season. 15 years after her debut, the 32-year-old will be competing in her 300th World Cup race in Sölden. If she were to achieve her 55th podium finish, it would be a big surprise. She has only finished in the top 10 twice on the Rettenbach glacier. Her best result was a 6th place eight years ago. It hasn't been her favorite race so far, explains Holdener. "The steep slope makes it a very challenging piste." This year, two waves were also added to the flat section before the finish to create additional excitement. At the same time, Holdener appreciates the venue for the good atmosphere, which is also helped by a good number of Swiss fans due to the geographical proximity.

Possible record for Gut-Behrami

Lara Gut-Behrami has already proven several times that she can excel at the season opener. With her victories in 2013, 2016 and 2023, she is the most successful female skier in Sölden together with Slovenia's Tina Maze. In her last appearance on Saturday, the skier from Ticino could become the sole leader in the statistics. Instead of announcing the big attack, however, the 34-year-old is as reserved as usual and simply says: "I like the piste and feel good." Gut-Behrami's biggest rival is likely to be Mikaela Shiffrin - also due to the absence of last year's winner Federica Brignone through injury. The American has already stood on the podium six times in Sölden, winning twice.

Odermatt has a score to settle

Marco Odermatt's hopes of a hat-trick of victories in Sölden were brought to an abrupt halt last year. With the fastest intermediate time, the man from Nidwalden made an inside skiing error, which led to one of his rare retirements. "The fact that something didn't work out last year doesn't bother me anymore," says the 28-year-old. "I'm still going to the start with good feelings." With another victory on Sunday, Odermatt would draw level with Hermann Maier, but would still be behind Sölden record winner Ted Ligety. The latter triumphed four times on the glacier in the Tyrolean Ötztal between 2011 and 2015.

Murisier focuses on speed

Some familiar faces in the Swiss-Ski team will not be competing in Sölden: after Michelle Gisin, Justin Murisier has also decided to turn his back on the giant slalom and concentrate fully on the speed disciplines. "For one thing, I keep feeling pain in the giant slalom, and for another, I'm at an age where I have to pace myself," says the 33-year-old. According to Murisier, he can hardly achieve more than a top 15 place in the giant slalom at the moment. "But I've had enough of these rankings in my career. I want to be among the front runners."

Opportunity for the next generation

Mélanie Meillard has also turned her back on the giant slalom races, for whom the slalom clearly takes priority. "I'm still training for it, but everything has to be right for me to compete in the giant slalom this season." The 27-year-old already canceled her participation in Sölden a few weeks ago. Young skiers such as Stefanie Grob (21), Sue Piller (20) and Shaienne Zehnder (19) will benefit from the free places in the Swiss squad. The men's squad also includes promising talents such as Sandro Zurbrügg (23) and Lenz Hächler (22).