Franjo von Allmen is the high-flyer in the Swiss speed team. The super-G in Copper Mountain on Thursday marks the start of the season of confirmation for the downhill world champion from Saalbach.
27.11.2025, 05:00
27.11.2025, 07:55
SDA
It was a wild run that Franjo von Allmen put down in the snow of North America a year ago to kick off the speed season. More than once he came close to dropping out of the downhill in Beaver Creek and experienced moments of shock. In the end, the Swiss double victory - Justin Murisier triumphed for the first time, Marco Odermatt came second - resulted in 28th place, more than two seconds behind.
A lot has happened in the life of the man from Simmental since that day in December 2024. He has celebrated no fewer than seven podium finishes, including three victories, in the World Cup. He became world champion in the downhill in Saalbach and won the gold medal in the newly created team combination together with Loïc Meillard.
"Of course the expectations are different," says Von Allmen. The pressure from outside is greater, he is aware of that. "But I have to be kind to myself and try not to let this pressure get to me too much. I just try to live up to my own standards."
"Kitzbühel, the globe, the Olympics"
But what are the expectations of a downhill world champion, who finished second in the discipline rankings, in the Olympic season? When Von Allmen was asked at the Swiss-Ski media day at the beginning of October to choose between victory in Kitzbühel, Olympic gold or a small crystal globe, he said: "If I were to go according to plan, it would be Kitzbühel, globe, Olympics." In that order.
Von Allmen knows what he can do. But in the high-risk sport of alpine skiing, not everything always goes according to plan, as shown by the many crashes with sometimes serious consequences in recent years. That's why he wants to "take everything in his stride", even in a season with a major event. "The Olympics are still too far away. I want to start the season step by step."
The season planning is done, the main focus is on the classics and the Olympics, but the focus is on the here and now. Anything else would be hara-kiri in view of the fact that the athletes sometimes reach over 150 km/h on their two battens.
Petrol in the blood, speed in the heart
The risk comes with the ride. For Von Allmen, both in winter and summer. The 24-year-old from Boltigen is a passionate motocross rider. He shares videos on his Instagram channel that show him speeding through the mud. Under a picture he posted in August, he wrote: "Last dance on the bike & now time to go back on two wooden boards." Von Allmen is aware of the risk. Taking this risk in spring is manageable. "In the fall, I tend to leave the bike in the garage," he says with a grin. Calculated risk, both on and off the slopes. Everything for success.
Speaking of success: Von Allmen had to experience first-hand that it also has its downsides and involves a lot of work. "Last season took a lot of energy and was full of emotions. I was very happy to be able to gain some distance over the summer and put certain things aside." He deliberately turned down advertising requests, set priorities and enjoyed his free time.
However, the downhill world champion was not able to enjoy the sunny side of the summer for too long. In addition to riding his bike and spending time with colleagues, fitness training was soon back on the agenda. A horror for most, Von Allmen can also see the positives in the physical drudgery: "It was good to push the body to the limit again, to air out the mind."
A different benchmark
Now he is ready for the season of confirmation. Although Von Allmen notes: "For me, last season was already about confirming the previous year." Only now he is measured by podium finishes and victories and no longer by top 10 rankings. "I no longer have to prove anything to anyone, I just want to please myself."
This is exactly what he worked for in the summer and fall. Once the physical prerequisites were in place, the first step in Zermatt was to regain his feel for the snow. Finally, in South America, the focus was on technique, on "getting into race mode", as Von Allmen calls it. The "winter excitement" increased from day to day, as did the anticipation of the first races.
On Thursday evening Swiss time, the first speed race of the season is on the program with the Super-G in Copper Mountain, before a first highlight is scheduled for the following week with the challenging downhill on the "Birds of Prey" slope in Beaver Creek. Little snow and high temperatures in Colorado are making life difficult for the organizers and making training conditions tougher for the racers.
But one man is not letting this get him down: Franjo von Allmen. "I'm more the type who likes warm weather," he said at the beginning of October - even if his statement was of course referring to the summer. If he has learned the lessons from last year's driving mistakes and can channel his energy, it is the competition that will have to dress warmly anyway.
