Pirmin Zurbriggen wins the giant slalom in Adelboden in 1987 for the second of a total of three times. In his first triumph four years earlier, he was joined on the podium by two compatriots, Max Julen and Jacques Lüthy
Image: Keystone
Marc Berthod sensationally wins the slalom on the Chuenisbärgli in 2007 - with bib number 60
Image: Keystone
One year later, the man from Davos doubles up and wins the giant slalom ahead of Daniel Albrecht: the fourth and to date last Swiss double victory on the Chuenisbärgli
Image: Keystone
Marco Odermatt completes the hat-trick last year and wins the giant slalom classic for the third time in a row
Image: Keystone
Marcel Hirscher is the record winner with nine triumphs. The man from Salzburg has won the slalom five times and the giant slalom four times
Image: Keystone
Pirmin Zurbriggen wins the giant slalom in Adelboden in 1987 for the second of a total of three times. In his first triumph four years earlier, he was joined on the podium by two compatriots, Max Julen and Jacques Lüthy
Image: Keystone
Marc Berthod sensationally wins the slalom on the Chuenisbärgli in 2007 - with bib number 60
Image: Keystone
One year later, the man from Davos doubles up and wins the giant slalom ahead of Daniel Albrecht: the fourth and to date last Swiss double victory on the Chuenisbärgli
Image: Keystone
Marco Odermatt completes the hat-trick last year and wins the giant slalom classic for the third time in a row
Image: Keystone
Marcel Hirscher is the record winner with nine triumphs. The man from Salzburg has won the slalom five times and the giant slalom four times
Image: Keystone
The 69th Adelboden Ski Days are on the program this weekend in the Bernese Oberland. The Swiss are among the favorites on the Chuenisbärgli. However, the Austrians clearly lead the statistics.
10.01.2025, 04:31
10.01.2025, 06:45
SDA
Anyone who thinks of tradition in alpine ski racing cannot avoid the Chuenisbärgli. Adelboden has been on the World Cup calendar without interruption since the FIS World Cup was founded in 1967. Otherwise, only Wengen and Kitzbühel can claim this. The giant slalom is considered the most difficult in the entire World Cup.
The program
Due to the weather, the organizers decided on Wednesday to change the programme and swap the race days. The slalom, which has been held since the turn of the millennium, will now be on the program on Saturday, while the racers will start the traditional giant slalom on Sunday. The first runs start at 10.30 am, with the decisions being made from 1.30 pm. Tens of thousands of ski fans are once again expected over the two race days.
The favorites
There is no way around Marco Odermatt in the giant slalom. The man from Nidwalden has won the last three races in Adelboden in superior style. After three retirements in a row over the course of the season, the 27-year-old impressively returned to winning ways with victories in Val d'Isère and Alta Badia. It is questionable whether anyone can pose a threat to him on the Chuenisbärgli.
The top in the slalom is broader than in the giant slalom. Four different winners have emerged from the five races so far. Loïc Meillard is not one of them, but he has already finished on the podium four times and, thanks to his consistency, will start with the red number of the discipline leader. Meillard's biggest rivals in Adelboden are likely to come from the Norwegian camp. In addition to the two season winners Henrik Kristoffersen and Timon Haugan, Atle Lie McGrath in particular is in top form. The 24-year-old was eliminated in Madonna di Campiglio while clearly in the lead and has already stood on the podium twice in Adelboden in second place.
The most successful racers
No one has won more often on the Chuenisbärgli than Marcel Hirscher. The man from Salzburg has stood on the top step of the podium in Adelboden a total of nine times. His five victories in the slalom are also unsurpassed. In the giant slalom, Ingemar Stenmark holds the record with five triumphs. He is followed by Hirscher with four and a sextet with three victories: Hermann Maier, Benjamin Raich, Gustavo Thöni, Pirmin Zurbriggen and the still active Marco Odermatt and Alexis Pinturault. Henrik Kristoffersen is the only multiple winner in the slalom apart from Hirscher. The Norwegian won in 2016 and 2017.
The most successful nations
Austria is by far the most successful nation in Adelboden. A total of 24 victories on the Chuenisbärgli can be attributed to red-white-red. The Austrians dominate the statistics, especially in the slalom. They have won half of the 22 races held so far in the Adelboden forest of poles. The second most successful nation in the slalom is Norway with three victories. The Austrians are also top in the giant slalom with 13 triumphs.
The Swiss balance sheet
Marco Odermatt has polished up the Swiss record on the Chuenisbärgli with his three successes in the last three years. There is still a large gap between Switzerland and Austria in the overall standings (13:24 victories). In the giant slalom, however, the Swiss-Ski athletes are hot on the heels of Team Austria. They are only two wins away from catching up with their great rivals. The Swiss yield in the slalom is less good. Daniel Yule (2020) and Marc Berthod (2007) are the only two locals to have beaten the competition. These are also the only Swiss podium places in the slalom.
The extraordinary
Speaking of Marc Berthod: in the 2000s, the current TV pundit provided the then rare Swiss highlights on the Chuenisbärgli. In 2007, he sensationally won the slalom with bib number 60, jumping from 27th place to first place in the second run. A year later, the Davos native followed suit and won the giant slalom classic in the Bernese Oberland ahead of his team-mate Daniel Albrecht. It was the last of four Swiss double victories in Adelboden to date. Switzerland was able to celebrate three times in 1983, when Pirmin Zurbriggen won ahead of Max Julen and Jacques Lüthy. Not even the Austrians managed that.
