World Cup dress rehearsal in Crans-Montana with a special setting

Just one month after the fire disaster in a bar in Crans-Montana, in which 40 people lost their lives and over 100 people were injured, some of them seriously, there should be no exuberant ski parties on the Valais high plateau. The organizing committee of the World Cup races - and next year's World Ski Championships - has taken appropriate measures to ensure this.

"The focus is on the sport with hopefully the usual large number of spectators and guests. They should also have the opportunity to eat and drink," says Daniel Bollinger, member of the Executive Board and COO of the 2027 World Championships in Crans-Montana. There will be a fan zone near the piste for this purpose, albeit with a reduced supporting program, says Bollinger. "Everything else that would have been on the program in the center of Crans-Montana in the evening, such as ceremonies, concerts and parties, has been cancelled."

Positive emotions instead of animation

"The focus in the public areas is also clearly on the sport. The audience should not primarily be animated and fired up," says COO Bollinger. "However, there should definitely be room for positive emotions. If the Swiss riders do well, the audience should also be able to show their joy."

Bollinger hopes that the races might even help people to come to terms with the events together. "People come together and want to have a good time. Sport is about having fun and experiencing positive emotions together. We also want to show this to young people."

No classic advertising

The numerous sponsors will also be more discreet and less colorful than usual, which will be particularly noticeable on and around the slopes. The whole surrounding area will have a less commercial feel than usual. "We had a transparent and good exchange with our partners. They fully support us and at the same time have signaled that they don't want to be present at the races with classic advertising as usual," says Daniel Bollinger.

Instead of large logos and claims from the sponsors, the advertising boards will for once feature mourning ribbons and a simple sentence "Our thoughts are with you", also in French, Italian and English. In addition, for the three races - one women's downhill (Friday) and one men's downhill (Sunday) plus a women's super-G on Saturday - the start numbers and gate flags will exceptionally be kept without sponsor print. Almost everything will also be in black and white, including the advertising boards, the start house and the finish arch.

Hopes for a ski festival in February 2027

Bollinger is not sure how the fire disaster will be addressed in a year's time, when the Alpine World Championships take place in Crans-Montana from 1 to 14 February 2027.

For him, it is clear that "unfortunately, these tragic events of January 1 are now part of the history of Crans-Montana. They will remain a sad memory for all of us forever. Nevertheless, it remains our goal to organize a ski festival in a year's time."