It may be the best season yet as the calendar circles around the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. An Olympic year adds intrigue and pressure to every World Cup stop as the best in the world race for points to qualify for the chance at an Olympic medal.
The snowboard alpine athletes who qualify will compete for two medals in parallel giant slalom, one for the men and one for the women. The competitions will occur in Livigno, a crucial market with rich history for Snowboard Alpine.
This Visa FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup season will traverse ten countries stopping at 13 venues. The tour starts in Mylin, China where the Asian nation will kick off the season once again after their historic opening event last season. The World Cup will hit the classic stops like the thrilling night events in Cortina and Bad Gastein before breaking for the Olympics.
Bad Gastein has hosted a World Cup event every season since 2001. Another legendary Austrian venue in Simonhohe makes its return to the circuit after a year away.
The riders will return from Olympic glory or disappointment for four more events ending with Winterberg in Germany come March. The PGS crystal globes will be awarded across the pond in Canada at Val St. Come. Its second appearance on the tour.
Tsubaki Miki and Maurizio Bormolini look to repeat as overall champions.
Spindleruv Mlyn will make its debut on the snowboard Alpine circuit. The Czechia venue sits within Krkonoše National Park and is known for its difficult terrain. The venue is experienced with previous history hosting Alpine Ski world cup events.
In total there will be 13 Parallel Giant Slaloms, five Parallel Slaloms, and three team events planned for the season. There will be a team crystal globe this season after not awarding one last season due to a limited number of events.
Last season was hotly contested as the field of contenders was deeper than ever. Riders from more than 20 nations regularly competed for top spots with 12 different nations reaching the podium last season. That number figures to rise this season as newcomers and youngsters will be chasing the established leaders.
