World Cup 2025: Exciting premiere of the team combination in Saalbach!

World Cup 2025: Exciting premiere of the team combination in Saalbach!

An exciting chapter in the history of alpine skiing begins today in Saalbach. The 2025 World Ski Championships will feature men's team combination for the first time, a new format that relies on fresh approaches to competition. On Wednesday, February 11, 2025, the starting signal for this exciting event will be given at 10 a.m. with the departure. Expectations are high and the list of top favorites reads like a who’s who of skiing. Favorites from Switzerland are downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen and the excellent slalom runner Loic Meillard. Austria relies on the proven duo Vincent Kriechmayr and Manuel Feller as well as strong teammates. The medal race promises pure excitement, like Laola1 reported.

A new competition format is exciting

The introduction of the team combination represents a remarkable change. Each race starts with a downhill run, followed by a slalom, with the total time of both runs being used for evaluation. This innovative format is the result of the search for new forms of competition after previous alternatives such as parallel races did not produce the desired results. The FIS hopes that the broad approval of this new competition will ensure greater acceptance in the skiing community and offer athletes an exciting platform. Interestingly, this format has not yet existed in the World Cup; it has only been tested at Junior World Championships Bluewin explained in detail.

The team competition promises exciting duels. Switzerland is taking part with several strong duos, including prominent athletes Lara Gut-Behrami and Wendy Holdener. The teams from the USA, Norway and Italy are also well positioned and promise exciting competitions. Spectators and athletes can hope for a thrilling race that will not only be technically demanding but also characterized by great passion.