Ski World Cup 2025: Team combination promises thrilling duels in Saalbach!

Ski World Cup 2025: Team combination promises thrilling duels in Saalbach!

Preparations for the 2025 Ski World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm are in full swing! The newly designed men's team combination takes place on Wednesday, and the red-white-red athletes are ready to conquer the slopes. In this exciting discipline, two skiers from each nation form a team: one skis the downhill while the other masters the slalom. The addition of the times decides the winner. The ÖSV has sent several strong teams into the race, with the combination of downhill silver medalist Vincent Kriechmayr and technology specialist Marco Feller being considered the most promising. Hemetsberger and Babinsky also have high hopes for medals after finishing in the top ten in the last downhill race, while Eichberger finished 28th, as laola1.at reported.

New format brings the alpine combination to new life

The alpine combined had lost popularity in recent years and was almost completely eliminated from the World Cup. The last competition took place in March 2020 and the discipline seemed doomed as it could no longer attract the interest of athletes and fans. But the FIS has revised the format to bring the combination back into the spotlight. Instead of one athlete mastering both disciplines, specialists are now used for downhill and slalom. This could increase the appeal of the races and bring the best names into play, like srf.ch highlights. In the new format, a maximum of four teams per nation can compete, a rule that may exclude smaller ski nations. This could have fatal consequences for the Brazilian Lucas Braathen, as he may not be able to compete on Wednesday without a partner.

The new format is seen as an exciting mix in which the scene's hottest ski stars can find their place. For example, the Swiss team will compete with the best drivers such as Lara Gut-Behrami and Wendy Holdener. The weather is already looking sporty and promising, and the first challenges of this new discipline could cause excitement and cheers for the women on Tuesday and for the men on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether the FIS's plan will work out while all eyes are on Saalbach!