The Zermatt Cervinia World Cup Downhill race will start in Switzerland and finish in Italy
Ed Mannix of the Zermatt-based Matterhorn Chalets talks to Iain Martin about the World Cup Downhill races taking place in Zermatt and Cervinia in October and November – the first time in FIS history a cross border competition has taken place
The FIS Alpine World Cup is being held in Zermatt and Cervinia as one of the 2022/23 season opening races. It will be the first cross-border FIS races in the history of the Ski World Cup and the competitions take place on 29 & 30 October and 5 & 6 November 2022.
In both cases, training runs will take place on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with racing taking place on the Saturday and Sunday of each weekend.
Is the Zermatt / Cervinia downhill the first World Cup race of the season?
No. The traditional season opener in Solden, Austria in October will continue to be the first event on the European circuit. However, Solden is a Giant Slalom race only, so the Zermatt / Cervinia race will be the first Downhill.
With the Solden races taking place on 23/24 October, it means that FIS World Cup events will take place on three consecutive weekends in autumn 2022.
Where is the Zermatt / Cervinia World Cup downhill course?
The races will be held on the ‘Gran Becca’ (meaning ‘big peak’ in the local dialect) course, which starts at 3800m on Gobba di Rollin in Switzerland and finishes at 2865m in Laghi Cime Bianche above Cervinia in Italy.
For 2022, the race will actually start slightly lower at 3700m, finishing at 2835m. This is while work continues on the new 3S cable car from Testa Grigia to Klein Matterhorn.
The total course length is more than 4km with a vertical drop of almost 1000m. The women’s race will be on the same course but starting slightly lower down.
The Downhill will be the first cross border race in FIS history
Who designed the Zermatt / Cervinia downhill course?
The course was designed by Swiss downhill racer, Didier Defago, winner of the 2010 Olympic downhill. Famous Swiss racer Pirmin Zurbriggen is also on the team as an advisor and ambassador for the event.
The top of the course will be smooth with long downhill curves. After 30 seconds or so, racers will hit their first big jump, before another glide to Testa Grigia where racers will cross the border into Italy.
From this point, it’s more like a Super-G course, finishing with a jump which is ‘over a 65% slope with a distance of about 80 metres’ according to the organisers. Spectators at the finish should be able to view nearly 50% of the race.
Athletes can train all year round
One of the advantages of racing in Zermatt is that all international teams will be able to take advantage of on-site training throughout the year.
This is another reason that FIS have added the Zermatt / Cervinia race to the calendar as it will reduce travel to long distance venues in the Southern Hemisphere and help reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint.
Can I watch the race?
The organising committee is currently working on a pricing strategy for tickets in the finish area (standing and grandstand). It is likely that Zermatt Turismo and the Cervino Turismo will offer packages that will include accommodation, skipass and entry to the finish area.
Is there an official website?
Yes, you can follow information about the race here.
Matterhorn Chalets is offering accommodation in Zermatt during the racing and the rest of the season. If you’d like to find accommodation in Zermatt for the World Cup races, then be sure to book early as it is certain to be busy.
Contact the Matterhorn Chalets team by clicking here
or call on +41 79 247 15 88
Categories: Italy, Racing, Switzerland