Coaching carousel: Staff changes across World Cup teams following 2024–25 season

With the 2024–25 World Cup season having wrapped up in Sun Valley, the off-season has already sparked a flurry of coaching changes across several top alpine skiing nations. From the Swiss Alps to the U.S. Rockies, national ski teams are reshaping their coaching staffs—welcoming back familiar names, embracing new leadership, and preparing for the road to Milano-Cortina 2026.

Austria: Evers returns, new leadership at the Helm

After a mixed performance this season, Austria is looking to reset. Andreas Evers returns as head coach of the Austrian men’s speed team, replacing Sepp Brunner, who is retiring after decades on the World Cup circuit. Evers, a respected figure who once coached Hermann Maier and worked with the Austrian Ski Federation from 1999 to 2012, is embracing the opportunity :

Men’s head coach Marko Pfeifer added:

“Andreas Evers is a very experienced coach. I’m confident he can lead our speed team back to success with his expertise.”

Behind the scenes, Austria is also undergoing structural changes. Christian Mitter—formerly with both the Norwegian and Austrian national programs—has been named Alpine Sports Director at the ÖSV. He previously led Austria’s women’s team and more recently coached the Norwegian men’s technical group.

Additionally, the ÖSV announced the creation of a new alpine training base in St. Christoph am Arlberg. The Ski Austria Academy will be overseen by Herbert Mandl, further signaling Austria’s long-term investment in infrastructure and development.

In a noteworthy off-snow move, Olympic champion Mario Reiter is leaving Austria after more than 15 years managing sponsorships for the federation. He will now join Swiss Ski, marking a significant shift on the commercial side of the sport.

Switzerland: Abplanalp returns to lead Women’s speed

Swiss Ski has made a headline-worthy hire, bringing back Stefan Abplanalp to lead the women’s speed team. A well-known figure in the sport, Abplanalp previously coached the Swiss women from 2004 to 2012 and has since worked with Norway, the U.S., and as a TV analyst for SRF.

Abplanalp will now coach stars like Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter, replacing Roland Platzer, who will transition to lead the nation’s Europa Cup speed group after 12 years on the World Cup tour.

Slovakia: Vlhova and Pini part ways

After four successful seasons together, Petra Vlhova and coach Mauro Pini have ended their collaboration. The announcement was confirmed by both parties, including a social media post from Pini. The duo achieved great success, including Vlhova’s overall World Cup title in 2021, making them one of the most effective partnerships in recent memory.

Pini’s next chapter will see him join the Italian national team, where he will work with a strong group of technical skiers: Alex Vinatzer, Tommaso Sala (returning to the team), Luca De Aliprandini, Filippo Della Vite, and Giovanni Franzoni.

Italy: Del Dio joins Norway

While Italy gains Pini, it loses another prominent coach. In one of the most surprising moves of the off-season, Simone Del Dio has stepped down as coach of Italy’s men’s slalom team.

Del Dio has accepted a high-profile role as coach of the Norwegian men’s team—a powerhouse squad known not only for their technical brilliance but also for their exceptional mentality and cohesion. He will now work with Atle Lie McGrath, Alexander Steen Olsen, Timon Haugan, and a new generation of rising stars.

USA: McBride Returns to Lead Men’s Speed Team

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team is undergoing a significant refresh ahead of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic season, with a mix of familiar faces returning and a wave of new hires aimed at strengthening depth across both the World Cup and Europa Cup circuits.

The biggest headline is the return of Johno McBride as head coach of the men’s speed team. McBride, a veteran coach with a résumé that includes guiding legends like Bode Miller, Daron Rahlves, and Andrew Weibrecht to World Cup victories and Olympic medals, returns after several years away from the World Cup grind. He’ll be joined by TJ Lanning, another former U.S. Ski Team athlete and coach, as assistant.

The American speed team had a modest 2024–25 season, highlighted by just two podiums—both in Val Gardena. Jared Goldberg scored a surprise second place in the super-G, followed by Ryan Cochran-Siegle with a third in downhill. Bryce Bennett, who entered the year with high hopes, did not reach the podium but is optimistic about the staff changes:

McBride shares the excitement:

“I’ve never lost my love for skiing. I’ve always stayed connected with the athletes, even if I wasn’t physically there.”

Beyond the speed team, a broad set of coaching updates were announced in June by U.S. Ski & Snowboard, reinforcing its commitment to building on last season’s 13 podiums, five wins, and four World Championships medals.

Clement Tomamichel, who led the men’s Europa Cup squad last season, has been promoted to head men’s World Cup giant slalom coach, working alongside Nathan Bryant. In men’s slalom, Tristan Glasse-Davies continues his role and is now joined by Jeffrey Frisch, a former World Cup racer and most recently head coach of the Polish men’s slalom team.

On the women’s side, Paul Kristofic continues as head coach, with a revamped support team. Alek Glebov, a former World Cup athlete and recent coach with the Norwegian men’s technical squad, takes over as head women’s technical coach, joining Zan Spilar, who helped lead the tech team to great success last season.

Strength and conditioning efforts have also been restructured. Will Horstmann will lead men’s S&C programming, with Hugh Brooks assigned to the GS group and Tobias Mayrhofer to speed.

A full staff list is expected to be released in the fall, coinciding with the official team nominations for the 2025–26 World Cup season.

Germany: Thomas Dressen begins coaching career with Europa Cup Team

The German Ski Federation (DSV) is also making headlines with the return of a fan favorite—this time in a new role. Thomas Dressen, former speed specialist with 15 World Cup podiums, including five downhill victories, is stepping into coaching. He will join the German men’s Europa Cup team, marking the beginning of his post-racing career within the national setup.

Dressen’s experience and insight are expected to bring valuable leadership to Germany’s next generation of speed skiers as they work toward breaking back into the World Cup elite.