Von Allmen leads new Swiss charge for glory

It is a remarkable time to be involved with the Swiss ski team.

Team is the operative word: they are spearheaded by an undisputed heavyweight champion in Marco Odermatt (SUI/Stöckli), who as the current quadruple Crystal Globe winner, could be forgiven for claiming all the limelight for himself.

This is not in Odermatt’s nature, however. He is the first person to champion the achievements of his fellow squad members, the first person to show delight when they win – even ahead of him –  and is a constant source of lessons and inspiration to the rest. 

“The young guns are coming, that’s cool to see,” said Odermatt last season – and nobody arrived in more style than 23-year-old Franjo Von Allmen (SUI/Head).

From ‘one to watch’, to top of the pile
Von Allmen had shown a glimpse of his potential in the 2023-24 season, clocking an impressive third place in the Super G at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. 

This term, however, it all came right, and fast. Von Allmen showed that he was the real deal, that the hushed talk of him having the potential of being the ‘new Beat Feuz’ had some merit.

He clocked seven FIS World Cup podiums, five in Downhill and two in Super G.

Three of them were brilliant wins, pushing the limits at every turn: firstly an iconic Super G win on home snow in Wengen; then a Downhill victory also in Switzerland, at Crans Montana, and finally a barnstorming Downhill triumph at Kvitfjell.

It was at the World Championships in Saalbach that he really put his name up in lights, though.

To become Downhill World Champion aged 23 is something very special, and a dream week was capped when he also scooped gold in the Team Combined, alongside Loic Meillard (SUI/Rossignol).

How has it felt for Von Allmen, this sudden transformation from ‘one to watch’ to top of the pile?

“There are so many puzzles that need to fit together,” said Von Allmen. “It went crazy fast. The whole summer is needed for me to put these emotions somewhere.”

His most proud moment of the winter came with the first major landmark. “The victory placed most in my heart will be Wengen,” he said.

“It was the first victory, and in front of the home crowd. That is really something special for any athlete. You know a lot of people and it’s crazy.”

The World Championships, meanwhile, were hard to even comprehend. “There are so many emotions when I think of Saalbach, but I think one of the most impressive things was when I crossed the finish line and saw the number one.

“With the crowd which was waving and screaming, it was an amazing moment for me.

"When the last racer was down, I was really nervous, so I waited for the last racers to say okay, I am really world champion.

“Marco Odermatt and all the top athletes were all down. For me it is hard to put emotions in the right place. To be World Champion sounds great, and it is something nobody can ever take away from me, so I am really happy.”

The Team Combined was a different challenge. “It is difficult to race, with someone else,” said Von Allmen. “For me maybe it was more easy, because I had my race first."

“But the moments I was in the finish and Loic was on the start were not easy for me, I was more nervous than when I was racing.”

A Swiss sweep of the podium also stood out. “All six guys together was a special moment, something you can’t describe. Crazy is a word that fits pretty well for the world champs.”

What has gone so right, so quickly, for the young racer? “It took a lot of energy,” he said.

“There’s a lot of pressure from the crowd now, but for the moment it is easy to push this away, to focus on myself and my skiing. It’s easy to say when the results are good, we will see what happens when the results aren’t as good any more. At the moment I can have fun and enjoy it.

“It’s normal there are ups and downs, it is normal life. I hope the wave will go on, but you need to be realistic. There are hard times for everyone.

“I can always be better. There are a lot of things you can do. Fitness, on the skis, with the technician.

“I did a lot of things with a lot of risk this season. For me, the goal is to be as fast and be more safe as well, but I’m always working with myself. I like risk but there is a small line, on the limits, over the limits. It’s better when you don’t need to take that much risk.

“I’m a young athlete, with not many years in this business, so I need to do a lot more kilometres, make this experience my own.”

He is flattered by the Feuz link. “It’s cool to be compared to such big names,” he said. “It’s also a motivation. But I wanted to make my own name, create my own story for the moment, and it came out pretty well.”

He is guarded to share any specific ambitions, however. “My next dream, I won’t tell,” he said with a laugh. “There are interesting upcoming years with the Olympic Games, all the big events, but we take it step by step.”

One thing is for sure, he will enjoy sharing it with his teammates, especially his big friend, Alexis Monney (SUI/Stöckli).

“Alexi, I am cool with him, I always tell him he is a crazy dog. It’s stupid talking, but he does crazy things on skis to go faster, so we play this.”

Monney meanwhile has had quite the year himself: his debut FIS World Cup podium was an unforgettable win in Bormio, and he followed that up with four more podiums, two each in Downhill and Super G. In addition, he notched in two podiums at the World Championship.

Add in Meillard’s brilliant season – especially two Giant Slalom wins late in the season, that indicate he will battle Odermatt for this title next term – and Stefan Rogentin (SUI/Fischer) recording his best ever season (four third places), and the rest of the skiing world must look at the Swiss with envy.

Swiss coach Reto Nydegger certainly can’t quite believe it.

"This season was incredible. It’s hard to say exactly why, but when everything clicks, it just works—you have to keep that momentum going,” he said.

"I’ve experienced a lot throughout my coaching career, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this. What these three have achieved – Odermatt, Von Allmen, and Monney taking the top three spots in the downhill standings, and Odermatt and Rogentin finishing first and second in the Super G standings – shows that all the hard work and the entire team are functioning perfectly.

"Next year, it will be a challenge to maintain this level. We already have a large group, which can make organizing things complicated, and it’s going to get even bigger. But the most important thing is that we keep the same spirit.”

With a group of skiers in the prime, but not dominated by egos, another big push, en route to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter games, looks likely.