Swiss men’s tech team flex muscles ahead of new season

Ahead of the men’s Giant Slalom action starting in Sölden on Sunday at 10:00 CET, Switzerland’s finest revealed all:

Odermatt aiming to ‘win every race’

Twelve months ago, Marco Odermatt unexpectedly skied out in run one of the men’s Giant Slalom in Sölden. Weeks later he did the same in run two in Beaver Creek prompting a flurry of speculation that this era-defining talent was in a crisis. The fact he responded by promptly winning the next three World Cup GS races before sauntering to his fourth successive season title should – according to the man himself – seriously worry his rivals.

“Absolutely, this gave me a lot of confidence for the season, and also now,” Odermatt said on the eve of the new season starting. “I’m a realistic person, so I won't win every race for the couple of next couple of years, so there will be worse races, and then you need to come back.”

When asked to delve a little deeper into how he did it, the undisputed world No.1 men’s skier gave a fascinating insight into a champion’s mindset.

Buoyed by such confidence, things seem very calm in the Odermatt world, even ahead of a season-opening race that typically challenges all.

“It's always a little question mark coming here to Sölden, but I had a great summer. I am healthy. I feel good. So yeah, I'm ready for the season,” said the man who played a starring role in the FIS Race Talk on Friday afternoon.

“There was nothing special (about the summer) and it's the good thing about it. I could really do my programme, I didn't have to skip anything because of physical problems or bad weather. Yeah, everything went as planned.

“I really did everything like the last couple of years. Also going to the season with the same goal, to try to win every race.”

Meillard: ‘Every day you start at zero’

While Odermatt has two wins in his past three races in Sölden to fall back on, teammate Loic Meillard needs to dig a whole deeper ahead of the season-opener – despite finishing the World Cup action in March with three wins in his final five races.

“It’s always special Sölden, it’s a tough slope but at the end it’s the same for everyone. It’s just to try and try again, fail a few more times and then we will see,” laughed Meillard, who has only completed the GS in Sölden three out of seven attempts, with a best finish of fifth in 2020.

In an attempt to improve this record – and revert to the kind of skiing that saw him win two World Championship golds in 2025 – Meillard has been grafting.

“We tried to be a bit cleaner all the time, to find a better line some of the time be also in the mistakes, to let go the skis, not hold too much - that's been a bit to work the last few weeks,” he said. “Most of the time you’re late in the steep (in Sölden) so it’s just to let go of the skis.”

The fact that nothing is guaranteed for a skier who was in such good form the last time the world’s best raced each other is just a sporting fact Meillard has long got used to.

“Every day you start at zero,” he said. “It helps to know what you have to do to achieve your best and the way to it. But at the end, every day is a new day for everyone, and so you have to start the process all over again every time.”

Tumler & Hächler united by team spirit

Despite being at very different times of their career, the veteran Thomas Tumler and new kid on the block Lenz Hächler are both adamant that the powerful Swiss team ethos will drive them to new highs this season.

“The team atmosphere is great and I feel motivated and energised by the people around me,” the 35-year-old Tumler said on Friday evening. “Having a strong team spirit around me is very important and I really value it.”

A first ever career World Cup win – secured in the GS in Beaver Creek – plus a 2025 World Championship silver medal made last season the most memorable of the veteran’s career. And he is not finished yet.

“I don’t feel much pressure from others’ expectations, I’m mainly focused on myself and on skiing the way I know best,” Tumler said. “I’m grateful for being healthy again, for being able to do what I love, and for having learned what’s really important as an athlete — both on and off the snow.”

He might be 13 years Tumler’s junior but Hächler knows just what his teammate is talking about.

“It is a great team atmosphere,” Hächler said. “Even though I missed a few weeks during the South American camp, I still trained well with the team over the summer and I feel at home in the group. The training intensity has been high both on and off the snow, and I value being able to train alongside some of the best. It provides great motivation and benchmarks for my own progress.”

Sölden on Sunday will be Hächler’s sixth World Cup start and a first finish is waiting for him.

“My recovery (from a recent back injury) has gone really well and that the last couple of weeks have been positive, even with an increased training load,” he said. “I now feel ready to ski again and I’m confident about my progress.”