Down under season comes to a close: South American Cup crowns its 2026 champions

As the Northern Hemisphere summer comes to an end, the Southern Hemisphere is wrapping up its winter – and athletes have made the most of the snow and racing opportunities down under. From New Zealand to Argentina and Chile, teams and individual athletes have combined their training camps with FIS and Continental Cup races, getting valuable competition time ahead of the upcoming World Cup season.

The season came to a dramatic close with the South American Cup finale in Corralco, Chile, where the overall and discipline champions for 2026 were crowned.

2026 FIS South American Cup Champions

The Chilean resort of Corralco, sitting at the foot of the Lonquimay Volcano, hosted a spectacular season finale, serving as the Southern Hemisphere's key speed hub and delivering world-class slope preparation and ideal conditions for the crowning of this season's champions. The races were part of the Chile Winter Series, one of the most important snowsports circuits in the Southern Hemisphere.

The venue's terrain and technical courses delivered fierce competition right down to the final runs, drawing an elite field of racers from Europe, North America, and South America eager to secure Continental Cup titles and early-season FIS points. Two Downhills and two Super G formed the final stop of the Continental Cup, following earlier stops at La Parva, Cerro Catedral, Cerro Castor and Chapelco.

Men's: Germany's Palamaras Dominates Overall Title

Germany's Nickco Palamaras capped off a stellar continental campaign by taking home the SAC Overall Title along with the Giant Slalom discipline trophy. Fellow countryman Benno Brandis secured the Super-G crown, while Felix Roesle completed a strong German speed showing by winning the Downhill title, both with strong performances at La Parva. Japan's Shiro Aihara delivered tactical precision to claim the Slalom title.

• Overall Champion: Nickco Palamaras (GER/Atomic)

• Giant Slalom (GS): Nickco Palamaras (GER/Atomic)

• Slalom (SL): Shiro Aihara (JPN/Atomic)

• Super-G (SG): Benno Brandis (GER/Atomic)

• Downhill (DH): Felix Roesle (GER/Rossignol)

Women's Division: Novakova Claims Triple Crown; Andorra and Argentina Take Technical Titles

Czechia's Barbora Novakova put on a dominant season-long performance, sealing the Women's Overall Title as well as both speed discipline titles in Super-G and Downhill, with winning races at La Parva and Corralco. In the technical events, Andorra's Carla Mijares Ruf took top honours in Slalom, while Argentina's Francesca Baruzzi Farriol earned the Giant Slalom title for South America.

• Overall Champion: Barbora Novakova (CZE/Kaestle)

• Super-G (SG): Barbora Novakova (CZE/Kaestle)

• Downhill (DH): Barbora Novakova (CZE/Kaestle)

• Slalom (SL): Carla Mijares Ruf (AND/Head)

• Giant Slalom (GS): Francesca Baruzzi Farriol (ARG/Rossignol)

Season Highlights, Stop by Stop

Beyond the final standings, the Southern Hemisphere programme delivered months of close racing across New Zealand, Argentina and Chile.

Australian New Zealand Cup

At Mt Hutt, Molly Butler (GBR/Dynastar) was the standout across Giant Slalom and Slalom, backing up a podium in the opener with victory in the second Slalom, while Christoph Meissl (AUT/Fischer) won the first men's Slalom.

At Coronet Peak, Storm Andre Hagen (NOR/Atomic) and Andrej Drukarov (LTU/Van Deer) shared the men's Giant Slalom wins, and Canadians Amelia Smart (CAN/Atomic) and Arianne Forget (CAN/Atomic) took the Slalom and Giant Slalom titles respectively.

South American Cup

At Cerro Castor (Ushuaia), Nickco Palamaras (GER/Atomic) swept both Giant Slaloms, while Katie Rowekamp (USA/Rossignol) and Kjersti Moritz (USA/Fischer) shared the women's wins.

At La Parva, Felix Roesle (GER/Rossignol) and Barbora Novakova (CZE/Kaestle) dominated the Downhills, with Novakova also sweeping both Super Gs.

At Chapelco, Nicholas Unkovskoy (USA) and home favourite Francesca Baruzzi Farriol (ARG/Rossignol) won both Giant Slaloms.

At Cerro Catedral (Bariloche), Jessica Hilzinger (GER/Head) took the Slalom double and Palamaras added another Giant Slalom win.

Finally at Corralco, Attila Eberhard Banyai (HUN), Rhett Lindsey (USA) and Novakova (CZE) topped the Downhill and Super G fields to close out the season.

With the Southern Hemisphere season now wrapped up, the focus shifts north as athletes prepare for the Alpine World Cup opener in Sölden (AUT) on the second-last weekend of October. Molly Butler and Christoph Meissl topped the Australian New Zealand Cup standings, closing out a busy winter of racing down under.

For the full results from every race, visit our website.