Race Director Klaus Waldner looks to Winter Olympics

Early in the new FIS World Cup campaign, we have been publishing Q&As with the Race Directors of each discipline looking at a season highlighted by the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

The FIS Ski Cross World Cup had three stops in December: a double-header in Val Thorens (FRA) followed by Arosa (SUI), and then another double-header in Innichen (ITA). At the start of the New Year, Race Director Klaus Waldner spoke about the season so far, and his hopes for the Olympics and beyond.

How excited have you been by the World Cup action so far this season?

Waldner: The 2025/26 World Cup season started with two high-level races in Val Thorens (FRA). The Organising Committee in Val Thorens, like all other OCs on the December tour, provided a top-quality race track for our athletes. Furthermore, we were very fortunate with the weather.

We witnessed tight and fair competition under blue skies in all five races. Particularly encouraging was the high number of female athletes participating in December, which represents a very positive step forward in this area.

We’ve seen athletes from a huge number of nations scoring points in the campaign. Are you pleased with how competitive the racing has been, and by the diversity of participants?

Waldner: A high level of diversity in the field is one of the best developments for our sport. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the sport is growing within the community, which is very important for FIS.

With increased diversity, a wider range of performance levels is also present on the World Cup tracks. This makes it more challenging to build a race course that is safe for every athlete. The performance gap between the fastest male athlete and the slowest female athlete is increasing as well.

Together with our course builders and experienced course advisors, we are still able to manage this skill gap, but it requires increasing effort. A reorganization of the points system will also be necessary in the future, and we are confident that we will be able to introduce a new points system in May 2026.

Can you update us on the use of drones and ‘goggle cams’ in the coverage of Ski Cross?

Waldner: The use of drones is not new in our sport and continues to provide spectacular race footage. However, due to budget limitations, drone coverage is often removed from the broadcast plan for Ski Cross races. While this is unfortunate, it reflects the significant differences in broadcasting budgets across events.

In Val Thorens, we introduced live goggle-cam footage on the World Cup circuit for the first time. The result was outstanding live imagery, bringing the athletes’ perspective directly to television viewers at home - almost like Mario Kart racing. Some technical challenges still need to be resolved, but the more frequently we are able to use live goggle cams, the further this technology will continue to develop.

Looking ahead, this footage should also be made available live for app users. With this omni-live technology, users will be able to select their favorite athlete and watch the entire race through that athlete’s goggle cam. In addition, OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Services) have adopted this new technology. That means live goggle-cam footage will also be featured at the Olympic Winter Games, which will be a major boost for the sport.

With safety always paramount, can you update us on the situation regarding cut-resistant underwear?

Waldner: Cut-resistant underwear will become mandatory starting with the 2026/2027 season. During the 2025/2026 season, its use will be strongly recommended.

Together with the Ski Cross Committee, it was very important for us to implement this regulation at World Cup level from the 2026/2027 season onwards, and from the 2027/2028 season at European Cup level and below. We agreed on the use of full-body cut-resistant underwear, not only pants, which represents a major step forward in athlete safety.

Ski Cross at Milano Cortina will be held at the Livigno Snow Park. How satisfied are you with preparations at and around the venue?

Waldner: From its concept and design, Livigno is, and will be, a great venue. Over the past two years, however, one complication followed another, making the entire preparation process very challenging and nerve-wracking. This interview is too short to go into all the details.

In the end, everything came together very well, and we are confident that we will deliver a high-standard Olympic Winter Games event. The Olympic Games are the most important competition, taking place every four years, and they offer a unique opportunity to present our sport on the world stage. Therefore, it is essential to deliver top-level sport while ensuring the highest safety standards for all competitors.

We will have two training days on the Olympic race track ahead of the Games, scheduled for February 2-3. These days will be used to adapt the slope as closely as possible to Olympic-level requirements.

Are there any athletes or storylines you are particularly looking forward to seeing this season?

Waldner: I am really looking forward to seeing the local heroes, Jole Galli and Simone Deromedis, as well as the entire Italian team. They have already shown this season that they are always capable of producing surprise results.

Of course, I am also very excited to see how the two dominant athletes of the season, Reece Howden (CAN) and Sandra Näslund (SWE), will handle the pressure.

After the Games, is Craigleith (CAN) on course to host the penultimate weekend of the World Cup season having required “track layout improvements”?

Waldner: Yes, we were able to improve the track through selective tree cutting. Together with the Organising Committee, we decided during the summer inspection to remove approximately 20 meters of a tree line between two slopes. This modification allows us to significantly reduce speed before the final turn. As a result, the race becomes much safer and also more interesting, as we can now introduce a clear change of speed into the course design.

The process leading to this change took around two years. We work year-round with all Organising Committees on track improvements. An important element of this work has been our close collaboration with the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, where we developed 3D models of all World Cup tracks over the past two seasons.

In addition, we measured all B-net lines, collected comprehensive speed data, and conducted further analyses. This study now serves as one of the key foundations for ongoing and future safety improvements across our World Cup tracks, and this work is still continuing.

Click here to read Nordic Combined Race Director Lasse Ottesen's thoughts on the new season.

Alpine Ski Race Directors Peter Gerdol and Markus Waldner look ahead to the Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.