Zurich technical meetings reinforce confidence in the future of Snowboard Alpine

For Snowboard Alpine, the annual Autumn Meetings in Zurich were particularly productive, reinforcing confidence for the upcoming Olympic season and long-term optimism for the discipline.

The 2024/25 season was one of the most prolific in history, with 17 FIS World Cup races across 12 venues in nine countries – all crowned by a vastly praised edition of the World Championships in Engadin. The successful debut in China underscored the sport’s growing presence in Asia, while the well-established venues continued to provide tradition and stability.

The 2025/26 season is shaping up just as strongly, with 13 Parallel Giant Slaloms, five Parallel Slaloms, and three team events planned − all building toward the Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, where the Olympic PGS competitions will take place in Livigno, one of the most important markets for Snowboard Alpine, offering prime visibility for the sport.

“The Zurich meetings went very smoothly and gave us a lot of confidence,” said FIS Snowboard Alpine Race Director Uwe Beier. “We are heading into the Olympic season with one of the strongest calendars we’ve ever had. The 2024/25 season delivered excellent TV numbers at both the World Cup and World Championships, and the discipline continues to grow globally across all levels — from the World Cup to the Continental Cup and junior tours.”

The upcoming European Cup tour will feature 16 men’s and women’s races at eight different venues, with young athletes also getting the chance to compete on a few World Cup slopes. Building on the success of last winter’s Junior Regional Cup, which proved to be a strong platform for young talents, organizers are confident ahead of a new season that will bring eight races across the Alps.

On the marketing side, the partnership with VISA as title sponsor will continue this season, both on-site and off-site. The communications department presented a detailed analysis of off-season work and outlined plans for the coming winter months, with a clear focus on digital development. A key part of the strategy will be to highlight athletes as ambassadors of the sport and of the upcoming Olympic campaign.

Beier and FIS staff also reported on last month’s inspection and preparation meeting at the Livigno Snowpark Olympic Village, which is set to host the discipline in February 2026. The local organizing committee delivered a detailed presentation on the venue setup for the Parallel Giant Slalom race.

On the rules side, no changes were proposed for Snowboard Alpine disciplines since the last meeting, apart from minor wording adjustments to improve clarity. Beier further emphasized that feedback from coaches and athletes has been thoroughly analyzed, with the aim of encouraging local organizers towards more effective slope preparation in the future. At the same time, the search continues for a host of the Junior World Championships in Snowboard Alpine for the upcoming season.

Discussions also touched on the recent IOC announcement suggesting Snowboard Alpine could be at risk of exclusion from the 2030 Olympic Winter Games. While this raised understandable concern within the community, the Sub-Committee reiterated its confidence in the discipline’s value.

“Of course, the IOC message was concerning, but we trust the leadership of FIS to address this matter, and we believe in the quality of our sport, our courses, and our organizers,” says Beier. “Everywhere we look, we see positive trends, and our focus is on continuing to build on this success.”

Beier highlighted the fact that Snowboard Alpine is a discipline that requires no additional Olympic infrastructure, offers nearly 100% gender balance, and consistently attracts strong international participation, with more than 20 nations regularly competing at World Cups and World Championships. At the 2025 World Championships alone, 12 different countries reached the podium.

Recent Nielsen and Infront reports show a significant rise in viewership in recent years, with cumulative audiences across three World Championship events reaching nearly 30 million. Parallel Slalom alone achieved the second-largest live audience of the 2025 Engadin World Championships.

For the Snowboard Alpine community, the message in Zurich was clear: the hard work of the last few years has been paying off as significant growth and, with that, as confidence in the future.