Battles between generations mark historic 2025-26 World Cup season

The 2025-26 Visa FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup season was full of dramatic turns and dominant excellence by the world’s best snowboard racers. The tour traversed three continents, 10 countries, and four months. Let’s look at the highlights from the incredible season.

All eyes and hearts were set on the Olympic medals offered this season. The athletes on tour felt the pressure before the season even begun. Every event and offseason training was turned up to another level in an Olympic year and that showed out all season long on the World Cup tour.

Legends vs the New Generation

A running theme this season was the new class of youth going toe-to-toe with the legends of the sport for the podium spots. The emerging generation pushed towards and took the top of the sport on many occasions.

Stalwarts Benjamin Karl, Andreas Prommegger, Roland Fischnaller were some of the longtime athletes who were still competing at the highest level. Fischnaller took three victories and Karl won two World Cup races this season.

Maurizio Bormolini led the young corps on the men’s side as dominated his way to a crystal globe sweep. The PGS globe was a battle all season long against Karl as Bormolini clinched on the final day of the season. His PSL title also went down to the last heats in the final PSL race before he was crowned champion. He also became a father during the season.

Tervel Zamfirov won an Olympic medal and is another leading force among the younger stars. He also won his first career World Cup race on home snow in Bansko.

Sabine Payer, Romana Theresia Hofmeister, and Ester Ledecka have been some of the biggest forces on the women’s side for years. They all powered through their own injuries and other commitments this season but still won seven races between them.

Tsubaki Miki (JPN) continued to be the class of the sport despite her youth. She won two crystal globes and defended her overall title. The younger class is full of bright female stars including Zuzana Maderova (CZE), Elisa Caffont (ITA), and Malena Zamfirova (BUL), who all made podiums this season. Maderova battled for her first World Cup win and never quite got there, but still went home with an Olympic gold and five WC podiums this season .

Caffont had a career-best season with two wins. Zamfirova reached two podiums before her season was ended early due to injury.

Italy asserts dominance

Italy and Austria are the traditional powers in this sport. However, Italy was the dominant force this campaign. They combined depth and an admirable amount of consistency all season long. There was perhaps some extra motivation as the squad trained harder this season in preparation for an Olympics on home snow.

Team Italy was especially strong on the men’s side. Bormolini led the way with his crystal globe sweep. He also won five races this season. Italian men won 10 of 17 men’s races this World Cup. Mirko Felicetti and Aaron March helped contribute to that cause. Felicetti won his first race since 2020 in the season opener. Team Itlay also took home the snowboard Alpine nations cup globe.  

The women’s team was strong too as Caffont and Dalmasso had career years. The two combined for ten podiums this season. March and Dalmasso were the strongest mixed team as well as they won two of the three team events and finished second in the other as they grabbed the mixed team globe.

A Deeper and More Competitive Field Than Ever Before

The sport continued to prove its growth this season. The older generation that long dominated the sport were constantly pushed by newcomers. There were many shocking results as the favorites were bested at many stages. Not to mention the plethora of photo finishes and tight competition.

Six different women won races, seven if you include the Olympics. Despite Italy’s dominance on the men’s side, nine different male athletes topped the podium in 2025-26. The wealth was spread across the globe as well. Thirteen different nations were represented on the World Cup podium this season.

The Olympics also showcased the depth of the snowboard Alpine field as five nations claimed the six medals. There was plenty of stunning results, including no Italian men on the podium.

Another sign of the deeper field was the strength of Canada’s team this season. Arnaud Gaudet made three individual podiums and one team podium alongside Aurelie Moisan (CAN). Moisan went on to make the small final in Val St. Come in front of the Canadian contingent. Kaylie Buck (CAN) also made her first career podium in Cortina.

Women’s Field Continues to Grow

The women’s field continued to grow in depth. Multiple riders had a shot at the podium week in and week out. Miki was the most consistent on the women’s side as she powered towards another overall title. The Japanese stars level was yet another sign of the growth of the women’s field outside of the traditional European powers.

Caffont was another young star who made a huge leap. She was the overall leader for four weeks of the season. The overall leader in the women’s season standings changed four times.

It was not just the young stars. Hofmeister missed the first month of the season due to a preseason injury but came back with something to prove. The four-time overall globe winner won her first race back from injury and added five more podiums throughout the season.

Another legend made a splash this season. Ester Ledecka (CZE) took a break from her Alpine Ski duties and made one appearance on the Alpine Snowboard circuit in Simonhohe. She made it count as she won her only appearance on the tour this season. It was her 26^th career World Cup win in 63 individual starts.

New Venues Make their Splash

Spindleruv Mlyn made its debut on the Snowboard Alpine World Cup. The Czech venue had hosted Alpine Ski events before but made its debut as a snowboard racing venue at the highest level to a rousing success.

Other venues remained on the tour as a signal of the further expansion of the sport. Mylin, China hosted the season opener as the World Cup reached to the Eastern Hemisphere once again. Bulgaria continued to expand its influence in the sport as it hosted a stage in Bansko once again. The Bulgarian fans brought the energy to one of the most attended races of the season.

The PGS discipline ended on yet another continent. North America was the stage as the PGS crystal globes were distributed after the races in Val St. Come, Canada. The continued international expansion strengthens the discipline’s place in the winter sports landscape.

Many of the classic stops made up the rest of the circuit beside the newer destinations. The Dolomite tour of Carezza and Cortina was action packed. Davos showed out before the Christmas break with a wonderful crowd. Bad Gastein continued its streak as the longest, consistent venue on tour. Krynica was a highlight with tight finishes, while Winterberg staged the climaxes of the PSL and team crystal globe races.

Mixed Team Events Heat Up

The mixed team events continued to gain more momentum and attention on the tour. There were three races staged this season: Bad Gastein, Simonhohe, and Winterberg.

The team events add a new strategy to the mix that requires a bit of an adjustment in racing style. It also provides a different energy as racers who usually compete as individuals must utilize a bit of a teamwork.

Aaron March and Lucia Dalmasso (ITA) took the mixed team crystal globe. They won in Bad Gastein and Winterberg and placed second in Simonhohe.

Hometown Glory

Many snowboarders often enjoyed some home crowd support. Sometimes the home crowds also brought extra pressure. Team Austria always faces that extra element when they take on the historic Bad Gastein. They missed out on all nine podium spots at Bad Gastein this season. Zuzana Maderova finished second in Czechia at Spindleruv Mlyn, also spurred on by her home fans who came to support the Olympic champion.

On the other hand, others used the raucous home fans to propel them to the top. Tervel Zamfirov (BUL) topped the podium in Bansko as the Bulgarians roared in triumph. To make it even sweeter, Bulgarian legend Radoslav Yankov took third in the same race.

Sabine Payer (AUT) also found some home cooking when she took the victory in the team event alongside Andreas Prommegger (AUT) in Simonhohe.

Italians got two chances to impress local fans in Carezza and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Things worked out well. The Italian men took five of six podium spots in both events, including a podium sweep in Carezza.

Longtime Stars Continue Success

Benjamin Karl wrote his storybook ending in his final season as he won the Olympic gold and two World Cup races. Not to mention, he finished second in the overall and PGS standings. Roland Fischnaller was right there with him as he finished fourth in the PGS standings with three PGS outright wins.

Maurizio Bormolini may be following in their footsteps as he already cemented himself as a legend with a sweep of the crystal globes. He was the first male athlete to sweep the globes since 2015.

The 2025-26 season also brought the end to many other storied careers on the women’s side. Julie Zogg (SUI), Tomoka Takeuchi (JPN), Jessica Keiser (SUI), and Ladina Caviezel (SUI) all hung up their snowboard boots this season. Zogg even added one more podium to her legendary haul. She finishes with 43 career World Cup podiums.

Elsewhere, five male athletes made their first career World Cup podium including Alexander Krashniak (BUL), Tervel Zamfirov (BUL), Ryusuke Shinohara (JPN), Gian Casanova (SUI), and  Christoph Karner (AUT). Arnaud Gaudet (CAN) also made his first career podium, but ended the season with four total trips to the top-three stage.

The season was beyond memorable and one the most competitive in the sport’s history. Now the athletes will go to their offseason sports and training as they prepare to elevate the sport to newer heights next season. We wish them all luck in their preparations.