It's just about showtime for the thousands of athletes who qualified for the Winter Olympics next month in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The XXV Winter Olympiad runs from Feb. 6-22 and will include Northern California stars such as Oakland figure skater Alysa Liu and the youngest member of Team USA's ski/snowboard roster, 15-year-old Abby Winterberger of Truckee, who competes in freestyle halfpipe skiing. In all, eight Northern California athletes will represent the United States, including three from the Bay Area.
Downhill racing at the last three Winter Games Sochi in 2014, Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022 were held at completely new sites. Women's skiing at the Games will be on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina d'Ampezzo, which has hosted the World Cup circuit's signature races for decades. The Cortina course features a rhythmic track where racers can reach speeds hovering around 80 mph.
That was exciting! This is insane how many people are here. It's so cool! Thank you for coming. This crowd tonight was... I mean you can see the footprints all the way up the side of the slope. That was special.
One of alpine skiing's most iconic night races is officially on the calendar: the International Ski Federation (FIS) has approved snow conditions at Madonna di Campiglio, clearing the northern Italian resort to host the Men's Alpine Ski World Cup Night Slalom on January 7, 2026. The announcement follows a routine pre-race inspection known as "snow control," which is conducted 10 days before the event for tech races.
Olympic gold medalist and ski legend Deb Armstrong met up with 15-year-old ski racer Wilson Walker to run through his dry land strength training workout to help build strength for alpine skiing. Walker uses an app that allows his coaches to set up a workout for him, but that doesn't mean you can't learn a bit from his experiences. His lifting workout consisted of deadlifts, squats, RDLs, core, and much more.
Odermatt finished in 1min 29.84sec to surpass Cochran-Siegle by .30sec. Norway's Adrian Smiseth Sejersted finished third. The finish line was moved up the hill and just barely visible by fans in the stands due to a lack of snow to properly place the safety netting. The 11th race on the course, Odermatt said he was able to attack the steeper sections and carry enough speed through the flatter part.