By Snow Forecast in Events — Jan 14, 2022

Four Race Lauberhorn World Cup Meeting Underway

Following cancelled races in 2021 due to an outbreak of Covid in the area, the 2022 edition of the Lauberhorn World Cup ski races is due underway with 4 races, a GSD, two downhills and the slalom, taking place up to Sunday 16th in the resort of Wengen, Switzerland, part of the Jungfrau Ski Region that also includes the resort of Grindelwald.

Spectators who show proof of Covid vaccination status (or evidence of recovery from Covid or a negative test) are allowed to attend and British tourists are permitted to enter Switzerland without quarantine under certain conditions.

The four days began on Thursday with perfect conditions for a GS race which has been twice rescheduled. It was won by the man-of-the-moment in World cup speed racing, Switzerland’s 24 year old Marco Odermatt.

The competition sees the return of the longest downhill ski race on the men’s World Cup circuit (4.480 km, 2.78 mi), with two races scheduled for 2022 on Friday January 14th and Saturday January 15th as well as a men’s slalom race on Sunday January 16th. There’s also the addition of a Super G race that will be held on Thursday January 13th, replacing the cancelled December 30th race from Bormio due to bad weather conditions.

This is the 92nd edition of the Lauberhorn races, first held in 1930, when British ski racer Bill Bracken won the combined race (slalom and downhill). Since then the races have been dominated by Swiss and Austrian winners, including Franz Klammer, Toni Sailer and more recently Beat Feuz, who was the last winner of the downhill in 2020.

The iconic ski races will be celebrated daily with flybys from the Swiss Air Force display team. The scenes as they fly past the North Face of the Eiger, the mountain dominating the scenery of the Jungfrau Ski Region, are shown on TV screens around the world and have become synonymous with this highlight of the men’s World Cup circuit.

With temperatures dropping over the past week the 92nd edition of the Lauberhorn races have been welcomed by locals and ski racing enthusiasts alike.

In the UK, live coverage of the downhill and slalom races can be found on Eurosport. BBC Ski Sunday will show the downhill race highlights on Sunday January 16th at 8pm.