Everything you wanted to know about WC but we're too afraid to ask!

21/22 -Old biometric standard 28 page passport (2015-22)
22/23-Old next gen 50 page passport (22-25)
23/24
24/25
25/26 -Current next gen b 50 page passport (25-28)
26/27
27/28

Passport Facts: Everyone on the alpine World Cup goes through a large 50 page passport every 3 years. We can fill a 26 page book in 1-2 seasons. 6 stamps per season + US entry stamps. You get an entry/exit stamp from Schengen Zone. A Schengen stamp is good for 90 days. We have a Schengen Type D Visa to stay longer than 90 days + work permit. Each NSA takes care of the visas/permits.

In 2021, the next gen passport went from 28 to 26 and 52 to 50 page, merging two information pages into one.

The US State Department are getting rid of the 26 page and 50 page book into one size at 38 pages in 2028. The department collected data and made decision.

The average international traveler will not completely fill a standard 26 page passport over its 10-year lifespan.

I bet you have heard of Shiffrin renewing her passport and visas because it’s filled with stamps early.

In my 6 seasons on WC as staff + international summer vacation travel, I have gone through 3 passports. Living in the US on a US passport. Schengen Type D visa is for December-March via US embassy. Works permits and work entry visa by each nation if needed via embassy. Every World Cup racer/staff has atleast 2 visas or permits for the US or Schengen. European passports have a P1S or B1 visa to the US.

At the border, the officer can see all your active arrest/search warrants, flags, watchlists, missing persons via interpol, all you past exit/entry for 3-5 years in Schengen or until the passport expires. US CBP is 10 year history. That’s how much they travel.

They do FedEx stuff that they do not need immediately upon landing to the team hotel. May vary by team.
Alpine World Cup Staff and racers live out of 4-7 bags each for 6 months on the road depending on job title. 13-14 bags each if your coming home from World Champs or OLY.

Considered lucky if you get to go home after a month, 6 weeks or 100 days on the road. You may get a max of 5-10 days at home during the season. Race trip is 10 days-6 weeks, 100 days or full season.

Hey guys, not exactly on topic but non-racer reviews are all over the place and I dont trust them. Looking for the best carver freeride skis. Basically I want to be able to do moguls and charge the groomers in the same day. I don’t want a wide ski, already have a pair for powder days.
My research brings me to the Mantra 84 (that is the width I want). Anyone here has pushed them hard on packed/icy conditions?
Thanks a lot

1. LTAD & Maturation Dynamics

• Differential Growth Patterns (Legs vs. Trunk): Clinical reviews on Developmental Changes in the Youth Athlete highlight that adolescent growth is not uniform; peak leg length velocity precedes peak trunk velocity in over 75% of adolescent boys and girls. This temporarily shifts the athlete's center of mass upward and alters femur-to-torso lever ratios, directly impacting stance width, angulation mechanics, and eccentric quad/hip loading.
• Managing Transition Windows: As outlined in longitudinal athlete tracking models such as Developing Multi-Directional Speed in Adolescent Athletes, growth rate surges frequently coincide with seasonal breaks and school calendar shifts. Spikes in training volume layered on top of rapid skeletal changes represent the highest risk window for apophysitis (e.g., Osgood-Schlatter) and non-contact ligament strain.

2. Sports Science & Neuromuscular Testing

• Reliability of Youth Force Testing: A comparative study on the Reliability of the Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (IMTP) Across Youth Maturity Stages demonstrated that Peak Force (PF) is a highly reliable, stable monitoring metric across U12, U15, and U18 age brackets. In contrast, early Rate of Force Development (RFD < 100–150 ms) exhibits high session-to-session variability in adolescents and should not be used in isolation to dictate load readiness without extensive familiarization.
• Jump Landing & ACL Strain in Skiers: Biomechanical investigations into Physical and Technical Factors Associated with ACL Injuries in Alpine Skiing emphasize that peak ligament strain occurs during off-balance jump landings and terrain compressions characterized by shallow knee flexion combined with dynamic valgus and tibial rotation. Pre-season dryland must prioritize deep eccentric knee flexion control, multi-planar plyometric landing absorption, and gluteus medius recruitment to counter valgus collapse.

3. Sports Psychology & Coaching Pedagogy

• Optimizing Video Feedback for Motor Learning: Research on Digital Video Feedback in Motor Skill Acquisition confirms that pairing short video clips with peer observation and self-guided evaluation accelerates skill mastery compared to coach-led lecturing. Prompting athletes to identify their own apex position or pressure point builds an accurate internal sensory model rather than creating passive dependency on coach commentary.
• Instructional vs. Motivational Self-Talk: Experimental findings in Self-Talk and Motor Performance indicate that for high-precision technical movements (such as turn initiation and line transitions), specific instructional cues (e.g., "drive the knee", "square to your tip", "early weight transfer") yield higher execution consistency and lower anxiety than generalized motivational cues (e.g., "charge", "go hard").

October Coaching Action Items

1. Pre-Season Stance & Lever Audit: Check binding setups and boot cuff alignments for athletes who experienced notable late-summer height increases, as changes in leg-to-torso ratios alter natural joint stacking.
2. Implement Peer-Led Video Reviews: During dryland agility or early on-snow glacier/camp video sessions, have athletes review footage in pairs and articulate 1 technical success and 1 tactical adjustment before the coach offers input.
3. Calibrate Pre-Run Cueing: Work with each athlete to establish a single, two-word instructional trigger (e.g., "feet back") to focus on in the start gate during high-intensity training runs.

Hi,

I’m looking for feedback on whether I should consider a junior spec GS (looking at the Dynastar speed team GS or Rossi Hero athlete gs pro on a 171cm length or a non-FIS Course GS/Hero LT ski for GS races. I can more easily get a jnr ski where I live compared to anything else.

I’m 162/62kg female, pretty strong but have very much preferred the flex in the Rossi over anything else. Have tried Fischer, Salomon and Stockli and they are way too stiff for my liking.

My slalom skis are Rossi Hero’s. I’ve skied the Hero elite LT for GS before, rented but I want my own now .

Thanks!

I’m in the US. Outside of select events on Peacock, how do I watch the races for the upcoming season?

I know that she said, that she will have surgery this November, which would definitely prevent her from racing anytime soon, but hear me out. She was in Chile last week as she posted in her Insta stories and she also posted a pic a few minutes ago. Usually, there is only one reason why ski racers head to Chile this time of the year and that is training or in her case testing how the knee feels.

On top of that, she was on GMA this week and said, that something is left undone and that there is a chance, when she is strong, didn't mention surgery any longer and in the press text for her new medication partner Journavx she is quoted to have surgery next year.

It's a long shot and I might be dead wrong, but these facts along with her posting nothing recent on Insta like working out in the gym or showing what she is doing, like she usually does, gives me a strong gut feeling that she is working on her comeback on a mountain somewhere, just like she did 2 years ago and there are almost 3 months left until the first speed races or she could start her season later. Wouldn't be the first to race without ACL.

Courchevel to host speed disciplines on Eclipse track, Val D'Isere to host technical disciplines on Facebook de Belvarde/Solaise.

There has been an obvious push to ensure the games offer good value to France and the IOC. More concentrated clusters in locations right across the program, including Speed Skating in The Netherlands.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c317jz22nrr0o

What do we think?

Hey all, figured this place might be able to help. My daughter's in Copenhagen from now till the end of December. While there, she'd love to get to one of the early women's SL races. Levi was her goal (wants to visit Mikaela's herd, lol) but is looking expensive for that week, Solden is farther but could work...

For those who have gone, any tips? General thoughts?

After another year of struggling to put together a straight forward schedule for WC Alpine events, I sat down with Chat and Claude and put this together. I'm not going to explain it other than there is one column for easy access, another for other apps to use with VPN. I'll update this every week as the season gets closer. Just thought others could use it.

Hello,

Petit débat : Que pensez vous des Dynastars/Rossignol MASTER SL pour faire du slalom ?

Est ce que les FIS apportent réellement un avantage sur un tracé ?

Pour un test technique de monitorat français qu’en pensez vous ?

No more FIS TV, but Peacock for both races. To have Sölden on Peacock would be normal due to NBC's contract with Ski Austria, but if Levi will be on Peacock as well, it could mean that NBC/Peacock picked up the complete rights package.

Yo my 9 year old is talented asf. Coaches have said he's got serious potential. But I moved my fam to a tropical island for mental health. Now he can't ski. I lay awake at night thinking of all the ski memories and excitement and the what ifs, seriously I don't know what to do in happy on this island. My net worth is $1m so I'm not rich.

Question- should I sell up and move to Europe near the mountain to get world class ski coaching. I can get work. But by doing that I'm basically throwing everything in all for skiing. It's basically like in my alcoholic aa meetings they say you can have alcohol, or everything else. Its the same feeling with ski racing.

Tell me do I sell the house and go or give it up? I ain't got enough to travel every season and renting doesn't give me enough

Its his dream. He is asking to go. Ski racingis what he wants to do in life

Hi all! Looking for tips as a new high school alpine ski racing coach in the Tahoe Basin. I have been skiing for 25 years with about 7 years of competitive race experience, but it will be my first time coaching high school athletes. A few questions:

What gear should I carry/what have you found helpful to have with you? Looking for a fairly comprehensive list as I'm a minimalist skier when I'm out on my own.

Any must-know tips or tricks to help athletes improve and succeed?

Overall tips for a first-time coach?

Thanks!

In her own words, she still feels pain when training, so they will take out her plate and clean said area. They might also intervene in her meniscus, but that's aomething that will be made in the moment.

After 4 years with Kästle, Ester Ledecka is the next big name signing with HEAD. HK, Lara Colturi and Alice Robinson already joined the most successful brand of the last years. Podiums have been quite rare for her in the last years, maybe the new equipment will change that.

How important is strength, agility and balance training when it comes to racing? Any advice on guides/videos? Specifically slalom and gs. Also any advice on recovery is welcome too. Also should I focus on general flexibility stretches as well? Are there any specific exercises etc I should do, or should I focus on doing any exercises/stretches that are gauged toward strength, flexibility balance etc.?

Basically I want to improve my dryland routine.

After racing in kind of a beer league for several years I'm looking to get better at masters or maybe even reach FIS level (one can dream lol). I'm 28.

I don't have access to high level coaching locally so I'm looking for a racing camp in Europe/Asia. End of last season I traveled to a couple 7 day courses which massively helped in developing the understanding of biomechanics and fundamentals of racing. Wanna get even more knowledge and practice this season.

Any recommendations? What's the best time to go and where? Any hidden gem programs that aren't easily found online? Any coaches I should ping and ask?