The traditional European Cup slalom on the selective Maierl slope will take place on a Monday this year, on December 16. A top result on the Maierl slope is good for self-confidence. The past teaches us that.
Last year, the European Cup celebrated its 40th anniversary in Obereggen. No other European Cup venue can look back on a longer tradition, which is why Obereggen has already been dubbed the “Kitzbühel of the European Cup”. Over the decades, giant slaloms (1983), slaloms (from 1984), super-Gs (1985-2000) and combinations (1984-1989) have been held.
In these 40 years, the team around SC Eggen, SC Rosengarten/ASE Catinaccio and, since 2022, ASV Deutschnofen in its place, as well as the Obereggen Ski School and Obereggen Latemar AG have earned a reputation for being extremely professional and reliable. Obereggen has also established itself on the international ski circuit as an extremely snow-sure race venue despite the early start to the season. Only four times in 40 years has the European Cup not been held as planned: in 1994 and 2000 it had to be canceled, in 1996 and 2019 there were race cancellations. It was also canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
in the picture: Reto Schmidiger (SUI), winner of the Obereggen European Cup 2023
Countless World Cup winners, world champions and Olympic champions have stood on the podium in Obereggen in its 40-year history. Above all, the Austrian Marcel Hirscher, the most successful skier of all time, having won a total of eight World Cups, seven World Championship titles and two Olympic gold medals: in 2007 in Obereggen, 18-year-old Hirscher finished third.
Athletes such as Clement Noel, Andre Myhrer, Giuliano Razzoli, Reinfried Herbst, Manfred Pranger, Alberto Tomba, Benjamin Raich, Stephan Eberharter, Kristian Ghedina, Luc Alphand, Tomas Fogdoe, Rudi Nierlich, Armin Bittner and Peter Müller have also stood on the podium in Obereggen.
Countless world slalom stars pass through Obereggen. Six of the ten best slalom racers in the world last winter made it onto the podium in Obereggen: Alexander Steen Olsen (2021), Loic Meillard (2016) and Manuel Feller (2012) won; Ramon Zenhaeusern (2015) and Daniel Yule (2013) were second; Clement Noel (2017) came third. Only the reigning World Champion and Slalom World Cup winner Henrik Kristoffersen finished among the comprimarios in Obereggen: 11th in 2012 when he was a talented hopeful.
in the picture: Alberto Tomba (ITA), European Cup Obereggen 1986
This time, the European Cup slalom in Obereggen will take place on a Monday, one day after the World Cup slalom in Val d'Isere and the European Cup slalom in Fassa, which will take place at the same time. The date is December 16.
This time it is different than in the past. While the slaloms in the World Cup and European Cup at the start of the season in November and December have been extremely thin on the ground for decades, this year there are no fewer than three World Cup slaloms and three European Cup slaloms before Obereggen. In the World Cup, Levi (November 17), Gurgl (November 24) and Val d'Isere (December 15) are on the program, while in the European Cup there are two slaloms in Levi (November 23 and 24) and one in Fassa (December 15), before continuing with the traditional European Cup slalom in Obereggen and then a World Cup slalom in Alta Badia (December 23).
What does this mean for Obereggen? The race program for the specialists in the technical disciplines is packed at the start of the season, but Obereggen can still count on the participation of some World Cup stars, as is always the case in Obereggen. Young talents can also showcase themselves in Obereggen, as the wheat is separated from the chaff on the challenging Maierl piste.
in the picture: Matthias Iten (SUI), runner-up at the Obereggen 2023 European Cup
The unforgotten: Karl and Peter Pichler, Bruno Fusmini, Jakob Kerer, Peppi Staffler
Since its birth, the European Cup in Obereggen has been dedicated to the two Eggental brothers Karl and Peter Pichler, who both lived for skiing and both died tragically when they were once again out and about for their sport - Peter in 1977 in an avalanche accident on the Jochgrimm, Karl in 1982 in a traffic accident in New Zealand, where he was coaching the Italian national team.
The Obereggen European Cup is also closely associated with three other names: Co-founder Bruno Fusmini was president of the organizing committee from 1992 to 1997 before he passed away in 1998. Peppi Staffler was also one of the men from the very beginning and was involved until his death in January 2024. Finally, Jakob Kerer was a reliable and responsible member of the European Cup Committee from the very beginning until his death in summer 2020.
in the picture: Karl and Peter Pichler