Club5 Welcomes Five New Members
Club5, the association of the classic World Cup alpine skiing venues, grew to 26 members on Thursday evening. Val di Fassa (ITA), Levi (FIN), Kronplatz (ITA), Bormio (ITA), and Courchevel (FRA) were admitted as new organizers during the Club5 General Assembly, held as part of the traditional FIS autumn meetings in Zurich.
The Club5 board, newly elected in October 2024 and led by President Rainer Senoner (OC Val Gardena), together with vice presidents Jan Überall (OC Kitzbühel), Thomas Rechberger (OC St. Moritz), and Ole Kristian Kirkerud (OC Kvitfjell), has set the goal of being recognized within the FIS International Ski and Snowboard Federation as the voice of all World Cup organizers. On Thursday evening, at least in the alpine sector, the committee took another major step toward this goal. With the admission of Val di Fassa, Levi, Kronplatz, Bormio, and Courchevel, the renowned association has grown to 26 members.
However, admitting the new members was not the only item on the agenda of the fall plenary meeting, which was also attended by FIS Secretary General Michel Vion, FIS Council Member Michael Huber, as well as FIS race directors Markus Waldner and Peter Gerdol. They gave the attending organizing committees a brief overview of future developments within the International Ski and Snowboard Federation. Huber reported that FIS will increase prize money by 10 percent. In the upcoming 2025/26 season, the total sum will be 158,400 Swiss francs. However, in subsequent seasons, the FIS contribution will gradually be reduced. Vion promised the OCs that a long-term calendar will soon be introduced, providing a certain degree of planning security.
Waldner and Gerdol, on the other hand, said they are convinced that organizers will once again deliver a top product if everyone pulls together. FIS Sports & Events Director Sandra Spitz, who also attended the Club5 Plenary Meeting, offered the organizers the opportunity to jointly develop a unified accreditation system. Finally, the organizing committees were informed that a workshop will take place in September 2026 as part of the Formula 1 weekend in Monza.
Club5 was founded in 1988. The five classic World Cup downhill races of the alpine circuit—Kitzbühel, Wengen, Garmisch, Val Gardena, and Val d’Isère—were to be brought together under one umbrella and jointly marketed. The aim was also to convey the high quality of these events more effectively in the media. Over the years, more organizers have joined. Today, the association consists of 26 members: Adelboden, Alta Badia, Åre, Bormio, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Courchevel, Crans-Montana, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Val Gardena, Jasna, Kitzbühel, Kranjska Gora (Women), Kranjska Gora (men), Kronplatz, Kvitfjell, Levi, Madonna di Campiglio, Schladming, Sestriere, Soldeu, St. Anton, St. Moritz, Val di Fassa, Val d’Isère, Wengen, and Zagreb.
