Courchevel Meribel 2023 Says “Understand Everything About The Alpine Skiing World Championships”

From February 6 to 19, ski champions meet for one of the most important events in the world of skiing: the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships! A golden opportunity for all  guests to get a closer look at the best skiers in the world on the slopes of our domain, and to be able to encourage them in their performance to win a medal. The key figures, the disciplines contested by the competitors, the program of events, the ambassadors of the resort to follow closely during this extraordinary competition... all the information can be found here!

Key Figures

• 2 : This unmissable event takes place every two years. It is also the number of tracks that will host the competitions and qualifications in Courchevel: L'Éclipse and the Émile-Allais stadium.
• 4 : This is the fourth time that the World Ski Championships have taken place in France… Cocorico! And it's with us, in Courchevel, that it's happening this year!
• 6 : The number of disciplines represented: Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, combined and parallel. A great show in perspective!
• 54 : The number of medals that will be awarded.
• 75 : The number of nations participating in the competition.
• 600 : The number of athletes vying to reach the top step of the podium in their discipline.
• 20,000 : The average number of viewers expected per day.
• 500 million : The number of viewers who will follow this competition live around the world.

Disciplines !

Rigor, technique, speed… what are the different disciplines that will take place during these World Championships? The characteristics of each discipline in brief, it's here!

Combined

These are two runs that add up: a speed run followed by a slalom run. The fastest athlete in the sprint run will start first in the slalom run. The two times are added together and the fastest at the end of the two runs will be declared the winner. An event which allows to crown the best skiers endowed with an unfailing reactivity to tame the slalom with a commitment and a controlled risk-taking to descend the track as quickly as possible! Thus, the most complete skier wins. The combined podiums often offer nice surprises!

Super-G

The Super-G is considered, along with the downhill, as a speed event. It's a real compromise between downhill and giant with a high dose of technical difficulty for maximum show. Unlike the downhill, there is only one run. A spectacular event that requires unstoppable technical ease to have perfect curves while maintaining maximum speed!

Downhill

Show ahead! The descent is the discipline intended for the most daring spatulas with peak speeds that can reach 140km/h on the Eclipse track! An event that requires composure and technique to reach the finish line with the best time.

giant slalom

Giant slalom is an extremely physically demanding technical discipline, which requires impeccable precision and sense of trajectory. The event consists of two legs, covered on two different courses. The GS asks the athlete to be quick in his movements, while having a technique that is close to perfection with in particular a strong dissociation of the upper and lower body. It is a magnificent discipline to watch. 

Slalom

This is the most technical test. On the program: speed of course, but also precision in the gates. The slalom courses are the shortest, but they have more gates close to each other... which adds a notch of difficulty! A very physical challenge for competitors who must compete in agility and skill to win the event! As in giant slalom, the slalom event has two runs contested on different courses. The skier who obtains the best combined time of the two runs wins the event.

Parallel slalom

The parallel slalom is exhilarating for the competitors but also for the spectators, it's a real show where the heart races and the public ignites! These are 2 courses drawn identically located side by side. The goal? The skiers start at the same time and the first athlete to cross the finish line qualifies for the next round. Then, the test respects a table on the same system as a tennis tournament. Show and atmosphere guaranteed! Info: Only the parallel slalom qualifications will take place in Courchevel, at the Émile-Allais stadium.

Team parallel slalom

Always a maximum of spectacle for this parallel team event! In competition, 16 nations defined by the general classification of each country with the crème de la crème in the two starting gates. Each team is made up of 6 athletes (4 starters, 2 substitutes) made up of 3 men and 3 women. A great show in perspective for the public!

Courchevellois in the starting gate!

Alexis Pinturault

At only 31 years old, Alexis Pinturault has an incredible track record: French record holder with 34 World Cup victories, 3 Olympic medals and 2 world champion titles. In 2021, he won the big crystal globe, the ultimate distinction! Today, Alexis as a seasoned competitor and ambassador of our resort, concentrates all his energy to win a gold medal at home in one of the most prestigious competitions in the world! A major challenge for our champion that the whole station will support during this event with necessarily a lot of emotions at the rendezvous. Go Alexis, GO!

Marie Lamure

At just 21 years old, Marie Lamure is truly one of the rising stars of French skiing! After a blank year in 2020-2021 following a back injury, Marie the slalomer has been able to bounce back and reinvent herself to be as close as possible to combative and technical skiing. A strength of character that has enabled him to perform well in the European Cup and in the Junior World Championship, with the combined title as the key! Today, this passionate slalom racer wears the colors of France high on the international circuit. Go ahead Marie, we're behind you!

Skiing, sportsmanship, surpassing oneself, emotions... in February our resort will welcome ski lovers for this 2023 edition of the Alpine Skiing World Championships which is already shaping up to be a great moment of communion!