FIS Alpine Ski World Cup

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France (Honore Bonnet) and the USA (Bob Beattie).[1] It was soon backed by International Ski Federation president Marc Hodler during the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1966 at Portillo, Chile, and became an official FIS event in the spring of 1967 after the FIS Congress at Beirut, Lebanon. The first World Cup ski race was held in Berchtesgaden, West Germany, on January 5, 1967. Jean-Claude Killy of France and Nancy Greene of Canada were the overall winners for the first two seasons.

For the upcomping season, see 2020–21 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup.
Alpine Ski World Cup
Austrian alpine skier Marcel Hirscher
GenreAlpine skiing
Location(s)Europe
Canada
United States
Japan (rarely)
Russia (rarely)
Australia (rarely)
Argentina (rarely)
South Korea (rarely)
New Zealand (rarely)
Inaugurated5 January 1967 (5 January 1967) (men)
7 January 1967 (7 January 1967) (ladies)
Founder Serge Lang
Honore Bonnet
Bob Beattie
Organised byInternational Ski Federation
PeopleChief race Directors
Markus Waldner (men)
Peter Gerdol (ladies)
SponsorAudi Quattro

Rules

Competitors attempt to achieve the best time in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, super G, and downhill. The fifth event, the combined, employs the downhill and slalom. The World Cup originally included only slalom, giant slalom, and downhill races. Combined events (calculated using results from selected downhill and slalom races) were included starting with the 1974–75 season, while the Super G was added for the 1982–83 season. The current scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. For every race points are awarded to the top 30 finishers: 100 points to the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, winding down to 1 point for 30th place. The racer with the most points at the end of the season in mid-March wins the Cup, with the trophy consisting of a 9 kilogram crystal globe.[2] Sub-prizes are also awarded in each individual race discipline, with a smaller 3.5 kg crystal globe. (See the section on scoring system below for more information.)

The World Cup is held annually, and is considered the premier competition for alpine ski racing after the quadrennial Winter Olympics. Many consider the World Cup to be a more valuable title than the Olympics or the biennial World Championships, since it requires a competitor to ski at an extremely high level in several disciplines throughout the season, and not just in one race.[3]

Races are hosted primarily at ski resorts in the Alps in Europe, with regular stops in Scandinavia, North America, and east Asia, but a few races have also been held in the Southern Hemisphere. World Cup competitions have been hosted in 25 different countries around the world: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.[4] (Note that all World Cup races hosted in Bosnia were held when it was still part of Yugoslavia.)

Lower competitive circuits include the NorAm Cup in North America and the Europa Cup in Europe.

Overall winners
See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's champions and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's champions

Multiple individual overall World Cup winners are marked with (#).

Discipline titles
See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's champions and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's champions

Top 10 Small Crystal Globe podiums
  Still active

Most small globes per discipline

Combined crystal globe was officially awarded from 2007–2012. However, there are counted all season titles, both official and unofficial. The records for most World Cup titles in each discipline are as follows:

Men's season titles

Most race wins in each discipline

As of 1 March 2020

Men

Ladies

Top World Cup hosts
Further information: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's hosts and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup ladies' hosts

Most successful race winners
See also: List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's race winners and List of FIS Alpine Ski World Cup women's race winners

A common measurement of how good individual skiers are is the total number of World Cup races won during their skiing career. The following skiers have won at least 20 World Cup races:

Most podiums and Top 10 results

As of 23 November 2019.[9][10]

  Still active

Career podiums

Career Top 10 results
  • Note: Only parallel events from (1975, 1997, 2011–2013, 2016) which count for overall ranking, included on this list, are considered as official individual World Cup victories.

Greatest alpine skiers of all time

Based on ski-database super ranking system (since 1966), this scoring system is calculated using points from three categories: Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup (overall titles, discipline titles and individual top 10 results).

Men's super ranking

Ladies' super ranking

update: 26 January 2020

Parallel slalom

Parallel slaloms from 1976 to 1991 counted for Nations Cup. Number of athletes are limitless. 32 in main competition. Qualifying introduced in 2017.

Men
Date Place Season Winner Second Third
Nations Cup
20 March 1976   Mont St. Anne1975/76 Franco Bieler Ingemar Stenmark Jim Hunter
26 March 1977   Sierra Nevada1976/77 Manfred Brunner Klaus Heidegger Bruno Nöckler
19 March 1978     Arosa1977/78 Phil Mahre Ingemar Stenmark Leonhard Stock
14 December 1978   Madonna di Campiglio1978/79 Ingemar Stenmark Mauro Bernardi Karl Trojer
14 March 1980   Saalbach1979/80 Anton Steiner Ingemar Stenmark Jarle Halsnes
30 March 1981     Laax1980/81 Ingemar Stenmark Jarle Halsnes Phil Mahre
28 March 1982   Montgenèvre1981/82 Phil Mahre Ingemar Stenmark Hans Enn
21 March 1983   Furano1982/83 Ingemar Stenmark (3) Phil Mahre Andreas Wenzel
25 March 1984   Oslo1983/84 Hans Enn Anton Steiner Ingemar Stenmark
6 January 1986   Vienna1985/86 Ivano Edalini Markus Wasmeier Anton Steiner
22 March 1986   Bromont Paul Frommelt Marco Tonazzi Marc Girardelli
28 December 1986   Berlin1986/87 Leonhard Stock Bojan Križaj Michael Eder
22 December 1987   Bormio1987/88   Pirmin Zurbriggen   Joël Gaspoz   Martin Hangl
27 March 1988   Saalbach Alberto Tomba   Pirmin Zurbriggen Helmut Mayer
11 March 1989   Shiga Kōgen1988/89 Bernhard Gstrein   Pirmin Zurbriggen Rudolf Nierlich
24 March 1991   Waterville1990/91   Urs Kälin   Paul Accola  Ole Kristian Furuseth
Promotional event
2 January 2009   Moscow2008/09 Felix Neureuther Jean-Baptiste Grange Bode Miller
21 November 2009   Moscow2009/10 Marcel Hirscher Steve Missillier Michael Janyk
World Cup
23 March 1975   Val Gardena1974/75 Gustav Thöni Ingemar Stenmark   Walter Tresch
24 October 1997   Tignes1997/98 Josef Strobl Kjetil André Aamodt Hermann Maier

Ladies
Date Place Season Winner Second Third
Nations Cup
20 March 1976   Mont St. Anne1975/76   Bernadette Zurbriggen Irene Epple Monika Kaserer
26 March 1977   Sierra Nevada1976/77 Christa Zechmeister   Marie-Theres Nadig Annemarie Moser-Pröll
19 March 1978     Arosa1977/78 Annemarie Moser-Pröll Christa Zechmeister Viki Fleckenstein
16 March 1980   Saalbach1979/80 Annemarie Moser-Pröll (2) Claudia Giordani Maria Epple
30 March 1981     Laax1980/81 Tamara McKinney Traudl Hächer Hanni Wenzel
28 March 1982   Montgenèvre1981/82 Maria Epple Lea Sölkner Perrine Pelen
21 March 1983   Furano1982/83 Anne-Flore Rey Hanni Wenzel Anni Kronbichler
25 March 1984   Oslo1983/84 Olga Charvátová   Erika Hess Tamara McKinney
22 March 1986   Bromont1985/86   Vreni Schneider   Maria Walliser   Corinne Schmidhauser
18 January 1987   Munich1986/87 Tamara McKinney Małgorzata Tlałka-Mogore   Corinne Schmidhauser
22 December 1987   Bormio1987/88   Brigitte Oertli   Corinne Schmidhauser   Michela Figini
27 March 1988   Saalbach Christina Meier Ulrike Maier Roswitha Steiner
11 March 1989   Shiga Kōgen1988/89   Chantal Bournissen Michaela Gerg-Leitner Tamara McKinney
24 March 1991   Waterville1990/91 Anita Wachter Ingrid Salvenmoser   Chantal Bournissen
Promotional event
21 November 2009   Moscow2009/10 Therese Borssén Maria Riesch Frida Hansdotter
World Cup
24 March 1975   Val Gardena1974/75 Monika Kaserer Claudia Giordani Fabienne Serrat
24 October 1997   Tignes1997/98 Leila Piccard Ylva Nowén Alexandra Meissnitzer
28 November 1997   Mammoth Mountain Hilde Gerg Martina Ertl Alexandra Meissnitzer
20 December 2017   Courchevel2017/18 Mikaela Shiffrin Petra Vlhová Irene Curtoni
9 December 2018     St. Moritz2018/19 Mikaela Shiffrin (2) Petra Vlhová   Wendy Holdener
15 December 2019     St. Moritz2019/20 Petra Vlhová Anna Swenn-Larsson Franziska Gritsch

City event

Parallel city event is a version of parallel slalom where only Top16 ranked are allowed to compete. Length of the track and course/gates setting are also different from classic parallel slalom, and as of 2019/20 season, they are completely replaced with normal parallel races with qualification run.

Men
Date Place Season Winner Second Third
2 January 2011   Munich2010/11 Ivica Kostelić Julien Lizeroux Bode Miller
21 February 2012   Moscow2011/12 Alexis Pinturault Felix Neureuther André Myhrer
1 January 2013   Munich2012/13 Felix Neureuther Marcel Hirscher Alexis Pinturault
29 January 2013   Moscow Marcel Hirscher André Myhrer Ivica Kostelić
23 February 2016   Stockholm2015/16 Marcel Hirscher (2) André Myhrer Stefano Gross
31 January 2017   Stockholm2016/17 Linus Straßer Alexis Pinturault Mattias Hargin
1 January 2018    Oslo2017/18 André Myhrer Michael Matt Linus Straßer
30 January 2018   Stockholm   Ramon Zenhäusern André Myhrer Linus Straßer
1 January 2019    Oslo2018/19 Marco Schwarz Dave Ryding   Ramon Zenhäusern
19 February 2019   Stockholm   Ramon Zenhäusern (2) André Myhrer Marco Schwarz

Ladies
Date Place Season Winner Second Third
2 January 2011   Munich2010/11 Maria Pietilä-Holmner Tina Maze Elisabeth Görgl
21 February 2012   Moscow2011/12 Julia Mancuso Michaela Kirchgasser Lindsey Vonn
1 January 2013   Munich2012/13 Veronika Velez Zuzulová Tina Maze Michaela Kirchgasser
29 January 2013   Moscow Lena Dürr Veronika Velez-Zuzulová Mikaela Shiffrin
23 February 2016   Stockholm2015/16   Wendy Holdener Frida Hansdotter Maria Pietilä-Holmner
31 January 2017   Stockholm2016/17 Mikaela Shiffrin Veronika Velez-Zuzulová  Nina Løseth
1 January 2018    Oslo2017/18 Mikaela Shiffrin   Wendy Holdener   Mélanie Meillard
30 January 2018   Stockholm  Nina Haver-Løseth   Wendy Holdener Petra Vlhová
1 January 2019    Oslo2018/19 Petra Vlhová Mikaela Shiffrin   Wendy Holdener
19 February 2019   Stockholm Mikaela Shiffrin (3) Christina Geiger Anna Swenn-Larsson

Parallel giant slalom

Introduced by the International Ski Federation to the World Cup as a spectator-friendly event in late 2015, the parallel giant slalom competition, or shortened parallel-G, joining the parallel slalom, is intended to lure more speed specialists into the faster of the two technical disciplines, along with attracting their fans to watch the races at the venue, on-line, and on television.[11] The Federation has not indicated, as of early 2016, that they are fully committed to duplicating the effort, however, their long-term calendar shows that the plan is to return to Alta Badia twelve months after the inaugural event in December 2016, and then again, tentatively, through December 2018.[12] Few venues offer the slope and conditions required to host an extremely short Giant Slalom course that can be readily viewed in its entirety by a compact gallery of fans. Modified or not, the Federation has not suggested that they will push the format to lower-level tours like the NorAm and Europa Cup.

Format

The Chief Race Director of the inaugural event at Alta Badia, Markus Waldner, on 20 December 2015 stated that "great performances" and "head-to-head fights" between the best Giant Slalom racers is the goal of the competition. The course for the first race was very compact at about 20–22 seconds duration, or about one-third of a normal GS run, however, the pace and cadence will be the same as Giant Slalom, not standard Slalom. Gates were set at roughly the same distances as GS and on a slope of about the same pitch. The field of thirty-two were drawn following an "invitational" format. The top four men in the overall World Cup rankings were automatic invitees, if they chose to compete. Another sixteen racers were selected from the top of the current GS start list rankings, and the final twelve competitors were selected from the 1st run efforts at the standard GS event the day prior at the same venue. Overlapping qualifications allowed the sponsors to invite lower ranked participants to fill in gaps, as needed, and to replace individuals who declined to participate. Points were awarded and accumulated according to current standards for the race season in all relevant categories: the GS discipline, Overall and Nations Cup. The field was filled with thirty-two first round participants, each getting a run on either course. The best combined times moved the fastest racer to the second round through bracket preference protocols. From the second round, skiers the head-to-head competitions were held over one run only, with the faster skier from the previous round granted course selection between the 'red-right' or 'blue-left' course. At about one-third the time of a standard GS event, top performers/finalists were able to make multiple runs without the fatigue of a longer event. The course was methodically set with lasers, and a GPS-equipped Snowcat, to guarantee that both courses on the hill were as identical as possible to ensure equity and a fair competition. The Race Director suggested the difference between the two lanes were within "1–to–2 centimeters" tolerance of one another.

Events
Men's World Cup parallel giant slalom events
Venue Date Winner Second Third Fourth Notes
Alta Badia21 December 2015   Kjetil Jansrud Aksel Lund Svindal Andre Myhrer Dominik Schwaiger  [13][14]
Alta Badia19 December 2016   Cyprien Sarrazin  Carlo Janka Kjetil Jansrud Leif Kristian Haugen[15][16]
Alta Badia18 December 2017   Matts Olsson Henrik Kristoffersen Marcel Hirscher Aleksander Aamodt Kilde[17]
Alta Badia17 December 2018   Marcel Hirscher Thibaut Favrot Alexis Pinturault Matts Olsson[18][19]
Alta Badia23 December 2019   Rasmus Windingstad Stefan Luitz Roland Leitinger Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen[18][20]
Ladies' World Cup parallel giant slalom events
Venue Date Winner Second Third Fourth Notes
Sestriere19 January 2020   Clara Direz Elisa Mörzinger Marta Bassino Federica Brignone[21]

Various records

NOTE: Only crystal globe awarded discipline officially counts as titles. And medal's awarded DH, GS, SL disciplines in seasons 1967–1977 as well. Combined crystal globe was officially awarded only in seasons 2007–2012.

World Cup timeline

Calendar
KB – Classic/Super/Alpine combined; PS – Parallel slalom; CE – City event (parallel); PG – Parallel giant slalom; K.O. – Knockout slalom
Season   Men   Ladies   Team
DH SG GS SL KB PS CE PG K.O. Total DH SG GS SL KB PS CE PG K.O. Total SC PG Total
19675N/A57N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A174N/A67N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A17N/AN/AN/A
19685N/A78N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A206N/A710N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A23N/AN/AN/A
1968–696N/A79N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A224N/A79N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A20N/AN/AN/A
1969–706N/A1111N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A285N/A912N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A26N/AN/AN/A
1970–717N/A89N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A246N/A89N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A23N/AN/AN/A
1971–727N/A77N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A217N/A77N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A21N/AN/AN/A
1972–738N/A88N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A248N/A88N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A24N/AN/AN/A
1973–747N/A77N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A215N/A66N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A17N/AN/AN/A
1974–759N/A7731N/AN/AN/A278N/A7731N/AN/AN/A26N/AN/AN/A
1975–768N/A773N/AN/AN/AN/A257N/A883N/AN/AN/AN/A26N/AN/AN/A
1976–7710N/A10103N/AN/AN/AN/A338N/A883N/AN/AN/AN/A27N/AN/AN/A
1977–788N/A77—N/AN/AN/AN/A227N/A87N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A22N/AN/AN/A
1978–799N/A10104N/AN/AN/AN/A337N/A784N/AN/AN/AN/A26N/AN/AN/A
1979–807N/A884N/AN/AN/AN/A277N/A894N/AN/AN/AN/A28N/AN/AN/A
1980–8110N/A11105N/AN/AN/AN/A3610N/A995N/AN/AN/AN/A33N/AN/AN/A
1981–8210N/A995N/AN/AN/AN/A338N/A9104N/AN/AN/AN/A31N/AN/AN/A
1982–831137115N/AN/AN/AN/A3782794N/AN/AN/AN/A30N/AN/AN/A
1983–841048105N/AN/AN/AN/A37827116N/AN/AN/AN/A34N/AN/AN/A
1984–851056105N/AN/AN/AN/A36847104N/AN/AN/AN/A33N/AN/AN/A
1985–861357137N/AN/AN/AN/A45105895N/AN/AN/AN/A37N/AN/AN/A
1986–87115882N/AN/AN/AN/A34758101N/AN/AN/AN/A31N/AN/AN/A
1987–88104682N/AN/AN/AN/A3084682N/AN/AN/AN/A28N/AN/AN/A
1988–89104683N/AN/AN/AN/A3184772N/AN/AN/AN/A28N/AN/AN/A
1989–90967102N/AN/AN/AN/A3486892N/AN/AN/AN/A33N/AN/AN/A
1990–9183791N/AN/AN/AN/A2895672N/AN/AN/AN/A29N/AN/AN/A
1991–9296793N/AN/AN/AN/A3476782N/AN/AN/AN/A30N/AN/AN/A
1992–93107683N/AN/AN/AN/A3496782N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/AN/AN/A
1993–94115982N/AN/AN/AN/A35769102N/AN/AN/AN/A34N/AN/AN/A
1994–9595792N/AN/AN/AN/A3297871N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/AN/AN/A
1995–9696992N/AN/AN/AN/A35977101N/AN/AN/AN/A34N/AN/AN/A
1996–971168102N/AN/AN/AN/A3787791N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/AN/AN/A
1997–981159921N/AN/AN/A37668922N/AN/AN/A33N/AN/AN/A
1998–99106892N/AN/AN/AN/A3598982N/AN/AN/AN/A36N/AN/AN/A
1999–001179112N/AN/AN/AN/A4010811101N/AN/AN/AN/A40N/AN/AN/A
2000–0195991N/AN/AN/AN/A3388891N/AN/AN/AN/A34N/AN/AN/A
2001–02106892N/AN/AN/AN/A3595992N/AN/AN/AN/A34N/AN/AN/A
2002–03116892N/AN/AN/A13768981N/AN/AN/A133N/AN/AN/A
2003–041277112N/AN/AN/AN/A3998810N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A35N/AN/AN/A
2004–05117891N/AN/AN/AN/A3688881N/AN/AN/AN/A33N/AN/AN/A
2005–06968104N/AN/AN/AN/A3788992N/AN/AN/AN/A361N/A1
2006–071156104N/AN/AN/AN/A3697793N/AN/AN/AN/A351N/A1
2007–08978115N/AN/AN/AN/A4097793N/AN/AN/AN/A35—N/A—
2008–09958104N/AN/AN/AN/A3677893N/AN/AN/AN/A341N/A1
2009–1086794N/AN/AN/AN/A3487782N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/A11
2010–11966104N/A1N/AN/A3686693N/A1N/AN/A33N/A11
2011–121189114N/A1N/AN/A44879102N/A1N/AN/A37N/A11
2012–1385892N/A2N/AN/A3476992N/A2N/AN/A35N/A11
2013–1496892N/AN/AN/AN/A3496881N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/A22
2014–151078102N/AN/AN/AN/A3787791N/AN/AN/AN/A32N/A11
2015–1611810103N/A11N/A44989103N/A1N/AN/A40N/A11
2016–17868102N/A11N/A3687993N/A1N/AN/A37N/A11
2017–1896792N/A21N/A368889212N/AN/A38N/A11
2018–19878102N/A21N/A388689112N/AN/A35N/A11
2019–2096793N/AN/A2N/A36866621N/A1N/A30N/A
Total events 49621741949713421061178241723841846910661011166631114
Double wins4412— ————113354—————15———
Triple wins— —— ——— —————11—————— 2———
Total winners 50022142049913421061179342024342547310661011168531114
Diff. winners11681991094028612919978101107415811249256

Last updated: 7 March 2020

Men's double winners
World Cup hosting countries
No. Season Place Discipline Winners
11977–78 Kitzbüheldownhill Sepp Ferstl Josef Walcher
21984–85 Furanosuper-G Steven Lee   Daniel Mahrer
31999–00 St. Antonsuper-G Werner Franz Fritz Strobl
42002–03 Shiga-Kōgenslalom Kalle Palander Rainer Schönfelder
52004–05   Lenzerheidesuper-G Bode Miller Daron Rahlves
62005–06 Shiga-Kōgenslalom Kalle Palander Reinfried Herbst
72010–11   Adelbodengiant slalom Cyprien Richard Aksel Lund Svindal
82011–12 Kvitfjellsuper-G   Beat Feuz Klaus Kröll
92012–13 Bormiodownhill Hannes Reichelt Dominik Paris
102013–14 Kvitfjelldownhill Kjetil Jansrud Georg Streitberger
112017–18 Åredownhill Vincent Kriechmayr Matthias Mayer

Ladies' triple winners
No. Season Place Discipline Winners
12002–03 Söldengiant slalom Andrine Flemmen Nicole Hosp Tina Maze
22005–06 Hafjellsuper-G Michaela Dorfmeister Lindsey Kildow   Nadia Styger

Ladies' double winners
No. Season Place Discipline Winners
11967 Sestrieredownhill Giustina Demetz Marielle Goitschel
21986–87 Sarajevogiant slalom   Vreni Schneider   Maria Walliser
31993–94 Cortina d'Ampezzosuper-G Alenka Dovžan Pernilla Wiberg
41996–97 Cortina d'Ampezzodownhill Isolde Kostner   Heidi Zurbriggen
51996–97 Vail, Coloradoslalom Lara Magoni Pernilla Wiberg
61999–00 Copper Mountainslalom Christel Pascal Špela Pretnar
72001–02 Berchtesgadenslalom Kristina Koznick   Marlies Oester
82003–04 Haus im Ennstalsuper-G Carole Montillet Maria Riesch
92005–06 Ofterschwanggiant slalom Anja Pärson María José Rienda
102007–08 Sestrieresuper-G Andrea Fischbacher   Fabienne Suter
112008–09 Altenmarkt-Zauchenseedownhill   Dominique Gisin Anja Pärson
122010–11 Flachauslalom Maria Höfl-Riesch Tanja Poutiainen
132014–15 Söldengiant slalom Anna Fenninger Mikaela Shiffrin
142018–19 Mariborgiant slalom Mikaela Shiffrin Petra Vlhová
152019–20 Sestrieregiant slalom Petra Vlhová Federica Brignone

20 wins and more in speed/technical events

All-event winners

Only a few racers have ever managed to win races in all five classic World Cup alpine skiing disciplines during their career, as listed in the table below. Marc Girardelli (1988–89), Petra Kronberger (1990–91), Janica Kostelić (2005–06) and Tina Maze (2012–13) are the only skiers to have won all five events in a single season. Bode Miller is the only skier with at least five World Cup victories in all five disciplines.

Men
Career Times Seasons Wins DH SG GS SL KB PSL+CE
Bode Miller1997–2017503385956–
Marc Girardelli1980–199631463971611N/A
   Pirmin Zurbriggen1981–1990204010107211N/A
Kjetil André Aamodt1989–2006102115618–
Günther Mader1982–1998101416214–

Ladies
Career Times Seasons Wins DH SG GS SL KB PSL+CE
Anja Pärson1998–201230426411183–
Pernilla Wiberg1990–20022024232143–
Petra Kronberger1987–1992211662332N/A
Lindsey Vonn2001–201920824328425–
Janica Kostelić1998–20061130112206N/A
Tina Maze1999–20151126411443–
Mikaela Shiffrin2012–active106624114315
  • Mikaela Shiffrin is the only skier in history who has won in six different disciplines—i.e., aside from the classic five disciplines, she has also won in parallel slalom.

Most race wins in a single season

The following skiers have won at least 10 World Cup races in a single season (events not available in a given season are marked by NA):

World Cup scoring system

The World Cup scoring system is based on awarding a number of points for each place in a race, but the procedure for doing so and the often-arcane method used to calculate the annual champions has varied greatly over the years. Originally, points were awarded only to the top 10 finishers in each race, with 25 points for the winner, 20 for second, 15 for third, 11 for fourth, 8 for fifth, 6 for sixth, 4 for seventh, and then decreasing by 1 point for each lower place. To determine the winner for each discipline World Cup, only a racer's best 3 results would count, even though there would typically be 6–8 races in each discipline. For the overall Cup, the best three results in each discipline would be summed. Until 1970, also the results of Winter Olympic Games races and Alpine World Ski Championship races were included in the World Cup valuation (i.e. Grenoble 1968 and Val Gardena 1970); this was abandoned after 1970, mainly due to the limited number of racers per nation who are admitted to take part in these events. For the 1971–72 season, the number of results counted was increased to 5 in each discipline. The formula used to determine the overall winner varied almost every year over the next decade, with some seasons divided into two portions with a fixed number of results in each period counting towards the overall, while in other seasons the best 3 or 4 results in each discipline would count.

Starting with the 1979–80 season, points were awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race. After 1980–81, the formula for the overall title stabilized for several years, counting the best 5 results in the original disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) plus the best 3 results in combined. When Super G events were introduced for the 1982–83 season, the results were included with giant slalom for the first three seasons, before a separate discipline Cup was awarded starting in 1985–86 and the top 3 Super G results were counted towards the overall. The formula for the overall was changed yet again the following season, with the top 4 results in each discipline counting, along with all combined results (although the combined was nearly eliminated from the schedule, reduced to only 1 or 2 events per season).

This perennial tweaking of the scoring formula was a source of ongoing uncertainty to the World Cup racers and to fans. The need for a complete overhaul of the scoring system had grown increasingly urgent with each successive year, and in 1987–88 the FIS decided to fully simplify the system: all results would now count in each discipline and in the overall. This new system was an immediate success, and the practice of counting all results has been maintained in every subsequent season. With the ongoing expansion of the number and quality of competitors in World Cup races over the years, a major change to the scoring system was implemented in the 1991–92 season. The top 30 finishers in each race would now earn points, with 100 for the winner, 80 for second, 60 for third, and then decreasing by smaller increments for each lower place. The point values were adjusted slightly the following season (to reduce the points for places 4th through 20th), and the scoring system has not been changed again since that year. The table below compares the point values under all five scoring systems which have been in use:

Place123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
Current System
1993–		 1008060504540363229262422201816151413121110987654321
1992 System
1992		 1008060555147434037343128262422201816141210987654321
Top 15 System
1980–1991		 252015121110987654321
1979 System †
1979		 25242322212019181716151413121110987654321
Original System
1967–1979		 25201511864321
Place1234555599999999
Parallel slalom
 100806050404040401515151515151515

† NOTE: The scoring system changed during the 1978–79 season; this special system was used for the last 2 men's downhills and the last 3 races in every other discipline except combined.

Statistical analysis

Since the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92., the number of completed men's or women's World Cup races each year has ranged from 30 to 44, so the maximum possible point total for an individual racer is about 3000–4400 under the current scoring system. However, very few racers actually ski in all events; for example, Bode Miller was "the only skier to have competed in every World Cup race"[22] during the three seasons from 2003–2005. The current record for total World Cup points in a season is Tina Maze's 2414 points in 2012–13, with the men's record of 2000 points set by Hermann Maier in 1999–2000. The fewest points for an overall champion under the current system thus far have been 1009 for men by Aksel Lund Svindal in 2008–09 and 1248 for women by Vreni Schneider in 1994–95. The largest margin of victory in the overall has been Maze's 1313 points in 2012–13, more than doubling second-place finisher Maria Höfl-Riesch's total, while the largest men's margin was 743 points by Hermann Maier in 2000–01. Note that in the early days of World Cup (when the first place was awarded only 25 points), even larger relative margins of victory were recorded in 1967 by Jean-Claude Killy with 225 points over Heinrich Messner with 114 points and in 1973–74 by Annemarie Moser-Pröll with 268 points over Monika Kaserer with 153 points. The closest finishes since 1992 have been minuscule margins of 6 points in 1994–95 (Vreni Schneider over Katja Seizinger), 3 points in 2004–05 (Anja Pärson over Janica Kostelić) and in 2010–11 (Maria Riesch over Lindsey Vonn), and only 2 points in 2008–09 (Aksel Lund Svindal over Benjamin Raich). The current men's record for total World Cup points in one month of the season is Ivica Kostelić's 999 points from January 2011.

The tables below contain a brief statistical analysis of the overall World Cup standings during the 21 seasons since the Top 30 scoring system was implemented in 1991–92. In general, over 1000 points are needed to contend for the overall title. At least 1 man and 1 woman has scored 1000 points in each of these seasons, but no more than 5 men's or women's racers have crossed that threshold in any single season. Of the 42 men's and women's overall champions in these years, 38 scored over 1200 points, 30 had over 1300 points, 19 reached 1500 points, and only 7 amassed more than 1700 points during their winning seasons. As for the runners-up, 37 of the 42 second-place finishers scored over 1000 points, 18 had over 1300 points, and only 4 reached 1500 points yet failed to win. Most overall titles have been won quite convincingly, by more than 200 points in 23 of 42 cases, while only 11 margins of victory have been tighter than 50 points.

Annual Statistics Calculated for the 1992–2012 Seasons
Men's Overall World Cup
Races Completed1st Place PointsMargin of Victory2nd Place Points3rd Place PointsNumber of Skiers per Season:
> 1000 Pts> 500 Pts> 200 Pts
Maximum 4420007431454130752150
Average 35.41414258115510012.51441
Minimum 30100927757601837
Women's Overall World Cup
Races Completed1st Place PointsMargin of Victory2nd Place Points3rd Place PointsNumber of Skiers per Season:
> 1000 Pts> 500 Pts> 200 Pts
Maximum 3919805781725139151945
Average 33.41570244132611173.31337
Minimum 30124839319041932
Aggregate Statistics Calculated for the 1992–2012 Seasons
Men's and Women's Overall World Cups: Total Numbers Across 21 Seasons
> 1700 Pts> 1500 Pts> 1300 Pts> 1200 Pts> 1100 Pts> 1000 Pts> 900 Pts> 800 Pts
First Place 719303841424242
Second Place 14182428374041
Third Place ––4715273640
> 600 Pts> 500 Pts> 400 Pts> 300 Pts> 200 Pts> 100 Pts>= 50 Pts< 50 Pts
Margin of Victory 26101923283111

World Cup Finals

Since 1993 the International Ski Federation (FIS) has hosted a World Cup Final at the end of each season in March. During five days, men's and women's races are held in four disciplines: slalom, giant slalom, Super G, and downhill. Only a limited number of racers are invited to ski at the Finals, including the top 25 in the World Cup standings in each discipline, plus the current junior World Champions in each discipline. Because of the smaller field, World Cup points are only awarded to the top 15 finishers in each race.

Hosts of the World Cup Finals:

The 2004 final was held in all FIS disciplines except Ski Jumping. The Freestyle events were held in neighbouring Sauze d'Oulx and the Snowboard events in Bardonecchia.
The 2008 final was held in all FIS disciplines except Ski Jumping. The Freestyle and Snowboard events were held in neighbouring Valmalenco.

World Cup winners by country

The table below lists those nations which have won at least one World Cup race (current as of 9 March 2020).[25][26]

Alpine team event
Rank Nation Total By disciplines
PSL PGS
1  Switzerland4–4
2 Austria321
 Sweden3–3
4 Germany2–2
5 Italy11–
 Czech Republic1–1
Total14311

Individual race wins are counted in this table, along with the nations team events held at World Cup Finals since 2006 (counts double as both men & women in mixed competition contribute to a win). The "parallel race" is a head-to-head slalom race format used occasionally from the 1970s through 1990s, and again in 2011. Team event wins are doubled (because on one team event race competed both women and men; so it's counted separately each for women and men). Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table. All of Yugoslavia's wins are currently lumped in with Slovenia, since the skiers who won races for former Yugoslavia were all Slovenes from Slovenia (one of six Yugoslav Republics), and thus are listed under Slovenia in online databases. The Soviet Union and Russia are counted separately, as are Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic.

A total of 24 countries have won World Cup races, with 19 different countries winning men's races and 20 winning women's races. As expected, the top 10 nations in this list are the same as the 10 nations listed in the Nations Cup summary table (with slight changes in order).

Some interesting facts can be found in the data: Marc Girardelli accounted for all of Luxembourg's 46 wins, while Janica Kostelić has 30 of Croatia's 56 and her brother Ivica has the rest. Ingemar Stenmark still has nearly one-half of Sweden's 192 wins more than two decades after his retirement. Some nations specialize in either speed (downhill and Super G) or technical (slalom and GS) disciplines, while others are strong across the board. Among nations with 30+ wins, the Canadian team has won 73% of its races in speed events, while Yugoslavia/Slovenia has won 84% and Sweden 86% of their races in technical events, especially notable in Sweden's case given its large number of wins. Several nations with under 30 wins have 100% of them in technical events, led by Finland and Spain. In contrast Germany and Norway have the most even distribution without disproportionate strength or weakness in any one discipline. Some nations have strong teams in only one gender, as 92% of Norway's wins have come from their men and 83% of Germany's from their women, while the Swiss and Canadian totals are split almost equally.

Nations Cup

The Nations Cup standings are calculated by adding up all points each season for all racers from a given nation.

Year Standings (total)   Standings (men)   Standings (women)
First Second Third First Second Third First Second Third
1967 France Austria Canada France Austria   Switzerland  France Austria Canada
1968 France Austria   Switzerland  Austria France   Switzerland  France Austria United States
1969 Austria France United States Austria France   Switzerland  France United States Austria
1970 France Austria United States France Austria   Switzerland  France United States Austria
1971 France Austria   Switzerland  France   Switzerland  Austria France Austria United States
1972 France Austria   Switzerland    Switzerland  France Italy France Austria United States
1973 Austria France   Switzerland  Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria France West Germany
1974 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Austria West Germany France
1975 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Austria   Switzerland  West Germany
1976 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Italy Austria   Switzerland  Austria West Germany   Switzerland 
1977 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  France
1978 Austria   Switzerland  United States Austria Italy Sweden Austria   Switzerland  West Germany
1979 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria West Germany United States
1980 Austria   Switzerland  Liechtenstein Austria   Switzerland  Sweden  Switzerland and  Austria Liechtenstein
1981   Switzerland  United States Austria Austria   Switzerland  United States   Switzerland  United States West Germany
1982   Switzerland  Austria United States Austria   Switzerland  United States West Germany   Switzerland  United States
1983   Switzerland  Austria United States   Switzerland  Austria Sweden   Switzerland  Austria United States
1984   Switzerland  Austria United States Austria   Switzerland  Sweden   Switzerland  United States Austria
1985   Switzerland  Austria West Germany   Switzerland  Austria Italy   Switzerland  West Germany Austria
1986   Switzerland  Austria West Germany Austria   Switzerland  Italy   Switzerland  Austria West Germany
1987   Switzerland  Austria West Germany   Switzerland  Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria West Germany
1988 Austria   Switzerland  West Germany Austria   Switzerland  Italy   Switzerland  Austria West Germany
1989 Austria   Switzerland  West Germany Austria   Switzerland  West Germany   Switzerland  Austria France
1990 Austria   Switzerland  West Germany Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  West Germany
1991 Austria   Switzerland  Germany Austria   Switzerland  Norway Austria   Switzerland  Germany
1992 Austria   Switzerland  Germany   Switzerland  Austria Italy Austria Germany   Switzerland 
1993 Austria   Switzerland  Germany Austria   Switzerland  Norway Austria Germany   Switzerland 
1994 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria Norway   Switzerland  Germany Austria   Switzerland 
1995 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria Italy Norway   Switzerland  Germany Austria
1996 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria Germany   Switzerland 
1997 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria Italy Norway Germany Austria Italy
1998 Austria Germany Italy Austria   Switzerland  Norway Germany Austria Italy
1999 Austria Norway   Switzerland  Austria Norway   Switzerland  Austria Germany France
2000 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria   Switzerland  Norway Austria France Italy
2001 Austria   Switzerland  France Austria   Switzerland  Norway Austria France   Switzerland 
2002 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  France Austria   Switzerland  Italy
2003 Austria   Switzerland  United States Austria   Switzerland  United States Austria Italy Germany
2004 Austria Italy United States Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria Germany United States
2005 Austria United States Italy Austria United States Italy Austria United States Germany
2006 Austria United States Italy Austria United States Italy Austria Sweden United States
2007 Austria   Switzerland  United States Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria United States Sweden
2008 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria United States Italy
2009 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Germany
2010 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria Germany   Switzerland 
2011 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria Germany United States
2012 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria United States Italy
2013 Austria Italy United States Austria Italy France Austria United States Germany
2014 Austria   Switzerland  Italy Austria France Italy Austria   Switzerland  Sweden
2015 Austria Italy   Switzerland  Austria France Italy Austria United States Italy
2016 Austria Italy France Austria France Norway Austria Italy   Switzerland 
2017 Austria Italy  Switzerland Austria France Norway Italy Austria   Switzerland 
2018 Austria  Switzerland Italy Austria Norway  Switzerland Austria  Switzerland Italy  
2019 Austria  Switzerland Norway Austria  Switzerland France Austria  Switzerland Italy  
2020  Switzerland Austria Italy  Switzerland Norway France Italy Austria  Switzerland  

The early years of the World Cup were largely dominated by the French ski team, as reflected in their Nations Cup wins in 5 of the first 6 years. The Austrian team then took over throughout the rest of the 1970s, followed by Swiss superiority during most of the 1980s. A resurgent Austrian team charged back to the top in 1988, beginning a long streak of consecutive Nations Cup triumphs. Austrian dominance reached its zenith in the late 1990s and 2000s (decade), when their points total regularly doubled that of the second-place finisher, and was capped in the 1999–2000 and 2003–4 seasons with totals that tripled those of runner-up Italy. Their 17927-point total in 1999–2000 is a Nations Cup record, as is their 12066-point margin of victory in 2003–4.

As of the end of the 2016–17 season, the Austrian team has won 30 consecutive Nations Cups, while topping the men's standings for 25 straight years. Austria is the only nation to have finished in the top 3 of the Nations Cup standings in all 50 years in which World Cup competition has been held, winning in 38 of those years, runner-up in 11 years, and third place in a single year. Austrian men have failed to make the podium in only one season: 1972. Austrian women have failed to make the podium in only 2 seasons: 1981 and 1982. Switzerland with 7 wins and France with 5 wins are the only other nations to have won the nations cup. In the midst of the ongoing Austrian juggernaut, the Swiss or Italian teams have usually held second place. The German team reached the runner-up spot for the first time in 1997–8, as did the Norwegians the next season. The US enjoyed its best placings ever starting in 2004–5, grabbing second in the Nations Cup for two straight years.

Under the current scoring system (since 1992), the winning nation (Austria every year) has averaged over 13000 points, with an average of over 6400 for the runner-up, 5400 for third place, 4200 for fifth, and 1300 for tenth. The all-inclusive scoring system (simply adding together all World Cup points earned) favors national teams with great depth and many racers scoring World Cup points, and even teams with several top racers have no realistic chance of breaking the Austrian grip on the top spot, while a team with only one or two top-ranked racers will struggle to ever break the top five in the standings. There have been numerous calls for a revamped scoring system which would allow other nations to compete more readily for top spots in the Nations Cup, but no changes are likely to be made.[27] In 2016, however, the Austrian men's team narrowly beat France by just 201 points.

The total number of top-three placings for each nation in the Nations Cup (through the 2017–18 season) are summarized below:

Nation Total standings   Men's standings   Ladies' standings
First Second Third First Second Third First Second Third
 Austria40111419132135
   Switzerland72412525129119
 France522372634
 Italy–10163620128
 United States–310–23–109
 Germany–19––141213
  Norway–1––39–––
 Canada––1–––––1
 Liechtenstein––1–––––1
 Sweden–––––4–12

Note: Results for West Germany and Germany are counted together in this table.

Crystal globe

Since 1967, the big crystal globe has been awarded for the overall title. From the beginning to 1976–77, discipline titles were awarded with medals. Statistically, those titles have the same value as the small crystal globes, which first appeared for discipline titles in slalom, giant slalom and downhill in the 1977–78. In super-G, the small globe has been awarded since 1985–86. For super-g races in the three seasons previous, points were added and calculated in the giant slalom ranking. In combined, the small crystal globe was officially awarded only between 2007-2012. Before that, combined season winners could not officially be considered as season titles. In those years FIS simply calculated points from the other two races, DH and SL.

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See also

References
  1. Lang, Serge (1986). 21 Years of World Cup Ski Racing. Johnson Books / James Wotton. ISBN 1-55566-009-6. Also available under ISBN 0-246-13116-0.
  2. "FIS NewsFlash, Edition 72, April 26th, 2006". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  3. Lang, Patrick. "World Cup History: The FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup". Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  4. "FIS: Complete Calendar of Alpine Ski World Cup Races". Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. "Winter Sports Chart - Alpine Skiing". wintersport-charts.info. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  6. "Downhill - Top ten racers since 1967". prussianmachine.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  7. "Winter Sports Chart - Alpine Skiing". wintersport-charts.info. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  8. "CUP STANDING ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP 1976 MEN - COMBINED". fis-ski.com. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  9. "COMPETITORS HAVING MORE THAN ONE PODIUM". fis-ski.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  10. "COMPETITORS HAVING MORE THAN ONE TOP 10 POSITION - ALPINE SKIING MEN". fis-ski.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  11. "Parallel Giant Slalom Introduced". Archived from the original on 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2016-01-09.. International Ski Federation. 20 December 2015.
  12. "FIS Long Term Calendar" (PDF).. International Ski Federation. as of December 2015.
  13. Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2015. International Ski Federation. December 2015.
  14. Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2015. International Ski Federation. December 2015.
  15. Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2016. International Ski Federation. December 2016.
  16. Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2016. International Ski Federation. December 2016.
  17. "Alpine Skiing-World Cup Alta Badia men's parallel giant slalom results". The Economic Times. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  18. Parallel GS Race Results Dec 2018. International Ski Federation. December 2018.
  19. Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2018. International Ski Federation. December 2018.
  20. Parallel GS Results Ladder Dec 2019. International Ski Federation. December 2019.
  21. Parallel GS Results Ladies Sestriere 2020. International Ski Federation. January 2020.
  22. Bulman, Erica (2005-10-22). "World Cup Skiing: Miller pushes limits on slopes despite desire". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  23. FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Long Term Calendar
  24. Andorra will host the 2023 Alpine Ski World Cup Finals
  25. "World Cup Men's Races, Team Stats". Ski-db.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-01. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  26. "World Cup Women's Races, Team Stats". Ski-db.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2011-01-05.
  27. "Black Diamonds: Nations Cup more than half empty". Ski Racing. Retrieved 2007-02-21.

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