From 6 to 19 February, skiing champions will be taking part in one of the most important events in the world of skiing: the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 2023! A golden opportunity for all our guests to see the world’s best skiers up close on the slopes, and to cheer them on in their medal-winning performance. The key figures, the disciplines contested by the competitors, the programme of events and the ambassadors to follow closely during this extraordinary competition… You will find all the information here!

Key figures for the Alpine World Ski Championships 2023

  • 2: This unmissable event takes place every two years. This is also the number of slopes 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 will be held in France.
  • 6: The number of disciplines represented: Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Combined and Parallel in Courchevel. A great show in the offing!
  • 54: The number of medals to be awarded.
  • 75: The number of nations participating in the competition.
  • 600: The number of athletes competing for the top step of the podium in their discipline.
  • 20,000: The average number of spectators expected per day.
  • 500 million: The number of television viewers who will follow the competition live around the world.

Disciplines to be found at the 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships

Rigour, technique, speed… Which are the different disciplines that will take place during the 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships? The characteristics of each discipline in brief, it’s here!

Combined

This is a combination of two races: a sprint followed by a slalom. The fastest athlete in the speed run will start first in the slalom run. The two times are added together and the fastest athlete in both races is the winner.

This event crowns the best skiers who master the slalom with commitment and controlled risk-taking to get down the slope as fast as possible. Thus, the most complete skier wins. The podiums of the combined races are often full of surprises.

Super G

The Super-G is considered, along with the downhill, a test of speed. It is a real compromise between downhill and giant slalom with a high degree of technical difficulty for maximum spectacle.

Unlike the downhill, there is only one run. A spectacular event that requires unstoppable technical fluency for perfect turns, while maintaining maximum speed!

During his 2020/2021 season, Marco Odermatt won three World Cup races. Here his winning race at the Super-G in Saalbach. Photo credit © saalbach.com / GEPA

Descent

Show yourself at the front! Downhill is the discipline for the most daring skiers, with top speeds of up to 140 km/h on the Eclipse piste.
It is the ultimate event that requires cold blood and technique to reach the finish line with the best time.

Giant slalom

Giant slalom is an extremely physically demanding discipline, requiring impeccable precision and sense of trajectory. The event consists of two races on two different tracks.

The giant slalom requires the athlete to be fast in his movements, while possessing a technique that approaches perfection, with a strong dissociation of the upper and lower body. It is a wonderful discipline to watch at the 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Slalom

This is the most technical event. It is about speed, of course, but it is also about precision in the trajectories. The slalom courses are the shortest, but have more gates together, which adds a further degree of difficulty. A very physical challenge for the competitors, who must compete with agility and dexterity to win the event.

As in the giant slalom, the slalom event consists of two different courses. The skier with the best combined time on both runs wins the event.

Petra Vlhova’s flawless race at the Levi Black: 2 slaloms, 2 victories
. . Photo copyright Levi World Cup 2021/Teemu Moisio PTB-CREATIVE

Parallel slalom

Parallel slaloms are exciting for the competitors, but also for the spectators. It’s a real spectacle that gets the heart racing and the audience fired up! It consists of two identical fields placed 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.

The event follows a grid based on the same system as a tennis tournament. Spectacle and atmosphere guaranteed!

Parallel team slalom

This parallel team event is always a great spectacle! In competition, 16 nations defined by the overall ranking of each country at the two starting gates.

Each team is made up of 6 athletes (4 starters, 2 substitutes), 3 men and 3 women, a great show for the public!

Courchevellois at the starting gate of the 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships!

Alexis Pinturault

At only 31 years of age, Alexis Pinturault has an incredible record: French record holder with 34 World Cup victories, 3 Olympic medals and 2 World Champion titles. In 2021, he won the crystal globe, the highest distinction!

Today, Alexis, an experienced competitor and ambassador of our resort, is focusing all his energy on winning a gold medal at home, in one of the most prestigious competitions in the world. This is a major challenge for our champion, who will be supported by the whole of France during this event, which will undoubtedly be very emotional.

Alexis Pinturault – Photo: AFP georg-hochmuth

Marie Lamure at the Alpine World Ski Championships 2023

At just 21 years old, Marie Lamure is one of the rising stars of French skiing. After a year out in 2020-2021 due to a back injury, Marie, the slalom skier, has managed to bounce back and reinvent herself to be as combative and technical as possible. A strength and character that has enabled her to achieve great performances at the European Cup and the Junior World Championships, with the overall title at stake! Today, this passionate slalom skier carries the colours of France high on the international circuit.

Skiing, sportsmanship, self-improvement, emotions… in February, Méribel and Courchevel will welcome ski lovers for this 2023 edition of the Alpine World Ski Championships, which already promises to be a great time!