Women
11:15Calendar
- Piste
- Piste Mont Lachaux
- Medals
- 18:30, Medal Plaza, Ycoor
- Slope-side area open
- 2006 area, on the slope
DH · Speed
Downhill
DH · Speed
The longest and fastest race: a single run, long curves, jumps, and the clock as the only judge.
140km/h
161.9km/h
969m
1run
In motion
In 2027 in Crans-Montana
Men
- Piste
- Piste Nationale
- Medals
- 18:30, Medal Plaza, Ycoor
- Slope-side area open
- Houlès area, on the slope
AlsoTue 2 February: Women's downhill training (1st) · Wed 3 February: Women's downhill training (2nd) · Wed 3 February: Men's downhill training (1st) · Thu 4 February: Men's downhill training (2nd) · Fri 5 February: Women's downhill training (3rd) · Sat 6 February: Men's downhill training (3rd) (time not yet published)
How it works
- 01
One run. The fastest wins.
- 02
At the World Championships the course drops 800 to 1,100 m for men, 450 to 800 m for women.
- 03
Gates have four poles and two panels, at least 8 m wide. They set the line more than they force turns.
- 04
It is the only discipline with training runs on the real course before the race. Every athlete must complete at least one timed training run. In Crans-Montana, three are scheduled for both women and men.
- 05
One start every 60 seconds as a rule, never less than 40.
For this discipline
- Start interval
- 60 s as a rule, never under 40 s
- Direction changes
- No set number: the gates mark the line
The vertical drop, to scale
The gates from above, to scale
Where the race is won
The named sections of the two downhill pistes, in the order the athletes reach them, from the start to Barzettes. The organiser publishes the order and an estimated race time, not the altitude of each section: the spacing of the points is not to scale.
Women
Mont Lachaux
1:26
Start · 2,210 m
Mur de Marius
Into the wall: attack without losing control.
Trou du Renard
Straight after the wall, the same balance of attack and control.
Bosse du Président
A bump that sends the racers into the flat at full speed.
Traverse de Clavan
The flat section: the right line beforehand is the speed you keep here.
Toboggan
The start of the final wall.
Reck de Vermala
Very steep, after more than a minute of racing: the legs must still be there.
Vermala area: above the finish pitch, where the two pistes meet
Finish, Barzettes · 1,545 m
For the chief of race, the women's downhill is decided over the whole piste, with no phase to rest.
Area on this piste2006 area, on the slope,
Men
Nationale
1:55
Start · 2,514 m
Traverse de Bella Lui
A gliding section reworked before the 2025-26 winter, with waves and a jump before the first ski-lift line.
Cassure de Cry d'Er
The line now follows the road more closely, then a marked jump drops into the slope.
Mur de Cry d'Er
The foot of the wall: from here on, says the chief of race, the race is won or lost.
Cabane des chasseurs
Precision, so as not to lose the speed built up.
Plat des Houlès
The flat before the forest: all the speed built up above must be kept here.
Mur des Mélèzes
Into the forest, with a big jump at the top of the wall.
Vermala area: above the finish pitch, where the two pistes meet
Finish, Barzettes · 1,545 m
For the chief of race, it all gets decided from the Cry d'Er wall down.
Area on this pisteHoulès area, on the slope,
Why it is worth watching
The FIS rulebook describes the downhill in six words: technique, courage, speed, risk, physical condition, judgement. On the flats the racer stays in a tuck to cut through the air, then absorbs bumps and jumps at full speed. Close to two minutes of racing, and sometimes a few hundredths between two medals: in 1987 Franz Heinzer missed bronze by 14 hundredths.
A little history
The downhill is the founding discipline. The 1911 Roberts of Kandahar, raced from the Plaine-Morte to Montana, is presented by the Worlds organiser as the first downhill ever run. It was on the programme of the first world championships, in Mürren in 1931, and became a separate Olympic event in 1948.
Great moments
- 1987
Crans-Montana. A Swiss one-two-three-four for the men: Peter Müller, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Karl Alpiger, with Franz Heinzer fourth, 14 hundredths off bronze. The next day Maria Walliser beats Michela Figini.
- 2013
Wengen. France's Johan Clarey is clocked at 161.9 km/h, the World Cup speed record.
- 2014
Sochi. Dominique Gisin and Tina Maze post the same time, 1:41.57: the first shared gold in Olympic alpine skiing.
- 2025
Crans-Montana. A Swiss World Cup sweep on the Nationale: Franjo von Allmen, Marco Odermatt, Alexis Monney.
In 1987 in Crans-Montana
Women
- 1Maria Walliser1:43.80
- 2Michela Figini+0.31
- 3Regine Mösenlechner+1.06
Men
- 1Peter Müller2:07.80
- 2Pirmin Zurbriggen+0.33
- 3Karl Alpiger+0.40
Saalbach 2025
Defending champions
The reigning world champions, crowned in Saalbach in February 2025. Names and codes as the FIS results database writes them.
Women
- 1JOHNSON Breezy1:41.29
- 2PUCHNER Mirjam+0.15
- 3LEDECKA Ester+0.21
Men
- 1VON ALLMEN Franjo1:40.68
- 2KRIECHMAYR Vincent+0.24
- 3MONNEY Alexis+0.31
What to watch for
- 01
Training runs, 2 to 6 February, show the course with fewer people around. Their times are not yet published.
- 02
At the side of the course you feel the speed: the sound of the skis, the compact tuck, the jumps. 2006 area on the Mont Lachaux on 6 February, Houlès area on the Nationale on the 7th, with a giant screen; you get there by ski lift, with a ski pass.
- 03
In the finish area, keep an eye on the split times on the screen: checkpoint after checkpoint, they tell you whether the racer on course is ahead of or behind the best time.
- 04
On 7 February the men's downhill is sold out. The women's downhill on 6 February is the way in.
Downhill
The quiz
Five questions, every answer is on this page.
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Do all eight quizzes to earn the Spectator's diploma.
Photo credits
- 01
- 02