27 February 2026 - 16:57

Corinne Suter dominates in the downhill on day one of the Grandvalira World Cup

The Àliga has once again showcased its potential on its 10th anniversary as a World Cup slope

Swiss skier Corinne Suter, at the age of 31, won the downhill race that was disputed on the Àliga slope in El Tarter in the Grandvalira ski station on Friday with a time of 1:31:62. Suter, winner of the Crystal Globes in DH and SG in the 2020 season, world downhill champion in 2021 and Olympic champion in 2022, was already familiar with the Andorran slope: having won silver in the 2014 European Cup Finals and bronze in the 2019 World Cup Finals. It has taken four years for Switzerland to get back onto the top step of the podium, as their last DH win was in 2022 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. This triumph sees her climb a few places in the discipline’s rankings, moving up from 27th to 16th place.

The second fastest on Friday in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Andorra 2026 was Austrian racer Nina Ortlieb (+0.11), which has seen her gain two positions (from 10th to 8th) in the standings, and the final place on the podium was taken by Italian Sofia Goggia (+0.24), who climbs from 6th to 4th place. Todays’ results, however, have not altered the top positions in the discipline’s rankings, that continue to be led by Lindsey Vonn followed by German racers Emma Aicher and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann, who finished 4th and 11th respectively today.

Suter said that the key to victory was “skiing from top to bottom without making any mistakes, however difficult that is when travelling at such speeds”. The Swiss racer praised the excellent conditions on the slope: “with the temperatures as they are, I really don’t know how these conditions have been achieved”, and added that she doesn’t know of any skier that doesn’t enjoy competing here. In fact, she promised that when she retires from competition she will return to Andorra on holiday to introduce her partner to the slopes here.

For her part, Nina Ortlieb was very happy to get back on the podium “after everything I have gone through over the last two years”, referring to the injuries and operations she’s had to endure. In addition, she pointed out that “I still do not understand why they have not given you a World Championships, because it’s crazy the amount of effort that you put in”. With this in mind, she once again praised the Team Hospitality, the warm-up course, the conditions on the Àliga and the fact that the crowds cheer on all the skiers regardless.

Sofia Goggia, who finished in third position, said that she had skied a very solid downhill, but that, even though she had been able to make up some time in the most technical section of the course, Suter and Ortlieb had been faster. The Italian racer pointed out that she is still quite a distance from Vonn in the rankings and hopes to be able to close the gap in the remaining races this season.

When it comes to the Andorran participant, Jordina Caminal, she wasn’t able to achieve her goal of scoring points as she finished in 40th position, 3.84 seconds behind the winner. This is her best result in the World Cup in this discipline so far following her debut in Zauchensee (Austria) in January, where she came in in 53rd place. The Andorran racer admitted to making a mistake at el Curvone (the Big Bend), but at the same time she assured everyone that she is satisfied with her performance: “I think I’ve come close to my highest level and I want to build on this and to keep growing.” In addition, she thanked everyone for the support received, especially at the finish line: “it’s something I’m really not used to and it filled my heart with joy to be able to see so many children in the stands screaming my name today; I got goosebumps.”

Tremendous atmosphere at the finish line

This Friday’s event has generated a great deal of interest, especially at the finish area, where a large number of fans gathered to follow the competition and enjoy the World Cup Village experience. Around 400 students from different schools in the country were also in attendance, providing exceptional support to the Andorran racer. For tomorrow, even greater turnout is expected, given that it is weekend, that the VIP area opens and that tickets to follow the event from the stands have already sold out.

On Friday, the Secretary General of Andorra’s Alpine Ski World Cup Events, Marc Mitjana, gave a very positive assessment of the competition and stressed that the course is in impeccable condition thanks to the incredibly hard work that the technical team has put in over the last month and a half. This dedication has meant that the increase in temperatures over the last few days has not affected the conditions on the course, as the racers have pointed out.

10 years in the World Cup

The Àliga has once again showcased its full potential exactly 10 years to the day since its debut on the World Cup circuit. It was on the 27th of February 2016 when the first competition took place, a Super-G that was won, coincidentally, by the Italian skier Federica Brignone, who didn’t compete today in the end to save her strength for the Super-G competitons at the weekend. The first World Cup event that took place on the Àliga slope, that was capped off with an Alpine Combined event, also featured two great speed icons: Lara Gut-Behrami and Lindsey Vonn, who ultimately have not been able to compete in Andorra ten years after that momentous date.