Rettenbach Glacier — Where the World Cup Season Begins

Every October, the Alpine skiing World Cup season opens at Sölden's Rettenbach Glacier (2,675-3,058m). It's the first giant slalom of the year — where champions announce themselves and contenders emerge. Marcel Hirscher, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Marco Odermatt have all made their marks here. The atmosphere is electric: 15,000+ fans on a glacier, cowbells echoing off ice. After racing, the crowd descends to Sölden for the season's first après-ski — a celebration that every ski racer on earth wants to attend.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Witness the 65% Gradient Where Champions Are Made or Broken Adventure · Free

   Stand at the steepest race slope in Sölden - where Marco Odermatt won 3 consecutive years

   The World Cup giant slalom course at Rettenbach Glacier has a 65% gradient section — the steepest in the entire Sölden ski area where one mistake = race over. This is where Marco Odermatt won THREE YEARS IN A ROW (2023, 2024, 2025) on the same slope where Marcel Hirscher and Mikaela Shiffrin have battled. Since 2000, this glacier has opened the World Cup season every October with 15,000+ screaming fans echoing off glacier walls. Take the Rettenbach cable car from Sölden valley (operates during ski season, typically late Sept onwards, €20-30 round-trip) to 2,675-3,058m elevation. Walk to the race course markings — red and blue gates usually left in place post-race — and stand at the steepest section where world's best skiers hit 80+ km/h in October darkness.

   Backup: If you visit outside race weekend, check the Schwarze Schneid run — 15km long, longest ski run in Austria, also on Rettenbach. Or take the ski tunnel connecting Rettenbach to Tiefenbach Glacier.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Count the Cowbells - The 15,000-Fan Glacier Phenomenon Adventure · Price: moderate

   Experience the World Cup opening race where 15,000+ fans create an acoustic nightmare at 3,000m

   15,000+ fans. On a GLACIER. At 3,000 meters. With cowbells. The acoustic effect bounces off ice and rock, creating a wall of noise that skiers say is both terrifying and exhilarating during the World Cup Opening Race Weekend (October 24-25, 2026: Women's Giant Slalom Saturday, Men's Sunday). It's the first race of the season where reputations are built or shattered — Odermatt's three-year winning streak and Hirscher's dominance before his 2019 retirement happened here. Check soelden.com for ticket sales (typically open summer/early fall), email skiweltcup@soelden.com or call +43 5254 508 104 for VIP options including grandstand seating and 'Gletschertisch' restaurant brunch packages. Arrive EARLY — 15,000 people on a glacier creates bottlenecks — and bring layers plus a cowbell to fit in.

   Backup: If race tickets sell out, watch from the valley then hit après-ski at Fire & Ice in Sölden center — two-floor bar where the entire town becomes a party with racers, fans, and locals.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Toast the Season Opener at Fire & Ice - Where Racers Celebrate or Drown Sorrows Adventure · Price: low

   The legendary après-ski venue where World Cup racers decompress after the season's first battle

   Fire & Ice is THE place after World Cup racing where racers, coaches, sponsors, and 15,000 fans compress into one chaotic celebration — you might be standing next to someone who just skied that 65% gradient in under 70 seconds or someone who ate a gate and blew their season opener. Show up after the Sunday men's race (finishes around 1-2 PM, crowds arrive by 3 PM) in the center of Sölden village. Order 'Jagatee' (Austrian hunter's tea with rum and spices) or Glühwein, stand near the bar where racers decompress, and listen for German, Austrian, Swiss, Italian, American, Swedish accents — that's the World Cup in one room. Two floors with resident DJ playing everything from classic après-ski hits to house music, where Marcel Hirscher celebrated his 8 World Cup titles and Odermatt toasted his 3-peat.

   Backup: If Fire & Ice is too packed, try other après-ski bars along the main Sölden strip, but Fire & Ice is where legends are made and stories happen.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Locate the Start Gate Where Odermatt Launched His 3-Peat History · Free · Optional

   Find the exact World Cup start house at 3,058m and read the names carved into glory

   This start house is where the World Cup season begins every year since 2000, where Marco Odermatt pushed out of the gate in 2023, 2024, and 2025 — winning all three times — before him Marcel Hirscher (67 career wins, 8 overall titles) and legends like Hermann Maier and Bode Miller. Ride the cable car to the glacier's highest point at 3,058m and walk to the start house clearly marked with 'AUDI FIS SKI WORLD CUP' branding. Look for winner plaques or carved names (varies by year), stand in the start gate, and look down the 65% gradient pitch. Imagine cowbells screaming, 15,000 fans watching, season on the line — one push and you're at 80 km/h in 3 seconds where champions prove themselves.

   Backup: If the start house is closed for training, head to the finish area at the base of the race slope where the drama ends — winners collapse in relief and losers stare at scoreboards, usually marked year-round with Longines timing equipment.

   Log Memory