Next winter everyone will be 30 years or older: who will follow Gut-Behrami, Holdener, Gisin, Flury, Suter and Co?

“The density is greater among men”

If everything goes normally, the Swiss top players behind Gut-Behrami will score more points next winter. But it is also a fact: they will all be 30 years or older. They don’t have many years left. The association is aware of this problem. “We are already thinking about what will happen after the home World Cup in 2027 – especially on the women’s side. Then the next generation must be ready,” says Swiss ski boss Urs Lehmann.

This requires new blood – or at least new names. But where are they? This season, no Swiss woman scored World Cup points for the first time – among the men there were at least three: Arnaud Boisset (239), Franjo von Allmen (231 points) and Sandro Zurbrügg (21). Alpine director Hans Flatscher: “The density is obviously greater among men. We certainly want to achieve this with women. However, we cannot do this in the short term. But we have taken the right measures, so that something will happen in the foreseeable future.”

Fear of injuries

What does that mean in concrete terms? Swiss-Ski invests in coaching, works in small groups and is committed to injury prevention. “It is often crucial for a young athlete’s career that he or she does not get seriously injured early on,” says Flatscher. Above all, the bitter experiences with Mélanie Meillard (25) and Camille Rast (24) contributed to this realization: it took them years to reestablish themselves at the World Cup after their physical setbacks. Therefore, caution was exercised when planning the career of Delia Durrer (21), the biggest Swiss speed hope. The woman from Nidwalden is gradually getting closer to the top of the world – but she is not being put under any pressure.

And lo and behold: something is now happening for women at the European Cup, the level below the World Cup. Nicole Good (slalom) and Stefanie Grob (giant slalom) have secured a World Cup place for next winter with their top three placings. Janine Schmitt (23) also achieved the same in the Super-G: she also won the general classification. The Valaisian Malorie Blanc (21) is also a great talent. She won two golds and one silver at the Junior World Championships before tearing her ACL.

No super talent in sight yet

So something is coming – you will see many names at the Swiss Championships in Lenzerheide (technique) and Davos (speed) in the coming days (live on Blick.ch). At the same time, Tschuor states: “A super talent like Lara Colturi, who practically skipped the European Cup and is now doing very well at the World Cup at the age of 17, is nowhere to be found.”

Not yet? The 2004 to 2007 vintages are very strong. And even at the bottom, when you first come into contact with the racing skis, things look good. “Today, more girls and boys are getting a ski license than ever before. “It’s not just about Lara and Marco Odermatt,” said Walter Reusser, CEO Sport of Swiss-Ski.

Gut-Behrami until 2025, Hählen and Gisin until 2026, Holdener and Suter Flury until 2027? This is what the pension scheme of the oldest Swiss women at the World Cup could look like. Until then, it’s important to arm yourself. “We are confident that we will succeed,” says Urs Lehmann.