The last chance to snag an Olympic ticket is during this week's competitions in Wengen.
There have been many serious crashes in alpine skiing in recent years. Norwegian alpine star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was out of competition for two years. And Felix Monsén was also out for two years, first with a knee injury and then a herniated disc. He returned by last season.
"There were so many crashes, violent crashes, and it was quite mentally taxing," he says about last season.
"I always think safety should come first, but my feeling is that more can be done. Many of the big nations may be pressuring FIS (the international federation) not to relax too much on certain things, like safety, because then they may lose an advantage of being faster."
“Pressed to produce results”
Monsén believes that there have been so many serious crashes in downhill and super-G in recent years because things are going faster.
"People are skiing better, taking more risks and taking a tighter line. They've found ways to do that through certain equipment, but that's put more strain on their knees," he says.
"And everyone is pretty pressured to get results. Some skiers have less of a sense of consequence than others. I think maybe certain surfaces shouldn't be raced on or that certain slopes aren't prepared safely. But there's so much at stake for the skiers to say, 'I'm not going to compete today,' because then they might lose a spot on the national team, or lose funding. So it's hard to get everyone together as a team and say, 'This is what we want.'"
The climate makes it more difficult
Monsén believes that it has become more difficult to prepare the slopes due to the warmer climate. Warmer snow can also make it more dangerous. Felix Monsén says that snow can be very cold during training runs, but for the competition the snow can be much warmer and does not react in the same way as in training.
"It puts more pressure on skiers to be prepared in those situations, and it's really hard sometimes. If you're going 130 kilometers per hour, you don't have time to think, 'Here it's going to be a little different.' It makes it very difficult for the skiers."
Facts: Crashes in alpine speed events
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A selection of crashes in downhill and super-G, by World Cup skiers, from the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons.
Men:
Cyprien Sarrazin, France, suffered a brain hemorrhage when he fell on the Bormio slope in the future Olympic ski area last season. He has not competed since.
Countryman Alexis Pinturault fell in the super-G in Kitzbühel last season and suffered a minor fracture to his inner meniscus. He has not competed in the speed events this season.
In the first downhill race of the winter, in Beaver Creek, Slovenian Rok Aznoh crashed badly when he went into the safety net at high speed and lost his helmet. He did not suffer any serious head or neck injuries, but he injured his knee so badly that his season is over.
Norwegian Fredrik Møller fell badly in the downhill race in Val Gardena in December. He escaped with bruises and a couple of knocked-out teeth.
Women:
Czech Tereza Nova was placed in an induced coma for four weeks after a crash in downhill training in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in January last year. She has not competed since.
In the race a few days later, Austrian Nina Ortlieb broke her leg when she crashed. She is back competing this season.
Corinne Suter, of Switzerland, crashed during downhill training with the national team in St. Moritz in December, injuring her calf, knee and foot. The reigning Olympic downhill champion made a comeback in Zauchensee last week.
Her compatriot and two-time Olympic champion, Michelle Gisin, then crashed during official downhill training for the World Cup competitions in St. Moritz a week later. She injured her right wrist and left knee and is expected to miss the Olympics.
