19.01.2025
Lauberhorn Races – Home of Legends
80,000 fans attended the 95th Lauberhorn Races (new spectator record). Marco Odermatt's winning time of 2:22:58 is the new all-time best on the legendary Lauberhorn downhill. For the first time ever, a skier from Bernese Oberland wins a World Cup Super-G. Franjo von Allmen thus joins the list of Lauberhorn legends. For the first time ever, a Slovenian stands on the downhill podium in Wengen. 2025 was the year of records and firsts on the Lauberhorn.
No one has ever raced down the Lauberhorn downhill as fast as Marco Odermatt. With his fabulous time of 2.22.58, he is an incredible 1.6 seconds faster than the legendary Kristian Ghedina in 1997 (2.24.23). In addition, Franjo von Allmen secured the first Swiss double victory in a World Cup downhill in Wengen! Miha Hrobat was the first Slovenian to finish on the podium in a Lauberhorn downhill.
First Bernese Oberland Super-G victory in the World Cup history
But there were already premieres in the first race on Friday: Franjo von Allmen celebrated his first World Cup victory, which is synonymous with the very first victory of a skier from Bernese Oberland in a World Cup Super-G. Behind Vincent Kriechmayr, Stefan Rogentin was the second Swiss to climb the podium on Friday.
The race weekend ended with the spectacular Lauberhorn Slalom: The incredibly strong Norwegians celebrated a triple victory. Atle Lie McGrath won ahead of Timon Haugan and Henrik Kristoffersen. They were followed by a very strong Swiss trio with Tanguy Nef, Loic Meillard and Daniel Yule.
Spectator record despite Guggiföhn
It's nothing short of a miracle that the Lauberhorn races have been able to set another record number of spectators this year: Both the 40,000 guests for the downhill and the 27,500 for the super-G are records, as are the total of 80,000 spectators for the whole weekend (previous record from 2024 76,000). The spectacular slalom on Sunday was watched by 12,500 fans.
However, this record was hanging by a thread. In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Guggiföhn swept over the Lauberhorn downhill with guests at over 140 km/h. Only shortly after 7 a.m. could the first helpers be brought to the mountain by train to prepare the course. Nevertheless, thanks to the army, the civil defense and the hundreds of helpers, everything was ready in good time when the fans arrived. “It is a great pleasure as OC President to be able to count on this organization and the many people. What everyone has achieved throughout the week and especially on Saturday is simply phenomenal," enthuses OC President Urs Näpflin. The Lauberhorn Races would like to say a big thank you to Jungfrau Railways. Although everything was delayed by the Föhn storm, they managed to cope with the huge crowds and get the fans to the mountain on time - a logistical masterpiece!
The many partners have also contributed to the success of the 95th International Lauberhorn Races. Urs Näpflin thanks them: "It is only with their support that we can regularly celebrate such grandiose ski festivals in Wengen. We would especially like to thank Swiss Ski for their excellent cooperation."