165 athletes competing, representing 26 nations, for the event organized by Fondazione Cortina from April 5th to 10th. The thrilling courses wind through Col Gallina and Lagazuoi. For the audience, dedicated areas along the routes and, at the finish area, PalaSkiMo Delicious with plenty of gastronomic delights and music.
Cortina d’Ampezzo (Belluno), April 3rd, 2024 – It’s ski mountaineering time in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The Queen of the Dolomites will host the Cortina Skimo Cup in the upcoming days, an event that in 2024 serves as the World Cup Finals. The event runs from Friday, April 5th, to Wednesday, April 10th.
It kicks off on Friday evening with the opening ceremony and continues on Saturday 6th with the Vertical, Sunday 7th with the Individual, Tuesday 9th with the Sprint, and Wednesday 10th with the Mixed Relay.
A jam-packed program curated by Fondazione Cortina (the organizer of major sports events in Ampezzo and the Veneto regional operational arm for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics) proposes the World Cup Finals in close synergy with Guide Alpine Cortina, Scoiattoli Cortina, and Sci Club Cortina, with the support of Ista Spa and Lagazuoi Spa ski area companies.
165 athletes from 26 nations will compete: Italy, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, United States.
There will be 23 Italian athletes, including the two athletes from “Progetto Giovani”, the youth project promoted by Fondazione Cortina , Alba De Silvestro from the Army Sports Center, who will defend her podium position in the overall standings, currently third, and Matteo Sostizzo from the Carabinieri Sports Center. Eyes are also on France: the French athletes have been the stars of the season so far, with Thibault Anselmet and Emily Harrop leading the overall World Cup standings.
Today, April 3rd, the course marking has begun. The inaugural race, the Vertical, will take place on Saturday, April 6th, from Col Gallina, just below the Falzarego Pass, to the Lagazuoi cable car arrival station: the course covers 2.6 kilometers with a 680-meter elevation gain. The men’s race starts at 9:30 am, and the women’s race starts at 10:15 am. At the end, there will be a Flower Ceremony near the finish. Thanks to the collaboration with Lagazuoi Spa, the public can take a special round trip to Lagazuoi for €15.
On April 6th, traffic restrictions are planned near the starting area on regional road 48 from 9:15 am to 10:30 am.
The race on the following day, the Individual on Sunday, April 7th, will start and finish near the Col Gallina refuge: the course, to be completed twice, will cover 6.5 kilometers with a 700-meter elevation gain. The highest point is the summit of Croda Negra, at an altitude of 2,518 meters. The start is scheduled for 9:30 am for men and 10:15 am for women. From 12:30 pm onwards, the daily and final awards for the Vertical and Individual races will take place in the finish area.
The last two races, the Sprint on Tuesday, April 9th (starting at 9:30 am), and the Mixed Relay on Wednesday, April 10th (starting at 8:40 am), will take place on the West 6 track at Col Gallina: the Sprint covers a 746-meter course with a 70-meter elevation gain, and the Mixed Relay covers a 1.47-kilometer course with a 150-meter elevation gain. In this case, the awards ceremonies, both daily and final, will take place from 12:30 pm onwards.
For the Individual, some spaces will be set up for the public along the course, while the Sprint and Mixed Relay can be comfortably viewed from the Finish Area at Col Gallina in adjacent spaces and along the dedicated route.
For fans and enthusiasts, during the race days at the Col Gallina finish area, PalaSkiMo Delicious will be in operation: a tent structure created through strong collaboration between Fondazione Cortina, Cortina Delicious, and ISTA Ski Area to highlight the gastronomic excellence of the area, celebrate Cortina’s culinary tradition, and mark the World Cup Finals for the first time in Cortina d’Ampezzo. At PalaSkiMo Delicious, open every race day from 10:30 am until late afternoon, there will also be music: the highlights will be on Saturday 6th and Wednesday 10th, dedicated to the “aprés-skimo” events.
The World Cup Finals will officially kick off on the evening of Friday, April 5th, with a parade of participating nations accompanied by the Corpo Musicale di Cortina d’Ampezzo, starting at 6:15 pm on the central Corso Italia.
This will be followed by the opening ceremony in Piazza Angelo Dibona.
