Francesca Baruzzi Farriol is living her childhood dream. © Instagram / @franbaruzzi

From the other side of the world: A ski exotic – and yet not

Argentinian Francesca Baruzzi Farriol experienced another chapter of her childhood dream at the World Cup opening. SportNews spoke with her about her historic milestone, a special Olympic honor, and some low moments.

27 October 2025

From Sölden

Strange, atypical, or out of the ordinary. If you use the thesaurus and type the word exotic The reference book spits out all sorts of such synonyms. In the world of winter sports, this term is ubiquitous: As soon as the flag of a country that isn't traditionally associated with the sport appears on the scoreboard in the finish area, the exotic label is all too quickly taken out of the drawer. When Francesca Baruzzi Farriol stepped into the spotlight at the World Cup opening in Sölden on Saturday, that may have been the same thing that some observers had in mind—but they couldn't have been more wrong.

“We hope to hold a World Cup race in Ushuaia soon because all the teams come to us for training,” said Baruzzi Farriol in an exclusive interview with SportNews and had to laugh. The Argentinian comes from Bariloche in the Patagonia region. "It's a small town in the mountains – about halfway between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia," she explained. The latter should be all too familiar to die-hard ski fans. After all, Ushuaia – the end of the world – becomes the center of the ski world every European summer.

“I started before I could even walk”

Many national teams travel to the southernmost tip of Argentina during their preparations to enjoy the glaciers and snow. The tables are turning, so to speak, on the exotic destinations. "It's really great to train with them before the season – that way you know where you stand," said Baruzzi Farriol, delighted with the celebrity guests. "We have a good relationship; it's great to spend time with them."

Francesca Baruzzi Farriol has been skiing since her early childhood. © Instagram / @franbaruzzi

For the 27-year-old herself, the path to skiing was a short one. "My parents are both ski instructors," she explained. The consequence, therefore, was logical: "Even before I could walk, I started skiing – at the age of two. I've always been fascinated by the snow and this sport," she recalled.

World Cup history, flag bearer – and low points

Baruzzi Farriol is by no means an unknown quantity in the World Cup. She has now competed in 28 World Cup events and has been in the starting gate at 13 World Championships. On January 4, 2025, she finally made history in Kranjska Gora: Baruzzi Farriol became the first Argentinian professional skier in history to score points in a giant slalom (30th place); previously, her fellow countrymen and women had only achieved this in the Alpine Combined. The technician also competed at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing – where she received a special honor as flag bearer.

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The fact that she reflects on those Winter Games with mixed feelings is also linked to a low point. "At that time, I had just returned from my knee injury. So I couldn't give my best," she explained. She was set back three times by such an injury, but Baruzzi Farriol fought back three times. "So I was out of the World Cup for a total of three years," she emphasized, underlining with pride: "Last year was my comeback to the World Cup, my first full season – and I celebrated my first point. It was a great feeling to be able to complete a season for the first time. Now I'm trying to finish in the top 30 in every race."

A life for the childhood dream

In Sölden, she took another step in that direction. She entered the race with bib number 41, but finished in 39th place after just one run. "It was tough. Visibility was pretty difficult. The conditions in Sölden are always tough," said Baruzzi Farriol. "I just missed the top 30 by a little over a second. But it was nice to start the season so well."

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She's living her childhood dream—but it's more than just romantic. "It's really difficult to find private sponsors in Argentina," she noted. "They don't have enough money to support athletes. Everything I have comes either from my family or from our Ministry of Sports." While that's fine for smaller racing series, things are getting a bit tighter with the World Cup in mind. "That's why we're looking for further support here in Europe," Baruzzi Farriol emphasized.

2026 Olympics already in sight

The Olympic Games will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in February 2026 – the ideal stage for the Argentinian. She has already qualified. "I'm totally motivated to go to the Olympic Games and proud that I've already secured my spot," she said. Despite the big goal in sight, a break is on the agenda first. She will not compete in the slaloms in Levi (November 15/16) and Gurgl (November 22/23). "I'm going home for a few days. I spent the entire summer season in Ushuaia – it's in Argentina, but it's not my home," she emphasized. "So it's been a long winter for me, and I need some time to recover mentally and physically."