After a five-year hiatus: The Alpine Luge World Cup returns to Passeier.

The new year begins for the alpine luge athletes with a very special race: On January 3rd and 4th, 2026, the third FIL Alpine Luge World Cup will take place on the "Bergkristall" track in the Passeier Valley. The track last hosted a World Cup race five years ago (January 2021).

01 January 2026

From: spn

The 874-meter-long natural toboggan run "Bergkristall" in the municipality of Moos/Moso presents tobogganers with significant challenges. On the one hand, the upper section with the "Große Kehre" (Large Curve) is technically demanding, while on the other hand, the final section from the key point "Labyrinth" is a high-speed track that requires a great deal of courage.

New territory for many athletes

With the return to the World Cup calendar after a five-year hiatus, many athletes are competing on the "Bergkristall" track for the first time, including the winners from the opening race in Winterleiten (AUT), Daniel Gruber (Schleis/Lana) and Alex Oberhofer (Laas), the runner-up in the women's singles, Nina Castiglioni (Partschins), and the entire top doubles field. Of the women, only Winterleiten winner Riccarda Ruetz (AUT), Daniela Mittermair (Deutschnofen), Nadine Staffler (Laas), Lisa Walch (GER), and Patricija Urbanc (CRO) competed in the Passeier Valley in 2021. For the men, Winterleiten winner Fabian Achenrainer (AUT) and Jerome Almer (SUI), as well as the doubles team of Tomas Hasek and David Rydel (CZE), were present.

Slight advantage Junior World Cup

However, Passeier Valley hosted the Junior World Cup exactly one year ago (January 4, 2025), which might be a slight advantage for the "young generation." At that time, Tina Stuffer (St. Ulrich) celebrated her first Junior World Cup victory, ahead of Jenny Castiglioni (Partschins) and Lotte Mulser (Kastelruth). Nina Castiglioni finished fourth. Alex Oberhofer won ahead of the Slovenian luge brothers, Vid and Ziga Kralj.

Overall standings after two races

In the current World Cup standings, Daniel Gruber (170 points) leads after two of seven races, followed by Fabian Achenrainer (160) and Alex Oberhofer (155). In the women's overall World Cup standings, Riccarda Ruetz leads with 200 points, ahead of Nina Castiglioni (170) and Jenny Castiglioni (125). In doubles, Maximilian Pichler/Nico Edlinger (AUT) lead with 200 points, ahead of Tobias Paur/Andreas Hofer (ITA/155), Matthias Lambacher/Peter Lambacher (Villnöß/145), and the Slovakian duo Gabriel Halcin/Samuel Halcin (130).

The schedule
Saturday, 03.01.2026
9:30 a.m.: 1st and 2nd Nations Training Sessions - Women's Singles/Men's Singles
13.00 p.m.: Nations training doubles
14.00 pm: qualifying run for two-seaters

Sunday, January 4, 2026
10:00 AM: 1st qualifying run, singles women/singles men
11:30 a.m.: 2nd qualifying run, singles women/singles men, followed by flower ceremony and awards ceremony