Christof Innerhofer shouted out his joy. © Pentaphoto

After the Gröden bombshell: Innerhofer beams with joy

Christof Innerhofer caused a sensation on Friday, achieving an outstanding result in Val Gardena. We spoke with the Gais native afterwards at the finish line.

19 December 2025

From St. Christina

Anyone who's ever been to the finish area in Val Gardena knows: the sun is always a bit shy here. The imposing Dolomite massif at the foot of the Saslong ensures that the light doesn't shine on the eager spectators for too long during the World Cup races. But on Friday, there wasn't much need for sunshine, because there was Christof Innerhofer. And his smile outshone everyone.

Gaiser, who celebrated his 41st (!) birthday on Wednesday, delivered a sensationally strong Super-G run. He finished in 6th place overall. The veteran skier's best result was four years ago when he finished fifth in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It's also his first top-10 finish since January 2023.

Innerhofer was extremely strong. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

After the race, Innerhofer was embraced by seemingly everyone in the finish area – and he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Before the start, I told myself: 'It's in your own hands, take risks, try to drive aggressively, otherwise you'll regret it in two minutes.' I immediately noticed that I had good speed," said Innerhofer. You can listen to the complete audio interview here.



The mood was different for the other South Tyroleans. After a podium finish on Thursday, Dominik Paris didn't manage better than 25th place this time, while Florian Schieder and Max Perathoner were eliminated. "I tried to go all out," said Paris. "I nailed some sections, but overall it was a bit too smooth, too tame. I should have taken a few more risks. I made a slight error in the Ciaslat section, and then I got carried away a bit."

Schieder is baffled.

Schieder was puzzled. "I just don't know what the problem is in the Super-G right now. It always works in training, but I always struggle in the races. I don't know. My desire to race in the Super-G isn't growing. They probably won't let me race anymore," said the Kastelruth native. And Max Perathoner commented: "I made a stupid mistake on the jump in the turn; that shouldn't really happen with bib number 50. But many others have had similar experiences."