Alpine Ski World Championships in Val d’Isère (France)

From February 3 – 15, 2009, the next Alpine Ski World Championships will take place in Val d´Isère, France, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful winter sports destinations in the world. While the World Cup races on the Alpine skiing circuit seem to have lost some of their appeal in recent years, large crowds are expected in Val d´Isère. Already, around seven weeks before the opening of the Ski World Championships, well over 150,000 ticket orders have been placed with the organizing committee. Up to 20,000 spectators are expected to make their way to Val d´Isère each day.

To meet this enormous logistical challenge, around half of the total budget of 70 million euros has been invested in Val d´Isère’s infrastructure. The transport network around Val d´Isère will be put to the test, not least because trains only run as far as Bourg-Saint Maurice, which is just under an hour’s drive from the venue of the next Ski World Championships. The competition venues in Val d´Isère are located on the mountains of Bellevarde (men) and Solaise (women), with their finish areas facing each other within sight, making them very spectator-friendly.

Val d´Isère has just under 2,000 residents and lies 1,800 meters above sea level, which is why the ski resort is considered very snow-sure. Geographically, Val d´Isère is part of Haute-Savoie in the French Alps and is close to the Italian border. A total of 143 World Cup races have been held in Val d´Isére, giving this French winter sports resort more experience with ski races than any other World Cup venue. Skiers from 68 countries are expected in Val d´Isère for the Ski World Championships in February, which would also be a record.