L'Éclipse (ski course)

L’Éclipse is a World Cup downhill ski course in Courchevel, France, opened in 2022. It was designed by Bruno Tuaire and Hannes Trinkl and built for the 2023 World Championships, and then has been hosting five men's alpine events.^[1]

L'Éclipse

The start of the ski course
Place	Courchevel
Architects	Bruno Tuaire, H. Trinkl
Opened	16 March 2022
Downhill
Start	2,235 m (7,333 ft) (NGF - IGN69)
Finish	1,290 m (4,232 ft)
Vertical drop	945 m (3,100 ft)
Length	3.100 km (1.93 mi)
Max. incline	31.4 degrees (61%)
Avg. incline	16.7 degrees (30%)
Min. incline	6.3 degrees (11%)

The first section, called « Mur du son », seen from above

a lower section, called « Mur de la bux »

In March 2022, it hosted the speed events of the World Cup finals for men and women.

The "Roc de Fer" ski course in nearby Méribel and L’Éclipse were co-hosting the World Championships in 2023.

This black course has a maximum incline of 31.4 degrees (61% gradient) and one of the steepest average inclines in the world with 16.7 degrees (30%), even more than dowhnill in Kitzbühel (27%) or Wengen (26%).^[2][3]

The start begins near Col de la Loze, while the finish area is adjacent to Tremplin du Praz, the ski jumping venue of the 1992 Winter Olympics.

History

On 16 March 2022, this course originally intended for men only, was officially opened with both men's and women's downhill events, as the upper part of the "Roc de Fer" women's ski course in Méribel wasn't fully rebuilt yet.^[4][5]

Events

World Championships

Year	Date	Event	Winner	Second place	Third place
↓ Men ↓
2023	7 February	AC	Alexis Pinturault	Marco Schwarz	Raphael Haaser
	9 February	SG	James Crawford	Aleksander A. Kilde	Alexis Pinturault
	12 February	DH	Marco Odermatt	Aleksander A. Kilde	Cameron Alexander
	17 February	GS	Marco Odermatt	Loïc Meillard	Marco Schwarz
	19 February	SL	Henrik Kristoffersen	AJ Ginnis	Alex Vinatzer

World Cup

Season	Date	Event	Winner	Second place	Third place
↓ Women ↓
2021/22	16 March	DH	Mikaela Shiffrin	Christine Scheyer    Joana Hählen
	17 March	SG	Ragnhild Mowinckel	Mikaela Shiffrin	Michelle Gisin
↓ Men ↓
2021/22	16 March	DH	Vincent Kriechmayr	Marco Odermatt	Beat Feuz
	17 March	SG	Vincent Kriechmayr	Marco Odermatt	Gino Caviezel

Course sections

• Saut du Zenith – Mur du Son – Le S Des Arolles – Saut Des Jockeys – Le Trou Noir – Mur De La Bux – L'Envol – Le Mur Des Braves