Rettenbach (ski slope)

Rettenbach is a World Cup giant slalom ski course in Austria on Rettenbach glacier above Sölden, Tyrol. Located on Wildspitze mountain in the Ötztal Alps, the race course debuted in 1993.

Rettenbach
Place:	Sölden, Tyrol
Mountain:	Wildspitze, Ötztal Alps
Opened:	1993
Giant slalom
Start:	3,040 m (9,974 ft) (AA)
Finish:	2,670 m (8,760 ft)
Vertical drop:	370 m (1,214 ft)
Level:	expert
Max. incline:	34.3 degrees (68.2%)
Most wins (M):	Ted Ligety (4x)
Most wins (L):	Tina Maze (3x)

This course hosted total of 21 World Cup events for men (19th of all-time) and total 24 World Cup events for women (19th of all-time).

World Cup

Since 2000, it is the traditional opener for the World Cup season, with a giant slalom for both genders in late October; previously, it had alternated with Tignes, France, from 1993 on.^[1]

The women's race in October 2002 was one of only two triple wins in World Cup history, as Andrine Flemmen (NOR), Nicole Hosp (AUT), and Tina Maze (SLO) shared first place.

The races start at an elevation of 3,040 metres (9,974 ft) above the Adriatic (sea level) and finish at 2,670 m (8,760 ft), yielding a vertical drop of 370 m (1,214 ft).

This slope is widely regarded as the most difficult giant slalom on the women's circuit, with a maximum gradient of 68.2 percent (34.3 degrees) at "Eisfall".^[1]

Course sections

Location in Austria

Location in the Alps

Location in the Europe

• "Rettenbachjoch"
• "Gletschertisch" (Glacier table)
• "Gletscherkante" (Glacier abreuvoir)
• "Eisfall" (Icefall) – the steepest part (68.2%)
• "Gletscherzunge" (Glacier tongue)
• "Elefantentränke" (Elephant potions)

Rettenbach course	Rettenbach course
300x	300x
Finish area	Midsection

Men's giant slalom

No.	Date	Winner	Second	Third
794	30 October 1993	Franck Piccard	Fredrik Nyberg	Kjetil André Aamodt
896	27 October 1996	Steve Locher	Michael von Grünigen	Kjetil André Aamodt
970	25 October 1998	Hermann Maier	Stephan Eberharter	Heinz Schilchegger
1045	29 October 2000	Hermann Maier	Stephan Eberharter	Fredrik Nyberg
1078	28 October 2001	Frédéric Covili	Stephan Eberharter	Michael von Grünigen Fredrik Nyberg
1113	27 October 2002	Stephan Eberharter	Frédéric Covili	Michael von Grünigen
1150	26 October 2003	Bode Miller	Frédéric Covili	Joël Chenal
1189	24 October 2004	Bode Miller	Massimiliano Blardone	Kalle Palander
1225	23 October 2005	Hermann Maier	Bode Miller	Rainer Schönfelder
	29 October 2006	cancelled
1298	28 October 2007	Aksel Lund Svindal	Ted Ligety	Kalle Palander
1338	26 October 2008	Daniel Albrecht	Didier Cuche	Ted Ligety
1374	25 October 2009	Didier Cuche	Ted Ligety	Carlo Janka
	24 October 2010	cancelled after 1st run due to fog and wind
1444	23 October 2011	Ted Ligety	Alexis Pinturault	Philipp Schörghofer
1488	28 October 2012	Ted Ligety	Manfred Mölgg	Marcel Hirscher
1522	27 October 2013	Ted Ligety	Alexis Pinturault	Marcel Hirscher
1556	26 October 2014	Marcel Hirscher	Fritz Dopfer	Alexis Pinturault
1593	25 October 2015	Ted Ligety	Thomas Fanara	Marcel Hirscher
1637	23 October 2016	Alexis Pinturault	Marcel Hirscher	Felix Neureuther
	29 October 2017	cancelled due to excessive high winds
	28 October 2018	heavy snowfall and excessive high winds; rescheduled to Saalbach-Hinterglemm
1749	27 October 2019	Alexis Pinturault	Mathieu Faivre	Žan Kranjec
1783	18 October 2020	Lucas Braathen	Marco Odermatt	Gino Caviezel
1818	24 October 2021	Marco Odermatt	Roland Leitinger	Žan Kranjec
1855	23 October 2022	Marco Odermatt	Žan Kranjec	Henrik Kristoffersen
	29 October 2023	cancelled due to strong winds after 47 skiers had run
1928	27 October 2024	Alexander Steen Olsen	Henrik Kristoffersen	Atle Lie McGrath

Women's giant slalom

No.	Date	Winner	Second	Third
736	31 October 1993	Anita Wachter	Sophie Lefranc	Carole Merle
836	26 October 1996	Katja Seizinger	Deborah Compagnoni	Hilde Gerg
901	24 October 1998	Andrine Flemmen	Alexandra Meissnitzer	Deborah Compagnoni
977	28 October 2000	Martina Ertl	Andrine Flemmen	Anja Pärson
1011	27 October 2001	Michaela Dorfmeister	Sonja Nef	Régine Cavagnoud
1045	26 October 2002	Andrine Flemmen Nicole Hosp Tina Maze
1078	25 October 2003	Martina Ertl	Anja Pärson	María José Rienda Contreras
1113	23 October 2004	Anja Pärson	Tanja Poutiainen	María José Rienda Contreras
1146	22 October 2005	Tina Maze	Janica Kostelić	Anja Pärson
	28 October 2006	cancelled
1217	27 October 2007	Denise Karbon	Julia Mancuso	Kathrin Zettel
1252	25 October 2008	Kathrin Zettel	Tanja Poutiainen	Andrea Fischbacher
1286	24 October 2009	Tanja Poutiainen	Kathrin Zettel	Denise Karbon
1318	23 October 2010	Viktoria Rebensburg	Kathrin Hölzl	Manuela Mölgg
1351	22 October 2011	Lindsey Vonn	Viktoria Rebensburg	Elisabeth Görgl
1388	27 October 2012	Tina Maze	Kathrin Zettel	Stefanie Köhle
1423	26 October 2013	Lara Gut	Kathrin Zettel	Viktoria Rebensburg
1455	25 October 2014	Anna Fenninger Mikaela Shiffrin		Eva-Maria Brem
1487	24 October 2015	Federica Brignone	Mikaela Shiffrin	Tina Weirather
1527	22 October 2016	Lara Gut	Mikaela Shiffrin	Marta Bassino
1564	28 October 2017	Viktoria Rebensburg	Tessa Worley	Manuela Mölgg
1602	27 October 2018	Tessa Worley	Federica Brignone	Mikaela Shiffrin
1637	26 October 2019	Alice Robinson	Mikaela Shiffrin	Tessa Worley
1667	17 October 2020	Marta Bassino	Federica Brignone	Petra Vlhová
1698	23 October 2021	Mikaela Shiffrin	Lara Gut-Behrami	Petra Vlhová
	22 October 2022	snowfall and poor visibility
1773	28 October 2023	Lara Gut-Behrami	Federica Brignone	Petra Vlhová
1812	26 October 2024	Federica Brignone	Alice Robinson	Julia Scheib

Fatal accidents

On January 5, 2015, two prospects of the United States Ski Team, Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, were killed by an avalanche they triggered near Rettenbach glacier.^[2]

On 17 November 2015, Slovenian ex skier Drago Grubelnik died in a car accident on the seventh curve (elevation 2,455 m (8,054 ft)) on the road descending to Sölden, not far below the World Cup finish area.^[3]