The World Ski Championships are back in Switzerland. Back in Valais. Back in Crans Montana. After 1987, the title games will again be played on the Valais high plateau in 2027. It goes without saying that memories of the “Golden Days of Crans-Montana” will come back to you. “I’m expecting a great ski festival with over 200,000 spectators and again overwhelming Swiss successes,” says Marius Robyr, director of the candidacy.
It is unlikely that the Swiss record will be repeated four decades later. At that time, the Swiss cleared up a lot, there were a total of 14 medals (8 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze).
Ski legend Pirmin Zurbriggen (59) alone hoarded two gold medals (Super-G and giant slalom) and two silver medals (downhill and combination). He says: “When I found out that Crans-Montana had been awarded the contract, I immediately thought of the 1987 World Cup. Cool that 40 years later it will be that time again. At the same time, one should never measure the Swiss skiers with the yield from back then. Times are different. It was a great World Cup, now there is a new World Cup – and it will be wonderful too.”
“You can handle the pressure”
It’s not that Zurbriggen is reluctant to look back. “The 1987 World Cup was a highlight of my career. But overall we had a great team, Switzerland was in ski fever and Crans-Montana was a festival hut,” he says.
Everyone – including Zurbriggen, who has been a hotelier in Zermatt for a long time – still has to wait almost five years for the home World Cup. But the basis for success on the Nationale and Mont-Lachaux slopes has been laid. “Many of our top athletes are still young and have shown at major events that they can handle pressure.” It goes without saying that Zurbriggen is also thinking of overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt (24) and Olympic champion Corinne Suter (27).
“Everyone drives for themselves, but the team spirit is crucial. I remember the downhill in 1987. Not just me, but all Swiss were among the contenders. Much has been written about the rivalry with Peter Müller, who then also won. But before the start, we all changed in an area four by four meters. Despite the competition, we were there for each other – something like that gives you strength. I wish the same for the Swiss team in 2027!»