Scheib returns to Europe after 29 days in Argentina and Chile: “A very good training block.” Will she be the favorite in Soelden?

Julia Scheib the overwhelming favorite for the Soelden opening?

It certainly seems likely, given that on 24 October, at the Rettenbach Glacier, many of the big names who have already won on those slopes will arrive with several question marks—or will not be there at all, like recently retired Lara Gut-Behrami and, in all likelihood, Federica Brignone. Mikaela Shiffrin has not won a giant slalom race for almost three years, while we know Petra Vlhova’s situation well, although the Slovak is expected to return to her main discipline for the first World Cup race. Sara Hector, Alice Robinson and Paula Moltzan, meanwhile, have so far enjoyed ideal preparations, just like the Styrian born in 1998.

Julia won for the first time on the top circuit in Soelden in 2025, then adding four more gems to the necklace that led her to claim the giant slalom crystal globe. Her summer was split between Argentina and Chile: shortly before the Ferragosto holiday, she left for a couple of weeks in Ushuaia, focusing exclusively on giant slalom, followed by another two weeks at resorts where, together with many teammates, she trained in speed disciplines as the super-G project continues.

Twenty-nine days in total in South America, and now a return to Europe, after she already had the opportunity to prepare with the new head of Austria’s entire women’s program, Hannes Zoechling (who took over the role from Roland Assinger), who explained to ORF Sport: “At this stage, the emphasis was placed mainly on training volume, to accumulate kilometres on snow,” said the coach from Lower Austria.

“In Ushuaia we put together two very good weeks—the analysis Scheib gave to the same national broadcaster. “If you ask me about the giant slalom work, it’s clear that we will only finalize the fine-tuning in Pitztal and then in Soelden,” she stressed, referring to the final training sessions on the home glaciers during the first two weeks of October.

There were smiles, too, from the teammates in the group selected for the South American training block, from Brunner to Haaser, who immediately felt positive sensations in the knee operated on in March (moving from free skiing, which had been scheduled for several days, to gates as early as the first part of the camp), as well as from the group’s leading speed racer, Nina Ortlieb, who left for Argentina and then Chile before Conny Huetter. “It was fun and useful,” Julia added, speaking about the super-G training. “As I said, the aim is to compete in most of the races in order to have a second discipline.”