First day on the snow in El Colorado for Odermatt, the mission begins... Soelden, where he will seek his fourth triumph on October 25

More than a week late, but the South American mission has now begun for Marco Odermatt as well.

With a smile, as his physical condition is improving, the phenomenon who has won the last five World Cups took to the snow in El Colorado on Wednesday, after departing Switzerland last Monday together with his speed-event teammates, who will also spend three weeks training overseas. The 28-year-old from Nidwalden is proceeding cautiously after the muscle injury that delayed his departure for Chile, training with the giant slalom specialists before moving to nearby Valle Nevado to focus on super-G and downhill as well.

By the end of the trip, less than a month will remain for “Odi” before the World Cup opener in Soelden, with the giant slalom on the Rettenbach scheduled for next October 25. On the Oetztal glacier, the Swiss star will be seeking victory No. 4 after his 2021 success, which came a year after he was narrowly denied by Lucas Braathen (who claimed his first win on the World Cup circuit in 2020), his second triumph in 2022 and another gem in 2025, given that there was no race in 2023 and 12 months later Marco made a mistake in the first run and went out.

On the most recent occasion, Odermatt narrowly defeated Schwarz, who always excels on the Rettenbach and will be a genuine threat in this year’s opener as well, and McGrath, who will certainly be two of the major opponents on Sunday, October 25, along with Pinheiro Braathen, who at the end of last season took the Olympic title and the giant slalom crystal globe away from the event’s dominant racer.