Soelden is already on Kranjec and Dvornik’s minds: back from training camps in Argentina and New Zealand, they are full of confidence

Slovenia has ambitions for the 2026/27 season, welcoming back a major figure such as Andreja Slokar and, after Ilka Stuhec’s departure from the speed events, also relying in the technical disciplines on a Neja Dvornik ready to make a strong start as early as Soelden.

The season opener on the Rettenbach is already on Zan Kranjec’s mind too. He has often performed brilliantly in the first giant slalom of the World Cup—three podium finishes from 2019 to 2022, although without a win—and has just returned from Ushuaia. Together with Dvornik, the 2022 Beijing Olympic silver medallist spoke to the media yesterday at the event organised by the federation. The press conference opened with comments from Neja, who, it should be remembered, is returning after missing almost the whole of last winter because of the serious right ankle injury she suffered during the warm-up for the Gurgl slalom.

Already on snow before last spring, the Slovenian, born in 2001, enjoyed an excellent training camp at Coronet Peak in New Zealand. “Overall, I feel great and my ankle is fine,” the giant slalom and slalom specialist said at the press conference. “I’ve probably never felt this good at this time of year; we had an exceptional preparation.

Personally, I want to continue competing in both technical disciplines without sacrificing anything. I’m usually reluctant to make predictions about my potential results, but I definitely want to completely forget the injury, even though my ankle reminds me of it from time to time. It doesn’t matter if good results do not come immediately; I have to stay focused on the work and my performances.”

Coach Alex Valenti was at her side: “The training in New Zealand went according to plan. We devoted one third of the time to slalom and the rest to giant slalom. We need to listen to Neja’s body and see how it responds to the additional workload, so that she can show her full potential in races. We will now take a three-week break from skiing, with only a short indoor camp at the end of the month.”

And Kranjec? He has changed just about everything, from his skis—switching to Nordica—to the technical staff working with him. The goals are to return to consistently fighting for podium places and, who knows, perhaps rediscover the victory he has been missing for more than six years, since his win at the temple of Adelboden. There is also the World Championship giant slalom in Crans-Montana, where he will be targeting a medal: “I’m returning from Ushuaia very satisfied,” explained the 33-year-old, whose best result in 2025/26 was sixth place at Copper Mountain. “It was a really good camp, with the opportunity to put in many days of skiing thanks to the conditions we found.

This year I made major changes, from the equipment to the team working with me. I feel good with Nordica, and there was an immediate rapport with the staff; in Argentina, we were able to try many things. Ambitions? I always have major goals, and now, after this training block, I can approach the new season with peace of mind.”

His newly appointed coach, Denis Steharnik, added: “Before the work in Argentina, Zan still had a few question marks to resolve because of the new equipment. There was a lot of curiosity about what would happen in a different setting, on winter snow. We received very positive feedback; everything is working very well, and when you have confidence, it makes a big difference. We are talking about an athlete who knows very well how to prepare for the season, and now we will work on fine-tuning before Soelden.”