The 2027 Junior World Championships on Whiteface Mountain: Lake Placid returns to the heart of skiing, looking back to the 1980 Games

Whiteface Mountain itself, as at the 1980 Games, will host the races of the Alpine skiing junior world championships from March 2 to 12, 2027, in Lake Placid.

The US venue, at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, was already inspected by the FIS in July, just a few months after it was awarded the event following Narvik (which will then host the senior World Championships in 2029, for the first time in Norway), where Anna Trocker made history in the women's technical events.

The New York State venue has hosted two Olympic editions, in 1932 and, 46 years ago, when Ingemar Stenmark and Hanni Wenzel completed the slalom-giant slalom double, as well as the junior World Championships in 1994, the last time the event was held in the United States. And those who triumph in Lake Placid will be guaranteed a ticket to the World Cup finals, which, two years after the top circuit's return to Idaho, will once again be held in Sun Valley.

“The return of the Junior World Championships to Lake Placid in 2027 represents a special moment – said Sandra Spitz, FIS Director of Sport Events. – Its rich sporting tradition and proven organizational experience make it the ideal venue for this event”.

Not just Alpine skiing, including the now-established Nor-Am Cup stop, because the area has once again invested heavily in winter sports, from the 2025 bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships to the 2026 Cross-Country Skiing World Cup finals at nearby Mount Van Hoevenberg, as well as the return of the top ski jumping circuit. And in early October, the Mountain Bike World Series (in other words, the World Cup) will be decided precisely in Lake Placid.

Chip Knight, a highly experienced coach who is now the director of Alpine skiing development for the US federation, won the silver medal in slalom at that last edition of the junior World Championships on Whiteface Mountain 32 years ago. “I have never forgotten the emotion of competing in front of a home crowd – he said on the FIS website to promote next March's major event. – Bringing the category's World Championships back to Whiteface gives the next generation of athletes the same opportunity to compete for a world title in front of family, friends and a community that has been part of this sport's history for decades”.