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The 2026 Chile Winter Series has begun, but its most internationally significant racing remains ahead.
Four FIS-level giant slaloms opened the series Aug. 6-7 at El Colorado. Those races gave developing athletes valuable competition starts and FIS-point opportunities. However, the field did not approach the level of talent that traditionally arrives for the upcoming South American Cup speed races at La Parva.
That distinction matters. El Colorado launched the calendar, but La Parva represents a different level of competition. The resort’s annual speed week regularly attracts World Cup racers who use Chile’s winter conditions to combine training with meaningful competition during the Northern Hemisphere summer.
According to FIS-SKI.com, the La Parva Grand Prix will bring leading international alpine racers together for a full week of competition on a demanding speed course.
Northern Hemisphere speed athletes need long, challenging slopes to prepare effectively for the World Cup season. La Parva offers that terrain while also providing internationally sanctioned races.
Training allows racers to work on equipment, technique and course execution. Competition adds timing, pressure and consequences. Those elements make the La Parva races especially valuable before teams return north for their final preseason preparation.
The races also allow athletes to collect FIS points. More importantly for established World Cup skiers, they provide an early competitive test after months without international racing.
Last season’s Chile Winter Series included several athletes with World Cup, Olympic and World Championship experience. Among them were Chilean speed racer Henrik von Appen, Stifel U.S. Ski Team downhill racer Sam Morse, Sweden’s Felix Monsén and Czech racer Jan Zabystřan.
FIS has not yet identified the leading World Cup athletes expected to compete at La Parva in 2026. Nevertheless, the event’s history and the training value of its speed terrain suggest another strong international field.
“Chile has become a true world-class destination for Alpine ski racing,” von Appen said in the FIS report.
El Colorado hosted two men’s and two women’s FIS giant slaloms across Aug. 6-7. The results and accompanying FIS-point profiles reflected a developmental international field rather than World Cup-level competition.
American Colin Hanna won the opening men’s race in 1 minute, 30.34 seconds. Great Britain’s Emily Turner captured the first women’s GS in 1:35.29.
One day later, Uruguay’s Nicolas Pirozzi Mayer won the second men’s race in 1:31.80. Chile’s Rosario Holscher responded in the women’s competition, winning in 1:34.38 after finishing third the previous day.
| Race | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 6 men | 🇺🇸 Colin Hanna (USA, 2004), 1:30.34 | 🇨🇱 Sebastian Birkner (CHI, 2008), +0.66 | 🇬🇧 Lewis Parton (GBR, 2007), +0.79 | 🇬🇧 Harrison Adkins (GBR, 2009), +0.84 | 🇨🇱 Pedro Holscher (CHI, 2004), +1.17 |
| Aug. 6 women | 🇬🇧 Emily Turner (GBR, 2007), 1:35.29 | 🇬🇧 Allegra Turton (GBR, 2009), +1.51 | 🇨🇱 Rosario Holscher (CHI, 2009), +1.52 | 🇨🇱 Florencia Aramburo (CHI, 2006), +2.04 | 🇨🇱 Matilde Pinilla (CHI, 2006), +2.80 |
| Aug. 7 men | 🇺🇾 Nicolas Pirozzi Mayer (URU, 2002), 1:31.80 | 🇨🇱 Sebastian Birkner (CHI, 2008), +0.45 | 🇨🇱 Pedro Holscher (CHI, 2004), +0.97 | 🇺🇸 Thomas Reynolds (USA, 2009), +1.22 | 🇺🇸 Bennett Schwartz (USA, 2009), +2.17 |
| Aug. 7 women | 🇨🇱 Rosario Holscher (CHI, 2009), 1:34.38 | 🇬🇧 Emily Turner (GBR, 2007), +1.24 | 🇨🇱 Florencia Aramburo (CHI, 2006), +1.89 | 🇭🇷 Kim Vrdoljak (CRO, 2010), +4.28 | 🇨🇱 Matilde Pinilla (CHI, 2006), +4.48 |
Click on images to enlarge
The Chile Winter Series will continue through October with more than 15 competition days across three resorts. Organizers expect more than 600 athletes representing over 40 countries to participate during the complete circuit.
After La Parva, the series will conclude at Corralco Ski Resort on the slopes of Lonquimay Volcano. Corralco will also help broaden the program beyond alpine racing. The 2026 calendar includes internationally sanctioned ski cross and snowboard cross competitions.
The series provides a valuable competition pathway for South American athletes. At the same time, it gives visiting teams access to winter snow and international races during the Northern Hemisphere offseason.
Those opportunities carry additional value before the 2027 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. However, the immediate focus now shifts to La Parva, where the arrival of established speed racers should raise the competitive level of the Chile Winter Series considerably.
The Chilean Ski & Snowboard Federation organizes the series in partnership with Chile’s National Sports Institute. Snow Animal produces the competitions.
Source: Reporting information and official results provided by FIS-SKI.com.
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