Loïc Meillard, Franjo von Allmen SUI / 2025 Team Combine World Champions / GEPA pictures
The Men’s Team Combined makes its Olympic debut at Milan/Cortina 2026, introducing one of alpine skiing’s most volatile and spectator-friendly formats to the Games.
Unlike traditional speed or technical disciplines, the Team Combined pairs two specialists — one downhill skier and one slalom skier — whose times are added together to determine the medals. With Olympic quotas limiting how many nations can field true specialists in both disciplines, the start list is short. That scarcity raises the stakes: nearly every team entered has a realistic path to the podium.
The opening run is a downhill, skied by a speed-discipline specialist and seeded by downhill ranking. The results of that run set the start order for the slalom.
In the second run, a slalom specialist takes over. The slalom is run in reverse order of the downhill, meaning the fastest teams from the downhill ski last, under maximum pressure.
The downhill establishes gaps.The slalom decides everything.
The combined downhill and slalom times determine the final standings and medal positions.
This event exists only at the World Championships and the Olympic Games. The format was contested once prior to Milan/Cortina, at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach, where late slalom runs reshaped the standings and delivered one of the most dramatic races of the championships.
Switzerland ultimately swept the podium, underscoring the importance of depth and slalom execution in a format with no margin for error.
That race remains the only true benchmark — proof that the Team Combined rewards the excellence of two skiers under pressure and punishes even the smallest mistakes.
(Downhill skier listed first, slalom skier second)
• Stefan Rogentin (1994) / Matthias Iten (1999) (SUI 4)• Marco Odermatt (1997) / Loïc Meillard (1996) (SUI 1)• Alexis Monney (2000) / Daniel Yule (1993) (SUI 3)• Franjo von Allmen (2001) / Tanguy Nef (1996) (SUI 2)
Switzerland brings unmatched depth, combining elite downhill speed with world-class slalom execution across four entries.
• Florian Schieder (1995) / Tobias Kastlunger (1999) (ITA 4)• Giovanni Franzoni (2001) / Alex Vinatzer (1999) (ITA 1)• Dominik Paris (1989) / Tommaso Sala (1995) (ITA 2)• Mattia Casse (1990) / Tommaso Saccardi (2001) (ITA 3)
Racing on home snow, Italy leans heavily on downhill strength, with slalom specialists tasked with holding — or gaining — ground in the second run.
• Daniel Hemetsberger (1991) / Marco Schwarz (1995) (AUT 3)• Vincent Kriechmayr (1991) / Manuel Feller (1992) (AUT 1)• Stefan Babinsky (1996) / Fabio Gstrein (1997) (AUT 2)• Raphael Haaser (1997) / Michael Matt (1993) (AUT 4)
Austria’s entries reflect balance and aggression, with proven championship slalom skiers positioned to attack late.
• Maxence Muzaton (1990) / Paco Rassat (1998) (FRA 2)• Nils Alphand (1996) / Steven Amiez (1998) (FRA 3)• Nils Allègre (1994) / Clément Noël (1997) (FRA 1)
France brings some of the most explosive slalom potential in the field, paired with downhillers capable of keeping them within striking distance.
• Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (1994) / Atle Lie McGrath (2000) (NOR 1)• Simen Sellaeg (2003) / Timon Haugan (1996) (NOR 2)
Norway’s medal chances hinge on minimizing downhill losses and letting its slalom strength do damage late.
• Simon Jocher (1996) / Linus Strasser (1992)
Germany fields a single but dangerous pairing, anchored by one of the strongest slalom skiers in the event.
• Kyle Negomir (1998, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) / River Radamus (1998, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail)
Radamus has scored World Cup slalom points twice in his career, with a best finish of 19th in Adelboden in 2024, but he has not raced slalom this season. The U.S. entry is therefore a true wild card. Negomir arrives with momentum after finishing 10th in the Olympic downhill on Saturday, while Radamus, the United States’ top giant slalom skier, will be asked to translate his technical strength into a high-pressure slalom run.
• Elian Lehto (2000) / Eduard Hallberg (2003)
• Jan Zabystřan (1998) / Marek Müller (2004)
The Men’s Team Combined strips alpine racing down to its essentials: speed, skill, and nerve. There are no second chances, no margin for error, and no way to hide a weakness.
With a limited field, every team is relevant. With specialists racing separate runs, pressure peaks in the slalom. And with the fastest downhill teams skiing last, the medals often remain undecided until the final turns.
It’s a new Olympic event — but one built for drama.
Course setters: DH — Johannes Trinkl (FIS) / SL — Bernd Brunner (GER)
The men’s s team combined downhill is set for Monday, February 9th, at 4:30 a.m. ET / 1:30 a.m. PT, followed by the slalom at 8:00 a.m. ET / 5:00 a.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can tune in at 9:30 for the first run and 13:00 for the second.
The men’s Olympic Team Combined Downhill & Slalom will air on a tape delay at 12:45 p.m. ET on Feb. 9 on NBC from Bormio, Italy.
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