Krynica-Zdrój, Poland, hosts the tenth stop of the 2025-26 Visa FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup this weekend. The mountain spa town is the only venue on the circuit scheduled to run two Parallel Giant Slalom races—one for men, one for women—on consecutive days.
Krynica Track Favors Austro-Italian Rivalry
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The 550 m course drops 135 m and has crowned the same nations since it debuted. Austrian veteran Andreas Prommegger owns both previous men’s PGS wins here, while Italy has placed at least one man on every podium. Roland Fischnaller turned that trend into victory last February, edging Prommegger by 0.11 s in the second run. On the women’s side, Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) and Tsubaki Miki (JPN) split the 2024 and 2025 double-headers, each win hinting at the crystal globe that would follow.
Italian Men Lead Season, Not Olympics
Italy has taken seven of eleven men’s Parallel races this winter—four different riders sharing wins—and swept the Carezzo podium 1-2-3. Yet none of those athletes medalled at February’s Milano-Cortina Games, extending a 24-year Olympic medal drought in the discipline. Aaron March tops the standings by 21 points over Maurizio Bormolini, giving the Azzurri a credible chance at a season-ending one-two finish.
Miki Targets Back-to-Back Titles, Teen Zamfirova Surges
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Defending overall champion Tsubaki Miki enters the weekend 20 points ahead of Italy’s Elisa Caffont, aiming to become the first non-European woman to win consecutive Parallel titles. Sixteen-year-old Malena Zamfirova (BUL) sits tenth overall, the youngest rider ever to reach the top tier this late in a season. A Krynica podium would make her the first Bulgarian woman to reach a World Cup finals heat in any snowboard discipline.
Rogla Upside Fuels Lee’s Push
Korea’s Lee Sang-ho halted a 15-month European winning streak at the final pre-Olympic World Cup in Rogla, defeating Fischnaller and Fabian Obmann (AUT). The win lifted him to sixth overall and left the 2018 Olympic silver medallist as the only non-European inside the men’s top 15. None of the Rogla podium converted that speed into an Olympic medal three weeks later, so motivation runs high for redemption in Krynica.
Title Scenarios Echo History
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No men’s Parallel season has ended without an Italian or Austrian in the top three since Switzerland swept the medals in 2005-06. With Benjamin Karl (AUT), owner of four crystal globes, stuck in 13th place, Bormolini or March could deliver Italy’s first men’s globe since 2011-12. On the women’s side, if Miki slips, Hofmeister could match Czech legend Ester Ledecka’s four-title total and become only the second woman to reach that mark.
How to Watch and Follow
- Stream both PGS finals live on the European Broadcasting Union platform; check local listings for geoblock rules.
- Fantasy Snowboard League players often lock in Prommegger for Krynica points—his 2024-25 track record offers a high floor.
- Polish spectators arriving by train should exit at Krynica-Zdrój station; free shuttle buses depart every 15 min on race morning.
- Coaches scouting junior talent can request Friday open-training accreditation through the PZN (Polish Ski Association) portal before 18:00 CET Thursday.
Source: Visa FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup media guide
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