Challenger (ski course)
{{Short description|Ski trail in Slovenia}}
| border=0 class="toccolours float-right" align="right" style="margin:0 0 0.5em 1em; font-size: 85%"
! bgcolor=#b0c4de colspan=2 align="center" | Challenger | |
| align="center" colspan=2 | 240px | |
| Place: | {{flagicon|USA}} Sun Valley, Idaho |
| Mountain: | Bald Mountain |
| Opened: | 13 March 1975 ({{Time ago|1975}}) |
| bgcolor=#b0c4de colspan=2 align="center" | Downhill | |
|---|---|
| Start: | {{convert|2677|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} AMSL |
| Finish: | {{convert|1852|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Vertical drop: | {{convert|825|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Length: | {{convert|2.459|km|mi|2|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Max. incline: | 28.8 degrees (55%) |
| Avg. incline: | 18.5 degrees (33%) |
| Min. incline: | {{spaces|2}}5.7 degrees (10%) |
| bgcolor=#b0c4de colspan=2 align="center" | Super-G | |
| Start: | {{convert|2475|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} AMSL |
| Finish: | {{convert|1852|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Vertical drop: | {{convert|623|m|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Length: | {{convert|1.876|km|mi|2|abbr=on|order=flip}} |
| Max. incline: | 28.8 degrees (55%) |
| Avg. incline: | 18.3 degrees (33%) |
| Min. incline: | {{spaces|2}}5.7 degrees (10%) |
Challenger is a World Cup downhill ski course in the western United States, on the north slope of Bald Mountain in Sun Valley, Idaho. The course is part of Sun Valley Ski Resort, the most prestigious in Idaho.{{cite web|title=Stenmark zmagal, Križaj 23. / Slalom Avstrijkama|page=5|url=http://www.dlib.si/listalnik/URN_NBN_SI_doc-MM3TD7CP/5/index.html#zoom=z|work=Delo|date=15 March 1975|language=sl}}{{cite web|title=Trije kandidati|page=9|url=http://www.dlib.si/listalnik/URN_NBN_SI_doc-XO6N7NEH/9/index.html#zoom=z|work=Delo|date=17 March 1975|language=sl}}{{cite web|title=B. Križaj 9.|page=9|url=http://www.dlib.si/listalnik/URN_NBN_SI_doc-606Y645H/9/index.html#zoom=z|work=Delo|date=7 March 1977|language=sl}}{{cite web|title=Sun Valley course map|url=https://svsbstagingstorage.blob.core.windows.net/svsb-staging-sunvalley-media/sunvalley/media/sunvalley/world%20cup/sun-valley-wc-03-3-02202025forweb.pdf|work=sunvalley.com|date=24 March 2025}}
Tom Johnston, a very controversial character known as "Cowboy", designed the new or mostly renovated slope, starting on the original old course at Steilhang Traverse; in mid-section it runs left from the original slope, then returns for the finish on the same terrain as the old one. Challenger has the steepest average incline on the World Cup circuit at 36%, surpassing even the Streif course in Kitzbühel. With a vertical drop of {{convert|825|m|order=flip}}, the steepness provides a very demanding but relatively short course at {{convert|2.46|km|order=flip}}; lasting about 85 seconds,{{cite web|title=Sun Valley's Legendary Downhill Returns: 2025 World Cup Finals Revive Historic Venue|url=https://skiracing.com/sun-valleys-legendary-downhill-returns-2025-world-cup-finals-revive-historic-venue/#|work=skiracing.com|date=21 March 2025}} the average vertical descent rate is approximately {{convert|32|ft}} per second.
Course
= History =
The Challenger was a steam locomotive introduced by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1936, the year it founded and opened Sun Valley ski resort with the first ski chairlift in the world, by which they are known for.
This spectacular and very demanding ski course hosted World Cup technical events in the 1970s, in March 1975 and 1977; Ingemar Stenmark, Hanni Wenzel, Gustav Thöni, and Phil Mahre won early events here. It also served as a training facility for alpine skiing during the 2002 Winter Olympics in northern Utah.
After 48 years, this course at Sun Valley returned to the World Cup circuit in March 2025, hosting the season finals. Located west of the Challenger chairlift, portions of several runs are used for the course, including International, Greyhawk, and Hemingway.
= Sections =
{{Location map | United States
| relief = 1
| label = {{small|Sun
Valley}}
| lat = 43.679
| long = -114.404
| caption = Location in the United States
| marksize = 8
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| width = 250
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- Sawtooth Jump
- Durrance Dive
- The Legends
- Carol's Wagon Wheel
- Steilhang Traverse
- Frontier Jump
- The Sluice
- Rudi's Roll
- Cowboy's Corner
- The Redd
- Proctor Park
World Cup
=Men=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="background:#fff; font-size:86%; line-height:15px; border:grey solid 1px; border-collapse:collapse;"
! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="33"|{{Abbr|No.|Consecutive World Cup event in total}} ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="55"|Season ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="105"|Date ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="30"|Type ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Winner ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Second ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Third | ||
| align=center|201
! rowspan=2|1974/75 | align=right|13 March 1975 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SWE}} Ingemar Stenmark | {{flagicon|ITA}} Piero Gros | {{flagicon|ITA}} Gustav Thöni | |
| align=center|202
| align=right|15 March 1975 | align=center|SL
| {{flagicon|ITA}} Gustav Thöni | {{flagicon|ITA}} Piero Gros | {{flagicon|SWE}} Ingemar Stenmark | |
| align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|254
! rowspan=2 style="border-top-width:3px"|1976/77 | style="border-top-width:3px" align=right|5 March 1977 | style="border-top-width:3px" align=center|SL
| style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|USA}} Phil Mahre | style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|SWE}} Ingemar Stenmark | style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|USA}} Steve Mahre | |
| align=center|255
| align=right|6 March 1977 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SWE}} Ingemar Stenmark | {{flagicon|SUI}} Christian Hemmi | {{flagicon|SUI}} Heini Hemmi | |
| bgcolor=#F5F5DC style="border-top-width:3px"|
! bgcolor=gainsboro align=center rowspan=4 style="border-top-width:3px"|2024/25 | align=right style="border-top-width:3px"|22 March 2025 | align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|DH
| colspan=3 bgcolor=#F5F5DC align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|delayed by snowfall, cancelled due to strong wind | |
| align=center|1962 | align=right|23 March 2025 | align=center|SG
| {{flagicon|AUT}} Lukas Feurstein | {{flagicon|AUT}} Raphael Haaser | {{flagicon|SUI}} Franjo von Allmen |
| align=center|1963 | align=right|26 March 2025 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Loïc Meillard | {{flagicon|SUI}} Marco Odermatt | {{flagicon|NOR}}{{nnbsp}} Henrik Kristoffersen |
| align=center|1964 | align=right|27 March 2025 | align=center|SL
| {{flagicon|NOR}}{{nnbsp}} Timon Haugan | {{flagicon|FRA}} Clément Noël | {{flagicon|AUT}} Fabio Gstrein |
=Women=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="background:#fff; font-size:86%; line-height:15px; border:grey solid 1px; border-collapse:collapse;"
! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="33"|{{Abbr|No.|Consecutive World Cup event in total}} ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="55"|Season ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="105"|Date ! style="background-color: #ccc;" width="30"|Type ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Winner ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Second ! style="background:#ccc;" width="170" |Third | ||
| align=center|194
! rowspan=2|1974/75 | align=right|13 March 1975 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Lise-Marie Morerod | {{flagicon|AUT}} Monika Kaserer | {{flagicon|FRA}} Fabienne Serrat | |
| align=center|195
| align=right|14 March 1975 | align=center|SL
| {{flagicon|LIE}} Hanni Wenzel | {{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} Annemarie Moser-Pröll}} | {{flagicon|FRG}} Christa Zechmeister | |
| align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|247
! rowspan=2 style="border-top-width:3px"|1976/77 | style="border-top-width:3px" align=right|5 March 1977 | style="border-top-width:3px" align=center|SL
| style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|FRA}} Perrine Pelen | style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|ITA}} Claudia Giordani | style="border-top-width:3px"|{{flagicon|AUT}} Monika Kaserer | |
| align=center|248
| align=right|6 March 1977 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Lise-Marie Morerod | {{flagicon|CAN}} Kathy Kreiner | {{flagicon|USA}} Abbi Fisher | |
| bgcolor=#F5F5DC style="border-top-width:3px"|
! bgcolor=gainsboro align=center rowspan=4 style="border-top-width:3px"|2024/25 | align=right style="border-top-width:3px"|22 March 2025 | align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|DH
| colspan=3 bgcolor=#F5F5DC align=center style="border-top-width:3px"|delayed by snowfall, cancelled due to strong wind | |
| align=center|1843 | align=right|23 March 2025 | align=center|SG
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Lara Gut-Behrami | {{flagicon|USA}} Lindsey Vonn | {{flagicon|ITA}} Federica Brignone |
| align=center|1844 | align=right|25 March 2025 | align=center|GS
| {{flagicon|SUI}} Lara Gut-Behrami | {{flagicon|ITA}} Federica Brignone | {{flagicon|SWE}} Sara Hector |
| align=center|1845 | align=right|27 March 2025 | align=center|SL
| {{flagicon|USA}} Mikaela Shiffrin | {{flagicon|GER}} Lena Dürr | {{flagicon|SLO}} Andreja Slokar |
= Note =
- Greyhawk{{nnbsp}}/{{nnbsp}}Hemingway is the name for technical (GS and SL) events course, which is the bottom half of the Challenger course.
References
{{Reflist|50em}}
External links
- [https://www.sunvalley.com/ sunvalley.com] (official)
{{coord|43.679|N|114.404|W|type:landmark_region:SI-7_elevation:1000|display=title|format=dms}}
{{Ski World Cup pistes}}