We take a drone's eye view of the Soldeu course with its main elements featured (see VIDEO)
March, the iconic competition venue will host the slalom and giant slalom technical tests during the World Cup Finals
It is one of the World Cup’s most highly-rated giant slalom courses. A legendary course in Andorra. An emblem of top-level competition and a flagship Grandvalira piste for everyday skiers. Avet has witnessed major events with memorable performances from the world’s best athletes, and it has become the competitive alpine skiing capital of the Pyrenees in just over a decade. A relatively short but intense journey in the history of skiing, including staging the European Cup in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013; the World Cup in 2012; the 2014 and 2018 European Cup Finals and the 2019 World Cup Finals.
Racers Marlies Schild (AUT) and Tessa Worley (FRA) go down in history as the first winners of a World Cup event in Andorra in 2012 in the slalom and giant slalom disciplines, respectively. In the 2019 finals, Clement Noël (FR) in slalom and Alexis Pinturault (FR) in giant slalom won in the men's category. In the women’s, Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) got to the top of the podium in the two technical tests.
Today, the Avet course is connected to the town of Soldeu thanks to the construction of a 14,000m2 skiable platform that was opened in the 2018-19 season. In addition to extending the braking area of the World Cup course, it has made it possible to equip the arrival area with all the necessary elements to host the technical tests in the Great White Circus with maximum guarantees. In addition, this new area has allowed the parking capacity to be increased with 450 new spaces, making access to Grandvalira’s Soldeu sector easier.
The bottom of the slope has several new features in this second edition of the World Cup Finals. On one hand, the seat capacity in the stands will be more than 1,850 (increasing by more than 300 seats compared to 2019), and a section of the stands will be used for VIP ticketing. In addition, during the weekend you will be able to enjoy the World Cup Village, an entertainment and animation area with stands from the ski companies, non-profit and gastronomy associations, among others.
Technical specifications
The GS profile
Start: 2,265 m
Arrival: 1,837 m
Length: 1,242 m
Difference in altitude: 428 m
Average slope: 37%
Maximum gradient: 65%
Bearing: N/E
The SL profile
Start 2,047 m
Arrival: 1,837 m
Length: 609 m
Difference in altitude: 210 m
Average slope: 37%
Maximum gradient: 65%
Bearing: N/E
The upper part of the course is accessed via the eight-seater Soldeu gondola and the six-seater Soldeu chairlift. The route is north-east facing, which ensures high snow quality.
What people have said about the Avet...
Maria Höfl-Riesch in 2012 (German former ski racer, winner of three Olympic gold medals...): “It’s one of the best Giant courses on the circuit.”
Lara Gut-Behrami in 2012 (Swiss World Cup racer, who won the first European Cup in Soldeu 2008, Olympic gold...): "The European Cup was very well-organised and the course was perfect."
Tessa Worley (French World Cup ski racer, winner of the GS at Soldeu 2012): “I really liked the course, just as much or more than the passion that the public has shown.”
Tina Maze (Slovenian former racer, two Olympic gold medals...): “I loved competing here: a great course, fantastic people and a great atmosphere. I hope the World Cup will continue to visit Andorra in the future.”
Marcel Hirscher in 2019 (Austrian former racer, eight crystal globes overall, three Olympic Games...): “The snow conditions have been better than expected. I didn’t expect to have winter conditions with spring weather.”
Carolina Ruiz (Spanish former World Cup racer, former Olympic competitor): “It has an intense, very demanding start. From the top you can see almost 80% of the Giant course. It is a start with an impressive wall. It’s here that part of the race is won or lost.”
The races on Avet:
Saturday, 18th March
09:00h to 12:00h men’s giant slalom
10:30h to 13:30h women’s slalom
Sunday, 19th March
09:00h to 12:00h women’s giant slalom
10:30h to 13:30h men’s slalom