Alpine Skiing

Ready, steady… go! With only one year to go until the next FIS Alpine World Ski Championships scheduled from 7th to 21st February 2021 in Cortina, many sports, mountain and ski lovers all over the world are looking forward to embarking on this thrilling adventure.

A brand-new digital clock, designed by Fondazione Cortina 2021 and provided by Longines, Official Main Partner and Timekeeper of the World Championships, will mark the countdown to the international event. In the meanwhile, Cortina is getting ready to host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals.

 

The countdown clock located in Piazza Dibona – the same square that this March will host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals bib draw ceremonies – was unveiled today at 6.30 p.m. in the presence of Gianpietro Ghedina, Mayor of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Valerio Giacobbi, CEO of Fondazione Cortina 2021, and Kristian Ghedina, Cortina 2021 Ambassador, together with the stakeholders, the partners, the townspeople and the media.

 

The Longines Clock will count down the days, hours and minutes to the international event, and will hit zero on Sunday 7th February 2021, right before the opening ceremony. For all this time, the clock – placed inside an installation that depicts the unique skyline of the Ampezzo Dolomites – will show the countdown to all those walking along Corso Italia. %break%

 

“The countdown to the World Championships has officially started today”, stated Valerio Giacobbi, CEO of Fondazione Cortina 2021. “The Longines Clock located in Piazza Dibona will be a special attraction for the townspeople and the tourists, who’ll get more and more excited as we get closer to the World Championships, but also for our partners, who really add value to this wonderful experience. During the next 365 days, we will continue to work hard to meet the great challenge that awaits us”.

 

Longines Vice President Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner said: “As the Official Timekeeper of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Cortina 2021, we are proud to be part of the great anticipation for this world-class event with the Longines countdown clock that is unveiled today. Cortina 2021 marks the 24th time the brand will serve as Official Timekeeper for the World Championships and we look forward to timing the performances of the world’s best skiers 365 days from now.”

 

And by night, the mountains that frame the digital clock will glow, offering a charming atmosphere to everyone before the World Championships.

As the Official Timekeeper of the Hahnenkamm races taking place in Kitzbühel this weekend, the Swiss watch brand Longines was proud to present the top-3 winners of the FIS Alpine World Cup Super-G, Downhill and Slalom races with elegant Longines timepieces.

On Saturday took place the Kitz Charity Trophy supported by Longines, a charity race where professional skiers compete against celebrities on a section of the Streif piste, to the benefit of the farming families in North, East and South Tyrol.

The Swiss watch brand Longines was proud to time the 2020 edition of the Longines Future Hahnenkamm Champions race, held in the context of the legendary FIS Alpine World Cup leg in Kitzbühel.  This year, Team Tirol claimed the coveted title, while Team Austria 2 and Team Austria 1 finished second and third respectively. As a recognition for the great performance, each member of the winning team received a Longines timepiece.

In total, eight mixed teams of athletes aged under 16 years old took part in this event, comprising a giant slalom and a slalom race.

As the Official Partner and Timekeeper of the FIS, Longines was proud to present the Top-3 skiers of the three races taking place this weekend in Wengen, with elegant Longines timepieces. On Friday, Austria’s Matthias Mayer won the Alpine Combined race, while Switzerland’s Beat Feuz claimed his third World Cup victory in Downhill (2012, 2018 and 2020) in front of an ecstatic home crowd on Sunday. Rounding off the weekend, Clément Noël from France won the Slalom event, marking his second victory in the discipline this season.

As the Official Partner of the International Ski Federation (FIS), Longines is proud to put its expertise in sports timekeeping to use in the realms of alpine skiing for the trials of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup and the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. In addition, the brand is looking forward to the performances of its Ambassador of Elegance, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, as well as the members of the Longines Family, Switzerland’s Loïc and Mélanie Meillard, Marco Odermatt and France’s Matthieu Faivre.

 

On the occasion of 2019/2020 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup opening in Sölden, Austria, Longines presented the two Official Watches of the season, the Conquest V.H.P. “Very High Precision” in lady and The latter, in a diameter of 41 mm, displays a silver dial, while the former, in 36mm, features a mother-of-pearl dial set with diamonds. Both are equipped with equipped with an exclusive movement renowned for its high degree of precision for an analog watch (± 5 s/yr) and its ability to reset its hands after an impact or exposure to a magnetic field. These attractive features are completed by a very long battery life and a perpetual calendar.

 

Longines, in keeping with its desire to promote the next generation of athletes, will again lend its support to the Longines Future Hahnenkamm Champions race, to be held in January in Kitzbühel on the eve of the legendary World Cup stage. The race is a team event in two legs for promising young skiers aged under 16 years old. It provides a platform for upcoming skiers to partake in alpine ski sport at a competitive level.

 

Furthermore, the brand will award the Longines Rising Ski Stars prize, which goes to the top female skier under 21 and the top male skier under 23 during the FIS World Cup season. Winners will receive a Longines watch, a trophy and a cheque at the end of the season, which will wrap up in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in March 2020.

In the context of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals, of which Longines is the Official Timekeeper, the Swiss watch brand was delighted to present the Longines Rising Ski Stars prizes today in Soldeu, Andorra. This title, which rewards the best female skier under the age of 21 and the best male skier under the age of 23 in the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup overall standings for the season, was awarded to Slovenia’s Meta Hrovat and France’s Clément Noël.

Two-time slalom winner at the FIS Junior World Championships in 2018 and 2019, Meta Hrovat ended her third FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season with four top-10 results in the disciplines of slalom and giant slalom, while Clément Noël has achieved his best results in the circuit this season, claiming three slalom victories, in Wengen, Kitzbühel and Soldeu. Both talented athletes received a Longines watch, a trophy, as well as a cheque from Longines Vice President, Charles Villoz.

This celebration was held today, following the prize giving ceremony for the overall winners of the 2018/2019 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, a title defended by Longines Ambassador of Elegance Mikaela Shiffrin and Marcel Hirscher, who received an elegant timepiece to mark their outstanding performance. 

After a 17-year FIS Alpine Ski World Cup career, Norwegian ski champion Aksel Lund Svindal took part in his very last race today at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Are 2019, finishing second in the much-anticipated Downhill race.

Personifying Longines’ sporting elegance since 2007, Aksel Lund Svindal completed 386 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races to date and celebrated 36 victories. His greatest achievements include winning the 2006/07 and 2008/09 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup overall titles, claiming five gold medals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and Olympic gold in the 2010 Super-G and downhill gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Over the course of his career, Aksel Lund Svindal has shown remarkable resilience, as he was able to make successful comebacks following his severe injuries, and notably his spectacular crash at Kitzbühel in 2016.