Gran Risa, 20 and 21 December 2026: the giant slalom on Sunday, the slalom on Monday
The forty-first World Cup on the Gran Risa is held at La Villa, in Alta Badia: men’s giant slalom on Sunday 20 December 2026, slalom on Monday 21. Bolzano is 81 kilometres away, Innsbruck 134. What almost nobody mentions is that those 81 kilometres go over the Passo Gardena, and the Dolomite passes close without warning at every snowfall: the route that does not depend on any pass starts from the Brenner motorway and is about thirty kilometres longer. In the same week there is racing in Val Gardena too, on the 18th and the 19th, and at Madonna di Campiglio on the 23rd.
By car
By car
By car
By car
Transfer times and distances as published by the airports, the operators and the tourist boards. Where a figure is missing, no public source publishes it.
The programme, day by day
Saturday 19 December 2026 is the Opening Party. The men’s giant slalom is run on Sunday 20 December, the special slalom on Monday 21 December. The race area is at Str. Planmurin 5, La Villa. Start times have not been published yet: as of the date of this page the organiser’s website still says “coming soon”. Advance ticket sales open on 15 October 2026 at ten. The FIS calendar lists the slalom on the 21st as a night race, the first on the Gran Risa since the floodlights were installed. The organiser has not confirmed it yet: until then we treat it as an announcement, not as a fact.
What constrains the flight Operating notes written in Italian
- Le date vengono dal calendario FIS 2026/27, che la stessa FIS qualifica come provvisorio e soggetto all'approvazione del Consiglio: fino a conferma vanno trattate come date da confermare.
- Gli orari di partenza delle due gare non sono ancora pubblicati.
- La strada corta da Bolzano passa dal Passo Gardena (2.121 m); da Venezia e Treviso dal Falzarego (2.105 m) e dal Valparola (2.192 m). Quei passi chiudono senza preavviso a ogni nevicata seria, per sei o quarantotto ore.
- L'unico itinerario che non dipende dai passi e' l'autostrada del Brennero con uscita a Bressanone o Chiusa, poi la statale della Val Badia: e' quello che consigliamo d'inverno.
- In provincia di Bolzano pneumatici invernali o catene a bordo sono obbligatori dal 15 novembre al 15 aprile sull'autostrada A22 e in citta'; sulle strade provinciali l'obbligo scatta con neve o ghiaccio.
- Il piano parcheggi e navette per il 2026 non e' pubblicato: l'organizzatore scrive ancora «coming soon». Nei giorni di gara le corse fra Corvara e La Villa sono piu' frequenti e gratuite.
- Bolzano ha due sole piazzole per aeromobili sopra le cinque tonnellate: in questa settimana si prenotano con anticipo.
Season and peaks Operating notes written in Italian
- Opens
- 19 dicembre 2026
- Closes
- 21 dicembre 2026
- Peaks
- sabato 19 dicembre: Opening Party
- domenica 20 dicembre: slalom gigante maschile
- lunedi' 21 dicembre: slalom speciale, indicato da FIS come gara in notturna
Eighty-one kilometres that go over a pass
The organiser publishes the distances to La Villa: Bolzano 81 kilometres, Innsbruck 134, Treviso 159, Venice 171, Verona 252. It does not publish journey times, and there is a reason why they would not be enough. The 81 kilometres from Bolzano are the short road, the one that climbs the Val Gardena and crosses the Passo Gardena at 2,121 metres. From Venice and from Treviso the short road goes over the Falzarego and the Valparola instead. Those passes have no announced seasonal closure: they close on the day itself, for six or forty-eight hours, at every serious snowfall. There is only one route that does not depend on a pass, and it is the one the organiser itself gives for those arriving from the Brenner: motorway, Bressanone exit, then Brunico and the Val Badia main road. It is about thirty kilometres more, and in winter nobody begrudges them.
The busiest week of the year in the Dolomites
From 15 to 23 December 2026 the men’s races follow one another within a narrow radius. Val Gardena opens with the super-G on Friday 18 and the downhill on Saturday 19, both at 11:45, after three days of training runs. Alta Badia takes over on the 20th and the 21st. Madonna di Campiglio closes with the 3Tre under floodlights on Wednesday 23. Bormio picks up again on the 28th and the 29th. These are nine days in which Bolzano, Verona and Bergamo are all working at once. Bolzano’s two stands for aircraft above five tonnes are booked weeks in advance, and the same goes for handling at the other airports.
How we work
We choose the airport on the route, not on the distance: in winter, towards Alta Badia, a road without passes is worth more than thirty kilometres saved. We check Bolzano’s prior permission and the availability of the stands before confirming, and we keep a second airport ready. On dates we write what the sources actually say: the 2026/27 calendar is published by FIS, but FIS itself describes it as provisional and subject to Council approval.
Questions we get
When is the Gran Risa run in December 2026?
Men’s giant slalom on Sunday 20 December 2026, special slalom on Monday 21. The Opening Party is on Saturday 19. Start times have not been published yet.
Is the slalom on 21 December really run under floodlights?
The FIS calendar lists it as a night race, the first on the Gran Risa since the floodlights were installed. The organiser’s website and the Alta Badia portals do not report it yet: until it is confirmed we state it as an announcement, not as a fact.
Which airport is right for Alta Badia in December?
Bolzano, 81 kilometres away by the short road. But that road goes over the Passo Gardena: the route that does not depend on the passes is the Brenner motorway with the Bressanone exit, and that is the one we recommend in winter. Bolzano requires prior permission, opens 05:30–22:00 and has only two stands for aircraft above five tonnes.
Can you reach the piste by helicopter?
Not with a service we can commit to. The two helipads in the area open to passenger transport are at 2,157 and 2,050 metres, at altitude and tied to the weather. We do the last leg to Corvara and La Villa by road.
What happens if a pass closes while we are on the road?
The alternative way round exists but it is long: from Cortina you go via Dobbiaco and Brunico, 243 kilometres and about an hour more. That is the reason why in winter we start from Bolzano and not from Venice.
Are there road closures and shuttles on race days?
On race days the buses between Corvara and La Villa run more often and are free. The 2026 parking and shuttle plan has not been published yet: as of the date of this page the organiser writes “coming soon”, and no traffic order appears to have been issued.
Tell us the date. We tell you where you land.
Give us the day and how many of you are travelling: we come back with the airport that holds up on that date, the aircraft that fits your luggage and what the last leg costs.
Sources
- skiworldcup.it — Programma dell'Alta Badia Ski World Cup 2026: 19 Opening Party, 20 gigante, 21 slalom; prevendita dal 15 ottobre
- skiworldcup.it — Distanze dagli aeroporti verso La Villa e itinerari stradali consigliati dall'organizzatore
- skiworldcup.it — Specifiche tecniche della Gran Risa: 1.225 m, dislivello 448 m, pendenza massima 69%
- assets.fis-ski.com — Calendario FIS maschile 2026/27: Alta Badia 20-21 dicembre, slalom indicato come night event
- fis-ski.com — FIS: calendario provvisorio soggetto all'approvazione del Consiglio, e annuncio del primo slalom in notturna ad Alta Badia
- saslong.org — Saslong Classic 2026: super-G il 18 e discesa il 19 dicembre, entrambe alle 11:45
- news.provincia.bz.it — Obbligo di pneumatici invernali in provincia di Bolzano dal 15 novembre al 15 aprile
- bolzanoairport.it — Dati tecnici dell'aeroporto di Bolzano: pista 1.432 x 45 m e orari
What is not confirmed
This page carries 7 figures that come from our own operating data or from a brief, and that we have not been able to confirm against a public document. They are listed here rather than left where they look like facts.
Open the Italian notes
- Lo stato formale del calendario FIS 2026/27: FIS lo definisce provvisorio, altre fonti lo danno per approvato. Non abbiamo trovato un comunicato che dichiari l'approvazione definitiva.
- Lo slalom in notturna e l'impianto di illuminazione della Gran Risa sono annunciati da FIS ma non ancora confermati dall'organizzatore ne' dai portali dell'Alta Badia.
- Gli orari di partenza delle gare non sono pubblicati.
- Il numero di spettatori: nessuna fonte ufficiale lo pubblica. L'unico dato certo e' che all'organizzazione partecipano oltre mille volontari.
- Il piano parcheggi e navette 2026 e le eventuali ordinanze di viabilita' in Val Badia non sono ancora pubblicati.
- La lunghezza della Gran Risa e' riportata come 1.225 m dall'organizzatore e 1.255 m dai portali turistici; il dislivello come 448 m o 488 m; la pendenza massima come 69% o 60% sulla stessa pagina ufficiale.
- I tempi di percorrenza sono forchette realistiche: nessun ente ufficiale li pubblica, e nei giorni di gara la viabilita' e' alterata.