A view of the Olympia delle Tofane course where the women’s Alpine skiing will be contested at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
A view of the Olympia delle Tofane course where the women’s Alpine skiing will be contested at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, in Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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The women’s downhill in Cortina is held on the Olympia delle Tofane, one of the most iconic ski runs in the sport.
It is 1.6 miles (2,560 meters) long with a vertical drop of more than 2,400 feet (750 meters), carving through the trees and spectacular rock features of the Dolomites above the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo.
The race begins with the Tofana Schuss, a steep section with a 64% grade. The course then leads into the Gran Curvone, the entrance to the central section, and then the Scarpadon segment.
Watch for the schuss, or chute, which comes about 20 seconds into the downhill. Following a hard left turn, racers ramp to 135 kph (85 mph) as they dive down into the shady schuss and have to shift back to the right as they go over the Duca d’Aosta jump.
“It’s like Formula One on skis — truly fast,” recently retired Austrian skier Tamara Tippler says. “Your helmet whistles and that’s such a cool feeling.”
The top Olympic skiers – and especially Vonn – know the course well since it has been a fixture on the World Cup circuit since 1993. Vonn has a record 12 wins here.