Walter Reusser, Director Alpine Skiing, together with the head coaches Thomas Stauffer (men), Beat Tschuor (women) and Hans Flatscher (youngsters) made the squad selections for the 2020/21 season.
The results of the successful winter 2019/20 are also reflected in the selection lists. The national team status for the alpine is now 19 athletes instead of 15 as in the previous season. Urs Kryenbühl moves up from the B squad to the national team. Aline Danioth, Joana Hahlen, Gino Caviezel, Niels Hintermann and Carlo Janka are also new members of the highest Swiss Ski squad (most recently A-Squad).
Alexis Monney, the junior world downhill champion, made the direct jump from the National Performance Center (NLZ) West to the B squad. Marco Fischbacher and Dionys Kippel rose from the regional association to the B squad.
A total of 96 athletes were accepted into one of Swiss Ski's alpine squads - ten more than in the previous season.
Alpine Skiing Men selections 2020/21
Alpine Skiing Women 2020/21 selections
The selection guidelines can be viewed here.
There were some personnel changes at the World Cup level within the coaching team. The Roland Speeder women's speed team now includes Cristian Locher. Locher, who most recently worked for the Bernese Oberland Ski Association (BOSV), replaces Florian Capaul. The 32-year-old will train the youngsters in Obersaxen at club level.
The World Cup group of technicians will be expanded. While Werner Zurbuchen will be looking after the junior C team, Jörg Roten and Klaus Mayrhofer, two coaches, join the team headed by Alois Prenn. This enables even better care for the athletes. The Oberwalliser Roten has been the chief European Cup for women in the past two seasons, before that he had worked as a World Cup group coach for Swiss men.
Mayrhofer, in turn, changes to Swiss-Ski from Austria. The 47-year-old was most recently responsible for the giant slalom and combi group of the Austrian women's team as a World Cup trainer, previously the Upper Austrian had been coach of the Czech Sarka Strachova (née Zahrobska) from 2012 and until their retirement in 2017.
For men, Willi Dettling changes from the World Cup giant slalom group to the speed group. Renzo Valsecchi meanwhile takes over from Willi Dettling in the giant slalom World Cup group led by Helmut Krug.
Vitus Lüönd is the new responsible group trainer within the Speed perspective group. In this role, he replaces Simon Rothenbühler, who is moving to the private sector. Mathias Briker, the former coach of the retired nine-time World Cup winner Tina Weirather, will join this training group.
Currently vacant coaching positions will be filled in the coming days. Corresponding discussions are ongoing.
Swiss Ski Team press release