Skiing World Championships open today

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — The Alpine skiing world championships heat up with the first individual event featuring Lindsey Vonn in the women’s super-G on Thursday. Here’s a guide that tells you everything you need to know about the biggest skiing event outside of the Olympics: how to watch, what the schedule is and more.

What are the Alpine skiing world championships?

Known as the skiing “worlds,” the championships are held every other year at different Alpine resorts. This year’s 13-day competition is being held in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in the Austrian state of Salzburg.

There are 11 medal events this year: the four traditional events of super-G, downhill, giant slalom and slalom for both women and men; a team parallel race; and new team combined events for women and men.

Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each event.

The competition is being held exactly a year before the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Who are the big names competing?

Vonn has returned after nearly six years of retirement with a new titanium knee. Even though she told media members she has been bothered by a cold, she’s still expected to compete in the super-G and downhill on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, plus the new team combined event next week.

Mikaela Shiffrin has just returned from a severe puncture wound following a crash in late November and will compete in the giant slalom and slalom on Feb. 13 and 15, respectively.

But Shiffrin announced that she will not compete in the team combined even t on Feb. 11, after Vonn had campaigned to join forces with her.

The top men’s racer is Swiss standout Marco Odermatt. He could compete in everything except the slalom.

How to watch skiing worlds?

In the U.S., races can be streamed on skiandsnowboard.live both live and on demand. Weekend events will also be shown on tape delay on NBC. The full U.S. schedule is here.

In Canada, races are streamed live on CBC. The full Canada schedule is here.

In Europe, races are shown live on Eurosport and a variety of national broadcasters.

What is the competition schedule?

The opening individual event is the women’s super-G on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. (1030 GMT; 4:30 a.m. CST).

The last event is the men’s slalom on Sunday Feb. 16.

What’s the difference between the World Cup and the world championships?

The World Cup is skiing’s “regular season” that lasts from October to March with races across the Alps and in the U.S.

The World Cup goes on break during the world championships and Olympics, which are the biggest events in skiing.

Can Shiffrin get to win No. 100 at worlds?

No. Shiffrin has a record 99 World Cup wins but she can’t get to No. 100 at worlds. That’s because races at worlds are considered a different competition and do not count toward World Cup statistics.

Shiffrin’s next chance to get to No. 100 will come at her next World Cup stop in Sestriere, Italy, from Feb. 21-23.

What do I need to know about skiing and the world championships?

Get caught up:

— Mikaela Shiffrin won’t team up with Lindsey Vonn in skiing dream team at Alpine worlds

— Italy’s Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia are the women to beat at the skiing world championships

— Lindsey Vonn’s new titanium knee holds up fine in her 1st training run at the skiing worlds

— Italy edges Switzerland to win team parallel event at skiing worlds; US finishes 4th

— Snowboarding, skiing and now windsurfing? Ester Ledecka might have a 3rd Olympic sport

— Lindsey Vonn faces more criticism for competing at age 40 than Tom Brady, Lewis Hamilton

— Switzerland 11, Austria 0: Rival powerhouses enter ski worlds with contrasting win rates

— Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could start a trend in skiing. And pro sports in general

— Mikaela Shiffrin prioritizes recovery over chasing World Cup win No. 100 in return from ski crash.