Home Game Before the Home Race: Atomic Brings Its Redster Team Together in Altenmarkt Ahead of Sölden

13 athletes, 28 Crystal Globes and six Olympic gold medals: At its 2026 Media Day, Atomic brought its World Cup team together at its Altenmarkt headquarters, right next to where its racing skis are developed and made, just two weeks before the season opener in Sölden.

Altenmarkt im Pongau, October 8, 2026 – This year, the road to Sölden starts in Altenmarkt. Atomic welcomed more than 60 journalists from around the world to its headquarters for its 2026 Media Day, giving them a closer look at the brand, its latest products and, most importantly, the Redster World Cup team preparing for the new season.

The program included a brand and product update, the official presentation of the Redster team and individual interviews with Mikaela Shiffrin, Sofia Goggia, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, Manuel Feller, Marco Schwarz, Raphael Haaser, Zrinka Ljutic, Alex Vinatzer, Tanguy Nef, Nicol Delago, Fabio Gstrein, Franziska Gritsch and Malorie Blanc.

Where Racing Skis Come From

Bringing Media Day back to Altenmarkt was no coincidence. Few places are as closely connected to the World Cup as this region. Zauchensee, Flachau and Schladming – all hosts of major races on the World Cup calendar – are just a short distance from Atomic’s headquarters.

For Atomic, racing skis are part of everyday life in Altenmarkt. Skis have been developed and made here since 1955, for everyone from beginners to World Cup champions. Today, Atomic’s product range goes well beyond skis, including bindings, helmets, goggles and apparel.

Most importantly, the headquarters brings development, production and race service together in one place. Feedback from the athletes can move quickly from the racecourse to the service team and back to the R&D team developing the next generation of equipment.

“We deliberately brought Media Day back home,” says Atomic President Wolfgang Mayrhofer. “Here you can see that a victory in Sölden doesn’t just begin at the starting line. What an athlete tells the service team after training can be on the development team’s desk the very next morning. These short lines of communication help us make quick decisions and deliver the performance we promise. That’s one of the reasons why the world’s best athletes choose to work with us.”

For Atomic, success also comes with responsibility. “If you want to lead the industry, you also have a responsibility to lead by example,” Mayrhofer adds. “That’s why we will hold the fourth edition of our Ski Industry Climate Summit in January 2027. We want to continue working together across the industry to help secure the future of the sport we all love.”

One Team, Two Generations

The Atomic Redster team brings together some of the biggest names in alpine skiing alongside a new generation of athletes ready to make their mark.

Mikaela Shiffrin, the most successful World Cup skier of all time, has six overall World Cup titles, 18 Crystal Globes, eight World Championship gold medals and three Olympic gold medals to her name. Sofia Goggia, the 2018 Olympic downhill champion, has won five Crystal Globes.

The 2026 Olympic Games added several more highlights to Atomic’s racing story. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the giant slalom in Bormio, earning Brazil its first-ever medal at the Winter Games. Fabio Gstrein took silver in the slalom, while Tanguy Nef won gold in the team combined event.

Overall, it was a highly successful season for Atomic in alpine skiing, with 46 World Cup podium finishes, 20 victories, four World Cup Crystal Globes and seven Olympic medals, achieved by 19 athletes.

The future looks just as promising. At 21, Zrinka Ljutic has already won the 2024–25 slalom Crystal Globe, while fellow 2004-born athlete Malorie Blanc has secured her first World Cup victory in the speed disciplines. At just 25, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen has already won World Cup titles in two disciplines.

The Austrian contingent is another important part of the team. Five of the 13 athletes attending Media Day are Austrian, including slalom Crystal Globe winners Manuel Feller and Marco Schwarz.

Next Stop: Sölden

“This team represents the full spectrum of alpine skiing,” says Christian Höflehner, Global Race Manager Alpine at Atomic. “On one side, there’s Mikaela, who has won more World Cup races than anyone before her. On the other, there’s a younger generation, including Zrinka and Malorie, who are just starting to write their own stories. Our job is to make sure that none of them have to worry about their equipment when they’re standing at the start. After an intense summer, we’re well prepared. But Sölden is the first real test of the season. That’s where the clock tells us where we really stand.”

On October 24 and 25, 2026, the giant slaloms in Sölden will officially kick off the 2026–27 World Cup season.