From skiing to MTB: we explain the categories of the Snow Bike World Championship that will be held again in 2026

The UCI Snow Bike World Championships will take place on February 7, 2026, in Châtel, in the heart of the alpine resort of Portes du Soleil. It will be the third edition of the World Championship and the third consecutive year that this French locality hosts an event that has already established itself as one of the most spectacular on the winter calendar of the International Cycling Union.

What the Snow Bike World Championship is like

Directly inspired by alpine skiing disciplines, the World Championship will once again focus on two fast, technical, and highly demanding modalities, which will be contested in a single day: the Super-G in the morning and the dual slalom in the afternoon and evening.

As explained by the UCI, the key to the event lies in managing effort and recovery. Competitors will need to perform at their best in two completely different formats, using the same bike throughout the competition. Studded tires are allowed, always within the limits set by the technical regulations, to ensure traction on compact snow.

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The approach aims to offer very intense races for the competitors and, at the same time, a direct and easy-to-follow spectacle for the audience, with a grand night final that is usually one of the most striking moments of the World Championship.

Super-G: Speed and Precision

The Super-G is the fastest event of the weekend. It is contested against the clock, with individual starts, on a long and very fast course that combines wide turns and technical sections.

In Châtel, the course is located on the L’Aity slope, sharing part of the layout with the dual slalom in the Linga area. The circuit is around 2 km long, with a negative elevation of nearly 600 meters, resulting in descents of less than 2 minutes at maximum concentration.

The format means that competitors with the best qualifying times start in the last positions, increasing the tension as the event progresses.

Dual Slalom: Head-to-Head Eliminations

If the Super-G rewards consistency and terrain reading, the dual slalom is an explosive one-on-one. Two competitors descend simultaneously on parallel courses, linking very tight gates to the left and right, in short and extremely intense heats.

The circuit, located on the Linga slope, slightly exceeds 500 meters, with a drop of just over 150 meters. The direct elimination system leaves no room for error, and each heat decides who moves on and who is eliminated, until reaching the grand final.

In previous editions, the Snow Bike World Championship has attracted specialists from downhill racing, world champions, and top-level competitors, but the truth is that dominance remains very local. The 2025 edition saw a clear Swiss and French dominance. Lisa Baumann achieved a historic double in the women's category by winning both the Super-G and the dual slalom, demonstrating undeniable superiority throughout the day. In the men's category, the Super-G was won by the Frenchman Vincent Tupin, who also led a French triple in the speed event, while the dual slalom crowned his compatriot Léo Grisel, who emerged victorious after a very close final that confirmed the high level of the French team in this discipline.

On February 7, the battle for the rainbow jersey of Snow Bike World Champion will once again be decided, confirming the enormous potential of this hybrid discipline between MTB and winter sports.