Roc de Fer (French: "iron rock") is a World Cup downhill Alpine skiing course in Méribel, France, which is part of the large interlinked ski area known as Les Trois Vallées in the Savoie department of France, near Mont Blanc. The course was originally created for the 1992 Winter Olympics and has since played host to the World Cup season finals in 2015 and 2022 and the 2023 FIS World Ski Championships, the latter two in conjunction with the L’Éclipse course in the neighboring town of Courchevel.
Roc de Fer is considered venue for 2030 Winter Olympics Alpine skiing events.https://olympics.com/en/news/olympic-winter-games-french-alps-2030-top-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-host
History
Although Méribel has hosted an Alpine skiing slope with a chair lift since 1938, when the resort was developed and opened by a former Scottish military officer and avid skier named Peter Lindsay, and then expanded dramatically as a ski resort after World War II, it still needed a course upgrade when it was designated to host some of the skiing events for the 1992 Winter Olympics, which were centered in nearby Albertville.
According to the official record of the 1992 Games, the Roc de Fer course was developed after studying the sporting aspect and the environmental impact of the new course. For those Olympics, for which some of the course development was handled by former Olympic gold medalist Bernhard Russi, all five of the women's alpine events (downhill, Super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined) were planned for (and took place at) Roc de Fer.
In advance preparation for the Olympics, on 10–11 February 1990, the new Roc de Fer course was opened with two World Cup Super-Gs, both won by Carol Merle. Less than a year later in 1991, Petra Kronberger won consecutive World Cup events in downhill and Super-G.
During the Olympics, some of the female skiers were displeased with being "isolated" in Méribel instead of being housed in a communal Olympic village, as had been the case in the prior Olympics in Calgary.
After the Olympics, outside of a slalom in 1994, the Roc de Fer course remained dormant on the World Cup circuit for twenty years. But then, a women's World Cup downhill and combined were held on the course on 23-24 February 2013, and the course once again returned to the World Cup circuit. More significantly, the course hosted the World Cup season finals in 2015 and later co-hosted both the season finals in 2022 (hosting all of the men's and women's technical events (giant slalom, slalom, and mixed team parallel)) and the 2023 FIS World Ski Championships (hosting all of the traditional women's events, similar to the 1992 Winter Olympics, as well as both men's and women's individual parallel giant slalom and the mixed team parallel event) in combination with the L’Éclipse course in Courchevel.
Also, during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Méribel held a celebration in honor of the 30th anniversary of the 1992 Olympic skiing at Roc de Fer and the hockey in the town.
Events Winter Olympics YearDateEventWinnerSecond placeThird place↓ Women ↓1992 12–13 February KB Petra Kronberger Anita Wachter Florence Masnada 15 February DH Kerrin Lee-Gartner Hilary Lindh Veronika Wallinger 18 February SG Deborah Compagnoni Carole Merle Katja Seizinger 19 February GS Pernilla Wiberg Anita Wachter Diann Roffe 20 February SL Petra Kronberger Annelise Coberger B. Fernández Ochoa
World Championships YearDateEventWinnerSecond placeThird place↓ Women ↓2023 6 February AC Federica Brignone Wendy Holdener Ricarda Haaser 8 February SG Marta Bassino Mikaela Shiffrin Cornelia Hütter Kajsa Vickhoff Lie 11 February DH Jasmine Flury Nina Ortlieb Corinne Suter15 February PG Maria Therese Tviberg Wendy Holdener Thea L. Stjernesund16 February GS Mikaela Shiffrin Federica Brignone Ragnhild Mowinckel 18 February SL Laurence St-Germain Mikaela Shiffrin Lena Dürr ↓ Men ↓2023 15 February PG Alexander Schmid Dominik Raschner Timon Haugan↓ Alpine team event ↓2023 14 February PG(Team)
World Cup SeasonDateEventWinnerSecond placeThird place↓ Women ↓1989/90 10 February SG Carole Merle Maria Walliser Michaela Gerg 11 February SG Carole Merle Katja Seizinger Maria Walliser1990/91 19 January DH Petra Kronberger Carole Merle Veronika Wallinger20 January SG Petra Kronberger Michaela Gerg Carole Merle1994/95 30 December SL Urška Hrovat Vreni Schneider Leila Piccard2012/13 23 February DH Carolina Ruiz Castillo Maria Höfl-Riesch Marie Marchand-Arvier24 February KB Tina Maze Nicole Hosp Michaela Kirchgasser2014/15 18 March DH Lindsey Vonn Elisabeth Görgl Nicole Hosp19 March SG Lindsey Vonn Anna Fenninger Tina Maze21 March SL Mikaela Shiffrin Frida Hansdotter Veronika Velez-Zuzulová22 March GS Anna Fenninger Eva-Maria Brem Tina Maze2021/22 19 March SL Andreja Slokar Lena Dürr Petra Vlhová20 March GS Federica Brignone Marta Bassino Petra Vlhová↓ Men ↓2014/15 18 March DH Kjetil Jansrud Didier Défago Georg Streitberger19 March SG Dustin Cook Kjetil Jansrud Brice Roger21 March GS Henrik Kristoffersen Fritz Dopfer Thomas Fanara22 March SL Marcel Hirscher Giuliano Razzoli Alexander Khoroshilov2021/22 19 March GS Marco Odermatt Lucas Braathen Loïc Meillard20 March SL Atle Lie McGrath Henrik Kristoffersen Manuel Feller↓ Alpine team events ↓2014/15 20 March PG(Team) 2021/22 18 March PG(Team)
Course sections Petit Col – Departs des Militaires – Bosse De Anglais – Tunnel – Beage's Wall – La Traverse – Pracua – Le Goulet – Le Stade
One source described the Roc de Fer downhill course as "having a steep start", permitting skiers to accelerate to over 100 km/hour in less than eight seconds, but then requiring more technical skills due to both turns and "many rolls and bumps".
References
External links Roc de Fer (official)