The 31st World Cup season began in October 1996 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 1997 in the United States at the World Cup finals at Vail, Colorado. The overall winners were Luc Alphand of France and Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden, the only championship for each.

Alphand, who won by just 34 points, became the first male French overall winner in 29 years, since Jean-Claude Killy in 1968. After his overall victory, as well as discipline titles in both downhill (his third straight) and super-G (the only two events in which Alphand competed during the season), Alphand retired from international competition. Five-time overall World Cup champion Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg also retired during the season after suffering another knee injury during a race in December 1996.

A break in the schedule was for the World Championships, held 3–15 February in Sestriere, northwestern Italy.

Calendar Men + Event Key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant Slalom, SG – Super Giant Slalom, KB – CombinedDatePlaceWinnerSecondThird896 1 27 October 1996   Sölden GS 230     Steve Locher    Michael von Grünigen Kjetil André Aamodt897 2 24 November 1996   Park City SL 265  Thomas Sykora Thomas Stangassinger Kjetil André Aamodt898 3 25 November 1996   GS 231  Josef Strobl Hans Knauß    Michael von Grünigen899 4 30 November 1996   Breckenridge GS 232  Fredrik Nyberg    Urs Kälin Hans Knauß900 5 1 December 1996   SL 266  Tom Stiansen Thomas Sykora Thomas Stangassinger901 6 15 December 1996   Val d'Isère DH 263  Fritz Strobl Werner Franz Patrick Ortlieb902 7 16 December 1996   SG 069  Hans Knauß Günther Mader    Steve Locher903 8 17 December 1996   Madonna di Campiglio SL 267  Thomas Sykora Alberto Tomba Sébastien Amiez904 9 21 December 1996   Val Gardena DH 264  Luc Alphand Atle Skårdal Kristian Ghedina905 10 21 December 1996   DH 265  Kristian Ghedina Luc Alphand Josef Strobl906 11 22 December 1996   Alta Badia GS 233     Michael von Grünigen    Steve Locher Matteo Nana907 12 29 December 1996   Bormio DH 266  Luc Alphand    William Besse Kristian Ghedina908 13 5 January 1997   Kranjska Gora GS 234     Michael von Grünigen Siegfried Voglreiter Kjetil André Aamodt909 14 6 January 1997   SL 268  Thomas Sykora Sébastien Amiez Thomas Stangassinger910 15 11 January 1997   Chamonix DH 267  Kristian Ghedina Atle Skårdal Werner Franz911 16 12 January 1997   SL 269  Thomas Sykora Thomas Stangassinger Martin Hansson912 17 12 January 1997   KB 072  Günther Mader Kjetil André Aamodt    Bruno Kernen913 18 14 January 1997      Adelboden GS 235  Kjetil André Aamodt    Michael von Grünigen Andreas Schifferer914 19 18 January 1997      Wengen DH 268  Kristian Ghedina Luc Alphand Fritz Strobl915 20 19 January 1997   SL 270  Thomas Sykora Thomas Stangassinger Sébastien Amiez 916 21 24 January 1997   Kitzbühel DH 269  Luc Alphand Werner Franz    William Besse917 22 25 January 1997   DH 270  Fritz Strobl Werner Franz Luc Alphand918 23 26 January 1997   SL 271  Mario Reiter Alberto Tomba Finn Christian Jagge919 24 26 January 1997   KB 073  Lasse Kjus Kjetil André Aamodt Werner Franz920 25 29 January 1997      Laax SG 070  Luc Alphand Josef Strobl Peter Runggaldier921 26 30 January 1997   Schladming SL 272  Alberto Tomba Thomas Stangassinger Sébastien AmiezWorld Championships (3–15 February)922 27 21 February 1997   Garmisch-Partenkirchen SG 071  Luc Alphand Hermann Maier Werner Perathoner923 28 22 February 1997   DH 271  Luc Alphand Pietro Vitalini Kristian Ghedina 924 29 23 February 1997   SG 072  Hermann Maier Kristian Ghedina Atle Skårdal Lasse Kjus925 30 2 March 1997   Kvitfjell DH 272  Lasse Kjus Pietro Vitalini Ed Podivinsky926 31 3 March 1997   SG 073  Josef Strobl Andreas Schifferer Lasse Kjus927 32 8 March 1997   Shiga Kōgen GS 236     Michael von Grünigen Andreas Schifferer    Paul Accola928 33 9 March 1997   SL 273  Thomas Stangassinger Finn Christian Jagge Ole Kristian Furuseth929 34 12 March 1997   Vail DH 273  Fritz Strobl Kristian Ghedina Hannes Trinkl930 35 13 March 1997   SG 074  Andreas Schifferer Fritz Strobl Kristian Ghedina931 36 15 March 1997   SL 274  Finn Christian Jagge Thomas Stangassinger Alberto Tomba932 37 15 March 1997   GS 237     Michael von Grünigen Rainer Salzgeber Andreas Schifferer

Ladies + Event Key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant Slalom, SG – Super Giant Slalom, KB – CombinedDatePlaceWinnerSecondThird836 1 26 October 1996   Sölden GS 225  Katja Seizinger Deborah Compagnoni Hilde Gerg837 2 21 November 1996   Park City GS 226  Sabina Panzanini Anita Wachter Katja Seizinger838 3 23 November 1996   SL 258  Claudia Riegler Pernilla Wiberg Ingrid Salvenmoser839 4 30 November 1996   Lake Louise DH 223  Katja Seizinger Carole Montillet Pernilla Wiberg840 5 1 December 1996   SG 070  Pernilla Wiberg Hilde Gerg Varvara Zelenskaya841 6 7 December 1996   Vail DH 224  Renate Götschl Katja Seizinger Isolde Kostner 842 7 7 December 1996   SG 071  Svetlana Gladysheva Pernilla Wiberg Carole Montillet843 8 12 December 1996   Val d'Isère SG 072  Hilde Gerg Katja Seizinger Isolde Kostner844 9 21 December 1996      Crans-Montana SL 259  Claudia Riegler Pernilla Wiberg Patricia Chauvet845 10 28 December 1996   Semmering SL 260  Pernilla Wiberg Deborah Compagnoni Anita Wachter846 11 29 December 1996   SL 261  Deborah Compagnoni Patricia Chauvet Claudia Riegler847 12 3 January 1997   Maribor GS 227  Sabina Panzanini Deborah Compagnoni Anita Wachter 848 13 4 January 1997   SL 262  Pernilla Wiberg Urška Hrovat Lara Magoni849 14 11 January 1997   Bad Kleinkirchheim DH 225     Heidi Zurbriggen Hilde Gerg Stefanie Schuster850 15 12 January 1997   SG 073  Pernilla Wiberg Isolde Kostner Katja Seizinger851 16 17 January 1997   Zwiesel GS 228  Deborah Compagnoni Anita Wachter Pernilla Wiberg852 17 18 January 1997   GS 229  Deborah Compagnoni Anita Wachter Katja Seizinger853 18 19 January 1997   SL 263  Pernilla Wiberg Elfi Eder Deborah Compagnoni854 19 23 January 1997   Cortina d'Ampezzo DH 226  Isolde Kostner   Heidi Zurbriggen Katja Seizinger855 20 25 January 1997   SG 074  Isolde Kostner Pernilla Wiberg Katja Seizinger 856 21 26 January 1997   GS 230  Deborah Compagnoni Katja Seizinger    Sonja Nef857 22 1 February 1997      Laax DH 227  Varvara Zelenskaya Renate Götschl   Heidi Zurbriggen 858 23 2 February 1997   SL 264  Claudia Riegler Lara Magoni    Martina Accola Pernilla Wiberg859 24 2 February 1997   KB 063  Pernilla Wiberg Hilde Gerg Anita WachterWorld Championships (3–15 February)860 25 28 February 1997   Hakuba DH 228  Varvara Zelenskaya Hilary Lindh Carole Montillet 861 26 2 March 1997   DH 229  Varvara Zelenskaya Pernilla Wiberg Renate Götschl862 27 7 March 1997   Mammoth Mountain SG 075  Katja Seizinger Hilde Gerg Pernilla Wiberg 863 28 7 March 1997   SL 265  Pernilla Wiberg Sabine Egger Lara Magoni864 29 12 March 1997   VailDH 230  Pernilla Wiberg Renate Götschl Katja Seizinger 865 30 13 March 1997   SG 076  Katja Seizinger Hilde Gerg Martina Ertl866 31 15 March 1997   GS 231  Deborah Compagnoni Katja Seizinger    Karin Roten867 32 16 March 1997   SL 266  Lara Magoni Pernilla Wiberg Katja Seizinger

Men Overall PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Luc Alphand 1130 2 Kjetil André Aamodt 1096 3 Josef Strobl 1021 4 Kristian Ghedina 990 5 Michael von Grünigen   867 6 Andreas Schifferer 781 7 Hans Knauss 756 8 Thomas Sykora 697 9 Thomas Stangassinger 670 10 Werner Franz 660

Downhill PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Luc Alphand 779 2 Kristian Ghedina 700 3 Fritz Strobl 571 4 Werner Franz 517 5 Josef Strobl 470

Super G PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Luc Alphand 351 2 Josef Strobl 333 3 Andreas Schifferer 256 4 Hermann Maier 230 5 Kristian Ghedina 218

Giant Slalom PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Michael von Grünigen   660 2 Kjetil André Aamodt 387 3 Hans Knauss 349 4 Steve Locher   305 5 Fredrik Nyberg 292

Slalom PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Thomas Sykora 695 2 Thomas Stangassinger 670 3 Finn Christian Jagge 374 4 Sébastien Amiez 373 5 Alberto Tomba 352

Combined PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Kjetil André Aamodt 160 2 Lasse Kjus 100 Günther Mader 100 4 Paul Accola   90 5 Werner Franz 89

Ladies

Overall PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Pernilla Wiberg 1960 2 Katja Seizinger 1424 3 Hilde Gerg 1150 4 Deborah Compagnoni 967 5 Isolde Kostner 833 6 Heidi Zurbriggen   785 7 Anita Wachter 741 8 Renate Götschl 647 9 Martina Ertl-Renz 620 10 Warwara Zelenskaja 604

Downhill PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Renate Götschl 483 2 Heidi Zurbriggen   466 3 Varvara Zelenskaya 423 4 Pernilla Wiberg 412 5 Katja Seizinger 405

Super G PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Hilde Gerg 490 2 Katja Seizinger 474 3 Pernilla Wiberg 449 4 Isolde Kostner 355 5 Martina Ertl 248

Giant Slalom PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Deborah Compagnoni 560 2 Katja Seizinger 420 3 Anita Wachter 378 4 Karin Roten   258 5 Pernilla Wiberg 229 Sabina Panzanini 229

Slalom PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Pernilla Wiberg 770 2 Claudia Riegler 418 3 Deborah Compagnoni 407 4 Lara Magoni 391 5 Patricia Chauvet 347

Combined PlaceNameCountryTotal 1 Pernilla Wiberg 100 2 Hilde Gerg 80 3 Anita Wachter 60 4 Sibylle Brauner 50 5 Catherine Borghi   45

References

External links FIS-ski.com - World Cup standings - 1997