Alpine World Cup in Åre 2019 - royal, festive, fast-paced!

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: October 2026 | The 2019 Alpine World Ski Championships in Åre were a journey with fast skiers, festive evenings and unexpected royal travel companions. We were there for a few days in February and got to experience downhill races, meet medalists and have fantastic dinners in the temporary Austrian party house Tirolberg. Here we tell you about our days at the world championships!

A royal trip to Åre

Peter flew up on Thursday, while I, Helena, traveled on Friday because I worked the day before. It was of course a bit sad not to be able to travel together, but I had quite unexpected travel company: the King and Queen.

When I boarded, the first few rows were empty. It was only when the cabin crew greeted us with ”Your Majesties, ladies and gentlemen, welcome on this flight to Östersund and Åre” that we realized who had boarded and sat at the front. A rather special start to the trip!

READ MORE: In Östersund as a tourist - a lovely winter town

At the World Championships in Åre together with Austria

The Alpine World Championships were held in Åre in February 2019. The village was filled with skiers, officials, journalists and spectators. Everywhere we saw flags, people in different national team uniforms and places where you could stop for food and coffee. Åre had truly become a meeting place for the skiing world.

We visited the championship on a press trip in collaboration with the Austrian Tourist Board and four destinations in Tyrol: St. Anton am Arlberg, Zillertal, Paznaun-Ischgl and Ötztal, where Sölden is located, among others.

Why did we go to Åre together with Austria? Well, they took the opportunity to show off their destinations in connection with a sport that means a lot to the country. In the middle of Åre they had built Tirolberg, a temporary meeting place with dinners, music and celebrations of medal winners. There were three evenings for Peter and two for me.

Men's downhill – waiting, snow and Norwegian victory

On Saturday, February 9th, we watched the men's downhill race together. It was foggy and snowy at the top, and the start was postponed time and again for the safety of the skiers.

We were beginning to wonder if there would be any race at all. But the crowd kept up the good atmosphere in the stands, and the presenters tried to keep the spirits up with happy shouts, music and entertainment.

It was getting greyer and snowier. Just when we thought it was over, the news came: the race would start in ten minutes. What a change in the mood – everyone was so excited!

We followed the skiers on big screens before they suddenly appeared on the slope in front of us. What speeds! It's something different to watch a downhill race in person than to watch it at home on the couch.

Norway took both gold and silver. Kjetil Jansrud won ahead of Aksel Lund Svindal, who ended his racing career with this race. Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr took bronze. And guess who we met in Tirolberg in the evening? Vincent Kriechmayr of course!

Women's downhill race – and meetings with the medalists

On Sunday, February 10, Peter watched the women's downhill race. Ilka Štuhec from Slovenia took gold and Corinne Suter from Switzerland took silver. American Lindsey Vonn came in third.

The fun part for us was that we later got to meet both Ilka Štuhec and Corinne Suter in Tirolberg. Fantastic skiers, and a little extra fun to meet them after following the competition!

Tirolberg – a temporary party house in Åre

Tirolberg was right next to Holiday Club Åre. According to our bus driver, the house had appeared almost overnight. Suddenly it was there, filled with happy Austrians!

The meeting point was organized by Tirol Werbung together with several partners and the four destinations St. Anton am Arlberg, Paznaun-Ischgl, Zillertal and Ötztal. It brought together people from the tourism industry, skiers, journalists, travel bloggers and travel salespeople.

The evenings began with drinks and continued with dinner at set tables, live music and a celebration of medal winners. It was a festive mix of skiing, travel and good food.

At one end of the venue there was also a gondola cabin with insulation and heating. A slightly unusual feature in a party venue, but quite fitting when you want to showcase ski resorts!

Four-course dinner with Zillertal

One of the evenings, Zillertal was the venue for dinner. We were treated to a four-course meal of goat cheese, wine soup, venison fillet with red cabbage purée, and Austrian desserts called ”kirschtagskrapfen” and ”apfelradl” on the menu.

Fantastically delicious! It was also a nice way to get to know a destination through food, even though we were in Jämtland that evening.

Seven dishes with Ischgl

On another evening, it was Ischgl's turn to set the table, and they were no less than enthusiastic. We were treated to a seven-course meal!

First came broth in a small bottle, along with a small meatball on a stick. Fun and different! Dinner then continued at the table with a whole range of dishes. I don't remember them all, but among the favorites were a super delicious salmon tartare and a duo in soup. The dessert was connected to an upcoming concert with Lenny Kravitz. So even the food became a way to tell about Ischgl's concerts and party life.

READ MORE: Skiing holidays in Austria - which resort to choose?

Mingle and celebration of medal winners

In addition to all the delicious food, there was a lot of mingling in Tirolberg. We met travel bloggers we knew from before and a bunch of nice journalists and travel salespeople, many with a special interest in skiing and Austria.

Several medalists were recognized during the evenings. Skiers from other countries were also welcomed, and some were given the opportunity to ski in Austria. A pair of skis was also raffled off. We didn't win, so we "didn't have to" think about how we would get them home on the plane... There were several fun evenings, and we traveled home with a little better idea of the different destinations in Tyrol.

A World Championship to remember

Neither of us are big ski enthusiasts, but it was still really fun to visit the Alpine World Championships. A world championship is a world championship, and it was fascinating to see the skilled skiers up close.

The combination of the competitions, the atmosphere in Åre and the evenings in Tirolberg made the trip special. During the days we also had time to experience the spa at Copperhill Mountain Lodge and look around Östersund together with a local guide.

Read more about skiing

• Copperhill Mountain Lodge
• Things to do in Jamtland
• Skiing in St. Anton
• Ski trip to Bad Gastein