Comprehensive alpine skiing race calendar confirmed

IPC Alpine Skiing has confirmed the 2015-16 season calendar will feature six World and seven Europa Cups, as well as Southern Hemisphere and Asian Cups and youth and development races in South America, North America and Europe.

The season is due to get underway with a bang in Queenstown, New Zealand, from 24-25 August, as a Southern Hemisphere Cup featuring slalom and giant slalom races is included in the Audi Quattro Winter Games.

Dimitrije Lazarovski, Head of IPC Snowsports, said: "The 2015-16 calendar features some familiar destinations as well as some new venues, and more opportunities for alpine skiers to compete at a high level this far out from a Paralympic Winter Games.

"There are also more speed events on the calendar this year and we are really pleased to be on the programme of events like the Audi Quattro Winter Games. This will allow us to expand our fanbase after two successful seasons that included the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and the 2015 World Championships."

The World Cup circuit begins in early 2016, opening on 15-17 January in Abtenau, Austria, with giant slalom, super-G and super combined. Then from 18-19 January, Tarvisio, Italy, will host slalom and giant slalom.

The popular World Cup destination of St. Moritz, Switzerland, will hold two slalom events between 21-23 January, before super-G and the first downhill races take place on the slopes of Tignes, France, from 25-29 January.

The circuit moves to the USA for the World Cup Finals in giant slalom and slalom in Aspen between 24-26 February and Beaver Creek for downhill and super-G from 28 February-4 March.

The Europa Cup season kicks off in Landgraaf, the Netherlands, with slalom between 19-20 November.

Super combined, super-G, slalom and giant slalom competitions at popular Austrian destinations follow in Pitztal (14-15 December) and Kuhtai (18-20 December) to close out the year.

The same races then take place at two Europa Cups in Spain, from 7-10 January in La Molina and Espot from 11-12 January.

The penultimate Europa Cup from 8-12 February will see downhill and super-combined contested in Stara Planina, Serbia, a location which has been upgraded in 2015-16 since holding lower-level races in previous seasons.

The Europa Cup finals will be staged in Obersaxen, Switzerland, from 16-18 March, featuring giant slalom, super-G and super-combined.

As part of IPC Alpine Skiing's commitment to developing para-alpine skiing in Asia ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games, there will be two Asia Cups in 2015-16.

The Yongpyong Alpine Centre in South Korea, where alpine skiing competitions will be hosted during the Paralympic Winter Games, will stage slalom and giant slalom from 8-10 March. Japan will also host giant slalom and slalom races from 13-15 March.

A series of lower-level and development competitions in Argentina and the Netherlands will take place between September and November, including a youth race in the Dutch city of Landgraaf.

The location of the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Panorama, Canada, will see para-alpine skiers return to gain all-important IPC Alpine Skiing race points between 1-4 December. The calendar remains open until for 1 October for race organisers to submit further competitions.

Results from National Championships in New Zealand and Switzerland will also be recognised by IPC Alpine Skiing, with more expected to be added.

In 2014-15, France's Marie Bochet won the overall women's standing World Cup before going on to win five gold medals at the World Championships. Germany's Paralympic champion Anna Schaffelhuber won the women's sitting crown and the USA's Danelle Umstead, with husband guide Rob, won the women's visually impaired.

Canada's Mac Marcoux was triumphant in the men's visually impaired, guided by his brother BJ and Robin Femy. Russia's Alexey Bugaev became the men's standing World Cup champion ahead of becoming the most decorated male athlete at the Worlds with five golds.

Japan's Takeshi Suzuki collected the men's sitting title.

The full 2015-16 calendar and rankings and results from previous seasons can be found at the IPC Alpine Skiing website.