Every few years, someone takes over World Cup racing with distracting prowess. Nino Shurter, Jolanda Neff, Stevie Smith, and Myriam Nicole are some easy examples.
Capping the World Cup DH season with 2220 points, Vali Höll had the season overall win locked in long before that final drop in Lake Placid. Silver medalist Harriet Harndin, who also performed exceptionally in 2026, finished with nearly half the points at 1135. Vali also earned the top spot in the World Championship race this summer, wrapping her in rainbows for yet another season.
We caught the young Austrian shooting a game of eight-ball ahead of the Whistler round and chatted a bit about her approach to DH mountain bike racing.
How do you prepare for races? What’s your lead-up week look like?
This week it’s actually a lot different because I’ve already wrapped up the overall. So it’s hard to take it super seriously. Normally, I’m quite focused. So, yesterday I had a SRAM dinner; all day today is with Adidas. It’s something I’m not really used to.
Normally, I would be more locked in; I would stay at home. Like, today would be a day where I just go out and do intervals, get the body activated, and talk to my mechanic. Talk about what kind of settings and what shock I want to use, how many wheels we need.
So, the first day is track walk day, where we take the gondola up and walk with our team and line coaches. I normally walk down quite quick. Some people take 2-3 hours. I normally win track walk. I just walk down, take pictures, and remember everything. Then I make the plan with the mechanic again.
Then I look at the weather. This week looks pretty grey and cold, which will be pretty interesting because we didn’t really race in cold conditions (this season) so suspension is gonna change a lot.
I’m more afraid of losing than I am stoked to win.
Vali Höll
Then, practice day. Get it done, try to do a full tight run. Don’t freak out if you’re too slow compared to the others. Listen to your body. Then qualifying and racing day are pretty straightforward.
How do you manage stress with racing?
I work with my sports psychologist. Normally, the first day after practice, we have a little catch-up. She’s always messaging me and asking how I’m doing. That’s been a massive help for me over the past two or three years. Because expectations are so high. Especially this year, with me doing so well. I’m more afraid of losing than I am stoked to win. I’m quite lucky to be in this situation. But it’s something I have to learn this year, because last season I was always chasing. Chasing second and third so many times. Now that I’m winning, I’m like, ‘Wow, I need to do that again next weekend’. But I’m quite happy to be in that situation.
Is there something about you personally that sets you up to be a good DH racer?
I’m aggressive and quite determined. I really want to follow my dreams and goals. While I also know it’s still riding bikes. It’s not the end of the world if I’m not winning.
And when I go home, it’s not about bikes. Like, I have friends that don’t ride bikes; they have normal jobs, they study, or they are professionals in other sports. I found out that I really need that in my life. I also don’t have trophies at home. I give them to my parents, so my apartment has nothing about bikes. That’s something I’ve figured out for myself.
What does home life look like for you? What are you up to outside of racing?
I live in Innsbruck. I have a super cool gym and training facility there. So, during the week, I train in the morning in the gym, go for a coffee with friends, then go ride trail bikes in Innsbruck. It’s quite decent. Just living a normal athlete life. I have a physio there, a massage therapist, my psychologist is not far. I’ve really created a little training facility area. I also go visit my parents whenever I’m home. And Innsbruck is not far from most of the races. It’s a perfect place for me.
Are there things you miss about being home when you’re off racing?
I would say, my family. My bed. Not having to live out of a suitcase like most of the year.
Are you racing outside World Cups?
Not anymore. When I was younger, I used to, but I’m so tired after the World Cups. I feel like I don’t need all the preparation races before the season. The last two seasons I didn’t do any racing beforehand, and I didn’t lack any speed. I hope it stays that way.
Any cross-training in addition to strength?
I love to ride road bikes. So we always do a road bike camp somewhere, like going to the Canary Islands in the winter. And I love skiing. My girlfriend (Mathilde Gremaud) is a professional Olympic skier. I follow her in the winter, to her competitions. It’s quite cool because we have that big switch.
I also used to do ski racing. When I was 15, I had to decide which path to take. Luckily, I took the right one because I’m freezing all the time.
What do you see as the future of DH, and what would you like to see change?
First of all, I’m super stoked with how the female field is developing. The level is insane. And the juniors and the under-17 girls. How they are being recognized by development teams. That’s something you wouldn’t see 10 years ago.
What I want to see in the future is that we have equal numbers of women riders racing. I want to see 30 women and 30 men racing. To make it equal so we have the same amount of screen time. I think that would help us a lot (with publicity). Like in alpine skiing, you have 30 women and 30 men, and no one ever questions that. Now we have the level and dominance, so it’s valid to do it this way. I think it will be that way in five years’ time. At t least the level will be there. Let’s see if UCI and Warner Brothers think the same way.
And a couple of quick bike questions. Anything to change for Whistler?
Put the rain tires back on. Also, I have a new shock tune since Val di Sole so we’ll stick with that one. Otherwise, the bike is pretty dialed this year.
Are there any pointers that helped you unlock speed throughout your career?
Eye training. I always struggled, coming from winter, to jump on the DH bike and train my eyes. I have a decent warm-up for eye coordination and I feel like that helps me crazy good.
We look forward to watching Vali continue her inspirational career in 2027, after a little snow break of course.
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