Preview 3rd FIL EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup Lake Placid (USA)
Last World Cup before the Christmas break on the 2029 World Championship track
Lake Placid (FIL/16 Dec 2025) The international luge elite will be competing in Lake Placid (USA) this week on December 19 and 20, 2025. 38 women, 44 men, 14 women's doubles and 20 men's doubles teams from 16 nations have registered for the 3rd EBERSPAECHER Luge World Cup in New York State.
In addition to the World Cup races, the 15th America-Pacific Championships will be held in race-in-race mode. The second of three EBERSPAECHER MIXED World Cups presented by SKECHERS is also on the program for Saturday.
Luge athletes last competed on the challenging track at Mount Van Hoevenberg in 2023. The old bobsleigh track was originally built for the 1932 Winter Olympics. The artificial ice channel was later built next to it for the 1980 Winter Olympics. This made Lake Placid the first American city to host the Winter Olympics twice.
The track is approximately 1,455 meters long, has 20 curves and a vertical drop of 294 ft. It is known for its challenging curves and high-speed sections, which make it a very attractive track for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. In 2029, Lake Placid will host the FIL World Championships for the third time after 1983 and 2009, exactly 20 years after the last World Championships at Mount Van Hoevenberg.
„We were last in Lake Placid two years ago. Some will now notice that it looks completely different there because the renovation work, which is actually scheduled to take four years and be completed in time for the 2029 World Championships, is already in full swing. You can see significant changes because, for example, new roofing and curve formwork have been created, and what were previously small curves are now large curves thanks to the roofing. Lake Placid will be another challenge shortly before Christmas. Then everyone can take a short breather before continuing in Sigulda,“ explains FIL Sports Director Matthias Böhmer.
Home advantage for Team USA
During the fourth weekend of Advent, US luge fans will be reunited with their local heroes, led by Summer Britcher, Ashley Farquharson, and the men's doubles team of Zachary Di Gregorio and Sean Hollander, who recently took the podium in Park City and finished third in the team relay. 31-year-old Summer Britcher in particular had reason to celebrate: she claimed her sixth World Cup victory and the 50th for USA Luge in front of her home crowd, exactly ten years after her first World Cup victory, which she also achieved in Park City. With a total of eight top ten finishes, Team USA can look back on a successful race weekend and hopes to continue this success in Lake Placid, the official US training center.
Start of the season for alpine lugers
While the artificial track athletes are already competing in their third World Cup in Lake Placid, the international alpine lugers on natural track are starting the new season. As usual, the race calendar for the 2025/2026 season includes six World Cups and one Eliminator, making a total of seven races in the women's singles, men's singles, and doubles categories. The season kicks off in Winterleiten (AUT) with a double World Cup from December 19-21. A new era is beginning in the FIL Alpine Luge World Cup following the retirement of some of the sport's greatest athletes, such as Evelin Lanthaler (ITA), Tina Unterberger (AUT), Patrick Pigneter (ITA), Michael Scheikl (AUT), and Florian Clara (ITA) at the end of last season. There will therefore be new overall winners in the women's singles and men's singles, with only Maximilian Pichler/Nico Edlinger (AUT) defending their title in the doubles. The highlight of this winter season will be in Laas/Lasa (ITA), where the 31st Alpine Luge European Championships will be held from January 23 to 25, 2026. fil-luge.org/en/news/fil-alpine-luge-world-cup-set-to-launch
Road to Milano-Cortina:
Official Olympic app available for download
The official app for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games is now available for download, allowing users to follow the Games on their smartphones or tablets. The app offers everything journalists and sports fans need to follow the event, in 12 languages. You can find out about schedules, buy tickets, follow the route of the Olympic and Paralympic torch relays in real time, and much more. Olympic Games App | Milano Cortina 2026
FIL Portraits of the Week:
Emily Fischnaller (USA): On the finishing line of an extraordinary journey
She has repeatedly fought her way back from setbacks and serious injuries and is one of the most experienced lugers in the Olympic field. After comebacks in Beijing in 2022 and a strong 2024/25 season, she is now preparing for Milan-Cortina 2026 – possibly her last major appearance. Away from the track, a new chapter is beginning for Emily in Italy, but her focus remains clear: to get a little better every day and perhaps crown her dream of Olympic medal success.
Emily Fischnaller – On the Final Stretch of an Extraordinary Journey
Zachary Di Gregorio/Sean Hollander (USA): Gold via a roundabout route
From a difficult start to World Cup gold: Zachary DiGregorio and Sean Hollander have quickly become the new hope for the US doubles team. With the support of former star Jayson Terdiman, they made their breakthrough – crowned by U23 World Championship gold and their first World Cup victory. Despite setbacks, both are optimistic about Milan-Cortina 2026 and dream of the podium.
https://www.fil-luge.org/en/news/gold-on-a-winding-road-the-luge-journey-of-digregorio-and-hollander
Quotes:
Summer Britcher (USA): „I feel so good. It’s been quite a while since I’ve stood on top of the podium, so I can’t even describe it; it’s just incredible! And to do it here with my family and to share the podium with Ashley, the only thing better than getting a podium is sharing the podium with a teammate. One thing I realized over my lengthy career, is, that every Olympic experience, every Olympic season and trials has been very different. In some ways they are similar, but they are all unique. This year I am really trying to focus on just being present. Sounds cliché, but enjoying the process, enjoying each race. We had a very long pre-season, and then found ourselves finally racing in Cortina. It felt like what? We are here, we are racing already? How did this happen? Like, we just started sliding. So, taking that in, and instead of looking ahead and looking at the future, I am trying to enjoy each moment, because I think it`s going to be making the team or not making the team. Cortina is going to come to the blink of an eye, and it`s going to be time for team USA to race and show up. That`s why I am trying to make the most of every moment.“
Dorothea Schwarz (AUT): „When you miss the podium by such a narrow margin, it's obviously a pity. On the other hand, I was once again able to compete with the world's best and show what I'm capable of with fourth place. I started the season without any expectations, I'm not putting any pressure on myself, and I'm just having a lot of fun competing. Things are going really well at the moment, I'm happy with that, and I'm looking forward to my debut in Lake Placid.“
Julia Taubitz (GER): „The track in Lake Placid is very challenging. It always depends on how cold it really gets and how the track conditions are. But I also really enjoy racing there and hope we can celebrate a nice Christmas party together at the “Zig zags.” As someone who comes from the Ore Mountains, it's difficult for me not to be at home during the Christmas season. This year is particularly hard because we don't land until December 22, but the mountain parade in Annaberg-Buchholz takes place on December 21. It's a huge tradition. There's a big miners' parade, and I'm sad that I'll be missing it this year. I'll land in Frankfurt on the 22nd and drive straight home to the Christmas market to see my loved ones, drink mulled wine, and enjoy the atmosphere. However, I always bring a smoking man figurine and candles with me to create an Advent atmosphere. The smell may be a little strong in a small hotel room, but I am very grateful that Natalie [Maag] always goes along with it and, as a Swiss woman, shares my Erzgebirge traditions.“
Jonas Müller (AUT): „I managed the key section in Park City reasonably well twice, got off to a strong start, and currently have great speed on the track. The equipment is running extremely well, I'm physically fit and feeling relaxed. All in all, it's really fun at the moment, so I'm really looking forward to Lake Placid. Especially since it's a track that I have very fond memories of. I celebrated my second World Cup victory here six years ago.“
Max Langenhan (GER): „It was a tough week. It was strange to have to work my way up this track with seven training runs, which everyone said was easy, and then to see how difficult it was for Felix, David, and Timon. In the end, I'm happy here because things hadn't been going well in the two/three so far, and now I've come through twice. But I'm extremely annoyed that I messed up the 11/12 so badly both times – that was the easiest passage all week. I'm still happy with second place because I didn't expect anything after this week here – that's pretty cool. Especially when I see the German team result and how many people had considerable difficulties and even crashed. We all finished in the top ten, which any other country would be jealous of. Now I'm really looking forward to Lake Placid. I have very good memories of the track. I really enjoy it there, even though it's very challenging. The track has its pitfalls, but I think we were very good as a team last time, and we'll just pick up where we left off.“
Kristers Aparjods (LAT): “I really like the track in Lake Placid. It’s very challenging but at the same time very interesting. If you manage to find the right rhythm, the track becomes very enjoyable—while still keeping its true character. I’m really looking forward to the World Cup this weekend. This week I’ll try to focus on clean and stable runs. I think that will be the key factor for success in Lake Placid.”
Andriy Mandziy (UKR): „I was last in Lake Placid three years ago. This track is for us like for others Sigulda – a very hard track.“
Hunter Harris (USA): „It is supercool being with the team. This will be my third year. It’s always good to be learning from the older athletes. They have all been super helpful. I am just trying to get the experience and have a successful year. Everyone on the team knows how proud I am of being from Vermont, so it´s cool to represent my region in the national team. Talking about Cortina it´s a little bit surreal to think that I am going through this qualifying period, and that I actually have a chance of going to the Olympics, because this is a dream that has been around for so long. It always felt like very far in the future, like maybe one day, but it is happening now. I am very excited. I am grateful to be able to be here and do this.“
Dajana Eitberger (GER): „This victory in Park City means a lot to us. We are currently under enormous pressure and perhaps don't always make it easy for ourselves. Today, we simply put our hearts into it. Training showed that we can perform well here. Of course, you then have to get it right twice in the race. The track has also gotten faster again. We know we can do it, and it's a lot of fun to show that in the race. Now I'm looking forward to Lake Placid and I've already told Magdalena that I feel very comfortable there. I hope that gives her a little confidence that at least I'll enjoy myself there next week [laughs].“
Magdalena Matschina (GER): „It was a new track for me. Now I feel better, because at the beginning of the week I wasn't a big fan of this track. It was very up and down.”
Chevonne Forgan (USA): „It's always such a treat to be able to race at home. So many of our friends and family were here supporting us. It was a lot of fun. Our runs in the race in Park City weren't exactly what we wanted, but that's why we keep working and keep pushing. In the team relay, however, we had so much fun. We love racing on a home track. We are happy we put down a good run!”
Sophia Kirkby (USA): „I’m really excited to go home and race on my home track. And I’m really excited to see the home crowd that we will have out there cheering for us.”
Maya Chan (USA): „I think we are feeling really good. We have made a lot of really big strides this summer and getting back on the ice just felt really good. We made definitely a lot of improvements, and we are just ready to keep focussing on improving our own personal best and see where that gets us.“
Sophia Gordon (USA): „Sliding has been going really well. We had a successful pre-season and we are just gonna keep the momentum going into the rest of the qualifying races. It has been really motivating for us to have Chevonne and Sophia right with us. They have one of the fastest starts on the women`s double circuit. For us to be able to train with the best of the best all summer long, has been helping us. I love the team atmosphere we have created!“
Zack DiGregorio (USA): „I feel great. There's definitely more on the table, but still super stoked on two second places in Park City. We were excited for this season. I think pre-season couldn`t have really gone better for us, so we are really excited with that. A little hiccup in the test event in Cortina there, but we were really excited to get back to racing in North America, back on home soil, and show off for everyone here. We hopefully make it back to the Olympics, because that is what the sport`s real main goal ist – the success on that Olympic stage.“
Sean Hollander (USA): „We got a lot of good training on tracks that we are gonna race on. We made huge strides over the summer with our start, and I think we are very happy with where our sled is this season. We were happy with that first run in Park City. It was great start times on both runs and it's good to build from there.“
Ansel Haugsjaa (USA): „Park City definitely wasn't what we wanted. It was a pretty rough first run and getting closer on the second one, but still sloppy. I think we learned a lot, though. A lot of what we were struggling with on the race day was some bad choices in how we approached the training week. So, a lot to learn, a lot to take away, and excited to keep pushing.“
Marcus Mueller (USA): „We’re definitely learning. This week was pretty challenging, with only five or six runs. So today wasn't great, but the second run was not so bad, and we learned a lot this week, so I'm pretty happy.“
Roberts Plume (LAT): “I wouldn’t say I have a special relationship with the Lake Placid track. In many ways, it is similar to Sigulda, which could make it quite suitable for us. I’ve only been there once, and I know it’s a demanding track that requires top-level precision and skill. That’s exactly what we’ll aim to deliver at the 3rd World Cup stage.”
Schedule 3rd EBERSPÄCHER Luge World Cup, Lake Placid (USA)
Local start time (=CET)
Friday, 19 December 2025
15:00 (21:00) Men’s Doubles, 1st run
15:50 (21:50) Women’s Doubles, 1st run
16:45 (22:45) Men’s Doubles, 2nd run
17:25 (23:25) Women’s Doubles, 2nd run
18:30 (00:30) Women’s Singles, 1st run
20:05 (02:05) Women’s Singles, 2nd run
Saturday, 20 December 2025
12:00 (18:00) Men’s Singles, 1st run
13:25 (19:25) Men’s Singles, 2nd run
14:45 (20:45) Mixed Doubles
15:50 (21:50) Mixed Singles
All times are subject to change!
