The 2015/16 edition of the Audi ski cross World Cup season gets underway from December 4-5 in Montafon, Austria, just one of five new venues to host World Cup ski cross action this season. With no world championships scheduled and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games still two years away, it's all about the World Cup and the race for the crystal globe this season. With several top athletes returning from injury and a handful of other skiers coming off break-out seasons, the Audi ski cross World Cup tour promises to be one of the most compelling, unpredictable, and exciting competitions on snow again this season.

Here we preview the 2015/16 men's Audi ski cross World Cup tour.

LAST SEASON

Top three:

1 - Jean Frederic Chapius (FRA - 747pts)

2 - Victor Oehling-Norberg (SWE - 553pts)

3 - Bastien Midol (FRA - 375pts)

(Full list HERE)

Kreischberg 2015 Freestyle World Ski Championships

Gold – Filip Flisar (SLO)

Silver – Jean Frederic Chapuis (FRA)

Bronze – Victor Oehling Norberg (SWE)

Rookie of the Year – Sergey Ridzik (RUS)

It's hard to overstate the accomplishments racked up by de facto French ski cross leader Jean Frederic Chapuis from the middle of the 2012/13 season to the end of 2014/15.

In those 25 months, from 10 February 2013 to 14 March 2015, Chapuis went from a little-known competitor with only one Audi ski cross World Cup podium and handful of top-10 finishes to his name, to Voss 2013 world champion, Sochi 2014 Olympic champion (leading a French sweep of the podium), and finally to 2014/15 World Cup champion and crystal globe winner – with a silver medal at the Kreischberg 2015 world championships thrown in for good measure.

It has been, truly, one of the most impressive streaks put together by a ski cross athlete since the inception of the World Cup, as Chapuis first proved himself as the best big-game performer in the field with his world championships and Olympic wins, before, last season, proving himself as perhaps the most consistent, durable, and adaptable skier on tour.

Chapuis finished 2014/15 with seven podiums in 11 events, capping the season with a run of six straight podiums that included four victories and a third-place result on French soil in Megeve that came as part of yet another French sweep. With the ski cross course at his home resort of Val Thorens (unofficially the "ski cross capital of the world") named in his honour, Chapuis has truly reached some lofty heights at this stage in his career.

However, even with Chapuis' impressive final numbers, for much of the season it appeared that 2013/14 crystal globe winner Victor Oehling Norberg (SWE) was on his way to a repeat performance, registering five podiums through the first eight races of the season – including a streak of three straight victories and bronze-medal performance at the Kreischberg world championships.

Unfortunately for 25-year-old Oehling Norberg, every time he faltered Chapuis pounced, and by the time the season reached the final two races in Megeve he was all but eliminated from contention. Still, a crystal globe season followed by a second-overall result is nothing if not impressive, and Oehling Norberg remains one of the most respected competitors in the World Cup field.

While Chapuis was the obvious standout for the French squad in 2014/15 season it was a phenomenal year for French skiers up and down the lineup, as they finished the season with Bastien Midol in third and and Sylvain Miaillier to make for three skiers in the top five.

Midol's season was particularly remarkable, as he returned to competition last season after breaking his back in a nasty crash early in 2013/14. With a previous best 28th-overall finish on the World Cup tour, 2014/15 marked a huge leap for a skier who was unsure if he would be able to compete again only one season earlier.

Other notables in 2014/15 include a strong performance from the German team, who placed three skiers – Paul Eckert, Daniel Bohnacker, and Andreas Schauer – in the top ten. Eckert, who finished fourth at Kreischberg, lead the way for the Germans in fourth overall, making for an massive jump from his 33rd-place finish the previous season.

And finally, we come to Filip Flisar (SLO), the charismatic 2011/12 crystal globe champion who has struggled with health and confidence problems throughout the last three seasons. While Flisar ended 2014/15 19th-overall, with only one podium on the season, he was able to throw down when it really counted, claiming world championships gold with an incredible pass on Chapuis and Oehling Norberg on the final turn at Kreischberg.

To see Flisar lift his world championships trophy was one of the feel-good stories of the season, and hopefully it signified a return to form for one of the most exciting skiers on tour.

As mentioned above, the season kicks off at a brand new venue in Montafon, Austria. Along with Montafon, other new stops on the tour this season include Watles (ITA), Idre (SWE), PyeongChang (KOR), and Squaw Valley (USA).

While there won't be any major events this season, the PyeongChang Olympic test event promises to be a highlight, being as it will the first look the athletes of the Audi ski cross World Cup tour get to ski at the site of the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Also to look forward to will be this season's World Cup finals in Squaw Valley, USA. So often the Audi ski cross World Cup can come down to the last heat of the last race in the fight for the crystal globe (the ladies' 2013/14 season being an example of this). With the final race of 2015/16 being held at the iconic Squaw Valley resort, and that event being the first Audi ski cross World Cup to be held on US soil in three seasons, the stakes will be especially high. One of the most compelling sports in the world wrapping up the season at one of the most iconic resorts in the USA – what could be better than that?

Source: fis-ski.com