Rebuilding from Scratch: Lara Baumann Switches to Stöckli After Swiss-Ski Demotion

Following a deeply frustrating 2025/26 winter season, Swiss alpine skier Lara Baumann is taking matters into her own hands. After losing her national team status and being demoted from the Swiss-Ski C-team back to the regional associations, the 24-year-old technical specialist has announced a major equipment change in an effort to breathe new life into her racing career.

Moving forward, Baumann will compete on skis from the premium Swiss manufacturer Stöckli, officially closing a lifelong chapter with her previous supplier.

Leaving the Comfort Zone

For Baumann, walking away from her former equipment supplier was a heavy emotional decision. Having spent her entire childhood and developmental racing years under the Rossignol umbrella, the French manufacturer was deeply tied to her identity on the snow. However, a stagnant winter proved that structural change was no longer optional.

Taking to Instagram to share the news with her followers, Baumann expressed a mix of gratitude for her past and immense hunger for what lies ahead:

"Let's do this together, Stöckli! I am so happy and motivated."

Before looking forward, she made sure to honor the brand that carried her into adulthood, posting, "Thank you for all your support over the last few years! You were by my side even when times got tough."

The Road Back to the National Team

The equipment overhaul comes at a definitive low point in Baumann's professional career, but it serves as the first foundational block of her comeback strategy.

The 2025/26 season offered very little for the Appenzell-native to celebrate on the European Cup circuit, where a modest 16th-place finish in the giant slalom at Zinal stood out as her absolute best result. That lack of high-level consistency ultimately forced Swiss-Ski officials to trim her from the national squad entirely, reassignment her to the regional association tier.

Fresh Impetus on Home Soil

By partnering with Malters-based manufacturer Stöckli—a brand renowned for its meticulous engineering and high-performance racing pedigree—Baumann is banking on the "home field advantage." Joining forces with a domestic Swiss powerhouse gives her a tight-knit, highly responsive support network as she attempts to grind her way back up the ranks outside the cozy confines of the national team system.

With the slate wiped completely clean, the upcoming training months will be vital. The alpine skiing world will watch closely to see if the pairing of a highly motivated under-the-radar talent and Stöckli's premier race stock can spark the career resurgence Baumann so desperately needs.