The 31st World Cup season began in October 1996 in Sölden, Austria, and concluded in March 1997 at the World Cup finals in Vail, Colorado, US The overall winners were Luc Alphand of France and Pernilla Wiberg of Sweden.
A break in the schedule was for the 1997 World Championships, held in Sestriere, northwestern Italy, from February 3–15, 1997.
References
1997 Alpine Skiing World Cup Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA