The chase for the Nations Cup is typically a battle for second place, with Austria topping the podium a seemingly foregone conclusion. Last season, the Austrians compiled a ridiculous 15,449 points, with second-place USA amassing 6,541 and Italy edging Sweden for third. How will the 2006-07 season shake out? Here’s a glimpse at the top contenders, listed in order of finish last year. A portion of this article appeared in Issue 3, and the U.S. Ski Team preview appeared in Issue 2, of Ski Racing magazine.

THE CHASE FOR THE NATIONS CUP is typically a battle for second place, with Austria topping the podium a seemingly foregone conclusion. Last season, the Austrians compiled a ridiculous 15,449 points, with second-place USA amassing 6,541 and Italy edging Sweden for third. How will the 2006-07 season shake out? Here’s a glimpse at the top contenders, listed in order of finish last year. A portion of this article appeared in Issue 3, and the U.S. Ski Team preview appeared in Issue 2, of Ski Racing magazine.

AUSTRIA
Alpine director: Hans Pum
Men’s head coach: Toni Giger
Women’s head coach: Herbert Mandl
2006 Nations Cup standings: 1st (Men: 1st, Women: 1st)

Men
Top threats: Benjamin Raich (28) is the reigning World Cup overall champion, a four-time gold-medal winner over the past two seasons, has 23 WC wins, 57 WC podiums and is eager to win a first downhill or super G race. Hermann Maier (34) is a four-time World Cup overall champion (1998, 2000, 2001, 2004) and was sixth last season. “The Herminator” has five World Championships or Olympic gold medals, 53 WC wins, 91 WC podiums and is the only three-event winner in 2006. Relaxed and motivated, Maier aims for his fifth WC title with a more consistent season in DH and SG. Michael Walchhofer (31) is the 2005 and 2006 World Cup downhill champion and was fifth in the overall standings last season. The gold-medal winner in DH in 2003 also has nine WC wins, 30 WC podiums and wants to fight for the overall title this season.
New faces: Georg Streitberger (25) was 3rd in the Europa Cup standings in 2006 after winning the super G title and finishing third in the DH. Mario Scheiber (23) finished 16th in the World Cup overall in 2005 but was injured last season.
Who’s out: Killian Albrecht (33) plans to race for Hungary. Reinfried Herbst (28), the Olympic silver medalist in slalom last year, injured an ankle.
Strong base: Rainer Schoenfelder (29), Fritz Strobl (34), Hannes Reichelt (26), Stephan Goergl (28), Hans Grugger (25, and back from injury), Mario Matt (27), Klaus Kroell (26).
Women
Top threats: Marlies Schild (25), was 6th in the WC overall standings last season and has seven wins and 21 podiums. She won the silver in combined and the bronze in slalom in the 2006 Olympics and also has a worlds silver in slalom from ’03 and a bronze in combined from ’05. Schild is aiming for her first WC title and a gold medal in Are. She plans to race DH and SK this season. Nicole Hosp (23) was fourth in the WC overall, has five WC wins (SL/GS/SG), 24 WC podiums and is a strong overall title contender. She plans to race DH/SK also. Kathrin Zettel (20) was seventh overall, has seven podiums (SL/GS) and 19 top 10s. Renate Goetschl (31) finished 19th overall last season but has 38 WC wins, 90 WC podiums, and was the WC overall champ in 2000. She’s a two-time World Championships gold medalist (combined in 1997, downhill in 1999) and also has two Olympic medals. She’s coming back from knee surgery and hopes to contend again for the WC overall crown.
New faces:  Andrea Fischbacher (22) 15th WC overall in 2006, Michaela Kirchgasser (22), 20th WC overall in 2006 and the 2005 Europa Cup champion 2005, Anna Fenninger (19), the 2006 Europa Cup champion, Kathrin Wilhelm (25) 2nd in the Europa Cup standings last season.
Who’s out: Michaela Dorfmeister (34), 3rd in WC overall last season, the 2002 WC overall champion, four-time WC or Olympic gold medalist. Evelyne Rohregger (30) was 75th in WC overall last season.
Strong base: Alexandra Meissnitzer (33), 9th in WC overall standings last season, has 14 WC wins, 41 WC podiums and is the 1999 WC overall champ. She’s also a two-time World Championships gold medalist in 1999. Elisabeth Goergl (25), 10th in WC overall in 2006, has nine WC podiums and 32 top-10 finishes.
Outlook: The undisputed deepest and best teams in the world. It will take a monumental effort to knock the Austrians from atop the Nations Cup standings.

CANADA
Alpine team director: Dusan Grasic
Men’s head coach: Paul Kristofic
Women’s head coach: Marjan Cernigoj
2006 Nations Cup standings: 6th (Men: 6th, Women: 7th)
Best in World Cup overall standings:  Women: 17th (Genevieve Simard); Men: 11th (Thomas Grandi)

Men
Top threats: Tech specialist Thomas Grandi leads the way after posting a career-best season in 2006, finishing 11th overall, sixth in GS and fifth in slalom. In the speed events, Erik Guay led the way a year ago, finishing 18th overall, a solid 6th in the super G standings and 11th in downhill.
Who’s out: Nobody
New faces: Francois Bourque finished 22nd overall and was Canada’s best in the GS standings, finishing seventh with one podium (3rd, Alta Badia). Michael Janyk finished 20th in the slalom standings, with his highlight a fourth place at Shigakogen. He later won the slalom at Canadian nationals.
Outlook: With the return of Grandi, after the veteran contemplated retirement, Canada will look to improve its Nations Cup performance on the shoulders of Grandi, Guay and Bourque. This season will mark the beginning of Canada’s ramping-up process for the 2010 Olympics.
Women
Top threat: Genevieve Simard posted two podium finishes last season in GS (2nd at Cortina and at World Cup Finals in Are) and finished fifth in the GS standings for the second straight season. She also posted seven top 10s (all in GS and super G) and was fifth in the Olympic GS.
Who’s out: Nobody
New faces: She’s not new, but veteran Allison Forsyth, who missed the Olympics and the late-season events with a knee injury, is set to return this year. Her highlight last season was a 4th in the Cortina GS. Emily Brydon returns after finishing 40th overall, 17th in super G and 21st in combined. She had one podium last season, a 3rd in super G at Val d’Isere. Kelly VanderBeek (45th overall, 16th super G, 31st downhill) had two fourth-place finishes in super G last season, including the Olympic race at San Sicario.
Outlook: Led by Simard, Canada brings back a veteran in Forsyth and will count on the continued improvement of Brydon and VanderBeek. That’s a solid core that should threaten for wins and podium finishes throughout the season.

CROATIA
Alpine team director: Vedran Pavlek
Men’s head coach: (A team): Ante Kostelic
Women’s head coach: Vinceji Jovan and Zoran Sobolo
2006 Nations Cup standings: 8th. (Men: 14th; Women: 4th)
Best in World Cup overall standings: Women: 1st (Janica Kostelic – age 24) Men: 40th (Ivica Kostelic)

Men
Top threat: Ivica Kostelic (27) the 2002 slalom WC champion and 2003 slalom world champion in St. Moritz. The older brother of Janica is again trained by his dad Ante, who decided last spring it was about time work closely with him. In 2006, Ivica achieved his dream to clinch an Olympic medal (silver in combined).
Who’s out: Nobody
New faces: Natko Zrnčić-Dim (20) scored his first WC poin
ts last winter in super combined (24th Val d’Isère) and he was also a promising 17th in DH at the 2006 Games. His 5th place at the junior worlds in Quebec is also encouraging. Natko has yet to check his potential on the Europa Cup tour. He races in all disciplines.
Women
Top threats: Nika Fleiss (22) and Ana Jelusic (20). In the absence of Janica Kostelic, Fleiss and Jelusic want to prove there is a Croatian team on the women’s WC tour. Both already reached top-10 places in recent years and they can aim for podium finishes in slalom. Ana Jelusic was already competing and scoring at age 15, finishing 23rd in Sölden in October 2002.
Who’s out: Janica Kostelic decided to take a season off to get back her momentum and be totally healthy again after two demanding winters that brought her incredible successes — four gold medals in 2005 and 2006, an overall WC title in 2006 and wins in all disciplines during the same season in 2006 with a women’s record of 1,970 points in the general standings.
New faces: Matea Ferk (19) got some good results in FIS events and also competed at the 2006 Olympics but hasn’t finished a race yet. She was 5th in slalom at the 2006 junior worlds in Quebec and won a FIS slalom in March in Austria. She competed since November 2004 in some World Cup races but hasn’t scored points yet.
Outlook: As was the case in 2004, Croatia’s ski community will be moving around the world without its famous flagship, Janica Kostelic, who was injured that year, but it can count on a group of established athletes such as Ivica Kostelic, Fleiss and Jelusic to get some headlines in the Croatian papers. It will be interesting to see how Ivica could gain from the support of his father Ante, who was more focused on Janica in the past eight years. He wants to get back on the podium in slalom and compete in a few super combineds.

FINLAND
Alpine manager: Janne Leskinen
Men’s head coach: Christian Leitner (AUT)
Women’s head coach: Michael Bont (SUI)
2006 Nations Cup standings: 11th. (Men: 9th, Women: 10th)
Best in World Cup overall standings: Men: 7th (Kalle Palander); Women: 12th (Tanja Poutiainen)

Men
Top threats: Kalle Palander (29), the 1999 slalom world champion in Vail, is now one of the top technical skiers on the World Cup with 12 wins since 2003 and a slalom WC trophy in 2003. He was particularly unlucky last winter, straddling a gate in the second run of the Olympic slalom while on pace to gold and injuring his knee in Are in giant slalom. He was still in the race for the WC slalom title against Italy’s Giorgio Rocca. It was his first major injury. He hopes now to be ready in time for the January classic races and the worlds at Are.
Who’s out: Nobody. Sami Uotila (30), badly injured two years in a row, decided to stay on the tour. He was 3rd in Alta Badia 2001.
New faces: Two other Finns — Jukka Leino (28) and Jukka Rajala (24) — also scored WC points last winter. Leino was also 17th in the 2006 Europa Cup standings. There are some promising young skiers aiming to ski in the shadows of the stars because alpine racing has become a popular winter sport with excellent TV ratings.
Women
Top threats: Tanja Poutiainen (26) is the 2005 World Cup slalom and GS champion. Last winter, she became the first and only Finn to capture an alpine Olympic medal in GS at Sestriere, finishing 3rd behind Julia Mancuso and Anna Ottosson. In 2005, she earned two medals at Santa Caterina after winning five WC races (SL/GS). She struggled last winter, but her Olympic success should give her new momentum.
Who’s out: Nobody.
New faces: Henna Raita (31) was the only other Finn to score points on the women’s tour. Marika Ollika (25) and Nora Haterma (22) have been competing on the Europa Cup and are ready to move up a step. Haterma was 2nd in slalom at the 2006 Finnish nationals and also won a FIS race in Finland.
Outlook: The Finnish ski team brought momentum and good vibes onto the World Cup tour — both Poutiainen and Palander are respected champions and nice people. They have created a lot of interest for alpine racing in their country, which perfectly organized its first World Cup races for both men and women in Levi in November. Other skiers from Finland hope to progress in the shadow of these two big stars who now live in Switzerland (Poutiainen) and Monte Carlo (Palander).

FRANCE
Alpine director: Yves Dimiez
Women’s head coach: Jean Philippe Vuillet
Men’s head coach: Gilles Brenier
2006 Nations Cup standings: 7th. (Men: 7th, Women: 9th)
Last World Cup wins: Men: Jean Pierre Vidal, slalom, Kitzbühel 2006; Women: Ingrid Jacquemod, downhill, Santa Caterina, 2005

Men
Top threats: Antoine Deneriaz (30) won three World Cup races. He is the 2006 Olympic downhill champion. A quiet and yet aggressive skier, “Tonio” wants to be more than just a great glider. Luc Alphand (1997) was the last Frenchman to have clinched a World Cup DH trophy. Joel Chenal (33), the GS silver medalist at Sestriere, is a gifted athlete who excels on hard and demanding courses. He switched to Fischer skis last spring and will look for more success in the coming two seasons. Stephane Tissot (27) reached several WC podiums last winter in slalom and is ready for his first win on his Rossignols.
Who’s out: Jean Pierre Vidal (29), the 2002 Olympic champion and last year’s slalom winner at Kitzbühel. He broke his arm the day before the Olympic slalom in Sestriere.
New faces: Yannick Bertrand (26) a more consistent downhill specialist who works hard to enter the first seed in his specialty. He aims for more top-10 finishes. Thomas Farnara (25) is a promising GS skier and Jean Baptiste Grange (22), an impressive slalom specialist who set fast times last winter despite a high bib number.
Women
Top threat: Ingrid Jacquemod (28) from Val d’Isère. She is the last French woman to have won a WC downhill (2005, Santa Caterina) but she can also excel in GS and super G. She needs to be more focused and more confident.
Who’s out: Carole Montillet (33), the 2002 Olympic downhill champion, retired after 15 years of WC racing. She suffered a bad crash in training at the Olympics but finished 28th in downhill and 5th in super G, only 0.25 seconds off from the podium. She plans to compete in Rally-Raid competitions (Paris Dakar) on the footstep of Luc Alphand. Christel Pascal (33), silver medalist in slalom in 2001, tore ligaments again in a crash at Maribor in January and gave up racing. Laure Pequegnot (31), the 2002 World Cup slalom champion, injured herself in training in October. It could be the end of her career, too.
New faces: Florine De Leymarie (25), a talented slalom skier whose mother was a World Cup racer in the early 1970s. She aims for her first WC podium after being 4th in Aspen in 2004. She was 11th at the Olympics. Sandrine Aubert (24) won the 2006 Europa Cup slalom title (10th in the overall) and will be racing on the WC tour. She scored a few points last winter in her first WC season.
Outlook: Like Switzerland, the French have been working hard trying to build a more prestigious position in the world ranking while getting ready for the 2009 World Championships in Val d’Isère. New leadership in the executive ranks and stronger support from the sports minister may help to improve the situation. Deneriaz’s Olympic win is also a strong boost for the team and may attract more reporters and TV stations to the WC slopes.

GERMANY
Alpine director: Wolfgang Maier
Men’s head coach: Werner Margreiter
Women’s head coach: Matthias Berthold
2006 Nations Cup standings: 10th (Men: 13th, Women : 8th)
Best in World Cup overall standings: Men
: 48th (Felix Neureuther); Women: 16th (Martina Ertl-Renz)
 
Men
Top threats: Felix Neureuther (22) is a very gifted athlete, the son of double Olympic champion and 1976 World Cup overall winner Rosi Mittermaier and Christian Neureuther, one of the best slalom skier in the 1970s. He strongly contributed to the success of Germany in the team event in 2005. Alois Vogl (34), the winner at Wengen in 2005, struggled in 2006 but he is very competitive.
Who’s out: No big names. Only four Germans scored WC points in 2006.
New faces: Stephan Keppler (23) scored his first WC downhill points in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, finishing in 21st place. It was not good enough for an Olympic qualification for Sestriere, but he can build on this result.
Women
Top threats: Maria Riesch (22) is one of the greatest talents on the tour. In 2004, she won a downhill, a super G and a slalom but a series of injuries set her back. A potential overall winner, Riesch may need some time to recover all her momentum.
Who’s out: Martina Ertl-Renz (33) retired after a long and successful career crowned by her combined gold in 2001 and a World Cup GS title in 1998. She won 14 WC events in three disciplines and entered more than 420 WC competitions (a record on the women’s tour). Hilde Gerg (31) — the winner of 20 WC events in five disciplines (including parallel), the Olympic gold in slalom in 1998, and super G WC titles in 1997 and 2002 — suffered several severe injuries in recent seasons and decided to give up racing last fall.
New faces: Fanney Chmelar (21). 4th in the 2006 Europa Cup standings and 3rd in super combined, is a tall and determined young woman. She excels in all events and scored WC points in slalom and SC last winter. Kathrin Hoelzl (22) was 6th in the 2006 Europa Cup  standings and 2nd in GS. She got a few WC points last winter in GS and slalom. Anja Blieninger (25) is also considered a great gate skier by the German trainers. She injured her hand and neck during warmup before the WC giant slalom at Ofterschwang. She had to skip the Olympics but aims for a solid comeback this winter.
Outlook: Germany lost its best skiers in recent years in Gerg and Ertl-Renz. But the younger generation led by Riesch is ready to take over. Behind the gifted skier from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, half a dozen young athletes are itching to try their hand on the World Cup. It may take a while, though. It will be much more difficult on the men’s side. Alpine ski racing is just not that important in Germany.

ITALY
Alpine director: Flavio Roda
Men’s head coach: Claudio Ravetto
Women’s head coach: Markus Ortler
2006 Nations Cup standings: 3rd (Women: 5th, Men: 3rd)
Best in overall World Cup standings: Men: 13th (Giorgio Rocca); Women: 22nd (Nadia Fanchini)
 
Men
Top threats: Giorgio Rocca (31) is an outstanding slalom skier and the only racer to ever win the first five first slaloms in a WC season. He was also the first Italian man to clinch a WC title since Alberto Tomba in 1996. With a total of 11 wins, Rocca belongs to the group of top specialists, but he aims now to improve his level in other events including the super combined. Massimiliano Blardone (27) became a consistent GS skier and was 2nd in the World Cup GS standings in 2006. He still fights for his first medal. He now trains in a group of solid all-around skiers next to Rocca, including Peter Fill (24) and Davide Simoncelli (27). Simoncelli, winner of the WC GS in Alta Badia and Korea, has the potential to reach more podiums outside of Alta Badia (4).
Who’s out: Alberto Tomba (40). Since 1998, people are still hoping he’ll return. And Kristian Ghedina (37), the most successful Italian downhiller with 12 wins but no gold medals and no World Cup DH crystal globes, is now racing cars.
New faces: Michael Gufler (27), the 2006 Europa Cup winner, is back on the WC tour. His best ranking was a 10th place in a GS back in 2003. Florian Eisath (22) is a promising GS specialist with five Europa Cup wins since 2004. He was 24th in GS in a World Cup at Kranjska Gora in 2006.
Women
Top threat: Nadia Fanchini (20) was the best Italian in the World Cup overall standings in 2006. A top speed specialist and excellent GS skier, Fanchini collected gold medals in the junior worlds and the national championships. She was 8th in GS and 10th in DH at the 2006 Olympics — not bad at all for her age. Her 5th place in DH at Are during the WC Finals is a good confidence builder. Her sister, Elena Fanchini (21), has already won a downhill at Lake Louise and a silver medal at Santa Caterina in 2005, but she lost her momentum after a bad crash in Val d’Isère in December 2005. It may take her a while to recover her form and confidence.
Who’s out: Isolde Kostner (31) had a baby last spring. The two-time World Cup DH champion and gold-medal winner in super G at the 1996 and 1997 World Championships, suddenly gave up racing in the middle of the season to raise a family. Daniela Ceccarelli, the Olympic champion in super G in 2002, also is taking a break this winter for the same reason.
New faces: Camilla Borsotti (18) from Bardonecchia is the youngest member of the national A team. She got some decent results on the Europa Cup in 2006 but didn’t score any WC points. Watch also for Johanna Schnarf (22), an excellent speed skier on the Europa Cup tour who also finished 10th in super combined in St. Moritz in 2006. Former winners Karen Putzer (28) and Denise Karbon (26) hope to make it back to the podium.


Outlook: Italy is a big skiing country with mountains everywhere — even in Sicily. So once in a while it produces big champions such as Zeno Colo, Gustavo Thoeni, Piero Gros, Deborah Compagnoni, Tomba and Isolde Kostner. If you’re patient, you will see another one coming up in the next decade. There is some potential in the “Squadra Azzurra” but maybe not enough financial and political support now that the Torino Olympics are in the history books.

NORWAY
Alpine manager: Per Lunde
Men’s head coach: Marius Arnesen
Women’s head coach: Finn-Christian Jagge
2006 Nations Cup standings: 9th (Men: 4th, Women: 15th)
Best in 2006 World Cup overall standings: Men: 2nd (Aksel Lund Svindal); Women: 89th (Trine Bakke-Rognmo)
 
Men
Top threats: Aksel Lund Svindal (24) should be the next Norwegian to clinch the World Cup overall title in the coming years. This talented all-rounder was 2nd in the 2006 OWC standings after winning the super G title, ahead of Hermann Maier. Kjetil Aamodt (35) didn’t train so much this summer due to a knee injury but his experience and love for the sport will always make him a threat in any big event. So far he has captured 20 medals — nine gold, including his 2006 Olympic gold in super G.
Who’s out: It seems difficult to believe, but Lasse Kjus (36) finally decided to step down. The two-time OWC champion (1996-99) and multiple gold-medal winner is aiming for a more quiet life now. Health problems certainly hindered his racing and results in recent years.
New faces: Kjetil Jansrud (21), who finished 43rd in the 2006 OWC standings thanks to a series of good results, including a 4th place in the slalom at Beaver Creek, is one of the next promising Norwegian alpine skiers. He was also 10th in the Olympic combined. Lars Myhre (22) was 72nd in the 2006 OWC with good results in slalom and super combined (10th at Wengen). He didn’t compete in Sestriere but aims to be at Are in February.
Women
Top threats: There aren’t any for the moment. The best woman in the WC overall standings were Trine Bakke-Rognmo (31), who finished 89th, and veteran Andrine Flemmen (32), a former solid GS skier, in 114th.
New faces: Lene (20) and Nin
a Loeseth (17) scored their first WC points last season. Lene competed in a handful of GS/SL races and was 27th in Zagreb. She also did well in FIS races. Nina reached several podiums in FIS/Europa Cup races, including a win in Lenzerheide in slalom. She was 3rd in slalom at junior worlds in Quebec. She was 28th in the last WC slalom in Levi prior to the Finals in Are. She finished the Europa Cup standings in 18th place (2nd in slalom that qualified her for the 2007 World Cup season).
Outlook: Since Erik Haker’s first WC win (GS at Val d’Isère, 1971), Norway’s men’s team always produced top champions in all events. Ole Kristian Furuseth, Atle Skaardal, Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Aamodt won numerous gold medals, crystal globes and races together in the past decades. Svindal is following their tradition. He could soon become the skier to beat in the World Cup overall chase as he feels more comfortable in all disciplines. Aamodt also continues to love racing (maybe even more now that he became a father and approaches the end of his career). The younger generation is pushing too. There’s nothing comparable on the women’s side — they are all missing in action.

SLOVENIA
Alpine director: Klement Bergant              
Men’s head coach: Urban Planinsek
Women’s head coach: Jani Hladnik
2006 Nations Cup standings: 12th (Men: 11th,  Women: 11th)
Best in 2006 World Cup overall standings:  Men: 52nd (Andrej Sporn); Women: 14th (Tina Maze)
 
Men
Top threats: Nothing like this anymore on the Slovenian men’s team. Mitja Kunc is the last Slovenian winner in a World Cup race (slalom, Yongpyong, March 2000) and to win a World Championships medal (slalom, St. Anton, 2001). A top-10 result became a good performance. No Slovenian man made the top 10 at the 2006 Olympics. There are some good skiers including Alex Gorza (26), Matija Vaolencic (28) and Drago Grubelnik (30) but no smashing results yet.
Who’s out: One of the greatest characters on the men’s tour, Jure Kosir (36), left the racing scene last spring after organizing a major party near his hometown of Kranjska Gora. He invited top stars, including his friend Alberto Tomba, for a celebrity competition. Kosir was 3rd in the World Cup overall in 1995 and a top GS/SL skier with three wins (Kitzbühel, Madonna di Campiglio and Kranjska Gora). His major achievement remains the Olympic bronze medal in slalom in Lillehammer in 1994. He has now more time for his beautiful wife and his two kids.
New faces: Bernard Vajdic is 26 and finished 19th in slalom in Torino, but he could help Slovenia move up in the standings. He has won 16 FIS races since 1999 and scored in six WC slaloms last winter. He was 9th in the 2006 Europa Cup standings. Rok Perko (21) is the reigning Slovenian downhill champion and has won 11 FIS races since 2004. He was 29th in super combined at Chamonix and is ready to enter the top 30 in DH/SG this winter.
Women
Top threat: Tina Maze (23) is a superbly talented young woman who achieved outstanding performances in her career — such as becoming the first Slovenian to win the “Classical” Golden Fox giant slalom at Maribor in 2005. Also a two-time winner in Sölden, Maze has the potential to clinch a gold medal and/or a crystal globe. A five-event skier for two years now, she struggles sometimes in difficult conditions (such as freezing temperatures in Lake Louise). She needs to feel relaxed and confident to attack the courses with all her determination. It’s already her 6th World Cup season at age 23 — she was 10th in the WC overall standings in 2005 after scoring points in all disciplines.
New faces:  Ana Drev (21), 2nd in a recent FIS race in Argentina, was 59th in the 2006 WC overall standings after a series of fine performances in various disciplines. She also won a Europa Cup GS last January and should move up in the rankings.
Outlook: Slovenia has been a strong contender in the technical events since the early 1980s. Champions such as Bojan Krizay and the late Rok Petrovic won big races and the WC slalom titles in 1986 and 1987. Mateja Svet was the slalom world champion in 1989 (beating the great Vreni Schneider). In March 2000, Spela Pretnar captured the slalom crystal globe at the Finals in Bormio, but things slowed down afterward with the younger generation. Maze is the latest individual having the potential to shine now. Ski racing is a big sport in this small country, so things could improve soon.

SPAIN
2006 Nations Cup standings: 15th (Women: 12th, Men: No points since 1986)
Best in 2006 World Cup overall standings: 13th (Maria Jose Rienda-Contreras)
 
Women
Top threat: A November injury in Colorado has dashed the hopes of Maria Jose Rienda-Contreras (31), one of the leading GS skiers on the WC tour and an 11-year-veteran of the “White Circus.”
New faces: Carolina Ruiz-Castillo (25) has a WC podium — in March 2000 after a GS in Sestriere. She struggled afterward but seems to be on her way back with the help of former Italian DH trainer Valerio Ghirardi, who helped Isolde Kostner establish herself as one of the best downhillers on the women’s tour. Ruiz-Castillo switched skis this summer to Salomon.
Outlook: Spain is a wonderful country for tourists, even in the winter. There are many nice resorts in the Pyrenees mountains that border France and also in the south in Andalusia, including Sierra Nevada. But ski racing is not an established international sport there. Despite her injury, Rienda-Contreras’ strong determination and the support of Rossignol (which has a big factory in Spain) should inspire Spain’s male skiers, who only seldom compete in WC events.
 
SWEDEN
Alpine director: Johan Monsén.
Men’s head coach: Helmuth Krug
Women’s head coach: Thomas Stauffer
2006 Nations Cup standings: 6th (Women: 2nd, Men: 8th)
Best in 2006 World Cup overall standings: Men: 21st (Fredrik Nyberg); Women: 2nd (Anja Paerson)
 
Men
Top threats: Fredrik Nyberg (37), the Swedish veteran with seven wins, was aiming for his first worlds medal in Are, but is out with an injury. He has come close in the past. He was 3rd in the WC GS standings last season. His superb technical skill makes him one of the finest GS skiers on the tour. Markus Larsson (27) finally won his first WC slalom in Are at the 2006 Finals. He switched from Fischer to Atomic in the off-season.
New faces: Andre Myhrer (23) already reached a couple of slalom podiums in 2005 but he faded last winter. He has the potential for a big win. Many of the members of the A team are only 21 or 22, such as Jens Byggmark and Mattias Hargin, 4th and 6th in the 2006 Europa Cup standings (Hargin was 1st in slalom).
Women
Top threats: Anja Paerson (25) is a five-time gold-medal winner and a two-time World Cup overall champion. She has 34 WC wins and 70 WC podiums. She had knee injury in March and began training on snow with some pain in July. She aims for medals in Are. Anna Ottoson (30) won an Olympic medal in GS at Sestriere but only a single WC race in 2000. She also has five podiums and 48 top-10 finishes. She lives in Oestersund, near Are, so look out.
New faces: Many. Nike Bent (25) scored her first WC podium last winter. Thérese Borrsén (22), Jessica Lindell Vikarby (22) and Maria Pietilae Holmner (20) are all very talented.
Outlook: Sweden has forged a true alpine ski team in recent years. Thanks to ski legends Ingemar Stenmark and Pernilla Wiberg, alpine racing has developed into a major winter sport alongside nordic skiing and ice hockey. The 2007 worlds in Are are a lifetime goal for the two teams that will fight hard for the glo
ry to represent the country in that major event.
 
SWITZERLAND
Alpine director: None
Men’s head coach: Martin Ruffener
Women’s head coach: Hugues Ansermoz
2006 Nations Cup standings: 5th (Women: 6th, Men: 5th)
Best in 2006 World Cup overall standings: Men: 15th (Didier Defago); Women: 11th (Nadia Styger)
 
Men
Top threats: Didier Defago (29), the versatile all-rounder, is also a top technician able to excel on demanding courses. He won a super G race in 2003, reached six WC podiums and has 53 top-10 WC finishes. Bruno Kernen (34) is the Olympic bronze medalist in downhill in 2006 and the 1997 DH world champion. He is a very experienced athlete who aims for outstanding results in Kitzbühel and Are.
Who’s out: No big names
New faces: Marc Gini (23), Marc Berthod (23) and Daniel Albrecht (23) are all excellent slalom skiers who have trained hard to strive for their first WC podiums this winter.
Ready for a comeback: Ambrosi Hoffmann (29), sustained a knee injury after winning silver in super G at Sestriere. Didier Cuche (22) had a tough season but reached an encouraging 8th place in DH at Are before winning the Swiss downhill title in March. He was 3rd in the 2002 WC overall standings, but fell to 34th in 2006.
Women
Top threat: Nadia Styger (28) is a three-time super G winner in 2004 and 2006. Overcame several bad injuries in the past to become the leader of the Swiss women’s team. Switched to Völkl and Lange last summer. Fraenzi Aufdenblatten (25), a multiple junior world champion (2000 and 2001) in GS and DH, was 3rd twice on the WC tour in downhill and 6th in Are.
Who’s out: Marlies Oester, WC slalom winner in Berchtesgaden in 2002 and bronze winner in combined at the 2003 worlds.
New faces: Rabea Grand (22) is an aggressive skier and 3rd in the 2006 Europa Cup overall standings and 3rd in DH. She also showed great potential in slalom on the World Cup circuit (23rd in Levi 2). Martina Schild (25), from Grindelwald, clinched an unexpected silver in DH at San Sicario after finishing only once among the top 10 in a World Cup race. She was 61st in the overall standings last season. Her grandmother is Heidi Schlunegger, who won Olympic gold in 1948.
Outlook: It will be a while until Switzerland’s ski team will again fight for victory in the Nations Cup, but things have improved lately after a difficult 2005 season in which the team failed to medal at the World Championships in Bormio/Santa Caterina and posted no World Cup wins. The women have a new head coach who hails from Canada, and they hope to climb the podium more often now. The men are experienced but often also unlucky. A couple of victories would be fine for the moment. Interesting fact: The best Swiss on the World Cup last season was Marco Buechel (35) in 10th, and he won at Val Gardena. Unfortunately, he races for Liechtenstein where he grew up and lives (when he’s not in Florida enjoying life).