Recap: Week 2 of Alpine USCSA Competitions
USCSA Week 2 Recap of racing. Eight conferences successfully hosted several days of racing for men and women.
USCSA Week 2 Recap of racing. Eight conferences successfully hosted several days of racing for men and women.
The 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships opened on January 30 with the men’s and women’s downhill races, held in Châtel, one of 12 resorts in Portes du Soleil, France. While the weather has been warm and sunny at the lower elevations, Châtel features north-facing slopes at the end of a valley, so the track stayed cold and hard for the speed events.
The 43rd FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships kicked off on January 29 with the opening ceremonies in Morzine, France, in the Haute Savoie region
Winning by more than a second in the Giant Slalom in Kronplatz, Lara Gut-Behrami celebrates her 42nd World Cup victory, the eighth in this discipline. The Swiss athlete continues to extend her lead in the Giant Slalom World Cup. Sara Hector also races to the podium in second place.
By Emma Logan Featured Image: Male racer competing at a McConnell Division race on January 12th.
Sara Hector, Alice Robinson and Lara Gut-Behrami in Kronplatz: GEPA pictures/Matic Klansek Lara Gut-Behrami showcased
Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami takes a commanding (+0.59) lead into the afternoon run of Tuesday's Kronplatz ERTA World Cup giant slalom (GS). Skiing with bib five, she used her impressive skills to cross the finish (-0.84) faster than her closest rival for the season's GS title, Italy's Federica Brignone. None of the talented women could come within half a second of her time, but the nearest is New Zealand's Alice Robinson (+0.59). Notably, Robinson's coach, Nils Coberger, set the first run.
In alpine skiing, recent disappointments have unfolded as scheduled events face cancelations. In Chamonix, France, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Severe crashes during races over the past month have involved five former World Cup overall ski champions or Olympic gold medalists.
Skiing with bib eight, Marco Odermatt became the first man to earn his second World Cup super-G victory of the season. Odermatt used the harder race surface to push the entire course and cross with the lead. Undoubtedly, the season's super-G leader was determined to avoid missing his second consecutive podium. Yesterday, he ended his streak of 12 straight super-G races, finishing among the fastest three.
Preview: The women will take on the second day of the World Cup downhill in Cortina. The first day was filled with excitement, what will tomorrow bring?
Mikaela Shiffrin, the champion 28-year-old American skiing sensation, faced a significant setback today in Cortina d'Ampezzo during the World Cup downhill race. As she catapulted off the course out of balance the crash unfolded.
An eventful day in the Cortina downhill. Shiffrin crashes and a three-way tie on the podium. Other highlights and thrills on the Olympia Delle Tofane track.
Downhill Day 1 Preview: Shiffrin Returns to Downhill and Goggia Aims to Relive Victory in Cortina.
Linus Strasser is on a roll. He won his first World Cup of the season in Kitzbühel on Sunday, and on Wednesday night, he did it again in Schladming. He increased his advantage to (-0.28) during the second run. There are no bigger races in slalom skiing than those two. No matter what the rest of the season brings, he will consider 2024 his most successful. There are six slaloms left in the season, but it is clear there is a battle brewing for the title.
After the first seven racers completed their first runs, it was apparent that Germany's Linus Strasser had the hot hand in men's slalom. Strasser won the night slalom in 2022 and his third World Cup slalom on Sunday in Kitzbühel. Will his efforts tonight bring him his fourth? He has a (-0.10) advantage over Norway's Timon Haugan.
Mikaela Shiffrin has raised the bar for everyone. Jim Taylor dives into this new level and the effects it has had on the sport.
The big surprise of the evening came when Switzerland's Marco Odermatt crossed the finish without the lead. Notably, Odermatt has won all the GS races this season. Although he was fast in the first and last sectors, the superstar finds himself the 11th fastest (+0.98) behind Austrian star Manuel Feller. It will take an Odermatt miracle to find his way to the podium but Odermatt miracles are ordinary. It is likely, however, that the fatigue of the recent speed event demands could have negatively affected his performance. He might be human, after all.
The big surprise of the evening came when Switzerland's Marco Odermatt crossed the finish without the lead. Notably, Odermatt has won all the GS races this season. Although he was fast in the first and last sectors, the superstar finds himself the 11th fastest (+0.98) behind Austrian star Manuel Feller. It will take an Odermatt miracle to find his way to the podium but Odermatt miracles are ordinary. It is likely, however, that the fatigue of the recent speed event demands could have negatively affected his performance. He might be human, after all.
A giant slalom recap of the RMISA Westminster University and University of Utah Invitationals. The competition was stiff and series ended as one of the closest-scored RMISA meets in recent history.
The EISA season kicked off with the Colby Carnival at Sugarloaf Mountain. Dartmouth takes the lead after GS, slalom and Nordic events.
Get ready for the thrill of the Tuesday, January 23rd Night Giant Slalom in Schladming, Austria – a historic event that rivals even the renowned Kitzbühel race. The Schladming night slalom attracted massive crowds in the past before the completion of the impressive finish stadium in 2013. With around 48,000 attendees annually, the village transforms into a giant party.
Stifel US Ski Team's Mikaela Shiffrin wins her 95th World Cup in the Jasná slalom. She is simply the best and has now accumulated 630 World Cup Slalom points this season. Now that Vlhová is out for the rest of the season, her lead over the next-best active skier is 228 points. It is her fifth slalom victory of the season. The woman has a fantastic feeling for winning; today, she used her first run advantage to perfection.
In the absence of her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhová, the stage was set for Mikaela Shiffrin to showcase her unparalleled prowess in women's slalom. As the first run unfolded, Shiffrin's dominance became evident, leaving a significant gap between her and the competition. The absence of Vlhová, coupled with Shiffrin's exceptional skills, promises an intriguing narrative for the day's race