The fog was thick. The connection to history was thicker.

Julia Mancuso, fresh off a totally new experience in an Xtreme competition in Verbier, Switzerland, landed in Lake Placid, shook off the jet lag and pea-soup fog and collected her second straight giant slalom title. It was her 11th national title besting a 55 year old record held by Andrea Mead Lawrence.

Taking second on the day was Laurenne Ross while Swede Malin Hemmingsson, a University of New Mexico three time NCAA slalom champ, was third.

The fog was an issue, particularly in the second run when it was impossible to see more than three gates from the finish area. A number of the early skiers called it “too dangerous,” but Mancuso laughed saying, “it’s no different that what we had at the Olympics. There was a lot of fog there.”

It didn’t bother her there either, as attested to by a pair of silver medals.

“Actually the course turned out to be okay. The surface was pretty good after all that work they put in this morning. ” She said the fog was definitely thicker toward the bottom of the course than at the top, but it still called for taking a swipe at her goggles part way down to clear the moisture from the lenses. “It’s hard to do you know, but it worked a little bit.”

Mancuso had skipped the early portion of the U.S. Alpine Championships in favor of the Xtreme event in Verbier, Switzerland, because, she said, it was something she has always wanted to do and something she felt comfortable with. She placed third.

“It’s definitely intimidating,” she said. “It’s definitely another challenge. I’m psyched I did it. … It’s just another challenge to me and also to prove to the world that ski racers can ski.”

This one can, even by braille.

Top junior on the day was Canadian Erin Mielzynski, who was also the slalom junior champ. Julia Ford was the second junior on the day in 13th place and Foreste Peterson, a JII skier, was the third junior across the finish in 18th.

Frontpage photo: (Doug Haney/USSA) from left, Laurenne Ross, Julia Mancuso and Swede Malin Hemmingsson make up the women’s GS podium in Lake Placid on Tuesday.