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Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt delivers a men’s World Cup giant slalom victory for the tenth consecutive time—his seventh of the 2024 season. By winning, he clinched the 2024 World Cup overall title. His skiing is at a level the others can not achieve and he uses his skill to engineer his second runs only to produce victories at the lowest risk.

“At the moment, everything is just perfect,” Odermatt said, “It was very tight today.”

“I really know I have to push in the last bit,” Odermatt admitted. “I know I can ski faster than the others and it was definitely needed in this last pitch. I think I know how to deal with this situation, standing last on the top,”

Odermatt joined three other Swiss teammates among the top six.

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Today, Norwegian superstar Henrik Kristoffersen earned his season’s first GS podium. He arced clean turns down the rugged Red Dog slope to finish a close second (+0.15). However, he was well ahead of the third-place American.

“For us, it was 100 percent a step in the right direction,” said the veteran Kristoffersen.

“Of course, Marco is on a big roll. We tried to bring him down from this roll and it was tight today, but that’s life and he’s an amazing skier.”

However, Stifel US Ski Team’s River Radamus earned his first career World Cup podium. Radamus delivered an excellent first run and then did it again in the afternoon. His podium represents the first US men’s World Cup GS podium since Tommy Ford’s second place in Santa Caterina, Italy, on December 7th, 2020. Undoubtedly, Radamus will sleep well tonight, knowing he has accomplished a milestone result.

“It’s been a long time coming,” admitted Radamus.

“I’ve wanted to feel what this moment feels like for so long and I’ve just kept working and working and working. 

“Sometimes I thought it would never come, but doing it on home soil, in front of all my friends and family and such an amazing American crowd, it just means everything to me.”

The last ten skiers to race

With ten racers remaining to ski, the lead began to change regularly. First, Austrian Manuel Feller took the lead and then relinquished it immediately to Switzerland’s Gino Caviezel. That left eight remaining at the start. The next to ski would be the man ranked third in the season’s GS standing, Slovenian Zan Kranjec; however, he was the first of the final group not to cross with the lead.

With Caviezel leading, the next to ski was his teammate Loic Meillard. Meillard started with a slim advantage but could not quite hold it through the finish. He crossed (+0.05) slower than Caviezel. The sixth fastest skier from the first run, Austrian Raphael Haaser, was next to ski. He started with an even more significant advantage, but he, too, fell short of taking the lead, crossing behind both Swiss racers.

With five left to ski, it was another Swiss athlete, Thomas Tumler, who finally wrestled the lead from his teammate. He crossed with a (-0.27) lead and began watching the final four. The first of the group to ski was Croatian Filip Zubcic. He is ranked second in the season’s GS standings but could not finish the course, leaving the three Swiss racers to lead the race.

That left Stifel US Ski Team’s River Radamus next to ski. Radamus started the run with a 0.49 advantage and crossed the finish with a (0.13) lead. He was guaranteeing himself his first career World Cup GS podium. However, immediately after Radamus finished, the Norwegian veteran superstar delivered a fantastic run and crossed with a (1.25) lead. That left only the world’s best remaining at the start.

Biggest moves during the second run

When top-caliber skiers make a mistake during the first run and start early during the second, they are expected to deliver a run that moves them up the ranking. Today, Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen was that athlete. He finished second in the previous GS in Bansko, Bulgaria. Therefore, it was unsurprising when he improved his ranking 16 position and finished ninth (+2.23). However, the Italian who skied immediately after Steen Olsen Austrian Lukas Feurstein also moved up 16 positions to finish 10th (+2.27). Since Feurstein had started with bib 56, he also earned a $5000 bonus by winning the Stifel Bibo award for the racer who moved up the most from his first run start position.

Two other racers improved their position significantly during the second run. Norwegian Alte Lei McGrath, who made a significant mistake on the first run, executed the fastest second run and moved up 15 positions to finish the day 13th. Additionally, Belgium racer Sam Maes gained 12 positions in the afternoon to finish a season’s best 11th.

US athletes

Tommy Ford, the second US racer, skied the final course. Although he skied well at the top and bottom, Ford lost significant time in the second timing sector by skiing wide onto the steepest pitch. However, he benefitted from many racers who could not finish. Consequently, Ford moved up three positions and finished the day 20th (+2.92).

Patrick Kenney, an independent skier from the USA, raced second on the final course. Today marked the first time he qualified for a second run. As is often the case in this situation, it can be difficult to confidently ski freely, knowing that you must finish the second run to earn your first World Cup points. However, Kenney found the finish line and scored for the first time. It is undoubtedly a reason to celebrate. Kenney finished the race last of the finishers but with seven World Cup points.

The intense competition and remarkable performances in today’s giant slalom event exemplify the excitement and talent present in alpine skiing. As the anticipation builds for the two upcoming Stifel Aspen Winternational GSs in Aspen on March 1st and 2nd, fans can expect more thrilling moments and fierce battles on the slopes. Stay tuned as the world’s top skiers continue to showcase their skills and vie for victory.

Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup GS results and analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans

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The analysis of the fastest three and other North Americans who qualified