Olympic Alpine Skiing

The biggest news of the Alpine skiing offseason has been Tina Maze's announcement that she will be taking a year off from the sport.

The recently crowned downhill and Alpine combined world champion wrote, per her Facebook page, "after 16 long and successful seasons, practicing all disciplines, I feel that my body and my mind need a longer rest than usual." The 32-year-old confirmed she intends to decide her future after time away furthering her education and working on commercial activities.

Should the Slovenian star decide to resume her successful career, Maze will do well to match the success of rival Lindsey Vonn's own memorable comeback in 2015.

After missing the majority of the preceding season from injury, the American returned to top the World Cup downhill and super-G standings, finishing third in the overall competition behind Maze and first-place Anna Fenninger. In the process she passed Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proll to become the all-time wins leader in Alpine skiing's most pertinent judge of consistency.

Arguably, the standout performances of Vonn's season were the tying and passing wins 62 and 63 at Cortina d'Ampezzo in mid-January (though the globe-sealing World Cup finals week wins in Meribel run them close). 

Elena Fanchini had delayed the near-inevitable pull of history by taking first in that Thursday's shortened downhill. Vonn responded with aggressive, unabating runs in successive days down the pista Olympia delle Tofane and rightly enjoyed cementing her status at the pinnacle of her sport.

Save for a bronze in the super-G, success would elude Vonn on home snow at the Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships. As frustrating as missing out on victories in front of her compatriots was, the performances of Maze and Fenninger that denied Vonn her opportunities for patriotic celebrations would have been hard to beat even on her best day (though wind conditions at the time of her super-G run did not help).

This successful reintegration back into her sport's top tier came a year after attempts to get fit in time for the Sochi Winter Olympics—following initial, extensive leg injuries at the 2013 Worlds—were aborted after aggravating her knee problems in training and competitive crashes.

Vonn's achievement of getting back to her previous levels should not be underestimated.

French skiers Marion Rolland and Tessa Worley—2013 downhill and giant slalom world champions respectively—joined Vonn on the comeback trail after they too had seen Winter Olympic dreams dashed by injury.

Rolland, 32, was unable to get back to the peak levels so cruelly robbed by her own knee injury. Failing to finish higher than 25th, another injury to the same knee (incidentally on the same day as win 63 for Vonn in Cortina d'Ampezzo) ended her season early. Before the rest of her peers had even concluded their campaigns, the Frenchwoman announced her decision to call time on a lengthy and latterly prosperous career.

Time was not so pressing for Worley, 25, and fortunately so, given her initial struggles in her first races back on the World Cup tour pre-Christmas.

Worley began to find some consistency in her performances in early 2015. At Finals week in Meribel she finished a season-best eighth in her specialty discipline of GS. A sign, she will hope, of regaining her best form.

#FBF incredibly thankful to have comeback after two knee surgeries. Thx @ESPYS for the #bestcomeback nomination! pic.twitter.com/NQ8MwIXzl8

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) July 10, 2015

Vonn could receive further recognition of her own successful return to the spotlight at the 2015 ESPYs this week. She is nominated for the Best Comeback Athlete and Best Female Athlete awards.

Were there an award for Most Dramatic Comeback, or at least the Most Dramatic moment, Vonn would probably not begrudge two of her male peers getting the nod there.

Aksel Lund Svindal and Bode Miller's statuses as two of the sport's biggest names—bundles of World Cup globes and Olympic and Worlds medals between them—meant their absences from the early part of the season and the prospect of their returns in the latter part cast a notable shadow over the speed disciplines they enjoyed so much of their success in.

Miller was expected to make a delayed start once his back problems had been sorted out. (The same was hoped of Erik Guay, too, though unfortunately the Canadian would ultimately miss out altogether.) Svindal recovering sufficient race fitness after rupturing his Achilles tendon in October seemed less likely.

Yet, the Norwegian did just that, joining the American on the list for the start gate of the World Championships super-G. Svindal finished a respectable sixth and while not really coming close to winning gold like in Schladming two years earlier, took sixth in the downhill too.

As for Miller's super-G, as this writer put it for Bleacher Report at the time, "for most of his descent, it looked like being a storybook return, one marked by the thrilling style he has made his trademark." The 37-year-old was in with a chance of taking the lead, albeit probably not by a winnable margin.

With the finish in sight, the excitement of the Beaver Creek crowd was suddenly and harshly tempered by the sight of Miller flung worryingly into the air after hooking a gate. Although fine to get up and ski down to the bottom of the course, the sight of a grisly cut on his leg (later confirmed as a torn hamstring tendon) all but confirmed his season was over before it had really begun.

It is currently unclear if Miller will make a comeback. Results have waned in recent years, but his talent will give him chances to win if the legs are there. Speaking last month, he did not rule out competing partially at least.

"I certainly have the speed still to do it, which is good for me and exciting," the veteran told NBC OlympicTalk's Nick Zaccardi. "But I have some different things going on business-wise that I’m excited about also, that I have to put some priority into. And my family is my top priority."

Should he not return, Miller, like Rolland and Maze, will be missed. Through his own experiences and those of others, he will know only a select few can enjoy comebacks as fruitful as Vonn's.

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Be it the NFL, the English Premier League, NCAA basketball or—in this case—Alpine skiing, the variation in how competitors peak over the course of their respective seasons always makes for fascinating viewing.

The Austrian ski team has provided numerous examples of this leading up to the end of the World Cup season. Indeed, the fortunes of several of its stars during and since the World Championships have come to define the battles for the overall and individual discipline globes.

A year ago, Anna Fenninger used Olympic success (gold in the super-G, silver in the giant slalom) as a springboard for a strong finish leading up to the World Cup. Although she had only won one race prior to Sochi, she had consistently scored enough points to be either in contention or in a lofty position in every event but the slalom.

Placing second in the Crans-Montana downhill and capturing successive giant slalom wins in Are, Sweden, set Fenninger up to win her first overall title. Victory in the latter event was also secured at finals week in Lenzerheide. As was second place in the speed disciplines.

This year, Fenninger's season has run a similar course (except her first win came in October, rather than in December).

It might not have been her plan, given the impressive way she wrapped up proceedings last time. But with Tina Maze revitalised after a quiet World Cup in 2013-14, and the return of Lindsey Vonn from injury, it is better that the Austrian has peaked since February than not at all.

Along with the versatile, former World Cup winner Maze, Fenninger was one of the stars of the World Championships (both won two golds each, Mikaela Shiffrin claimed the last remaining one in slalom). While Maze's form initially stuttered when she failed to finish either of the races at home in Maribor, Fenninger maximised her midseason confidence boost.

The 25-year-old's performance in Bansko showed an athlete at the top of her game. Victory eluded her at Garmisch-Partenkirchen last week, but another two podiums in downhill and super-G kept her in contention to win both events in this year's finals week in Meribel.

Should Fenninger triumph in either (or both), she would confirm herself as the season's best yet again. With Vonn—the all-time leader in World Cup wins—ahead of her in the individual competitions, and Maze topping the overall leaderboard, Fenninger taking home any of the globes would be an extraordinary achievement.

It is perhaps understandable why her focus right now is firmly fixed on the giant slalom, the one table she currently tops. Taking place on Friday the 13th, she will hope luck does not go against her with fellow Austrian Eva-Maria Brem close behind.

"I am focusing on my strengths, this is why I am not going to race slalom [in Are, on Saturday, March 14] next week," Fenninger said in Germany last Sunday, per the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website. "Now I have to train giant slalom in order to show my best skiing and maximise my chances to win the giant slalom globe."

In the men's speed disciplines, Fenninger's compatriot Hannes Reichelt has followed a similar path in terms of turning good, pre-Worlds work into potentially great season-ending rewards.

Reichelt's lack of involvement in technical events made competing for the overall crown a long shot. But consecutive downhill victories at Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Kvitfjell have kept the competition with Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud alive.

Reichelt's super-G hopes are a long shot. The new world champion skied in Norway, as too did Matthias Mayer after he briefly looked to be in contention. Mayer—an Olympic downhill champion himself—had endured an underwhelming year until he raced brilliantly on home snow in Saalbach (see below) and took first place in the weekend's two speed outings.

...Saalbach double #headwhatsyourlimit 😉🎿🏆 http://t.co/nxhN3Nzson

— Matthias Mayer (@matthiasmayer_) February 22, 2015

Jansrud secured his first-ever crystal globe with his super-G victory. The man leading him for overall glory with just over a week to go is the Austrian who has had more success than just about anyone on the tour in 2014-15.

Marcel Hirscher has stood atop the podium in seven of his 16 World Cup races this year. In five more he was on either of the lower steps.

Similarly to a year ago, these results have been spread throughout the campaign, constantly adding to his confidence and piling the pressure on others.

It has not been a perfect season. The men's slalom supremo of the past couple of years has been severely tested by Felix Neureuther and is 66 points behind with two races to go. When he skied in the Worlds edition, he fell dramatically short (while he was unlucky to be beaten by an inspired Ted Ligety in the giant slalom).

Disappointed as Hirscher would be to lose his slalom crown, his performances in said event have been sufficient enough, combined with his superior giant slalom form, to underpin his attempts to keep the big, crystal globe in his trophy cabinet. As for his standout moments, they have been unparalleled.

In Colorado last month, Hirscher did just enough to be in the top 30 for the slalom section of the Alpine combined. He took the lead and held it all the way through.

That was impressive. On March 1, in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen giant slalom, Hirscher produced something truly phenomenal.

A day prior to his 26th birthday, he extended an already handsome first-run lead to beat the second-place Neureuther by over three seconds. His final time of two minutes, 43.23 seconds prompted such responses as this from his rival Jansrud:

So, it seems everyone needs to go home and train some Giant Slalom. Holy Moly @MarcelHirscher that was immense.

— Kjetil Jansrud (@Kjansrud) March 1, 2015

Fenninger, Brem, Reichelt, Hirscher and Kathrin Zettel (who faces an uphill battle to catch Shiffrin in the slalom) will all hope that the Austrian national anthem is played in their honors in Meribel next week.

They have not all gotten to this point in as smooth a manner as their skiing-mad nation would have liked. But each has a chance to win. That, whatever the sport, is the main thing.

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"Comprehensive" might be the best word to describe Mikaela Shiffrin's gold-medal winning performance in the slalom at the World Ski Championships.

It simultaneously delivered on the hopes and expectations put on the hometown favourite at the Vail/Beaver Creek event and also ensured the American's extraordinary record in major events continued. At just 19 years old, she already owns an Olympic gold and two Worlds titles in the discipline (in addition to her ongoing World Cup excellence).

As a participant in a thrilling second run climax which saw her rivals—including World Cup slalom leader Frida Hansdotter—raise the bar, Shiffrin also contributed to a fine day's skiing in its own right.

The winner's story

Still a teenager for a few more weeks, Shiffrin is naturally learning more about her craft with every passing competition. After finishing eighth on Thursday, she noted the work in progress that is her giant slalom skill set.

As for me, my GS skiing is getting closer to what I want, even though sometimes it seems far 😉 #keepworking #longtermgoals

— Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷️ (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 13, 2015

Beyond achieving an even greater level of consistency results-wise, when it comes to slalom, her future will mostly be a case of honing already impeccable aptitude and technique.

Shiffrin's first run in Beaver Creek emphasised the technique part. Second down, she put almost a second into the opening skier Tina Maze. Only the eventual silver and bronze medalists would get within half a second.

It was the two-time World Cup title winner's instincts and hard-learned intuition which came to the fore with the medal on the line later on.

By the first intermediate, Shiffrin had already lost her fractional advantage over the second run leader Hansdotter. She clawed back a hundredth by the next check, but, as far as the clock was concerned, it was still all to do.

The green light and jubilant cheers which greeted Shiffrin crossing the line confirmed her judgement from top to bottom. Careful not to get unwillingly maneuvered by the well-travelled line early on, she sufficiently let loose as the course flattened.

"I was saving energy for the last section, because I knew that a couple girls had struggled in the bottom, right onto the flats, and that's normally where I can carry my speed," Shiffrin confirmed to the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website. "That was my focus of the course. It's not always easy to charge the whole way."

Superb: @MikaelaShiffrin takes gold in #Vail2015 SL with @hajdotter +0.34 & @SarkaStrachova +0.77 behind. pic.twitter.com/eL7ZjGGC68

— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) February 14, 2015

Silver and bronze

Hansdotter raised her arms, but her reaction was comparatively muted compared to those who had previously taken the lead. She knew her name sitting in first place on the leaderboard might be short-lived. Shiffrin was still to come.

Gold was not to be, but the silver Hansdotter took was an upgrade on her bronze from the 2013 Schladming Worlds.

The Swede's performance was in keeping with the consistency which has led her to the top of the World Cup slalom table. She won in Flachau last month and has been on or just off of the podium all season in the discipline.

Shiffrin is hot on her tail, just 41 points behind. Yet, Hansdotter will surely be buoyed by the further evidence of her ability to compete with the young superstar.

Second on this occasion and second in the World Cup last season, perhaps she can make up the difference in the latter competition by next month.

Sarka Strachova allowed herself a slightly more exuberant celebration after she had taken first. Like Hansdotter, though, the Czech skier must have been aware the race was not over.

Nonetheless, in a journey which has taken her from Olympic and World Championships slalom medals (including gold in the latter in 2007) to a year recuperating from brain surgery and back again, she fully understood the need to enjoy the moment.

"Even though I have a bronze medal, it's almost for me a gold because I have worked so hard to get back on the top," Strachova told Reuters' Mark Lamport-Stokes, per Yahoo Sports. 

"I had a really good feeling in training and I did some really good races in the World Cup, but I knew that it would be quite difficult to show this performance in the right moment, in these two minutes today. But I did it and I am really proud."

The target now will be to produce more World Cup performances akin to her second in Kuhtai, Tirol, Austria, from December, and moments akin to this one.

Host nation performances

Paula Moltzan gave the Beaver Creek crowd a compatriot performance to cheer when she took first place. Admittedly, she was the first to ski of the fastest 30, but the 20-year-old knowingly savoured the experience. By the end of proceedings she was a commendable 20th.

Hailey Duke, who, like Strachova, has battled her own health problems, finished eight places behind Moltzan. Megan McJames came 38th, while Resi Stiegler did not start the second run.

Most disappointed

A poor first run from Maria Pietilae-Holmner (Sweden) left her working to to reduce a two second-plus deficit. The winner of the World Cup slalom won bronze at the 2011 World Championships but was way behind in 14th this time.

Two Alpine skiing nation giants suffered a particularly disappointing afternoon. Nicole Hosp and Michaela Kirchgasser of Austria and Switzerland's Michelle Gisin and Wendy Holdener all skied out of the second run.

The disappointment continues for the Italian team. None of its entries could make the top 10.

Underdog tales

Veronika Velez Zuzulova (Slovakia) is an accomplished slalom skier, so she is not an underdog as such. But skiing from 10th, her combined time of 1:39.42 handed her the lead all the way until Strachova, and for a time suggested an upset might be in the cards.

Zuzulova was pumping her fists before she crash-rested into the safety barrier. After taking a moment to regroup, she resumed, much to the pleasure of her fans. Her individual leg time of 48.17 seconds was also faster than each of the eventual top three.

Further down, Charlotte Chable's lead-taking run ensured some cheers for the Swiss. The 20-year-old held it until Pietilae-Holmner replaced her.

There were also good efforts from Finland's Merle Soppela (21st) and Great Britain's Alexandra Tilley (24th).

Next up

The 2015 World Championships concludes with the men's slalom on Sunday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

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It just had to be them. The two men who finished first and second in the last World Ski Championships giant slalom, and who have been the pre-eminent competitors in the discipline since just about the turn of the decade. Who else was going to come between them in Beaver Creek?

Well, actually, there was more to the 2015 edition of the Worlds giant slalom than the duel between American Ted Ligety and Austrian Marcel Hirscher. A closely-contested first run ensured that much.

Nonetheless, the Michael Buffer-style promo used by the BBC show Ski Sunday last week to promote this as the "giant slalom championship of the world" ultimately proved accurate.

It took several minutes for his rival to feel its effect, but Ligety landed the telling punch.

The winner's story

"I'm skiing far worse than I have the last couple of years," Ligety told Eurosport's Kari Anne Saude earlier this week on the Beaver Creek Cafe programme. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I've definitely taken a big step back in my skiing."

The 30-year-old went on to cite a refocusing of elements of his style and less than ideal preparation periods as contributory factors to an underwhelming overall World Cup season by his high standards.

Where Ligety's form remained solid, however, was in his specialty of giant slalom. DNFs and lowly finishes permeated his other results, but in five GS races he finished in the top 10 each time.

Crucially, in December he won his fifth consecutive Beaver Creek GS. If things were not going according to plan in other events and other places, racing on home snow was still reaping rewards.

After respectable but unremarkable cracks at the speed events, Ligety's bronze medal in the Alpine combined reinforced his comfort in the Colorado venue. He took that into his first giant slalom run, recording a respectable time of 1:15.42, which left him within a quarter of a second of Hirscher.

Matts Olsson had just taken the lead when Ligety launched, the fifth-last to go of the fastest 30.

The intermediate times remained green throughout. He got quicker and quicker, and by the time he was done, he had 1.25 seconds on the Swede.

The four runs that followed undoubtedly had Ligety on edge. But he held on, and a raucous U.S. crowd roared its approval at the first American gold of these World Championships. Ligety told the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website:

This is probably one of the most emotional victories, from the standpoint that it's been a tough kind of year. To be able to win in front of a home crowd and have a bunch of friend and family here is super meaningful. And to pull it off with that kind of pressure is always awesome.

Besides cheering the Americans in their home World Championships, Ligety also made some individual history. Most notable, as confirmed by the FIS, was his achievement of becoming "the first man to win the Giant Slalom world title three times following his wins in 2011 and 2013."

Silver and bronze

It remained close, but going by the top half of Hirscher's second run, the possibility of pipping Ligety's excellent time was alive. When the final split clocked last weekend's Alpine combined winner at just -0.08 ahead, we had confirmation we were witnessing the most thrilling concluding moments of these World Championships thus far.

The obvious flip side of being first heading into your final ski is you get the hill a little worse for wear. On another day the dumps and rivets that directed Hirscher marginally off his desired line might not have proven so costly. But Ligety had laid down a gauntlet that required near-perfection to pass.

"I have to say I gave my best," Hirscher said per the FIS website. "I had a pretty awesome run, but Ted's run was definitely outstanding. I don't think I could have skied even one hundredth of a second faster, so to get that silver medal makes me super happy."

With four GS wins to his name and four races to go this season, Hirscher remains in pole position to claim the discipline's World Cup title. For the moment, his attentions will turn to regaining slalom gold at these World Championships.

Amazing @tedligety !!! Formidable @AlexPinturault !!! Wow what a race!!! #weareskiing #itssilver pic.twitter.com/l0zevYv3wZ

— Marcel Hirscher (@MarcelHirscher) February 13, 2015

Third place Alexis Pinturault (France) is also third in the aforementioned World Cup giant slalom hunt. Behind Hirscher by 150 points, it may prove beyond him this season. But the addition of this bronze medal to the one he took at last year's Winter Olympics is a further indication of the outstanding future ahead for this 23-year-old.

In the present, his effort in Beaver Creek was particularly commendable given that he has been ill this week. "After the first run I thought that things were fine again, that I finally had all the power back I needed," Pinturault revealed, again per the FIS.

"The feeling was good. But in the second run, it was much more difficult for me. I was really tired." 

Host nation performances

Ligety was naturally the pick of the bunch for the Americans. Tim Jitloff's ninth place matched his best performance of the season, when he took ninth place in a Beaver Creek giant slalom.

Tommy Ford and Brennan Rubie's respective finishes of 19th and 26th will be encouraging for skiers battling to prove their worth in regards to future World Cup opportunities. David Chodounsky finished 29th ahead of his preferred slalom event this weekend.

Most disappointed

Austrian Benjamin Raich was first out of the starting gate and the first of a clutch of top skiers not to finish the day with a position after getting caught out by the deceptive challenges laid out in the first run. He was joined by French pair Thomas Fanara and Mathieu Faivre, Norway's Leif Kristian Haugen and Sweden's Andre Myhrer (plus a few others).

Of those who did finish, Germany's Fritz Dopfer will be hugely frustrated with a first run that left him down in 16th. A perennial top 10 placer on the World Cup tour, he manged to move up just one position.

Italy's Roberto Nani recorded a more than respectable sixth place, but will have to hope for a medal given that he was second-last to ski.

Underdog tales

Then again, Nani and his compatriot Florian Eisath (who ended up in eighth) should be pleased with showings that helped rescue some pride in a miserable World Championships for the Italians. Not quite underdogs, they certainly had some momentum against them.

Olsson's fifth place and Philipp Schoerghofer's (Austria) 10th fit the underdog description a little better. So too does the strong showings of the buoyant Canadian team, led by Dustin Cook in 12th and Trevor Philp in 18th (after a starting bib of 38).

Next up

The World Championships conclude with the women's slalom on Saturday and the men's turn on Sunday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

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This was the last hurrah for some; for others it was the start of their World Ski Championships. Whatever direction the women were heading in at the crossroad of the giant slalom, they left their mark in an entertaining penultimate race.

Let's get on with the talking points, then. We begin with an extraordinary gold medal performance.

The winner's story

Austria's Anna Fenninger has peaked in spectacular fashion over the last fortnight in Vail/Beaver Creek.

A steadily improving season in the World Cup suggested such a return was possible. But three medals from four races amid such close competition might have even caught Fenninger by surprise. 

Then again, such is the confidence with which she has skied. It has taken similarly extraordinary performances to match her, let alone beat her.

After gold in the super-G and silver in the downhill (she narrowly missed out on the podium in Alpine combined), the giant slalom was arguably her best event at these World Championships.

If nobody preceding Fenninger in the first run had set things alight with their time, those of the other in-form woman in America, Slovenian Tina Maze (1:10.08) and then Sweden's Jessica Lindell-Vikarby (1:09.88) were solid enough markers.

The Austrian proceeded to all but blow them away as she crossed the line with an advantage of 0.90 seconds. Only her compatriot Michaela Kirchgasser would get within a second thereafter.

Concluding the fastest 30, an unexpected moment of drama occurred midway down Fenninger's second run. She appeared to have lost control as her skis drifted dangerously far apart exiting a turn.

"I had a big mistake and I knew it cost me a lot of time so I had to risk everything at the bottom of the course," she said of her thoughts having settled down, per the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website. "When I crossed the finish line and saw the result, it was unbelievable."

Her "risky" recovery method paid off. Fenninger was almost a second and a half ahead of second place.

Silver and bronze

The aforementioned second place was confirmed as Viktoria Rebensburg's. The German, 11th after her first run, proceeded to enjoy one of the best of the deciding descents.

After going ahead of previous leader Kathrin Zettel by 0.75 seconds, she would hold first place all the way until Fenninger came down. In the process, she beat Maze and Kirchgasser and held on, despite a close call from Tina Weirather (Liechtenstein).

Rebensburg veered between relief and delight in the finishing area with each passing confirmation of her remaining place among the medals.

A former World Cup title holder and Olympic champion in giant slalom, Rebensburg's best work this season has come in downhill. Here, the 25-year-old served a potent reminder of her class in GS.

Wohooooo💪😄😎 what a race! Thanks to the whole Team for winning SILVER🏆 pic.twitter.com/FFWnwHVLyl

— Viktoria Rebensburg (@V_Rebensburg) February 12, 2015

The technical discipline is also the specialty of the earlier-mentioned Lindell-Vikarby.

Last year the Swede was within touching distance of winning the World Cup globe for the event. A strong season, which included a win in Beaver Creek, ended in disappointment as Fenninger edged her by just 26 points.

The four GS races held this season (none since the New Year) had seen Lindell-Vikarby struggle. Save for seventh place on home snow in Are, the 31-year-old had not come close to recording a victory.

One of the pluses of a prestigious standalone event like the World Championships is the fresh start it can offer a sportsperson. Lindell-Vikarby grasped it firmly in America, perhaps boosted by memories of her previous success at the venue.

Her first run gave her the lead for a couple of minutes. While she could not reclaim it, her concluding time of 2:30.65 earned her a season-salvaging bronze medal and a career highlight.

"I’m really happy," Lindell-Vikarby told the FIS website. "I’ve tried for this seven times at the World Championships and three times at the Olympics to get a medal, so I’m really pleased with how things worked out today."

Host nation performances

A first World Cup GS win earlier this season had raised hopes of a medal, but it was not to be for home favourite Mikaela Shiffrin in her first individual event of the Worlds.

Her first run left her outside of the top 10. She was up to eighth by the end of the day's action, though, and will hope the exercise aided her preparation for Saturday's slalom.

In her final race of the fortnight in Colorado, Lindsey Vonn was unable to add to her super-G bronze. A much-improved second run eventually saw her finish 14th. She also temporarily held the lead, allowing the crowd in the Red Tail Stadium to cheer on the superstar for a short while at least.

Fought hard today in my first GS race in 2 years. Made a big mistake first run but really happy to… http://t.co/NERWHTqDPx

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) February 12, 2015

Elsewhere, Julia Mancuso finished 26th and Megan McJames finished 34th.

Most disappointed

Maze will not leave these World Championships having taken a medal in every event. Three is still excellent, though, and she has a chance to add a fourth in the slalom.

Former giant slalom silver medalist Maria Pietilae-Holmner (Sweden) probably hoped to do better than ninth; but like the Slovenian and Shiffrin, she will now target Saturday.

Tessa Worley was unable to defend her GS title and will be disappointed not to have performed slightly better in her first run. Nonetheless, it was her second-best result since returning from injury and might propel her to a bright end to the season.

Underdog tales

Overlapping with the previous section is Marta Bassino. Eighth after her superb first run, the 18-year-old was in prime position to record a result to brighten an otherwise bleak World Championships for the Italian team (thus far at least).

Alas, she went down after the second intermediate and was denied the chance. Still, Bassino should be one to look out for in the future.

Two young Canadian hopefuls were able to finish. Mikaela Tommy, 19, finished in 22nd. Part of the country's surprise silver-medal quartet in the team event, Candace Crawford, 20, took 29th.

Next up

The men race  on giant slalom on Friday. The World Championships concludes for the women with Saturday's slalom.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

Men's downhill day at the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships was an enjoyable one for the Swiss and the Americans.

The former's Patrick Kueng and Beat Feuz raced into first and third, respectively. Making up for a disappointing two days for the home crowd, Travis Ganong secured silver while Steven Nyman recorded a respectable fourth-place finish.

The wait for confirmation of their results was not without a few heart-stopping moments, though, as a few of the late starters threatened to upset the main men.

The winner's story

The highs of Kueng's 2013-14 season were considerable, to say the least.

The first win of his career, which happened to come at Beaver Creek, helped him move into third in the final World Cup super-G standings. The second came in his native Switzerland, on Wengen's famous Lauberhorn downhill.

After a comparatively quieter early phase to the season, it was there this year where Kueng's performance proposed the possibility he might have one or two such results in him before all was said and done. Such a feeling was not going to originate from his form in America—he failed to finish both speed events held there last December.

The 31-year-old got everything right this time at the Colorado venue. He got faster between the first two splits and then upped his speed just enough to push ahead of his compatriot Feuz. His final time was clocked at one minute, 43.18 seconds.

Kueng's face at the end was a picture of delight and disbelief. By the time he was united with his fellow podium-placers, though, he was understandably satisfied by one of the most comprehensive performances of his career.

Silver and bronze

A good day for the Swiss was already in the offing thanks to Feuz.

Carlo Janka held the lead earlier in the day for the the European nation only to be overtaken by French super-G bronze medalist Adrien Theaux and Nyman.

Feuz (who finished second in the aforementioned Wengen downhill) was in bib No. 15, and halfway down his run, it looked like the lead would stay with the American. He went back and forth on the remaining time checks as the Beaver Creek crowd waited nervously.

The red lights finally gave way to green as he crossed the line with an advantage of 0.03 seconds. Favourites such as Dominik Paris, Kjetil Jansrud and Hannes Reichelt were still to come, but Feuz was understandably pleased. During his celebration, he pulled off a kick-flip of his ski, the kind synonymous with Swiss great Didier Cuche, who was watching on in his capacity as a television analyst for Eurosport.

yeeeeahhhh 🍺🏆 http://t.co/Q4ULjDA9Rj

— Beat Feuz (@BeatFeuz) February 7, 2015

The American crowd's disappointment proved relatively short-lived, however.

Wow! @usskiteam @TravisGanong is our new 2nd place finisher in Men's Downhill! And the crowd goes wild!!! pic.twitter.com/xIfxmHoGFe

— Xfinity Birds of Prey (@bcworldcup) February 7, 2015

Ganong, a World Cup downhill winner this season in Santa Caterina, had naturally pinpointed these World Championships as a target.

"I really want to peak for World Champs," the 26-year-old told USA Today's Brian Pinelli in Italy back in December, "that's the one race this year that I want to be ready for, so it's all just building to there."

Ready Ganong was. He started strongly, and while he slowed fractionally further down the hill, he still did enough to ski into second. Speaking post-race, per the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website, he was pleased, to say the least:

"It’s a very good day. I just turned my brain off put a smile on my face, had some fun and made some good turns. It was almost a perfect run, but it’s definitely the perfect day."

Host nation performances

Ganong and Nyman's good performances were the headline results of a positive day for the U.S. ski team, but there was plenty to cheer about for their other two representatives.

Jared Goldberg started the day's competition in good style and held his lead until Janka skied down. Particularly exciting was the much-anticipated run of Andrew Weibrecht.

Known as the Warhorse, Weibrecht picked up bronze and silver super-G medals in Vancouver and Sochi, respectively, and earned him a reputation as a big-stage performer.

On home snow, he was in touching distance right until the end, only to lose time on the final turns. Still, eighth place was no disgrace for the man with the equine nickname (a less catchy title).

Most disappointed

Italy's Paris finished outside of the top 10 in the super-G but struggled even more in the downhill. Second in the discipline's World Cup standings, he finished a lowly 23rd.

It was a bad day for the Italians altogether, as their 63-year wait for a downhill winner continued. As noted by FIS, the last to claim first place in the event was Zeno Colo, winner in 1950 and 1952.

Christof Innerhofer's inconsistent season continued, as he finished a place below Paris. From a starting position of eighth, Werner Heel ended up 32nd, while Matteo Marsaglia finished in 28th.

Underdog tales

Despite enjoying a decent season, Ondrej Bank (Czech Republic) was not expected to trouble those in the podium places with a starting bib of 29. He came close to causing an upset and finished seventh.

Another mention for Aksel Lund Svindal is warranted. In the Norweigian's second race back from injury, he skied himself into another sixth-place finish following Wednesday's super-G. That "underdog" status is gone from now on, though.

Next up

Attentions turn to the Alpine combined events now. The men are back out on Sunday, while the women will take their turn on Monday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

Follow @Tom__C

First and second in Tuesday's super-G, the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships women's downhill saw Anna Fenninger and Tina Maze swap places in an enthralling contest. The latter pipped the Austrian to gold by just minus-0.02 seconds, claiming her fourth victory in what is proving a great season for the Slovenian.

Home favourite and World Cup downhill leader Lindsey Vonn was unable to build on her bronze earlier this week. A disappointing run saw her finish fifth.

The winner's story

Maze was level with Fenninger after the second intermediate. Four had come and gone since the latter had taken the lead, and it would have been no disgrace to have slipped away too.

Instead, the middle section of the 31-year-old's run moved her back ahead. She kept it up, quickly recovered from a late slant outside the line, and finished with a time of 1:45.89.

Maze's jubilant reactions were justified. The eighth World Championships medal of her increasingly storied career also meant she became the first Slovenian to win a downhill gold at the event, per the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website.

There have been hiccups along the way for the multi-time Olympic medalist and World Cup title winner. Following her brilliant 2013 season when she dominated in the latter and shone in the Schladming Worlds too, coaching changes in Maze's camp contributed to an underwhelming start to her season before things settled down for Sochi.

Maze's downhill and giant slalom successes in Russia firmly got her back on track. Her momentum has been reignited this year, and the possibility of where Maze might proceed from here excites further.

She leads the World Cup overall standings and is not out of reach in the individual disciplines either. The prospect of adding to her medal count in Beaver Creek is very real too.

Results are confirmed. #vail2015 Ladies Downhill goes to 1) @TinaMaze 2) @annafenninger 3) @Laragut pic.twitter.com/irfd8HZ0qa

— Xfinity Birds of Prey (@bcworldcup) February 6, 2015

Silver and bronze

"It’s a nice battle between Anna and I, it makes it fun for us," Maze said post-race, via the FIS website. "The course, even though it was warm was perfect, the snow was hard and it made it really nice to ski here today."

It was certainly fun for the rest of us too.

Super-G gold medalist Fenninger raced with the relaxed air of a woman who knew her World Championships were already a success. After 11 competitors had tried and failed to beat Nicole Schmidhofer's time of 1:46.92, her confident compatriot's minus-1.01 advantage suggested they might have been overhauled regardless.

The 25-year-old's initial reaction was more measured than three days prior, but after a couple of seconds she allowed herself to enjoy the moment more loudly. While it turned out to be silver not gold, the personal satisfaction over her effort made it almost as good.

"I’m really happy about my performance, it was a really good run," the Austrian confirmed, per the FIS. "It was emotional in the finish and then another emotion when Tina came down. It goes in circles, in the super-G we were reversed for gold and silver, but I am still happy with my silver."

Three down after Fenninger, Lara Gut's low-key acknowledgement of her own finishing time—which temporarily put her in second—was in recognition of those still to follow. In her mind a couple of mistakes had cost her gold and possibly a podium spot. The Swiss demands plenty of herself and was clearly disappointed.

In Sochi, Gut was more gutted than most would have been to secure an Olympic silver medal. The realisation of her achievement soon hit home, however, and you suspect the 23-year-old will eventually get some enjoyment out of her strong showing in America.

Host nation performances

Vonn was the last to go of the main favourites. The bar had been set high by Fenninger and then Maze, but two time checks down, she was in the lead.

Despite her clear determination, the American's run lost its way from there. She fought hard and regained a fraction, but the damage was done on a day where near-perfection was ultimately required.

Fifth place was decent enough by most standards and was certainly the pick of the U.S. team's results.

Julia Mancuso and Laurenne Ross finished 16th and 17th, respectively. Stacey Cook skied to the fastest time in Monday's downhill training but could only finish 19th.

Most disappointed

Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg notched her eighth top-10 finish in a speed event this season but will have hoped for better than 10th, plus-1.35 down. After an inconsistent opening couple of months, Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather had begun 2015 brightly but could only manage 11th. Her disappointment was clear at the finish line.

Marie Jay Marchand-Arvier (France) and Valerie Grenier (Canada) were the only two unable to finish on Friday.

Underdog tales

She was unable to match her downhill third in St. Moritz, but Edit Miklos' (Hungary) third top-20 finish of the season was decent. Further up, Schmidhofer's fourth was her best result of 2014-15 by some way.

Nadja Jnglin-Kamer (Switzerland) is not seen to often within reach of a podium place, but she followed up her fourth place at the 2013 Worlds downhill with an impressive seventh. Off the back of good work in St. Moritz too, the 28-year-old will hope a strong finish to the season is in the offing.

Next up

The men take on the downhill on Saturday. The women are back in action on Monday with the Alpine combined.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

Follow @Tom__C

Hannes Reichelt made it two gold medals in a row in the super-G for the Austrian team at the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships. His first place in the postponed men's race followed on from Anna Fenninger's success two days earlier.

It took until the final day of the Schladming-hosted fortnight two years ago for the fervent ski nation to win an individual gold, when Marcel Hirscher salvaged national pride in the slalom (they had finished first in the team event). Much will still be expected of the Austrians, but for now they can savour the best possible start to this year's edition.

The weather had settled on Thursday after heavy snow and strong winds had delayed the men's super-G turn. On a stunning day in Beaver Creek, there certainly proved to be more to talk about than the conditions. We start off, though, with Reichelt.

The winner's story

One of the veteran's of the World Cup circuit, 34-year-old Reichelt has shown his fellow male Austrian speed skiers—largely underachieving this season by their country's high, if not always fair standards—how it is done.

He set a marker for this week's performance when he won the Beaver Creek World Cup super-G in early December. It did not guarantee a repeat (on Tuesday, Switzerland's Lara Gut was unable to follow up her win in the same discipline from the last time the women raced the venue in late 2013), but it evidently proved a useful enough confidence boost for his return to America.

A disappointing showing back home in Kitzbuhel last time out followed Reichelt's victory in the classic Wengen downhill the previous weekend. It reiterated his inconsistency this season, but also proved what he is capable of, too.

That was seen with a run down the Birds of Prey course which got faster with each intermediate check. When he crossed the finish line, his time of 1:15.68 was 0.24 seconds faster than previous leader, Frenchman Adrien Theaux.

The World Cup super-G top two, Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud (battered and bruised by his descent) and Italian Dominik Paris followed to no avail. Ted Ligety (USA) finished a respectable ninth, but was +0.70 away from remaining World Champion in the discipline.

This was to be Reichelt's day.

"It sounds really good to be called a World Champion," Reichelt told the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website. "I felt a lot of pressure, not from the outside, but I put a lot of pressure on myself because I wanted to repeat what I did in December at the World Cup, so now I am happy to be able to relax a bit."

If he can find a little longed-for consistency, he might star in Saturday's downhill, too.

Silver and bronze

None of the aforementioned skiers would get their hands on silver. That honour went to Canada's Dustin Cook.

Just a few days shy of his 26th birthday, Cook has enjoyed a breakthrough year on the World Cup circuit.

The super-G has been where his best results have come, too. He finished 12th at Val Gardena/Groeden and also Beaver Creek.

His tremendous Worlds run of 1:15.79 this week—a scintillating effort which further captivated with each encouraging time check—does not feel quite as surprising once you realise his clear fondness for the venue. "Beaver Creek is my personal favourite," he notes in a biography on his official website. "Amazingly fun track, best snow anywhere in the world, and it’s in North America."

That preference will only be reinforced now.

Theaux might come to love the Colorado resort after his bronze medal performance, the best one of a season which had not previously provided a single podium place.

Heck, a top-10 finish was proving elusive prior to January. Fourth in the Kitzbuhel super-G has proved to be more than just a momentary renaissance. He will be keen to finish the 2014-15 season on a high.

Host nation performances

Ligety finished ninth, Steven Nyman and Andrew Weibrecht were joint 20th. Excuse the hurry to get beyond these solid results, but the lead U.S. storyline of the day occurred before any of them left the start hut.

Bode Miller was not the first American to take his turn, but with due respect to Travis Ganong (the third skier out, DNF), he was the one most were especially eager to see.

A solid run in Tuesday's downhill training had confirmed Miller's readiness for his first race of a season disrupted by back problems—and surgery required to correct them. For most of his descent, it looked like being a storybook return, one marked by the thrilling style he has made his trademark.

The 37-year-old was up as much 0.56 seconds on then-leader Georg Streitberger (Austria). After the third intermediate, he still retained a -0.12 advantage as a frenzied home crowd roared in anticipation of his glorious arrival.

Miller's subsequent hook of a gate and dramatic flip through the air was a frightening, heartbreaking end to his comeback attempt. He got up and skied down to the bottom where he was greeted warmly, but where the realisation of a deep cut on his right leg did not bode well.

At the time of writing, his status for the remainder of the World Championships was unclear.

Most disappointed

Miller would certainly feature in this category for how close he came to possibly taking such a crowd-pleasing lead, though certainly not for his overall effort.

The earlier mentioned Jansrud and, especially, Paris will be gutted not to have done better given their strong form this season. Manuel Osborne-Paradis's DNF was a blow individually, albeit one lessened for the Canadian team by Cook's silver.

Underdog tales

We have already discussed Cook, but a mention for Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal is a must here.

Underdog might be stretching it for a former Olympic champion and multi-time World Cup title holder in super-G. Given it was his first race back since recovering from the ruptured Achilles tendon which had threatened to end his season before it begun, sixth place at the World Championships is very impressive (he also briefly held the lead).

Norway's @akselsvindal making a comeback at today's #Vail2015 Super-G - he just took the top spot on the podium!

— Xfinity Birds of Prey (@bcworldcup) February 5, 2015

Elsewhere, to a World Cup regular, Svindal's compatriot Aleksander Aamodt Kilde recorded a respectable 19th. Russian Pavel Trikhichev's 31st with a bib number of 48 was not too shabby either.

Next up...

The women take on the downhill on Friday before the men get their turn on Saturday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS.

Follow @Tom__C

Almost a year on from winning the discipline's gold in Sochi, Anna Fenninger won the super-G to take the first gold medal of the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships. As noted on the International Ski Federation's (FIS) website, the Austrian's feat made her the first woman to do so back-to-back after becoming an Olympic champion.

Windy conditions high up the Beaver Creek course meant the race was shortened with subsequent interruptions causing problems throughout. The first 10 down the hill suffered more than those who immediately followed, resulting in a comparatively smoother time of things for most of the favourites.

The winner's story

Fenninger's super-G success will be a timely tonic for a season lighter in victories than the reigning World Cup giant slalom and overall title holder might have hoped. After splitting first place in the 2014-15 opening GS in Solden with Mikaela Shiffrin, the 25-year-old took time settling into a groove in the new campaign.

Two podium places over Christmas (including in the Val d'Isere super-G) ended Fenninger's slump before 2015 kicked into gear mid-January with three consecutive second-place finishes (two in super-G, one in downhill). Baring a resemblance to the gathering momentum which also preceded her strong Winter Olympics in Russia, she turned her encouraging form into a season-best performance on Tuesday.

Fenninger stayed on the right side of the splits throughout her run, finishing with a time of 1:10.29, 0.03 seconds ahead of Tina Maze. Only the Slovenian looked as (relatively) comfortable as Fenninger had, but the latter skier's advantage on the third time check suggested she had done enough.

So it proved, and after a moment's wait having crossed the line, an ecstatic Fenninger dropped to the snow in disbelief as she realised the reward for her effort.

"I only watched about the fist 10 racers," Fenninger said post-race, via the FIS official website. "I didn’t know what Lindsey [Vonn] or Tina or any of the others had done, I just focused on me and what I had to do and it worked."

Her World Championships are already a success, but she will undoubtedly be keen for more.

Silver and bronze

Maze has enjoyed a good relationship with the Worlds, winning six medals (four silver and two gold) since 2009. She added a seventh with another silver on Tuesday, the latest impressive result in a busy season for the 31-year-old.

The versatile Maze has a 184-point advantage over Fenninger in her hunt for a second overall World Cup title. While likely disappointed to not secure a first win since mid-December to augment that major target, the patriotic Slovenian has represented her country well in Colorado.

I'm proud to be who I AM!Tomorrow is the first race of #beavercreek2015.I'll be racing with Slovenian anthem...❤️ pic.twitter.com/dh7DjJ5GJa

— Tina Maze (@TinaMaze) February 3, 2015

Not that it should or will concern her, but Maze did not endear herself to the American crowds by passing home-favourite Lindsey Vonn into temporary first place. The US star—fresh from breaking the record for most World Cup wins last month—was the 18th down the Raptor course and was among the latter 10 to catch the worst of the wind.

Vonn turned the red lights into green over the final 20 seconds to go ahead of previous leader Cornelia Huetter (Austria) with a time of 1:10.44. The initial speed lost proved costly as regards to gold, though she was pleased with her bronze medal, a far nicer souvenir than the season-ending injuries she suffered in the same event two years ago.

"I'm hopeful that for Friday, it's supposed to be good weather," Vonn told The Denver Post's John Meyer, reflecting on her wind-affected start. "I just want a fair race and another chance to get on the podium."

Host nation performances

Vonn was joined in the top-10 by the former super-G World Championships bronze and silver medalist Julia Mancuso. The other home-nation skiers competing, Stacey Cook and Laurenne Ross, finished 13th and 15th, respectively.

Most disappointed

Although proficient in the downhill and GS too, super-G has been Lara Gut's most productive discipline in her young career. The World Cup title holder still has a chance of repeating there, but will have to wait another two years to repeat or improve on her World Championships silver from Schladming in 2013. A winner in the downhill as recently as a fortnight ago (in St. Moritz), expect to see Gut highly motivated on Friday.

The Swiss' seventh will be preferable to the did not finishes suffered by Austrian hopefuls Nicole Hosp and Elisabeth Goergl (and five of the other competitors). The latter was in contention to go ahead of Maze before she missed a gate at almost the same point as her compatriot.

Underdog tales

No. 29 to head down the mountain, Germany's Veronique Hronek finished an impressive 11th to record her best result of the season. Eighteen-year-old Valerie Grenier's 19th from her starting spot of 26 meant she was the best of the Canadian team.

Official #vail2015 Ladies' Super G results are posted. Men's DH training Day 1 is next! pic.twitter.com/Qcp63SgR3Z

— Xfinity Birds of Prey (@bcworldcup) February 3, 2015

Next up...

Weather permitting, the men race their super-G on Wednesday. The women take on the downhill this Friday.

World Championships results and leaderboard information confirmed via the FIS. Follow @Tom__C

Mother Nature was close to her most temperamental, ski race organiser-baiting, wintry worst across Europe's mountains last weekend (January 16-19). Yet despite some forced rescheduling, the latest round of World Cup skiing managed to take place, and thank goodness it did.

The action in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Wengen, for the women and men respectively, captivated in its own right and also set the scene for a crucial few weeks in the hunt for honours this season.

Coupled with this weekend's latest World Cup races in St. Moritz and Kitzbuhel, it was essentially part one of two in a tradition-laden precursor to February's World Championships (with next Tuesday's night slalom in Schladming the appendix). The stories told had value as standalone tales, but they were naturally also part of varied grander narratives.

For Elena Fanchini and Carlo Janka, it was about the joy of experiencing long-awaited victories in front of compatriot crowds.

The Friday downhill course in the Dolomites resort was shortened for Fanchini and the other female skiers, leaving it just over the one minute limit for the discipline. Undermined by troublesome visibility and with less time to work with, some struggled to build up sufficient speed.

For Fanchini it was made to measure. Not only did she produce a season best performance, she also skied her strongest run in almost a decade.

"I have been through so many injuries in my career," she reflected on a period which extended back to her last win at Lake Louise, per the official FIS website. "My knees and my shoulders got hurt, but I am so passionate about the sport that it was impossible for me to even think to stop at any stage."

Janka's wait was not so long, but would have felt just as arduous for him.

Heart surgery in 2011 came at a point when the then-24-year-old could do little wrong in his career. A world champion and Olympic gold medalist in giant slalom already, he would go on to win his fourth World Cup race in the event just weeks after the operation to correct his irregular heartbeat.

A barren period followed for the Swiss star—no wins in four years, no podium places for two. Just how problematic his heart issue was here will only be truly known to him. But after he took the Wengen Alpine combined on the same day as Fanchini's own hoodoo-breaking success further south, Janka, still a youthful 28, revealed his intention to push on again.

"To be back on the podium, to be on the top of the podium after a long time, it means a lot to me," said Janka, per the FIS website. "When everything is working well, anything is possible. That happened today, so I’m looking forward to Sunday’s downhill because my confidence is good now."

It's a home victory for @carlo_janka ahead of @vmuffatjeandet and @ivicakostelic in the @WeltcupWengen AC ! pic.twitter.com/tajm5iCswV

— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) January 16, 2015

Janka did indeed please home fans further with a respectable third on the Lauberhorn. He and Fanchini are proof even those not in great form can pull one out of the bag. A timely reminder ahead of this week's big races, not to mention the upcoming opportunities to claim those much-desired metallic accessories at the Beaver Creek Worlds.

The weekend's other success stories captured great individual moments, too, notably in regards to two skiers' legacies.

Winning on the daunting Hahnenkamm in 2014, Hannes Reichelt added the Wengen downhill to his classics set when he narrowly pipped the Swiss pair of Beat Feuz and Janka. Over in Italy, Lindsey Vonn took World Cup wins number 62 and 63 in the rescheduled Cortina second downhill (full-length) and super G. Her dominant showings on the Olympia delle Tofane course saw her equal, then move ahead of Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proll in the all-time records.

Aaaaaahhhhhh I did it!!! Today was awesome! #sohappy #win62 http://t.co/YWFUy5qWz9

— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) January 18, 2015

As far as the present is concerned, their victories had potentially exciting ramifications, too.

Reichelt's win not only put him in a good frame of mine ahead of an attempted repeat on home snow at Kitzbuhel, it put the Austrian just over 100 points shy of Kjetil Jansrud in the World Cup downhill standings. The Norwegian—who finished fifth in Switzerland—will be keen to rebound after he finished off the podium in his last two downhill races.

The women's overall title is Tina Maze's to lose (she is 331 points ahead of second-place, defending-winner Anna Fenninger), but with a downhill and super G this weekend in St. Moritz, Vonn is in a good position to strike in the hunt for individual titles in the speed disciplines.

Maze and 2015's bright starters Viktoria Rebensburg and the aforementioned Fanchini will be keen to pull the American back in the former. In the latter, Vonn is chasing Fenninger and the reigning super G title-holder Lara Gut.

In the men's slalom in Wengen (moved to the Saturday to allow the downhill the more suitable Sunday date) a surprise twist occurred last weekend when Marcel Hirscher straddled in his first run. Without the Austrian—who leads the men's overall and GS standings—to contend with, Felix Neureuther recorded his second win of 2014-15 to move ahead in the slalom table.

With two slaloms scheduled in Austria in the next five days, there is scope for Neureuther to drive on forward towards a first slalom title, or for the competition to tighten further.

World Cup points, potential victories and the final competitive opportunities to build form for the World Championships—Mother Nature permitting, this weekend should be another good one.

Follow @Tom__C