BEAVER CREEK, Colo. - Different day. Same story. Memory fading. Just one year ago, Norwegian downhiller Aksel Lund Svindal flew off this Birds of Prey course in a helicopter, so seriously injured after a training crash that his season was over.

Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, takes to the air during the men's World Cup Super G ski race at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Saturday, Dec, 6, 2008. Svindal won the race. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow)

But in yesterday's super-G, as in Friday's downhill, Svindal was flying again, winning his second race in two days and putting to rest the memory that haunted him for so many months since the crash.

Svindal's winning time down a winding, steep course of 36 high-speed gates was 1 minute 13.05 seconds, just ahead of Austrians Hermann Maier (1:13.50) and Michael Walchhofer (1:13.63).

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal smiles after winning the men's World Cup Super G ski race at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Saturday, Dec, 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Also for the second day, Bode Miller supplied the thrills - and spills. After crashing in the downhill Friday, Miller powered into a lefthand turn down the pitch yesterday, lost his edge, and slid down on his right hip.

He recovered, but he was late setting up for the next righthand turn and he slipped down on his left hip, finishing the race, by some Miller magic, in 14th place.

"I just got caught a little on soft snow on the top," Miller said. "When you make a little mistake on that kind of snow, it can take you out."

Ted Ligety (seventh) had the best US finish of the day, tied with Austria's Ben Raich.

Ligety, though an Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion, has always struggled with super-G. Thus, his starting bib was a lowly 32, and yet Ligety quickly found the rhythm of the course for a career best super-G finish.

"This was really a good hill for me," said Ligety, a technical specialist who worked on his speed events last summer. "The hill is steep and has terrain all the way down. I feel I had a really nice rhythm, and the snow is really good. It should be awesome snow for the [giant slalom today]."

The real show of the day was the comeback duel between Norway and Austria - two national teams that have always been natural rivals, though Norway's stars have now retired.

Svindal grew up racing in the shadow of Norwegian legends Kjetil Andre Aamodt, Ole Christian Furuseth, and Lasse Kjus.

But he also remembers the great Hermanator from Austria and how as a youngster, he first beat Maier in a giant slalom.

"It was amazing to just to be on the same podium with him. And it still is. "He's one of the greatest ski racers in history."

Hermann Maier of Austria, skis during the men's World Cup Super G ski race at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Saturday, Dec, 6, 2008. Maier finished second in the race. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow)

Svindal said he dealt with fears about returning to the scene of his devastating crash by working his training schedule as hard as he could.

"That's the only thing I could really control," he said. "How much I trained. Because a skier gets better by how much he skis. That's really the only way. So I came in here prepared to race well, but I never expected to win one race, let alone both of them."

Maier revealed that he had considered retiring after last season. But then in the summer, he said, he began hard workouts.

"I was training very hard in the summertime," he said. "And I began biking and running hard, and some of my muscles that were asleep waked up."

But a disk problem nearly convinced Maier to skip the North American tour, one that resulted in a first-place finish at Whistler last week, and a second yesterday.

"I was sure after last season I would stop my career, but now . . . I can just try to win races and not worry about overall [World Cup].

"I can enjoy each race. I found it much more possible after I had good training."

Austria's Hermann Maier celebrates his second place finish in the men's World Cup Super G ski race at Beaver Creek, Colo., on Saturday, Dec, 6, 2008. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

Maier said he is not sure whether he will train for next year's Olympics in Vancouver.

"Now that I can have good training, maybe I have all possibilities again."

Today's final action on Birds of Prey features two runs of the giant slalom.

By Tony Chamberlain
Globe Newspaper Correspondent
December 7, 2008

Svindal completes double at Beaver Creek

BEAVER CREEK, Colorado (AP) -- Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway won Saturday's super-G on the Birds of Prey course to add to the downhill title he captured on the previous day.

Svindal claimed victory in an time of one minute, 13.05 seconds at Beaver Creek. Austria's Hermann Maier was 0.45 seconds behind in second place with his compatriot Michael Walchhofer back in third.

Svindal overcame nerves and anxiety to win the downhill on Friday, a year after a horrific crash on the same course forced him to miss the remainder of the season.

The American challenge was led by Ted Ligety, who finished seventh.

Meanwhile, home favorite Bode Miller wound up in 14th place, an impressive showing considering he went down on his side early in the run before righting himself in time to make a gate and remain on the course.

Svindal began the day sharing the overall World Cup lead with Swiss rival Daniel Albrecht on 185 points -- but seized sole possession of the lead by adding another 100 to his total.

"I'm not worried about the overall standings," Svindal said."It's very good to be on top early in the season. If I begin at the top, it will save me a lot of energy. I had a good day on a very tough course."

Maier, who turns 36 on Sunday, kept his place on top of the Super-G standings after winning last week's opening race of the season at Lake Louise, Canada.

Cornel Zueger of Switzerland provided the day's scariest moment, flying out of control after going over a jump. He landed on his head before tumbling down the mountain, an advertising fence stopping his fall.

Zueger had cuts on his face and briefly sat up before being put in a sled and taken down the mountain. He was taken to a hospital for observation.

The Associated Press
December 7, 2008

Weather wipes out ladies race

LAKE LOUISE -- For the first time since 1995, organizers were forced to cancel a World Cup downhill race here yesterday.

After twice delaying the start of the race due to high winds, steady snowfall and poor visibility, International Ski Federation officials finally announced just before 2 p.m. that the race originally schedule for 12:30 wouldn't go.

"The track itself was in great shape but what we didn't have under control was the weather," said Chief of Race Jim Brewington.

"The upper part of the course the wind was extremely gusty at times. The conditions were too variable."

Volunteers had worked on the course since midnight and did well to clear dangerous snow from the sides of the course, but the weather made it unsafe.

"Waiting was frustrating," said Kitchener, Ont. native Kelly VanderBeek.

"But every time they decide to go with safety over trying to risk it it's the right decision. You can't really argue with it, but it's always hard to not race, they work so hard."

Despite the fact volunteers have pulled off minor miracles over the years to ensure races got off, Brewington wasn't all that optimistic things would be different for today's super-G, slated for 11 a.m.

"We've had difficulties with the forecast and at this point conditions aren't supposed to be dissimilar from what they are today," he said.

By ERIC FRANCIS, SUN MEDIA
Sun, December 7, 2008