ALPINE SKI WORLD CUP. With several big players returning from injury, a slew of equipment changes and Olympic stars aiming to uphold their glory, the 2010-2011 FIS Audi Alpine World Cup season is poised to be an exciting ride.

U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn smiles during a press conference in Soelden, Austria, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010. The alpine skiing World Cup season starts at the upcoming weekend with a women's and men's giant slalom in Soelden. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro Della Bella)

As far as equipment, the Austrians are sticking mostly to their trusty Atomics, although Mario Matt has joined teammate Reinfried Herbst on the Blizzard squad. With Herbst, Kathrin Zettel and Marlies Schild all at the top of their game in slalom, the Austrians are bound to continue their tour de force in the tight gates this season. As the second standing overall Austrian on the men’s side (sixth last season after Benjamin Raich, who was second), keep an eye out for young Marcel Hirscher to continue moving up the ranks on the slalom and giant slalom circuits while on the speed side, veteran Michael Walchhofer may have slipped in downhill, but still knows how to ski fast. Also, by the looks of his success in super G last season (second in the standings), Walchhofer has reached a high point in his career at eyeballing a course. Also, while Raich – minus the downhill – is still his team’s top multi-discipline skier, he notched some whopping disappointments on the tech side last season – particularly in Whistler – and will be inspired to gun for that which narrowly eluded him so often last season: the podium. The Austrian women have taken a hit with speed specialist’s Maria Holaus’s retirement after injury last season, but in addition to tech heroes Zettel and Schild, let’s not forget to watch out for the resurgence of Nicole Hosp, who is healthy again and hungry to make up for lost time. Veteran Elisabeth Goergl will also be coming into the season charged to continue her streak in super G and, in spite of her ending up down the World Cup ranks in GS last season, her Olympic bronze performance proves that she is still capable of popping onto that podium, too, especially when conditions are tricky. The Austrian women don’t have a lot to offer in terms of downhill, but Andrea Fischbacher will surely be itching to make it happen this season.

The Canadians have taken their fair share of blows lately, from the onslaught of injuries preceding the rare chance to compete in the Olympics on home turf last season, to gear catching fire (all of men’s team equipment was destroyed in a warehouse fire in London as the team was heading to summer training in New Zealand this summer), to retirements. The two-woman speed team was downsized by half without their fastest girl, Emily Brydon, who retired last season, and with Kelly Vanderbeek still on the mend from her knee injury, but Great Britain’s fastest female on skis – Chemmy Alcott – will be joining the Canadians this season on brand new ski sponsor Atomic and up and comer Kelly McBroom will round out the women’s speed team. Also, the Canadian women’s speed staff has some new names that bring long-standing success, with former USSA coach Frank Kelble taking up the helm as head speed coach along with new assistant (and long-time cohort) Jim Tracy, formerly the U.S. women’s head coach. On the women’s tech side, Marie-Michele Gagnon leads the charge as the Canadians say goodbye to newly retired Brigitte Acton. Larisa Yurkiw and Anna Goodman will fight to get back to form after season-ending injuries in 2010. The Canadian men’s speed team is less of a wild card, poised to hit the ground running this season, with Erik Guay’s late-season success as the first alpine skier in his country to win a crystal globe (super G) in nearly 30 years and downhill specialist Manuel Osborne-Paradis returning strong. Also, let’s not discount Robbie Dixon, Jan Hudec or defending downhill champion John Kucera, the latter two of which are surging back from injury. Slalom specialist Michael Janyk leads the Canadian tech team, aiming for another world championship medal to follow up his bronze from 2009.

Moving onto the Croatians, Ivica Kostelic carries the torch as team star. Though still strongest in slalom, his back problems are likely to be holding up better this season and perhaps we’ll see him move farther up the ranks as an all-arounder. Also, don’t forget countryman and combined specialist Natko Zrncic-Dim broke onto the scene the last time the world championships rolled around (bronze in super-combined). With the retirement of Nika Fleiss, the Croatian ladies team will be slim to none this season, carried primarily by solid but not-yet-consistent slalom specialist Ana Jelusic.

Also short on World Cup athletes, The Czech Republic maintains one solid player … slalom specialist Sarka Zahrobska, who comes into the season strong and looking for more big medals.

As for Finland, the team as a whole arrives onto the season healthier than it’s been in a long while with Tanja Poutiainen poised to once again etch an early set of foot prints onto the giant slalom and slalom podiums, changing – along with teammate Sanni Leinonen – from Völkl to Fischer skis this season. Also, Kalle Palander, who has landed on the Soelden podium twice, will make a marked comeback this season after two seasons off the circuit.

The French have truly put themselves on the slalom map these days, thanks to Julien Lizeroux and Sandrine Aubert. Lizeroux signed a new contract with Dynastar-Lange this season while Aubert will be making short arcs with new sponsor Atomic. Both are poised for another shining season in the tight gates. On the speed side, veteran Ingrid Jacquemod once again leads the charge but don’t be surprised if you see some more shining moments out of Marie Marchand-Arvier and Marion Rolland.

The German women’s team has become a full-blown powerhouse, led by double Olympic gold medalist Maria Riesch who has proven more all-around power and consistency than perhaps any other skier on the World Cup. She has not minced words about her intentions to rack up more medals on the home slope at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Though Riesch also leads the team’s slalom group, sister Susanne is hot on her heels and Fanny Chmelar, Christina Geiger and Katharina Duerr are not far behind. Kathrin Hoelzl is the shining GS star, but glowing more and more since last season’s Olympic gold, Viktoria Rebensburg is a sure threat. The potential thunder from the German men’s team comes down to just one soldier. Coming off last season’s huge slalom victories – at Kitzbuhel and closing out the season in Garmisch – Felix Neureuther is on the rise.

As Peter Fill comes back to health, the fastest guy on the Italian team – Werner Heel – joins the star-studded cast of Head skiers this season, but brace yourselves for more GS success from Davide Simoncelli and Massimiliano Blardone as Olympic gold medalist Giuliano Razzoli and teammate Manfred Moelgg are the team’s slalom contenders on the men’s side. Of the Italian women’s speed team, nobody has laid down any dominance recently, but Daniela Merighetti, Nadia Fanchini, Lucia Recchia and Johanna Schnarf are all capable of podium-worthy speed.

There is no question who to fear when it comes to Norway. Aksel Lund Svindal enters the season refreshed from a summer of surfing and promises to once again be the Norwegian that has all of his competitors biting their nails this season, but in giant slalom teammate and Olympic silver medalist Kjetil Jansrud may give him a good run for his money, especially on his new Head skis.

Slovenia, however small, has its secret weapons. Perhaps this will be the season that independent racer Tina Maze, solid all-arounder and multi-medalist, begins to land on the podium from one race to the next. She certainly has it in her. On the men’s side, there will surely be some top 10s out of slalom specialist Mitja Valencic, Ales Gorza and all-arounder Andrej Jerman … but will we see them on the podium?

Though she showed signs of faltering last season, Anja Paerson is still out there and has had a whole summer to refresh and put down a blaze of glory for what she has said may be her final season. Though her hey day of two-time overall Cup champ was five years ago, third overall last season is still plenty to worry about for her competitors and in downhill, she has never been faster. She is definitely still on the threat list and this could also be the breakout season for her teammate, tech specialist Marie Pietilae-Holmner. The women are the power for the Swedes, although you never know when Mattias Hargin could bust onto the slalom podium.

There are almost too many stars to count on the Swiss squad, and all look to continue shining brightly this season while others attempt to ignite anew. Former Swiss favorite Daniel Albrecht will be attempting his comeback after a long recovery following 2008’s coma-inducing crash at Kitzbuhel and young Lara Gut will also be bursting at the seams to climb to the top again after a whole season off the race course. Young Carlo Janka is just hitting his stride as,not just the Ice Man, but also the top man. In spite of being the oldest man on the podium at 36, veteran Didier Cuche is showing no signs whatsoever of slowing down, especially on the downhill course. Also watch out for the team’s rising slalom star, Silvan Zurbriggen. He appears to be on a roll, jumping from 19th to third in the ranks last season. The Swiss women don’t pose much of a threat in slalom, but any one of them is capable of podium finishes in other disciplines, and all will be working toward consistency. Fabienne Suter already has it, but Nadia Styger, Nadja Kamer and Dominique Gisin are all capable of wins in downhill and Super G and Gut, if as healthy she was before last fall’s pre-season hip injury, can also fly on the speed courses as well as hold her own in GS.

Last but far from least, the U.S. Team’s luminaries all arrive into this season as strong as ever. The Olympics proved that Bode Miller can still slash any kind of race course, no matter what kind of gates and Lindsey Vonn is bound to be just as unstoppable on the speed courses and has geared her focus and dedication to getting her technical skiing back up to speed for her second season on Head skis. Also, back in the limelight and set on showing that top speed isn’t just something that comes to her in big events, Julia Mancuso, switching from Rossignol to Voelkl, may just become a solid all-arounder again this season. The king of giant slalom, Ted Ligety is also making a big switch from Rossignol to Head skis this season as Resi Stiegler slowly nurses her way back to racing and veteran/mother Sarah Schleper comes into the season as the women’s team’s most consistent tech skier.

Those are the major players this season, though one never knows when new faces leap into the scene and onto the podium. Whatever the case, this world championship season, with its fresh bag of mixed ingredients, will keep you on full alert.

by Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Thursday 21 October 2010