World Cup Men Review 2012

WORLD CUP MEN- REVIEW AND A LOOK AHEAD

The overall globe race went down to the wire, sort of. While it was great to see Feuz but up a fight, the race fizzled at the end and Hirscher won the big globe. When you look at the top 5 in the overall, you see a group of guys who were not scoring high in 4 disciplines, which is pretty unusual. At the very least, someone who can compete for the big points in at least 3 disciplines is the one on top. But Hirscher really only scored big in 2 disciplines and scored no combined points. And Feuz did the same, just in the two disciplines that Hirscher doesn’t ski. They both scored 30 points in the City Event so that didn’t make a difference. The questions for me for the overall for next year are: Will Aksel return to the top in GS and therefore be able to compete in the Overall? Will he be able to return to point scoring in Slalom? I doubt the slalom return, it takes too much training volume and rarely do veterans of 30 years old make slalom comebacks. Will Hirscher pursue more SG after the big score in Schladming? It would seem like he should as he can get some testing and training done on one trip to Chile and some work in October and November on the glaciers. And if he can make himself a manageable schedule, he could score enough SG points to really put a lock on the Overall for years to come. Is Ivica going to be ready to go? He is 33 years old and has a long injury history. Eventually, all of those surgeries take their toll. They take their toll in pain, but also in training volume. Ivica has always been a training volume monster. He is used to legendary amounts of volume and days on snow. There were summers when he would ski 30 straight days in Hintertux. But injuries cut into the ability to get that repetition. But at this point in his career, does he even need that kind of volume? Just because he has always done that, does it mean he needs to continue to do so? And what about the speed program? Again, can he get the volume he needs? And does his ski company have the speed program to support an all-out assault on the Overall? I think Ivica concentrates on slalom and tries to win that smaller globe. Will Miller return to form? Will he return at all? Will the 35m GS ski drive him away from GS and into the speed specialist world? Will Feuz clean up his tech skiing so he can compete in a world where Hirscher is scoring SG points?  To me, the dark horse for the Overall is Kjetil Jansrud. But he has to answer some questions too. Can he put his history of back pain behind him? Can he train slalom and GS enough this preparation period to be a player in GS and score enough slalom points to compete? I am sure that he has the talent. He just needs to be healthy enough to train all the disciplines and participate fully in the schedule. And as good as Ted is in GS, what has happened to the goal and plan to win the Overall? He is certainly a good enough skier to compete in 4 disciplines and combined. What is the missing ingredient? He was 15^th in slalom this year which is the best he has been since 2008. In 2006 he was 4^th, which was his breakthrough year in GS too. Anyway, Ted has never scored 1000 points in a season, and you can’t win the Overall without scoring 1000 points. So he needs to get his slalom up to his GS standards again as well as getting himself a few hundred speed points if he is going to compete for the big globe.

DOWNHILL

Who is the DH champ? Was it Klaus Kroell? Yes it was and it was by 7 points over Beat Feuz. Feuz made a great run at a number of titles but didn’t win any of them. He was 2^nd in Combined, 2^nd in DH, 3^rd in SG and 2^nd in the Overall. Kroell is a Downhiller. He is pure speed. He has done well at times in Super G but it seems only when the SG is close to a DH. Anyway, I am not taking anything away from him. When he needed wins to make the DH globe dream happen, he made it happen. Congratulations? And next season? With no Cuche to compete with, is it Kroell’s globe to lose in Downhill? I think that Feuz served notice that he can be in the hunt all season long. He only lost by 7 points! After Cuche, there was quite a drop-off in the standings. I know that if Miller is back in shape for the season, that he can compete for the DH globe. He can win on the tough hills and he can glide with the best. And he has more of the Head speed quiver at his disposal.  Who else can compete? Maybe Reichelt, or Guay, or Svindal? But what about a new guy like Feuz this year? Did anyone really give us a peek at what they might have in store for next season? Maybe a guy likes Ben Thomsen, or Puchner? One thing I do think about the Downhill discipline on the men’s side, we need a multi-athlete battle and someone with star-power to challenge every week. We need a 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th guy to step up into the fray.

SUPER G

It seems like a terrible thing to say, but I sort of felt like no one really stepped up and WON this title. Svindal pulled it together at Kvitfjell but was lucky there was a rescheduled SG there so he could take advantage of the home hill by finishing 2^ndand 5^th. He won only 1 SG race and that was in Lake Louise in November, so it sort of was forgotten. And he won the title by finishing out of the points in Schladming. It just kind of had that feel, like no one really won it. So looking ahead: Cuche is gone, will Miller return to form at 35 years of age? Will Hudec back-up his excellent SG season? Can Benni Raich make a transition to more speed in his program? His slalom is struggling, and at 34 years old, that is normal. But Benni is a talented enough skier and a hard worker. He can transform himself into a Super G skier if he so chooses.  But again, this discipline is wide open and waiting for Beat Feuz and Kjetil Jansrud to walk through the door to win the globe. Do I think Svindal can win it again? Of course, but I really want him to WIN it!

GS

The GS globe was a great 2 man battle. Hirscher and Ligety won 7 of the contested World Cup GS races. Ted scored more GS points than in any of his globe-winning seasons and finished 2^nd. This is a testament to Hirscher’s speed but also his consistency.  Hirscher was relentless all season long and in the end, Ted just couldn’t hang with him. The questions out there for me are more about equipment? It is obvious that Ted has already figured it out. It is also obvious that the new ski is faster. If you read what I wrote last fall, it is all coming true. And where there is room to set more open distances, it will get done and speeds will be higher. The 35m skis are faster. When I was with the USST and working with Dane Spencer to make some GS skis with Elan, we built some 192, 33m skis. Pretty close to what we are seeing now. And they were the fastest skis in his quiver and he had his best results of his life that season, including 7^th at the World Championships in Bormio. So what has FIS done? Made GS more dangerous and more of an unknown. What is the real motivation to mess with the radii of GS skis? To make GS revert to skiing in the 1980s? The problem is, everyone who is still performing at the top of the World Cup grew up with shape in their skis, and they are going to figure out how to ski as they always have on skis with less shape. All we are seeing so far are faster runs on the new skis (Ted’s 2^nd run at Schladming) and 2 ACL injuries ALREADY! Ok, enough of this, I will write a whole article on this soon. Maybe after 2 more guys blow their knees out?

So who is in the mix next season? Again, Hirscher and Ted. Jansrud if he can stay healthy enough to train all summer. I think Fritz Dopfer is ready to make a run at it. He came up through Europa Cup with Hirscher and I think he likely sees himself as able to compete with Hirscher. He has a good set-up and he is a very solid and consistent skier. Pinturault? Maybe, but he is not consistent enough for me. I thought Schoerghofer would make a move last year but he sort of disappointed.  Can Janka make a comeback? Looking at the standings from this season, I think we will see another battle between Ted and Marcel.

SLALOM

I saved the best for last because honestly, that was the best finish to a globe race I have ever seen. The circumstances that had to happen to have Andre Myhrer win the globe was so unlikely that I barely even mentioned it going into the finals. What a great season for Andre. It really could not have happened to a nicer guy on the World Cup. I have so much respect and admiration for him as a skier and I hope he can back it up.  And the fact that it happened at Schladming for him is amazing as Schladming is really where Andre made his big breakthrough. Next year? Kostelic, Hirscher and DeVille can all compete. Kostelic is getting older and will need to get healthy to get his normal volume.  Is there someone who can make a run at the slalom globe who was not really in the mix this season? I have to look at Dopfer again. He is solid, consistent and fast. Watch out for him if he can put together a good preparation period. As far as our slalom program is concerned? I don’t know. There is a shake-up in the staff and we will see what that does. But Ted’s slalom seems to be coming around again, finally. Nolan is as good a slalom specialist as we have had in recent memory but needs to be 100% healthy and we need to get him up into the seed for him to have a chance to make a run at the top.

Look for more coming up!

FIS RULE CHANGES

GS SKI INJURIES

US SKI TEAM STAFF SHAKE UP

ATHLETE EQUIPMENT CHANGES AND WHAT THAT MIGHT MEAN

AMERICAN CHANCES-A LOOK DEEPER IN THE ROSTER

BANSKO AND CRANS MONTANA RECAP

Bansko and Crans Montana Recap

The Bansko DH was ruined by wind and it looks like it will not be rescheduled. Which really is a shame from many angles. Even though the globe is wrapped up and already belongs to Lindsey, there could have been a lot of movement that would have an impact on start number selection at Finals and next season. Stacey Cook was doing well in training and could have made a move toward the podium and continued her surge into the top ten and an improved number selection. And it surely had an impact on the Finals qualification for the rest of our USA DH ladies with everyone on the bubble got a free pass.

The women got a SG race to happen in Bansko with yet another win for Lindsey Vonn. She wants her SG globe. After watching the race, it seemed like Lins just willed herself to the win. She skied very well in sections but a mistake in the middle put her behind. But then she started straightening out the line and tucking more than everyone. To me, it was a battle of wills, and her will won. Tina Weirather continued her breakout season with yet another podium and Daniela Merighetti put herself on the podium in SG for the first time in her long World Cup career. Maze was just off the steps and Riesch was down the list in sixth. So, my little wish, with Mancuso winning and Fenninger second with Vonn in third did not happen. I really was just hoping that would happen so we could have a fun shootout for the globe in Schladming. Now we have only the Finals SG left, with Lindsey in the lead by 94 points over Anna Fenninger, it really is a done deal. Fenninger needs Lins to get shut out and Anna will need to win. It could happen, but I doubt that it will. Congratulations to Lindsey, who is obviously the best and likely the best all-around female ski racer in history. She has a way to go to take the lead in wins for a career, but I would not put that past her either. And we are in an era of much greater depth of talent than when those records were set.

For the SG finals, only Leanne Smith will join Lindsey and Jules for the USA. And while that is a little disappointing, the huge DH team headed that way more than makes up for it.

CRANS MONTANA

The men’s Super G races were more than interesting with Cuche winning and putting up another podium in the 2 days, closing the SG globe race down to 7 points. But the men have 2 more Super G races in Kvitfjell before the finals but anything can happen. And truly more startling has been the late-season surge by Jan Hudec. I am happy for him and he has always been a competitor. But his career has been marred by injury and going into this season he was really an afterthought. Now he is a household name, in ski racing households, anyway. He is coming on strong and sits in 3rd in the SG standings just 78 points behind with 3 more races for the globe. I would not count him out of the race yet. Svindal is not on top of his game as he managed only two 9th place finishes this week. On the other side of that coin, Svindal heads home to Norway and the Scandinavians are always strong on the home snow.

The GS race took on an interesting feel. I really thought Ted would win that one. While he was in a decent place position after run 1, he was really fighting for a podium and not a win. He was well over a second behind Hirscher and Blardone and a comeback from that point just does not happen these days without a ton of help from the leaders. Anyway, 3rd place would have helped Ted a lot in the chase for another GS globe but instead he found himself in ninth after a struggling 2nd run. 

The globe race has shifted decidedly in Hirscher’s favor in GS. He has a huge 132 point lead and Ted’s back is against the wall. Ted is the King of Kranjska but now he needs a win and Hirscher needs to drop to 3rd in that one just for Ted to have a mathematical chance going into Schladming. The only other thing besides Kranjska that Ted has going for him is that Hirscher’s head will be filled will all sorts of other thoughts. Like winning the overall and the slalom titles as well. Hirscher does have a history of DNFs in tough situations from time to time and to let the mental game get the best of him.  A win from Ted and a DNF from Marcel will put us in a 32 point differential and a shootout for the win in Schladming. It could be fun down the stretch, depending on what happens in Kranjska. The tech boys also have a long break before the Kranjska race and just about anything can happen. There will be some training and some ski testing, no doubt. Maybe even a few days off? 

IMPRESSIONS

First, Blardone has reinstated himself as a force in GS this year. Just when many of us thought he would begin his fade into retirement. Maybe it was the equipment change, and maybe he put in more work? But he is back and while he will not win the GS globe this year, he is in the hunt and has a positive history at Kranjska Gora. 

JB Grange reemerged with a top 5 finish from the 30th start position. He has been struggling with his GS all year but has put himself pretty solidly into the top 25 to put himself in good position to make Finals.

A welcome back to Didier Defago as well. He seems to finally have come back from his surgery and knocked down a top 5. Again, he solidified his place in the list of guys who will race GS in Schladming.

Marcel Mathis, the young Austrian, has emerged as a threat in GS and after winning some Europa Cup GS as well, I have to think he is a force to be watched in the future. He also is solidly in for the Finals.

It was also nice to see Marc Berthod knock down a competitive run with a fast second in Crans Montana. He has struggled over the past few years with some back problems and possibly with some confidence issues. But a strong run like he had in the afternoon at Crans Montana could bolster some hope in Kranjska and while he is very far from qualifying for the Finals, he has pulled off miracles like this before. He will be an interesting watch in Kranjska.

Our USA boys are in a bit of a situation in Kranjska. Tommy Ford had himself a good finish in 19th place and is getting close to qualifying for Finals while Tim Jitloff moved back a little in the standings to 24th after a 22nd place finish. Ford sits in 28th in the standings with one race to go. He is 10 points out of qualifying and can definitely get it done, but he will probably need to score pretty deep in the points to pass the few ahead of him. Jitloff sits in 24th in the standings and is just 3 points ahead of Truls Ove Karlsen and 6 ahead of Myhrer. The biggest thing for Jit is to go race and not get caught up in qualifying. He can throw down a top 10 and that would put it all to rest. A trip to the Finals would be good for him and his career.

Weather or not, Cuche Still Wins the Hahnenkamm

“THE RACE” WAS RUN, AND WON

Cuche won his 5^th Hahnenkamm Downhill race of his career today. I know, the start was from the Alte Schneise start but who cares? I don’t. I know it is not the full length deal and I know that the start to exit Steilhang is nasty, but ultimately it does not matter. Cuche still collected his winner’s check. He still is standing up on the Zeilhaus in front of 40,000 (at least) screaming fans at the award ceremony. He still got to hold up his 4^th gold Steinbock trophy. He still gets to be the winningest downhiller in Hahnenkamm history. Cuche has won on “The Streif” at a World Cup 5 times, but only 4 are actually Hahnenkamm wins. In 1998, his win is listed as an “extra race” of which I do not know the circumstances other than it was a 2-run Sprint DH. Either way, he is the Hahnenkammsieger of all time. Today, he passed Franz Klammer in wins on the famed slope. In addition, this was this third win in a row at Kitz.

The World Cup standings did not change a ton as Hirscher continues to lead the overall with a chance to extend that lead with 2 slaloms coming up. But with Ivica on his heels, it could go the other way. And Hirscher seems to have trouble in front of the home fans sometimes. It will be an interesting watch over the next 3 days.  Feuz is still lurking but will not score any points until Garmisch next week. Feuz is leading the DH standings but was less than excellent in Kitz and has given up some ground to Cuche and Kroell; both of whom I expect to do well in Garmisch and Chamonix coming up.

And for the women, Kranjska Gora was an affirmation of all the best GS skiers in the world. Some interesting things definitely took place. The first is that both run-winners won on courses set by their team coaches. Sometimes, it just works out that way. You cannot “set for” a given athlete but every course setter has their patterns and likes and dislikes. They have their opinions and styles and impose their opinion and style on the race with course setting. And an athlete that a coach works with on a regular basis has seen the style most often. So, if Flo Winkler (one of Lizzy’s coaches), likes to set his delay gates at 11 meters with short exits and likes a certain off-set to distance ratio, and believes in setting on the back-side of terrain, then Lizzy will do better than normal or at least be more likely to reach her potential because she has seen those types of sets consistently over the preparation period and over the years.  The other thing that was confirmed is that Lizzy Goergl has a hard time skiing with a lead. Before everyone jumps on me for ripping on Lizzy, I am not. I like Lizzy, I think she is a great skier, and I think she is likely the best threat to Lindsey, Maria and Tina in the overall globe hunt in any season. But look at it objectively, that was her third first-run, GS win of the season. And she has not won a GS yet.

IMPRESSIONS

Tessa Worley, obviously. Fede Brignone and Viki Rebensburg as well. They are the best GS skiers and proved it again. Lindsey was very impressive again with 2 very consistent and competitive runs. Maria Riesch showed that her GS is coming back together and Tina Maze had her best performance of the season in her original favorite discipline. Lena Duerr and Jessica Lindell-Vikarby continued their excellent GS skiing and Jessica has even moved into the top 15 draw on the WCSL. She could make a move higher if she gets a good draw at the next GS in Andorra in a few weeks. And Frida Hansdotter and Veronika Zuzulova with their big moves to make the flip and score.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

I think I was a little disappointed in M-P Prefontaine as I really thought she would score deep into the points on the Podkoren hill. She missed the second run by .52 which is really quite a bit. After seeing her ski in Aspen earlier in the season on a tough hill with a lot of terrain in flat light, I really thought Kranjska would be better for her.

Denise Karbon. I thought Denise would be in the hunt for the podium. I guess she was after run 1 but I guess I expect more from her, being a veteran GS specialist.

Stefanie Koehle, who has been on a roll in GS and I thought she would continue that great skiing. Maybe there is something else going on like a minor injury or illness, but I thought she would be better.

Lindsey leads the overall by almost 300 points, and if she can put down a solid slalom tomorrow, I would not doubt if she could have 1300 points by the end of the month. Tina Maze jumped to second in the overall race but I think she will fall back again by the time St. Moritz is over. Rebensburg leads the GS standings by 68 points over Fenninger. Lindsey and Worley lurk behind and I think Tessa is the real threat of those girls in GS. Brignone and Goergl are a little too far behind to make up that ground barring a disaster at the top of the list.

KITZBUEHEL SLALOM TOMORROW

The Ganslern hill at Kitzbuehel is to the skier’s left of the Zielschuss on the downhill and has changed a bit in recent years, moving the start higher on the hill. And as a hill, I think it is one of the most interesting to watch. If you compare slalom hills to golf courses, the Ganslern is like a Scottish links course while the Planai hill in Schladming is like the TPC Sawgrass. Ganslern uses natural terrain which can be severe and off-rhythm while Planai is smoother and manicured while consistently difficult. Both are very challenging but in different ways so they often reward different skill-sets. It takes a very consistent and versatile slalom skier to win on both courses within the same week.  Especially 2 days apart in the schedule. The first run is normally set on skier’s left and is more fall-line but has a very steep, albeit short steep pitch after a short section out of the start. Then it enters a gully with different side-hills and sharp, minor terrain on almost every turn. The skier’s right side meanders around and goes up on a bank about half way down and then bends back to the left to the finish. The other thing that is cool about the Ganslern is that the finish area spectators can see the whole race live, from start to finish. Schladming is long and steep. The last 2/3 of the hill being in view of the finish and relentlessly steep with some bigger terrain changes but without the harsh, sharp constantly changing terrain.

With the weather in Kitzbuehel looking like it will be above freezing in the finish area tomorrow, the draw will be important on run one and there is a real possibility for a big flip on the second run. DeVille will go first, then JB Grange, Kostelic, Myhrer, Hirscher, Matt and Neureuther rounds out the top 7. Watch for Stefano Gross starting 10 and Razzoli in 15. But I do think that you will see the very early guys get away from the field on run 1 with the forecasted warm temperatures and all the weather they have had of late.

Some things to think about: Austria has not won on the Ganslern since 2005 and that was their only win since 2002. Grange won last year and no one has gone back to back since Palander in 2003-04. Patrick Thaler (starting 23) won a mini-World Cup in Westendorf on Thursday night. Stefano Gross, who has been on fire all season, was 3^rd on Thursday night. Mario Matt has 5 podiums and 1 win in Kitzbuehel. Mitja Valencic (SLO) is racing his 17^th slalom in Kitzbuehel but his best is 11^th. Manfred Pranger, while the last Austrian winner, has been wildly inconsistent here over his career.

On the course setting front, expect something funky and out of rhythm from Ante Kostelic to accompany the already rugged terrain and off-balance terrain of the Ganslern. Jacques Theolier, a Frenchman working for Italy sets the second run and is more conventional than Kostelic (almost everyone is). So you can look for both the French and Italians to have a comfortable feeling on run 2. Jacques worked with the French slalom group for years prior to working in Italy.

AMERICANS

Ted starts 17, Nolan 22 and Bode 32. Cochran 41, Granstrom 42, Gregorak 57, Ankeny 65 and Tommy Ford 75. I think the later guys are going to have a very tough chance to get a second run under the anticipated conditions. Ted has 3 top ten finishes here but none since 2008. Nolan started his big breakthrough last season here with a 12^th place finish. Bode has a long history on this hill with some excellent races. He has a podium and a 4^th place but he has 11 DNF or DNQ too.

CANADIANS

With their leader, Julien Cousineau having surgery, the Canadians are starting Mike Janyk, Brad Spence, Paul Stutz, Patrick Biggs, Trevor White and Sasha Zaitsoff. Only Janyk, Spence and Stutz start in the top 30 and all three scored in the points last season. Again, it will be a struggle from the back on run 1. Janyk has 3 top ten finishes on the Ganslern hill.

PODIUM: Neureuther, Grange, Hirscher. Stefano Gross will contend. Thaler is a dark horse.

KRANJSKA GORA SLALOM

The weather looks similar in Kranjska but slightly colder which could keep the hill in better shape. But if the temperature gets a little higher, it could begin to break-down and make it hard for the later start numbers to get a second run. Then cause a big reversal on run 2 as well.

Again, the draw looks important. Poutiainen drew number one, about which I am sure she will be happy. She will try to get out to a big lead and hold on in run 2. Riesch and Kirchgasser go 2 and 3 and Schild number 4. Maria is always fast and Kirchgasser has been very solid in slalom so far. She has 4 top-tens and is enjoying her best start position in her career. But the truth is that slalom wins go through Marlies Schild. She has won 5 in a row, she’s the best skier and no one will beat her unless she opens the door. And, on top of that, she won the only women’s slalom to take place at Kranjska. Rounding out the top 7, you have Zettel, Zuzulova and Maze. And we have a Zuzu course set on run one which will help her. And Tina is in Slovenia so she should do well too.

AMERICANS

Lindsey is starting 10, which is a nice draw and improved start position for her of late. Mikaela goes 20. She needs to get back to her solid skiing from Lienz and she has proven that when she skis within herself and focuses on the basics, she is fast enough to compete for the podium. Julia is in the 31 slot, Resi starts 42 and Hailey Duke at 66. It really depends if the temperatures stay below freezing or not. If it creeps up to +2 or 3 Celsius, I have a feeling that the later numbers are going to have a hard time with the conditions.

CANADIANS

Mitch Gagnon enjoys her best start position ever in at 13. Erin Mielzynski is 28, Anna Goodman at 41, Maddie Irwin is 47 and M-P Prefontaine starts 71. The same goes for these girls as the Americans. Gagnon has a good chance with her number, Mielzynski should be able to work a second run from 28 and Anna is as good a skier as there is ranked outside the top 30. She has been good in rough conditions so I think she can get a second run and then make a move. Maddie and M-P will have to fight for their right to party after half-time.

PODIUM: I have this feeling that there will be 3 Austrian girls fighting for the podium with Maze.  My choice is Schild, Maze, and Kirchgasser 3^rd with Zettel 4^th. Look to Zuzulova and Riesch close behind. Lins will find the top 10. I also think Shiffrin will crack the top 10 again.

DARK HORSES: Anne-Sophie Barthet is one of my favorites and while she can be inconsistent, she has had a bad run of 5 straight non-finishes and has never had a bad run of luck that long before. I think she snaps out of it. Lena Duerr has had steadily improving results throughout the season and could make a move.

A Weekend Review: Are and Bansko

A WEEKEND RECAP: ARE AND BANSKO

The women’s racing this weekend was about the most exciting of the season. With the best and most competitive Super Combi of the season, a great downhill race, big crashes and an awesome SG contest that came down to the hundredth between Maria and Lindsey. There was a lot going on and a lot to absorb and a lot of impact on the season-end globes.

First, Nadja Kamer’s (SUI) crash was huge and scary. But it has been reported that she came away with only a sprained wrist which really should be considered lucky. She got hung up in the B net layer and it flipped her over and back into the track, all the way across the hill and into the B net on the other side. That section did not seem like a real issue for anyone else. And it looked like she hooked her edge above the break-over and got tossed to the outside, and then she hooked the net. You do always need to wonder about how close the B net should be to the track and what is being protected on the other side? There were two layers so I have to assume there were obstructions nearby on the left of the net that were being protected. She was lucky, and probably happy she does her strength and conditioning work off the hill.

And beyond that crash, there were great performances from Lindsey Vonn, Tina Maze and Maria Riesch on the podium. They were separated by only .21 from 1^st to 3^rd. I also need to congratulate my former Mammoth athlete, Stacey Cook for her 5^th place finish. It was excellent work and while there was no specific split to measure it, she had a very confident line about 55 seconds into the run and executed it well and she was right on the money on the bottom part of the hill. I bet she was the fastest in the second half of the race. Like I said, the splits don’t show that exactly but I bet that was about where she started to build a lot of momentum after pushing the edge of the low line on the upper part. Anyway, the top 3 girls are tough to get past on most days and Stacey did an excellent job. Also possibly lost in the weekend was Mrs. Vonn’s 40^th career World Cup win. Yes, that is 40, four-zero. Go pull up a list that begins with Stenmark’s 86 victories and you will not see many names above the 40 level. And Lins is only 26 years old with a long and successful future ahead of her.

The Super Combi was the most competitive women’s Combi race in recent memory with the first four girls well within a second. One of the things that race brought to my attention is that Tina Maze is going to be a serious overall contender next season. She said earlier this year that it was her goal to win the overall globe and a lot of people kind of scoffed at that statement. But she is proving that she can compete in everything right now. Her consistency is not there across the board and she really has only recently picked up her speed event starts. Watch for next season as she seems relaxed and motivated after the big win in Garmisch. It also reminded me that Lindsey has really let her tech skiing slip a lot this season and especially slalom, which she used to be able to win. She gave away a first run Super G lead and wasn’t really close to holding onto it through the slalom run.

The Super G again did not disappoint. Lindsey looked like she was again going to win. But Maria trimmed the line on the bottom and had the perfect take-off point on the final jump, did not have to correct and won by .01. That is all it takes sometimes. Lins jumped a little left and had to correct back. That could have been it right there. Julia had a good race too and got on the podium. Just a quick note that all three of those girls on the podium were born in 1984. Look at a result sheet one day on the men and women and scan the year of birth column. You will be amazed at how many 1984 birth years are on the list.

Maria has really put Lindsey in a tough position at almost 200 points behind. There are a lot of starts left and anything can happen, but Maria shows no signs of choking. Lindsey leads both the Downhill and Super G standings by good margins. There are a few speed starts left and time is running out on both of those globe races for Maria. Barring a disaster she should be able to hold Maria off. The Combi race is still very close and will come down to the Tarvisio race this week.

BANSKO

Bansko was an interesting race. The fact that the slalom was run first in the Combi event really changed what happened in the race. I am sure it changed Innerhofer’s approach dramatically as he had a very strong slalom run in the morning when he was fresh and he likely felt like anything was possible in the Super G in the afternoon. The same goes for Felix. Imagine what Neureuther, a slalom specialist, felt like after being in the front of the slalom run with Grange in the morning and knowing the Super G would be tough. He is not a great Super G skier but he must have felt he could compete with Grange and be able to hold off the other slalom guys in the race, especially knowing that Kostelic is nursing a pretty bad knee injury and will be limping his way through the season so he can lock-up his overall title.  It was certainly a positive performance for Ted and also for Tim Jitloff in the top 10. A quick mention to Colby Granstrom of Mission Ridge, Washington for his 15^th on the slalom run. He was likely headed for some solid combined World Cup points when things went awry in the Super G.

The slalom itself was also a tough one. And I want to point out Mario Matt’s resurgence. I am a big fan of his slalom skiing because he does the basics and he has speed. So he is consistently fast as long as his head does not get in the way. But look at where he started the first race of the season. He started 29 in Levi and 30 in Val d’Isere and did not score. He dropped to 42 on the start list for Zagreb and was a DNF there.  He then started 43 in Adelboden, a place that rewards good skiing first and speed second. He was able to finish 4^th there and start his comeback. Now he sits 8^th on the WCSL and is just 18 points behind Hargin who is in 7^th. He is back and he is heading into 2 hills on which he has been very successful in the past. He has 3 podiums in Kranjska Gora and a Europa Cup slalom win and 2 podiums in 2 starts in Lenzerheide including a win. Watch him the rest of the way as he is definitely looking to push into the top 7 by the end of the season.

The Combi globe race is over with Kostelic locking that one up. In the overall, Kostelic has locked that one up too. He has a 569 point lead which is totally insurmountable. There might be some mathematical way to do it, but no one will catch him, even if he gets shut out the rest of the way which is doubtful.

But the slalom race is still up in the air and it could be a good one down to the wire. Kostelic has a slight 36 point lead over Grange and Grange is heating up. Grange has solid results in both Kranjska and Lenzerheide. Kostelic has a lot of success in Kranjska Gora with 3 podiums over the years and he has been mediocre in Lenzerheide. But the truth is that Ivica is struggling through a tough knee injury in the attempt to win these globes and Grange is really just finally coming around from his surgery last season. With all of that in mind, I really think Grange has the inside track at the slalom globe. He has 2 starts left and Kostelic is hurting. The conditions can get soft in March in Kranjska and Lenzerheide is a tough hill that is very steep out of the start. I know Ivica has the lead, but I think Grange will win the globe.

Schild wins, men go tomorrow!

MARLIES IS THE WORLD CHAMP IN SLALOM AND THE MEN RACE TOMORROW.

This is hardly timely because I am busy with my own club team from Mission Ridge, Washington. But really, who was surprised that Marlies Schild won today? I was not. I was also not surprised that Kathrin Zettel was in the silver position. The only thing that really surprised me was that none of the German girls made their way onto the podium.  MPH got a medal which I am sure made her happy. She deserves it. She is a great skier who is dedicated to the sport and can ski both slalom and GS with equal success. Congrats to all 3 girls. I wish I had more to say about it, it was about what I expected to happen.

The men go tomorrow in a very interesting race. The most success on this hill over the past few years have come from Manni Moelgg, Reini Herbst, Manny Pranger, Mario Matt and Felix Neureuther.

 The most interesting of the bunch is Felix, by far. He has a first and second and won in Garmisch last year. The best part is that he is from Garmisch. Mom is Rosi Mittermaier and Dad is Christian Neureuther. The pedigree is instant, the hometown is Partenkirchen. This is HIS HILL. He grew up here, the crowd is there. It is perfection in a bottle. He should get it done. But the big problem is his start number is 13. In GS and slalom, 3 times in a row, number 1 has won the race. That is a long way from 13. There is no way to know how he will deal with deterioration and I am sure he has the skills. But sometimes the number is too much to overcome. I really like Felix as a slalom skier and as a person. He is a great kid; I hope he can rise to the occasion. Nothing would make me happier. I would not even cheer for Americans over him in this situation if he wins.

But here is the good stuff. Manni Moelgg drew number 1. Schild drew 1, she won. Ligety drew 1, he won. Maze drew 1, she won. Hmmmm, is it that simple? Put on top that Manni won once and was second in Garmisch once. He was also 5^th and 8^th. Herbst has a win and a 3^rd and Mario Matt won once. For me the choice is obvious, the winner is Moelgg. I know Christin Cooper and Todd Brooker have tagged him as a head case. But how can you be a World Cup winner and be a head case? How can you live in the top seed in both slalom and GS and be a head case? I don’t agree. I like Manni a lot. He is a great guy, a hard worker and a tremendous professional. He is also a native of St. Vigilio di Marebbe. One of the most beautiful places on earth at the base of the Kronplatz and on the edge of the National Park in Suedtirol. If you ever have the chance, go visit there. Call the tourist bureau and ask for Angelika and put your vacation in her hands. It is truly a wonderful place. And do it in December so you can catch the Europa Cup action in St. Vigilio and the World Cup in Alta Badia. Anyway, I think it is Manni’s time to shine. Garmisch is steep and the set will be tight and he loves that stuff.

Beyond that, who else is there to pick? I covered Felix and he will be in the hunt. There is Herbst but really he has been too inconsistent to pick for a win right now. Kostelic has been fantastic all year but has been marginal in Garmisch. Mario Matt just worked himself up into the top 15 but if you want a dark horse, he is the one.

Oh, Grange…He is a great skier and he likes the types of courses he will see in Garmisch. But his history in Garmisch itself is spotty. Which makes me want to shy away from picking him. But I love his basics and ability which makes me want to pick him. And I do not want to pick Kostelic.

AMERICANS

I am not big on our guys on this hill. It is in their heads. Nolan will do fine but nowhere near the podium. Ted has not really had this one dialed. That’s enough of that. No history to speak of. Don’t get me wrong, I am psyched for Chodo, Nolan and Will to get a shot at the big time. I just don’t think the podium is in the cards this year. It will be though.

CANADIANS

Ok, Cousi, Mike, Spence and Trevor are great slalom skiers. All of them are impressive and solid. Mike has a ton of speed and Cousi finds it at times. The other 2 are regulars in the second run. But I don’t see a good matchup here for Mike or Cousi really. Both of them always liked my courses which were generally more distance and more across the hill than we will see in Garmisch. The staccato tempo never seemed to be their thing. But again, you never know in a big race so good luck boys!

DARK HORSES

Mario Matt for sure. He has a win on this hill and is finally in the draw. Maybe the comeback makes a big step here? Pranger has 2 top 5 finishes here recently. Christina DeVille (ITA) is a guy who has toiled in anonymity for a long time and who is a great slalom skier. He is a veteran and very solid. He also loves short distance slalom. He has been 10^th and 4^th in Garmisch and I think the top 10 in 2007 might have been his first big result? I know I was there but I was picking up our spin bike because we had nobody in the second run (second of 2x in my career).

I think that’s it!

PODIUM:  MOELGG, NEUREUTHER, GRANGE. Wow, that’s a good one. It I am right on that one someone has to pay me, a lot! Go Manni!!!!!