Jimmy Cochran and Ted Ligety after the giant slalom at Alta Badia.
By Marina Knight
Alta Badia, Gran Risa. It just kind of rolls off the tongue.
After two days of men’s speed races in Val Gardena, they took to the Gran Risa at Alta Badia, in the heart of the Italian Dolomites. It’s a storied and revered hill that twists and pitches; a win there is better than three wins anywhere else. Its only technical rival is the race at Adelboden on a run called Chuenisbärgli, which doesn’t really roll off the tongue.
Former Stowe racer Jimmy Cochran posted some of the best results of his career there on Sunday and Monday, coming in 10th, then eighth in slalom.
Frustrated by his early results, Cochran said he considered not racing at all in Sunday’s giant slalom in order to concentrate on Monday’s slalom. When he came through in 21st place after starting 58th in the first run, he said he could barely believe it.
Then, Cochran skied the third-fastest second run, not far off teammate Ted Ligety, who is leading the giant slalom standings.
The results Sunday were riddled with names you normally see in slalom results. That’s because of a tight-set first run.
Cochran has a thing for tough and nasty hills that make most racers look like a J3 on Hayride. Cochran skis best at Alta Badia and Kranjska Gora, where he was seventh in 2005.
Monday, Cochran took momentum from the giant slalom and put two great runs together, coming in eighth. After the first run he was 10th, but strangely moved into the top 10 after the second run after posting the 15th fastest second leg.
There were really big time gaps in the final results — something you normally see on a tough hill. Cochran finished eighth, but was more than two seconds off the lead time set by Jean Baptiste Grange of France. Ted Ligety, in third, was almost a second-and-a-half back. What’s more is that there were only 21 ultimate finishers, a high rate of attrition on the World Cup.
Cochran moved from the 24th-ranked slalom skier, to No. 17 on the World Cup list.
Overall, it was a promising weekend for the men’s tech team, namely in giant slalom. More athletes qualified for a second run than any previous race this season.
Bode Miller was leading in the first run before his binding broke off from his ski. As Miller leaned into a turn you could see his downhill ski give way with a big puff of snow. When he came to a stop his binding was half ripped off.
Erik Schlopy skied a clean run to start the day, qualifying for a second run, but then struggled to keep his position in the second.
The next men’s race is a downhill in Bormio, Italy. Until then, the skiers will pause for a Christmas break.
Here is a screen shot of Jimmy Cochran coming through the bottom split at Alta Badia with the green light.
