Ligety 3rd at Soelden; Swiss go 1-2

Daniel Albrecht, Didier Cuche and Ted Ligety on the podium at Soelden.
Photo by Erica MacConnell

The men raced their season opener Sunday under sunny skies and cold temperatures. The race began an hour later than the women's race, so shadows on the hill became a factor.
Ted Ligety began defense of his GS title with a third-place finish, while Bode Miller - racing on his own for the second season in a row - came in 10th. Tim Jitloff put two runs together and finished 20th, scoring the first World Cup points of his career. Jimmy Cochran and Erik Schlopy failed to qualify for a second run and Jake Zamansky crashed out.
It was a tough first course for the men, set with short vertical distance on the steepest pitch. The hill starts with a flat, then drops over a steep pitch onto more moderate terrain below. It's crucial to carry speed from that top section, so those who were caught off guard by the drastic rythm change suffered in run one.
Five guys from outside the top 30 scored World Cup points, which may have had something to do with the first-run set.
It was the first race back for former overall champion Aksel Svindal, who looked solid and was happy to be back on the hill. He ended up 13th, respectable considering what he's been through (Svindal suffered a severe groin laceration after he crashed off the Golden Eagle jump training for the Beaver Creek downhill last year). As of this summer he was 40 pounds lighter than when he raced last. He's been working hard to gain back weight and strength in preparation for the season.
With six athletes in the top 20 over the weekend, the U.S. looks on track for the season.
"We're coming off a season that was one of the best in U.S. history," said Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. "This season is about continuing to raise the bar on the World Cup, but shifting gears at the same time to center on the World Championships. We want to have our Team skiing its best in February without losing focus of scoring on the World Cup."
It being a pre-Olympic year, though expect all the teams to be ramping up their intensity. After all, everybody wants to be world Champion and everyone wants a gold medal. Should be an exciting year.

Listen to what Ligety has to say after the race:

Video courtesy U.S. Ski Team

Soelden Official Results

Next up: Women's Slalom, Levi, Nov. 15 - Men's Slalom, Levi, Nov.16