Snow Delays Start of Women’s Giant Slalom in Sölden

Today, athletes and fans are focused on the long-awaited start of the Alpine Skiing World Cup. The season’s opening event is being hosted by the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, with the women’s giant slalom opening the programme. This year, the competition at the Austrian resort is being held for the 28th time.

The start of the first race of the season had to be delayed slightly. It snowed in Sölden overnight and early in the morning, while visibility remained less than ideal on the upper sections of the course. The organisers postponed the start by half an hour to prepare the slope and wait for more suitable weather conditions. By the time the first competitor set off, the situation had improved: it was -9°C at the resort, and no precipitation was expected during the day.

The course starts at an altitude of 3,027 metres, the finish is at 2,670 metres, and the vertical drop is 357 metres. The first run was set by the Norwegian team’s coach.

The leading favourite for today’s race appears to be Austria’s Julia Scheib. She won the World Cup overall last season. In addition, Scheib rather unexpectedly won last year’s giant slalom in Sölden — at the time, few could have imagined that the entire season would turn out so successfully for her.

Switzerland’s Camille Rast finished second in last season’s giant slalom standings. Her deficit to Scheib was significant, at 209 points. Sweden’s Sara Hector took third place.

New Zealand’s Alice Robinson should also be mentioned among the contenders for the top places. She finished last season fifth in the giant slalom standings. Robinson won two races, both at the very start of the season: in Copper Mountain and Mont-Tremblant. Over the summer, the New Zealander changed ski brands and now competes on HEAD skis.

Mikaela Shiffrin finished last season fourth in the giant slalom standings, but won the overall World Cup for the sixth time. The American drew level with Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Pröll for the number of overall titles. Shiffrin, Scheib and Rast each finished in the top six eight times last season. Mikaela also recorded one podium finish — third place in Špindlerův Mlýn.

There were 10 giant slalom races in total last season. Shiffrin holds the best record in the history of women’s Alpine skiing for wins in this discipline: she has won 22 World Cup giant slalom races. The last time the American stood on the top step of the podium in this discipline was in the 2023/24 season, in Lienz.

Italy’s Federica Brignone is not taking part in today’s race. She is recovering from knee surgery, but hopes to return to competition soon. Brignone has won the giant slalom 17 times during her career, and in February this year she won Olympic gold in Milan–Cortina.

Even before the season began, Lara Gut-Behrami announced the end of her brilliant career. Sölden, however, is marked by the long-awaited return of Petra Vlhová. The Slovak Alpine skier missed two seasons because of injury and is now highly determined. Marta Bassino is also returning to the course after a year away: a year ago, the Italian fell before the season opener and injured her knee. Like Robinson, Bassino switched to HEAD during the off-season.

Canada’s Valerie Grenier, who won last season’s final giant slalom, will also not be on the course today. The athlete sustained an injury in training and will now miss most of the season.

11:30. Alice Robinson is the first to enter the start gate. The weather and visibility are already good, and the course is in decent condition. The New Zealander completes the run in 1:08.63 and sets the first benchmark of the race.

11:32. Julia Scheib makes an exceptionally powerful start. First, the Austrian leads Robinson by 31 hundredths, then her advantage approaches a second. However, Scheib cannot handle her speed on the steep section. Her skis are thrown out from under her, Julia falls onto her side and flies into the gates. Apparently, she has avoided injury, and it was later confirmed that the Austrian was indeed fine.

11:34. The race continues, with Sara Hector taking to the course. The Swede is faster than Robinson in the first two sections, and gains 83 hundredths in the third. Hector reaches the finish with a lead of 1.22 seconds and immediately shows that she intends to fight for victory. Sara is pleased with her run.

11:36. Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund, an Olympic silver medallist, starts next. The Norwegian begins fairly cautiously and is already 62 hundredths down at the second split. By the third sector, her deficit has grown to 1.20 seconds. Thea makes a better run-out, however: she finishes second, 1.12 behind Hector, and 10 hundredths ahead of Robinson.

11:37. Mikaela Shiffrin comes out of the start gate. In the upper section, the American is almost matching Hector’s pace and is just 6 hundredths behind. Shiffrin then increases her speed, moves into the lead and gains 12 hundredths. She also has the best speed in the lower section. On the flatter stretch, Mikaela gains a little more and finishes 14 hundredths faster than Sara Hector. A year ago, Shiffrin was fourth on this course.

11:38. Paula Moltzan reached the podium four times last season, but has yet to win a World Cup race. Over the summer, the American joined Marcel Hirscher’s team and became the first female Alpine skier to compete in World Cup races on Van Deer skis. In Sölden, Moltzan begins confidently and leads at the top. Further down, she is third, 34 hundredths behind, and loses a little more on the flatter section. The result is third place, +0.59 behind Shiffrin.

11:40. Camille Rast completes the leading group. After the initial acceleration, the Swiss skier posts the fastest time, then falls 24 hundredths behind and drops to third. Her deficit increases after the steep section, but Rast continues to fight for a podium place. She finishes third with a result of +0.37, while Moltzan moves into fourth.

11:42. Canada’s Britt Richardson makes a brisk start. She is then 63 hundredths down, but negotiates the most difficult section reliably enough, losing only half a second there. In the lower section, the Canadian claws back a few hundredths and finishes fourth, +0.53.

11:43. Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić appears in the start gate. Last season did not go well for her, with particularly many problems in the slalom. Today, Ljutić starts in the green, but is already half a second behind at the second split. The Croatian cannot hold the ideal line on the steep section, and her deficit continues to grow. At the finish, she is seventh, +1.34, almost level with Robinson, who remains last for the time being.

11:45. Lara Colturi, representing Albania, takes to the course with a very determined attitude. She also switched to HEAD this summer. Colturi negotiates the first two sections cleanly, is 46 hundredths down in the third sector and slows slightly at the bottom. The Albanian crosses the finish line sixth, +0.78.

11:47. Norway’s Mina Fürst Holtmann encounters a gust of wind in the upper part of the course. She loses 33 hundredths in the second sector, then negotiates the steep section less confidently and is already more than a second down. Her finishing result is seventh, +1.17, although Mina will probably be pushed further down later.

11:49. Italy’s Lara Della Mea takes the start. She had a very respectable season last year, but today’s run does not go well for the Italian. She is already more than a second behind in the second section, and her deficit quickly increases. She cannot make up the time at the bottom: Della Mea becomes 11th and last for now, +2.05.

11:51. Germany’s Lena Dürr proved last season that she can perform successfully not only in her favoured slalom. Today, however, she is unlucky with the weather, encountering a strong gust of wind. On the steep section, Dürr is already more than two seconds behind and struggles with the terrain. At the bottom, she is 12th, +2.17.

11:53. Nina O’Brien of the USA makes a good start, although the opening section here is fairly short. After the steep section, the American is 1.61 seconds behind and finishes 11th, +1.98.

11:54. Poland’s Maryna Gąsienica-Daniel missed the end of last season after falling in the super-G in Sölden. She had nevertheless enjoyed a very good season for the most part. In Sölden, the Pole is 1.11 seconds down as early as the second sector, then drops to 13th. She cannot make up the deficit at the bottom, and Gąsienica-Daniel finishes last, 14th, +2.51.

After the first 15 athletes have started, Mikaela Shiffrin is in front. Sara Hector is 14 hundredths behind the American, while Camille Rast is third, +0.37. Britt Richardson, Paula Moltzan, Lara Colturi and Mina Fürst Holtmann follow.

11:58. Emma Aicher is aiming to challenge for the “Big Crystal Globe”. The German is the only athlete competing in all four World Cup disciplines. She loses 44 hundredths in the second sector, after which she fights for a place in the top 10. In the lower section, Aicher claws back 12 hundredths and finishes eighth, +1.25. Considering that giant slalom is Emma’s weaker discipline, this is a very respectable result.

12:00. Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener negotiates the second section tentatively and continues to struggle with the terrain. By the third sector, her deficit has reached two seconds. At the finish, Holdener is 15th, +2.33.

12:01. Petra Vlhová returns to racing; she has not been seen in giant slalom for two years. The Slovak athlete starts very well, then loses 55 hundredths. After the steep section, Vlhová is ninth, +1.15. At the finish, she remains in the top 10 — 10th place, +1.31. For her first start since January 2024, this is a very decent result.

12:02. Austria’s Stephanie Brunner begins her run, but is immediately far from the leaders. She is already more than a second behind in the second sector, and the deficit continues to grow. Brunner reaches the finish last, 18th, +2.81. At the same time, it is confirmed that Julia Scheib has not been injured and is fine.

12:01. Slovenia’s Neja Dvornik missed all of last season because of a serious injury. Today, she makes her first start after a lengthy absence. At the midway point, the Slovenian is 1.62 seconds behind, but makes a good run-out and posts the 13th-fastest time, +1.87.

12:05. Italy’s Asja Zenere negotiates the first two sections fairly confidently. On the steep section, the Italian loses 1.26 seconds, then finishes 13th at the bottom, +1.50. The results are gradually becoming more tightly bunched.

12:07. Switzerland’s Vanessa Kasper is almost a second behind as early as the second sector. The situation does not improve over the rest of the course: in the second half, her deficit exceeds two seconds. Kasper is 20th, +2.54. The top three remain unchanged — Shiffrin, Hector and Rast.

12:10. AJ Hurt of the USA attacks the initial acceleration with great power. The American then loses half a second, and is 12th in the next section, 1.27 seconds behind. Hurt crosses the finish line 13th, +1.38.

12:12. Estelle Alphand, competing for Sweden, loses 65 hundredths in the second section, but handles the steep part of the course well and joins the fight for a place in the top 10. Alphand makes a small mistake at the bottom, but it does not prevent her from posting the seventh-fastest time, +1.01. It is a very good run from Estelle.

12:14. Switzerland’s Sue Piller is not yet handling the difficult course with much confidence. At the third split, she is 2.62 seconds behind and crosses the finish line last, 24th, +3.07.

12:15. Norway’s Madeleine Sylvester-Davik is still gaining experience. She loses 1.16 seconds in the second sector and cannot maintain the ideal pace at the bottom. The Norwegian finishes 25th, +3.16.

12:16. USA’s Elisabeth Bocock negotiates the most difficult section fairly confidently and is challenging for 12th place. However, she eases off slightly at the bottom. The result is 16th place, +1.69.

12:18. Marta Bassino takes the start after more than a year away. The Italian loses 1.56 seconds, and things do not entirely come together after that either, but this is her first race back from injury. Bassino finishes 25th, +3.01.

12:19. Austria’s Franziska Gritsch negotiates the first two sections well. She then loses 1.37 seconds and continues to fight for a place in the top 15. In the lower section, Gritsch posts the 15th-fastest time, +1.48. Following Scheib’s retirement, she becomes the best representative of the Austrian team.

12:21. Sweden’s Hilma Lövblom completes the first 30 starters. The young athlete makes a confident run through the upper section, then fights for a place in the top 15. At the finish, she is 19th, +1.90.

After the first 30 starters, Mikaela Shiffrin retains the lead. Sara Hector is second, 14 hundredths behind, while Camille Rast is third, +0.37. Britt Richardson, Paula Moltzan, Lara Colturi and Estelle Alphand follow.

Several athletes in the second group of 30 on the start list mainly specialise in the speed disciplines. They include Laura Pirovano, Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Corinne Suter.

12:26. Germany’s Kira Weidle-Winkelmann negotiates the course very well and finishes 20th, +1.93. That result is enough to see her in the second run. Laura Pirovano and Corinne Suter are less successful and do not qualify for the second run.

Hanna Aronsson Elfman makes a confident run all the way down the course. Despite starting 46th, the Swede rises to 18th place, +1.77.

After the first run of the women’s giant slalom in Sölden, Mikaela Shiffrin leads. Sara Hector is second and Camille Rast third.

• 1. Mikaela Shiffrin
• 2. Sara Hector — +0.14
• 3. Camille Rast — +0.37
• 4. Britt Richardson — +0.53
• 5. Paula Moltzan — +0.59
• 6. Lara Colturi — +0.78
• 7. Estelle Alphand — +1.01

The second run will begin at 14:30 Moscow time.

Alpine Skiing World Cup, women. Sölden, Austria. Giant slalom. First-run results.

Photo: footage from the SRF Sport television channel. 10:44 24.10.26