ALPNE SKI WORLD CUP. The 2010-11 Alpine World Cup season kicks off this weekend in the village of Soelden, Austria, with giant slalom events for men and women. Between Soelden and the World Cup final in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, in mid-March, the tour will take the world's fastest skiers to the slopes in 14 countries on two continents. Along the way, there will be plenty of compelling story lines to follow.

The race course is beeing prepared, two days ahead of the Alpine Skiing World Cup start in Soelden, Austria, on Thursday, Oct 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Keystone, Alessandro Della Bella)

Vonn taking swing at Swiss

A season after she set a U.S. career record for World Cup victories, became the Olympic downhill champion and won her third consecutive overall World Cup championship, 26-year-old American superstar Lindsey Vonn has no intentions of taking her foot off the gas pedal. Her new goal: to break the single-season record for World Cup wins in a season, 14, set in 1988-89 by Vreni Schneider of Switzerland. Last season, Vonn posted 11 victories To reach her goal, she must either better her incredible success rate in the speed events, or match it and then pull off wins in her less-preferred technical events, giant slalom and slalom. Never count out the determined Vonn; from winning Olympic gold to meeting her sporting idol, Roger Federer, and guest-appearing on her favorite TV show, Law & Order, she has rarely failed to achieve what she set out to.

The road goes through Garmisch

Vonn's top rival in her quest to become just the second Alpine skier to win a fourth consecutive overall World Cup title (Austria's Annemarie Moser-Proell won five straight in the 1970's) is also her best friend on the tour. Germany's Maria Riesch, who became double Olympic champion (super-combined and slalom) in Vancouver, has finished runner-up to the American the last two seasons. However, she might be the more all-round skier of the two, having narrowed the gap to Vonn on the speed side. One major incentive for the German is that the World Championships, considered by most skiers to be equal in prestige to the Olympics, will be held in her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in mid-February, and she will want to be in top form. Other contenders for the women's crown are Sweden's Anja Paerson, back for a 15th season, Slovenia's Tina Maze and Swiss teenager Lara Gut.

The "Iceman" vs. the "Viking"

The favorites for the men's overall crown are defending champion Carlo Janka of Switzerland and the 2008-09 champion, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway. The 24-year-old Swiss skier, nicknamed the "Iceman" for his cool demeanor, had an incredible season, sweeping all three events at Beaver Creek, winning the prestigious Lauberhorn at Wengen and capturing Olympic gold in the giant slalom. A viral infection in April threw off his early offseason training program, but the brief lay-off may have provided him with the extra rest for another peak season. Svindal finished only fourth in the overall standings, but he put his immense talent on display in Vancouver, winning three medals, including gold in the super-G. That neither Janka nor Svindal skis slalom may open the door for all-event skiers such as Austria's veteran Benni Raich, , Croatia's Ivica Kostelic or Bode Miller of the United States.

Miller lighter

Who can forget the last time Bode Miller hit the competitive slopes? Working the underdog card to perfection, Miller surprised the Alpine world with a three-medal performance at the Vancouver Olympics, including gold in the super-combined. The two-time overall World Cup champion is back for his 14th season, equipped with a new motor home for the European World Cup stops and in his best shape since 2007-08, his most recent title year. The 33-year-old plans on skiing all four disciplines this season, so contending with Svindal and Janka for a third overall title is not out of the question.

Searching for more speed

Almost as surprising as Miller's feat in Vancouver was that of Julia Mancuso. Without a single podium finish since 2008, she won silver medals in the downhill and super-combined events. To prove that her success was not tied to the Whistler Creekside venue, she gained two more top-5 finishes - including a 3rd place at the first post-Olympics event in Crans Montana - to wrap up the World Cup season. Another American to watch is Ted Ligety. Although "Shred" faltered in Vancouver, he captured his second-career World Cup giant slalom title. Offseason equipment changes for both 26-year-old skiers might mean slow starts to their seasons, but the effervescent Americans should make their way into the headlines.

By Martin Thorstensson
Special to Universal Sports
Posted: Oct 21, 7:19a ET

Julia Mancuso starting clean

Julia Mancuso has packed a lot into the last few months. She took third place among the world’s best in an elite big mountain competition in Verbier last spring – the first she’d ever attempted – she spent some time traveling, surfing, and doing a number of photo shoots.

In this file photo taken on March 23, 2010, Julia Mancuso, of Olympic Valley, Calif., smiles after finishing her second run of the women's giant slalom ski race at the U.S Alpine Championships at Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, N.Y. Julia Mancuso put two disappointing seasons behind her with two silvers in Vancouver. She also made an equipment change, keeping her Lange boots but switching from Rossignol to Voelkl skis. Despite the change, new U.S. women's head coach Alex Hoedlmoser believes Mancuso can be a threat for the overall title for the first time since 2007-08. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

But even her coach says that she has mostly been focused on her race training and Mancuso is ready to push her other activities aside and put all her energy into another World Cup season. And as far as she sees it – with two more Olympic medals in tow – she’s starting with a clean slate and a clear line of sight. She’s not going to avert her eyes until after the 2015 world championships in Vail.

“Since Vail has the world champs I want to race until then. I’m on another four-year cycle; forget the past, forget the injuries,” Mancuso said. “I’m stoked I got two silvers in Whistler. It’s time to make these next four years really good and not have any super down moments.”

Let’s not forget that following her Olympic giant slalom gold in 2006, Mancuso had her best ever season on the World Cup, landing 10 podiums including three victories, a silver in the world championship combined race, third in the overall Cup standings and second in downhill and combined. She also brought some of the momentum into the following season, finishing second to Denise Karbon in Soelden.

Though she’s proven she’s capable of podiums, medals and victories, all Mancuso wants this season is to hold flowers in her hands on a regular basis. She plans to compete in just about every Cup race this season … including the slaloms.

“I want to be consistent in all the disciplines, but to look at the overall goal, I just want to be back where I was four years ago,” she said. “I’m not saying I want to win everything … I’m just ready to be at the awards ceremonies at all the races.”

Though she spent the most successful of her racing years skiing on Rossignol, Mancuso is switching to Voelkl this season and said the transition has been almost seamless.

“It was just so smooth, it felt natural to be on Voelkls,” she said. “I’ve been skiing all summer and a few days in May on my Voelkls and it’s been good. I haven’t really had do any extra time or test anything special out because everything just fits so naturally and they’re just working really well.”

Keeping her Lange boots also makes for a silkier switch.

“The most important thing is to have your boots,” she said. “So the skis are just by feel. From the beginning I had a good feeling. I really loved skiing for Rossi and I had a lot of success and I was on them for a lot of years. But the past few years things were changing that I didn’t really agree with. So it was time to get some new action and it’s almost like starting over. It’s exciting and something new. It’s fun.”

U.S. Women’s head coach Alex Hoedlmoser has also liked what he’s seen in training.

“She had some great training days in New Zealand. I think the skis are working pretty well for her,” Hoedlmoser said. “She’s been very, very focused all summer long in training and put a lot of effort in. It was fun to see her hammer it down like she did this year. Her GS is a lot further than it was last year. I’m not sure she’s completely ready to podium here [in Soelden], but … she has before. She’s very happy right now and loves to be out there skiing. That always makes a difference.”

Though the last time Mancuso landed a top 10 in a World Cup GS was nearly two years ago (sixth in Semmering), her two Olympic silver medals in downhill and super-combined buoyed her confidence so much that she was in contention for another medal in the Olympic GS, but ended up eighth. Mancuso says that energy and confidence she carried into that race has stayed with her and will hopefully translate to a hot race in Soelden.

“It’s like the overall feeling,” she said of her Olympic success and the mental boost that came with it. “You feel like you have a place in the sport, like you’re going in there and you’re a good skier. It helps my confidence with my presence and with the racing. Not having the best results that I’d wanted on the World Cup last year, still it was good to have those results in the Olympics. I feel like I’ve reached the place I wanted to be physically.”

And so, let us open the first chapter of the next four years of Mancuso’s racing career. The setting: Soelden.

“I’ve had a lot of good days of GS training, especially on the ice,” she said. “I’m excited to race. Still, when you haven’t had a great season in the event, you start from zero. It’s just building blocks … you have to be positive. I’m going to be happy with going to the start gate and skiing solid. I’ve been on the podium here. I like Soelden, so hopefully everything will go well.”

FISalpine.com
Thursday 21 October 2010

Soelden: Kathrin Zettel aiming for top step

Kathrin Zettel is coming into the season following a turbulent summer of hip pain and abbreviated training, but she feels better than she did at this time last year and her motto for the season is “be a winner”— hopefully starting with Soelden – where she’s been on the podium the last three years (winning in 2008).

It also doesn’t hurt that with Zettel and Marlies Schild leading the charge, the Austrian women have one of the strongest technical teams on the circuit. Plus, Nicole Hosp will be racing again this season.

“We are really lucky we are complete now,” the 24-year-old said from her hotel in Soelden, where she was having a coffee with her team following training on Wednesday. “Nicole is back, she feels quite good. Marlies is back, her slalom is great and she’s trying to get better in GS. She’s not on the start in Soelden but maybe in Aspen. That makes us strong as a team.”

Last year at this time Zettel was struggling with persistent knee pain. She wasn’t able to begin training until just a few weeks before the season began in Soelden, but still went on to take second in the opening race, finishing behind Tanja Poutiainen by the smallest possible margin: .01 seconds. After that she finished on the podium in every giant slalom and slalom race but two through the beginning of February. Before the Olympics, she won the final two back-to-back technical races in Maribor, marking her first ever victory in a World Cup slalom. Fulfilling that goal took several years, but Zettel feels that her season was more or less finished after that climax. She finished fifth in the Olympic GS race and 13th in slalom, fourth in super combined and ninth in the downhill … not bad as results go, but meaningless for the Olympics, where only the top three count.

“The Olympics weren’t so good,” she admits. “I was tired. I had such good results before. I won Maribor – the two races – then all the pressure fell down. I was happy about it. I won my first slalom ever. That was a big wish for my heart. But after that, for me it was over. The energy wasn’t there – I got more pain in my knee and it was a lot [harder] than in the beginning.”

Nonetheless, Zettel notched one more podium – second in slalom – at the World Cup finals in Garmisch Partenkirchen to wrap up her season. In May, she began to have stabbing pain in her left hip – on the same side as her knee pain. She discovered an inflammation that her doctors say is likely a result of her 2007 crash in Tarvisio … but skiing through the pain is something she’s prepared to face.

“My summer was not that good,” she said. “I [couldn’t] do conditional training all summer, and New Zealand wasn’t [as] good as I hoped for.”

When Zettel wasn’t able to embark on her normal summer routine of cycling and running, she turned to specialized rehabilitation exercises, consulted her mental guidance trainer she’s had for the last year to keep her spirits up and also found solace in spending time with her family and hunting with her father – a sport she picked up the summer after her 2007 crash.

“I spent a lot of time with my family,” she said of this summer. “That’s one thing that gives me a lot of power. Also hunting, it’s really nice to be in nature and see things. My father is a hunter. My grandfather was a hunter. It’s a good thing. But now [in the thick of hunting season], it isn’t possible. We are always on the run. I set my focus on skiing now.”

Though she still has pain, Zettel says it is not so great as this time last year, when she was still able to go on to have a groundbreaking season, landing podium after podium.

“I feel pain, not only the hip, my knee is hurting too,” she says. “But I [can do] the training now with good quality and I’m happy with my results in training. I feel stronger than last year. So hopefully I can [have] good races.”

She found the formula to make that happen last year. And this year, when she outlines her goals for the seasons, she is not thinking about the main event – the world championships – or winning medals. She’s just thinking about winning.

“I want to be a winner,” she says. “I want to win races this year. Last year I was good all the time – so often on the podium – but now I want to get a step forward and be a winner.”

by Shauna Farnell
FISalpine.com
Thursday 21 October 2010