Aspen: U.S. women eager to tackle DH track

The women’s World Cup stays in North America this week as the ski racers head to the snowy resort town of Aspen, Colorado, where the downhill will be part of the program for the first time since 1988.
    "I'm really really looking forward to Aspen,” Vonn said. “It's my first opportunity to race downhill not only in my discipline by in my home state."
    The women will begin training runs Dec. 5 and 6, then race downhill on Friday, super G on Saturday and slalom on Sunday.
  
ASPEN, Colo. — The women’s World Cup stays in North America this week as the racers head to the snowy resort town of Aspen, Colorado, where the downhill will be part of the program for the first time since 1988.
    That year, Switzerland’s Brigitte Oertli finished on top of the podium, but this season look for the American women to vie for the top spots. With momentum from last weekend’s downhill win by Lindsey Vonn, look for her to take charge.
    "I'm really really looking forward to Aspen,” Vonn said. “It's my first opportunity to race downhill not only in my discipline by in my home state."
    The women will begin training runs Dec. 5 and 6, then race downhill on Friday, super G on Saturday and slalom on Sunday.
    Over the last couple of years, Aspen has been home to the tech events — giant slalom and slalom — but the women did run a super G in 2005 that Vonn said was difficult being that rhythm is easier to find when also running the downhill. So to put downhill skis on to test Ruthie’s Run on Aspen Mountain is exciting for the women.
    "It's a pretty technical hill,” Vonn said. “It's very challenging with the terrain. There are a lot really difficult aspects to it. … I'm going to definitely give it my all."
    She has podiumed a number of times over her career, but never at Aspen. "This is an opportunity to show the U.S. what I've got," Vonn said.
    Resi Stiegler plans to get a taste of the speed events here as well. The slalommeister just got 400 FIS points, allowing her a spot in every discipline. To practice, she foreran the men’s Birds of Prey super G in Beaver Creek on Monday, the first woman to officially do so.
    “I was really nervous and I think I was forgetting the simple things about the sport,” said Stiegler, who had a blast but missed a gate. “I love speed. I don’t even ski speed but I’m pretty sure Lindsey Vonn could kill everybody on the hill.”
    They may have a chance to ski a similar course at Beaver Creek at the 2013 Alpine World Championships if Vail/Beaver Creek wins the bid. But until then, Aspen will definitely remain one of the steepest, if not the steepest, speed courses in North America. An American woman hasn’t seen the three steps of the podium in Aspen since Kristina Koznick’s third-place finish in the 2004 slalom.
    “I’m really excited,” Stiegler said. “I’m going to do the training runs and see how that goes, then race one of the events and get ready to hammer the slalom. I need to get in there.”
    Don’t count out Julia Mancuso, who is ranked seventh in the overall standings, to bow down. She will be looking to get on the podium after not posting a top 10 last weekend at Lake Louise. She got 13th in the downhill and 11th in the super G.
    Also look for the other usual U.S. players such as Stacey Cook, Kaylin Richardson, Libby Ludlow and newcomer Leanne Smith to make a run for the top 10.
    On Saturday, 36 inches of snow dumped on Aspen, and the course crew may have a lot more work in store as snow is forecasted for the entire week.