Slalom standouts take aim at Reiteralm podium

The first World Cup slalom of the year kicks off this weekend at the substitute venue of Reiteralm, Austria, after the International Ski Federation announced Sunday that the Levi, Finland, race would be canceled due to lack of snow. Austria, however, does not have that problem. 

THE FIRST WORLD CUP slalom of the year kicks off this weekend at the substitute venue of Reiteralm, Austria, after the International Ski Federation announced Sunday that the Levi, Finland, race would be canceled due to lack of snow. Austria, however, does not have that problem.  
    “We’ll be potentially fighting weather,” said U.S. men’s alpine head coach Phil McNichol, who added that the forecast calls for more snow.
    “We just trained two days in the snow and wind,” said U.S. women’s tech coach Chris Knight. “It was good prep and we are expecting it, so no worries.”
    The U.S. Ski Team plans to start Resi Stiegler and Lauren Ross on Saturday in the slalom. Sunday, the USA will enter Ted Ligety, Jimmy Cochran, Tim Kelley, Cody Marshall and independent racer Bode Miller in the men’s slalom. Meanwhile, the rest of the U.S. Ski Team is in Colorado training at Keystone and Copper ski areas. Due to travel logistics and training camp back home, the U.S. squad represented in Reiteralm is smaller than usual.
    “Originally, we were going to Finland and it is an expensive, difficult trip to make after Sölden,” Knight said. “Planning-wise, it is very difficult. The four-eventers need speed training in Colorado, and it is just a slalom specialists’ race for us. For the Euros, it is much, much easier and cheaper.”
    That doesn’t mean the U.S. is writing this race off — there are points to earn. The two U.S. skiers likely to get a top bib number are Ligety and Stiegler, both of whom gained confidence in the GS two weekends ago in Sölden by placing second and 15th, respectively.
    “Ted is skiing well,” said U.S. men’s tech coach Sasha Rearick. “He is taking his training, recovery and equipment testing very seriously. I am confident that he will progress well this season.”
    Knight said Stiegler is bound to impress if she can put together two solid runs.
“She has one of the fastest slalom turns out there,” he said, “and has some confidence from Sölden. She will be fast. If she brings it to the finish without too many mistakes, watch out.”
    Knight also looks forward to seeing Ross in her first slalom after spending the entire 2006-07 season rehabbing a torn ACL. Ross won the time trial in Sölden, landing her a spot in the World Cup GS, which definitely boosted her confidence, Knight said.
    “I am sure she will be wanting to get a second run,” he said of the slalom.
    As for the men, McNichol hopes to see a breakthrough performance from Cochran, who has been skiing on the World Cup circuit for a couple of years now. His best result was in 2005 when he placed seventh in the GS in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
“I would really like to see Jim step up and qualify,” he said. “He’s been a little hot and cold in training.”
    For Marshall and Kelley, it’s their first race of the season and expectations aren’t as high for them, as they are both fairly new to World Cup-level racing and will be starting in the back of the pack.
    “My expectations are for those guys to get some experience and put a good run down,” McNichol said. “Certainly they are capable of qualifying, but it’s going take a well-executed run.”
    First runs both days are at 10 a.m. local time and second runs at 1 p.m. WCSN.com will broadcast same-day Web streaming coverage of each race beginning at noon ET each day.