Odermatt Rides Ragged Edge to Beaver Creek Super-G Win

By Published On: December 6th, 2019Comments Off on Odermatt Rides Ragged Edge to Beaver Creek Super-G Win

If there was a theme to come out of Friday’s men’s World Cup super-G in Beaver Creek, Colorado, it was risk management. High speeds, a technical course set, and grippy Colorado snow combined for a unique challenge that required racers to ski aggressive but smart if they were to master the opening race of the Birds of Prey weekend.

22-year-old Swiss sensation Marco Odermatt splashed onto the scene as a junior, capturing an unprecedented four gold medals at the 2018 World Junior Championships, winning every event he was entered in. Fans have had an eye on him ever since he began inching his way up the Word Cup ranks and his two giant slalom podiums to close out the 2018-19 season indicated that his maiden victory was likely not too far behind.

We didn’t have to wait long as he delivered on Friday, taking the Beaver Creek super-G in dramatic fashion. Running with bib two and with the first racer out of the gate, France’s Adrien Theaux, missing a gate, Odermatt took to the course nearly blind and skied the top technical section like a skier with years more experience before flirting with disaster as he exited the “Pumphouse” section of the course.

Running a tight line, Odermatt was pulled low and crashed through the next left-footed gate, only to catch an edge moments later, almost crashing out again. The rising star managed to keep it together for the remainder of the course, however, crossing the line in 1:10.90 seconds and looked a little unsure about his chances, given his on-course theatrics.

Despite a strong challenge from eventual runner-up, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Odermatt managed to hang on through the entire field and take the win so many were so eager to see.

“I feel really great, of course,” Odermatt shared after the race. “It was a perfect day for me with a really perfect run. It was really on the edge but I was lucky that I made all the gates. I tried to do my best after the mistake so I just didn’t want to brake there so I went full speed and lost not so much so it was possible to have a good run.”

With the racing happening in North America, Odermatt’s fans in Switzerland were also able to watch him win in prime-time.

“There was a public viewing in my hometown so I guess they are partying, I hope!” he laughed.

Kilde ran with bib 17 and managed to catch Odermatt’s run on the TV screens at the start. The Norwegian star saw the trouble Odermatt ran into and made the appropriate adjustments for his run, nailing the Pumphouse and carrying a healthy lead into the last split time before the finish. With only gates to go, Kilde ran a left-footed fall-away turn a little too tight and bounced on his hip, throwing him wide and costing nearly a full half-second as he slid into second place, 0.10 seconds back.

“It was one of the hardest Beaver Creeks I’ve done,” he said. “It was a really challenging course set, really high speeds into some of those corners, that always makes it difficult to manage. Today, I felt really confident and wanted to just got for it. I saw the other guys and new where I had to be a little bit smart. I managed to be smart where Marco had trouble but then I screwed it up a little bit lower down.”

Kilde nearly took the win if it wasn’t for an untimely mistake as he approached the finish.. Photo: GEPA pictures/Andreas Pranter

Austria’s Matthias Mayer continued the hot streak he was on after last week’s racing in lake Louise, landing on his second super-G podium in a row in third place and widening his lead in the Overall standings.

“I saw Marco’s skiing and he had that mistake in the flat area and I was not sure if he could be on of the fastest today,” Mayer admitted. “He risked a lot and he did it very well. It was good for me, I tried to ski technically good and ended up only 0.14 behind so I am very happy.”

The American contingent was led for the third race in a row by Travis Ganong in sixth place, 0.69 seconds back.

“Beaver Creek is known as one of the more technical courses on the Tour and it’s definitely one of the coolest super-Gs we get to run,” he said in the finish. “Today was especially challenging with the set, really high speeds into some big fall-away turns and it was super bumpy in a few turns.”

Ganong relied on a strong top section to carry him to his best super-G result in Beaver Creek since he also finished sixth at the venue in 2015.

“The top section is normally my nemesis but today the flow was amazing up there and the snow was really easy so I had really good feelings on the top,” he continued. “I had a really good middle section too but lost a little on the bottom. I’m super fired up to be in sixth.”

Ganong used a strong upper portion to power his way to another super-G top 10. Photo: GEPA pictures/Andreas Pranter

Vermont’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the next American finisher, tying Norway’s Rasmus Windingstad in 18th place. Cochran-Siegle posted top-10 split times on the upper sections of the course before suffering a similar mistake to Kilde on the bottom, slipping back in the standings. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old was positive about his performance and looks forward to Saturday’s downhill.

“It’s not very often when you see a super-G set on this hill and are like, ‘Wow, this looks like it’s going to be fun to ski.'” he shared. “I was happy with it. It definitely favored my style a bit more and I’m happy with the way I skied it.”

Following Ganong and Cochran-Siegle in the points was Steven Nyman in 24th and Ted Ligety in 28th. Kyle Negomir finished in 51st, Sam Dupratt in 52nd, and River Radamus in 55th. Tommy Ford missed a gate and did not finish.

James Crawford was the lone Canadian point scorer in 21st place.

The men now race downhill in Beaver Creek on Saturday, December 7.


Top 10

  1. Marco Odermatt (SUI) – 1:10.90 Stoeckli/Salomon
  2. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) – +0.10 Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  3. Matthias Mayer (AUT) – +0.14 Head/Head/Head
  4. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) – +0.37 Head/Head/Head
  5. Mauro Caviezel (SUI) – +0.64 Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  6. Travis Ganong (USA) – +0.69 Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  7. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) – +0.74 Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
  8. Adrien Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) – +0.86 Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  9. Hannes Reichelt (AUT) – +0.91 Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
  10. Mattia Casse (ITA) – +0.93 Head/Head/Head

For complete results, click here.

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About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.