KILLINGTON – Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America hosted the women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup for the sixth time over Thanksgiving Weekend. Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami won the giant slalom under sunny skies on Saturday and in a shocking finale Sunday, Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden and Wendy Holdener, Switzerland, tied for the slalom win. Though she logged the fastest time in run one, five-time Killington Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin finished the slalom in fifth.
After a slow start to the Audi FIS Ski World Cup season, marred with cancellations in Europe, Killington Resort pulled off the impossible by taking the racecourse from grass to FIS snow control approval in a matter of days. Because of the prolonged warm weather in November, the Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel was the first race of the year for many athletes, who shared their enthusiasm for being back in Vermont.
“I always have a lot of fun at Killington,” said U.S. Alpine Team athlete and University of Vermont student Paula Moltzan. “I think we know as a team that Killington has the best fans. As an adopted Vermonter, it’s always nice to see familiar faces at the finish line.”
SNOW AND ICE are kicked up behind Sweden’s Sara Hector during the Audi FIS Women’s World Cup giant slalom at Killington this past Saturday as a record 21,000 fans looked on. Reporter photo/Angelo Lynn
The record-breaking crowds totaling 37,000 over the weekend began arriving on Friday for the return of the athlete bib presentation and fireworks display, and once again roared on both Saturday and Sunday as the fastest female alpine ski racers in the world descended Superstar.
“This crowd is quite special,” says local favorite and five-time champion Mikaela Shiffrin. “Especially in the slalom, I can hear the crowd from the start. It’s this deep rumbling that soaks into your bones and gives you some extra energy to try and get to the finish faster.”
About 21,000 fans attended Saturday’s giant slalom event under sunny skies, but temps in the mid-20s and a stiff 20-plus mph wind made it a cold morning on the mountain. Racers in Sunday’s slalom, however, faced warming temperatures into the high 30s by the second run and softening snow that created rutted conditions on the course.
USA’S MIKAELA SHIFFRIN has that look of amused disappointment with her 13th place finish in Saturday’s giant slalom. She placed fifth in the slalom on Sunday, following four previous victories there at the World Cup. It wasn’t to be, said Shiffrin graciously after the race, saying to win her 50th World Cup event and her fifth consecutive slalom title at Killington was too much for the fates to grant. Reporter photo/Angelo Lynn
Nonetheless, afternoon rains held off until after the racers were finished and most of the crowd had departed — leaving Killington officials to thank their lucky stars for a 10-day cold snap preceding the race that allowed them to pull off the race under good conditions.
About 90 female athletes from 20 different nations competed in the event.
To stage the race, more than 300 volunteers took part and over 600 children from New England ski clubs participated in the opening day parade on Saturday.
AS A PHOTOGRAPHER shooting the giant slalom and slalom races, what’s remark- able about all the racers is the angle their bodies get to the slope at speeds over 50 mph on hard-packed ice that most expert skiers have trouble navigating. Note how low this skier’s hip is to the snow and yet she maintains perfect edge control.
Reporter photo/Angelo Lynn
Results were:
- 2022 Giant Slalom Results
- 1st Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI)
- 2nd Marta Bassino (ITA)
- 3rd Sara Hector (SWE)
- 2022 Slalom Results
- 1st Anna Swenn-Larsson (SWE)
- 1st Wendy Holdener (SUI)
- 3rd Katharina Truppe (AUT)
