The young, the old and just about everyone in between shone in the Sölden sun on Sunday as the men’s Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season got off to the most electrifying of starts.
The drama started early, with reigning champion Marco Odermatt skiing out halfway down the first run of the day, and it did not stop. As first, double Olympic champion Marcel Hirscher (NED) gave fans plenty to get excited about in his first World Cup race for 2,051 days and then Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) sent the capacity crowd wild with a samba jig in the finish area after almost snatching a scarcely believable podium place in his comeback race.
But among all the non-stop action, it was 23-year-old Alexander Steen Olsen (NOR) who grabbed a maiden giant slalom World Cup trophy and led a first ever Norwegian clean sweep in the discipline.
Behind him came 2019 GS world champion Henrik Kristoffersen (+0.65 seconds) with the increasingly versatile Atle Lie McGrath a whisper further back in third (+0.66 seconds).
The fact Steen Olsen finally converted a run one lead into victory only increased the size of his grin.
“I've been in that position a couple of times now, and for sure, that helps with the experience,” the 23-year-old said. “Today, I was starting to get into that same pattern of thinking as I had done before, where I start to focus a bit more on the result. But I told myself, ‘get your sh** together, attack the course, see what that's good enough for’.
“And yeah, that worked. So, I'm so happy.”
McGrath then revealed that it was not only nerves that his teammate was dealing with.
“Insane… he has not skied the past two weeks because of knee pain and then to show up, be in the lead after the first run… and then to go down and win the race today was really, really impressive,” McGrath said. “So deserved, he's an inspiration.”
McGrath, a one-time slalom specialist, had a good day too, securing his second GS podium of 2024 and celebrating with great friend Braathen who he pushed into fourth.
“That’s just a moment I’m going to cherish forever. So incredible,” he said smiling. “I guess I've done some big improvements in GS the past months.”
It is Kristoffersen of the top three who has all the GS pedigree and the 2020 Globe winner was delighted to finally be sharing the limelight with his countrymen.
“Crazy, crazy. Hats off to Zander (Steen Olsen) amazing skiing today, both runs and really cool to see,” Kristoffersen said before reflecting that second is his best ever result in Sölden.
“Very good day skiing, really good in the pitch. Both runs lost a bit of time on the flat. Little bit to be expected,” he said. “But better than previous years.”
He may have missed out on marking his return to World Cup racing with a podium place by less than three-tenths of a second, but Braathen was just as happy with the opening day of the season as his former teammates.
“Ten seconds ahead of starting on the first run, for the first time in my life, I smiled before I dropped in. I've never, ever done that before. And that's when I realized I'm back where I belong,” said Braathen who produced the fastest second run of all to jump from bib No.41 to fourth.
“I was able to ski with my heart today and when you let me go I can achieve great things.”
The man who won the slalom World Cup title in 2023 then explained just what it meant to be able to dance in the finish area in front of 17,200 fans.
"It’s a package of so much pain, of so much sacrifice, of a roller-coaster of a year of trying to find who I am, and it's a journey that has led me to be the person that I am today, sitting here being able to achieve what I achieved,” Braathen said. “I'm so proud of what I've achieved today, and I hope I get to do that (dance) a whole lot more.
“I feel like I'm in my second chapter right now. I just started my second career, and I think we started on the right terms.”
While he could not quite match Braathen’s exploits, Hirscher’s efforts deserve plenty of their own headlines. Back in a domain he dominated, winning the GS Globe 2015-2019, and in front of fans who worshipped him the 35-year-old ended the day 23rd.
Perhaps more relevant than that finishing position was the fact he was third fastest on the second run.
“The last five years I was laying on the couch on Sölden weekend,” Hirscher said. “I mean, it's not too bad to be on the couch and to see the race on TV, but it is way better to be here and, yeah the second run was maybe one of the most emotional results or moments in my whole career.
“After five years away from ski racing it is a lot work (to be back), and it means a lot to me, and yeah, just great to be part of ski racing community again.”
The Austrian born athlete now racing for the Netherlands, the country of his mother’s birth, then reflected on what it meant to have Brazilian and Dutch flags flying in the crowd.
“You know that is one of the most exciting moments in skiing history,” Hirscher said. “I think we will see a lot of great memories, especially with Lucas, and what he is doing at the moment for the sport is just wonderful. And I'm glad that I can ski for my mother's nation for a couple of races.”
After skiing like he was from another planet last season, Odermatt proved that he is indeed human. The man who claimed the first nine GS World Cup races in 2023/24 was first out of the gate, and halfway down the course it looked like nothing had changed. But even the best can get caught out by Sölden’s infamously steep pitch.
“It was a dream for me to open up a season. I felt good in the start, I felt good in the first gate and then I knew I needed to take this chance for a spectacular run and to risk a lot. I really wanted to ski very fast in the first run,” Odermatt said.
“I did till the mistake but then when you do mistakes in the steepest part you have no chance to recover.”
After losing his edge and with his weight on the wrong ski halfway down the 68% gradient slope Odermatt skied out. Somewhat surprisingly for a skier who has won 21 of the past 29 GS World Cups, it is now the second time in succession that he has failed to finish.
Not that he is taking too much notice of that.
“I took the risk today that this could happen,” Odermatt said. “Till there I really felt perfect so that’s what I take with me and not the mistake.”
Compatiot Loic Meillard (SUI) completed a disappointing weekend for the mighty Swiss. Second to Odermatt in the overall and the GS Crystal Globe races last season, Meillard had been tipped by none other than his teammate to challenge hard again. But the 27-year-old woke up with intense back pain and was unable to race.
Home favourite Manuel Feller (AUT) was another not to make it to the second run. Berating himself for a “classic mistake” after being too “reactive”, he skied out at the same turn as Odermatt. The Austrian then admitted he “cannot wait to get back on the slalom skis”.
Feller, 2023/24 slalom Globe champion, will get his wish soon with the opening men’s slalom World Cup next up in Levi, Finland on 17 November.
