Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt won the Giant Slalom in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on Sunday, December 7. With this victory, the Swiss athlete shook off years of frustration on the Birds of Prey course to claim his 49th World Cup victory. Odermatt may be the most dominant Giant Slalom skier in recent memory but the 28-year-old had recorded three DNFs and one 27th place in Giant Slalom at Beaver Creek. “It’s actually very special,” Odermatt said after his victory. “The Giant Slalom today was somehow missing on my portfolio. Yeah, I’m super happy.”
Wearing bib 1 and setting the standard from the start, Odermatt laid down a near-perfect first run, posting the quickest time and building a commanding lead heading into the second leg. His combined time of 2:20.59 stood firm, handily fending off challengers even as he battled a bumpy and tricky lower section on his second run.
Joining Odermatt on the podium was Italy’s Alex Vinatzer, who put down an incredible second run—the third fastest second run of the day—boosting himself from 10th to second place with a combined time of 2:20.82. It marks Vinatzer’s first career Giant Slalom podium—the Italian is better known for his prowess in the speed disciplines.
Rounding out the podium was Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen who had sat in equal second after run 1, tying with his former teammate-turned-Brazilian Lucas Braathen. Kristoffersen claimed third with a combined time of 2:20.93, while Braathen dropped to fifth place despite some strong skiing.
Standout skiing came from Team USA’s River Radamus, who delivered the best U.S. result, finishing sixth overall. After run 1 the American ski racer had sat in 18th place but with the second-fastest run 2 of the day, Radamus jumped up in the ranks by 12 spots to finish in sixth overall.
Meanwhile, teammates Ryder Sarchett and George Steffey ended in 25th and 27th, respectively—both inside the point-earning top 30. Missing out on the qualification for run 2 were Isaiah Nelson in 45th place and Bridger Gile in 47th place, while Patrick Kenney recorded a DNF.
For Odermatt, the win completes a remarkable weekend: a Downhill victory earlier in the week; a resilient fifth place in Friday’s Super-G; and now a long-awaited Giant Slalom triumph. It cements Odermatt’s standing in the season’s rankings as the dominant leader with now 445 points—more than 200 points ahead of Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Henrik Kristoffersen.
With Beaver Creek behind them, the men’s circuit now moves to Val d’Isere, France, where the tech men will compete in a Giant Slalom and a Slalom race on December 13 and 14 respectively. The speed men will have a rest for a week before a race weekend in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy, on December 19 and 20 where a Downhill and Super-G will be held.
