Parallel World Champion Alexander Schmid experienced a sobering return to the Alpine World Cup. The ski racer from the Allgäu was eliminated in the first round of the Palisades Tahoe giant slalom after a skid error.
His teammates Stefan Luitz, Fabian Gratz, Anton Grammel, Julian Rauchfuss and Linus Straßer also missed the leap into the final of the top 30.
Criticism of the race in California
Austria’s Marco Schwarz won ahead of world champion Marco Odermatt. The Swiss missed his ninth win of the season. Third was Rasmus Windingstad from Norway.
The race in the California winter sports region had caused a lot of criticism. It is the second time this winter that the men are flying to the USA. In November the Alpines had been to Beaver Creek. Instead of holding the US races in Palisades Tahoe and Aspen directly afterwards, the world association FIS put them at the end of the season.