World Cup Finals: Mikaela Shiffrin gets best of Tina Maze for Slalom title, but Maze wins 3 titles

March 17:  Slovenian superstar Tina Maze may have clinched the World Cup Giant Slalom season crown in January, but that didn’t stop her from winning the final race of the season on Sunday (March 17) in Lenzerheide. The victory means Maze brought home three titles — Giant Slalom, Super G and Overall — while also setting the season record for overall points with 2,414 and for total podiums (24). Read more.

March 16: There is NO way an 18-year-old should be able to do what Mikaela Shiffrin did this season. Not only did she ski well enough all season to be in the hunt for the slalom season title going into the season’s final race, she was able to battle through the intense pressure to not only win the race but get the best of Tina Maze, who had a record-setting season. See how she did it with an amazing second run. Read more.

Weather 2, Ski Racing 0. That’s the score after heavy snow overnight and strong winds during the men’s Super G forced cancellation Thursday (March 14) of that race and the women’s competition in Lenzerheide at the World Cup Finals.

As a result,  Aksel Lund Svindal earned his second Cup title (adding Super G to Downhill) and Tina Maze added a third to her previous crowns in Overall and Giant Slalom. It was a reversal of fortune for Maze, who was virtually assured the Downhill season crown before fog canceled that race on Wednesday. The World Cup does not make up races at the Finals.

The cancellation was a disappointment for Julia Mancuso, who had a chance to catch Maze with a good showing (she trailed the Slovenian 420-365).  Here’s where to find 

Tina Maze wins, sets up winner-takes-all race with Mikaela Shiffrin for World Cup slalom title

UPDATE: Slovenian superstar Tina Maze won the slalom on Sunday (March 10), in Ofterschwang, Germany, to overtake Mikaela Shiffrin in the slalom standings. Even though the 17-year-old American earned an amazing sixth podium this season (plus a World Championship) with her third-place finish, she now stands 7 points behind the Slovenian with one race to go. Learn more.

March 9: Austrian Anna Fenninger won Saturday’s (March 9) Giant Slalom in Ofterschwang, Germany. Fenninger bested Tina Maze, who still will win the discipline for the season, and Viktoria Rebensburg filled out the podium. Julia Mancuso topped

Tina Maze wins downhill, sets World Cup season points record, but Mancuso challenging for Super G season title with one race left

Julia Mancuso (US Ski Team)

UPDATE (March 4): Slovenian star Tina Maze received police protection on Sunday at the Super G in the wake of an e-mailed death threat after she won the Downhill on Saturday. Read more.

Tina Maze made World Cup history with her Downhill victory on Saturday (March 2), establishing a new season record for most overall points. Here’s a look at all the women’s World Cup races

Tina Maze wins World Cup Super Combined, clinches Overall title after Maria Hoefl-Riesch skis off course

Tina Maze resumed her World Cup dominance with victory in Super Combined on Sunday in Meribel, France.

The Slovenian won the morning downhill by a large enough margin that it removed much of the mystery from the subsequent slalom run. She has now won both Super Combined races this season.

Maze now has 1,844 World Cup points, which gives her an unassailable lead in the Overall competition (more than 1,000 points with nine races left over Maria Hoefl-Riesch) and a great shot at being the first woman to crack the 2,000-point barrier in a season. Points standings.

Austrian Nicole Hosp earned second, while her teammate Michaela Kirchgasser took third. Hoefl-Riesch, who won the Super Combined at the World Championships, was third in downhill but skied off course in slalom. Read more.

Julia Mancuso raced

World Championships results, from Ted Ligety to Mikaela Shiffrin, Marcel Hirscher to Tina Maze

Here are complete results for the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships, which were jam-packed with great performances, as well as the frightening crash of Lindsey Vonn in Super G that ended her season.

The home country Austrians claimed the most overall medals (6) during the events held in the town of Schladming. The Americans were second with 5 medals, but claimed the most Gold meals (4)  thanks to Ted Ligety’s astonishing string of victories (Super G, Super Combined and Giant Slalom) and precocious teen Mikaela Shiffrin’s win in Slalom. Julia Mancuso took bronze in Super G.

Slovenian star Tina Maze, who has been dominating

Tessa Worley tops Tina Maze to win gold in women’s Giant Slalom at World Championships

Tessa Worley put together a pair of great runs to win the Women’s Giant Slalom on Thursday (Feb. 14) at the 42nd FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Schladming, Austria.

The competition was fierce, including Tina Maze, the current leader in World Cup giant slalom standings. But in the end, Worley took the gold by a solid 1.12-second margin. The Slovenian star was left to settle for second, while Austrian Anna Fenninger gave the home country a podium finish in third.

Rising American star Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t get a podium but did make some waves with a strong sixth-place finish. Teammate Julia Mancuso wasn’t so fortunate, finishing outside the top 20. Read more.

FIND COMPLETE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS HERE.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Marion Rolland wins Downhill gold at Worlds, Maria Hoefl-Riesch claims bronze

Maria Hoefl Riesch

Marion Rolland of France made the big headlines by winning the Women’s Downhill on Sunday (Feb. 10) at the 42nd FIS Alpine Ski World Championships  in Schladming, Austria.

But there’s a pretty potent headline lower on the podium as well: Maria Hoefl-Riesch claimed her second medal of the championships with a bronze. Nadia Fanchini of Italy earned the silver medal. Read more.

Hoefl-Riesch won the overall title two seasons ago, but looked outclassed last season during Lindsey Vonn’s historic pursuit of 2,000 points. So far this season, even though she stands second overall, the talented German skier has been overshadowed by Tina Maze’s brilliant season and Vonn’s well-chronicled ups and downs. But it’s been a different story in Austria, where she won gold in Super Combined before Sunday’s bronze. (Maze, by the way, finished a respectable seventh.)

America’s talented speed  skiers  were solid, but fell short of the podium, with Julia Mancuso finishing fifth, followed by Stacey Cook (6th), Leanne Smith (12th), and Alice McKennis (17th).

FIND COMPLETE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS HERE.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Maria Hoefl-Riesch wins super combined at World Championships, Tina Maze finishes second

Maria Hoefl-Riesch’s victory on Friday (Feb. 8) in super combined at the 42nd FIS Alpine Ski World Championships served as a reminder that she remains one of the world’s best skiers.

Hoefl-Riesch, the overall champ two seasons ago and second so far this year, finished third in the downhill before dominating the field in the slalom, beating second-place finisher Tina Maze of Slovenia by half a second. Nicole Hosp of Austria took bronze, to the delight of the home country fans in Schladming, Austria. Read more.

Julia Mancuso was the top American racer, finishing 13th on the day after a strong slalom run improved on her 19th-place finish in the downhill portion.

FIND COMPLETE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS HERE.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Tina Maze wins Super G at Worlds as Lindsey Vonn suffers season-ending knee injury

UPDATE, Feb. 6: Here’s what Lindsey Vonn had to say to her fans via Facebook the day after her crash in the World Championships. The quote.

Feb. 5: Tina Maze continued her spectacular season with a win in Super G at the 42nd FIS Alpine Ski World Championships on Tuesday (Feb. 5) while Lindsey Vonn saw her injury-plagued season ended after she suffered a major knee injury. (Watch video of the crash here.)

The Slovenian star, who is dominating the women’s circuit this season, was able to add a second Worlds gold to her collection by staying focused on a day when snow and fog caused numerous course delays. It wasn’t all bad news for the American team: Julia Mancuso came up with another strong performance on a big platform, racing to third behind Switzerland’s Lara Gut. (Read more.)

For Vonn, it was a painful and disappointing end to a season that saw her hospitalized by an intestinal infection during November. Although she was able to return and win several races, the American took a health break of a couple of weeks to work on the conditioning lost during the illness in the hopes it would help her at Worlds. Now she faces an arduous rehabilitation leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

FIND COMPLETE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS HERE.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.

Let the World Championships of alpine skiing begin!

The Austrian town of Schladming hosts the 42nd FIS Alpine Ski World Championships.

Universal Sports and NBC will broadcast all of the races from Schladming on a delayed basis. Check your local listings for channels. Here’s the competition and broadcast schedule (all times Eastern Standard) for Worlds:

• Feb. 5: Women’s super G: Tina Maze wins as Lindsey Vonn suffers knee injury. (The latest on Lindsey)
• Feb. 6: Men’s super G: Ted Ligety surprises the field for the victory.
• Feb. 8: Women’s super combined: Maria Hoefl-Riesch wins with a strong slalom run.
• Feb. 9: Men’s downhill: Aksel Lund Svindall dominates for the win.
• Feb. 10: Women’s downhill: Marion Rolland claims the win, Maria Hoefl-Roesch makes a second podium.
• Feb. 11: Men’s Super Combined: Ted Ligety won his second gold medal of the championships.
• Feb. 14: Women’s Giant Slalom: Tessa Worley of France took the victory over Tina Maze, with with rising American star Mikaela Shiffrin sixth.
• Feb. 15: Men’s Giant Slalom: Ted Ligety wins a record third gold medal at the championships.
• Feb. 16: Women’s slalom: Mikaela Shiffrin continued her amazing season with Gold.
• Feb. 17: Men’s slalom: Marcel Hirscher delighted the home country faith with the win.

Here’s where to find starting lists and complete results.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, enter our Outdoor Adventures Video Contest.