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 

Crash keeps Lindsey Vonn off podium in Downhill won by Lara Gut; U.S. skier Leanne Smith second

DEC. 18: Lindsey Vonn has announced she is taking a break from the World Cup ski tour to build her strength back after an early-season illness. Read more.

A crash kept Lindsey Vonn from winning her fifth straight World Cup speed event on Friday in Val D’ Isere. Switzerland’s Lara Gut took advantage of that lapse to win her first Downhill. American Leanne Smith (0.16 seconds back) was second and Switzerland’s Nadja Kamer (0.50 back) finished third. Race results.

The only good news for Vonn, who would only tell the Associated Press she “not feeling great” after the race, was that Overall World Cup points leader leader Tina Maze (12th) and second-place Maria Hoefl-Riesch (13th) did not add much to their lead. Read more.

Vonn’s crash aside, it was a good day for the American women: Julia Mancuso (7th), Alice McKennis (8th) and Stacey Cook (10th) joined Smith in the top 20.

The weekend of racing concludes with a Super G on Saturday.

In other news, Vonn reveals in an interview this week in People magazine that she has battled depression for years. Read more.

Swany Gloves makes the best gloves and mittens for skiing and snowboarding. We’re also dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Lindsey Vonn wins third straight World Cup Gold in Lake Louise, taking Super G while Julia Mancuso gets second; Tina Maze remains overall leader

UPDATE, Dec. 2: Just call it a hat trick for Lindsey Vonn, who added gold in a World Cup Super G in Lake Louise for her third win of the weekend — the second year in a row she pulled off the feat. Speaking of hat tricks, another American claimed second place on Sunday. This time it was Julia Mancuso. Slovenian star Tina Maze took fourth and still leads the overall standings. Read more.

Dec. 1: Americans Lindsey Vonn and Stacey Cook run 1-2 for the second day in a row in a Lake Louise Downhill. Vonn’s 55th career win ties Vreni Schneider for second all-time. Read more.

NOV. 30. Lindsey Vonn flattened the field in Friday’s World Cup Downhill at Lake Louise, less than one week removed from collapsing in exhaustion after a Giant Slalom run in Aspen.

Vonn, hospitalized with a serious illness two weeks ago, made everyone else look  sick with a dominating performance at one of the American’s favorite stops (she has 12 wins there) on the World Cup circuit. More good news

Ted Ligety, “Mr. GS,” wins World Cup Giant Slalom on Birds of Prey

UPDATE, Dec. 2: Ted Ligety dominated the field to win his second Giant Slalom of the World Cup season on Sunday at Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek Resort. Worth noting, there have only been two GS races this season and the American’s “average” winning margin has been an other-worldly 2.25 seconds. No wonder they are calling him “Mr. G.S.” Read more.

Dec. 1: Matteo Marsaglia collected his first World Cup win on Saturday in Super G, while the amazing Aksel Lund Svindal once again reached the podium in second. Ted Ligety placed fourth, the second finish in that spot in the two races staged this season. Read more.

Nov. 30: Christof Innerhoffer of Italy broke Aksel Lund Svindal’s iron grip on World Cup skiing speed events, winning the Audi Birds of Prey Downhill on Friday at Beaver Creek.

Not that Svindal, a two-time winner last weekend in Lake Louise, had a bad day. In fact, the Norwegian star finished just .23 hundredths of a second off the winner’s pace, followed by countryman Kjetil Jansrud.

Svindal had clocked the fastest run during Thursday’s final training run, followed by France’s Guillermo Fayed and Italian Siegmar Klotz.

American Marco Sullivan did not reach the podium, as he did last weekend in Lake Louise, but still turned in a strong run to finish 18th, just behind fellow U.S. skier Travis Ganong (16). Teammates Ted Ligety (31), Steve Nyman (33), Andrew Weibrecht (37), Ryan Cochran Siegle (39), Wiley Maple (52) and Thomas Biesemeyer (57) came next.

The weekend will continue with a Super G on Saturday and Giant Slalom on Sunday. Read more at Ski Racing Magazine.

TV & WEBCAST COVERAGE

Watch the Birds of Prey Downhill on tape at 11 a.m. EST Sunday on NBC. Looking for LIVE coverage? Tune in at noon Sunday on the NBC Sports Network, which will first air taped coverage of Saturday’s Super G, followed by live coverage of the second run of Sunday’s Giant Slalom, in which American Ted Ligety figures to be a top contender. On Monday watch Super G (1 p.m.) and Giant Slalom (2 p.m.)  on NBC Sports Network. On the web, watch the Super G live at 1 p.m. EST Saturday and the Giant Slalom at 11:45 a.m. Sunday at Universal Sports.

Swany America  is the Official Glove Sponsor for Birds of Prey, with on-site crew and officials all wearing Swany Gloves.

Swany Gloves makes the best gloves and mittens for skiing and snowboarding. We’re also dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Aksel Lund Svindal doubles up in Lake Louise, adding Super G World Cup win to downhill

American Marco Sullivan

UPDATE, Nov. 25: Aksel Lund Svindal became the third man ever to sweep the World Cup Downhill and Super G races at Lake Louise with a win on Sunday. See who else made the podium and see how American Ted Ligety fared. Read more.

Nov. 24: Saturday’s World Cup Downhill in Lake Louise offered up the predictable and the unpredictable.

When it came to the former, Aksel Lund Svindal won with his usual dazzling skiing. Austrian Max Franz took second.

But when it came to the unexpected, American Marco Sullivan is living proof you just never know. The California native, who has gone two season without a top ten finish, raced to a surprising third-place. Read more.

Swany Gloves makes the best gloves and mittens for skiing and snowboarding. We’re also dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Klaus Kroell, Aksel Lund Svindal and Erik Guay all skiing well as men’s World Cup downhill looms in Lake Louise

Aksel Lund Svindal

The men are poised to race a World Cup downhill on Saturday at Lake Louise in Canada.

Who will win?

After two training runs, some familiar names surfaced. Defending World Cup downhill champ Klaus Kroell finished second in Wednesday’s training run and third on Thursday, when the fastest time was posted by Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal. Canada’s Erik Guay was fourth fastest on Wednesday and stood sixth on Thursday.

Swany Gloves makes the best gloves and mittens for skiing and snowboarding. We’re also dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

FIS denies Lindsey Vonn request to race a World Cup men’s downhill in Lake Louise

Maria Hoefl Riesch isn’t so sure Lindsey Vonn’s bid to race with the men is a good idea.

UPDATE: The FIS has ruled that Lindsey Vonn can not compete in the men’s World Cup downhill in Lake Louise. See why.

Will Lindsey Vonn get to race in a men’s World Cup downhill at Lake Louise? The answer figures to come this weekend when the International Ski Federation (FIS) is scheduled to discuss Vonn’s request when it meets Saturday and Sunday in Switzerland.

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association spokesman Doug Haney told the Associated Press “the American federation was formally backing Vonn’s plan by submitting the request to FIS.” (Read the story.)

There is no rule against a woman racing with men, but FIS doesn’t allow skiers on a course the week before a race to prevent them from getting an advantage. The women ski the following weekend in Lake Louise, which would appear to be a conflict.

Racing in Lake Louise with the men, then, could cost Vonn two races, because the men ski the weekend of Women’s World Cup in Aspen. Whether the four-time overall champ would want to miss those scoring opportunities is another reason she might not choose to race with the men.

Even Vonn had to admit, in an interview with the Denver Post, that “it’s not looking good.”  (Story) Beyond that, friend and rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch isn’t sure it’s a good idea. See why.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.