'Everything Is Just perfect': Odermatt Wins Overall Title

It was a picture perfect day to host a World Cup without a cloud in the sky and temperatures in the mid-40s. The U.S. fans swarmed in by the thousands to cheer on the best male ski racers in the world as they skied down the historic Red Dog trail. Swiss skier Marco Odermatt dominated the race from the beginning and Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway was not far off the mark in second.

After securing his third consecutive overall crystal globe and winning his 10th straight giant slalom race to join a select club, Marco Odermatt (SUI) summed it up about as simply as he could.

"At the moment, everything is just perfect," the Swiss star said after he continued his assault on the record books in Palisades Tahoe on Saturday and remained undefeated in giant slalom this season.

Odermatt didn't have it all his own way in the Californian resort, however, and just pipped a resurgent Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR, +0.12s), with home favourite River Radamus (USA, +1.37s) coming third for his first World Cup podium.

"It was very tight today," admitted Odermatt, who led Kristoffersen by 0.15 seconds after the first run, but fell behind at the final split in the second run before powering home in the closeout to secure victory.

"I really know I have to push in the last bit," Odermatt said. "I know I can ski faster than the others and it was definitely needed in this last pitch."

With the victory, Odermatt became the third Alpine skier in World Cup history to win 10 successive races in a single discipline, joining Ingemar Stenmark (SWE), who won 14 straight giant slalom races from 1978-80, and Annemarie Moser-Proell (AUT), who claimed 11 consecutive downhill victories from 1972-74.

The Swiss champion's last loss in giant slalom came at this very resort a year ago, when he led going into the second run before coming second to Marco Schwarz (AUT). But that wasn't on his mind as he prepared for his second run on Saturday.

"I think I know how to deal with this situation, standing last on the top," he said. "I like the feeling, it means you've been the best in the first run, everything is set for a great final run."

Although a difficult hard-left turn coming onto a steep pitch in the first third of the course caught out several top skiers before him, Odermatt took the turn more conservatively to set up his victory.

"You have to ski smooth and take a higher line and also have to ski smart some gates, and like this I was able to push to the finish line even if I had a little bit of luck for the hundredths today," he said.

Those hundredths allowed him to gain another 100 World Cup points to move 1,001 ahead of Manuel Feller (AUT) and sew up the overall title with 10 races remaining. Odermatt also leads the giant slalom, super-G and downhill standings.

Additionally, the Swiss ace won his 35th World Cup race to move past Alexis Pinturault (FRA) into outright ninth place on the men's all-time list, only one win behind Alpine skiing legends Benni Raich (AUT) and Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR).

A skier who Odermatt overtook on that list earlier this season, Kristoffersen, could not add to his 30 World Cup victories on Saturday but skied his best race of a campaign that has been marred by equipment difficulties.

"For us it was 100 per cent a step in the right direction," said the veteran Norwegian, who put together two scintillating runs to almost steal the win.

"Of course, Marco is on a big roll," Kristoffersen said. "We tried to bring him down from this roll and it was tight today, but that's life and he's an amazing skier."

While Kristoffersen's second place was a season-best result, Radamus outdid him by finishing a career-high third after putting two great runs together to finally turn his undeniable talent into a podium result.

In front of family, friends, teammates and thunderingly loud fans on home soil, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus took his first career podium in the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup giant slalom at Palisades Tahoe, California. He finished third.

"It's been a long time coming," said Radamus. "I've wanted to feel what this moment feels like for so long and I've just been working and working."

Radamus made it interesting, running first for the Americans and skiing into third place. It was his best result in a first run in his career.

But the pressure was on for Radamus in second run. While Radamus is a world champion in the team event, he had never before had an individual World Cup podium. Known for battling the curse of the wooden spoon award for years—the prize given to someone who gets fourth place—the pressure was on. But he remained calm and collected, arcing the course to ski onto his first career podium. He roared in the finish, pumping his fists and throwing his poles in celebration.

"Doing it on home soil in front of friends and family and an amazing hometown crowd is so perfect," said Radamus. "I was in a better position than I ever had been after first run and I just kept telling myself you can't go easy."

Ahead of Radamus, Odermatt won the race—his 10th World Cup giant slalom in a row—to clinch the overall Crystal Globe. Kristoffersen was second.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy Ford also threw it in the top 20, skiing consistently to keep racking up giant slalom points in 20th place. Ford was the last U.S. man to podium in a tech World Cup, when he won the Birds of Prey giant slalom in 2019. Patrick Kenney, wearing bib 51, blazed into the 24th position to secure his first World Cup points.

"I wasn't too clean the whole way down but I just kept putting the skis down the fall line I recovered my way down but it was a win of a day already to score my first points," said Kenney.

George Steffey and Isaiah Nelson did not qualify for second run. Brian McLaughlin crashed first run, but skied down.

Lukas Feurstein took home the Stifel Bibbo Award, an award given to an alpine athlete who wears the highest bib number and finishes the highest in the final rankings. He started bib 56 and finished 10th.

"It's been a long time coming," admitted the 26-year-old, who animatedly threw his ski pole into the snow in delight after skiing into a guaranteed podium position.

"I've wanted to feel what this moment feels like for so long and I've just kept working and working and working.

"Sometimes I thought it would never come, but doing it on home soil, in front of all my friends and family and such an amazing American crowd, it just means everything to me."

Radamus' performance drew congratulations from his rivals and turned Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) into a prophet for her words after the pair just missed the podium in the mixed team event at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

"His medals are coming, that's not something I'm ever worried about," Shiffrin said.