Courchevel - SL Ladies results

Very little green, obviously better than a red.

Actually shocked by Schild, or the Schilds, as Marlies won and younger sister Bernadette was 3rd.
Holdener was 9th, more or less where I expected her, surprise was Schild, I believed her a step behind all this yougsters but no, she's still got it.
Anyway Austria was globally good with the Schild sisters 1st and 3rd, Zettel 4th, Kirchgasser 5th, Thalmann 7th (career best) and 2nd best time in run2, Daum 10th and Hosp 13th.
My explanation to this, beside the fact that they all are actually good, is that the snow was "strange", it got rotten very fast forming big grains, and deep trails appeared nearby the base of the posts. Austrians usually are the best in such conditions.

As said Thalmann was good, and is in a great period of confidence, and that's great since she used to get DNFs too often.
Eklund was 11th, she is very precise not aggressive, in fact there's consistency in her results very few DNFs, but on the other hand she's still missing a top result -she's got time for that. Yesterday I think she chocked in run 2, was 4th after the first leg and I believe she's never been placed like that before.
Duerr and Strachova were lethargic their movements were slow, I'll add at this club also Maze and, surprise surprise... Shiffrin 12th with two bad runs, no errors just lack of her usual brillancy.

Unimpressive Swenn-Larsson 15th with two average runs, better from Feierabend 19th but with a higher bib.

Big disappointment was Pietilae-Holmner. Actually her run was too short to be commented, but irony she went long exiting a gate with a very close angle and missed the following gate (my opinion: on a snow with more grip she'll managed to stay in), Poutiainen got difficulties at the same gate but somehow she made the turn on only one ski, the internal one moreover, stayed in but with a big loss of time. Other mistakes came in the second and she eventually went off. Shame.

Courchevel's slope is a bit lively: there are humps which can play bad trick depending on the course setting, inclinations changes here and there (flat-steep-steeper etc...), a long flat section before the finish line. The snow was bad

Tue 17/12 - Courchevel - Ladies Slalom

Mid-week slalom, second of the season, for the ladies. Strange that it's in the morning - mid-week races use to be night races: more fashinating, more TV audience etc...

Slaloms where held here in 2011 and 2010, to say how things changed since the last time: Shiffrin was bib #38 and didn't finish run1, Vonn was bib #16 while now she isn't ranked anymore in SL starting list.

2011's top5 was M.Schild, Poutiainen, Zettel, Kirchgasser, Maze.
While in 2010 it was M.Schild, Poutiainen, Maze, Pietilae-Holmner, Zettel.

Made few picks, easy ones because it's only the scenod slalom of the season so "trends" are yet to show off:

Marlies is 2/2 here, but now she's older, she's had a year-off because of injury, harldy she'll repeat those performances. Holdener is a nice young who's doing well I'd rate her in the top15 of slalom in WC.

I'd rate Swenn-Larsson much better than Feierabend, and also Swenn-Larsson is in the second group of the starting list (bib 8 to 16) while Feierabend is 34th. 

Better shape also for Pietilae-Holmner showed in GS where she's a steady top10 despite the high bibs, in slalom she's in the first group (bib 1 to 7).

In the double picking Eklund and Thalmann, both showing better shape, Thalmann scored two 3rd place in Nor-Am and European Cup slaloms, Eklund won that EC slalom. While going through Strachova and Duerr recent races I've found that both haven't competed in slalom after Levi, racing instead Giant-Slalom (with no relevant results) and surprisingly Super-Gs and Dowhnills.

    

27/01 Slaloms - Kitzbuehel and Maribor

Sorry, no picks for the Downhill, I just wanted to watch and enjoy it, mind free...

Ladies first:
h2h Gagnon - Zahrobska - pick Gagnon 1 unit @1.80 Won +0.8
Couldn't resist, I really like Gagnon, she's aggressive and deserve top placement, also true that she does too many mistakes.
Zahrobska isn't on high levels, due a surgery in the summer.
Slope is easy and Gagnon shouldn't have many troubles.
Gagnon starting with #9 and Zahrobska 19.

h2h Pietilae-Holmner - Mielzynski - pick Mielzynski 2 units @2.25 Void 0
Mielzynski is having a great season, while Pietilae-Holmner struggles to find her best form.
Also some numbers of difference in the starting list that should advantage Mielzynski: 8 & 15.

Men:
h2h Pinturault - Myhrer - pick Myhrer 2 units @1.90 Won +1.8
Myhrer isn't in a good period, coming from two DNF in a row, he also hasn't got great placements on this slope, 6th as his best not too good for a top like him.
On the other hand Pinturault struggles to put together two runs, because he's aggressive and falls easily in mistake.
This time though he'll ski differently because there's also the Combined Cup for him, changing style is never easy.

h2h Pranger - Grange - pick Grange 2 units @2.00 Lost -2
Pranger in bad shape so far.
Grange in raising form, best time in the second run of Wengen and a minor FIS Slalom won in mid-week.

+0.6

Great shame for Grange who was doing very well, had only +0.02s gap from Gross, leader of the first run; the french is in big shape.

I think that I'm overrating Gagnon, maybe her real level is from 10th to 20th, lucky that Zahrobska has been very poor today.

20/12 Slalom ladies - Are

I said I would try again pre-draw picks trying to anticipate drop in the odds, I couldn't find any odd good enough for it.
Anyway, some odds for today's race.

h2h Schild - Zettel - pick Zettel 2 units @2.44 Void 0
Schild didn't start her season as good as expected, for her also a 2nd place is below average.
Zettel made the opposite, with podiums both in GS and SL.
Schild yesterday didn't start the GS, for a flu.

h2h Gagnon - Zahrobska - pick Gagnon 2 units @1.83 Lost -2
Huge difference in starting bib: Gagnon #9, Zahrobska #22, meaning Zahrobska will find a slope in worse conditions.
Also difference in shape as Gagnon is doing good in different disciplines, while Zahrobska is below her standards and maybe lacks of summer training due to a surgery.

h2h Poutiainen - Shiffrin - pick Shiffrin 2 units @2.18 Won +2.36
Over the even I'll always fancy the young talented Shiffrin. She's growing up and keeping a good constancy in results.
Poutiainen not bad so far, but Shiffrin seems always able to reach top placements.

h2h Mielzynski - Wikstroem - pick Mielzynski 1 unit @1.91 Won +0.91
Very low stake pick as both aren't constant.
I back Mielzynski that after last World cup slalom, almost a month ago in Aspen, raced in Nor-Am Cup with great results although other racer weren't at her level.
Wikstroem hasn't got official race since Aspen.

+1.27
Schild's flu, turns up to be a knee injury, didn't start and it's been better as Zettel went out in run1.
Gagnon is very aggressive, the day she puts together without mistakes the two runs she'll be very near to the podium.
Shiffrin get her first career win and is also Slalom's leader, definitively she's among the Big.
Also nice runs for Mielzynski, very smooth, clean. Wikstroem out.