Schladming results

On the shoulders of the giants: Hirscher and Neureuther
crown the new king of Slalom, Kristoffersen

As always great race and atmosphere in Schladming.

Surprising win for the newborn superstar of Slalom: 19-year-old Norse Henrik Kristoffersen.
Maiden win in the temple of Slalom.
Honestly I expected him to feel the pressure, but no, he skied easily in both runs good enough to beat "on field" Hirscher and Neureuther, while Matt, leader after run 1, straddled.
Also good from Dopfer and Pinturault, they are in peak form now.
Expected worse from Moelgg, but the slope was in good conditions also after many runs and this is a course he loves.
Bit of bad luck as Hirscher was in front of Neureuther by just .01s

Tue 28/01 - Men's Slalom Schladming (night race)

Big event for Schladming night race, although there's no Yuasa (no party!)

Two early surprise are Kristoffersen and Thaler entering the first group, first time for both. Worth to notice they are kind of the youngest and the oldest athlete on course.
Kostelic and Moelgg drop off the top7, things could possibly go even worse as beside the lack of shape they've never performed well on ruined courses.

Hirscher should have learnt the lesson from Kitz, and if he wants to win the Globe he must not fail here; this means he must be less aggressive and take the 80-60 points of the 2nd-3rd place rather than get out.
Neureuther, free from all these issues, can just ski for the final victory and has proved more than once that his level is equal to Hirscher's.
Behind them Kristoffersen and Thaler battle for a step of the podium, Pinturault occasinally joins them; Matt, Myhrer and Hargin don't look on the same level but they can always be dangerous.
Dopfer's shape raised recently could worth backing him (though not at current prices) and also Gross in in good shape.
Moelgg and Kostelic among those might be worth opposing.
My picks:

Fri 17/01 - Wengen men's Super-Combined

Big weekend starting today with men's Super-Combined - one slalom run followed by a Super-G run.
Let me say Wengen is the best course of the Tour, or at least it's my favourite one.

Picks for the Super-Combi

I find a little strange that Kostelic is so widely favourite to win, he's payed 2/1 against Pinturault's 6/1.
Kostelic at the moment doesn't worth the top 20 in slalom (though in the 2 runs), and his Super-G isn't any better. Both Pinturault and Ligety are better than the Croat in slalom although less reliable, and maybe they're even better in Super-G.
Frenchman Mermillod-Blondin looks like the closer to them: he finished 6th in a "real" Super-G at Beaver Creek, and he also races in "real" slaloms although he has never qualified for a second run so far this season. He was 3rd in Kitz Combi last year and Kitz Combi has 2 runs of slalom.

Here last results from Flachau, thanks Daum who got out at 3 gates from the finish line.

 
 

11-12/01 Weekend - Altenmark and Adelboden

(I know, I know... got a couple of lazy weeks...)

Interesting weekend, mostly because one of my favourite courses - Adelboden, with its breathtaking hump from which you can see the standings in the finish area, best camera angle of the Tour imo.
Giant-Slalom on Saturday and Slalom on Sunday for the men.
Ladies with a Downhill on Saturday (after only one training run) and a Super-Combined made of Super-G and a Slalom run


Here's my picks, for now. All on Saturday's ladies DH:

Hoefl-Riesch is favourite to win, honestly I don't know this DH but I don't think it's like Lake Louise.
Anyway Weirather, Gut and Elena Fanchini look all top competitor to me (along with Fenninger, who's odds are too low, though) and I fancy those pricese, above all Fanchini's ones: in 4 DHs she's been 3rd twice, 5th and a DNF.
And so I fancy them in head to heads: Weirather over Riesch; Gut over Maze, who's still far from the best shape; Fanchini over Goergl who's got nice Super-G results but hasn't backed them in Downhill.

I didn't find any good price for men's GS; I also have difficulties to read trends going on there: Ligety isn't the one he used to be last year - Olympics preapration maybe the cause - so Hirscher is closer same for the other topo one Pinturault, who though seems to lack of "the peak" to win.

Val d'Isere and St. Moritz

World Cup back in Europe
Ladies in St.Moritz: saturday a Super-G, sunday a giant-slalom
Men in Val d'Isere: giant-slalom on saturday, slalom on sunday

Footnote of a post from last year:
"In St.Moritz the slope offers a good variety for the GS.
In Val d'Isere very narrow slope but well steep... strange comebacks in run2"

Val d'Isere last year was thrilling. 
Local hero Pinturalt scored his first WC win in the night slalom, it was special because he won a slalom before winning in giant-slalom, his favourite discipline.
In giant-slalom Hirsher won in front of Luitz and Ligety. Scandal was Ligety not winning, the features of this slope and the course setting made everybody think they've finally found a way to stop him - he won the next GS, in Alta Badia, with one of the most terrific performances I've ever seen (you'll easily find the video on youporn or nearby, for a skiing fan there it belongs).  
Luitz was at his first WC podium - a year later the best he's placed is 9th two weeks ago in Beaver's GS - he was bib #35 (his compatriot Neureuther was bib #36 and finished 4th). Luitz was placed 25th after the first run, scored the best time in run2 to recover up to the 2nd position, Nani made another interesting recovery from 29th to 10th place.
St.Moritz lost the super-combined.
Last year Vonn won the super-G ahead of Maze, who won the giant-slalom and the combi. 
Vonn is not racing this year, Maze isn't the absolute dominator she used to be.
St. Moritz isn't particularly fashinating, it's average on many levels: lots of turns and "S", but not technical or challenging, fast but not even close to Lake Louise, some jumps but it's not Cortina. It's like a bigger version of a giant-slalom. Being the actual leader of giant-slalom the same of super-g I'm expecting the same names at the top: Gut, Riesch, Weirather, Fenninger

Picked some bets earlier, prices tempted me.

First three picks refers to saturday's SG.
It's Weirather - Fenninger again and I still see Weirather ahead.
I see value in both Suter and Riesch prices. Riesch on this course could be closer to Gut, while I had priced Suter favourite against Goergl.

Lindell-Vikarby vs Fenninger is from the giant-slalom market and I think this price is ridiculus and won't last long - Pinnacle makes Fenninger 1.7 to Vikarby 2.1.

Schladming 2013 - Men's Giant-Slalom

Giant-Slalom today.
Unlike women's giant-slalom yesterday, the starting list list for men's GS has been shortened with a qualification race.
So there'll be "only" 99 athletes on course today.
Run 1 starting at 10:00 CET, course setter Puelacher, Austria's coach.
Run 2 starting at 13:30 CET, course setter Theolier, Italy's coach, formerly France's.

Same slope of yasterday's ladies GS, last part of the "Planai".
Also today icy and steep.






Starting list:
1 421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund 1982 NOR Head
2 194364 PINTURAULT Alexis 1991 FRA Salomon
3 534562 LIGETY Ted 1984 USA Head
4 292000 BLARDONE Massimiliano 1979 ITA Dynastar
5 202462 DOPFER Fritz 1987 GER Nordica
6 53831 HIRSCHER Marcel 1989 AUT Atomic
7 292491 MOELGG Manfred 1982 ITA Fischer
8 292120 SIMONCELLI Davide 1979 ITA Salomon
9 380260 KOSTELIC Ivica 1979 CRO Fischer
10 180534 SANDELL Marcus 1987 FIN Fischer
11 51007 SCHOERGHOFER Philipp 1983 AUT Fischer
12 191750 FANARA Thomas 1981 FRA Fischer
13 201702 NEUREUTHER Felix 1984 GER Nordica
14 53985 MATHIS Marcel 1991 AUT Head
15 50625 RAICH Benjamin 1978 AUT Atomic
16 501017 MYHRER Andre 1983 SWE Nordica
17 191423 RICHARD Cyprien 1979 FRA Fischer
18 510727 DEFAGO Didier 1977 SUI Rossignol
19 501324 OLSSON Matts 1988 SWE Atomic
20 202437 LUITZ Stefan 1992 GER Rossignol
21 421669 HAUGEN Leif Kristian 1987 NOR Rossignol
22 511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI Atomic
23 194495 FAIVRE Mathieu 1992 FRA Head
24 534959 JITLOFF Tim 1985 USA Fischer
25 294890 NANI Roberto 1988 ITA Voelkl
26 700830 ZAMPA Adam 1990 SVK Salomon
27 511852 CAVIEZEL Gino 1992 SUI Atomic
28 510997 BERTHOD Marc 1983 SUI Salomon
29 561032 JAZBEC Janez 1984 SLO Elan
30 100558 COOK Dustin 1989 CAN Head
31 150398 BANK Ondrej 1980 CZE Elan
32 180627 MALMSTROM Victor 1991 FIN Atomic
33 481006 ZUEV Stepan 1988 RUS Rossignol
34 930160 KELLEY Robby 1990 USA Head
35 103676 BROWN Philip 1991 CAN Rossignol
36 422304 KRISTOFFERSEN Henrik 1994 NOR Rossignol
37 180666 TORSTI Samu 1991 FIN Fischer
38 481327 TRIKHICHEV Pavel 1992 RUS Rossignol
39 561244 KRANJEC Zan 1992 SLO Rossignol
40 531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas 1989 USA Rossignol
41 910004 DEFLORIAN Mirko 1980 MDA
42 180705 PIRINEN Eemeli 1993 FIN Atomic
43 400237 MEINERS Maarten 1992 NED
44 561217 KOSI Klemen 1991 SLO Atomic
45 561254 ZERAK Misel 1992 SLO Rossignol
46 40489 LAIDLAW Luke 1992 AUS
47 481103 ANDRIENKO Aleksander 1990 RUS Rossignol
48 30149 SIMARI BIRKNER Cristian Javier 1980 ARG Atomic
49 410266 GRIFFIN Benjamin 1986 NZL Head
50 380335 ZUBCIC Filip 1993 CRO Atomic
51 302982 OHKOSHI Ryunosuke 1988 JPN
52 303097 ISHII Tomoya 1989 JPN Salomon
53 92534 CHONGAROV Nikola 1989 BUL Volkl
54 20174 VIDOSA Roger 1984 AND
55 350086 HEEB Simon 1991 LIE
56 370022 JENOT Olivier 1988 MON Dynastar
57 30266 GASTALDI Sebastiano 1991 ARG Rossignol
58 20398 VERDU SANCHEZ Joan 1995 AND
59 260110 KIYA DARBANDSARI Mohammad 1989 IRA
60 150495 VRABLIK Martin 1982 CZE Elan
61 390035 SMITH Warren Cummings 1992 EST
62 550054 ZVEJNIEKS Kristaps 1992 LAT
63 410365 BARWOOD Adam 1992 NZL
64 400235 WINKELHORST Steffan 1992 NED
65 700879 ZAMPA Andreas 1993 SVK Salomon
66 20324 OLIVERAS Marc 1991 AND
67 30246 BIRKNER KETELHOHN Jorge F. 1990 ARG
68 380332 VUKELIC Leo 1993 CRO
69 92562 PRISADOV Stefan 1990 BUL
70 310426 VUKICEVIC Marko 1992 SRB
71 680053 GELASHVILI Jaba 1993 GEO Atomic
72 110320 CLARO Eugenio 1993 CHI
73 40349 RISHWORTH Mike 1987 AUS Rossignol
74 700868 FALAT Matej 1993 SVK
75 750088 RISTEVSKI Antonio 1989 MKD
76 170131 FAARUP Christoffer 1992 DAN
77 680041 ABRAMASHVILI Iason 1988 GEO
78 860005 BRACHNER Patrick 1992 AZE
79 460060 BARBU Alexandru 1987 ROU
80 660021 DANILOCHKIN Yuri 1991 BLR
81 230659 VALCAREGGI Massimiliano 1995 GRE
82 800013 TOLA Erjon 1986 ALB
83 80063 LONGHI Jhonatan 1988 BRA Fischer
84 120047 ZHANG Yuxin 1989 CHN
85 240132 FARKAS Norbert 1992 HUN
86 250348 KRISTGEIRSSON Einar-Kristinn 1994 ISL
87 320360 PARK Hyun 1993 KOR
88 280030 VANDEPUT Virgile 1994 ISR
89 710311 RUDIC Marko 1990 BIH
90 740022 NERSISYAN Arsen 1987 ARM Voelkl
91 690672 TELYCHUK Vasyl 1992 UKR
92 60237 GREEFS Sam 1995 BEL
93 360041 YNGLAND Kim 1984 LUX
94 210024 BABIKOV Dmitriy 1990 UZB
95 950000 OETTL REYES Manfred 1993 PER
96 310403 MINIC Mladen 1993 MNE
97 160091 PAPAMICHAEL Constantinos 1993 CYP
98 270055 LYNE Conor 1993 IRE
99 340305 MOHBAT Alexandre 1995 LIB

World Cup leader and local hero Marcel Hirscher reportedly missed bib draw, and hasn't slept much for a muscular trouble at his back.
This should open to another win for Ted Ligety.
Following recent results from french team I'd keep an eye on Pinturault, who also got bib #2.
Current prices for the young frenchman are much higher than I expected.
The low starting bib might be a great advantage, as it's been yesterday for the ladies: Worley, Maze, Fenninger and Zettel were bib number 1, 3, 2, 4 in the order.
Winner: Pinturault 1 unit @21 Lost -1
Podium. Pinturault 1 unit @5 Lost -1


h2h Dopfer - Moelgg - pick Moelgg 2 units @2.24 Won +2.48
The italian usually enjoy icy condition and having his coach as course setter is al little advantage as well.

h2h Simoncelli - Blardone - pick Simoncelli 2 units @1.98 Won +1.96
Blardone had a little crash while practising.
Anyway I fancy Simoncelli who as a more cautious style, with "derapage" before the gate, while Blardone approach it more direcly but on this icy slope a little delay in the line may be hard to recover.

+2.44

Schladming 2013 - Super-Combined Men

First, sorry I haven't been posting in past two days, it's hard for me to write up previews and postviews and do picks, that often go bad, and all....


Super-combi today: one run of dowhill starting at 12 (CET), and one run of Slalom at 18.15 so night event. Both runs on the original slopes. Key fact, slalom's course setter is french team, and so Pinturault's coach.

Starting list, remembering that slalom's run will have an invers order of the top 30 from downhill's run.
1 150495 VRABLIK Martin 1982 CZE Elan
2 194190 ROGER Brice 1990 FRA Rossignol
3 6530319 COCHRAN-SIEGLE Ryan 1992 USA Rossignol
4 30149 SIMARI BIRKNER Cristian Javier 1980 ARG Atomic
5 510997 BERTHOD Marc 1983 SUI Salomon
6 660021 DANILOCHKIN Yuri 1991 BLR 
7 150398 BANK Ondrej 1980 CZE Elan
8 510890 ZURBRIGGEN Silvan 1981 SUI Rossignol
9 180570 ROMAR Andreas 1989 FIN Atomic
10 50625 RAICH Benjamin 1978 AUT Atomic
11 53902 MAYER Matthias 1990 AUT Head
12 294277 KLOTZ Siegmar 1987 ITA Nordica
13 511352 VILETTA Sandro 1986 SUI Salomon
14 192746 THEAUX Adrien 1984 FRA Salomon
15 291459 PARIS Dominik 1989 ITA Nordica
16 51215 BAUMANN Romed 1986 AUT Blizzard
17 192504 MERMILLOD BLONDIN Thomas 1984 FRA Salomon
18 511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI Atomic
19 293006 INNERHOFER Christof 1984 ITA Rossignol
20 421328 SVINDAL Aksel Lund 1982 NOR Head
21 194364 PINTURAULT Alexis 1991 FRA Salomon
22 380260 KOSTELIC Ivica 1979 CRO Fischer
23 561217 KOSI Klemen 1991 SLO Atomic
24 92534 CHONGAROV Nikola 1989 BUL Volkl
25 90131 GEORGIEV Georgi 1987 BUL Atomic
26 430429 BYDLINSKI Maciej 1988 POL Atomic
27 534562 LIGETY Ted 1984 USA Head
28 480736 KHOROSHILOV Alexander 1984 RUS Fischer
29 700830 ZAMPA Adam 1990 SVK Salomon
30 293550 MARSAGLIA Matteo 1985 ITA Rossignol
31 501439 HEDIN Douglas 1990 SWE Head
32 491129 TERRA Ferran 1987 SPA Rossignol
33 400281 VAN HEEK Marvin 1991 NED Salomon
34 20267 ESTEVE Kevin 1989 AND 
35 530165 BRANDENBURG Will 1987 USA Fischer
36 400016 WANDERS Arjan 1978 NED 
37 400237 MEINERS Maarten 1992 NED 
38 531452 BIESEMEYER Thomas 1989 USA Rossignol
39 20324 OLIVERAS Marc 1991 AND 
40 670052 KHUBER Martin 1992 KAZ 
41 561216 KLINE Bostjan 1991 SLO Stoeckli
42 170131 FAARUP Christoffer 1992 DAN 
43 670037 ZAKURDAEV Igor 1987 KAZ 
44 380341 ULLRICH Max 1994 CRO 
45 491151 DE LA CUESTA Paul 1988 SPA Salomon
46 430472 KLUSAK Michal 1990 POL Head
47 550022 RODE Roberts 1987 LAT 
48 710320 LAIKERT Igor 1991 BIH 
49 670029 PIMENOV Taras 1984 KAZ 
50 670058 KOSHKIN Dmitriy 1986 KAZ 
51 700868 FALAT Matej 1993 SVK 
52 690086 FESHCHUK Rostyslav 1990 UKR 
53 30283 FREEMAN CRESPO Ignacio 1992 ARG 


I've pointed out the hot names, being both runs on the original slopes the chances to win are equally distributed among downhiller and slalomist, obviously those with more overall skills are even hotter, and in this case the field is limited to Raich, Ligety, Pinturault and Kostelic.

Kostelic is favourite to win, he's ran the real downhill beside the training, but close following him there's Pinturault and Ligety.
The frenchmen might have the advantage of his coach setting the slalom's course, and also the fact that he's probably the best slalomist.
But Ted Ligety deserves equal attentions. The american seems to enjoy these slopes, his abilities and Giant-Slalom skills, his own characteristic style, the position of the external leg in large range turns, seems key elements to ski -or shred, like Ted would say- on this slopes.
In both previous combined in this season, Wengen, and Kitz, Ligety didn't reach the finish line, of the downhill in Kitz, of the slalom run in Wengen when making a good run, but bad luck he lost a ski when he was three/four gates away fron the finish line.
The importance of this event, together with the high confidence coming from an already won medal, can cheer him and keep him away from cheap mistakes. It's really hard to think him not reaching the podium also in a far-from-perfect-scenario.
Winner: Ligety 1 unit @7  Won +6

h2h Baumann - Mermillod-Blondin - pick Mermillod-Blondin 3 units @2 Lost -3
The frenchmen was third in the classic combined of Kitzbuehel (combined with 2 slalom runs).
Anyway he is a decent slalomist sure better than Baumann while the gap between these two can be little    after the downhill, as Baumann isn't in great form and wasn't even choosed for the real downhill race.

Svindal's current price (around 12) looks good for a trade, expecting him to have 2, maybe 3 seconds advantage after the downhill run.

Completely wrong the pick against Baumann, who's apparently worked around this event.

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.

12/01 Men's Giant Slalom - Adelboden - pre-draw

Usual look at the odds offered before the bib's draw and the starting list.
In evidence the h2hs including skiers who aren't in the same group of merit for the draw. Underlined the name whose odds I think is going to lower. Anyway odds not offer too much as always, only that Reichelt around the even is temptive, but he's doing very bad so better to skip.

Here the picks:
h2h Pinturault - Neureuther - pick Pinturault 3 units @1.61
One of the head to head with the red circle.
Pinturault is a better Giantist, although Neureuther has had some good results in recent Giant-Slaloms.
There's also a big difference in the start list: Pinturault will be in the first seven gropu, while Neureuther is 20th in the start list.

h2h Fanara - Dopfer - pick Fanara 2 units @1.66
Again a red circled h2h.
Fanara is in the 1 to 7 group, Dopfer in the 8 to 15 one.
So here difference in smaller, and also results's difference is smaller, though I think Fanara is slightly better.

h2h Haugen - Eisath - pick Haugen 2 units @1.71
Not huge difference in this, Haugen is 28th, Eisath is ot of the top30, 31.
Haugen is doing much better and improving his ranking: he was out of the top30 at the beginning of the season.
Haugen has always won this h2h in previus Giant-Slaloms.

h2h Jansrud - Raich - pick Raich 2 units @1.96
Not a marked one as theiy're in the same group.
Both had a bad season in Giant-Slalom.
But I dare say for different reason: Jansrud has problem in turning where there's a short distance between the gates, that's probably becuse of the new radius of the skis.
Raich... I don't know... it could be his age, and recent injuries, but perhaps it's just something about the physical preparation the Austrian team made, as there are bad reasults in the whole austrian team, and the preparation has set them to have results for the World Championships, later this season.
Anyway Raich has a good feeling with this slope, 2nd place last here, and three victory in the past, he's never finished worse then 7th place since 2005.

Men' Slalom - Zagreb 06/01

h2h Hirscher - Myhrer - pick Myhrer 2 units @2.50 Lost -2
To me between this two is 50-50, maybe 60-40 in Hirscher's favour, so this is a good odd.
Both won in here in the past two years and in general this slope suite to the swedish team due to some flat sections.
I also think that now that Hirscher is closer to Svindall in the overall standing he's going to slow down a little and take less risks to complete the race and gain points.

h2h Yuasa - Hargin - pick Hargin 6 units @1.83 Won +4.98
Many reasons for this pick, so a preatty heavy stake.
Hargin will start with a better number: and in men's race the slope will be more ruined than in ladies's one, Yuasa can't be aggressive as he usually is.
Hargin made 3rd place two years ago, and made 7th place in two other occasions, as said before this slope suite to the swedish team.
Yuasa's 3rd place in last SL in Madonna di Campiglio has been a one off, an hat-trick Yuasa makes under some conditions of the slope and in night races, like that one and Schlamding, which are very similar.
Hargin can easily beat Yuasa as the japanese is very faulty and apart from very few races doesn't often break the top 20.

h2h Valencic - Kristoffensen - pick Kristoffensen 1 unit @2.15 Won +1.15
Big difference in the starting bib in Valencic's favour, 17 and 32.
The young norvegian though always start with similar bib. He is doing well also in European Cup while the same can't be said for Valencic who's doing average, with no sign of improvement.

h2h Byggmark - Kostelic - pick Kostelic 1 unit @2.10 Won +1.1
Byggmark will start with the n.1, meaning the slope will e in perfect condition, Kostelic is n.4 so not much behind.
Kostelic is in a bad shape and his knee hurt, though his non-aggressive style could be useful on this kind of snow, that has even got wet by rain.

h2h Neureuther - Pinturault - pick Neureuther 2 units @1.76 Won +1.52
Here starting bib in Neureuther's favour, 6 vs 14.
The german is in great shape with 2nd places in last two Slaloms and the win in the City Event.
Pinturault although winner in Val d'Isere, in some strange conditions, hasn't done anything else that good.

+6.75

Men' Slalom - Madonna di Campiglio

So, let's try to understand how head to head are set up.
Here's three pick I've done BEFORE the draw of the starting bibs.

h2h Pinturault - Neureuther - pick Neureuther 2 units @2.02
h2h Byggmark - Deville - pick Deville 1 unit @2.25
h2h Matt - Moelgg - pick Matt 2 units @1.95

Pinturault - Neureuther
In this order they made 2/3 of the podium of last Slalom in Val d'Isere, where Alexis Pinturault achieved his first WC win. For Neureuther it was one of the many career podiums.

Every thing was a bit special in that weekend. Pinturault winning his first race, in his country, in a discipline that isn't his favourite. The following day a big mistake few gates away from the finish line probably prevented him from double the success, on the day that Ligety showed he's human finishing 3rd place.

In an inverse order they stand in the Slalom standing: Neureuther 3rd place with 116 points, followed closely by Pinturault with 108.

So all this points to a close head to head... but there's something missing.
The starting list doesn't follow the "Overall Standing" or the "Discipline Standing" (Slalom in this case), but another standing called World Cup Start List (WCSL), different for each of the four discipline.
In Slalom's WCSL Neureuther is 4th place, meaning he's in the first group and he can start with bib from 1 to 7, racing on a slope in good conditions. In WCSL Pinturault is 11th so his starting bib will be between 8 and 15, included, meaning condition could be worse and he'll take the start afterward anyway and this cause a drop of the odds.

Byggmark - Deville
Here momentums are in big contrast, if comapred to previous season. Deville struggles to find back his shape with a DNF and a 7th place. While Byggmark has little find himself after some seasons fighting with a change of style that sent him away from top placements; now seems to have find a good balance and had a good beginning with a 3rd and a 5th place.
Byggmark is 4th in the Slalom standing, while Deville is 14th.
Form for sure makes Byggmark big favored, for this, but again relying in the WCSL I'm pretty sure this odd will have a drop as Deville still as a spot in the first group, 5th, while Byggmark is in the second, 8th.

Matt - Moelgg
Also here there's a clash of shape, as there's been in previous seasons.
After coming near to retire, austrian Matt made some great season and gained the first group of the WCSL.
Moelgg, also fought with fitness and now is well out of the two group og the WCSL, being 19th.
This season however is inverting again the momentum with Moelgg climbing the standing with a 4th an a 11th placement in previous Slaloms, while Matt is doing average with a 8th, and a disqalification in Soelden due to technical measurement in his skis.

With this picks I want to see if they know the existence of the WCSL, a drop in these odds could prove it's so.
The fact that there haven't been races in this slope recently will reduce the variables from stats about results on this slope in other season.