The Expert Prediction: These gigantic talents could be dangerous for Odermatt

The 22-year-old Norwegian celebrated his first World Cup victory in slalom last winter in Palisades Tahoe. Now Steen-Olsen has achieved his best giant slalom result in Bansko, finishing second behind Odermatt (nine-tenths behind). What is the technology specialist from the Oslo region missing to pull off a really big coup? “He does not yet have the right adjustment for all conditions and sometimes Alexander’s head still gets in the way,” says German ski king Felix Neureuther (39). “Alexander also needs some technical refinement,” adds Austrian Thomas Sykora (55), who was one of the outstanding technicians in the 1990s with nine World Cup victories in slalom. “But I have no doubt that Alexander will achieve this refinement. And then it could be really dangerous even for Odermatt.”

The Italian won the silver medal behind Steen-Olsen in the giant slalom at the penultimate World Junior Championships. At the World Cup, the 22-year-old from Bergamo demonstrated his talent with four finishes in the top 10. “If I were a coach, I would be especially interested in working with Filippo,” reveals Neureuther. «Della Vite is also a very interesting driver for me because he doesn’t drive like a cookie-cutter. He brings with him idiosyncrasies that cannot be learned. At the moment he is not professional enough for me. But you can certainly get a lot out of this diamond in the rough.” The trainer who must mold Della Vite into a serious Odi opponent is downhill legend Peter Fill (41), who triumphed for Beat Feuz and Carlo Janka at the “Streif” in Kitzbühel in 2016.

Until the age of 24, the Frenchman performed unconvincingly as an alpine skier, which is why he achieved very high starting numbers during the first World Cup races this winter. After the former European junior water ski champion finished 21st in Val-d’Isère with 60 and 20th in Alta Badia with 62, he was allowed to start in Bansko with 29. Result: 15th place. And Thomas Sykora is convinced that Anguenot can reach the top. Reason: “Leo is particularly neutral on the ski and impresses with a very strong forward movement.” In other words: Anguenot was able to develop in the giant slalom just as his compatriot Cyprien Sarrazin (29) did in the speed disciplines.

The trained car mechanic from Frutigen BE achieved something in December that even superstar Odermatt couldn’t: Zurbrügg finished 17th in the points in Val-d’Isère on the ultra-selective “Face de Bellevarde” in its World Cup premiere. And with starting number 69. In Schladming the 21-year-old scored again in 24th place. «The more demanding a slope is, the better Sandro skis are. His technique is really good,” says Swiss Ski Alpine boss Hans Flatscher enthusiastically. At yesterday’s giant slalom in Bulgaria, the Bernese Oberlander missed the second run by 32 hundredths.

Because the son of former world star Felix McGrath has been participating in the World Cup for five years, many people forget that the Norwegian will only turn 24 in April. And although he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee eleven months ago, he is already back on the slalom podium this season (second in Adelboden and Wengen). In the giant slalom he finished 6th in Alta Badia and 7th in Chuenisbärgli. The experts are confident McGrath will be even stronger next winter after an injury-free pre-season.

Shortly before the start of the season in Sölden, last year’s Slalom World Cup winner unexpectedly announced that he would retire from ski racing at the age of 23 due to disagreements with the Norwegian association. But there are currently many indications that the Norwegian with Brazilian roots will make his World Cup comeback next winter. In December he started slalom training with Greek vice-world champion AJ Ginnis. “In my opinion, there is actually nothing more that speaks against Braathen’s return to the ski circus,” says chief race director Rainer Salzgeber. As a reminder, Braathen inflicted the penultimate “defeat” in the giant slalom at Odermatt in Alta Badia 2022. The last person to beat the three-time Swiss Athlete of the Year in this discipline was Marco Schwarz in Palisades Tahoe last February. After tearing his cruciate ligament in Bormio, the Austrian will most likely resume his pursuit of Odermatt next winter.