Beaver Creek – Finland’s Kalle Palander felt like a party crasher Saturday, but at least he had the grace to apologize.
Palander was surrounded by Americans at the front of an electrifying World Cup giant slalom on Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey staged in a blinding snowstorm. Bode Miller won with a run that was wild even by his unorthodox standards, Daron Rahlves was second, Palander third and Erik Schlopy was fourth.
“I felt like I was in the U.S. championships or something,” Palander said. “OK, I destroyed the U.S. day today, and I am really sorry.”
Nobody seemed to mind much. It was believed to be the first 1-2-4 finish for the U.S. men in a World Cup race, and it followed by one day a 1-2 finish by Rahlves and Miller in the downhill. Adding to the celebration, Ski Club Vail product Lindsey Kildow won Saturday’s women’s downhill in Lake Louise, Alberta, making for one of the most successful weekends in U.S. Ski Team history.
“We come in here to Beaver Creek to make a statement,” said Rahlves, who posted his best career GS result in what probably will be his last competitive run here.
“This place means a lot to me, it means a lot to the rest of the guys on the team. I think today it showed. Hopefully it sends a message to everybody else and gets them thinking a little more. That just gives us more power as a team.”
Miller and Palander tied for the fastest first run, Rahlves was third and Schlopy was tied for fourth with Austrian great Hermann Maier. Maier won the season’s first GS in Soelden, Austria, but finished eighth Saturday.
Miller touched his hip and various other body parts several times during his run but miraculously managed to rebound every time.
The run appeared so ragged and over the top, most were surprised to see the No. 1 by his finishing time.
“It was not ideal,” Miller said. “It’s not fast when you’re on your (rear), but it does add excitement sometimes. I knew I needed to bring a lot of intensity to the second run. It was a course that suited Schlopy and Kalle. I wanted to put down a run I was really psyched about.”
Miller said he had to overcome fatigue and the conditions, but that appealed to him.
“I felt like the challenge was more worthy,” Miller said. “I like those kind of challenges. It was definitely worthy of a massive effort. It made it a lot easier for me to dig deep. With the mistakes I made, I was totally aware of being on the edge the whole time. Those are the kinds of runs that are fun for me.”
How can he appear so out of control and be so fast?
“He feels the speed and he feels the fall line, understands what’s fast and what’s not,” U.S. alpine director Jesse Hunt said. “What’s magic is what’s happening between his skis and the snow. What we’re looking at is his body, but his body positions are a reaction to having the right things going on between his skis and the snow, basically counter-balancing to make sure his skis are fast.”
A speed specialist, Rahlves has been making strides in GS in recent years, claiming a surprise bronze medal at the 2005 world championships. Rahlves hopes scoring well in giant slalom, along with his results in downhill and super-G, will help him challenge for the World Cup overall title.
“I knew from training and the way I’ve been skiing I had a good chance in GS,” Rahlves said, “but I definitely stepped beyond what I expected today, being in second place.”
Schlopy struck his left hand on a gate pole on the first run, fracturing a bone.
“You don’t need your hand to ski,” Schlopy said. “I didn’t think I hurt it that bad, after the run. Then 10-15 minutes later, the adrenaline went away and the hand started hurting pretty bad. I just had the guys tape it up, compress it, and then tape it really tightly to my pole so I wouldn’t be able to drop my pole, because I couldn’t squeeze it.”
Despite having his lunge out of the start gate impaired, Schlopy skied brilliantly in the second run and missed the podium by .01 of a second.
His finish suggested he may become a factor in the season GS standings and in the Turin Olympics. Schlopy lost the 2003 season to a knee injury and struggled in his comeback last season.
“Erik is a talented kid,” said Bill Marolt, chief executive of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “We’ve known that from the time he was 15 years old. He’s had some tough breaks along the way, but today he just responded.”
