Odermatt and Scheib win as World Cup opens in Sölden

Julia Scheib of Austria won the women's giant slalom and Marco Odermatt of Switzerland took the men's title as the Alpine Ski World Cup opened its 2025-26 season on the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, on Saturday and Sunday. Scheib claimed her first World Cup victory in front of a home crowd on Saturday, while Odermatt converted a narrow first-run lead into a win on Sunday after deteriorating conditions delayed the second run.

Scheib, 27, set the pace with a dominant first run and held on in the second to finish 0.58 seconds ahead of American Paula Moltzan, who produced a career-best second place despite nearly crashing in her closing run. Swiss veteran Lara Gut-Behrami completed the podium in third. "It feels so good," Scheib said after the race, calling the result an ideal start to the season. Moltzan said her coaches are monitoring training and recovery as she builds toward the winter's main objectives, including the February Olympics.

On Sunday the men dealt with heavy snow and poor visibility that postponed the second run by about an hour. Odermatt, the reigning overall champion, led after the first run and held off Austria's Marco Schwarz to win by 0.24 seconds....