Moelgg takes second place behind an immense Ted Ligety in the Sölden Giant Slalom

A thrilling second run for the Giant Slalom in Sölden. It was a race that will be remembered for its prohibitive conditions due to a very heavy snowfall that made the race course treacherous, with ruts and piles of snow hampering the athletes’ runs.
In the end, Italy made the podium thanks to a superb performance by Alto Adige native Manfred Moelgg: an excellent run—at times risky, yet fairly clean—allowed him to claim the second step of the podium behind an immense Ted Ligety, who left the field far behind with a massive 2.75-second margin over Moelgg.
It was a flawless run by the American, who turned the tables on France’s Fanara after the Frenchman had edged him out of first place in the opening run. The other Italians had a quieter outing: Simoncelli fell in the early gates, while his teammates managed to finish in the top 20.
It was a very tough second run with several high-profile exits, especially in the closing stages when the snow was coming down hard, making the course nearly unskiable due to the deep fresh snow. Sölden thus bids farewell to the Alpine Ski World Cup and returns to everyday life with a glacier packed with abundant fresh snow.
The Alpine Ski World Cup returns on November 11 with the Slalom round in Levi, Finland.