American ski racer Lindsey Vonn darted through the shadows on the speed course at Copper Mountain on a frigid morning.

Mikaela Shiffrin is hoping to put her poor start to the Beijing Olympics behind her as she prepares for her second race.

None of the elite athletes competing when Alpine skiing starts next Sunday at the Olympics ever has been on the course that will be used to determine who takes home the medals.

Two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety says he will retire from World Cup ski racing after the world championships. 1 why Ligety plans to retire from the World Cup circuit, effective after the world championships currently underway in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. His storied career also includes five wins at world championships, 25 World Cup victories and five season-long World Cup giant slalom titles. His last World Cup race was Jan. 9 during a giant slalom event in Adelboden, Switzerland. “I don’t want to do races as a tourist.”Ligety’s earned his way onto a World Cup podium 52 times — spanning all disciplines.

Braathen, who had never finished in a World Cup podium position, improved from fifth place after the opening leg to upset the pre-race favorites and clinch his first career win. Braathen posted the second fastest time in the decisive leg to finish ahead of Swiss duo Marco Odermatt and Caviezel. Competing in only his 23th event in the World Cup, Braathen had a fourth place as his previous best result at the slalom in Kitzbuehel in January. With Braathen and Odermatt, who turned 23 this month, a younger generation occupied the top spots in the season's first race. The next World Cup races are parallel events for men and women in another Austrian resort, Lech/Zuers, on Nov. 13-14.