Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr, no stranger to a World Cup podium but not a frequent visitor in recent years, shook off the cobwebs and unleashed a defiant run to win the weather-shortened Stifel Birds of Prey super-G Friday.
It was the 34-year-old Austrian’s first win since February 18, 2024 and came on a snowy and blustery day with several interruptions due to changing weather conditions.
The race was stopped after 31 of the 68 racers had started down the renowned track. Under International Ski Federation (FIS) rules, a race is considered valid if the top 30-ranked racers are able to start an event. After several short delays, officials tried shortening the intervals between racers to adjust to the wind gusts that were plaguing the day but eventually had to concede to worsening conditions. Ultimately, there were 25 finishers Friday.
Norway’s Fredrik Moeller was second, 0.56 seconds back, while Kriechmayr’s teammate Raphael Haaser was third at 1.03 off the pace. Marco Odermatt, winner of Thursday’s downhill as well as the only previous super-G conducted thus far in the 2025-26 season, was fifth, 1:23 behind Kriechmayr. The best American was River Radamus, who grew up in nearby Edwards, in 12th place, followed by Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who was second in Thursday’s downhill, in 13th position.
Kriechmayr’s win was the second of his career on the Birds of Prey course, and his 19th across all seasons. He moved into second place on the overall World Cup standings list for 2025-26, with 227 points to Odermatt’s 345.
The start of the race was delayed and there were several subsequent interruptions due to a winter storm passing through the central Colorado Rocky Mountains, which could bring up to 10 inches of new snow to the region. Additionally, both the start and finish positions on the race course were altered as part of several changes enacted after warm weather hampered initial course preparation in November.
Canadian Erik Read, one of the six who started but did not finish on Friday, praised organizers and course workers for the ability to conduct a race in challenging conditions. “This was really awesome on the organizers, they’ve done a fantastic job for getting what we have,” said Read, one of two sons of Ken Read, the first Canadian to make a mark in World Cup skiing, currently racing on the World Cup circuit. “And good on the FIS for being flexible. It’s so important that we have this race. I’m glad they pushed hard to make it happen. And the volunteers have done an amazing amount of work; day after day we show up and the track is in amazing shape.”
Radamus tried to make the best of the situation, but a mistake cost him precious seconds. “I have to take the good with the bad,” said Radamus. “I was getting loose all over the place, but I think that’s what the course demanded today. I tried to lay it all on the line and hopefully gave the crowd a good show.”
Said Read, “(The start position) was a big unknown. For all of us, we’ve only skied downhill from that start, so we’re all familiar with that. But super-G is a totally different game; there’s a little bit more steepness (on that portion of the course). It was hard to stay on top of the gates up there. I think everybody struggled with it.
“The guys that are doing it best are not piping it, but they’re staying in control. It’s one of those things that it’s an unknown, but the best figure it out. That’s the challenge for the rest of us. It’s different in a very challenging way.”
There will be no racing on Saturday, and the event week will conclude Sunday, Dec. 7, with the Stiefel Birds of Prey giant slalom. The first run will start at 10:00 a.m. MST, and the second run at 1:00 p.m. MST.
RESULTS
Men’s super-G
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