The 2007/08 World Cup season ended in Bormio, Italy, with finals organised on the same slopes used during the 2005 World Championships. Downhill races had to be cancelled due to bad weather in the Italian Alps, but despite this, these last races offered a great show and crowned the season’s Overall winners Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn Kildow. In crystal globe speed disciplines’, Didier Cuche and Lindsey Vonn Kildow won in Downhill while Hannes Reichelt and Maria Riesch in Super-G. In Giant Slalom, Denise Karbon won her first globe and Bode Miller while Manfred Moelg and Marlies Schild dominated in Slalom.

 

The Salomon Team achieved victories and podiums, and seriously progressed throughout the season. In this season’s women’s category, the 2007 triple World Champion Anja Paerson claimed 3 new victories with a superb double in St Moritz Downhill and Super-G as well as victory in the Crans Montana Combined. Her Salomon team-mate and speed specialist, Emily Brydon, achieved her best season ever with a first World Cup success in St Moritz Super-G and two 3rd places in the Cortina Downhill and Whistler Super-G, on the slopes of the future 2010 Olympics!

 

French skier Ingrid Jacquemod confirmed her reputation as one of the most talented all-round skiers on the World Cup Circuit finishing 11th Overall. Claiming several Top 5 positions, notably 5th place in Crans Montana and the St Anton combined, and 5th place in Lake Louise Downhill where Ingrid established her natural talent in Giant Slalom. The former Junior World Champion achieved her best season ever in this discipline, this winter with a superb 4th place in the final Giant Slalom in Bormio enabling her to enter the Top 10 Overall. This skier from Val d’Isere is now really keen to race in the 2009 World Championships on her home mountain!

Her team-mate Marie Marchand Arvier who claimed her first podium last season also achieved a good season with several Top 10 results in Downhill including an 8th place in Crans Montana and 9th in Lake Louise and St Moritz. Suffering from a painful ankle this winter, Marie will now be preparing hard for next years big event in France: her second World Championships following Are in 2007.

 

In the men’s category, Italian Slalom Star Giorgio Rocca achieved very encouraging results in the second half of the season after returning from a severe knee injury and missing the first races. Earning a great 4th place in Zagreb as well as 8th place in the Wengen and Bormio final race, Giorgio ended up in the Top 15 of the discipline Overall ranking. After this transitional season, the 2006 Slalom crystal globe winner will now be seeking new victories in 2009! His Italian team-mate Davide Simoncelli, also in a transitional period and coming back from a knee injury, proved he is still among the best Giant Slalom specialists with, his best result this season, 6th place in the final race in Bormio as well as 7th in Kransjka Gora. Ranked 12th in the discipline Overall ranking, Davide who already won two World Cups and several podiums, will now train hard in order to mount the podium again next season.

 

Austrian speed specialist Klaus Kroell who joined Salomon last spring following Fritz Strobl’s retirement, achieved his best ever season in Downhill claiming a second podium in his career with a superb 3rd place in Kvitfjell followed the next day by a 4th place. With 7th in Bormio and 9th in Val Gardena, Klaus, entered the Downhill Top 10 Overall ranking for the first time, finishing 8th this season.