Paula Moltzan Wins Alpine Ski World Cup Opener in Soelden

In front of 14,600 ski fans in Sölden, Paula Moltzan secured her first Alpine Ski World Cup victory. The American skier finished 0.01 seconds ahead of Lara Colturi, with Emma Aicher completing the podium 0.52 seconds behind Moltzan.

The first race of the season got off to a slightly delayed start. Although the overnight snowfall had transformed the Ötztal Alps into a winter wonderland, it also meant that the piste crews had to work on the course. Consequently, the Giant Slalom began half an hour later than planned.

The winter World Cup began with a scare for Austria's best giant slalom skier. Julia Scheib, who started the race with bib number two, was pushed backwards and thrown from her skis on a steep section of the slope, despite posting the fastest intermediate time. Scheib, the winner of last season's Giant Slalom World Cup who celebrated her first World Cup victory in Sölden in 2025, somersaulted in a high arc and crashed hard onto the piste.

Mikaela Shiffrin took the lead in the first run ahead of Sara Hector (+0.14) and Camille Rast (+0.37).

In the second run, the racers faced a challenge in the form of variable visibility amid light snowfall. Under these conditions, Paula Moltzan (fifth in the first run), Lara Colturi (sixth) and Emma Aicher (ninth) clearly outperformed the rest, including favourite Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished seventh.

At 32 years old, in her 149th World Cup start, Moltzan claimed her maiden win and 11th podium after finishing in second place in Sölden last season. She surpassed Anna Swenn Larsson as the oldest first-time winner. The Swede was 31 years and five months old when she won in Killington in November 27, 2022.

"It felt incredibly long until I finally did it, my first win. I’m very happy and proud. I think you just have to dream big, then you can make it a reality. I worked hard for it all summer. Now it’s finally happened," Moltzan said. Lara Colturi reached a World Cup podium for the second time in the Giant Slalom discipline.

Emma Aicher, the all-rounder who came second overall last season, claimed her first Giant Slalom podium.

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