As the calendar has turned to 2020, let’s check in on the current Overall Standings for Men’s Alpine pursuit of the overall Crystal Globe! Note that the results are up to date following the close of Zagreb’s (CRO) races the weekend of January 5th. Here are some thoughts on a few of the notable Top Ten athletes and then some:

1 – Alecksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR)
A.A. Kilde leads the men’s race to the Overall World Cup title.  Kilde keeps finding ways to the podium in the early part of the 2019/20 season. In Beaver Creek he burst out of the gate and found a second place finish in the Super G.  He continued to perform at a high level by winning the Bormio Super G and Parallel GS in Alta Badia.  The combination of those wins in addition to 2^nd place finishes in the Val Gardena Downhill and the Alpine Combined in Bormio further piled on the points resulting in his first place standing on the leaderboard. My prediction is (barring injury) Kilde’s consistency will continue to propel him into the 2020 part of the season and continue delivering strong performances. He will be a force competitors may be chasing into the 2020 half of the season.

#2 Dominick Paris (ITA)
Paris’s bread and butter are the speed events.  Paris won both Downhill golds in Bormio.  Combined with a 2^nd place in the Lake Louise Downhill and 3^rd place in the Val Gardena Super G, Paris is one of the strongest contenders for this seasons Overall World Cup Title.

#6 Beat Feuz (SWI)
I’m skipping down a few places in order to talk about Beat Feuz. In the interest of complete transparency, I am a huge Beat Feuz fan. To me he embodies the spirit of a downhill race, throwing caution into the wind to gain those few hundies (hundreths of a second) needed to win the race. Anyway back to business. I believe Feuz is the only challenger to Dominick Paris in the field capable of holding off Dominick Paris for the season’s Downhill Crystal Globe. Feuz continues to show his dominance in the Downhill with podium finishes including 3^rd place in the Lake Louise Downhill, 1^st in the Beaver Creek Downhill (culminating in back to back 2018 and 2019 downhill wins in Beaver Creek), and a combination of a 2^nd place and 3^rd place finishes behind Paris in the Bormio Downhill. With Feuz’s home turf in Wengen and the classic Kitzbuel Hahnenkamm race in his headlights I am expecting his continued domination of those races will be kind to his pursuit of the Crystal Downhill, though he may not have the agility across disciplines to take the Overall Crystal Globe.

#3 Alexis Pinturault (FRA)
Pinturault may be picking up where Marcel Hirscher left off. With 1^st place finishes in the Soelden Giant Slalom, Val d’Isere slalom, and Bormio Alpine Combined, Pinturault finds himself #3 on the leaderboard and the specialist to beat in the technical events.  Four other top 10 finishes bolster his point accumulation to earn him the 3^rd spot on the pursuit of the Overall Globe. Only one question looms large: can Pinturault hold off Norway’s Henrick Kristoffersen who is also laying down an impressive season and holds 4th place in the overall standings???? This will be one rivalry to watch closely.

#9 Thomas Dressen (GER)
He’s back!! After suffering a season-ending injury at Beaver Creek in 2018, Dressen returned to the 2019/2020 season in grand fashion winning the the Lake Louise Downhill. He finished a disappointing 19th in the Beaver Creek downhill perhaps daunted by the memory of the 2018 accident. However, a 3^rd place finish in the Val Gardena Super G and other strong showings have earned him 230 overall points putting him at number 9 in the Overall standings.

#10 Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA)
Cochran-Siegle is the only American cracking the Top 10 by delivering consistent performances across multiple disciplines. With a history as a technical specialist, his motivation to break out and earn points in the speed events seems to be paying off. He will be exciting to watch in the 2020 phase of the season! Who doesn’t love an underdog?

Tommy Ford (USA)
Ford had his Ester Ledecka moment in Beaver Creek, full stop! While Ford is not found in the Overall Top 10, he stunned the American audience coming out of a virtual nowhere to win Beaver Creek’s Giant Slalom in front of the American fans AND earning his first ever podium in an FIS competition. What a treat for Tommy and the American crowd!

So what’s next? No doubt the rest of the 2019/2020 season will continue to heat up with stunning performances, tight races, surprises, and the proverbial agony of defeat. Kilde, Paris, Pinturault, and Feuz will be the skiers to watch. Least we mention Kristofersen, Kriechmayr who will continue to be strong contenders. While the past does not predict the future, it’s hard to think these racers won’t be in the dogfight for the Overall Crystal Globe. Stay tuned….