'It's paid off': Robinson battles terrain and weather to win in Tremblant

Even in a blizzard, Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) found a way to shine.

The New Zealand star mastered difficult weather conditions in the Canadian resort of Tremblant on Saturday to win her second Giant Slalom race in a row and take over as the discipline's World Cup leader.

In the week she turned 24, Robinson used her experience as a young veteran to overcome a course unsuited to her, triumphing by nearly a second ahead of a resurgent Zrinka Ljutic (CRO/Atomic, +0.94s) and home favorite Valerie Grenier (CAN/Rossignol, +1.00s).

"That was such a testing race," said Robinson, who thrives on steeper, quicker courses such as Copper Mountain, where she won last week. In her only other races in Tremblant, two years ago, she recorded a 12th and a DNF.

"I remember last time I was here I didn't have a very good weekend so I was a bit worried coming into this week," she admitted. "I really didn't know what I was doing on this hill, but today it seemed so seamless."

Skiing in soft snow and under heavy snowfall in the first run and through fog in both runs, Robinson didn't let the conditions faze her despite her previous discomfort with the Flying Mile slope, posting the fastest first run and third fastest second run of the field.

"It's a flat hill, but it's not easy — it's got so much terrain," she said. "You have to to be really tactically smart with where you push and where you hold back a little bit.

"We did a lot of work this summer with terrain because that's always been a weakness of mine, so I'm really glad it's paid off."

It wasn't just the terrain that racers had to contend with on Saturday, however, as the blizzard-like conditions in the first run caught out many of the world's top skiers.

Olympic Giant Slalom champion Sara Hector (SWE/Head), the first athlete on course, missed a blind gate after a roller on the top section and was out in the blink of an eye.

Three skiers later, the World Cup Giant Slalom leader at the day's outset, Julia Scheib (AUT/Rossignol), didn't fare much better, getting caught late in the line in the mid-section before smashing through a control gate.

Two other top seeds, Paula Moltzan (USA/Rossignol) and Lara Colturi (ALB/Blizzard), at least made it to the finish area, but couldn't get to grips with the conditions and a series of errors from both skiers saw them fall well out of contention, more than two seconds behind Robinson.

Those who used their experience to keep their first run simple and risk-free found reward, but it wasn't easy for anyone on the mountain.

"Oh my God," Thea Louise Stjernesund (NOR/Rossignol) said as soon as she crossed the finish line in provisional third place, later dropping to fourth. She skied out early in her second run to bring her day to a premature end.

By the time of that second run, at 2pm local time, the snowfall had stopped, but thick fog remained at the top of the course.

"It was faster, I think the snow got colder," Robinson said of the second run. "It stopped snowing as much and it froze, so the tempo was up a bit."

The improved conditions allowed Grenier to thrive on the hill she grew up on, as she skied a brilliant lower half to take the lead from Camille Rast (SUI/Head), who ultimately finished fourth.

Grenier, who had started the second run in fifth position, then moved up to third when Stjernesund didn't finish and Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) struggled on that same lower section to drop from third to sixth.

"To do this at home, it's such a dream," Grenier said said of her first podium in nearly two years, much of which she spent battling knee and shoulder injuries. "I can't get over it, I have no words."

In returning to her best form at home, the 29-year-old showed she had learnt from her first World Cup races in Tremblant in 2023, when she finished sixth and eighth.

"Two years ago, the first time, I feel like put a lot of pressure on myself," Grenier said. "This year I wasn't thinking about it too much, I wasn't letting the outside world get in my head."

Also returning to top form on Saturday was runner-up Ljutic, who had appeared out of sorts so far this season after her breakout campaign a year ago, with a best result of sixth in five races prior to Saturday.

In the first run, on a course set by her coaches, the 21-year-old showed wisdom beyond her years to ski smartly in difficult conditions and post a time only surpassed by Robinson.

As the penultimate skier in the second run, Ljutic led Grenier by nearly a second at the halfway stage, and although she couldn't match the Canadian's speed on the lower half, the Atomic skier just held on by 0.06 of a second.

Her time was no match for Robinson, however, who led by 0.33 seconds out of the gate, survived a slight line error early in her second run, and then crushed it the rest of the way down the hill.

"I'm so glad I was able to hold on after the lead in the first run and build on it," said the New Zealander, who is now among the most accomplished Giant Slalom skiers on the tour.

With the last two discipline globe winners Federica Brignone (ITA/Rossignol) and Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/Head) absent, and the one before that (Shiffrin) still working her way back to her best GS form, Robinson has seized the moment.

From sporadic wins as a teenager to consistent podiums last year, the Salomon skier has gone up another gear already this season.

And having now won consecutive World Cup races for the first time, Robinson has established herself as one of the biggest favorites not just for the Giant Slalom globe, but also for Olympic gold in Cortina in two months' time.

Before then, however, she has more immediate business to take care of: Sunday's second GS in Tremblant, beginning at 10am local time / 4pm CET.

Click here for full results from Saturday's race.