Scheib soars to debut win and sends Sölden crowd crazy
Oct 25, 2025·Alpine Skiing
A “perfect” first run propelled Austrian Julia Scheib (AUT/Rossignol) to her maiden Audi FIS World Cup victory in front of a record Sölden crowd, as the Alpine Ski season got off to dramatic start on Saturday.
Scheib’s pre-season training partner Paula Moltzan (USA/Rossignol) did her best to keep up with the local favourite, finishing 0.58 seconds back to grab second, her best ever finish in a World Cup Giant Slalom.
A record fourth victory in Sölden was not quite to be for Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI/Head) but third place (+1.11 seconds) represented a “solid start” as the Swiss superstar looks to sign off her final season in style.
Talking of superstars, Mikaela Shiffrin took what she labelled a “huge step forwards” in her on-going battle to reclaim her best GS form, with two solid runs placing her fourth.
A disappointed Alice Robinson (NZL/Salomon) ended eighth, one spot ahead of the reigning Olympic GS champion, Sara Hector (SWE/Head) who is still yet to record a podium place in Sölden.
Scheib 'finds flow'
All of them could only look up in wonder at the 27-year-old Scheib, who on her 45th World Cup Giant Slalom start finally found the formula she has been searching for. A formula that also delivered Austria a first home triumph in Sölden for 23 years.
Thanks in no small part to a first run that put her a vast 1.28 seconds clear of the field.
Comfortably ahead at the halfway stage of an Alpine ski race in Austria is not always an easy place to be for an Austrian. But somehow Scheib, whose previous best finish was third in Sölden 12 months ago, found the right recipe.
“I talked to my teammates. I tried to relax a little bit, to calm down a little bit, to not stress myself too much and I think it was a good break,” Scheib said simply. “I was kind of relaxed, more than I thought.”
Facing compact, aggressive snow and knowing that the likes of Moltzan (second quickest in run one) and Gut-Behrami (fifth fastest) would not hold back, Scheib let her skis go on run two, despite the sizeable lead.
Understandably “heavy legs” in the steep pitch saw Scheib lose a touch of time but such was her perfection in the morning that it didn’t matter. Victory and the acclaim of thousands was hers – not that she could immediately hear their joy, thanks to a snug fitting helmet.
“I was really by myself in this moment,” Scheib laughed. “This is crazy really. At home, Sölden, first race of the new season, perfect start.”
Moltzan: 'All I do is recover'
At one stage it looked as though Moltzan might make life a whole lot less comfortable for close friend Scheib. The USA skier was flying down the Rettenbach Glacier in her second run before a major mistake on the famed Sölden Wall halted her momentum. It nearly did a lot more than that.
“I haven't even seen it myself, I just experienced it, and it was kind of one of those, excuse my language, oh shit, moments, and you're like, ‘well, I guess I now need to really push, because I can't keep losing time’,” Moltzan said, before opening up on what is a priceless skill for a ski racer.
Since starting last season with 11th place in Sölden, Moltzan has claimed a second, a third and six other top-10 finishes in World Cup GS races, plus a world championship bronze in Saalbach in February. Results that have forced a change of perception.
“I’ve grown up and been raised as a slalom skier, but then a handful of years (ago) I came into the GS circuit, and it's so fun," Moltzan said. "It's a nice distraction from Slalom, actually. And I guess I am now a GS skier.”
Shiffrin delivers verdict
On a great day for the USA team - five racers in the top 13 - relief seemed to be the principal emotion for Shiffrin. A racer who had been typically honest in the days leading up to this Sölden-starter that she had “no idea what to expect” after the GS challenges she faced last season.
“I felt like my mind and my body were connected today with the race and the nerves and the feeling I had,” Shiffrin said. “It's a huge step. I mean, I'm fighting for points, fighting to stay in the top 30, fighting to do well when it's dark and bumpy on a long course in a race. Every single part of today was such a monumental step.
“So, we'll analyse it and keep moving forward. But I'm happy with that. I'm so happy.”
Forward-thinking for focused Gut-Behrami
Long-time rival Gut-Behrami was slightly more reserved, as she narrowly missed out on what would have been a record-setting fourth triumph in her final start in Sölden.
“I'm more looking forward to racing, to more races this season than always thinking it's the last race I'm racing in Sölden because it's not the way I am,” Gut-Behrami said. “But I'm really happy to start a season like that with the podium.
“It was a good second run, but the season is really long, and for me, the most important thing is to start well, to ski well, and then you can build on that.”
So, off to the training slopes for Gut-Behrami and the rest, with Slalom races coming up in Levi, Finland 15-16 November, while the next women’s GS weekend is 27-30 November, in Beaver Creek. Surely enough time for Scheib to celebrate with those delirious Austrians.
