ASPEN — The women’s World Cup shifts to Switzerland this week, but not for Resi Stiegler. With a downhill and super-G set for St. Moritz, Stiegler will spend the week at home in Jackson, Wyo., heading to Europe next week.
“It will be good for a little break for me,” Stiegler said after finishing eighth in Sunday’s World Cup slalom, won by Austrian Nicole Hosp. “I don’t know how much rest I’ll do, since all my friends are texting me about skiing all week, but it will be fun.”
The free spirit of the U.S. Ski Team might reflect on how close she appears to be to breaking through in slalom. Stiegler ripped the top section on both runs of Sunday’s race — she was second-fastest there in the morning run and third-fastest in the afternoon session — but lost time on the flats at the bottom.
Stiegler posted the best result for the home team — she has been the top U.S. racer in all three slaloms this season — but it left her far from satisfied.
A double bronze medalist at the 2003 world juniors championships, she has yet to make a World Cup podium. She has finished fourth three times, once this season.
“I’m just kind of frustrated because I’m having these awesome top splits,” Stiegler said. “At Panorama (Nov. 25) I was winning the top both runs. Then I come down and I just stop, I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m just stopping. Maybe we haven’t trained long enough courses or something, because this course is really long, and you’ve got to keep charging.”
Stiegler’s father, Pepi, a triple Olympic medalist for his native Austria, noticed the same thing.
“She didn’t ski fast enough in the flats on the first run,” Pepi said. “She gave it away there. She skied very beautifully, but she didn’t ski fast enough for her ability level.”
Pepi Stiegler won the 1964 Olympic slalom in which Americans Billy Kidd and Jimmie Heuga won the first U.S. men’s Olympic alpine medals. Stiegler later became Jackson Hole’s first first ski school director.
“He was the guy every Austrian mother wanted her son to be,” said Bob Beattie, who coached the U.S. team in those days. “He was quiet and polite. He was not a braggart at all, very humble.”
Resi’s 19-year-old brother, Seppi, recently joined the University of Denver ski team.
“I’m majoring in skiing; school is extracurricular,” Seppi said after forerunning a downhill training run here last week. “Hopefully I will ski fast enough in college that I can make the (U.S.) team and not have to finish college.”
Stiegler’s teammates were well back Sunday. Julia Mancuso was 19th, Lindsey Vonn 27th and Kaylin Richardson 28th. U.S. women’s coach Patrick Riml blamed insufficient slalom training. All four U.S. racers have been preoccupied with the speed events the past two weeks.
“They did a good job,” Riml said. “They had some sections they were skiing really well. If they could get a couple more days skiing slalom, they’re going to be right there.”
That’s the problem, Vonn said: “I know I’m skiing well in four events, but it’s just hard to get the timing and the rhythm for all four at the same time. It’s a constant battle.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616 or jmeyer@denverpost.com
