In a thrilling start to the 2025-26 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, Austria’s Julia Scheib captured her maiden World Cup win in the women’s giant slalom on the Rettenbach Glacier, with American Paula Moltzan delivering a strong second-place finish. Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin rounded out a solid day for Team USA with fourth place, as the two-run event unfolded under crisp autumn conditions on October 25, 2025.
Scheib, 27, edged out Moltzan by a narrow margin of 0.23 seconds after posting the fastest time in the second run, reversing her third-place standing after the opening descent. The victory marks the first World Cup triumph for the Vorarlberg native and the first Austrian women’s GS win on home snow in Sölden since 2019. “This feels like a dream,” Scheib said post-race. “The crowd’s energy carried me through the second run—Sölden has always been special, but today it was magical.”
Moltzan, coming off a bronze medal at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, showcased her technical prowess on the demanding 1,900-meter course. The 27-year-old from New York led briefly after the first run but held firm for silver, her second career podium following a third-place finish in Killington last season. “I’m over the moon,” Moltzan remarked. “The snow was forgiving today, and I just focused on clean lines. This sets a great tone for the team.”
Shiffrin, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and all-time World Cup wins leader with 97 victories entering the weekend, sat second after run one but encountered minor errors on the lower pitches of the second run, dropping her to fourth. Still, the Colorado native expressed optimism: “Not the perfect day, but the speed is there. Paula’s run was inspiring—we’re deep and ready for what’s ahead.” Shiffrin’s result keeps her in contention early in the discipline standings, where she enters as the defending overall champion.
The podium was completed by Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami in third, 0.45 seconds off Scheib’s pace. The 33-year-old veteran, who announced this as her final World Cup season, added to her record-tying nine Sölden podiums. Reigning GS globe winner Federica Brignone of Italy placed fifth, while New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, a two-time Sölden winner, finished sixth.
Team USA’s depth shone through, with six of eight starters qualifying for the second run—a testament to the program’s strength amid favorable weather that followed recent snowfalls. The morning’s first run kicked off at 9:30 a.m. local time under partly cloudy skies, with light winds on the upper glacier sections testing visibility but ultimately yielding raceable conditions.
This opener signals a competitive season ahead, with the calendar featuring 10 women’s GS races across Europe and North America. Next up for the women is the Levi slalom in Finland on November 15-16, where Shiffrin will chase her 98th career win.
As the glacier crowd of over 20,000 roared in approval, Scheib’s breakthrough underscored Austria’s enduring alpine legacy, while Team USA’s performances hint at another medal-laden campaign. The 2025-26 World Cup promises high drama, with the speed events resuming in early November.
