The 41st World Cup season was scheduled to begin on 28 October 2006, but cancellation of the opening races in Sölden delayed the season's start by two weeks. A very poor snowpack in the Alps, along with stormy weather in January, caused numerous races to be moved and rescheduled throughout the winter. The schedule included a mid-season break during the first 3 weeks of February for the World Championships in Åre, Sweden. The season concluded on 18 March 2007, at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Summary The top two finishers from last season, Benjamin Raich of Austria and Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, at the top of the standings for most of the season. With consistent podium performances in the speed races, which won him the Cup title in downhill, Didier Cuche of Switzerland finished a solid third overall. The 2005 overall champion and last year's third-place finisher, American Bode Miller, won four speed events but struggled in the technical events, keeping him from the top spots in the overall standings throughout the season. Before the final four individual races of the season, these four athletes still had a mathematical chance to win the overall World Cup title. The strongest newcomer was Jens Byggmark of Sweden, who won the first two races of his career on consecutive days in late January to vault temporarily into the top ranks in the slalom standings. Also in slalom, Mario Matt of Austria came back to win three races in 2007, regaining his top form from the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Matt ultimately lost the slalom title to Raich by just 5 points.
The early season on the women's side was led by Marlies Schild of Austria, who won six slaloms and a super combined, clinching both of these Cups early. But the biggest story of the season's first half was the resurgence of Austria's Renate Götschl, who was coming off a difficult 2006 season which saw her drop to 19th in the overall standings, her worst finish since 1994. She rebounded to dominate the speed events, winning four races in Super-G and three in downhill, securing the trophies in both of these events. American Julia Mancuso, 2006 Olympic gold medalist, had a very strong season, scoring the first four World Cup wins of her career. Nicole Hosp of Austria had a solid season with several podium positions, but few victories. Lindsey Kildow of the US celebrated three victories before she had to drop out after the World Championships due to a knee injury. Entering the World Cup Finals, four women – Hosp, Götschl, Mancuso, and Schild – were within a 102-point range, and each of them had a realistic chance of winning the overall World Cup title.
At the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, both the men's and women's overall titles came down to the technical events.
On the men's side, the race came down to Raich and Svindal. Going into the technical events, Raich looked unbeatable but a DNF for him in GS meant that Svindal would have an opportunity to clinch the title on the final day in slalom, his weakest event. Svindal needed only to finish in the top fifteen and score points in order to win the title, and he achieved it in hair-raising fashion – by finishing 15th.
Marlies Schild seemed a sure bet for the women's overall title after uncharacteristically strong performances in the speed events. But she skied disastrously in the slalom, the event that she had dominated all season long, and failed to score any points. That meant she needed both a strong performance in the GS and a weak one from her lone remaining rival, Nicole Hosp. But Hosp won the race while Schild managed just sixth place, ensuring the Cup title (and the GS globe) for Hosp.
Calendar
Men + Event key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant slalom, SG – Super giant slalom, KB – Classic Combined, SC – Super combinedDatePlaceWinnerSecondThird 29 October 2006 Sölden GS cnx canceled1262 1 12 November 2006 Levi SL 361 Benjamin Raich Markus Larsson Giorgio Rocca1263 2 25 November 2006 Lake Louise DH 368 Marco Büchel Manuel Osborne-Paradis Peter Fill1264 3 26 November 2006 SG 130 John Kucera Mario Scheiber Patrik Järbyn1265 4 30 November 2006 Beaver Creek SC 092 Aksel Lund Svindal Marc Berthod Rainer Schönfelder1266 5 1 December 2006 DH 369 Bode Miller Didier Cuche Steven Nyman1267 6 2 December 2006 GS 312 Massimiliano Blardone Aksel Lund Svindal Ted Ligety1268 7 3 December 2006 SL 362 André Myhrer Michael Janyk Felix Neureuther 9 December 2006 Val d'Isère DH cnx replaced in Bormio on 28 December 200610 December 2006 SC cnx replaced in Reiteralm on 10 December 20061269 8 10 December 2006 Reiteralm SC 093 Ivica Kostelić Romed Baumann Pierrick Bourgeat1270 9 15 December 2006 Val Gardena SG 131 Bode Miller Christoph Gruber John Kucera1271 10 16 December 2006 DH 370 Steven Nyman Didier Cuche Fritz Strobl1272 11 17 December 2006 Alta Badia GS 313 Kalle Palander Bode Miller Didier Défago1273 12 18 December 2006 SL 363 Markus Larsson Ted Ligety Ivica Kostelić1274 13 20 December 2006 Hinterstoder SG 132 Bode Miller Peter Fill Hermann Maier1275 14 21 December 2006 GS 314 Aksel Lund Svindal François Bourque Kalle Palander1276 15 28 December 2006 Bormio DH 371 Michael Walchhofer Didier Cuche Mario Scheiber1277 16 29 December 2006 DH 372 Michael Walchhofer Peter Fill Mario Scheiber1278 17 6 January 2007 Adelboden GS 315 Benjamin Raich Massimiliano Blardone Aksel Lund Svindal1279 18 7 January 2007 SL 364 Marc Berthod Benjamin Raich Mario Matt 12 January 2007 Wengen SC cnx replaced in Wengen on 14 January 20071280 19 13 January 2007 DH 373 Bode Miller Didier Cuche Peter Fill1281 20 14 January 2007 SC 094 Mario Matt Marc Berthod Silvan Zurbriggen 14 January 2007 SL cnx replaced in Kitzbühel on 27 January 200720 January 2007 Chamonix DH cnx replaced in Val d'Isère on 20 January 20071282 21 20 January 2007 Val d'Isère DH 374 Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin Erik Guay Manuel Osborne-Paradis 21 January 2007 Chamonix SC cnx replaced in Val d'Isère on 21 January 200721 January 2007 Val d'Isère SC cnx replaced in Kvitfjell on 9 March 200726 January 2007 Kitzbühel SG cnx canceled27 January 2007 DH cnx replaced in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on 23 February 20071283 22 27 January 2007 SL 365 Jens Byggmark Mario Matt Alois Vogl1284 23 28 January 2007 SL 366 Jens Byggmark Mario Matt Manfred Mölgg 29 January 2007 KB cnx canceled1285 24 30 January 2007 Schladming SL 367 Benjamin Raich Jens Byggmark Mario Matt2007 World Championships (2–18 February)1286 25 23 February 2007 Garmisch-Partenkirchen DH 375 Andrej Jerman Hans Grugger Erik Guay1287 26 24 February 2007 DH 376 Erik Guay Andrej Jerman Didier Cuche1288 27 25 February 2007 SL 368 Mario Matt Felix Neureuther Benjamin Raich1289 28 3 March 2007 Kranjska Gora GS 316 Benjamin Raich François Bourque Massimiliano Blardone1290 29 4 March 2007 SL 369 Mario Matt Benjamin Raich Manfred Mölgg1291 30 9 March 2007 Kvitfjell SC 095 Benjamin Raich Silvan Zurbriggen Aksel Lund Svindal 9 March 2007 DH cnx replaced in Kvitfjell on 10 March 20071292 31 10 March 2007 DH 377 Didier Cuche Erik Guay Marco Büchel 10 March 2007 SG cnx replaced in Kvitfjell on 11 March 20071293 32 11 March 2007 SG 133 Hans Grugger Mario Scheiber Didier Cuche1294 33 14 March 2007 Lenzerheide DH 378 Aksel Lund Svindal Daniel Albrecht Christoph Gruber1295 34 15 March 2007 SG 134 Aksel Lund Svindal Benjamin Raich Erik Guay1296 35 17 March 2007 GS 317 Aksel Lund Svindal Massimiliano Blardone Bode Miller1297 36 18 March 2007 SL 370 Benjamin Raich Mario Matt Manfred Mölgg
Ladies + Event key: DH – Downhill, SL – Slalom, GS – Giant slalom, SG – Super giant slalom, SC – Super combinedDatePlaceWinnerSecondThird 28 October 2006 Sölden GS cnx cancelled1182 1 11 November 2006 Levi SL 347 Marlies Schild Nicole Hosp Kathrin Zettel1183 2 25 November 2006 Aspen GS 311 Kathrin Zettel Tanja Poutiainen Michaela Kirchgasser1184 3 26 November 2006 SL 348 Marlies Schild Nicole Hosp Therese Borssén1185 4 1 December 2006 Lake Louise DH 304 Maria Riesch Lindsey Kildow Nadia Fanchini 1186 5 2 December 2006 DH 305 Lindsey Kildow Renate Götschl Anja Pärson1187 6 3 December 2006 SG 144 Renate Götschl Lindsey Kildow Kelly VanderBeek 9 December 2006 St. Moritz DH cnx replaced in Val d'Isère on 20 December 200610 December 2006 SC cnx replaced in Reiteralm on 15 December 20061188 7 15 December 2006 Reiteralm SC 076 Marlies Schild Michaela Kirchgasser Kathrin Zettel1189 8 16 December 2006 SG 145 Renate Götschl Nicole Hosp Martina Schild 16 December 2006 Val d'Isère DH cnx replaced in Val d'Isère on 19 December 200617 December 2006 SG cnx replaced in Reiteralm on 16 December 20061190 9 19 December 2006 DH 306 Julia Mancuso Renate Götschl Lindsey Kildow 19 December 2006 Megève SL cnx replaced in Val d'Isère on 21 December 20061191 10 20 December 2006 Val d'Isère DH 307 Lindsey Kildow Julia Mancuso Anja Pärson1192 11 21 December 2006 SL 349 Marlies Schild Annemarie Gerg Therese Borssén1193 12 28 December 2006 Semmering GS 312 Kathrin Zettel Nicole Hosp Marlies Schild1194 13 29 December 2006 SL 350 Therese Borssén Kathrin Zettel Marlies Schild1195 14 4 January 2007 Zagreb SL 351 Marlies Schild Ana Jelušić Šárka Záhrobská 6 January 2006 Maribor GS cnx replaced in Kranjska Gora on 6 January 20077 January 2006 SL cnx replaced in Kranjska Gora on 7 January 20071196 15 6 January 2007 Kranjska Gora GS 313 Nicole Hosp Nicole Gius Tanja Poutiainen1197 16 7 January 2007 SL 352 Marlies Schild Šárka Záhrobská Veronika Zuzulová 12 January 2007 Altenmarkt-Zauchensee DH cnx replaced in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee on 13 January 200713 January 2007 SC cnx replaced in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee on 14 January 20071198 17 13 January 2007 DH 308 Renate Götschl Dominique Gisin Julia Mancuso1199 18 14 January 2007 SC 077 Julia Mancuso Lindsey Kildow Marlies Schild 14 January 2007 SG cnx replaced in San Sicario on 26 January 20071200 19 19 January 2007 Cortina d'Ampezzo SG 146 Julia Mancuso Nicole Hosp Renate Götschl1201 20 20 January 2007 DH 309 Renate Götschl Julia Mancuso Marie Marchand-Arvier1202 21 21 January 2007 GS 314 Karen Putzer Julia Mancuso Denise Karbon 1203 22 26 January 2007 San Sicario SG 147 Renate Götschl Lindsey Kildow Christine Sponring1204 23 27 January 2007 DH 310 Renate Götschl Elisabeth Görgl Maria Holaus 1205 24 28 January 2007 SG 146 Lindsey Kildow Renate Götschl Christine Sponring2007 World Championships (2–18 February)1206 25 24 February 2007 Sierra Nevada GS 315 Michaela Kirchgasser Nicole Hosp Tanja Poutiainen1207 26 25 February 2007 SL 353 Marlies Schild Tanja Poutiainen Veronika Zuzulová1208 27 2 March 2007 Tarvisio SC 078 Nicole Hosp Julia Mancuso Marlies Schild1209 28 3 March 2007 DH 311 Julia Mancuso Renate Götschl Emily Brydon1210 29 4 March 2007 SG 149 Renate Götschl Nicole Hosp Julia Mancuso1211 30 10 March 2007 Zwiesel GS 316 Tanja Poutiainen Nicole Hosp Michaela Kirchgasser1212 31 11 March 2007 SL 354 Marlies Schild Anna Ottosson Šárka Záhrobská 1213 32 14 March 2007 Lenzerheide DH 312 Renate Götschl Marlies Schild Marie Marchand-Arvier1214 33 15 March 2007 SG 150 Anja Pärson Andrea Fischbacher Marlies Schild1215 34 17 March 2007 SL 355 Nicole Hosp Anja Pärson Veronika Zuzulová1216 35 18 March 2007 GS 317 Nicole Hosp Kathrin Hölzl Michaela Kirchgasser
Nations team event + Event key: SC – Super combined (super-G + slalom) DatePlaceWinnerSecondThird2 2 16 March 2007 Lenzerheide SC 002
Men's standings
Overall see complete table Rankafter all 36 racesPoints 1 Aksel Lund Svindal 1268 2 Benjamin Raich 1255 3 Didier Cuche 1098 4 Bode Miller 882 5 Mario Matt 744
Downhill see complete table