The temperature has begun to feel a little chilly. So, you know what that means? It’s time to dust off your skis and prepare for an action-packed FIS Skiing World Cup Season. If you’ve missed some intense alpine skiing action, you’re in luck! Even though it’s been 7 months since the last season wrapped up in May, the World Cup officially commenced on October 26. With 90 thrilling races to look forward to, this season is going to be nothing short of exhilarating. 

Athletes will begin their bid for the coveted Crystal Globe in Solden, Austria, and it won’t be easy. Marco Odermatt bagged the downhill FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup crystal globe last season. This made him the first man to win 4 of them in a single season since Hermann Maier during the 2000-2001 season. He also became the first Swiss skier to accomplish this since Pirmin Zurbriggen in the 1986-1987 season. With all eyes on him this time, the stakes are higher than ever. But things didn’t go smoothly for the ski racer.

Matt Odermatt pulls the curtains on his first World Cup outing

The 27-year-old had one goal as he stepped onto the slopes – maintaining a good overall ranking in the World Cup. Looking to clinch his fourth consecutive overall title, he locked heads with a stacked lineup on October 27. Wearing a bib with the number 1, the Olympian started the season in style before things went sideways. He opened up about his faux pas in a post-race interview. “When you do mistakes in the steepest part, you have no chance to recover, and that’s how it was.” 

Even though Marco Odermatt had a turbulent start, he couldn’t help but smile about the opportunity to compete. “It’s okay, I did a mistake. But the gates until there have been very good,” he admitted. However, he did have one confession to make. The ski racer has always dreamed of opening up a season, which he did today. “I felt good in the start. I felt good in the first gate.” On the other hand, this also helped the Olympian realize that now would be the perfect time to give it his all. 

“I knew I need to take this chance for a spectacular run and to risk a lot. I really wanted to ski very fast already in the first run. I did until the mistake,” the 27-year-old stated. Even though Odermatt hopes to clinch his fourth title, he did get to experience an unconventional first. Unable to hold his smile back, the ski racer exclaimed, “I’ve never didn’t finish the first round, I guess, since 5 years.” The Olympian admitted that he was unsure what to do in this situation. But the ski racer eventually stated that he might stay. So, what mistake is he referring to?

The Olympian’s bid for a fourth all-around title ended before it began

Before the World Cup commenced, Marco Odermatt looked forward to returning to Solden since it has always been special. When asked if he had any goals, the 27-year-old stated that the downhill in Kitzbuhel is the highest on his list. However, he looked forward to being in contention by skiing at a high level consistently.

Unfortunately for him, he was eliminated despite an impressive start at the season-opening. Things looked promising for the ski racer as he picked up speed. Even though he had a few missteps, it wasn’t something he couldn’t pull himself out of. But around the 40-second mark, he went too far on the inside ski and couldn’t recover due to the slope’s steepness.

Marco Odermatt faced the same fate last season at the Derniere in Saalbach. After twelve victories in the giant slalom, the ski racer retired due to a similar incident. While the 27-year-old was touted as the favorite, his mistake left the race for the Crystal Globe wide open. During his World Cup stint, the ski racer has seldom had a DNF next to his name.

He believed that he had been consistent over the years. So, watching his impressive run abruptly end in the season opener left everyone gobsmacked. Given how the Olympian thinks he can pull himself through, the rest of the competition will be as thrilling as ever. Does this put a damper on Odermatt’s chase for his fourth title, or will he emerge victorious yet again? We will just have to wait and watch.