The 2003/04 season of the Alpine Ski World Cup organized by the FIS began on October 25, 2003 in Sölden and ended on March 14, 2004 on the occasion of the World Cup final in Sestriere . 37 races were held for the men (12 downhill runs , 7 super-G , 7 giant slaloms , 11 slaloms ), plus two combination scores. For women there were 35 races (9 downhill runs, 8 super-G, 8 giant slaloms, 10 slaloms).
This season was an interim year without a World Cup or Olympic Games.
For the men, the overall World Cup was dominated by a duel between Hermann Maier , who returned to the World Cup after an almost two-year injury break , who had already won the World Cup three times before his serious motorcycle accident (1998, 2000, 2001), and Stephan Eberharter , who was in Maier's absence won the overall ratings for 2002 and 2003. Eberharter had a bad start to the season due to a strong cold (so that initially Bode Miller was seen as the main competitor for Maier), but gradually caught up and was 42 points behind the last scheduled race, the giant slalom in Sestriere. When this race was canceled due to bad weather, Maier was the winner of the World Cup.
On December 7th, Bjarne Solbakken celebrated his maiden victory at the Super-G in Beaver Creek , which was to be his only one.
After two second places (a year ago and a few days ago, both in the giant slalom in Alta Badia ) Davide Simoncelli has now won his first World Cup race in the giant slalom held again on the Gran Risa on December 21st.
Women:
Denise Karbon , who had already won silver in the giant slalom world championships, had her first of six victories in Alta Badia on December 13th , all in giant slalom.
First victory (with start number 31) for Maria Riesch on January 30th at the first descent in Haus im Ennstal .
Shifts
Men's:
More than a week before the races in Val-d'Isère , the cancellation was imminent, especially the departure on December 13th had already been canceled. It was brought forward to December 5th in Beaver Creek. Alta Badia was up for grabs for the giant slalom on December 14th, although initially it was planned to run this one after the other and the one already planned there, then start the Val Gardena program and finish with the Super-G on December 21st.
The departure in Bormio was postponed from December 28th to December 29th due to snowfall, wind and fog; From 12 noon there were attempts to start every half hour until 3 p.m. at the latest possible. After that, 40 cm of fresh snow overnight made the event on December 29 impossible.
Women:
The Super-G scheduled for December 21st in St. Moritz had to be canceled because of the fog bank known as the “Maloja snake”.
Injuries
Frédéric Covili suffered a ligament injury in his left knee in a fall in the first round of the giant slalom in Alta Badia on December 21, and that was the end of the season for him.
On the descent in St. Moritz on December 20, Christine Sponring (she wore the start number 26) fell at a speed of approx. 100 km / h in the lower part of the route and hit the fence, suffered a cruciate ligament and meniscus tear left knee and a shoulder dislocation. She was allowed to go home from the University Clinic Innsbruck on December 23rd.
Other events
Men's:
Ivica Kostelić dared on November 29th in Lake Louise for the first time on a World Cup downhill and came with no. 34 on rank 49, where he was 3.10 s behind.
In addition, Michael Walchhofer , who has meanwhile advanced to the downhill world champion, achieved his first World Cup downhill victory here in Lake Louise after winning the Hahnenkamm Combined for the first time ten months earlier.
Stephan Eberharter won on January 10th in Chamonix with the N ° 1, which he wore for the first time in a downhill run, and at that time was the oldest World Cup winner at 34 years, 9 months and 17 days; So far, Leonhard Stock was the record holder on December 12, 1992 in the Val Gardena II descent at 34 years, 8 months and 19 days. At the same time Eberharter discontinued the brand of his countryman Franz Klammer with 26 World Cup victories.
With his 46th World Cup race victory (with start number 27) on the descent in St. Anton am Arlberg , Hermann Maier drew level with Marc Girardelli on February 14th in the “all-time list of World Cup victories” and was third.
Women:
Nicole Hosp won (with N ° 5) the second slalom on December 17th on the Miramonti slope of Madonna di Campiglio and was the first slalom winner of the Austria team since Sabine Egger on December 29th, 1999 in Lienz .