Improving Baxter gains first points

Published on Monday 10 January 2005 00:42

FAILING to score any World Cup points so far this season, Alain Baxter’s pleasure at having broken his barren run with a 27th place in Chamonix yesterday at the fourth Slalom of the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, was muted by the knowledge that, once more, he could have done better.

"Let’s just say that this is a step in the right direction and I am feeling a bit better," said the Aviemore skier. "I did a lot of work last week on tighter courses, and worked one day with Germans who have been skiing well and I knew I was skiing better, so I came here more confident and well prepared and was gunning for a top ten."

Baxter finished 2.93 seconds behind Italy’s runaway winner Giorgio Rocca, who won his second back-to-back World Cup slalom.

The Scot battled into 18th place after the first run, skiing confidently after nailing the one key offset gate over a blind transition that was giving some of the top seeds problems, including the US’s Bode Miller, who came to grief here, but his second run proved to be lacking in attack, perhaps predictable given the opportunity to consolidate and make a result.

Baxter added: "When I crossed and saw 18th at the end of the first run I was fired up to really do something, so I am a bit disappointed.

"After Christmas I came out and knew I had to change something because I was having such a hard time. I have been sitting back which means you get no acceleration and power from the skis, but I really felt I let the skis go a bit better today."

Rocca confirmed he will be among the title favourites at the World Championships on his home slopes next month when he built a first run lead of over 1.2 seconds which he extended to a 1.33 seconds winning margin over Austria’s Benni Raich.

Baxter’s result completed a very promising weekend for the leading members of the British Land Alpine Ski Team after Finlay Mickel skied to 17th in the Chamonix downhill on Saturday.

Mickel was just 1.12 seconds behind Austria’s Johann Grugger, his slimmest margin yet behind the winner as he made his second best ever World Cup finish.

"To make my second best ever result and know I could have skied better is pretty positive for me," said Edinburgh’s Mickel.

"It was a solid day when the conditions were not easy. They had made an attempt to water the course to make it hold up and they need more snow generally so it was tough - bumpy and gnarly - and some guys had a lot of problems."