This year was the first women’s-only World Cup race in Aspen.

Flat light and a tough course wreaked havoc on the downhill as half a dozen racers crashed, several ending their seasons with debilitating injuries. The race was canceled less than half way through the starting order, and rescheduled the following day. With better light and visibility, Brigitte Oerth of Switzerland took first place.

The slalom was at least as demanding as the downhill for women racers, 70 percent of whom failed to complete the course. “If you stood up through this one, you had a good chance of winning,” commented Aspen’s Beth Madsen.

Only 15 racers from a large international field were able to complete two runs. When it was done, Roswitha Steiner of Austria had placed first, followed by teammates Anita Wachter and M. Maierhofer. Wachter, as overall winner, was awarded the Bingham Cup, which had been dormant for nearly a decade.