Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) missed a huge chance to build his World Cup points lead Sunday when he missed a gate in the first run but he held onto his No. 1 spot when Austrian Beni Raich fell on his second run. Norwegian Truls Ove Karlsen won the season's next-to-last slalom and rookie Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) earned his first World Cup points, finishing 23rd.

Miller, who won a giant slalom Saturday to reclaim the overall and giant slalom points leadership, missed a SL gate, hiked and finished four seconds out Sunday, so he didn't get a second run. With Hermann Maier of Austria, Miller's top challenger - and only eight points back, not skiing slalom, it was a major missed opportunity with only six races remaining. Four of them are downhills and super Gs, where Maier excels.

Karlsen's winning time was 1:42.72 with teammate Tom Stiansen second in 1:42.80. Former slalom world champion Mario Matt completed the podium (1:42.99). Ligety, who was SL silver medalist two weeks ago at the World Junior Championships in Maribor, Slovenia, was 27th after the first run and finished in 1:44.82.

Miller heads into the final six races - two downhills, two super Gs, a giant slalom and another SL - with 1,084 points. Hermann Maier of Austria is second at 1,076 and Benjamin Raich, another Austrian, is third with 999; Raich fell on his second run.

"Bode was full-on attacking," SL/GS Head Coach Mike Morin said, "and - in the blink of an eye - he was on his side. He was skiing well and he went out going for it" and then lost too much time as he hiked to get back on course.

"He keeps the lead but now it's really dangerous because Hermann is so good in the speed events," Morin said. "But it's also crazy. You can't believe the way things have twisting and turning this season. Anything can happen in these last races. It's certainly not over yet."

The men are scheduled for a downhill and super G March 6-7 in Kvitfjell, Norway, the Olympic speed course north of Lillehammer, and then go to Sestriere, Italy, for World Cup Finals March 10. Miller, Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) - as a 400-points racer, and Tom Rothrock (Cashmere, WA) will compete at World Cup Finals, which is limited to the top 25 skiers in a discipline and the world junior champion.

— Courtesy of US Ski Team