Austrian Michael Walchhofer won the opening downhill of the men's World Cup season Saturday with Canadian Erik Guay grabbing second place. After a snowstorm raged into the night and left more than of a foot on the mountain, and with temperatures in the upper 20s, Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) had the top U.S. finish, coming in 18th and Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) was 30th.

Outdoor Life Network will broadcast coverage of the race Sunday at 5 p.m. EST.

Walchhofer, skiing sixth in the soft snow, had a time of 1:51.16 with Guay runnerup in 1:51.85.

Rahlves finished in a time of 1:52.63 and Miller, slapped by gusting winds in mid-race, came down in 1:53.03. Bryon Friedman (Park City, UT) was a near-miss for his first World Cup points, finishing 32nd (1:53.16) while Kevin Francis (Bend, OR) and Wade Bishop (Winter Park, CO) raced in their first World Cup event; Francis was 48th and Bishop 54th.

"It wasn't great all around," said U.S. men's DH/super G Head Coach John McBride. "We had wind issues - Bode got hit - and we probably had 18 inches of snow, at least, before the storm stopped and it's blowing and snowing again now [late Saturday]. The organizers did a good job, no question, but the course was definitely softer than we'd trained and it certainly got a lot rougher.

"But ultimately we didn't do what we needed to do. We've got to get back into it, stay focused and get the job done," McBride said.

The men will race super G Sunday. Along with Rahlves and Miller, U.S. starters will include Jake Fiala (Frisco, CO), Scott Macartney (Squaw Valley, CA), Thomas Vonn (Newburgh, NY), Bryon Friedman (Park City, UT) and defending Nor Am SG champion Scott Macartney (Redmond, WA).

Men's Downhill

1. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 1:51.16
2. Erik Guay, Canada, 1:51.85
3. Antoine Deneriaz, France, 1:51.90

18. Daron Rahlves, Sugar Bowl, Calif., 1:52.63
30. Bode Miller, Franconia, N.H., 1:53.03
32. Bryon Friedman, Park City, Utah, 1:53.16
48. Kevin Francis, Bend, Ore., 1:54.23
54. Wade Bishop, Winter Park, Colo., 1:54.58
59. Jake Fiala, Frisco, Colo., 1:55.19

Disqualified: Marco Sullivan, Squaw Valley, Calif.

— Courtesy of US Ski Team