After nearly a week of hanging out in rain, fog and blizzard conditions, the men's World Cup finally got back underway with a slalom Sunday in Wengen. And it was carnage as a quarter of the field -- including half of the top-15 -- went out in the first run. Tom Rothrock (Cashmere, WA) was the lone U.S. survivor, finishing 22nd on the day. Austria's Beni Raich won in 1:40.40 over teammate Rainer Schoenfelder with Crotia's Ivica Kostelic was third.

The win vaulted Raich into the World Cup overall lead over Lasse Kjus. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) remained fourth. Raich becomes the fourth World Cup leader of the year in one of the most hotly-contested overall races in World Cup history. Schoenfelder's second place finish moved him from fourth to second in the standings, while Raich's win took him from fifth to third.

The first run started out with top three World Cup leaders Giorgio Rocca of Italy, Manfred Pranger of Austria and Kalle Pallander of Finland all going out, as well as Bode Miller (Franconia, NH). Three of the first five and seven of the first 11 skiers went out. "I watched the first five guys go and three of them didn't finish," said Rothrock after the first run. "So I knew it was going to be a big battle and the snow was really inconsistent."

"I watched the first five guys go and three of them didn't finish," said Rothrock after the first run. "So I knew it was going to be a big battle and the snow was really inconsistent."

It was a disappointing ending to a frustrating week of weather delays. Saturday's Lauberhorn downhill was cancelled, as was a makeup downhill on Friday. Racers found challenging conditions with heavy snow and a course which was breaking apart.

"We all knew what it was going to be like going into it," said Miller. "Not a lot of us were going fast, even the guys who made it down, really a low level of skiing -- the level of skiing being put down was really depressing.

"You didn't really make big mistakes and recover. You made a tiny mistake and you were done, or you were perfect."

Rothrock finished 19th in the first run and held on for 22nd overall. "This is definitely the toughest course in the World Cup," said Rothrock. "And today was tough -- you make one mistake and you're a long ways back. the second run course was a lot better, but still the set on the left side is a lot rollier. It's just a tough course."

World Cup action now shifts to Kitzbuehel, with a busy weekend of four races including a makeup of the Bormio downhill on Thursday, followed by the scheduled super G Friday, Hahnenkamm downhill Saturday and slalom Sunday -- all wrapped up with a combined based on the Saturday/Sunday events. All-in-all, 500 World Cup points will be on the line in Kitzbuehel.

MEN'S ALPINE WORLD CUP
Men's Slalom

1. Benji Raich, AUT, 1:40.50
2. Rainer Schoenfelder, AUT, 1:40.97
3. Ivica Kostelic, CRO, 1:41.54
4. Heinz Schilchegger, AUG, 1:41.57
5. Thomas Grandi, CAN, 1:41.61

22. Tom Rothrock, Cashmere, WA, 1:43.05

Bode Miller, Franconia, NH, DNF1; Chip Knight, Stowe, VT, DNQ.

— Courtesy of US Ski Team