Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner celebrates his first-career World Cup win on the second day of ski racing at the Copper Cup on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 at Copper Mountain.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP photo
For the first time in his career, Stefan Brennsteiner was No. 1 at the start — and finish — of a World Cup race day.
“I was pretty excited yesterday when I heard number one because the conditions are amazing down here and to ski on such a course with number one is one of the most beautiful things you can imagine in ski racing,” the Austrian said after Friday’s giant slalom. After 82 starts across 11 seasons, the 34-year-old finally claimed his first-career World Cup win on day 2 of the Copper Cup. Even after the lucky bib draw on Thursday, however, the two-time Olympian wasn’t so sure Friday was going to be special.
“No not at all,” Brennsteiner continued. “I didn’t feel that good the last training days, but when we inspected the hill, I thought, ‘yeah, these conditions could fit pretty good’ and it was exactly like this.”
Brennsteiner had the fastest first run of the day and extended his 0.70-second lead to 0.95 by the end of his second trip down the 422-meter West Encore run. Henrik Kristoffersen finished second and Filip Zubcic moved up 10 places to claim the final podium spot. There was considerable movement throughout the field as athletes battled the combination of altitude, length and steepness on the lower section of the course. France’s Leo Anguenot and Germany’s Alexander Schmid moved up 12 and 14 places, respectively, while Austria’s Raphael Haaser slid from sixth down to 25th.
Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen celebrates after moving into first place during a World Cup men’s giant slalom skiing race, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Copper Mountain. Kristoffersen ended up placing second.Robert F. Bukaty/AP photo
Zubcic’s trademark endurance shined at the bottom. The 32-year-old Croatian was third-fastest on the third sector.
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“That’s my strength — strength,” Zubcic said. “I’m always skiing good in the last part. I mean, I wasn’t in the first run, but I showed once again I can be fast on the last 10-15 gates. That was the part of the course where I took advantage.”
Kristoffersen — who won the 2019 GS world title and has 33 World Cup wins to his name — said coming directly from Europe to 3,000 meters above sea-level to race a “long GS for this altitude” was “one of the more demanding things” he’s done in his career.
“I’m very happy with the second place,” the Norwegian said. “Nothing to do with Stefan today — he was in his own league and sometimes that’s how it is. I think I would have been a lot closer if I don’t do two mistakes in the first run and of course the inside ski in the second didn’t help.”
River Radamus was the lone American to earn a second run. The Edwards skier was in 14th after the morning, 1.52 behind Brennsteiner’s initial standard but just 0.76 back from Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in fourth.
River Radamus competes during the World Cup men’s giant slalom on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 at Copper Mountain. Robert F. Bukaty/AP photo
“I think the skiing on first run was really strong — perhaps a bit too conservative,” Radamus said. “I didn’t make too many mistakes but you know, I think I could have laid it a little more on the line. I did that on the second run and then that comes with more mistakes.”
The 2022 Olympian said the course sets this week have had a “high demand level all the way down.”
“Which really takes a toll, especially on the bottom,” he continued. “You see more mistakes down here and then you see the great ones able to overcome it. I wish I’d made a couple fewer mistakes today, but I’m happy with the approach.”
Radamus found time on Lights Out, moving into 12th at one point before losing steam in on Rosi’s Face.
“I love racing here, I love the home atmosphere and I knew if I gave anything less than everything I had, I’d be regretting in the finish,” the former Ski and Snowboard Club Vail athlete said after claiming his 26th-career top-15 finish. “I felt like I skied really well on the top and then obviously made a couple too many mistakes, but that’s ski racing.”
River Radamus reacts after finishing his second run at the Copper Cup on Friday.John Locher/AP photo
The women take to Copper Mountain for a giant slalom on Saturday at 10 a.m. while the men’s circuit continues next week in Beaver Creek. The Birds of Prey GS may start at the top of The Brink for the first time ever. When asked about the potential course change, Brennsteiner said, “If we do that, it’s going to be crazy. It will be one of the toughest GS races I ever skied for sure.”
Looking ahead to the Olympics, Brennsteiner — who won a team gold in Beijing four years ago — knows that if he wants to be No. 1 in Milano Cortina, he has to ground himself by another number in the day-to-day first.
“For sure I’m trying to keep the speed up, but every race is a new race,” he said. “We start at zero.”
