Alpine Skiing

ASPEN, Colo. - Her workday done after one poor run, Lindsey Vonn was walking away from the closest thing to a hometown slope on the World Cup circuit when a fan in a passing car yelled some encouragement.

Vonn smiled, waved and noted that she'd be heading out later for some practice, hoping to fare better in Sunday's slalom than she did in Saturday's giant slalom.

"That was definitely not what I've been skiing like,'' said Vonn, the two-time defending overall champion from Vail, Colo. "So it's just a little bit disappointing.''

On a rough day for Americans, Vonn blamed a rock for her troubles, saying her right ski clipped a stone in the top part of the run. Unsettled, she wound up 39th; only the top 30 women advanced to the second run, where Kathrin Hoelzl of Germany earned her first career World Cup victory.

At least Vonn managed to chuckle about the sort of result that does not fit with the outsized expectations she'll be carrying to the Vancouver Olympics in February.

"I was just trying to make it down, and I was, like, laughing at myself,'' Vonn said, "because I knew how big of a tool I looked like.''

Her U.S. teammate, reigning Olympic GS champion Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley, Calif., did get to make two runs but wound up 13th overall behind Hoelzl, the 2008 world champion in giant slalom.

On this day, the German dealt with an icy, bumpy course better than anyone.

"Today, it was pretty icy - I think too icy for many of the girls,'' Hoelzl said. "But my (equipment) is perfect on ice.''

Her first run was nearly a half-second faster than anyone else's - more than 4 1/2 seconds better than Vonn's - and she used that advantage to hold off runner-up Kathrin Zettel of Austria in the second run.

Federica Brignone of Italy was third, the initial podium finish for the 19-year-old daughter of Maria Rosa Quario, who won four World Cup slaloms from 1979-83.

"She gives me advice about life,'' Brignone said, "not about skiing.''

Hoelzl finished with a total time of 2 minutes, 9.63 seconds in the first North American stop on the circuit. Zettel was 0.24 back, the only competitor within a second of the winner.

Hoelzl "loves these conditions,'' Zettel said.

Marie-Pier Prefontaine of Saint-Sauveur, Que., placed 25th. She was the only Canadian to qualify for the second run.

Brignone was one of four Italians in the top nine finishers. Compare that to how the hosts fared: Sarah Schleper, in 23rd place, was the only American other than Mancuso in the top 27.

Mancuso put a positive spin on her showing, well aware that she is a work-in-progress at this point. She is trying to get back among the top World Cup racers after nagging back problems hampered her last season, when she failed to get any top-three finishes.

After missing a gate in the season-opening giant slalom at Soelden, Austria, last month, Mancuso was pleased with Saturday's effort.

"I'm psyched to get two solid runs in. Second run could've definitely been better, but I made it to the finish, and it feels pretty good,'' Mancuso said.

"Helps a lot, just to know that I can go charge again, go out of the gate and just go for it,'' she said. "It's made a big difference, because I don't want to be tentative when I'm leaving that start gate.''

Mancuso and other competitors talked about bouncing around on the slopes.

"There's definitely a few rocks in the ice,'' Mancuso said. "I guess it's all about luck.''

Hoelzl's previous best World Cup finishes both came in giant slaloms: a second place in March 2007, and a third in January 2009. But she did win the GS at last year's world championships, a race Vonn skipped because she had cut her thumb on a champagne bottle during a victory celebration.

Vonn finished fourth in the giant slalom at Aspen last year, and she's never fared better in this discipline while being dominant in others.

She gets another chance to perform in front of her large contingent of local supporters on Sunday. Vonn was runner-up to Maria Riesch of Germany in the season's first World Cup slalom at Levi, Finland, two weeks ago.

"Aspen is the toughest place for me. It's got so much terrain. It's like sheer pond ice,'' Vonn said. "Hopefully tomorrow goes better.''