LAKE LOUISE, Alta. - Switzerland's Didier Cuche kicked off the first speed races of the Alpine World Cup season Saturday by winning the downhill on Lake Louise's Whitehorn Mountain course.

Cuche clocked a time of one minute, 50.31 seconds, finishing ahead of Italy's Werner Heel, who was second in 1:50.75 and his third place compatriot Carlo Janka in 1:50.93.

John Kucera was the fastest Canadian on the course, finishing sixth with a time of 1:51.12. Robbie Dixon finished eighth, in 1:51.30. 

Manuel Osborne-Paradis finished in 16th, Erik Guay finished 21st, just ahead of young teammate Louis-Pierre Helie in 22nd. Jan Hudec finished 35.

American Bode Miller had some difficulty at the top of the course and dropped down to a 29th place finish. Team mate TJ Lanning caught a gate midway down the course and crashed.  

Skiing under a steady snowfall, Cuche posted his 10th career World Cup victory and his first downhill win in two years.

The 35-year-old Swiss star has enjoyed good success at Lake Louise, finishing third in the Super-G here for the past two years.

This weekend's races in the Canadian Rockies marks the first Alpine speed events of the World Cup with a Super-G also set for Sunday.

- With files from AFP