Slalom queen Mikaela Shiffrin scores maiden downhill win

It’s a testament to Vonn’s marketability that she is one of only two skiers – male or female – in that list, with her US teammate Mikaela Shiffrin ranking ninth.

The 22-year-old, the Olympic slalom champion and winner of the last three slalom World Championships, bagged her first speed win a day after claiming her first downhill podium place on the same course.

Shiffrin triumphed in one minute 27.55 seconds to beat Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg by 0.13 seconds with Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin (1:27.72) third.

Lindsey Vonn, who crashed in Friday’s Lake Louise downhill, skied with a brace on her right knee and finished tied 12th.

READ: Vonn crashes as Shiffrin cliches first downhill podium

READ: Mikaela Shiffrin – the team behind skiing’s new queen

Mikaela Shiffrin triumphed on a shortened downhill course at Lake Louise.

‘More risk’

Shiffrin, the World Cup overall winner last season, was competing in just her fourth World Cup downhill race. Of her previous 32 World Cup wins, 26 have come in slalom.

The start was delayed by more than an hour because of a power outage, meaning racers had to ride snowcats or be towed to the top of a shortened course.

“Shortening the distance was definitely an advantage to me because the top section it’s flat and I’m not as good up there,” she told the FIS Alpine website.

‘But from where we started most of the way down it’s fairly technical and I felt really good about that yesterday so I took even a little bit more risk today and it paid off, just barely. But I also had really good light and some of those other girls had fog and it was really dark.

“I definitely know I was lucky today and yesterday but I skied well and I took some risk and it was fun.”

READ: A quick guide to Lake Louise

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Lake Louise is one of Canadian skiing's crown jewels -- and it's also a favorite of U.S. ski great Lindsey Vonn.

Vonn, America's most decorated skier, has won 14 of her 39 World Cup downhill titles at Lake Louise, prompting some to nickname the Alberta resort "Lake Lindsey."

Lake Louise is not just the preserve of lycra-clad racers -- its 4,200 skiable acres feature 145 marked runs for all abilities in the stunning surroundings of Banff National Park.

Lake Louise is split into three areas -- Front Side, with the bulk of the skiing on the slopes of Whitehorn Mountain, the smaller Larch area, and Back Bowls, mainly steep backcountry terrain favored by advanced and expert skiers.

Lake Louise is two hours west of Calgary and 35 miles from Banff in the spectacular Bow Valley on the border with British Columbia.