Stars take centre stage as Audi FIS Ski World Cup prepares to hit the slopes

The countdown is on to the 2023/24 Audi FIS Ski World Cup, with only a week remaining until the traditional season-opening giant slalom races at the Austrian resort of Sölden.

Buckle up, because it's going to be a thrilling ride all the way through to the World Cup finals in March. Here are some of the key storylines to follow as the season unfolds.

Marco Odermatt vs Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, round 2

The rivalry that captivated Alpine skiing last season could reach new heights in 2023/24 as Marco Odermatt (SUI) looks to further encroach on Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's (NOR) speed territory.

Already dominant in giant slalom, Odermatt took his speed game to another level last season, winning six of the eight World Cup super-G races to take the crystal globe from Kilde, who won the other two contests but couldn't do enough to retain his title.

This season, Odermatt will take aim at Kilde's downhill crown after outgunning the Norwegian to win gold at the 2023 world championships. Odermatt, 26, has yet to win in downhill on the World Cup circuit, although a maiden triumph could be right around the corner after he reached five podiums last season.

The 31-year-old Kilde will not go down without a fight, however, following his long climb to the summit of downhill racing. The one-time 'Prince of the Attacking Vikings' is now firmly the king, stepping up to win six of the 10 World Cup downhill races last season.

Kilde will aim for his third consecutive downhill globe this season and attempt to recapture his super-G crown, while Odermatt can win his third straight giant slalom and overall titles following his men's record haul of 2042 points last season.

As the two stars prepare to go into battle on the speed slopes once again, one thing is certain: don't blink or you might miss it.

Mikaela Shiffrin vs the record books

After breaking the all-time World Cup victories record last season, what will Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) do for an encore in 2023/24?

At the age of 28, the American superstar has already accomplished virtually everything imaginable in Alpine skiing: 88 World Cup wins, 15 crystal globes, two Olympic titles and an astonishing world championships medal haul that includes seven victories and 14 podiums from 17 starts.

Even by her lofty standards, 2022/23 was an incredible season for Shiffrin, during which she won 14 World Cup races and surpassed former teammate Lindsey Vonn's (USA) women's record of 82 victories and legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark's overall tally of 86.

And while Shiffrin doesn't draw motivation from chasing records – even though she already holds so many – there are still more in front of her.

If she defends her overall World Cup title this season, Shiffrin will match Austrian Annemarie Moser-Proell's women's record of six big globes. Further small globe wins will edge Shiffrin closer to Vonn's mark of 16, a record she shares with Stenmark.

And with the once-distant numbers of 82 and 86 now in her rear-view mirror, another World Cup victory milestone is looming on the horizon. If Shiffrin wins 12 World Cup races in 2023/24, a feat she has accomplished in three previous seasons, she will become the first Alpine skier to reach the magic number of 100 World Cup wins.

Braathen leading the young guns

Lucas Braathen (NOR) and Atle Lie McGrath (NOR), born two days apart, are the young challengers to Henrik Kristoffersen's (NOR) long-held and previously barely contested title as Norway's technical master, with four small globes in his trophy cabinet to show for it.

But last season, it was his teammate Braathen who claimed the slalom title, aged 22, to turn the tables on the 29-year-old.

When Kristoffersen, at 21, won his first slalom crystal globe in 2015/16, he was stepping on the turf of established stars such as Austria's Marcel Hirscher. Now it is the Norwegian who has become the elder statesman trying to fend off the rising stars nipping at his heels.

In giant slalom, Odermatt appears unstoppable, and Kristoffersen has had to settle for second place in the race for the discipline title in the last two seasons after winning it in 2019/20.

Sofia Goggia vs the mountain

If there's one 'must-see TV' event in Alpine skiing that stands out above all the others, it might be Sofia Goggia's assault on the women's World Cup downhill slopes.

The Italian star's high-risk, high-reward style of speed skiing creates some of the most heart-in-your-mouth moments in the sport, as she often seems equally likely to end up in the safety netting as on top of the podium.

Her all-or-nothing approach often results in spectacular recoveries on the slopes, and her resolve to compete at all costs is fast becoming legendary, highlighted by her remarkable victory in St. Moritz last season after breaking her hand 24 hours earlier.

With 17 World Cup downhill victories, including five last season, the 30-year-old Goggia has cracked the all-time women's top five. Her next downhill win will take her ahead of Switzerland's Michela Figini into outright fourth, and only three titans of the sport will remain in front of her: Vonn (43), Moser-Proell (36) and Austria's Renate Goetschl (24).

This season, Goggia can win her fourth straight downhill globe and fifth in total. Vonn's mark of eight downhill titles is safe for now, but as Goggia begins to ramp up for a home Olympic Games at Milano Cortina 2026, she might be coming for her good friend's record in a few years' time – provided, of course, she can stay on her skis.