'You can never be satisfied': new season brings new challenges for men's Alpine stars

As the men's Audi FIS Alpine skiing World Cup gets underway in the Austrian resort of Sölden on Sunday, finding new challenges for the season ahead is at the top of the agenda for some of the biggest names on snow.

Two-time defending World Cup downhill champion and former overall champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) has achieved more than most in the sport, and admitted that past success can affect his present levels of determination.

"It's always tough to find motivation, especially when you feel like you've reached your goals," the 31-year-old Kilde said

"But then it's also about trying to find new goals."

For Kilde's equally decorated teammate Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR), however, the goal hasn't changed as he chases his fourth slalom crystal globe, a task made easier by the shock retirement on Friday of another teammate, defending slalom champion Lucas Braathen (NOR).

"We are all getting older every day and we just have to keep going," said Kristoffersen, 29. "For myself I feel more motivated (than I have) in a long time.

"I feel very happy with my life at the moment and my skiing and everything around (it). So I just have to ski as fast as possible."

One of Kristoffersen's old sparring partners on the technical slopes, Alexis Pinturault (FRA), is hoping to reinvent himself as a speed specialist as he enters the twilight of his career.

"This season is a little bit different: I have new goals; I trained for them," Pinturault said about his shift towards downhill racing at age 32.

"I'm really happy to start (the season) because this motivation is pretty interesting and it feels pretty good with these new goals and this new training that I had during the summer.

"The goal is to keep my level in GS but also to be able to be stronger for the downhill discipline which needs something different from slalom."

Pinturault now faces the same challenge that two-time defending overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt (SUI) said is becoming "more and more difficult": to compete for the podium in giant slalom, super-G and downhill.

But Pinturault, a former overall champion himself, is undeterred by the task ahead despite having competed in only nine World Cup stand-alone downhill races in his career, with a best result of 16th over a decade ago.

"For the end of my career it would be really great if I can achieve some nice races in downhill and specifically winning in this discipline," he said.

That's a task that's easier said than done, and to achieve his lofty goal, Pinturault would be wise to heed Odermatt's advice for how to challenge downhill king Kilde.

"Whenever you're in the start gate, you have to go all-in, full gas," the Swiss star said. "He (Kilde) won't make it easy, so you just have to keep pushing."

But the more Odermatt, Pinturault and other top speed racers challenge Kilde on the downhill slopes, the more they risk providing the Norwegian with the motivation he needs as he aims for a third straight downhill globe.

"For me it's the joy of winning races that keeps me going, and trying to always improve," said Kilde, who has no intention of stepping down from the top of the mountain.

"You can never be satisfied, because then you start losing it and then in the end you're done."