US Mikaela Shiffrin - chasing her win no.
86 to equal the absolute record of Ingemar Stenmark- in 55.16 she leads after the first run of the cdm giant slalom in Aare, the penultimate of the season.
Behind her the Canadian Valerie Grenier in 55.74 and the Austrian Franziska Gritsch in 56.09 while the blue Federica Brignone is 4 / a in 56.20.
For Italy - in a short race, with a lowered start and without the hard initial wall with 10 degrees below zero and a compact and at times icy ground - there are Marta Bassino, returning after a serious family mourning, 12/y in 56.89.
Further back there are Roberta Melesi in 57.72 and Elisa Platino in 55.77.
Sofia Goggia, bib 31 and returned to try her hand at giant also as a very useful training in the basic discipline of skiing, finished in 58.48 and did not qualify for the second heat at 13.00.