Sweden edge out Germany in Aspen Alpine Team race

The Swedes were led by veteran slalom expert Frida Hansdotter, with Emelie Wikstroem, Mattias Hargin and Andre Myhrer making up the rest of the lineup – while Germany's side consisted of Lena Duerr, Marina Wallner, Stefan Luitz, and Linus Strasser.

Fans packed the grandstands in Aspen and were treated to just over an hour of non-stop dual slalom action, with either teams taking part although the USA and Canada were absent.

Hansdotter, last season's women's slalom World Cup champion, opened with a run of 19.90 seconds to beat Lena Duerr, before Hargin downed Luitz and Wikstroem clinched the crown by beating Wallner.

Sweden had earlier swept Austria aside in the opening round, winning 3-1, before squeezing past France in the quarter-finals – tied 2-2 after the races but progressing thanks to a lower combined time by 0.40 of a second.

France's team of Adeline Baud Mugnier, Coralie Frasse Sombet, Jean-Baptiste Grange, and Julie Lizeroux earned themselves a spot on the podium after thrashing Italy 4-0 in the third-place playoff.