Italy Sweeps Opening Parallel Giant Slalom in Mylin
Snowboarders opened the 2025-26 FIS Alpine World Cup on 7 December under cloudless skies above Mylin, China, racing parallel giant slalom on a freshly groomed 400-metre vertical that drops toward the Songhua reservoir. Italy seized the first two crystal-globe points bonuses when Lucia Dalmasso and Maurizio Bormolini out-gated their rivals in separate finals staged only minutes apart.
Italian Women Lock Out Podiums
Dalmasso never trailed on the red course, clocking 34.62s in her quarter-final and then edging teammate Elisa Caffont by 0.11s in the gold-medal duel. The victory is her third individual World Cup win and lifts her career podium tally to ten. Caffont’s silver improves on her previous season-best third in Rogla and positions her second in the early standings with 80 points.
Bulgaria’s 16-Year-Old Zamfirova Grabs Bronze
Malena Zamfirova, youngest in the 48-rider field, survived the notoriously rut-filled blue line to beat Czech Zuzana Maderova for third. The result marks her second career podium after a breakthrough second in Krynica last March and signals Bulgaria’s emergence in alpine snowboarding.
Bormolini Returns to Top Step for Eighth Time
On the men’s side, reigning PGS globe holder Maurizio Bormolini attacked the middle flats to build an insurmountable 0.28s cushion over Austria’s Benjamin Karl, who nevertheless posts his 59th World Cup podium at age 40. Aaron March completed an all-Italian lock-out by defeating Mirko Felicetti in the small final, giving Italy four of six available medals on day one.
Absent Stars Leave Points Race Wide Open
Neither defending world champion Ester Ledecká (CZE) nor four-time World Cup champion Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) started, leaving the women’s rankings unusually fluid. Tsubaki Miki (JPN) exited in the quarters, while Polish medal threat Aleksandra Krol-Walas was disqualified in qualification, underscoring the discipline’s tiny margin for error.
Historic Debut and Sunday Rematch
India was represented for the first time when Zubair Ahmad Lone qualified 48th; the 26-year-old from Gulmarg will race again in Sunday’s second PGS. Ladina Caviezel (SUI) and Tomoka Takeuchi (JPN), both retiring this spring, missed the cut, adding urgency to their farewell seasons. Gates will be reset overnight with qualifiers scheduled 09:30 local (02:30 CET) and finals at 13:30 (06:30 CET).
Action Steps for Riders and Fans
- Stream Sunday’s race live on the FIS YouTube channel—no geo-block in Asia.
- Download the FIS app to receive real-time timing splits; Mylin’s blue course historically runs 0.4s slower after 11am sun-softening.
- Fantasy league players: swap in Dalmasso and Bormolini before price hikes lock at 08:00 CET.
- Plan travel now; next PGS stop is 14 December in Carezza, Italy, with limited on-mountain lodging.
- Indian viewers: follow Zubair Ahmad Lone’s Instagram for behind-the-scenes clips from his rookie World Cup tour.
Sources: FIS, live timing data, athlete social feeds