Lindsey Kildow has done her share of the work involved in keeping Austria's skiers off the podium in the World Cup's opening downhills this season.

Austrians have won six of the first eight women's races of this campaign -- in every discipline except downhill.

In the blue riband event, only "Speed Queen" Renate Goetschl has made the podium for the team, coming second behind American Kildow in the second race at Lake Louise, Canada, two weeks ago.

Back in one of her favourite resorts for two downhills on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kildow has high hopes of continuing to frustrate the Austrians.

If she has fully recovered from a stomach bug, the determined Kildow, who was second in the first Lake Louise downhill, could even be challenging for the overall cup lead come Wednesday.

Kildow likes the high-speed turns and jumps of the Val d'Isere downhill and won here last year, when her prizes included a cow.

The cow, named Olympe, was sent to live on a friend's farm in Austria and Kildow visited her and new calf Sunny when the World Cup was in the area last week.

Kildow, 22, has yet to win a World Cup trophy, though she finished second to Michaela Dorfmeister in the downhill standings last season.

Dorfmeister's retirement, after collecting two Olympic golds and two World Cup discipline titles, has opened up the downhill competition this season, not just for Kildow but also for Goetschl who had long laboured in her team mate's shadow.

Goetschl has been using the skis that brought Dorfmeister such success last year and has won both super-G races so far this season, notching up her 40th career win in Reiteralm, Austria, on Saturday.

Her younger team mates have fared much better in the technical events and will expect to do well in Thursday's slalom which concludes the Val d'Isere programme.

Nicole Hosp leads the overall standings after scoring points in all disciplines while Marlies Schild is second after winning two slaloms and a super-combined event.

Her namesake Martina Schild, the Olympic silver medallist in downhill, would love to give Switzerland their first win of the season while Chemmy Alcott has hopes of a good showing for Britain after two 13th places in Lake Louise.

Italian hopes rest with the Fanchini sisters, though more with the younger Nadia, who was third in the first Lake Louise race, than with Elena who suffered a bad crash here last year.

Local organisers have had a chaotic fortnight after scheduled men's and women's World Cup races had to be called off because of warm weather.

Fresh snow and colder temperatures allowed the French resort to step in to recover one of its own races plus weather-hit events from St Moritz and Megeve.