OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — The Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup kicked off Friday, bringing more than 60 racers to the resort for World Cup giant slalom racing.

Storms delayed this morning’s action, but by 11 a.m. the top men’s skiers in the world were making their way down Red Dog to open today’s competition.

“We are stoked to host World Cup skiing again at Palisades Tahoe, and after a competitive Giant Slalom race today, we look forward to some incredible Slalom runs tomorrow,” said Patrick Lacey, spokesman for Palisades Tahoe, in a news release. “The Tahoe weather certainly put on a show this week, delivering over 40 inches of snow in the days leading up to the races. We are so grateful for our passionate fans, hardworking volunteers, and dedicated crew that spent hours getting — and keeping — the conditions just right for today’s race.”

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Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, 25, posted the fastest first run of the morning ripping down the course in 1 minute, 8.43 seconds. Austria’s Marco Schwarz, 27, finished his first run in fifth place, but then put down the fastest second run of the day to capture his first win of the season and first giant slalom win of his career. Schwarz, who sits fourth in the giant slalom standings, finished the day with a combined time of 2:23.63 to edge Odermatt by 0.03 seconds. Odermatt leads the giants slalom and overall World Cup standings. He has landed on the podium in each of his of last 14 World Cup giant slalom appearances.

George Steffey, 25, of Lyme, New Hampshire, led the Americans, finishing with a combined time of 2:26.40 to claim 21^st place. River Radamus, 25, of Edwards, Colorado, was the only other U.S. skier to qualify for a final run, but was unable to reach the bottom of the venue during his second run.

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This weekend’s competition marks the first time since 2017 that Palisades has hosted a World Cup event. Tomorrow’s slalom race gets underway at 10 a.m. The final runs will begin at 1:15 p.m. and will be followed by an award ceremony at 2:15 p.m.