Johnson Again Headed Toward Top

Maybe you’ve been wondering whatever happened to that outspoken young man who won the gold medal in the Olympic downhill about a year ago.

We’re happy to report today that Bill Johnson is alive and . . . well, starting to come around again in the Alps.

After a dismal start this winter, the former Van Nuys resident scored his first World Cup points of the season last weekend at Wengen, Switzerland.

He was 10th Friday in a makeup downhill, then finished seventh in Sunday’s classic Lauberhorn downhill.

“Bill always starts off slowly,” his father, Wally Johnson, said by phone from their new home in Malibu. “He’ll win his share of races before the World Cup is over. I just talked to him at Wengen. He’s really feeling good now.”

There’s another downhill this weekend at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, West Germany, before the World Alpine Championships at Bormio, Italy, Jan. 31 through Feb. 10. After that, Johnson will have a chance to continue his comeback in downhills at Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria, Feb. 14; Furano, Japan, March 2-3 and Aspen, Colo., March 9-10, plus possibly another makeup race or two.

The women on the World Cup circuit will be at Arosa, Switzerland, this weekend, and Saturday’s downhill will be televised by GGP Sports on Channel 7 at 2 p.m. Michela Figini of Switzerland will be shooting for her fourth-straight downhill victory.

Skiing Notes All Southland ski areas are open, with 12-to-60 inches of mainly hard-packed snow, plus some packed powder and early-spring conditions. . . . High Sierra resorts could use another storm fairly soon, although they’re in no danger of running out of snow for a while, yet. Mammoth Mountain, for example, reported 58 inches at mid-level Tuesday. . . . The Over The Hill Gang will gather at Vail, Colo., Sunday for Senior Ski Week, with president Tom Stein directing the festivities for this relatively new group of skiers in their 50s, 60s, and beyond. . . . The World Freestyle Invitational is on tap at Breckenridge, Colo., Thursday through Sunday. . . . The Peugeot Grand Prix men’s pro circuit will make its fourth stop of the season at Boyne Highlands, Mich., Friday through Sunday. . . . The Women’s Pro Ski Racing tour, meanwhile, will stage its second meet at Mt. Cranmore, N.H., also Friday through Sunday. . . . Rob Kautz has been promoted from mountain manager to executive assistant general manager at Sugar Bowl, according to president Don Schwartz. . . . Yosemite has scheduled its 14th annual Nordic Holiday race for March 2 at Badger Pass.