Erika Hess led the powerful Swiss team...

Erika Hess led the powerful Swiss team to a 1-2 finish in a women’s World Cup slalom race at Valzoldana, Italy.

The two-time World Cup overall champion and a triple gold medalist in the 1982 World Championships, scored her second slalom victory of the season, edging teammate Brigitte Oertli at the sunny Foppe track, which dropped 170 meters and was marked with 57 gates in the first heat and 60 in the second.

The victory, the 24th of Hess’ World Cup career, vaulted her into third place in the overall standings, in which Swiss women hold the four top spots and six of the top seven places. Swiss skiers have won eight of 11 World Cup races this season.

Hess, second to Austrian Ida Ladstaetter in the first run, also had the second-best time in the second heat and a total time of 1 minute, 39.84 seconds. Oertli, seeking her first World Cup victory, was clocked in 1:40.98.

Austrian Claudia Strobl skied her best-ever slalom to place third in 1:41.18.