SKIING / BOB LOCHNER : Rough Start for U.S. in World Cup

It’s still early, of course, but the U.S. Ski Team appears to be taking a distressingly familiar course on the World Cup circuit.

So far, the men are nowhere, and the women are almost totally dependent on one skier, Diann Roffe, who has apparently replaced the retired Tamara McKinney as the only U.S. hope for high placings against the strong Austrian, German and Swiss racers.

After four men’s events, the United States has six points in the men’s standings--four for Tommy Moe of Palmer, Alaska, and one each for Kyle Rasmussen of Angels Camp, Calif., and A.J. Kitt of Rochester, N.Y.

Moe was 13th in a downhill at Val Gardena, Italy, Friday. Kitt, who finished 45th last weekend at Val d’Isere, France, just a couple of days after it was announced that he had signed a personal representation contract with International Management Group, was 15th Friday to earn his first World Cup point.

Kitt, 22, started this season as a solid downhill threat and a possible medalist in both the World Alpine Ski Championships at Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, next month and the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France.

The men race again today at Val Gardena.

Roffe, 23, of Isle La Motte, Vt., is off to an excellent start with 29 points in four races, enough for third in the women’s standings behind Austrians Petra Kronberger, who has 95, and Sigrid Wolf, who has 35.

It hasn’t helped the U.S. cause that Kristi Terzian, who scored points in 17 World Cup races last season, is out for the season after suffering a serious knee injury in October. But this only underscores the lack of depth on the American team.

This weekend, the women are racing in downhill, giant slalom and super-G at Meiringen, Switzerland, although Friday’s races were canceled because of fog.

The men, after their downhill today, will remain in Italy for a giant slalom Sunday at Alta Badia and a slalom Tuesday at Madonna di Campiglio. Fittingly, an Italian is leading the standings--Alberto Tomba has 47 points, five more than runner-up Franck Piccard of France.

An early-week storm dusted Sierra ski resorts, but only eight have enough snow to operate (from south to north): Mammoth Mountain, Kirkwood, Heavenly Valley, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, Northstar, Donner Ski Ranch and Boreal. Depths range from 12 to 36 inches on selected slopes.

Diamond Peak at Ski Incline, on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, is open this weekend only, through Sunday, pending the arrival of another storm.

In the Southland, a trace of natural powder has been added to the base accumulated through snow-making at the four operational ski areas--Mountain High, Snow Valley, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain.

Brian Head, located in southern Utah, has opened for the season, reporting a base of 15 inches with more snow reportedly on the way.

Five of seven lifts are running, serving about 65% of the runs on Brianhead Peak and Navajo Peak.

Skiing Notes

Taped highlights of last Saturday’s World Cup men’s downhill race at Val d’Isere, France, will be shown on Channel 7 at 3 p.m. today. The GGP Sports-produced program will also include freestyle skiing competition at Tignes, France. . . . Martina Navratilova was one of Bob Beattie’s guests on “Subaru Ski World” Friday on ESPN. “Martina is without question one of the best skiers around,” said Beattie, the former U.S. Ski Team coach. “I’m convinced that had she chosen the downhill instead of (tennis), she would have been just as huge a success as she is today.”

The U.S. Pro Tour, which took last weekend off, will stop next at Nashoba Valley, Mass., where races will be held for both men and women today and Sunday. . . . Greg Mannino of Yorba Linda, Urban Miyares of San Diego and Jeremiah Landreth of Brea won their divisions in National Handicapped Sports regional qualifying races last weekend at Breckenridge, Colo. . . . Starting today, United Express will offer 12 nonstop flights a week from LAX to Aspen, Colo., and SkyWest Airlines will have a nonstop flight each Thursday and Saturday from LAX to Telluride, Colo., through March 31.

Friday’s scheduled grand opening of Bear Mountain’s Big Bear Express was postponed until Jan. 4 because of construction delays, but the detachable quad chairlift should be operating for skiers by late next week, according to President Jerry Blann. . . . Squaw Valley’s new Snow King Mountain is now fully open, according to chairman Alex Cushing.