Wachter Rises as Snow Falls : Skiing: Austrian wins World Cup giant slalom when poor visibility takes out favorites.

A steady snowfall changed the course of a race course Saturday but could not smother an afternoon of comebacks, surprises and American disappointments at the Ski Town USA Classic.

Austria’s Anita Wachter, obviously recovered from a serious knee injury, overcame tough second-run conditions to win the season’s second World Cup giant slalom with a total time of 2:00.61.

“This is a great moment in my life,” Wachter said.

Wachter tore ligaments in her left knee in an exhibition race last winter and still has a pin in the knee to show for it.

Yet, her comeback was not as dramatic as that of Italy’s Deborah Compagnoni, who christened her return with an improbable third-place finish. It was only last February that Compagnoni tore a knee ligament on the giant slalom course at Albertville during the Winter Olympic Games.

For Compagnoni, who won the Olympic gold medal in super-giant slalom at Albertville, her finish was shocking.

“I did not even want to come (to America) in the beginning,” Compagnoni said through an interpreter. “I waited until two days before Park City before I decided to enter that race.”

Compagnoni did not make it through her first run at last week’s opener at Park City, Utah, but made up for it on the hill at Steamboat Springs.

Without doubt, the day’s biggest surprise was the second-place finish by Compagnoni’s Italian compatriot, 20-year-old Sabina Panzanini.

Panzanini competed in only five previous World Cup races, and never qualified for a second run. Only the top 30 finishers in the first race advance.

Not only was this Panzanini’s first trip to America, she said she felt uncomfortable on the lighter American snow.

So how did she account for her finish?

“I don’t know how to answer that,” she said through an interpreter.

Panzanini’s showing was expected to ignite a raucous celebration in her hometown of Merano, near the Austrian border.

There will be no such parties for American giant slalom skiers. Julie Parisien, presumed to have had a fighting chance, did not finish her first morning run.

Parisien was the 13th racer down the hill, a slot that proved to be unlucky.

She admitted the overcast skies made it difficult to read the course.

“It was hard to see,” Parisien said. “But it was the same for everybody. You can’t use that as an excuse. The light has been consistent all day.”

Parisien gets a chance for redemption in today’s slalom, an event in which she ranks first in the world.

Diann Roffe-Steinrotter was the highest American finisher in the giant slalom, placing seventh, but she seemed to be devastated.

Her finish comes on the heels of a 16th place finish last week.

Roffe-Steinrotter was the silver medalist in the event at Albertville, tying with Wachter.

“I’m surprised I’m seventh the way I skied,” she said. “I skied terrible. Really bad.”

Roffe-Steinrotter would not blame the conditions, which created what skiers call “flat light,” making it difficult to pick up the contours of the course.

She was sixth after her first run on a clear course but struggled on the second as a steady snow fell.

“I don’t think I can blame it on that,” she said. “It’s me. I’m putting an awful lot of pressure on myself, more than most can handle. I’m not handling it right now.”

Roffe-Steinrotter, 25, has not won a World Cup event since 1985. Last year, she finished third twice, fourth twice and fifth twice.

Other than Roffe-Steinrotter, only two other Americans finished among the top 24. Anne Parisien, Julie’s sister, placed 20th while Eva Twardokens finished 23rd.

“We’re going through some bumps and bruises, some hiccups,” said Paul Major, U.S. women’s coach. “We haven’t started to jell. I know we can challenge.”

Two pre-race favorites, Sweden’s Pernill Wiberg and Vreni Schneider of Switzerland, did not finish their second runs.

Wiberg was the first-run leader with a time of 57.28.

It was a disappointing day for World Cup overall champion Petra Kronberger of Austria, who was 46th in the first run.