This Bode’s Well for U.S.

Restraining his instincts to go all-out and attack a slalom course that was becoming perilously patchy, Bode Miller on Monday recorded his second World Cup victory in less than 36 hours and brought the U.S. men’s alpine ski corps success it has not enjoyed in nearly two decades.

Miller, known in the past for his recklessness but skiing Monday with control and confidence, posted the fastest times on both runs to win a night slalom at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, by more than half a second over Giorgio Rocca of Italy. Coupled with his triumph in a giant slalom Sunday in Val d’Isere, France, the 24-year-old New Hampshire native became the first American man to win back-to-back technical races (slalom or giant slalom) since Phil Mahre won three consecutive giant slalom races in March 1983.

“Slalom is a real finicky sport. It’s small things that can take you out of a course,” said Miller, who is in his sixth year on the U.S. team. “Some of it can just be in your head, and if you just get in that zone and can do anything you want, that’s what happened to me [Monday]. If you feel like that, there’s a lot less chance of anything going wrong. The past few years I’ve felt good, but things just didn’t go my way.

“Just standing there at the top looking out on the top of the world, I knew I could do it.”

The last U.S. man to win two World Cup races in a row was Daron Rahlves, who won two consecutive downhills in March 2000 at Kvitfjell, Norway. The last U.S. man to win a World Cup slalom race was Mahre’s twin, Steve, in February 1983 at St. Anton, Austria.

Phil Mahre had seen Miller zip past him during a slalom run last month in Loveland, Colo., but he was far from overwhelmed by Miller’s form or technique.

“I wasn’t all that impressed with his skiing, but I thought, ‘He knows how to go down the hill,”’ said Mahre, the 1984 Olympic slalom gold medalist and 1980 slalom silver medalist. “I watched him go by and I thought, ‘Top 10, but he’s not going to win.’ But then I saw he was a half a second ahead.

“With Bode, it’s either win or fall. That’s his whole mentality and that’s the way he goes about it.”

Miller led Rocca by .13 of a second and Tom Stiansen of Norway by .43 after his first run. He saw their strong second runs on a small TV near the start, leaving him to balance his aggressive instincts against the need for caution. He held back a bit but still compiled a combined time of 1:36.01, defeating Rocca by .52.

“The second run wasn’t ballistic,” he said. “If I went up again, I could ski faster.”

Said Rocca: “I didn’t make any mistakes. But he was unbeatable tonight.”

Miller took the lead in the World Cup slalom standings over Mario Matt of Austria and moved within 15 points of overall leader Stephen Eberharter of Austria.

“We’re making history. It’s pretty exciting,” said Jesse Hunt, the U.S. men’s slalom and giant slalom coach. “Bode’s skiing with such confidence now.”

Whether that will produce Olympic medals at Salt Lake City in February, however, is another story. Phil Mahre sees some good omens. “The good thing is that most people who win at Val d’Isere have gone on to have a great career. I hope it’s true of Bode,” Mahre said. “He’s young and has a lot of years ahead of him at the international level.

“My best year was ‘82, when I was in the top three of every slalom or giant slalom I entered, but one. I knew when I started I would be on the podium. I never thought of ever falling or not being on the podium. Obviously, that will happen for Bode. His confidence will grow, and hopefully he’ll pull some other guys with him.

“The only thing is that the Olympics are two months off. That’s the downfall of being hot right now: you’ve got to be hot two months from now. A lot of guys who aren’t skiing well now could ski great two months from now. He could do this all winter, though. He has the mind-set that he’s going to go out there and do it, and if he’s on, he could.”

Two other U.S. skiers finished in the top 25 Monday. Casey Puckett of Aspen was 15th, in 1:38.05, and Erik Schlopy of Park City, Utah was 24th in 1:38.64.

The World Cup circuit continues with a super-giant slalom Friday and downhill Saturday in Val Gardena, Italy, followed by a giant slalom Sunday in Alta Badia, Italy.