Swiss veteran Didier Cuche blitzed to victory in the season-opening men’s World Cup downhill at Lake Louise.

The 35-year-old Cuche, who clocked a time of one minute 50.31 seconds in lightly-falling snow to notch up his 11th career victory, become the oldest ever winner of a World Cup downhill.

Italy’s Werner Heel, who closed last season with a super-G victory at the World Cup finals, was back on the podium, taking second in 1:50.75 just ahead of Swiss Carlo Janka, runner-up in Lake Louise a year ago.

Led by Cuche, it was a superb day in the Canadian Rockies for the Swiss who had five skiers in the top 11. Ambrosi Hoffmann came home fifth, Tobias Gruenenfelder was ninth and Patrick Kueng 11th.

“I’ve been frustrated here at Lake Louise, particularly in the downhill,” said Cuche, who also won the season-opening giant slalom in Soelden. “But never give up and it happened today.

“The Swiss team was so strong today; we have seven guys in the top 20. I’m confident now so we will see what will happen in the next days and weeks. Tomorrow is another day and I will do my best.”

Didier Cuche was quickest in opening training for Saturday’s World Cup downhill in Lake Louise.

The 35-year-old Swiss, who won the season’s first World Cup giant slalom race in Soelden, posted a time of one minute 49.98 seconds in the Canadian Rockies.

Austrian downhill champion Michael Walchoffer was next quickest, 0.62 seconds behind, with France’s Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin in third.

Eurosport columnist Kristian Ghedina, a winner of 13 World Cup races in his illustrious career, looks ahead to the season as the racers head to North America this weekend for the first downhill of the campaign.

Didier Cuche ensured the Alpine skiing season opener remained in Swiss hands when he won the Soelden giant slalom.

Beaten into second place by compatriot Daniel Albrecht in the Austrian resort last winter, Cuche, who went on to win the discipline’s World Cup, clocked a combined time of two minutes 21.45 seconds to snatch his 10th World Cup victory.

Last year’s winner Albrecht was seriously injured in a training crash in Kitzbuehel on Jan. 22 and was in an induced coma for three weeks. He has not sufficiently recovered to start the new season.