Who Will Succeed Zurbriggen? -- Girardelli, Tomba, Furuseth Rated World Cup Favorites

MILAN, Italy - Pirmin Zurbriggen is gone and so are some of skiing's top women competitors.

But one thing that has been missing for parts of the last three years is back for the start of the World Cup season.

Snow.

After three years of warm, dry weather, organizers hope the November snowfalls in the Alps will allow a smooth start this weekend to a season in which Marc Girardelli, Alberto Tomba and a group of Scandinavian youngsters seek to replace the retired Zurbriggen, a four-time overall World Cup alpine champion.

Austria's Petra Kronberger's goal of a second straight women's overall title has been made easier by the retirement of five top challengers, including 1988 Olympic medalists Michela Figini and Maria Walliser.

The 1990-91 skiing program, including the World Championships in Saalbach, Austria, beginning in late January, also will feature changes in some downhill races.

In two of the men's downhills, the starting order for the top 15 will be decided by practice times. The fastest qualifiers will be allowed to choose their own starting position.

And in the downhills in Wengen, Switzerland, and Lake Louise, Canada, only the 30 fastest skiers in practice will qualify for the race.

Those changes are considered a first step toward major reforms sought by the U.S. Ski Federation in the 23-year-old World Cup rules. The Americans say the changes would benefit competitors and their

sponsors.

Some leading makers of ski outfits, such as Rossignol and Salomon, have suffered substantial losses because of a drop in winter tourism in recent years and have sharply reduced their sponsorship in ski racing.

The once-powerful Yugoslav alpine skiing team has been almost dissolved by the financial problems of the country's top ski supplier and sponsor, Elan, as well as the nation's political problems.

One of the reforms sought by the U.S. Ski Federation would allow skiers to receive bigger cash bonuses from fewer World Cup races, which traditionally are concentrated in European and North American resorts over winter weekends.

A new marketing strategy also is being pushed by the Americans and is likely to be approved by the International Ski Federation early next year.

U.S. officials had threatened to pull out of the competition and organize an alternative circuit if their demands for an overhaul of the World Cup circuit were not met.

Men and women skiers each will compete in 31 races during the season, which ends with races at Waterville Valley, N.H., March 20-24. Two men's races already were held this summer in New Zealand.

The Austrian-born Girardelli, who now competes for Luxembourg, is considered the best all-around skier among the men since Zurbriggen's retirement.

But his form is uncertain after recent knee surgery and a lower-back injury that sidelined him for several months last year.

Girardelli can do well in all four disciplines of the World Cup - slalom, giant slalom, super-giant slalom and downhill - and has won three overall titles, just one behind the record held by Zurbriggen and Gustavo Thoeni.

Zurbriggen, who defeated Norway's Ole Christian Furuseth 357 points to 234 points for the overall title last year, retired at the age of 27 because he wanted to devote more time to his family.

Tomba and Furuseth, considered Girardelli's toughest rivals for the overall title, are superior to Girardelli in the slalom. But both avoid the downhill and therefore lose points in the fastest alpine discipline and in combined events.

Other title contenders such as Italy's Kristian Ghedina, young Swede Fredrik Nyberg, Austrian Gunther Mader and rising Norwegian star Lasse Kjus have difficulties in at least one of the four disciplines.

Tomba, who won two Olympic gold medals in Calgary in 1988, said he will run the fast Super-G - against the wishes of his family - to seek to match Girardelli's point total.

``I must pocket points from three disciplines if I want to win my first overall title,'' he said. ``Girardelli is the clear favorite. I come just behind him along with Furuseth, Mader and possibly Nyberg. My teammate Ghedina could be a big surprise.''

Tomba, 23, an Italian from Bologna nicknamed ``The Bomb'' because of his powerful, aggressive style, missed most of last season after a fall in a Super-G race in Val D'Isere, France, that fractured his collarbone.

Tomba enters today's Super-G race in Valloire, France, with 22 points from the slalom and giant slalom held at Mount Hutt in New Zealand in August.

Nyberg, 21, who is being compared to retired compatriot Ingemar Stenmark, is tied for the lead in the standings with 25 points, thanks to a giant-slalom victory in New Zealand. German veteran Peter Roth also has 25 points after winning the Mount Hutt slalom.

The women, who did not race in New Zealand, begin their competition with a slalom and giant slalom in Val Zoldana, Italy, this weekend.

Several of Kronberger's top challengers have retired, including Figini, Walliser and Brigitte Oertli of Switzerland, Yugoslav Mateja Svet and American veteran Tamara McKinney.

Team highlights:

-- AUSTRIA - Guenther Mader, the best all-around skier on the team, goes after the overall title after finishing third to Pirmin Zurbriggen and Ole Christian Furuseth last season.

Rudolpf Nierlich, world slalom and giant-slalom champion, shoots for two speciality titles while Michael Tritscher, a rising slalom star, seeks his first World Cup victory after three runner-up places.

Veteran Helmuth Hoeflehner, the World Cup downhill champion, leads a powerful lineup in the fastest alpine discipline. Former Olympic champion Leonard Stock begins the season as a reserve.

Among the women, defending champion Petra Kronberger aims for a second consecutive overall title. She said she hopes to initiate an Austrian age on the slopes, with the support of her teammates.

Other top women include Anita Wachter, who won the giant-slalom title last season; Sigrid Wolf, a super-giant-slalom specialist; slalom stars Karin Buder, Claudia Strobl and Ida Ladstaetter, and downhillers Veronika Vallinger and Sylvia Eder

-- FRANCE - Franck Piccard, the Olympic Super-G gold medalist, leads a group of good downhillers and Super-G specialists, including Luc Alphand and Armand Schiele.

The women's team has been plagued by injuries. Cathy Chedal, a bright newcomer last season, has back pains and is a doubtful starter in slalom. Christelle Guignard has a back injury.

Carole Merle, the best French skier, is nursing a knee injury but is expected to race the giant slalom in Val Zoldana.

Claudine Emonet and Catherine Quittet have retired.

-- GERMANY - Armin Bittner, the defending World Cup slalom champion, and Peter Roth, a surprise winner in the Mount Hutt slalom in New Zealand, are the only stars of the German team.

HansJoerg Tauscher seeks his first World Cup victory after a surprise gold in the downhill race at the 1989 World Championships.

-- ITALY - Alberto Tomba is Italy's top hope for the overall title and for race victories in slalom, giant slalom and Super-G.

Downhiller Kristian Ghedina, a rising star with a record of two World Cup victories last season, also is in the running for the overall crown after improving in Super-G and giant slalom.

Deborah Compagnoni, the best women's skier on the team, has been hospitalized recently and is a doubtful starter.

-- YUGOSLAVIA - Political and economic problems, combined with the near closure of Elan, the top Yugoslav ski maker and sponsor, has almost dissolved the Yugoslav squad.

Grega Benedik, who has a single World Cup victory, is the only survivor on the men's team.

Mateja Svet, Yugoslavia's No. 1 female skier, retired to devote full time to university studies. Veronika Sarec and Katjusa Pusnik, who got Japanese skis to replace unavailable Elans, lead an inexperienced women's squad.

-- NORWAY - Ole Kristian Furuseth, 23, last season's World Cup giant-slalom champion and the overall runner-up to Pirmin Zurbriggen, is the top hope. He got off to a disappointing start in New Zealand but has improved his form for the beginning of the European season.

Norway also has Atle Skaardal, a top downhiller who won in Are and Kitzbuehel last season, and rising stars Lasse Kjus and Kjetil Andre Aamodt, both 19.

-- SWITZERLAND - The retirement of Zurbriggen, Michela Figini and Maria Walliser, who combined for eight overall titles, badly weakened a squad that has ruled alpine skiing.

Veteran Peter Mueller, 33, former world downhill champion, leads a men's team that has aging Martin Hangl and young downhiller William Besse.

Vreni Schneider, a 1989 overall champion and a two-time world champion in the giant slalom, is the only star left in the women's team.

-- SWEDEN - Fredrik Nyberg, who won the opening giant slalom in Mount Hutt this season, is Sweden's main hope along with Lars Borje Eriksson, an estabilished giant-slalom and Super-G star, and former world slalom champion Jonas Nilsson.