Reinfried Herbst, Austrian slalom specialist who finished 5th in the 2009 World Cup event standings, finished .28 seconds ahead of Croatian Ivica Kostelic to win Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom at Levi, Finland.  Reigning World Cup slalom champion, Jean-Baptiste Grange of France rounded out the podium in third place.

Ted Ligety and Jimmy Cochran finished 18th and 19th for the U.S. and Bode Miller, back skiing with the U.S. Ski Team, took a slalom pole slap to the face, blooding his nose and blurring his vision causing him to pull off on his second run.

Not a lot of surprises in the top ten except for maybe 6th place Lars Elton Myhre of Norway with a personal best WC slalom finish. Complete results of the Audi Alpine FIS Ski World Cup Men's Slalom at Levi, Finland.

Next on the 2010 Audi Alpine FIS Ski World Cup racing schedule - 11/28-29 finds the Men in Lake Louise, Canada,  and the Women at Aspen, Colorado, for Aspen Winternationals. Check the 2010 season Men's calendar and the Women's calendar for future venues.

More: 2010 Winter Olympics

_{Levi Men's Slalom podium copyright Getty Images}

Maria Riesch of Germany, the reigning World Cup slalom champion, beat her friend Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. by .08 seconds in the Levi, Finland Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom.  Riesch led after the first run by .22 and although Vonn charged back with the fastest second run it wasn't enough to pass Riesch in total time.

Hometown Finnish favorite Tanja Poutiainen was third to round out the podium of veterans - Riesch, Vonn and Poutiainen have combined for a total of 114 podium appearances.

Note that beside being edged out by one Riesch lady, Lindsey Vonn had another nipping at her ski tails - Maria's sister, Susanne Riesch, finished 4th!

Complete results of the Audi Alpine FIS Ski World Cup Women's Slalom at Levi, Finland.

More: 2010 Winter Olympics

_{Levi, Finland Podium Copyright Getty Images}

Hans Pieren, the Race Director of International Ski Federation (FIS) has certified that snow conditions at Levi, Finland are excellent for racing and everything is a go for the Audi 2010 FIS World Cup  Ladies Slalom on this Saturday and the Men's Slalom on Sunday.

Last year at Levi, Lindsey Vonn won with two great runs and Bode Miller was second to the French slalom specialist and 2009 World Cup Slalom Champion, Jean-Baptiste Grange. According to Bode's Blog he feels he will be ready for the technical Levi Black course.

UniversalSports.com will bring us all the action at this second stop on the Road 2010 Vancouver Olympics, covering both Runs 1 and 2 for the Ladies and Men.

Check out my review of the 2009 season Men and Ladies Slalom races at Levi.

_{Photo Vonn and Miller Copyright Getty Images}

Here is a look at some major ski and snowboard shows and expos that are scheduled around North America this fall.

These shows are in major metropolitan areas and there are some in smaller cities, as well, that I don't have the dates for. So, watch the Sports or Entertainment sections of your local paper for dates and times of local ski shows near you.

November

• Colorado Ski and Snowboard Expo, Denver, CO, November 13 - 15
• Bay Area Ski and Snowboard Show , San Jose, CA, November 13 - 15
• SnowJam Ski and Snowboard Show, San Diego, CA, November 13 - 15
• Silicon Valley Ski & Snowboard Festival, Santa Clara, CA, November 14 - 15
• Boston Globe Ski and Snowboard EXPO, Boston, MA, November 19 - 22
• SnowJam Ski and Snowboard Show, Las Vegas, NV, November 20-22
• Seattle SkiFever and Snowboard Show, Seattle, WA, November 20 - 22
• Sacramento Ski and Snowboard EXPO, Sacramento, CA, November 21 - 22

Related: A Day at the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo

_{Boston Ski Show Photo Copyright Mike Doyle}