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}

The approximately 13.610 million satellite TV customers of DISH Network® are all getting an early Christmas present as The Ski Channel Video On Demand (VOD) will be joining the DISH Network® lineup of extensive VOD service. In making the announcement of the long-term VOD distribution agreement with DISH Network®, Steve Bellamy, Chairman and CEO of The Ski Channel said, "We have only been on air for nine months and have already crossed the 21 million subscriber mark." 

The addition of DISH Network means that nearly every consumer in America now has at least two available television platforms to receive The Ski Channel, a  free, ad supported network delivered on cable, satellite, IPTV, web and wireless. It is the only television network devoted solely to year-round mountain activities such as skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, backpacking, climbing and off-slope activities.

The Ski Channel's content currently includes series, movies, events, news, weather, destination travel, equipment, instruction and real estate. The 2009 fall programming lineup will bring new shows and films including the works of legendary ski filmmaker Greg Stump, and a wide variety of Colorado's best filmmakers including Sweetgrass Productions, Denver's Futuristic Films and Crested Butte's Two Plank Productions. Also to debut will be talk shows starring Bode Miller, Lindsey Vonn, Tanner Hall, Glen Plake and Simon Dumont, as well as feature partnership programming with the X-Dance Film Festival.

If you're not getting a daily fix of The Ski Channel contact your cable or signal provider and let them know you want to see skiing all year round and demand Video On Demand.

_{Logo Copyright The Ski Channel}

The Freestyle World Cup 2010 competition season kicks off December 12 with Mogul events at Suomu, Finland. Question - Do you know how many different types of judges it takes to judge a World Cup mogul event? Did you know that Ski Cross racers ski the course all by themselves - for qualifying purposes? Indeed, there's more to freestyle than meets the viewer eye.

 The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Freestyle Skiing competition events at Cypress Mountain will consist of men's and women's moguls, aerials and ski cross events. Aerials were first seen in Olympic competition in 1994 while freestyle moguls became a sanctioned discipline "way back" in 1992 at Albertville, France. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics will see the debut of Olympic Ski Cross competition.

The Mogul and Aerial competition are totally dependent on judges scoring and Ski Cross is often described as moto-cross on snow. Here are some freestyle skiing  event explanations to better understand the scoring to determine medalists in each discipline.

By the way - for mogul competition there are "turn" judges that rate the turning and "jump" judges to score the aerial tricks.

Related: 2010 Winter Olympics | U.S. Freestyle Skiers | International Freestyle Skiiers

_{Photo Copyright Getty Images}

Snowbird is known for having Utah's longest skiing season, but it's also known for it's legendary dry Utah powder, which averages over 500 inches a year. With everything from great skiing for beginners and experts to ski lesson programs, Snowbird offers a great skiing experience for every type of skier.

With 2,500 acres of prime skiing and 89 runs that are 27% beginner, 38% intermediate, and 35% advanced, Snowbird has a trail for everyone. Snowbird offers ski lessons and programs for every skier and has lodging, activities, and nightlife for everyone.

Snowbird has lots of great skiing deals, including early bird ski and stay packages starting at $99/night, ski free deals, and a limited supply of value priced rooms starting at $79/night.

More: Skiing Snowbird |Snowbird Ski Resort | Snowbird Ski Resort Photos

_{Snowbird Photo © Mike Doyle}

I've always felt something welcoming about the skating rink and warming area that are the centerpiece of Northstar-at-Tahoe's village. Skating is free, skate rentals are only $5, and the open fire pits in the warming area accent the family and friends feeling of the entire resort. In fact, SKI Magazine rated it the "best village at a resort in California."

The skiing is great at Northstar, too. The quality of the snow, the grooming the terrain parks and pipes, and the family-friendly atmosphere all over the mountain at Northstar-at-Tahoe has gotten out to the ski world - as well it should. The terrain parks and the half and super pipes are high quality and nationally rated. In fact, Northstar is home to the first of the famous Burton designed parks known as "The Stash" of which there are only five worldwide.

Northstar-at-Tahoe is offering a variety of winter ski packages including Stay and Ski Free, Get the Fourth Night Free, and a Lodging Season pass which gives you 40% off for (any) seven nights booked.

For more on Northstar, check out my photos and read about our day at Northstar-at-Tahoe.

More: Skiing Northstar | Your Favorite Ski Resort?

_{Northstar-at-Tahoe View © Mike Doyle}

That's right, today, Wednesday, November 4th, marks the 100-day countdown to the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, on February 12, 2010. Visit Vancouver 2010, the official web site of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, and join in the Countdown.

You can also follow the interactive  2010 Olympic Torch Relay Route as the torch makes its way from Olympia,  Greece, around Canada, and into Vancouver for Opening Day on February 12th, 2010.

NBC, the official broadcasting network at NBCOlympics.com and Universal Sports (UniversalSports.com) are both ramping up their pre-Olympic coverage and are planning some interesting material during the 100 day countdown.

Of course, my Olympic Skiing - 2010 Vancouver Olympics section is ever growing in Olympic relevant content and will soon be getting up close and personal as I journey, next month, to the Olympic skiing venues at Whistler Creekside, Whistler Olympic Park and Cypress Mountain. I'll be bringing you whatever great pre-Olympic photos and info I can gather both on and off the snow.

While we are talking about the skiing at Whistler Blackcomb and Cypress Mountain let me say right now - don't hesitate to head up there for skiing before, during or after the Winter Games. In fact check out some of the ski and stay deals available right now.

I'll tell you more about it later, but even during the Olympic competition 90% of Whistler Blackcomb terrain will be open for public skiing.

100 Days and Counting!

_{Countdown Logo copyright NBC}

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Cathy and Lee Quaglia, owners of Aspen East Ski Shop in Killington, Vermont and their Manager Lisa Leimgruber, to discuss the fine art of selecting the right ski jacket and ski pants,  something I know all skiers take very seriously.

Cathy and Lee have operated Aspen East for 34 years and have been, since the beginning, seeking out the best ski apparel to pass on the skiing public. Not necessarily the most expensive and not necessarily the least expensive, but, as Cathy emphasizes, what is the best available in Features, Function and Fashion -  the 3Fs of shopping for skiing attire.

If you want to get the best ski jacket or ski pants, read more on how to shop for ski clothes using Fashion, Function and Features. You can put the 3 Fs in any order you prefer, but by checking for these you can get the best that you personally want when shopping for ski clothes.

With that in mind here's a look at some of this season's top ski clothes:

• Women's Ski Jackets
• Women's Ski Pants
• Men's Ski Jackets
• Men's Ski Pants

_{Isis Diva Ski Jacket Courtesy Aspen East Ski Shop}

While we still have a two week break in the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season, it's a good time to take a look at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Freestyle Ski Competition and the upcoming World Cup freestyle events.

The Freestyle World Cup 2010 competition season kicks off December 12 with Mogul events at Suomu, Finland. Then the FIS World Cup Calendar, both for Men and Women, holds 11 more stops before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics at the Cypress Mountain venue.

As I've said before, and this holds for freestyle as well as alpine racing, when you are looking at world class competition past performance can be a good indicator of what you might see in future competition.

Let me add the caveat - in any premier head-to-head sports competitions where the best of the best compete, there are favorites and "also competing," and on any given day a favorite can make the slightest misstep and a "dark horse," pumped up and coming out of the blue - can win. This may hold forth more in freestyle competition, with all the nuances that our spectator eyes may miss, but which the judges see.

With that said, before we analyze the individual events and past performances, here is a 2010 Winter Olympics Freestyle Ski Competition Overview with a little on the basic involved in freestyle events and competition standings.

More: 2010 Winter Olympics | U.S. Freestyle Skiers | International Freestyle Skiiers

_{Jeret Peterson photo Copyright Getty Images}