The fast start by Bode Miller with wins in all four alpine disciplines has ski racing followers talking about not just the possibility but the probable winning of the alpine overall title by an American for the first time since Phil Mahre in 1983.

It was the third straight win by Mahre and, for good measure, Tamara McKinney won the World Cup Overall for women that same year.

Because Miller has won in all four disciplines, grabbing six wins in the first ten races of the season, there is even talk of his putting together the greatest season ever.

He is being compared to past greats, especially Marc Girardelli. The Luxembourg skier won the overall five times, with a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds, over 11 years.

That record of excellence over a long period is one of the most outstanding in ski history, but who had the single greatest season? The mark belongs to Jean Claude Killy. Everyone knows how he won three gold medals in the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. There was no Super G at that time, so he simply won all there was to win. But that wasn’t his greatest season. The first year of the World Cup was 1967, and the French champion set a goal of winning all three disciplines during the inaugural season.

Interestingly, one of his biggest triumphs that season was on Miller’s home mountain. Killy won DH, GS and SL at Cannon Mountain on his way to amassing the finest season in the history of World Cup ski racing. Killy won so many early-season races that he had all three individual titles and the overall wrapped up by the end of January. At that point he readjusted his goal to achieving the perfect score in all three disciplines, the maximum of 225 points.

When that season was over, Killy had won 21 of the 30 World Cup races, all six combined events, all three individual discipline titles, and the overall. No one has come close since and the general consensus in this age of specialization has been that no one would.

Now, Miller has demonstrated that he can win in all four disciplines, and the ski world is buzzing. He even has the attention of the non-skiing sports world and that’s a big plus for our sport. Can he keep it up for a full season?

With all the variables in ski racing no one could answer that question. What is apparent it that Miller has worked harder than most of his competition. He has become that rare athlete who can excel in both the speed events of super G and downhill, while maintaining the touch and feel required in the gate disciplines of slalom and giant slalom. No matter the final outcome this promises to be the most exciting World Cup season since a French customs agent named Jean Claude Killy made the first one his own private domain.

On the homefront

Here at home, cold temperatures have boosted the outlook. Sunday River jumped from 47 to 64 trails this week and will have all eight peaks open for the holidays. Lost Valley is using this weekend for training of ski school and ski patrol, with opening set for Thursday. At Sugarloaf, 67 trails were open this week, including some natural snow runs. The summit will be open for Christmas for the first time since 2000.

At Shawnee Peak, this week’s weather could result in a jump from two trails to 15 this weekend. This is one more indication of how fast the ski areas can put down snow if conditions are right and why the outlook is great for skiing this Christmas.

But, why wait? It’s great right now and there won’t be any lift lines this week.

Walker will be missed

Maine skiing lost another of its early leaders this week when Bob Walker died after a brief illness with cancer. The announcement mentioned his skiing and that he had been a member of the National Ski Patrol. He was more than just a member of the ski patrol. Walker directed the weekend patrol at Sunday River for many years, and under his leadership the patrol was a solid unit with well-trained strong skiers. He was patrol leader when my patrol career started in 1968, and it was under him that I learned the basics.

A few years later, I succeeded Bob as director of the patrol when he retired from skiing, mostly because of an old ankle injury that resulted in a fusion operation. Following him was easy, because he had set the standards at a high level. All I had to do was make sure we maintained them. I don’t think Bob skied after that operation, but every time I saw him at Channel 8, where he worked during the 1980s, he would always talk skiing. I don’t know all of his skiing history, but he often talked of adventures skiing on Mount Washington, and although he was a lot older, he led us all over the mountain at Sunday River. He skiing was strong and smooth, never changing regardless of conditions.

Bob Walker was a skier and a leader and a key in the development of ski patrolling in Maine. He touched a lot of skiers, though most don’t know it. I’ll be thinking of him the next time I ski at Sunday River.

Dave Irons is a freelance writer who lives in Westbrook.