Mac Marcoux started proceedings by claiming a first World Cup victory since he claimed the gold medal at his home World Championships in Panorama last March.

The 18-year-old visually impaired star, a giant slalom Paralympic gold medallist at Sochi 2014, teamed up with guide and brother BJ after a series of injuries affected their partnership last season.

They finished in 1min 11.58sec, comfortably clear of Italy's Giacomo Bertagnolli, who gained a seventh successive World Cup podium with guide Fabrizio Casal.

Russia’s Ivan Frantsev was third in 1:16.68 along with guide German Agranovskii.

Marcoux's team-mate Kurt Oatway then claimed a second Canadian win of the day in the sitting event, finishing in 1:11.20 to narrowly beat Austria’s World Championships silver medallist Roman Rabl, who clocked 1:11.48, and New Zealand’s world champion Corey Peters, who registered 1:11.54.

European skiers claimed the four other events on offer today, with France's Marie Bochet predictably securing her 52nd World Cup standing victory.

The 22-year-old crossed the line in 1:18.16 on home snow to beat Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss and The Netherlands’ Anna Jochemsen, who finished in 1:20.46 and 1:22.92 respectively.

Belgium’s Eleonor Sana claimed the women's visually impaired event in 1:27.57 by virtue of being the only entrant, while Austria’s Sochi 2014 champion Markus Salcher recorded a first World Cup win of the season in the men's standing class.

He finished in 1:11.70 to beat Australia's Mitchell Gourley in 1:14.25 and Canada's Braydon Luscombe in 1:14.50. 

Germany’s Anna-Lena Forster won the women's sitting event in 1:21.38, beating Japan’s Momoka Muraoka and the United States' Laurie Stephans.

They crossed the line in respective times of 1:21.75 and 1:22.21.

More downhill races are due to take place in Tignes tomorrrow before super-G action on Friday (29 January).