It was the perfect time to reintroduce himself to the top of the podium with victory in the slalom, with the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships due to open in Courchevel Meribel on Monday (February 6).

Some of the favourites, though, will be hoping they can put their performances down to pre-opening night nerves.

Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and France's Clément Noël both straddled gates during their second runs.

That, combined with Norway's World Cup slalom leader Lucas Braathen missing, due to having had his appendix removed last week, left the field wide open.

It was not only Zenhaeusern who took advantage, as Greece's AJ Ginnis reached his first World Cup podium by finishing second with a bib number of 45.

It was Zenhaeusern’s first World Cup win since December 2020, when he won the slalom at Alta Badia in Italy.

"It's just amazing," the 30-year-old 2018 Olympic silver medallist said.

"And it's even nicer because I had a difficult last season with many injuries - shoulder problem, back problems."

There had been a massive hint that Zenhaeusern was returning to top form when he had finished second at the World Cup race in Schladming last month.

"I fight back step by step from position 25 at the beginning of the season," he said.

"Step by step, and now I'm at the top and it's so beautiful to win a World Cup race here."

Zenhaeusern powered through the course to win by over a second ahead of Ginnis, 23rd after the first run but who used the fastest second run of the field to take the early lead and hold it while the next 20 skiers failed to dislodge him.

"Absolutely unbelievable," said Ginnis, a Greek American skier who has had six knee surgeries.

"I'm 28-years-old, I've had to claw my ass back here so many times and for it to finally go off, just 'Wow'.

"I don't think it's hit me yet. 

"It might take a couple hours, a couple days maybe, to realise what just happened."

It was not only the first time that Ginnis, born in Athens but who was schooled as a teenager in the United States, the land of his father, had reached the podium, but the first time he had finished in the top 10.

A medal was confirmed when Switzerland's Daniel Yule, skiing third last, failed to overtake him.

"The longer I sat there, it really didn't register until Daniel came down four hundredths behind me and then I realised. I was like, 'Oh my God, this is special'," Ginnis said.

Seeking his third win in Chamonix, home favourite Noël led after the first run but could not repeat his victory from Schladming last week, stumbling in the mid-section of the course to throw away his chances and allow a grateful Yule to sneak onto the podium in third.

"Chamonix is maybe not my favourite slope, it's a bit flat for me, but to finally get a podium here, it feels really good," Yule, whose previous best finish in Chamonix was 15th, said.

Even though he was away recuperating in the hope of being fit for the slalom at the World Championships, which is due take place on February 19, Braathen retained his lead at the top of the slalom standings with 430 points, 36 ahead of Yule.

Kristoffersen dropped down to third with 389 points and Zenhaeusern moved to fourth on 327.