Schaffelhuber, the winner all five Paralympic titles at Sochi 2014, had the fastest first run, 58.49sec, and it proved to be enough to give her the victory despite finishing runner-up on her second.

Her overall time of 2:00.46sec condemned fellow German skier Anna-Lena Forster to the silver medal position, where she finished Sochi 2014, in 2:01.04.

Japan’s Momoka Muraoka rounded out the podium in 2:17.37.  

Today’s competition also saw the return of Slovakia’s five-time Paralympic champion Henrieta Farkasova in the women’s visually impaired, as well as the continued improvement of Canadian youngster Alana Ramsay in the women’s standing.

Farkasova, with her guide Natalia Subrtova, led both runs in her first World Para-Alpine Skiing event since winning three medals, including two golds, at Sochi 2014 and triumphed in 2:00.97.

She beat Great Britain’s Millie Knight and guide Brett Wild, bronze medallists at the 2015 World Championships, who clocked 2:03.85 and Australia’s Melissa Perrine guided by Andrew Bor who clocked 2:04.24.

Ramsay, who turns 22 later this month and finished third overall in last season's World Cup, had an impressive first run of 1:00.09 to help her beat Germany’s Andrew Rothfuss with an overall time of 2:02.54.

Rothfuss came home in 2:03.48, with Slovakia’s Petra Smarzova third in 2:05.11.

In the men’s visually impaired, Slovakia’s Miroslav Haraus built on his three victories from the recent Europa Cup in Pitztal in Austria to win in 1:46.17.

The 2015 World Championships silver medallist, with his guide Maros Hudik, defeated Italy’s Giacomo Bertagnolli and guide Fabrizio Casal, second in 1:46.81.

Slovakia once again ensured a podium spot with a third-place finish from Jakub Krako and guide Branislav Brozman in 1:47.55.

The men’s standing saw Austria’s Thomas Grochar win both his runs for the victory in 1:44.23.

Finland’s Santeri Kiiveri was second in 1:45.81, followed by the United States’ Thomas Walsh in 1:46.93.   

Poland’s Igor Sikorski also secured his maiden podium finish of the season, taking first place in the men’s sitting in 1:48.47.

Japan’s Taiki Morii was second in 1:49.12, while The Netherlands’ Jeroen Kampschreur completed the top three in 1:49.92.

Competition is due to continue tomorrow and Saturday (December 17) with giant slalom races.

The World Cup is then set to move to St. Moritz in Switzerland from December 19 to 22.

More than 100 athletes from nearly 25 countries are racing across both editions.

They will be looking to prove their form in the build-up to the 2017 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Tarvisio in Italy, where action is scheduled to take place from January 22 to 31.