The 34-year-old was the first racer to compete and clocked a time of 1 min 40.46sec to secure his fourth downhill victory on the iconic Birds of Prey course.

"When you’re going first you’re not going to get a course report so you really need to be committed," Svindal, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic super-G gold medallist and five-time world champion, was reported as saying by Reuters.

"If you can do that, I think it is an advantage."

World champion Beat Feuz of Switzerland, the winner of the downhill opener in Canadian resort Lake Louise last week, took second place in 1:40.61.

Germany’s Thomas Dressen finished third in 1:40.95 to ensure his maiden World Cup podium.

Action in Beaver Creek is due to conclude tomorrow with a giant slalom event.

Today’s women’s downhill event in Lake Louise saw the United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin win her first race in the discipline at the fourth attempt.

Shiffrin, the reigning Olympic and world champion in slalom, registered an unrivalled time of 1:27.55.

Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg was the runner-up in 1:27.68, while Switzerland's Michelle Gisin finished third in 1:27.72.

Austria's Cornelia Huetter, the winner of yesterday's downhill event ahead of Liechtenstein's Tina Weirather and Shiffrin, came fourth in 1:27.74.

Weirather finished fifth in 1:27.86.

Home favourite Lindsey Vonn, who crashed out of yesterday’s downhill, finished tied for 12^th place with Italy’s Verena Stuffer.

A super-G is scheduled for tomorrow in Lake Louise.