Austrian Marcel Hirscher is set to begin his attempt at extending his record of consecutive Alpine Skiing World Cup overall titles to eight ©Getty Images

Austrian Marcel Hirscher is set to begin his attempt at extending his record of consecutive Alpine Skiing World Cup overall titles to eight at the traditional curtain-raiser in Sölden this weekend.

Hirscher, who has won an unprecedented seven crystal globes in a row, will be out to make the best possible start when the men's giant slalom event takes place on Sunday (October 28).

The 29-year-old retains his favourite tag coming into the new season after he won the combined and giant slalom gold medals at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang in February.

He is expected to face a serious challenge from Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway in the technical events, while Switzerland's Beat Feuz, Olympic super-G champion Matthias Mayer and Pyeongchang 2018 downhill gold medallist Aksel Lund Svindal will be among the contenders in the speed events.

Hirscher won the overall title last year ahead of Kristoffersen, who will be out to exact revenge this time around.

The season officially begins with the women's giant slalom competition tomorrow, featuring American star Mikaela Shiffrin, the reigning overall World Cup champion and Olympic giant slalom gold medallist.

Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States will aim to continue her dominance of the technical events ©Getty Images
Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States will aim to continue her dominance of the technical events ©Getty Images

Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg and Tessa Worley of France will aim to end Shiffrin's dominance of the technical events.

Shiffrin's compatriot Lindsey Vonn, who will retire at the end of the season, is chasing a record of her own as she continues her pursuit of the highest number of victories on the circuit.

Vonn currently has 82 wins to her name, four shy of the all-time record set by Swedish legend Ingemark Stenmark.

The event in Sölden is expected to take place as planned following a positive snow control.

The corresponding men's giant slalom competition in the Austrian resort was cancelled last year owing to strong winds.

"With the turn of the calendar to October and the clocks adjusted to winter time, along with the conclusion of the Southern Hemisphere season and the autumn chill in the air, it can only mean that it is time for us to turn our attention to the start of the World Cup seasons," said International Ski Federation (FIS) President Gian-Franco Kasper.

"This week, the focus of the entire winter sports family will be on Sölden for the traditional opening of the FIS Alpine World Cup, where the first two races will be staged along with dozens of press conferences, officially ushering in the winter season."