BORMIO, Italy (AFP) - Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal said he was excited about his comeback to the World Cup ski circuit next season - once he regains full fitness after his horror crash last November.

Svindal was the defending overall World Cup champion this season, won here for a second time by American Bode Miller, but his defence of the title hit the skids before it really got going.

The 25-year-old suffered serious injuries including a double nose fracture, a broken cheekbone and a deep cut to his left buttock following a downhill training crash in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

He only started training again late January, but he was in high spirits as he made an appearance at the World Cup finals here Friday, when the US ski team added further silverware to their growing World Cup collection.

Aiming to start the season with the traditional leg at Solden, Austria in October, he said he hoped he would be giving Miller and Austrian all-rounder Benjamin Raich a "run for their money".

"I'm excited about coming back and giving Bode and Benni a run for their money," said Svindal, who admitted it was a joy to have put back on 10kg of muscle after losing 15kg following his accident.

"I'm hoping my first competitive race will be at Solden, although I'll be doing time trials and tests before then."

Svindal, who also dominated the men's competition at the world championships in February 2007 with title in the downhill and giant slalom, said he has been working hard to get back to full fitness.

"I've been doing a lot of gym work, mostly with weights and squats. Right now I'm pushing between 100 and 120 kg (in squats) but I'm doing a lot of repetition (as opposed to strength) work," he told AFP.

"When you're a skier you always end the season less fitter than when you started it. Right now, I would say I'm about as fit as I would be had I just finished the season.

"My rehabilitation began pretty slowly, but it has really speeded up lately. I'm pretty happy with the way things are going."