American Lindsey Vonn begins her quest for a third successive overall World Cup crown in Soelden on Saturday eager to quickly hit form with the Vancouver Olympics looming on the horizon.

The Austrian resort and its Rettenach glacier have hosted the World Cup curtain-raiser for the last decade and crowned some of the best giant slalom specialists of their generation.

Victory in the discipline has so far eluded Vonn, with a fourth-place finish in Aspen last year her best effort.

"Soelden is on the list of goals for this season but I do have a pretty long list," Vonn, who won gold in the downhill and super-G at the world championships in February, told reporters.

"I'm feeling better than ever on my giant slalom skis. I still have some more testing to do to get everything right but I'm ready," added the American, who bids to become only the third woman to win three back-to-back World Cup crowns.

Winner of nine World Cup races in four different events last season, the 25-year-old Vonn is desperate to make up for her 2006 Turin Olympics disappointment when she failed to win a medal.

"Vancouver is an important highlight of the season but I need to win races beforehand to be fully confident," she said of the winter Olympics in February.

"Any medal will be fine but a gold would be perfect."

Austrian Kathrin Zettel, the most consistent giant slalom skier last season, and compatriot Nicole Hosp are the top local hopes for Saturday's giant slalom while Italy's Manuela Moelgg, Slovenia's Tina Maze and Finn Tanja Poutiainen are expected to be leading challengers.

American Bode Miller, a winner in Soelden in 2003 and 2004, will not compete in the men's giant slalom on Sunday.

Miller is set to return to competition on home snow in November, leaving World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindal as the man to beat.

The Norwegian, who claimed back the overall crystal globe despite a year off the skis after a bad crash, faces a tough challenge from the men who should be his main rivals the whole season through.

Local hero Benjamin Raich will be competing in his 300th World Cup race but has yet to win in Soelden. Swiss Didier Cuche, Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Grange and American Ted Ligety are the other skiers to watch.

The season starts without Austria's Hermann Maier, a three-times winner in Soelden, who bid farewell to competitive skiing last week.

Last year's winner Daniel Albrecht is also missing. The Swiss has not fully recovered yet from the crash which ruined his season last winter.

(Editing by Justin Palmer)