Berthod finished in 2 minutes, 27.56 seconds, more than half a second ahead of teammate Daniel Albrecht. Hannes Reichelt of Austria took third, 0.58 behind Berthod, on the technically demanding Kuonisbaergli course.

Difficult conditions during the first run caused dozens of racers to lose their footing. Ligety managed to walk off nearly unscathed despite performing a back flip early in the first leg and sliding into the restraining fence.

"My head is a little bit raw, but otherwise I'm OK. That first pitch is what got me there, it's what got Bode, it's what got a lot of them," said Ligety, who had an abrasion on his right cheek thanks to a soft layer of snow that formed because of warm conditions.

Miller, who won his first World Cup event of the season last month in the downhill, tried to continue after missing a gate in the first run but gave up when he went out a second time moments later.

The only American to finish was Jimmy Cochran, who was 17th in 2:29.31.

"I think I held back a little too much, but I'm psyched just to finish," Cochran said.

Berthod attributed his victory to good preparation and a record home crowd of 23,000.

"The weaker your legs get, the more you rely on the support of the crowd to give you energy," he said. "They were a great help. The first run was quite difficult. I think we benefited from having trained here, and we knew the terrain a little better."

The Swiss were denied a top three sweep when Didier Cuche, who was second in the first leg, slowed his run at the end and finished 12th.

Stephan Goergl of Austria, who led after the first leg, skied cautiously because of the difficult snow conditions and finished 19th in a field of 30.

The red bib for the overall lead in the giant slalom now passes from Ligety to Albrecht, who won the giant slalom and the super-combined events in Beaver Creek, Colo.