Australian sliders Emma Lincoln-Smith and Lucy Chaffer have made a solid start to the 2010/2011 Skeleton World Cup season, held in Whistler, Canada, today.

Held on the Olympic course at the Whistler Sliding Centre in temperatures below minus five degrees Celsius, the AIS Scholarship holders finished 10th and 11th in the event after both improved their standings on the second run.

Twenty-four year old Lincoln-Smith was 11th after the first run, but moved into the top 10 after her second pass down the steep Olympic course, while Chaffer, 27, lowered her time by nearly half a second to finish 11th.

The event was the first round of an eight round World Cup, before the World Championships in Germany in February.

The Whistler event was won by German slider Marion Thees. The second round of the World Cup will be held in Calgary, Canada, next week.

Olympic Winter Institute