The World Championship bronze medallist clocked 1min 46.18sec on the Canadian slopes to win the second event of the flagship circuit.

Franz was third in Lake Louise last year and watched on as every other skier in the contest was unable to better his time.

"My skiing is solid at the moment," he said. 

"I had problems with my knee in the past weeks and I wasn't sure if it would work for the race. 

"But after the first training I realised that I could push. 

"Now I feel great and I have good sensations on the snow."

Two Italians claimed the minor medals as Christof Innerhofer recorded 1:46.46 for silver and Dominik Paris 1:46.72 for bronze.

Norway's Olympic champion Axel Lund Svindal was eighth and defending downhill World Cup champion Beat Feuz of Switzerland was sixth.

In women's action, giant slalom was contested in Killington in the United States with Olympic bronze medallist Federica Brignone recording a win for Italy.

She was timed at 1:51.33 after her two runs as Olympic silver medallist Ragnhild Mowinckel clocked in at 1:51.82 for second.

The bronze medal went to Austrian Stephanie Brunner in 1:52.11 as American Mikaela Shiffrin finished fourth to miss out on the medals on home snow.

Shiffrin, the defending overall World Cup champion and twice an Olympic gold medallist, could not make it back-to-back wins on the circuit after a slalom win in Levi in Finland last time out.

She was timed at 1:52.32.

Men's action is due to continue in Lake Louise tomorrow with super-G, while the women will contest slalom in Killington.