27th in the international slalom FIS rankings at the start of the 1999/2000 season, Christel Saioni almost became the world leading specialist in that event after an impressive series of top performances. Wearing bib # 20, the charming skier from the southern part of the French Alps perfectly began her 7th World Cup season with an unexpected victory at Copper Mountain where she tied with Slovenia's Spela Pretnar. She fought her until the Finals at Bormio to conquer the World Cup crown , yet she lost it in the very last race in which she only came in 5th. But the 27 year-old Christel, who has only reached two 7th places in her previous World Cup seasons and a 18th in 1997 at the World's at Sestriere, Italy, could nevertheless be pleased by her achievements during that winter. She was three times 2nd and once 3rd . She was the only top-specialist who finished all WC slaloms among the top-10. Her worst result was a 7th place at Serre-Chevalier, France.

Her success at Copper, the first for a French women in slalom since 1993, came quite surprisingly since she injured herself a few weeks before the competition in Colorado.

She had to rest while her teammates were training but gained great momentum in winning a Nor-Am slalom in Breckenridge the week prior to Copper Mountain. She finished 2nd the next day behind Pretnar. Her first success in Breckeridge was an historical one, since she became the first competitor there to celebrate a major victory with the new line of shorter slalom skis built by Salomon.

Saioni tested them at the end of the 1999 season at Are and used them during the entire summer training along her French colleagues. Her astonishing results at Breckenridge convinced most of her rivals to switch on shorter material the day prior to the race at Copper Mountain. In fact almost all the favourites successfully tried the shorter models there.

Married since July 1997 to one of the best GS and Super-G skiers on the men's team, Christophe, who grew up in Nice, Christel Saioni faced some difficult moments in October 1996 when she was involved in a car accident with her future husband. She broke two upper vertebras but came back in time in the first part of the season to become 7th in a slalom at Crans-Montana.

During spring 1997 she injured herself at her left knee and underwent surgery at Lyon. She needed almost two years to find back her best form. In February 1999, she reached again the 18th place in slalom at the World Championships at Vail.

National slalom champion in 1997, she won two other titles in 2000 in GS and slalom. In 1992, she reached silver in slalom in Maribor at the junior World's. In GS, the silver medallist that year was Spela Pretnar. Christel looks forward for the slalom race on the steep slope at St Anton - she was 7th there in January 1999!