Mikaela Shiffrin lost her footing for a second, heading uphill to the start area after a brief nap in a snow bank in between slalom races.
It was the only stumble she would make on Saturday.
Shiffrin added a defence of her world championship title to her Sochi Olympic gold with superb finishing kick in the second leg of the slalom as the three podium finishers played a game of musical chairs with the lead.
"I really had to go for everything," the 19-year-old American ski star said. "Once I found my rhythm I just kept going and going and it got better and better. So I am very thankful."
Shiffrin won on a sun-splashed course in unseasonably warm temperatures of 11 degrees Celsius (51F). Shiffrin said she needed 40 winks, in between the morning and afternoon sessions, because of the heat.
"I am half bear," she joked of her sleeping habits.
Shiffrin said the warm weather affects her skiing so she needed to do something to relax.
"It was so hot today. If it is too cold or too hot it affects my energy," Shiffrin said. "I was just trying to save my energy.
"On race day, I normally take a nap as well but we had so much time between the first and second races I was like 'well I can get an hour nap in and hopefully I don't get too psyched up too soon.'"
Shiffrin was looking for redemption Saturday after finishing a disappointing eighth Thursday in the giant slalom at the Beaver Creek Worlds.
"At some point in your career it just doesn't go the way you want it," she said. "I have been really lucky so far with how well all these big events have gone in the slalom but every time in gs (giant slalom) not as much.
"I truly believe that pressure is what you make it and that if you work hard enough, and you prepare hard enough, no matter how much pressure you feel you can still perform.
"It is not about choking then -- it is about skiing the way you know how to ski. I proved it today."
Shiffrin's muted celebration at the finish area wasn't by design. She said it took every ounce of energy to beat silver medallist Frida Hansdotter of Sweden and Czech Sarka Strachova who took bronze. Both Hansdotter and Strachova grabbed the race lead before Shiffrin skied last.
"I had a ton of energy out there, especially the last third of the course. I put everything I had into making sure every turn was spot on and I came away with the win but I had no energy at the finish."
- Winning feels awkward -
Shiffrin sometimes refers to herself as a "dork" and says winning makes her feel awkward.
She said that she needs to work on perfecting an "epic" finish celebration like Slovenia's Tina Maze who sometimes does a cartwheel after big wins or former Swiss great Didier Cuche who would flip a ski skyward then catch it in mid-air.
"It is always a little bit awkward because I feel like the best racers in history had the most epic finish celebrations," said Shiffrin who was just seven years old when Maze won her first World Cup race.
"Ted's (Ligety) celebration yesterday where he chucked his skis and Lindsey (Vonn) falls on the ground and Maze puts her finger in the air. I always watch these celebrations and I go over it in my mind before the race thinking how cool would it be if I won and then I did something so epic that everybody just starts crying.
"It is a weird thing and I am kind of a dork. I will work on that."
At times Shiffrin sounds like a typical bubbly teen and other times she exudes confidence and maturity.
She finished her post-race interview Saturday by saying that winning a world title with family and friends watching is something she will never take for granted.
"It is really special to win this medal in front of my home crowd and that is why it is going to be close to my heart for the rest of my career."
Source: AFP