French ski star Alexis Pinturault was taken off the hill by helicopter with an apparent right knee injury after he became one of a series of racers who crashed in a men's World Cup super-G.

Alexis Pinturault sustained right knee injuries in a crash at an Alpine skiing World Cup super-G in Kitzbühel, Austria, on Friday. Pinturault, a three-time Olympic medalist and a three-time world champion,

Marco Odermatt took another step towards a fourth straight overall World Cup with victory in the Kitzbühel super-g on Friday, but more crashes and an injury for Alexis Pinturault underlined safety concerns on the tough piste.

The French alpine team endured a tough day on the Austrian slopes of Kitzbuehel during Friday's World Cup Super-G race after Alexis Pinturault had to be airlifted to hospital following a crash.

Swiss master Marco Odermatt battled down a tough Kitzbuehel course to win Friday's super-G, but world skiing's race director was left with "mixed feelings" after a series of crashes, some serious.

Kitzbuhel's Hahnenkamm course claimed another French skier Friday as Florian Loriot was airlifted after a crashing at the men's super-G race Friday in Austria.