Aicher Leads Levi Slalom as Hoffman Surges From Bib 57

Zrinka Ljutić / GEPA pictures

LEVI, Finland, Nov. 14, 2026 — Germany’s Emma Aicher delivered a commanding opening run in the first women’s World Cup slalom of the 2026-27 season, leading Albania’s Lara Colturi by 0.36 seconds on Levi Black. Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić sits third, while Australia’s Madison Hoffman produced the morning’s standout high-bib performance, climbing into 13th from bib 57.

Aicher, 23, opened the competition wearing bib 1 and set a time of 55.74 seconds. The German four-discipline star, who finished second in last season’s overall World Cup standings, entered Levi with five career slalom podiums but no victories in the discipline.

Colturi, 19, also has five World Cup slalom podiums without a victory. With reigning slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin absent, the two leaders have an opportunity to claim their first World Cup slalom win.

Conditions were excellent on the icy Levi Black course, allowing several athletes starting well outside the top seeds to deliver competitive performances.

Fastest Five After the First Run

• 1st — 🇩🇪 Emma Aicher (bib 1): 55.74 — HEAD
• 2nd — 🇦🇱 Lara Colturi (bib 2): +0.36 — HEAD
• 3rd — 🇭🇷 Zrinka Ljutić (bib 24): +0.88 — Atomic
• 4th — 🇨🇭 Camille Rast (bib 5): +1.02 — HEAD
• 5th — 🇦🇹 Katharina Truppe (bib 3): +1.05 — Völkl

Only Colturi and Ljutić finished within one second of Aicher. Meanwhile, the gap between Aicher and Germany’s Lena Dürr, the 30th-place qualifier, was 2.70 seconds.

Aicher’s Final Sector Makes the Difference

Aicher established the benchmark immediately, but her advantage came primarily through the lower part of the course.

Colturi challenged the German throughout her run and actually gained 0.14 seconds against Aicher through the third sector. However, Aicher’s speed through the final section helped secure her 0.36-second advantage.

Ljutić was particularly impressive. Wearing bib 24, the Croatian trailed Aicher by just 0.28 seconds entering the final sector before losing another 0.60 seconds to finish third.

Rast recorded the fastest third-sector time among the leading five, gaining 0.21 seconds on Aicher. However, the Swiss racer surrendered 0.71 seconds through the final section, leaving her fourth.

Truppe was one-hundredth faster than Aicher in the opening sector but lost 0.65 seconds through Sector 2. She finished fifth, just 0.03 seconds behind Rast.

The sector comparisons show how effectively Aicher carried her speed through the finish.

Ljutić Rediscovers Her Championship Form

Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutić provided one of the first run’s most encouraging performances.

The 2024-25 World Cup slalom champion entered Levi with three career slalom victories and eight podiums. However, she struggled to reproduce her championship-winning form during the 2025-26 season.

Starting with bib 24, Ljutić demonstrated that she remains capable of challenging the world’s best technical racers.

Her third-place performance, 0.88 seconds behind Aicher, puts her firmly in podium contention heading into the second run.

Behind her, Camille Rast brings an equally accomplished slalom record, with three career victories and eight podiums.

Australia’s Madison Hoffman Delivers a Remarkable Performance

Australia’s Madison Hoffman delivered one of the most impressive runs of the morning, charging into 13th place from bib 57.

The 26-year-old former University of Utah racer finished 1.42 seconds behind Aicher, improving 44 positions relative to her starting bib.

Hoffman is a four-time NCAA All-American who won both the women’s giant slalom and slalom national championships in 2023 while competing for the Utes.

Her performance carries additional significance for North American ski racing fans familiar with her collegiate career.

Hoffman previously scored her first World Cup slalom points at Levi in November 2023, finishing 25th. Her latest performance puts her in an excellent position to improve on that result.

The Australian’s run also demonstrated the quality of the racing surface, as later starters continued to challenge athletes with substantially lower bib numbers.

Vlhová Returns to World Cup Slalom

Slovakia’s Petra Vlhová made her long-awaited return to World Cup slalom competition, finishing the first run 14th, 1.44 seconds behind Aicher.

The 22-time World Cup slalom winner had not competed in the discipline since January 2024. She returned to a venue where she has won six times.

Wearing bib 15, Vlhová showed flashes of her familiar speed. She recorded the fastest second-sector time, gaining 0.09 seconds on Aicher.

However, the Slovakian lost 0.99 seconds through the demanding third sector, accounting for most of her deficit.

Although she remains well behind the early leaders, her return to competitive World Cup slalom racing is one of the event’s most significant developments.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team: Hurt Leads the American Qualifiers

Two Americans qualified for the second run, with AJ Hurt leading the Stifel U.S. Ski Team contingent.

Hurt was particularly competitive through the opening two sectors, trailing Aicher by just 0.20 seconds at the second intermediate. However, she lost 1.08 seconds through the third sector, preventing her from challenging for a top-10 position.

American second-run qualifiers:

• 18th — 🇺🇸 AJ Hurt (bib 29, YOB 2000): +1.83 — HEAD.
• 22nd — 🇺🇸 Nina O’Brien (bib 30, YOB 1997): +2.26.

Hurt was the fastest North American in the first run.

For Paula Moltzan, the opening slalom ended in disappointment. The Sölden giant slalom winner started with bib 6 and was only 0.06 seconds behind Aicher through the opening sector.

However, Moltzan got late pressure over a roller, loaded the tails of her skis and lost control, skiing out during Sector 2.

She will have to wait until the next World Cup slalom in Gurgl for another opportunity to score her first slalom points of the season.

Canada: St-Germain Advances to the Second Run

Canada’s Laurence St-Germain, the 2023 world slalom champion, qualified for the second run but struggled to maintain her early speed.

St-Germain matched Aicher’s time through the opening sector before losing substantial time over the remaining three sections.

She surrendered 1.21 seconds through Sector 3 alone and finished 2.49 seconds behind the German leader.

Canadian second-run qualifier:

• 28th — 🇨🇦 Laurence St-Germain (bib 21, YOB 1994): +2.49.

St-Germain enters the afternoon run just two places ahead of the qualification cutoff.

No British racer appeared among the fastest 30 in the provisional first-run classification.

Seven High-Bib Racers Qualify for the Second Run

Seven athletes who started with bib 31 or higher finished among the fastest 30, demonstrating the consistency of the icy racing surface at Levi.

Australia’s Madison Hoffman led the group, finishing 13th from bib 57, while Liechtenstein’s Charlotte Lingg took 16th from bib 56.

High-Bib Qualifiers — Bib 31 and Higher

• 13th — 🇦🇺 AUS — Madison Hoffman (bib 57, YOB 2000): +1.42 | 44 positions gained.
• 16th — 🇱🇮 LIE — Charlotte Lingg (bib 56, YOB 1999): +1.63 | 40 positions gained — HEAD.
• 20th — 🇨🇿 CZE — Martina Dubovská (bib 31, YOB 1992): +1.97 | 11 positions gained.
• 23rd — 🇮🇹 ITA — Beatrice Sola (bib 50, YOB 2003): +2.30 | 27 positions gained.
• 25th — 🇨🇭 SUI — Aline Höpli (bib 41, YOB 2001): +2.35 | 16 positions gained — HEAD.
• Tied 26th — 🇦🇹 AUT — Franziska Gritsch (bib 40, YOB 1997): +2.47 | 14 positions gained — Atomic.
• 29th — 🇦🇹 AUT — Valentina Rings-Wanner (bib 70, YOB 2005): +2.62 | 41 positions gained.

Austria’s Valentina Rings-Wanner qualified from bib 70, the highest starting number among the second-run qualifiers.

Hoffman gained the most positions relative to her starting bib, while Rings-Wanner demonstrated that competitive opportunities remained available even to athletes starting deep in the field.

Second Run: Aicher Chases Her First Slalom Victory

Aicher enters the second run with a 0.36-second advantage over Colturi, while Ljutić trails by 0.88.

All three have compelling storylines. Aicher and Colturi are chasing their first World Cup slalom victories, while Ljutić hopes to return to the podium after a challenging season.

Rast and Truppe remain close enough to challenge for the podium, especially given the tight margins among the racers immediately behind third.

The second run begins at 2 p.m. in Levi, 7 a.m. Eastern, 5 a.m. Mountain and 4 a.m. Pacific. The fastest 30 from the opening run will start in reverse order.

Liski, a Ski Racing Media partner, supplies the race gates for the Levi World Cup slalom.

First Run Top 30 and Ties

click images to enlarge

Run Analysis: Leaders & Qualified North Americans