Lucas Pinheiro Braathen / Adelboden 2025 / GEPA pictures
Adelboden men’s World Cup slalom start list and program: January pressure peaks on the Chuenisbärgli
Men’s slalom has become the most exciting and volatile discipline of the 2026 World Cup season. Five races have produced five different winners from four countries, while seven nations have already stood on the podium. Even slalom leader 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan owns just one podium, underscoring the depth of the field and the razor-thin margins separating contenders.
With four slaloms remaining before the Olympic break, January represents the defining stretch of the season. Adelboden’s Chuenisbärgli is rarely forgiving, and with momentum shifting race to race, every start carries Olympic weight.
Men’s World Cup slalom podium table — 2025–26 season
| Race | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levi (FIN) | 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen | 🇫🇷 Clément Noël | 🇫🇮 Eduard Hallberg |
| Gurgl (AUT) | 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat | 🇧🇪 Armand Marchant | 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath |
| Val d’Isère (FRA) | 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan | 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard | 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen |
| Alta Badia (ITA) | 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath | 🇫🇷 Clément Noël | 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard |
| Madonna di Campiglio (ITA) | 🇫🇷 Clément Noël | 🇫🇮 Eduard Hallberg | 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat |
Five races. Five winners. No clear hierarchy.
Top five in the season slalom standings (after Madonna di Campiglio)
- 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan — 666
- 🇫🇷 Clément Noël — 635 (−31)
- 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard — 596 (−70)
- 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen — 525 (−141)
- 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath — 515 (−151)
Consistency leads the standings, but dominance has been absent.
Elite seven — first seven bibs on the Adelboden start list
- Bib 1 — 🇨🇭 Tanguy Nef — YOB 1996 — Season SL Rank: 7 — Atomic
Dartmouth College graduate and NCAA All-American. - Bib 2 — 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan — YOB 1996 — Season SL Rank: 1
- Bib 3 — 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath — YOB 2000 — Season SL Rank: 5 — HEAD
- Bib 4 — 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard — YOB 1996 — Season SL Rank: 3
- Bib 5 — 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen — YOB 1994 — Season SL Rank: 4
- Bib 6 — 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen — YOB 2000 — Season SL Rank: 6 — Atomic / Oakley
- Bib 7 — 🇫🇷 Clément Noël — YOB 1997 — Season SL Rank: 2
Stifel U.S. Ski Team: urgency replaces patience
Only two North Americans have scored men’s slalom points this season, and just one of them is on the Adelboden start list. Cooper Puckett is racing NorAms in Canada.
That leaves three Americans facing a critical January.
- Bib 28 — 🇺🇸 Ben Ritchie — YOB 2000 — WCSL Rank: 27 — HEAD
- Bib 46 — 🇺🇸 Jett Seymour — YOB 1998 — Season SL Rank: 47 — Atomic
- Bib 49 — 🇺🇸 Luke Winters — YOB 1997
Ritchie remains the U.S. No. 1 slalom skier. He qualified for the World Cup Finals last season and posted three top-10 finishes in the 2025 season, demonstrating his ability. This winter has been uneven, but with four slaloms remaining before the Olympic break, the opportunity—and the urgency — are clear.
Seymour continues to show speed, qualifying in Alta Badia this season and owning three career top-15 finishes, one of them a top-10. Winters brings experience as a Beijing 2022 Olympian with three career top-10 results, having qualified for the World Cup Finals in 2023.
CAN: experience carries the entire load
Canada enters Adelboden with one starter.
- Bib 63 — 🇨🇦 Erik Read — YOB 1991 — Atomic
Now skiing independently, Read has scored World Cup slalom points in 11 consecutive seasons, recorded nine career top-10 finishes, and competed in two Olympic Games (PyeongChang 2018, Beijing 2022). With a small Canadian men’s quota projected for Bormio, execution matters immediately.
GBR: small team, real threat
Great Britain continues to punch above its weight with a compact, resilient slalom group.
- Bib 17 — 🇬🇧 Dave Ryding — YOB 1986 — Season SL Rank: 21 — HEAD
- Bib 25 — 🇬🇧 Laurie Taylor — YOB 1996 — Season SL Rank: 16 — HEAD
- Bib 32 — 🇬🇧 Billy Major — YOB 1996 — Season SL Rank: 32 — HEAD
- Bib 62 — 🇬🇧 Luca Carrick-Smith — YOB 2005
Taylor and Ryding both sit inside the top 25 of the season standings, while Major has the speed to join them with a breakthrough result. Carrick-Smith continues to gain valuable World Cup experience and remains part of Great Britain’s long-term slalom picture.
Why Adelboden matters
Men’s slalom has offered no safe ground this season. Five winners, seven podium nations, and a discipline leader without dominance have created a January where every run reshapes Olympic narratives. Adelboden does not reward hesitation, and with only four slaloms remaining before the Olympic break, the consequences are immediate.
The start list says it all: there is nowhere left to hide.
Course setters — First run: Simone Deldio (NOR): Second run: Davide Marchetti (ITA)
Men’s Slalom Race
The men’s slalom is set for Sunday, January 11th. Run one begins at 4:30 a.m. ET / 1:30 a.m. PT, followed by run two at 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can tune in at 9:30 for the first run and 12:30 for the second.
How to Watch
- 🇺🇸 United States: Live and replay coverage on Ski and Snowboard Live
- 🇨🇦 Canada: Live streaming on CBC Sports.
- 🇬🇧 Great Britain: Both races air live on Discovery+
Daily Program
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First Run Starlist
About the Author: Peter Lange
