Clément Noël / GEPA picture
Clément Noël skied into an early lead and held it through the first run of the men’s World Cup slalom in Alta Badia on Monday. The result set up a wide-open second run on Gran Risa, with an unusually tight spread through the top 30.
Noël led in 53.30, with Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath close behind in second at +0.09. Swiss star Loïc Meillard sat third at +0.26, followed by Austria’s Fabio Gstrein in fourth (+0.36) and defending Alta Badia slalom champion Timon Haugan in fifth (+0.51).
This was the fourth slalom of the men’s season and the last slalom race before the year’s end, closing the technical stretch before the calendar flips to speed racing.
Noël holds the edge as the top five stay inside a half-second
The race’s strongest win threats still appeared to be among the fastest five, all within half a second of Noël.
In a finish-area interview, Haugan said he is racing with back pain and called Monday a bigger-than-normal challenge, yet he still delivered one of the fastest runs in the field.
A rare first-run compression tightens the fight for the podium
Margins remained compressed across the board. The spread from first to 30th sat at just 1.77 seconds — notably tighter than what Gran Risa often produces, where the top-30 cut more typically drifts beyond two seconds.
The leaderboard also showed how deep the battle runs: 13 skiers were within 1.00 second or less of Noël, keeping a large group in realistic podium contention once the start order reverses.
Noël said he felt he could still be faster in a few sections and expects “a big fight” in the second run. He added that the aggressive, grippy snow demands long, clean turns, and he continues to adapt as those conditions have defined the early season.
North Americans: Seymour breaks through, Ritchie’s frustration continues
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s bright spot came from Jett Seymour, who qualified for the second run for the first time this season. Starting with bib 43, Seymour skied into 20th in 54.69, +1.39, tied on time with Britain’s Dave Ryding. It was a big moment for Seymour after three races of early-season frustration, and his second-run start position gives him a real chance to move up.
With one DNF and one disqualification among the first 30 starters, the U.S. team’s other major storyline went the other direction. Ben Ritchie straddled in the early gates and did not finish, accounting for the lone DNF in an otherwise stable first run. Austria’s Johannes Strolz recorded the lone disqualification among the opening group.
Canada’s lone independent entry, Erik Read, also did not finish.
Great Britain: Ryding safely in, Taylor survives in 27th
Great Britain will send two skiers into the second run. Dave Ryding sat 20th in 54.69 (+1.39), while Laurie Taylor held 27th in 54.99 (+1.69) — both positioned well for early second-run starts and a chance to move up the leaderboard.
High-bib impact: six skiers inside the top 30 from bib 31+
The top 30 largely stabilized late in the first run, but several high bibs still forced their way into second-run positions. The fastest finisher among bibs 31+ was Oscar Andreas Sandvik (bib 31), while the highest bib inside the top 30 was Jesper Pohjolainen (bib 50).
- Bib 31 — Oscar Andreas Sandvik (NOR) — 16th, 54.53, +1.23 (fastest bib 31+)
- Bib 43 — Jett Seymour (USA) — 20th, 54.69, +1.39
- Bib 50 — Jesper Pohjolainen (FIN) — 22nd, 54.71, +1.41 (highest bib to qualify)
- Bib 47 — Matthias Iten (SUI) — 23rd, 54.73, +1.43
- Bib 35 — Sebastian Holzmann (GER) — 25th, 54.90, +1.60
- Bib 46 — Joshua Sturm (AUT) — 30th, 55.07, +1.77
The second run will flip the start order, putting the pressure on early and building toward the final racers at the end — and with the first run this tight, the fight for the podium should stay alive until the last skier launches out of the gate.
First Run top thirty results
Click images to enlarge
Run Analysis of the fastest three, North American and British Qualifiers
About the Author: Peter Lange
