Featured Image: Clément Noël. Credit: GEPA
The competitors made their way back for the second run of the slalom event on the Chuenisbärgli slope in Adelboden, Switzerland. As the fog persisted between the two runs, the athletes were once again challenged by less than ideal conditions.
Nevertheless, the athletes did not hold back, and the enthusiastic Swiss crowd remained to support them with vibrant energy.
Manuel Feller from Austria led after the initial run; however, the second run concluded with an unexpected turn of events as Feller did not finish in the final part of the course.
French athlete Clément Noël clinched the victory by just -0.02. This marked his third triumphant performance of the 2025 season.
Noël stated, “This is crazy. Adelboden has always been a little bit of a struggle for me. I had my first podium here in 2019, but since then it has been really difficult for me, so I am really happy to win here.”
He spoke to the electric crowd, “It is a huge atmosphere.” “Adelboden is really something,” he explianed.
Noël is awarded the famous Swiss cowbell for winning in Adelboden, which is large. However, he assured the crowd, “I think we can find a place; there is not a worry about that.”
Noël now moves into second in the slalom World Cup standings.
Podium
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, racing for Brazil, executed the pitch with incredible technique and was able to secure his first slalom podium of the season.
Dancing through the final gates, he reached across the finish line to steal the win from Kristoffersen, who had taken over the leader’s chair.
2023 was the last time that Braathen raced slalom in Adelboden, and he finished victoriously. He was striving for his first victory of his returning season but missed it by a mere +0.02.
Rounding out the podium was the Norwegian, Henrik Kristoffersen. He kicked out of the start gate of the second run, igniting through the first part of the course. He continued to attack the steep pitch and skied with confidence through the final gates.
With his energy second run, it was prominent that he was aiming to take back the lead on the World Cup slalom standings and was able to do so with his 3rd-place result. He now wears the Cup standings leader bib for slalom with 375 points.
North Americans
After the first run, Ben Ritchie of the Stifel US Ski Team barely punched into the top 30 (+3.02). Tying with Tormis Laine for 30th, an Estonian competing for the Global Racing Team, the two athletes needed to take advantage of the clean track.
Ritchie skied a solid second run, unveiling strong tactical skiing on the steep pitch. He concluded the day in 21st place. This was his second top-30 result in Adelboden and his tenth in slalom.
His teammate, Jett Seymour, was the only other North American to qualify for the second run. The 26-year-old attacked through the foggy conditions and remained composed on the pitch. He finished the day in 17th place.
This marks Seymour’s fifth time competing in a World Cup slalom in Adelboden, but this is his first time achieving a result on the hill.
Loïc Meillard’s DNF
The local favorite, Loïc Meillard, unfortunately did not complete the first run due to a straddle. Prior to the event in Adelboden, Meillard held a mere 10-point lead over Henrik Kristoffersen in the slalom World Cup standings, which added to the pressure of the competition. Following his DNF result, Kristoffersen assumed the leader bib and Meillard fell back to third. However, Meillard still has five additional slalom races scheduled before the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley.
Tanguy Nef Shines for the Swiss
Tanguy Nef of Switzerland shined for the team on home snow. The 28-year-old finished in 8th place, which was the top Swiss performance of the event. This result marked his second top-10 of the 2025 season in the discipline.
Albert Popov
Albert Popov of Bulgaria achieved his first victory this week in Madonna di Campiglio. He stated, “This victory is a dream come true.”
Coming into the slalom today, he was hoping to take that momentum and achieve another top result. Unfortunately, with large mistakes in both runs, Popov was unable to achieve another podium result. He concluded the day in 16th position.
Other Highlights
Austrian Marco Schwarz, who has been making a comeback from injury this season, achieved his first slalom result of the 2025 season. He concluded the day in 25th place.
Victor Muffat-Jeandet of France was the highest bib number to enter the second run, wearing bib 40. With a strong second run, he earned himself an 11th-place result, +1.86 off of his teammate’s lead. This marked his top result this season.
Top 30 Race Results
Top Three Analysis
North American Analysis
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
