Albert Popov / 2025 Madonna di Campiglio Winner / GEPA pictures
The men’s World Cup slalom season arrives in Madonna di Campiglio on Wednesday night with momentum, uncertainty, and pressure all converging at one of the sport’s most iconic venues. With five slaloms remaining before the Olympic break, January will shape Olympic qualification, Olympic seeding, and much of the World Cup Finals field in Norway.
Four races into the season, men’s slalom has delivered exactly what fans expect — unpredictability. Four different winners from three countries, six nations on the podium, and no dominant force. The season leader owns just one podium, while only three skiers have reached the podium twice. Every race has produced surprise performers, and Madonna di Campiglio’s challenging, injected night surface rarely calms the chaos.
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 |
Season standings: Men’s slalom top five
Consistency has been rewarded, but not dominance. The top five remain tightly packed with multiple contenders still searching for their first clean night race.
- 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan (1996) — 245 points
- 🇫🇷 Clément Noël (1997) — 182 points
- 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat (1998) — 180 points · HEAD
- 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (2000) — 171 points · Atomic · Oakley
- 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath (2000) — 160 points · HEAD
Alta Badia reinforced the depth, not separation. With five January races still to come, nothing is locked in.
Elite first seed: Top 7 WCSL starters
The first start group brings together the season’s most consistent performers, but even this group has been anything but predictable.
- Bib 1 · 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan (1996) — 245 points
- Bib 2 · 🇮🇹 Fabio Gstrein (1997) — 0 points
- Bib 3 · 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (2000) — 171 points · Atomic · Oakley
- Bib 4 · 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath (2000) — 160 points · HEAD
- Bib 5 · 🇳🇴 Henrik Kristoffersen (1994) — 0 points
- Bib 6 · 🇫🇷 Clément Noël (1997) — 182 points
- Bib 7 · 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard (1996) — 158 points
Kristoffersen enters without a podium this season, while Haugan leads the discipline despite owning just one podium finish — a perfect snapshot of how tight the margins have been.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team: January opportunity arrives
After a strong 2025 season that included Benjamin Ritchie qualifying for the World Cup Finals and Jett Seymour delivering a career-best points total, the U.S. men’s slalom group has opened this season slowly.
Only seven World Cup slalom points have been scored so far — by two athletes — but January provides enough starts to reset the narrative.
- Bib 26 · 🇺🇸 Benjamin Ritchie (2000) — 0 points
- Bib 44 · 🇺🇸 Jett Seymour (2003) — 2 points · Atomic
- Bib 47 · 🇺🇸 Luke Winters (1997) — 0 points
The upside remains clear. Ritchie has yet to finish a race this season, but few skiers in the field possess a higher ceiling when conditions align.
Canada: Veteran presence under pressure
Canada’s slalom representation rests with a proven veteran.
- Bib 62 · 🇨🇦 Erik Read (1991) — 0 slalom points · Atomic
Read has scored World Cup points in each of the last 11 seasons, though he has yet to do so in slalom this winter. He has already scored in giant slalom this season, and Madonna di Campiglio offers a familiar stage to extend that long-running slalom streak.
Great Britain: The deepest non-traditional slalom team
Great Britain continues to field the strongest slalom group outside the traditional powers, with depth across the start list and multiple second-run threats.
- Bib 25 · 🇬🇧 Laurie Taylor (1996) — 85 points · HEAD
- Bib 8 · 🇬🇧 Dave Ryding (1986) — 58 points · HEAD
- Bib 30 · 🇬🇧 Billy Major (1994) — 25 points · HEAD
- Bib 61 · 🇬🇧 Luca Carrick-Smith (2005) — 0 points
Taylor remains firmly in the second-run mix, while Ryding’s experience on injected night surfaces continues to make him a threat regardless of bib.
Why Madonna di Campiglio matters
Madonna di Campiglio is more than a night race. It is a January checkpoint in an Olympic season, where athletes either stabilize their campaigns or begin chasing points under pressure. With Olympic qualification, seeding, and World Cup Finals positions all on the line, this race represents an early verdict — not on champions, but on who still controls their season.
Course setters — First run: Thomas Maitre (FRA) Second run: Robert Füss (AUT)
Men’s GS Race
The men’s slalom is set for Sunday, Dec. 14. Run one begins at 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT, followed by run two at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12:00 p.m. PT. Fans in Great Britain can tune in at 17:00 for the first run and 20:00 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
Click on the image to download
First Run Starlist Men’s GS
About the Author: Peter Lange
