Featured Image: Manuel Feller racing in Adelboden. Credit: GEPA
The men’s World Cup slalom in Adelboden marks the sixth slalom of the season, so the heat is on for the field to gain critical World Cup points.
Due to the weather moving in, the FIS made the decision early to run the slalom first, which turned out to be a solid switch as the weather did move in with fog, mist, and snow.
The men had to fight through the challenging conditions, and the track continued to deteriorate for the later athlete.
Austrian Manuel Feller kicked out of the start wearing bib 3 and took advantage of the early track conditions. He executed the fastest first run (-0.25), skiing aggressively from the start and tactically smart on the steep, challenging pitch.
Feller was the 2024 slalom globe winner, and last year he won on this legendary Chuenisbärgli slope. However, he has been struggling to finish runs this season, failing to finish half of the races thus far.
Nevertheless, he has set himself up for a victorious day if he throws down a solid second run.
The Top 3 Heading into the Second Run
Linus Strasser of Germany was the first to kick out of the start. He has had success on this hill, claiming the podium three times in the past (2021, 2022, and 2023).
Strasser also gained some confidence back after his 6th place in Madonna Di Campiglio this week, as he failed to score points in the previous three races. He heads into the second run +0.25 behind Feller.
Clément Noël from France commenced the season with two victories; however, he was unable to participate in the third slalom event in Val d’Isère due to an injury. He returned to competition in Alta Badia, achieving a 6th-place finish, but unfortunately did not complete the race this week in Madonna.
In his initial run, Noël demonstrated both strength and strategic poise, finishing with a top-3 time, +0.38 seconds behind Feller.
Major DNFs in the Top 15
Today, the enthusiastic home crowd eagerly awaited a successful performance from Loïc Meillard. Meillard currently holds the top position in the World Cup slalom standings, having secured a podium finish in each of his last three World Cup races.
The eagerness to impress the crowd and shine in front of the Swiss men’s slalom team might have gotten in the way of success. Meillard came onto the steep pitch and got caught up on the gate, which caused him to straddle and not finish.
Meillard wrote on social media, “Straddling in front of that crowd is painful. Let’s go for it again tomorrow.”
Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath has had three podiums this season and currently ranks 4th in the slalom World Cup standings. Unfortunately, he was unveiling a fast run before he leaned in on the beginning of the pitch and could not finish.
Samuel Kolega of Croatia achieved a podium result this week in Madonna, which moved him into the top 5 of the World Cup slalom standings. This gave him confidence coming into today, but he ran into the same issue as Atle Lie Mcgrath and did not finish.
North Americans
The North Americans had a challenging time battling the conditions of the track, with only two athletes out of seven athletes qualifying for the second run.
The Stifel US Ski Team athletes Jett Seymour and Benjamin Ritchie will be the two to advance. Jett Seymour will have a better starting position for the second run, achieving 27th place in the first (+2.91). Benjamin Ritchie will join him and run first on the second run (+3.02).
Unfortunately, Erik Read of Alpine Canada Alpin just missed the top 30, finishing the first run in 32nd place.
His teammate Liam Wallace returned to the World Cup stage after a significant, life-threatening injury last season. Although the athlete skied out, his return is a great highlight for the Canadian men’s team.
Other Highlights
After a skillful run, Norwegian Timon Haugan is knocking on a podium result, merely +0.11 off of 3rd place. He earned his second victory of his slalom career this season in Alta Badia, so he has the ability to challenge Feller on this second run.
Lucas Pinheiro Bratheen skied strongly and skillfully. He was ahead in the first two intervals and chose the high line on the pitch. With the deteriorating track, this was a smart move for the Brazilian, and he moved into 5th place, +0.53 behind Feller.
Top 30 Race Results
Top Three Analysis
North American Analysis
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
