Switzerland’s Loic Meillard Secures First World Cup Slalom Win at Aspen Winternational

Stifel Aspen Winternational SL podium GEPA pictures/ Greg M. Cooper

Switzerland’s Loic Meillard wins his first career World Cup Slalom at the March 3rd Stifel Aspen Winternational. He adds a slalom victory to his two Aspen 2nd place GS finishes to earn his third consecutive podium. With his slalom victory, the Swiss ski team won all three Aspen World Cups. Meillard has skied with fantastic balance and precision and leaves Colorado with the confidence of a winner.

“Definitely very bumpy, very difficult, but it was a race to fight. I’m more than happy – it has been a long weekend, but very happy how it went and can’t dream of anything better,” Meillard said.

“It takes energy, it takes focus, and definitely today was a long slalom race – difficult to ski, and that makes it even harder as you have to go deep within your body,” he added. “It definitely took some time in slalom – was always there, but never quite on top, so it was amazing to finally do it today. Just hard work and a good team around me. At the beginning of the season, there was the same skiing as now, very light, very easy, very fast, and then I lost all my confidence in two races, but now I guess that it is back.”

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Germany’s Linus Strasser moves up four spots during the afternoon run to finish 2nd and barely keeps his 2024 World Cup slalom title dream alive.

“I think the course was pretty much like the first run, just a bit more speed and more fluid, so I watched some guys and applied that and I think it worked out pretty well,” Strasser said.

“I was just afraid of the wind this morning because snowfall and wind are a bad combination, but the wind wasn’t there, so it wasn’t a problem,”

Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen finished third, and although he has stood on 52 World Cup slalom podiums, it was his first of the 2024 season.

“Of course, I wanted to win myself, but when I don’t win, it’s good to see a guy like Loic and a skier like Loic win – his first slalom win; he’s been fast for many years,” Kristoffersen said.

The events leading to the podium.

The first of the final five to ski was Britain’s Dave Ryding, who skied well during the first run but could not match the speed of the men before him and crossed into 5th. Then, the 22-year-old Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen crossed well off the pace. That left Strasser in the lead. Next was Steen Olsen’s teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, who finished just behind Strasser in second. Strasser then knew he had earned a podium. However, the next to ski was Switzerland’s Loic Meillard. Meillard crossed the finish with a massive (0.89) lead. At the start, there was only the first-run leader, French Olympic Champion Clement Noel. However, when Noel straddled, Kristoffersen knew he had earned his season’s first slalom podium and Meillard realized he had won his first slalom.

Notably the season slalom title leader Austrian Manuel Feller, who pulled out of the first giant slalom run of the week due to back pain, was able to will himself to 5th place. With just two slaloms remaining in the season, his lead over second-place Strasser is 169 points.

The second run course was much faster and more forgiving than the first. The early lead was hard to earn because many top Slalom skiers were starting early. After the first ten had completed their runs, bib eight Italian Alex Vinatzer held the lead.

Vinatzer held the lead for six racers until Spain’s Juan Del Campo took the leader’s chair but for only one racer as Britain’s Laurie Taylor skied to a massive (1.11) lead. However, Norwegian Timon Haugan beat him immediately after his run by (0.08). Haugan held the lead for the next four racers when Austrian Olympic slalom medalist Johannes Strolz took the lead. With only ten left at the start, Strolz still had the lead and kept it with only six skiers remaining, but Strasser was the next to racer. Strolz gained nine positions during the afternoon run and finished 4th. After a consistent year of slalom, it was his first top-ten of the season.

North Americans

Ben Ritchie was the first Stifel US Ski Team member to ski the second run. He was the second racer to attack the course. He skied well but continued to search for his top speed. However, he skied smoothly and crossed the finish to score points for the third time this season. Ritchie finished 27th place and added four World Cup points to his season total.

The next Stifel US Ski Team was Luke Winters. Winters is the most successful current US male slalom skier but has struggled recently to find his best skiing. Today, he qualified for the first time this season. Unfortunately for Winters, the second run outcome was a did not finish (DNF). He will continue his search for points in Kransjska Gora next Sunday.

The last Stifel US Ski Team member to ski was the US season leader Colorado native Jett Seymour. Seymour has one speed, and that speed is at the limit. He skied well and threatened to take the lead when he got into trouble and lost all his momentum in the fourth timing sector. However, he fought to finish but was well off the pace, ending the day in 25th, but scored for the third time this season and added six World Cup points to his total.

Significant gains during the second run

Norway’s Timon Haugan executed the most significant gain during the second run. After struggling during the first run, he gained 12 positions in the afternoon to finish 6th. Britain’s Laurie Taylor was the other double-digit gainer. He moved up eleven positions to finish a career-best 8th and earned his first top ten. Taylor also won the second run and the Stifel Bibbo award with its $5000 cash prize.

As the excitement from the Stifel Aspen Winternational settles, anticipation builds for the final regular season slalom set to unfold next weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on March 10th. With the stage set for another thrilling competition, fans prepare to witness the culmination of an exhilarating regular slalom season, with athletes poised to showcase their skills and determination one last time before the Saalbach finals.

Stifel Aspen Winternational SL results and analysis of the fastest three and Stifel US Ski Team skiers

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The analysis of the fastest three and Stifel US Ski Team skiers