North American Men Make Slalom Gains, Eye 2026 Olympic Breakthrough
Podium Drought Extends to 25 Seasons
For the 15th consecutive season, no North American man stood on a World Cup slalom podium. The last to do so was U.S. Ski Team’s Nolan Kasper, who finished second in Kranjska Gora on March 6, 2011. Still, the 2024-25 season brought signs that the long-standing drought could soon end.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team: Building a Core for 2026
Ritchie Breaks Through with Career-Best Season
The brightest highlight came from Vermont native Benjamin Ritchie, who delivered a breakout season under new Stifel U.S. Ski Team Slalom Coach Tristan Glasse-Davies. After three years of modest results—scoring 55 points total and never finishing better than 20th in a race—Ritchie surged to 17th in the season standings with 178 points.
He scored in nine of the season’s 12 slaloms, collected five top-15 finishes, and broke into the top 10 three times. His performance at the Stifel Sun Valley World Cup Finals, where he placed seventh, marked both a personal best and a milestone moment. The 24-year-old earned his first Finals start and has begun to fulfill the potential many saw in him as a U16.
Seymour Finds Consistency
Ritchie’s teammate Jett Seymour also achieved a personal best in total points. The Colorado native finished 38th in the standings with 48 points, improving on his previous high of 36 points from the 2023 season. That year, he scored once—securing a career-best seventh in Chamonix. This season, Seymour posted four point-scoring finishes, including a 13th place in Alta Badia, showing improved consistency and reliability in the second run. A former NCAA All-American and 2019 NCAA national slalom champion with the University of Denver Pioneers, Seymour has also earned five Europa Cup slalom podiums, including a victory in 2023. He continues to build a World Cup résumé that reflects his potential.
Winters Rebuilds for Olympic Year
Veteran Luke Winters, who led the U.S. slalom team for four seasons, has not scored World Cup slalom points since the 2022–23 season. That year, he earned 53 points after finishing 21st in the standings the year before with 129 points and a Finals qualification. Determined to return, Winters competed on the Far East Cup circuit this season to rebuild his FIS ranking. His career-best World Cup slalom finish is seventh, and with Glasse-Davies now leading the program, Winters could reemerge as a contender heading into the Olympic season.
Radamus Brings Versatility
Although slalom is his third event, River Radamus again found ways to contribute. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s top giant slalom skier scored four points in a limited slalom schedule, down from 12 points last season. He’s focused on GS and super-G but can qualify for the U.S. Olympic slalom squad if he decides to pursue it.
Canada’s Veteran Leader: Erik Read
Read Reaches 11 Straight Seasons With Points
Canada’s Erik Read once again added to his legacy of consistency. The 33-year-old has now scored World Cup slalom points in 11 consecutive seasons, a rare feat. He finished the season ranked 49th with 10 points. Although he has never qualified for slalom Finals, Read has placed three times in the top 30 in the season standings, most recently in 2023. His seventh-place finish in Kitzbühel in 2017 is his career best, and he’ll likely represent Alpine Canada Alpin in his third Olympic slalom in 2026.
Both the 2024 and 2025 seasons featured 12 Men’s World Cup slalom races.
Podium Drought Remains, But Momentum Builds for 2026
The streak continues: For the 15th straight season, no North American man has reached a World Cup slalom podium. But for the first time in years, real progress suggests a potential breakthrough is coming.
Benjamin Ritchie climbed into the top 20 overall. Jett Seymour renewed his consistency. Luke Winters is rebuilding his path back. River Radamus is always a versatile threat, and Canada’s Erik Read extended his streak of scoring slalom points to 11 straight seasons—a rare mark of longevity.
The men’s slalom foundation is stronger than in recent history. With health, confidence, and execution, North American men may finally be ready to contend again, just in time for the Olympic spotlight in Bormio.
About the Author: Peter Lange
