USA’s Seymour Shines in Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup Slalom as Feller Secures Victory

Sunday, February 15th, Austrian Manuel Feller, the leader of the 2024 slalom standings, delivered his fourth victory of the season. Although the warm temperatures and a complex course made it difficult for the last men to be fast he skied brilliantly to overcome France’s Clement Noel and Germany’s Linus Strasser. However, all three men finished on the podium.

“I just want to show that I am the best slalom skier at the moment and that’s what I did today,” Feller said.

“Right now I am just taking every race with joy. I want to show everywhere in the world why I am wearing the red bib at the moment in slalom.

Click on images to enlarge

The height of the second-run excitement began when the four fastest on the morning course began their second runs. The first of that group was Norwegian Timon Haugan. He didn’t disappoint. Although he gave back most of his advantage earned in the morning, he crossed with the lead and took the leaders’ chair with three remaining at the start.

The next to ski was Feller, and he increased his advantage and became the race leader with two more to race. From the finish, he then watched as the second fastest from the morning, Noel, skied brilliantly but crossed the finish ranked second (+0.28) slower than Feller.

“It’s not the perfect race because I have yet to win a race this season, but I know it is not that easy to win a race, and the other guys are really fast, and I have to be a little bit faster. But at the end, it is my third podium in a row, so I can’t complain,” Noel said.

Notably Noel was tied for third in last season’s edition of the Palisades Tahoe event.

It was then both men then knew they would be on the podium. But they watched as the first-run leader, Strasser, delivered his best. However, Strasser’s Sunday best was only good enough for third.

“I would say first run was very good, second run I had, here and there, my problems. I didn’t hit the line perfectly. But overall, if I think about my second run, I had three gates where I nearly went out, so in the end, I am happy with third place,” Strasser said.

The journey to the final four

After the first fifteen racers had skied their second runs, Italian Alex Vinatzer was leading. He still processed that lead when the last ten to ski started their runs. He held off five racers he relinquishing the lead to Sweden’s Kristoffer Jakobsen. Jakobsen kept the lead, while Austria’s Dominik Raschner and Switzerland’s Daniel Yule failed to finish. Finally, Spain’s Tommaso Sala finished but well off the pace. Leaving only six left to ski.

The first of that group was Austrian Fabio Gstrein, and although he skied well, he crossed the finish ranked third fastest. Jakobsen then dispatched Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, who crossed the finish line ranked 4th. That left the four first-run leaders who were within a second of each other in the morning. However, all of those men would deliver brilliance and remain in the top four.

Big second run gains

It is expected to see an exceptional racer who struggled during the first run start early in the afternoon finale. These racers often take advantage of their situation and rocket up the leaderboard. Today, that skier was US-born Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath. He was the fourth skier to run and crossed with a lead. He could hold the lead for the following six racers. After two close calls, McGrath surrendered the leader’s chair to Croatian Samuel Kolega; however, by the end of the race, the Norwegian gained 15 positions during the final run to finish 12th.

Three other men were able to make double-digit gains in the afternoon. Croatian Filip Zubcic gained 12 spots, Vinatzer gained 10, and Zubcic’s teammate Kolega gained 10. The Croatians took advantage of the second run course set by their coach.

Five racers could not finish the second run.

Seymour wins Stifel Bibbo Award

The only Stifel US Ski Team member to ski the second run was Steamboat Springs’ Jett Seymour. Seymour qualified for the second run for only the third time this season. Today, with the loud support of the crowd, he delivered an excellent second run, and although he didn’t cross with the lead, he was only (+0.07) from tying McGrath. However, Seymour gained eight positions during the second run to earn 15th place. He also won the Stifel Bibbo Award for the racers who gained the most positions from their morning start number. He will take home $5000 for his effort.

Seymour confessed, “It was awesome to do so well in front of the American fans. It was incredibly nerve-wracking hearing them all the way from the start all the way to the finish, and I couldn’t be happier being able to deal with the nerves and be able to put down two solid runs that got me the best result of the season. And, of course, I love to do it at sunny Palisades, Tahoe.”

More slalom next Sunday

Transitioning to the next men’s slalom race, mark your calendars for the upcoming event in Aspen on March 3rd. Whether you’re a dedicated fan or a casual observer, the excitement of competitive skiing continues to captivate audiences worldwide. Join us in witnessing the next chapter of exhilarating races as top slalom athletes like Manuel Feller aim to maintain their momentum while challengers like Jett Seymour look to make their mark.

Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup top 30 first run SL results and analysis of the fastest three and Qualified North Americans

Click on images to enlarge

The analysis of the fastest three and Stifel US Ski Team’s Jett Seymour