The World’s Wildest Slalom Hills

By Published On: November 13th, 2014Comments Off on The World’s Wildest Slalom Hills

Levi, on tap for this weekend, tops our list of disco-dancing destinations

Most Far Out

Men & Women: Levi, Finland
Defending Champions: Marcel Hirscher, Mikaela Shiffrin
Save the Dates: Nov. 15 and 16, 2014

This weekend, the first stop of the slalom season emerges from total darkness — literally. The race in Levi, Finland, takes place so far north (about 170 kilometers above the Arctic Circle) and so close to the winter solstice that racers have only a few hours of daylight. The hill itself is straightforward: a long flat out of the start rolls into a sharp breakover to a steep pitch that gradually flattens out to the finish, causing jam-packed times between first and 30th. Last season saw a first-run time gap of 1.58 seconds between the top finisher and the 30th for men; for women, that gap was 1.69. That means the smallest mistake can be the difference between a top-10 result and missing the cut for a second run. Even so, the winners (who are presented with reindeer) are almost always as expected, with last season’s overall slalom champs — Marcel Hirscher and Mikaela Shiffrin — beginning their winter with a win in Levi. Will we see the same thing again this year? After Hirscher and Shiffrin’s recent, confidence-boosting wins in Soelden in their weaker events, it would be hard to bet against them.

Shiffrin celebrates her win in Levi last year. GEPAShiffrin celebrates her win in Levi last year. GEPA

Hirscher poses with his prize reindeer, Ferdinand. GEPAHirscher poses with his prize reindeer, Ferdinand. GEPA

Biggest Party

Men: Schladming
Women: Zagreb
Defending Champions: Henrik Kristoffersen, Mikaela Shiffrin (2013)
Save the Dates: Zagreb, Jan. 4, 2015; Schladming, Jan. 27, 2015

It’s hard to outdo the party that arrives in Kitzbuehel, Austria, every year the last full week of January, but the Schladming night slalom — two days after the final event of the Kitzbuehel weekend — does just that. The atmosphere in Schladming, a mere two hours from Kitzbuehel, boasts more than 50,000 spectators, many of whom have been filling the streets and bars for hours leading up to the race. A second run that takes place under the lights at 8:45 p.m. escalates the party scene late into the wee hours. An Austrian is almost always in contention, and when he takes the course, it’s impossible to hear (let alone see) the outcome. Last year brought the official arrival of teen sensation Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway, who held off the Austrian challenges of Olympic gold medalist Mario Matt and defending slalom world champion Marcel Hirscher to take his first World Cup win.

The women’s “Snow Queen” race in Zagreb, Croatia, meanwhile, has been a mainstay on the World Cup tour since 2005. That was the heyday of the Croatian Sensation, Janica Kostelic. The race takes place well above the city of Zagreb, but that doesn’t prevent more than 25,000 spectators from finding their way to the finish area, or an additional 50,000 from watching the race live in the main square of Zagreb. In 2006, the raucous crowd — setting off smoke bombs and lighting fires — witnessed one of the most improbable and impressive finishes in World Cup history when Kostelic lost her pole (and glove) out of the start. She proceeded to ski the entire course blocking with her bare hand, and came down winning by 1.9 seconds. The roaring crowd could be heard throughout the city and lasted until the final two racers —who finally overtook Kostelic, ultimately landing her in third, but hardly diminishing her legendary status. Shiffrin is the defending Snow Queen champion from 2013 (2014 was cancelled because of a lack of snow), taking home the biggest purse on the women’s tour at 42,000 euros.

Fans and partygoers line the hill in SchladmingFans and partygoers line the hill in Schladming

Queen Shiffrin takes the 2013 throneQueen Shiffrin takes the 2013 throne

Longest Running

Men: Kitzbuehel (48 slalom races)
Women: Maribor (34 slalom races)
Defending Champions: Felix Neureuther, Tina Maze (2013)
Save the Dates: Kitzbuehel, Jan. 25, 2015; Maribor, Feb. 22, 2015

Kitzbuehel, along with being arguably the most recognizable name on the World Cup tour, also earns the distinction of hosting the most slaloms of any venue — 12 more than runner-up Wengen. Not surprisingly, Austria owns the most wins on the hill with 13, but it is the World Cup king, Ingemar Stenmark, who holds the individual record with five. Neureuther is the defending champion; his second win on the Kitzbuehel track one-ups his dad, Christian, who won the race once, in 1979.

If there is a women’s equivalent, Maribor fills the spot. It has been a mainstay on the women’s World Cup tour since 1970 and has also held 20 more women’s slalom events than the next closest venue, Are, Sweden. Two Americans have won here: Barbara Ann Cochran and Tamara McKinney. Vreni Schneider holds the record for most wins with six. Tina Maze thrilled the home crowd at the last World Cup slalom here in 2013 (it was cancelled last season) when she came away victorious during her record-breaking season.

Neureuther reacts to winning the longest running raceNeureuther reacts to winning the longest running race

 Maze cruises to victory in front of her hometown fansMaze cruises to victory in front of her hometown fans

Fun Facts on the 2014-15 Slalom Hills

The ski runs in Wengen weave in and out of farmland, and the slalom course is no different. It has a hay barn in the middle of the hill that allows the coursesetters to lay out the first and second runs on either side of the barn.

Save the Date: Jan. 18, 2015

Credit: Jessica KelleyCredit: Jessica Kelley

Meribel, the site of World Cup Finals this season, has not hosted a World Cup slalom race since 1994, and has held only eight World Cup races ever. Only one of those was a men’s event: the 1968 competition that saw Jean Claude Killy lead a French podium sweep. Here, during the 1992 Games, Annelise Coberger earned the only medal from ANY Winter Olympics for New Zealand, finishing second.

Save the Dates: March 21 and 22, 2015

No American woman has ever won a World Cup slalom in Aspen, but with Shiffrin on the U.S. Ski Team, fans hope the drought will be ending soon.

Save the Date: Nov. 30, 2014

Can Shiffrin end the Aspen slalom drought for the U.S.? GEPACan Shiffrin end the Aspen slalom drought for the U.S.? GEPA

The 2014 Olympic slalom champion, Mario Matt, won the 2000 slalom held at Madonna Di Campiglio at the age of 21 for his third career World Cup win. Last season, he became the oldest World Cup slalom winner at the age of 34. If he wins at Madonna this season, there will be an incredible 14-year gap between wins on the same hill.

Save the Date: Dec. 22, 2015

Mario Matt celebrates his year 2000 win in Madonna di Campiglio GEPAMario Matt celebrates his year 2000 win in Madonna di Campiglio GEPA

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About the Author: Jessica Kelley

A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Ski Team, Kelley collected three NorAm titles, won GS silver at the 2002 World Junior Championships, and was a member of the 2007 World Championships team during her professional career. She resides in Park City, Utah, with her husband, Adam Cole.