Slalom - Circumstances after 3 races

Joseph L
Dec 13, 2025
3 min read

Mikaela Shiffrin at Copper - 30 November 2025

Mikaela Shiffrin is ruling Slalom. No surprise—she’s in top form, focused upon Tech, totally confident in her signature event. Of six Slalom runs over the three meets, she won both at Levi, finishing 1.66 ahead of 2^nd place; both at Gurgl, to win by 1.23; 1^st and 2^nd at Copper, taking top step by 1.57. Dominance. Odds are against her running the season’s 10-race table…but I’d want a full second handicap every race before laying down modest cash. I’d say only a mistake/DNF keeps her from lower than 2^nd for, maybe, two races. Seven wins are in the bag, I’d reckon. A globe for Slalom second place should be offered. This “competition” is a charade.

Lara Colturi is keeping it interesting. With two seconds and a third, she’s arrived as a SL Big Person. Turned nineteen in November, Lara’s Tech potential is the sport’s greatest since Mikaela’s arc curved up to the stars—commercially as well as athletically. She seems like a cool customer: settled in her trade, confident, well-prepared for the spotlight’s glare. No reason to think she won’t EOS SL 2nd. Their points leads are already significant.

Lara Colturi at Copper

Lena Duerr has 17 WAWC SL podiums, with a win. 6xT5 last season, including 2x2nd. All of her top finishes have come in the last four seasons. She’s really turning it on in her “prime.” I saw her at Copper. She ran 9^th/3d for second place, and had one of the weekend’s biggest smiles. Lena seems low-key, a focused pro—and she radiated joy after torching the finish line. Came through big-time on second run. I so hope she keeps it up for the season. An Olympic medal would be sweet—it’s always nice when a cool vet shows the world audience how sport’s heart beats.

Lena Duerr at Copper

Wendy Holdener is off to a good start, though consistent runs would have her in better stead—eg. 2nd/25^th Copper; 3d/13^th Gurgl. She 38 WAWC SL podiums, with two wins. 6xT5 last season, including 3x2nd. Probably no one over the past decade has played a keener second fiddle to HH and to Petra than Holdener: SL 18x2nd and 16x3d since 2016. She’s EOS podium in Slalom five times, with two seconds. And she finished Overall 2^nd in 2018, running four disciplines! Wendy’s in the WAWC pantheon—perhaps not inner circle like Fede and Lara, but with 306 World Cup starts and Alpine Combined golds at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships, she’s one of the Greats. And one of WAWC’s brightest personalities. Thirty-two, Wendy’s gonna hit it for a couple more seasons, I think/hope.

Paula Moltzan’s well-placed in 5^th, about 100 points behind Colturi. She’s skiing hard, committed and risky. Consistency’s the issue: 19^th/2^nd got her a nice 4^th at Levi; 6^th/4^th for 5^th at Gurgl (consistent!); 12^th/4^th took 8^th at Copper. Paula’s a T5 shoo-in every race with clean runs; podium with her best skiing. Moltzan’s major talent is in bloom, right here right now!

Camille Rast finished a fine third at Gurgl, with 3d- and 11^th- best runs. 18^th and 11^th at Levi and 6^th/15^th at Copper, however, has her 6^th in the SL standings. Last season after three races she had 5^th, 3d, and a win. The season’s young, but almost a third over. Cammy needs to crank up the T4s to get into the game.

Zrinka Ljutic has had a tough Slalom start: 2xDNF and a 6^th for 16^th place in the standings. Straddles at Gurgl (2nd run; turned too tightly) and at Copper (1^st run; off-balance from turn before) show how quickly Slalom can spin from keen rhythm to DNF. She must string 3xpodium to get into T10, and keep up T5 for EOS T4. I know it’s early, but Ljutic’s already behind the Eight Ball, with at least four top competitors besides Her Highness in excellent form.