The men's slalom in the 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup consisted of twelve events, including the discipline final. The discipline opened the season in Levi, Finland, the first time that the men have raced there since before the pandemic (November 2019). Interestingly, with the return from retirement of Marcel Hirscher and Lucas Braathen, all of the discipline champions for the past 12 years are competing: Hirscher (6 discipline titles: 2013-15, 2017–19), Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway (3 titles: 2016, 2020, 2022), Marco Schwarz of Austria (1 title, 2021, but who did not return from an injury suffered in September until mid-December), Braathen (1 title, 2023), and defending champion Manuel Feller of Austria (1 title, 2024). Kristoffersen proved to be the only former champion in the mix for the season championship, and he held on through finals to claim the crystal globe for the discipline over Switzerland's Loïc Meillard.
The season was interrupted for the Alpine Skiing World Championships, this time in Saalbach, Austria during 4–16 February 2025. The championship in men's slalom was as the last skiing event of the championships, on Sunday, 16 February; Meillard finished a great run of success for the Swiss with a victory, his second gold and third medal of the championships . . . and the first win by a Swiss man in the slalom at the world championships since 1950.
Season summary In the opener at Levi, 2022 Olympic slalom gold medalist Clément Noël of France defeated all of the former champions for only his second victory on the World Cup circuit since the Olympics, chased most closely by Kristofferson, who posted the fastest second run. Noël then followed up that victory one week later at Gurgl, Austria, when he took a commanding lead after the first run and maintained the edge for his second straight win, with Kristoffersen the best placed of the former champions in sixth. Noël missed the next race due to injury, however, as did Hirscher (who suffered a season-ending injury, stopping his comeback), and after an almost two-year victory drought, Kristoffersen won the next slalom in Val d'Isére (France) to take over the lead in the discipline. The next race was the last of four straight races (one in each discipline) in northern Italy prior to Christmas, and Norway's Timon Haugan won in dominating fashion, with his teammate Kristoffersen (fourth) retaining the discipline lead.
In the first slalom in 2025, a night slalom held in Italy, Albert Popov of Bulgaria posted the top time in the second run and rose from eighth after the first run to record Bulgaria's second-ever World Cup victory (the first was also a slalom, exactly 45 years earlier (8 January 1980) by Petar Popangelov); meanwhile, Loïc Meillard of Switzerland was runner-up for the second consecutive slalom and edged Kristoffersen for the season lead. However, when Meillard failed to finish the first run in the next race at Adelboden (Switzerland), Noël's third victory of the season and Kristoffersen's podium finish (third) moved both of them ahead of him. In the last race before the world championships, a night slalom at Schlamding, Austria, Haugan came from second after the first run to pick up his second win of the season, and once again his countryman Kristoffersen took over the discipline lead in a race that he won.
At the world championships, Loïc Meillard of Switzerland, ranked third in the discipline for the season, picked up his first win of the season, followed closely by Atle Lie McGrath of Norway, with Germany's Linus Straßer in third. However, once the World Cup season resumed, Kristoffersen claimed his second victory of the season at Kranjska Gora and stretched his discipline lead to 77 points over Noël. But Meillard won the last race before finals at Hafjell, Norway (a day after winning the giant slalom on the same hill), with Kristoffersen fifth and Noël seventh, moving Meillard into second place in the discipline, 47 points behind Kristoffersen and 39 points ahead of Noël, leaving them as the only three potential discipline winners for the season.
Finals
The World Cup finals in the discipline took place on Thursday, 27 March 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho, United States. Only the top 25 skiers in the World Cup slalom discipline and the winner of the Junior World Championship in the discipline (Theodor Brækken of Norway), plus any skiers who have scored at least 500 points in the World Cup overall classification for the season, were eligible to compete in the final, and only the top 15 earned World Cup points. But no 500+ point skiers who weren't otherwise eligible chose to enter, and no eligible skier dropped out due to injury, so the starting field was 26 (including Brækken).
For Meillard to overtake Kristoffersen, he needed to finish no worse than fourth, and for all intents and purposes, the drama concerning the discipline winner ended after the first run, when Meillard finished over 1.5 seconds behind the leader and almost that far behind Kristoffersen. Even though Meillard recovered to post the fastest second-run time, he still finished just behind Kristoffersen in 5th, with Kristoffersen 4th, and had to settle for second place on the season; the race itself was decided by only 0.03 seconds in favor of Haugan over Noël, permitting Haugan to claim third for the season by three points over Noël (but still one point behind Meillard for second). In an illustration of the importance of high finishes, Noël won four races and Haugan three, while Kristoffersen only won two and Meillard one -- but Noël's podium in the finals was his only non-winning podium of the season (and no fourths or fifths), and Haugan only had two (and one fourth but no fifths), while Kristoffersen had three (plus two fourths and two fifths) and Meillard had four (plus one fourth and four fifths).
Standings VenueWC#SkierTotal Henrik Kristoffersen804010050456060DNF132⑬10045506622 Loïc Meillard 6045608080DNF145DNF245①50100456103 Timon Haugan 182932100DNF12080DNF2100⑤80501006094 Clément Noël100100DNS40DNF110024100DNF2DNF22636806065 Atle Lie McGrath 22608060DNF2DNF1100DNF240②3280DNF1474650DNF1502229802260DNF1⑬DNF160DSQ23737 Fabio Gstrein DNF12913DNF12645183260⑪3640603598 Tanguy Nef459DNF291632503624⑨4532293279 Manuel FellerDNF2DNF15036DNF2DNF2322980④60DNF118305 Linus Straßer36DNQDNF2DNF24050204550③DNF1244030511 Steven Amiez4050DNF2DNF2504014436⑦8DNF12626812 Albert Popov 1313DNF226100152618DNF2⑱18DNF2022913 Samuel Kolega2915404560DNF18611⑩DNF212DNF222614 Daniel Yule 92011293622402418DNF2DNF28021715 Dave Ryding 15362932184121515⑥714019716 Kristoffer Jakobsen2480DNF1DNF1DNF191150DNF1DNF114DNF1DNF218817 Benjamin Ritchie2010DNF1DNQ3210131029DNF1DNF1223617818 Alex VinatzerDNF11426DNF1DSQ13DNQ8022DNF229DNS017419 Victor Muffat-JeandetDNQDNQ15DNQ1124DNQ1213⑰40223216920 Filip Zubčić 26DNQ811DNQ3692612DNF26DNF12015421 Armand Marchant DNQ2424DNF1DNF11216DNF126DNS22092215322 Dominik Raschner1522DNF2DNF120DNF21522DSQ1⑧16DNF12413423 Paco RassatDNF118DNF11822DNF1291620DNF1DNF1DNF1DNF212324 Johannes StrolzDNQDNF118102416DNF122DNF2DNSDNF1111611925 Michael Matt621615DNF22910DNF1DNF1DNS225010526 Alexander Steen Olsen 3216DNS13DNF218DNF25DNF2DNF1DNF213NE9727 Adrian Pertl161120DNF215DNF27DNF1DNF1DNS116NE8628 Marco SchwarzDNSDNF2DNQDNF163640DNF2DNF1DNF2DNF2NE8229 Luca AerniDNQ71314DNF111DNQDNQ6DNS1310NE7430 Marc RochatDNF1DNF1DNF1DNF1DNQ2661110⑯153NE7131 Istok Rodeš5DNF1DNF15DNQ8DNQDNQDNQDNF12420NE6232 Tobias KastlungerDNQ5367DNQDNF14DNQ9DNF2DNQDNQNE61 Stefano GrossDNQ314DNQ1013DNQDNQ8⑳13DNQNE6134 Laurie TaylorDNQ822DNQDNQDNQDNQ1514DNF2DNQDNF1NE5935 111DNQDNQDNQDNF1DNQ8DNQDNS1126NE5736 Eduard Hallberg732DNF2DNF1DNF1DSQ1DNF1DNQ16⑫DNF1DNF1NE55 Billy MajorDNQDNF1DNQDNQDNQ55DNQ7⑮929NE5538 Jett SeymourDNF1DNF11018DNQ142DNQDNQ㉑DNF14NE4839 Fabian Ax SwartzDNF24DNQ2413DNF1DNQDNQDNF1DNF1DNQ DNQNE4140 Sam MaesDNQDNQDNSDNF114DNF12DNF1DNQ⑲515NE3641 Joshua Sturm106DNF18DNF1DNQDNSDNQDNQDNSDNF17NE3142 Tormis Laine4DNQ9DNF1DNQ7DNF17DNQDNF2DNF1DNF1NE2743 Joaquim SalarichDNF1DNF1DNQ16DNF1DNQDNQDNQDNQDSQ1DNQDNQNE16 Oscar Andreas SandvikDNF1DNSDNF1DNF1DNQDNSDNF1DNF1DNSDNF116NE1645 Hugo DesgrippesDNF1DNQDNF1DNF1DNF1DNQDNS13DNF1DNSDNQDNQNE1346 12DNF1DNQDNQDNF2DNQDNQDNF1DNQDNF1DNQDNQNE12 AJ GinnisDNQ12DNSNE12 Gustav WisstingDNSDNQ12DNQDNQDNF1DNQ㉖DNF1DNQNE1249 Simon MaurbergerDNS10DNQDNF1DNF1DNQDNQDNSNE10 Erik ReadDNF1DNQDNQDNF1DNQDNQDNQ10DNF1㉔DNF1DNF1NE1051 Anton TremmelDNF1DNQDNQ6DNQDNQ3DNQDNQDNSDNF1DNQNE952 Eirik Hystad Solberg8DNQDNF1DNQDNF1DNQDNQDNQDNQDNSDNQDNQNE853 River Radamus DNF1DNQDNF14DNSDNQDNQDNSDNF1DNF1DNSDNF1NE4References
Legend
DNQ = Did not qualify for run 2 DNF1 = Did not finish run 1 DSQ1 = Disqualified run 1 DNF2 = Did not finish run 2 DSQ2 = Disqualified run 2 DNS2 = Did not start run 2
See also 2025 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's summary rankings 2025 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's overall 2025 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's downhill 2025 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's super-G 2025 Alpine Skiing World Cup – Men's giant slalom World Cup scoring system
References
External links Alpine skiing at FIS website