Our challenge to ski fans: Find a more nail-biting race format than a dual paneled slalom in the heart of a major city.

It’s hard to believe there is anything more intense for a viewer, in person or on television. The same goes for the athletes, who have to take up to eight runs in a row if they make it to the final round.


On Tuesday night, top slalom and overall athletes – 16 from each gender – gathered in Stockholm, Sweden, for a sold-out city event. The likes of slalom points leaders Frida Hansdotter and Henrik Kristofferson and overall leaders Lindsey Vonn and Marcel Hirscher embraced the unique head-to-head style of racing to put on a show. Races like this give true perspective on what it looks like to win by 0.06 seconds or 0.50 seconds and add an intensity that has to be seen to be believed.

Hirscher, who won the men’s race, loved having the event so close to the city where it was easily accessible to fans.

“The people are amazing, and it’s so close to the city and thank you for that because it is not usual,” Hirscher said. “Usually you have to drive, I don’t know, two or three hours to get to a … ‘stupid ski race’ and it is not always fun. So now here, it is perfect. We are where the people are and we can bring skiing a bit closer.”

While the Swedish crowd loved watching the fast Austrian, they also appreciated cheering on their hometown heroes including men’s second-place finisher, Andre Myhrer – who has earned two other podiums this season, one of which was in the parallel giant slalom in Alta Badia. Behind the Swede was Italian Stefano Gross, earning his second podium finish of the season.

Henrik Kristoffersen, current World Cup slalom points leader, was bested in the first round by his teammate Kjetil Jansrud, proving that the Attacking Viking culture of always charging for a win is valid even if you have to take down another Norwegian in the process. Jansrud was ultimately beat out in the quarter final by Myhrer.

The women competed on the same courses and put on an amazing show as well. Wendy Holdener of Switzerland managed an upset, beating slalom points leader Hansdotter of Sweden in the second run of the final heat to take her first career victory. Sweden still had a lot to celebrate because Marie Pietilae-Holmner rounded out the podium by winning her match-up against Norway’s Nina Loeseth in the small final.

“I love the atmosphere,” Holdener said. “It’s in the city with a lot of people and it’s crazy, you have to go up and down and up and down and you go in a hurry and I like that.”

Aside from the fact that the format remains a bit of a novelty on the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit, there are specific motivations that convince top athletes with less slalom skill like Lara Gut and Lindsey Vonn to participate. All losers of the first round are guaranteed 15 points toward slalom and overall standings and all losers of the quarter finals are awarded 40 points. The top four athletes receive 100, 80, 60 and 50 points based on finish position. Considering that Gut and Vonn are within 23-points of each other in the rankings, every point now matters as the season winds down. Neither of them made it past the first round, so each collected 15 points in a dead heat as their battle for the overall title continues.

Noticeably missing from the event were the U.S. Ski Team’s Mikaela Shiffrin, Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, Czech Republic’s Sarka Strachova, Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, and Italy’s Guiliano Razzoli and Dominik Paris – all whom are either injured or opted to skip the event in preparation for other upcoming World Cup races. Shiffrin took advantage of the opportunity to stay in Central Europe and focus on her giant slalom training as she returns from recent injury.

World Cup action continues later this week with the men racing giant slalom in Hinterstoder, Austria, on Friday, Feb. 26 and the women competing in super G in Andorra at Soldeu.

See a full photo gallery here.

The Scoop

by Hank Mckee

1. Holdener, Head/Head/Head

2. Hansdotter, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

3. Pietilae-Holmner, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

4. Loeseth, Volkl/Lange/Marker

5. Thalmann, Head/Head/Head

5. Vlhova, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

5. Noens, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

5. Velez Zuzulova, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

Women’s city event, Stockholm, Sweden, Feb. 23, 2016. … It is the 30 th of 41 events on the women’s World Cup schedule. … The one and only city event on the slate.

It is the first career World Cup win for Wendy Holdener, though she has twice been second in World Cup slaloms. … She lost just a single run all night in the finals with Hansdotter.

It is the 22 nd career World Cup podium for Frida Hansdotter. … Her seventh of the season, all in slalom prior to this event… It is the 10th career World Cup podium for Maria Pietilae-Holmner. … Her second in a “city event” parallel race, the previous when she won the Munich event Jan. 22, 2011.

Lindsey Vonn, Resi Stiegler and Marie-Michele Gagnon are all credited with ninth-place finishes, though none won a run.

The women’s overall standings have no significant change as Vonn and Gut both get ninth place rewards of 15pts.

Vonn leads the overall 1215-1192 over Gut with Viktoria Rebensburg (did not race) third with 878pts.

Hansdotter leads the slalom (plus city event) standings 625-486 over Velez Zuzulova… Sarka Strachova (did not race) is third with 432pts. … Mikaela Shiffrin (did not race) is eighth with 300pts.

Austria leads the women’s Nations Cup 3461-3073 over Italy. … Switzerland is third with 2937pts. … The U.S. is fourth at 2492 and Canada eighth at 963.

1. Hirscher, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic

2. Myhrer, Head/Head/Head

3. Gross, Volkl/Tecnica/Marker

4. Khoroshilov, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

5. Jansrud, Head/Head/Head

5. Muffat-Jeandet, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon

5. Lizeroux, Fischer/Fischer/Fischer

5. Neureuther, Nordica/Nordica/Marker

It is the 32nd of 45 races on the men’s World Cup schedule. … The one and only city event, but the second parallel event after the parallel GS at Alta Badia.

It is the 37 th career World Cup win for Marcel Hirscher. … His second in a city event having also won the Jan. 29, 2013 Moscow event. … It is his sixth win of the season, and the first since Jan. 6 at Santa Caterina.

It is the 21 st career World Cup podium for Andre Myhrer. … His fourth in a parallel race format. … He was second at Moscow Jan. 29, 1013, third at Moscow Feb. 21, 2012, and third at Alta Badia Dec. 21 this season.

It is the eighth career World Cup podium for Stefano Gross. … His second of the season having also placed third in the Wengen slalom Jan. 17.

Marcel Hirscher leads the World Cup overall standings 1145-972 over Henrik Kristoffersen … Aksel Lund Svindal (did not race) is third overall at 916pts.

Kristoffersen leads the slalom/city event standings 731-600 over Hirscher. … Neureuther is third with 363pts.

Austria leads the men’s Nations Cup 4126-3837 over France. … Norway is third with 3595pts. … The U.S. is sixth with 1701pts and Canada ninth with 524pts.

Official Men’s Results

Official Women’s Results