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Quick Answer
Levi passed snow control on 5 November and the World Cup slaloms go ahead on 14 and 15 November, but Mikaela Shiffrin will skip Levi for the first time in her career, leaving the reindeer trophy wide open.
The Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup will return to action next weekend, and it is now official. Levi, Finland, has passed its snow control, and the traditional opening slalom races will take place as scheduled on 14 and 15 November, marking the 22nd time the Finnish resort has hosted World Cup races.
But the biggest story of Levi is not who is racing. It is who is not. Mikaela Shiffrin will skip Levi for the first time in her career, as part of her revised early season programme, and her absence changes everything about the women's race.
Shiffrin has won nine races in Levi during her career, more than anyone else, and she has dominated the Finnish slalom for years. Without her, the reindeer trophy, the prize given to the Levi winner, is wide open for the first time in a long time.
Why is Shiffrin skipping Levi?
Shiffrin has described the 2026-27 campaign as a season of exploration, with a greater focus on giant slalom and super-G training at the start of the winter. She will skip the Levi and Gurgl slaloms, and her first slalom of the season will be at Killington, Vermont, on 29 November, where she will chase her 111th World Cup win.
Skipping Levi will give her a five week break from competition following Solden, where she finished seventh in the giant slalom after leading the first run. She has 110 World Cup wins, 73 of them in slalom, and she has won eight overall Crystal Globes in the discipline. But this season she is choosing to race less, and to race differently.
It is the first time she has missed Levi in her career, and it is a deliberate choice, not an injury. She plans to race some slaloms this season, starting at Killington, to maintain her ranking in the discipline and keep her options open. But the early season belongs to giant slalom and super-G, and Levi is a casualty of that plan.
Her absence will certainly be felt. Levi without Shiffrin is like a slalom without its reference point. The other racers know it, the fans know it, and the betting markets know it. The women's race next Saturday is now the most open slalom of the season so far.
Who wins the women's slalom now?
The leading contenders are the racers who were already closest to Shiffrin last season, and the ones who started this season best.
Camille Rast is the obvious favourite on last season's evidence. She was the only non-Shiffrin slalom winner last season, and she won the slalom globe race that Shiffrin did not contest in full. If anyone is going to take the reindeer in Shiffrin's absence, it is the skier who already proved she could win without her.
Emma Aicher is the second name on the list. She finished second overall last season with 1,323 points, behind Shiffrin's 1,410, and she was third at Solden in the giant slalom. She races all four disciplines, which is rare, and she is the most complete skier in the women's field.
Lara Colturi is the third contender. She finished second at Solden, just 0.01 seconds behind Paula Moltzan, and she was second to Shiffrin at Levi last season. She is young, fast, and she knows this hill.
Paula Moltzan, the Solden winner, is the form racer of the moment. She won her first World Cup race at Solden, by 0.01 seconds over Colturi, and she will arrive in Levi with confidence. She has never won a slalom, but she has never arrived at a slalom as a World Cup winner before either.
Petra Vlhova is the wild card. She returned at Solden after 1,008 days away, finishing 23rd in the giant slalom, and she is a former Levi winner. Her slalom return has not been confirmed, so she cannot be counted on, but if she races, she knows this slope better than almost anyone.
The women's slalom runs on Saturday 14 November, with Run 1 at 11:00 Levi local time and Run 2 at 14:00 local time. The men's race follows on Sunday 15 November, at the same times.
| Levi slalom | Levi local | London GMT | New York EST | Karachi PKT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women, Saturday 14 November, Run 1 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 04:00 | 14:00 |
| Women, Saturday 14 November, Run 2 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 17:00 |
| Men, Sunday 15 November, Run 1 | 11:00 | 09:00 | 04:00 | 14:00 |
| Men, Sunday 15 November, Run 2 | 14:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 17:00 |
Who wins the men's slalom?
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen defends his Levi slalom win from last season, and he is the man to beat. He won the Solden giant slalom to open the season, beating Loic Meillard by 0.48 seconds and Marco Odermatt by 0.49 seconds, and he won the Levi slalom last season by 0.31 seconds over Clement Noel.
Noel won the Levi slalom in 2024, and he is the other obvious contender. Henrik Kristoffersen is always a threat in slalom, and the men's race has a new chief race director to impress. Markus Plancker takes over as the FIS chief race director for the men's Alpine World Cup, with his first race the Levi men's slalom on Sunday 15 November.
The men's field is deeper than the women's, because the men's overall race is wide open. Odermatt is chasing a sixth straight overall title, which would make him only the second man to win six, after Marcel Hirscher won eight. Braathen is the Olympic giant slalom champion for Brazil, and he is the form skier of the early season.
Levi is 170 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, on the Levi Black slope, with a vertical drop of 180 metres and a steepest gradient of 62 percent. More than 20,000 spectators are expected, and the reindeer trophy goes to the winner of each race. It is the most distinctive prize in skiing, and it is the reason Levi matters beyond the points.
Where can you ski this weekend?
The World Cup returns next weekend, but skiing is already happening, and this weekend is the first big opening weekend of the season in the Alps.
Kitzbuhel opened on Friday 6 November, but only in part, with limited skiing on selected snowmaking slopes in the Resterkogel sector. Austria Tourism lists 21 November as the first official weekend, with a Hahnenkamm preview on 21 and 22 November, so check the lift status before travelling, and do not expect the full 233 kilometres of slopes yet.
Sulden in Italy, and 4 Vallees and Glacier 3000 in Switzerland, are scheduled to open today, Saturday 7 November. Davos is listed for 6 November in some guides and 13 November in others, so check the resort page. Andermatt and Tarnaby open on 14 November, the same weekend as Levi. Gurgl resort opens on 16 November, five days before the World Cup arrives there on 21 and 22 November.
The safest options this week are still the glaciers and the northern resorts that are already open, including Solden, Hintertux, Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Levi and Ruka, plus Engelberg, Murren and Sulden in the Alps. In North America, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone are open, Lake Louise opened on 1 November, and Killington is projected for early to mid November, ahead of its World Cup races on 28 and 29 November.
| Resort | Status this weekend | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Kitzbuhel, Austria | Open in part from 6 November | Resterkogel sector only, full area from December | | Sulden, Italy | Scheduled to open 7 November | Check resort page | | 4 Vallees, Switzerland | Scheduled to open 7 November | Check resort page | | Glacier 3000, Switzerland | Scheduled to open 7 November | Check resort page | | Solden, Austria | Open | Most terrain open, 30 kilometres | | Zermatt, Switzerland | Open | 100 centimetres upper slopes | | Levi, Finland | Open | World Cup slaloms 14 and 15 November | | Lake Louise, Canada | Open from 1 November | Early season conditions |
What is the latest on Bolshunov and Falun?
There is no new formal development, but the clock is ticking. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, are 109 days away, running from 24 February to 7 March 2027, and the two rows that hung over the championships last week are still unresolved.
The first is the host row. Sweden is trying to persuade its government to refuse visas to Russian athletes, while the FIS has authorised them to return as neutral individual athletes. Val di Fiemme, the only place reported as a possible backup host, has said in the clearest possible terms that it will not take over.
The second is Aleksandr Bolshunov. The three time Olympic champion is expected to be denied neutral athlete status for this winter, after the FIS Council met on Tuesday 3 November, although no formal individual decision has yet been taken. FIS sources expect the dispute to land at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which could force the FIS to let him race at Falun.
Michelle Gisin, the Swiss skier, has also announced her retirement from professional skiing, which is another change to the women's field this season. She will not race at Levi, and her retirement, alongside Lara Gut-Behrami's, means the women's tour has lost two of its most experienced racers in the space of a few months.
After Levi, the World Cup moves to Gurgl on 21 and 22 November for the next slaloms, then to Killington in the United States on 28 and 29 November for the women's giant slalom and slalom, where Shiffrin returns to slalom. The season is only one race old, and it has already lost its biggest star for its second weekend. That is what makes Levi next Saturday the most interesting race of the early season.
Related live posts: Bolshunov Set to Stay Banned: The FIS Vote, the CAS Threat and Falun With 110 Days to Go (https://www.ofthepitch.com/bolshunov-fis-neutral-status-blocked-cas-threat-falun-110-days), and Levi Slalom Preview Without Shiffrin: Who Wins the Reindeer, Plus Kitzbuhel Opens Friday (https://www.ofthepitch.com/levi-slalom-preview-without-shiffrin-reindeer-kitzbuhel-opens-friday).
Sources: SnowBrains, FIS Alpine World Cup returns to Levi, Finland, in 1 week as resort passes snow control, 7 November 2026; FIS, World Cup calendar and Levi snow control; NBC Sports, How to watch FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup 2026-27 season; Nordic Magazine, Bolshunov neutral status and Falun host row, 5 November 2026; Powder, Shiffrin will focus on super-G and giant slalom for 26/27, 6 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Levi World Cup definitely going ahead?
Yes. Levi passed its snow control on 5 November, and the slaloms are confirmed for 14 and 15 November. It is the 22nd time the Finnish resort has hosted World Cup races.
Why is Mikaela Shiffrin skipping Levi?
Shiffrin is focusing on giant slalom and super-G at the start of the season, which she calls a season of exploration. She will skip Levi and Gurgl, and her first slalom will be at Killington on 29 November, where she chases her 111th World Cup win. It is the first time she has missed Levi in her career.
Who are the favourites for the Levi women's slalom?
Camille Rast, the only non-Shiffrin slalom winner last season, Emma Aicher, second overall last season, Lara Colturi, second at Solden, and Paula Moltzan, the Solden winner. Petra Vlhova is a wild card if her slalom return is confirmed.
Who defends the Levi men's slalom?
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who won the Levi slalom last season and the Solden giant slalom to open this season. Clement Noel won Levi in 2024, and Marco Odermatt is chasing a sixth straight overall title.
What time are the Levi slaloms?
Run 1 is at 11:00 Levi local time and Run 2 at 14:00 local time, on both days. That is 09:00 and 12:00 London, 04:00 and 07:00 New York, 14:00 and 17:00 Karachi.
Where can I ski this weekend?
Kitzbuhel opened in part on Friday, and Sulden, 4 Vallees and Glacier 3000 are scheduled to open today. Solden, Hintertux, Zermatt, Saas-Fee, Levi and Ruka are already open, as are Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Lake Louise in North America.
