Levi Without Shiffrin: Who Wins the First Slalom of the Season and Why Rast Is the Favourite

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Levi is famous for reindeer, for polar night light, and for Mikaela Shiffrin. Winners on the Levi Black slope are gifted ownership of a Lapland reindeer, and Shiffrin has collected her share over the years, winning four times in Levi in 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019. This year, for the first time in a long time, Shiffrin will not be at the start gate in Levi at all. She is skipping the early slaloms in Levi, Finland, and Gurgl, Austria, as part of what she calls her exploration season, focusing instead on giant slalom and super-G, with her first slalom of the season scheduled for Killington on 29 November.

That decision changes the whole opening of the slalom season. The women's slalom in Levi on Saturday 14 November and the men's slalom on Sunday 15 November are no longer races where everyone else fights for second. They are open races, with a new winner almost guaranteed in the women's event, and a defending champion in the men's event who has already won the first race of this season. For fans who love technical skiing, Levi is now the most interesting race of November.

Why is Shiffrin skipping Levi?

Shiffrin, 31, explained her decision on her podcast and in a social media post in October. She is not walking away from slalom, she is changing how she prepares for it. "I am trying something new here, and it is different and it is a little scary," she said. "Instead of asking: How much can I possibly fit into this upcoming season? I am asking: What happens if I give myself enough space to explore the things that I am the most curious about?" She added: "I feel ambitious. I still feel competitive. I feel like I have a desire to ski fast. I feel like those things have not changed. I am really just giving myself permission to be curious about where that takes me, and that is the exploration."

In practical terms, that means more training time for giant slalom and super-G, fewer switches between disciplines, and more time at home in the early season. Shiffrin has said her total number of starts may look much the same over the full season, but the balance in the first third of the season will be different. She has won a record 110 World Cup races, including 73 slaloms, and she has won nine out of ten slaloms last season, according to season previews. Skipping Levi and Gurgl, races she has won a combined 11 times, is therefore a deliberate choice, not a sign that she has lost interest. "Nothing about slalom is easy," she wrote. "Racing slalom underprepared is not fun or joyful," comparing it to jumping into a giant blender and trying to avoid the blades.

Shiffrin will still race slalom this season, starting at Killington, and she would remain the clear favourite for the slalom Crystal Globe even without Levi and Gurgl, because there are ten slaloms in total on the calendar. But for Levi, her absence is the story. The question is not whether Shiffrin would have won, it is who steps into the space she leaves.

Who is favourite for the women's slalom in Levi?

Camille Rast of Switzerland is the favourite, and the case for her is simple: she was the only skier other than Shiffrin to win a World Cup slalom last season. Rast finished third overall last season, her career best, and she is a strong technical skier who can podium and win in both slalom and giant slalom. Her giant slalom also improved dramatically last season, with a first win and top six finishes in eight out of ten races, which suggests her overall skiing is still improving.

Rast also has a specific Levi motivation. She is the reigning world slalom champion from Saalbach, and she will defend that title at the World Championships in her hometown of Crans-Montana in February. A win in Levi would be the perfect start to a season where she is expected to challenge for both the slalom globe and the overall globe. In an FIS preview ahead of the season, Rast reflected on her rivalry with Zrinka Ljutic, saying: "It was really fun. Every day at the start it was good luck and you just gave your best." She added: "Let us go again. I will give my best every time and try to ski fast."

Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia is the defending slalom Crystal Globe winner, and she is the other main contender. Ljutic, 21, won three slaloms in an eight week stretch from December 2024 to January 2025, trading wins with Rast, and she held on to win the globe at the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley. In the FIS preview she said: "I am ready to race. I see that people are really watching, and they pay attention, and they are really happy for me." Ljutic's challenge in Levi is to show that last season's globe was not a one off, and that she can win without Shiffrin in the field as well as with her.

Emma Aicher of Germany is the third name to watch. Aicher finished second overall last season, just 87 points behind Shiffrin, with 1,410 points to Aicher's 1,323. She has three wins in super-G and two in downhill in the past 18 months, plus five slalom podiums, and many previews tip her as the favourite to go one better than last season and succeed Shiffrin as overall champion. Aicher's slalom is improving, and her first two top ten finishes in giant slalom last season showed that her technical skiing is catching up with her speed skiing. If Aicher podiums in Levi, her overall title challenge gains early momentum.

What about Vlhova, Moltzan and the other contenders?

Petra Vlhova of Slovakia is the queen of Levi, with a record five victories on the Levi Black, including back to back wins in 2020 and wins in 2017 and both races in the last full Levi weekend before her injury. Vlhova, the 2022 Olympic slalom champion, returned to World Cup racing at Solden on 24 October after 1,008 days out with injury, finishing 23rd in the giant slalom. That result, after such a long absence, was itself a success, and Vlhova said after her first run: "I am very happy. I had a super feeling and just waited for the moment when I crossed the finish line." Levi is her happiest hunting ground, and if her slalom legs return quickly, she could be a surprise winner.

Paula Moltzan of the United States is another contender, after winning the Solden giant slalom on 24 October, her first World Cup win, by 0.01 seconds over Lara Colturi. Moltzan, 32, has been a consistent slalom skier for years, and a first win in giant slalom may give her the confidence to attack in slalom as well. Lara Colturi, who finished second at Solden, and Alice Robinson of New Zealand, who won the super-G opener in St Moritz last season and finished second in her next races, are also threats in technical races, even if slalom is not their main discipline.

The full women's field will not be confirmed until closer to the race, but the shape is already clear: without Shiffrin, the women's slalom in Levi is a four way fight between Rast, Ljutic, Aicher and Vlhova, with Moltzan, Colturi and others ready to take advantage if any of the favourites makes a mistake. In slalom, one mistake is often enough to lose a race, and Levi's steep, icy Black slope punishes mistakes harshly.

Who wins the men's slalom in Levi?

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil defends the men's slalom in Levi on Sunday 15 November, and he arrives as the man in form. Braathen won the men's giant slalom opener at Solden on 25 October, clocking 1:44.72 across two runs, beating Loic Meillard by 0.48 seconds and Marco Odermatt by 0.49 seconds, on Odermatt's 200th World Cup start. Braathen also won last season's Levi slalom, and he has made clear that his target this season is the overall title, not just the giant slalom globe he took from Odermatt last season.

Odermatt, the four time overall champion, finished third at Solden after the fastest second run, and he is chasing a sixth straight overall title, which would make him only the second man after Marcel Hirscher, who won eight, to reach six. Odermatt's slalom is not his main discipline, but he is always a threat when he starts a technical race, and a podium in Levi would keep his overall challenge on track. Meillard, who finished second at Solden, is a slalom specialist and a genuine Levi contender, as is Atle Lie McGrath of Norway, who finished fourth at Solden after starting 15th in the first run.

Raimund Plancker takes over as FIS chief race director for the men's Alpine World Cup on 1 November, with Levi on 15 November his first official assignment, succeeding Markus Waldner. That leadership change will not affect the racing itself, but it marks a new chapter for the men's tour, and Levi is a fitting first race for a new race director: a classic slope, a passionate crowd, and a defending champion in form.

When are the next World Cup races?

The World Cup calendar after Solden is busy, and Levi is just the start of a long technical block. The table below lists the next confirmed races, based on the FIS calendar and season previews, with dates only, because start times for Levi and Gurgl are published closer to each race on the FIS website and should be checked there before travelling or planning viewing.

| Race | Date | What to watch | | Women's slalom, Levi, Finland | Saturday 14 November | Rast, Ljutic, Aicher, Vlhova, no Shiffrin | | Men's slalom, Levi, Finland | Sunday 15 November | Braathen defends, Odermatt and Meillard chase | | Women's slalom, Gurgl, Austria | Saturday 21 November | Second slalom without Shiffrin | | Men's slalom, Gurgl, Austria | Sunday 22 November | Second men's slalom of the season | | Women's slalom, Killington, USA | Sunday 29 November | Shiffrin's first slalom of the season | | Women's giant slalom, Killington | Saturday 28 November | Shiffrin in her home race, GS focus | | Women's speed races, Beaver Creek, USA | 11 to 13 December | Goggia hopes to defend super-G globe | | World Championships, Crans-Montana | 1 to 14 February | Rast defends slalom gold at home | | World Cup Finals, Sun Valley, USA | 18 to 25 March | Season finale, all globes decided |

The FIS calendar includes 40 women's races and 43 men's races this season, with a pause for the World Championships in Crans-Montana from 1 to 14 February, then a resumption before the Finals in Sun Valley from 18 to 25 March. North American stops include Killington, Tremblant and Beaver Creek for the women, and Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek for the men.

What does Levi tell us about the overall title?

Levi tells us who can handle pressure when the favourite is absent. In the women's overall race, Shiffrin won last season with 1,410 points, Aicher was second with 1,323, and Rast was third. If Aicher or Rast wins in Levi, they bank 100 points that Shiffrin cannot match that weekend, and they set the tone for the overall race. If Ljutic wins, she defends her slalom globe lead and shows she can win as the favourite, not just as the challenger. If Vlhova wins, it would be one of the great comeback stories in recent World Cup history, after 1,008 days out.

In the men's overall race, Braathen already leads with 100 points from Solden, and a win in Levi would give him 200 points from two races, in two different disciplines, which is exactly the profile of an overall champion. Odermatt, with 60 points from Solden, needs a strong Levi to stay close, and Meillard, with 80 points, is already in the mix. The overall title is not decided in November, but the early points matter, because they give skiers confidence and they force rivals to chase.

Levi has always been a race where new seasons announce themselves. This year, with Shiffrin watching from home and a new men's race director at the helm, Levi will announce a new slalom era, even if only for one weekend. The reindeer will still be awarded, the crowd will still be loud, and the winner will still have earned it on one of the toughest slalom slopes in the world. The only difference is that, for once, nobody knows in advance who that winner will be, and that is exactly why Levi is worth watching.

Related live posts: After Solden: Who Is Fit for Levi, Who Returns in December and the Next World Cup Dates and Braathen Beats Odermatt in Solden Final: Full Results, Standings and What Comes Next in Levi

Sources: FIS, Women's Levi Slalom preview; Ski Racing Media, Shiffrin schedule and Plancker appointment, 22 to 26 October 2026; TNT Sports, Shiffrin cut slalom schedule, October 2026; PlanetSKI, Alpine World Cup season preview, 20 October 2026; Olympics.com, Braathen Solden win, 25 October 2026.