Timon Haugan was the man of the day in Val d'Isère, France, taking the victory in the World Cup slalom and grabbing his first win of the 2025-26 season.

The Norwegian technical skier had to navigate a tricky Val d'Isère course which thwarted more than a few skiers. He was the second-fastest skier in the first run, just five hundredths of a second off the pace, and while he only was 12th-fastest in the second run, he had a large enough cushion to take the victory by almost three tenths of a second. The victory moved Haugan into first place in the slalom Crystal Globe standings, taking a 55-point lead over second, and third in the overall Crystal Globe standings.

Loic Meillard (SUI) capped a strong weekend in Val d'Isère with a second-straight podium, finishing second in the slalom to go along with his victory in the giant slalom. The weekend was a strong step for the Swiss veteran, who had a slow start to his Olympic campaign.

Rounding out the podium was Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR), just sixth hundredths of a second behind Meillard. The race was Kristoffersen’s first slalom and third overall podium in the last four races, with the streak being broken by his 11th-place finish in the giant slalom. Kristoffersen currently sits second in the overall Crystal Globe standings, only trailing Swiss standout Marco Odermatt.

It was a challenging day on the mountain for a handful of top skiers, including Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who won the slalom race in Levi earlier this season. The Brazilian was one of two skiers in the top five after the first run to record a DNF in the second phase, proving just how challenging the course was.

However, if Run 2 was a challenge for many skiers, no one seemed to have told Italian Alex Vinatzer. After finishing the first run down in 25th, Vinatzer put together a lightning-quick second run, launching himself up the standings. Vinatzer seemed on course for a podium finish for much of the second phase, before getting bumped down into fourth in the final runs. He was one of five finishers in the top 10 to have climbed over 15 places between runs one and two.

It was a day to forget for the U.S. men’s Alpine ski team. Out of six entrants, only two Americans completed their first runs, finishing in 41st and 43rd. 

Now, the men's circuit will turn it's attention to Italy, with races in all four disciplines happening next weekend. The action will kick off with the first downhill race of the weekend in Val Gardena on Thursday, December 18 at 5:45 a.m. ET.