Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) found his mojo in Schladming, Austria, withstanding a mix of soft snow and limited visibility to notch his first victory of the 2025-26 World Cup season. He clocked in at 1:53.80.

It was the reigning slalom Crystal Globe champion's 34th career win, tying him for second most among active man Alpine ski racers (with Alexis Pinturault of France).

The sequel to Kristoffersen's best Cup campaign has been an underwhelming one (by his standards), placing third four times and collecting a runner-up finish, mixed in with a handful of top 20s. 

As soon as McGrath (the final racer of Run 2) crossed the finish on Wednesday just shy of his mark, Kristoffersen yelled into the camera "This is my house!" and fell to his knees. He was emotional and jubilant that he had officially shaken the monkey off of his back.

Atle Lie McGrath (NOR), Kristoffersen's Olympic teammate, came in second place (+0.34). It was his sixth podium of 2025-26. The 1-2 finish gives the Norwegians plenty of positive momentum heading into Milan Cortina. Timon Haugan (NOR) and Eirik Hystad Solberg (NOR) also posted top-10 results, collecting 6th and 8th, respectively.

Defending slalom Olympic gold medalist, Clement Noel (FRA), rounded out the top three (+0.54).

Snagging a podium in Schladming was a remarkable feat given how many athletes struggled to cross the finish line. Out of 69 racers, 18 DNF'd Run 1 alone. Nine DNF'd Run 2, meaning nearly half the field skied out. 

Among those who left the course early were giant slalom winner Loic Meillard (SUI), two-time Cup winner this season Paco Rassat (FRA) and Finland's upstart Eduard Hallberg.

Despite the difficult terrain, the Americans put forth their strongest effort in a slalom race this season. Two placed in the top 20, with Ben Ritchie (USA) grabbing 13th and Luke Winters (USA) taking 19th.

For Ritchie, it was his second consecutive top-15 finish, and for Winters, his best result since 2023. Neither will represent the U.S. at the 2026 Winter Olympics, but don't be surprised if they're competing in the France Alps in four years.

Jett Seymour (USA) and Cooper Puckett (USA) landed outside the top 30 in Run 1, meaning they failed to qualify for Run 2.

There is one remaining men's Alpine skiing event before the 2026 Winter Olympics begin — a downhill that takes place in Crans Montana, the ski resort where 40 people died in a bar fire on New Year's Eve.

The men's slalom race in Milan Cortina is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 16 at the Stelvio Ski Centre. Run 1 has a start time of 4:00 a.m. ET. Both runs will air on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.