It’s slalom showtime in Levi

There is no better place than Lapland to start the slalom races: snowy landscapes, cold temperatures, wild reindeer, and with a bit of luck, you can see the northern lights.

The best alpine ski racers of the world have met in this fabulous atmosphere every November since 2004. Fourteen women and ten men's races have been held in Levi.

On the women's side, Mikaela Shiffrin and Maria Hoefl-Riesch detain the record of the most successful skiers on the Levi Black with three victories each. But let's see who are the other competitors for the throne.

In the hunt for the podium will be Petra Vlhova, who's the only other women (besides Shiffrin) to win a slalom race in Levi since Tina Maze and Maria Hoefl-Riesch retired. Levi has treated her well in the past, as she always reaches the podium expect the first time she competed in Lapland.

The Swiss tech star Wendy Holdener is another favourite for the podium, given her two podium finishes in Levi, and her third overall finish in the race for the slalom crystal globe. Holdener never won a slalom race, despite 22 podiums and silver medals in PyeongChang and St.Moritz World Championship.

Last but not least, we have Anna Swenn-Larsson of Sweden, who has landed on the podium at the World Championship in second place and she showed her improvements over the season with several top 5.

On the men's side who else if not Marcel Hirscher is holding the record with three wins? Well, it’s time for change and let's see who will be the next skier to own a reindeer that as per tradition is awarded to the winner.

Henrik Kristoffersen is for sure one of the men to watch. After a disappointing start of the season in Soelden, can the Norwegian get back on top of the podium in the same place where he won in 2014 and finished second in the last two editions?

Youngster Clement Noel had a really consistent end of season last year, achieving three victories in slalom and one further podium. Will the French star be able to pick up where he left off despite the recent back problems he has had?

Finally, Daniel Yule is also among the favourites for the slalom race on Levi Black. His best result in the Finnish venue was fourth in 2017 but he has definitely had his best season last year, ending in joint second place with Clement Noel in the slalom ranking.

There are many other athletes - young ones and more experienced ones - that could fight for the very top positions on Sunday. We don’t know who is going to make it, but there is one thing we are certain of: it’s going to be a great fight and a big show as always in Levi!

Now let the slalom season begin!