Noel wins home Val d'Isere slalom

French resort, Val d’Isère, held the first men’s slalom race of the season. With the snow conditions close to perfect after a heavy week of snowfall, the athletes were ready to attack.

In the first run, the first ten racers were separated by less than a second. Local favourite, Clément Noel (FRA) led the pack, only 0.12 seconds ahead of Alex Vinatzer (ITA) and 0.17 seconds ahead of World Champion, Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR).

Heading into the second run, all eyes were on Kristoffersen (NOR), Foss-Solevaag, Vinatzer and Noel. The Norwegian duo didn’t have good fortune on their side today as mistakes throughout their second run cost them time and a place on the podium. Vinatzer held the lead by a large margin during his second run, but a big mistake at the bottom of the hill cost him a potential win.

With Jakobsen holding the lead, the only skier left to tackle the hill was Noel. Coming down the course in front of a screaming home crowd, the Frenchman had all of the support he could ask for. Noel crossed the finish line to claim the win by a convincing 1.40 second margin.