A strong second run on a tricky course catapulted Manuel Feller of Austria to a Slalom victory Sunday afternoon at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup.
Trailing by nearly a half-second entering the final run, Feller flawlessly navigated his way down the steep and tight course to capture his fourth Men’s Slalom World Cup skiing victory of the season. He finished in a combined time of 1 minute, 42.08 seconds to edge Clement Noel of France by 0.28 seconds.
First-run leader Linus Strasser of Germany made a minor mistake on his second trip down the Red Dog run that cost him time and possibly a victory – he finished third. Norway’s Alexander Steen Olsen, the defending 2023 slalom champion at Palisades Tahoe, made a mistake in his first run and didn’t finish in the top 30, and failed to qualify for a second run.
Jett Seymour was the only U.S. skier to qualify for a second run. He started at starting at 39th and finished 15th overall, 1.53 seconds behind Feller’s time. Seymour was awarded the Stifel Bibbo Award for the best advancement in Sunday’s race.
The Slalom event had 69 racers from 20 countries, including six U.S. athletes. The tight Slalom course had 66 gates along 721 feet (220 meters) of vertical descent. In the morning run, 11 skiers didn’t finish. In the second run, five racers couldn’t finish and five more wound up at least 2 seconds behind Feller.
The 31-year-old Feller became the first man to capture four World Cup slalom wins in one season since fellow countryman Marcel Hirscher earned five in 2018-19. With only three slaloms remaining in the World Cup season, Feller leads the slalom standings with 590 points. Strasser resides in second with 386 points and Noel is third (352).
“I’m very proud of myself; the second run was really difficult and very tricky,” Feller said. “You couldn’t ski every turn on the limit, but you always were thinking you need to push a little bit more.”
Palisades Tahoe was the eighth stop on the World Cup circuit. The famed Tahoe ski resort challenged the men’s Giant Slalom skiers Saturday and did the same Sunday on the Slalom course.
Throughout the three-day event there was a festive atmosphere in the Village at Palisades with free concerts, après ski parties, and numerous vendors. The crowds were big an enthusiastic both race days.
“With the world’s top Slalom racers still fighting it out for this season’s overall title, we were thrilled to showcase our incredible Red Dog course for today’s competition,” said Palisades Tahoe spokesperson Patrick Lacey. “With blue skies and loud crowds, it was an honor to bring World Cup racing back to North Lake Tahoe and celebrate our rich ski heritage.”
The World Cup continues next week in Aspen.
