After a two week stop the Women's Alpine Ski World Cup will return in Levi with 2 Slalom races.
Finland’s leading ski resort kicks off the Women’s Slalom World Cup again on the 11th - 12th of November. The best female slalom skiers in the Alpine Ski World Cup will compete again on the Levi Black slope.
In 2004, the first Alpine World Cup race took place in Levi, a premiere on Finnish soil. Since then, the slalom competitions in the province of Lapland have been a fixed point on the FIS racing calendar becoming the northernmost alpine competition of the Alpine Ski World Cup.
Program:
Saturday, 11.11.2023
10:00 CET (11:00 local time) 1st run
13:00 CET (14:00 local time) 2nd run
Sunday, 12.11.2023
10:00 CET (11:00 local time) 1st run
13:00 CET (14:00 local time) 2nd run
Technical Data Levi Black racecourse
Start Altitude: 438m
Finish Altitude: 258m
Vertical Drop: 180m
Lowest gradient: 4 %
Steepest section: 62%
Average gradient: 31%
The Levi Black slope has the second-lowest finishing area on the Alpine Skiing World Cup calendar after the Olympiabakken in Kvitfjell, Norway (182 metres).
Last year, Mikaela Shiffrin opened the season with back-to-back victories in Levi. The 28-year-old ski star became the most successful skier ever on this slope with her sixth triumph on the "Levi Black" (2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and twice in 2022). Shiffrin's six Slalom victories in Levi is a new record for the number of victories in this discipline at one specific venue. Only Lindsey Vonn (14 Downhill in Lake Louise, 6 Downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo, 6 Super-G in Cortina d'Ampezzo) and Annemarie Moser-Pröll (7 Downhill in Pfronten) have recorded more than five World Cup wins in a specific event at a single resort among women's skiers.
Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova have won every women’s Alpine Ski World Cup race in Levi dating back to 2016. It was the third year in a row that the winner of the first slalom in Levi also wins the second slalom after the back-to-back victories of Petra Vlhova succeeded in 2020 and 2021.
The last women other than Mikaela Shiffrin or Petra Vlhová to claim a World Cup Slalom victory in Levi was Tina Maze in November 2014.
Defending Slalom World Cup Champion Mikaela Shiffrin won the First of the two Slaloms held in Levi in 2022. On the "Black Levi" track in Finnish Lapland, Shiffrin turned the tables after finishing third in the first run with the fastest time in the second run.
On Sunday Mikaela Shiffrin toped again the podium Levi with a 0.29 second lead over Wendy Holdener. On the Levi Black piste, which was icier than the day before, Mikaela Shiffrin confirms her dominance in Slalom with another flawless performance seting the two fastest times in both runs.
She finished on the podium in Levi eleven times (5 - 4 -1). Shiffrin only finished out of the podium two times. She ended in the 11th position in 2014, and 5th in 2020.
Levi will be a battle between two names mainly: Petra Vlhova, and Mikaela Shiffrin. The fact that again there are two Women's races taking place in Levi this year is something that can determine the results, especially on Sunday.
Mikaela Shiffrin finished in the podium in ten of the 11 Women's Slalom events last season's World Cup (6 wins, 3 second places, and one third place), only missing out on a podium finish in Killington (fifth place) on 27 November 2022.
The 28-year-old US ski Ace surpassed Ingemar Stenmark (86) as the alpine skier with the most World Cup event wins. In Ã…re, in the same place she won her first ever Alpine Ski World Cup Race 11 years ago, Shiffrin set a new record for the most ever Alpine Ski World Cup wins of all time. In Soldeu, Andorra, at the Alpine Ski World Cup Finals she added another win to her record for a total of 88 wins.
She recorded 53 of her 88 wins in the slalom, a record for most wins in a single event. Ingemar Stenmark follows with 46 wins in the Men's Giant Slalom, and Lindsey Vonn with 43 wins in the Women's Downhill.
Shiffrin clinched the Slalom title at Spindleruv Mlyn. In total, Shiffrin finished last season with a total of 15 Crystal Globes (5 total, 7 in Slalom, 2 in Giant Slalom and one in Super-G). This season, Shiffrin can equal Ingemar Stenmark (8) for most Slalom Crystal Globes.
Besides Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn (8 in Downhill) and Annemarie Moser-Pröll (7 in Downhill) are the only other women to have won a World Cup title in one discipline at least seven times.
Since 2018-2019, Shiffrin has recorded just one DNF in 42 Slalom World Cup starts: in Kranjska Gora on January 9, 2022.
Wendy Holdener finished second in the Slalom standings last season. She has finished second in the discipline ranks once before, in 2017-2018. Since then she finished 3rd-4th-5th-5th in the Slalom standings.
Holdener (2) was the only alpine skier other than Mikaela Shiffrin to claim multiple women's World Cup slalom victories last season. Before her wins in Killington and Sestriere in the 2022-2023 season Holdener had achieved 30 World Cup podiums in the Slalom without ever standing on the top step (G0-S15-B15).
Petra Vlhová finished third in the Slalom standings. She recorded podium finishes in the Slalom standings in each of the past five seasons, claiming two Crystal Globes: 2nd-1st-3rd-1st-3rd.
Vlhová is the reigning Olympic Champion in Slalom. Vlhová won only one Slalom World Cup event last season in Flachau on 10 January.
Lena Dürr won the bronze medal in the Slalom at the 2023 Alpine World Ski Championships in Méribel. The German skier finished fourth in the discipline standings last season. In 2021-2022 she finished in third position, her first time in the Top-3.
Dürr won her maiden World Cup Slalom event at Špindlerův Mlýn on 29th January at age 31. At the age of 31 years and 178 days she became the oldest German woman to win a World Cup event.
It's her eighth podium in the World Cup, the fourth one in Slalom in the 2022-2023 World Cup season. She won her only World Cup event at the City Event in Moscow in 2013.
Anna Swenn-Larsson finished fifth in the Slalom standings last season. Her best Slalom standings finish was a fourth place in 2018/19.
Swenn-Larsson won the one World Cup Slalom event in 2022-2023. The Slalom event held in Killington brought two new winner faces in the World Cup. Swiss Wendy Holdener and Swede Anna Swenn Larsson, surprisingly shared their first Slalom victory in the World Cup. It was the first Women's Slalom joint first place since 2011 in Flachau when Tanja Poutiainen and Maria Riesch shared the first position. She became the oldest debut winner in a World Cup event.
Anna Swenn-Larsson had achieved eight Slalom podiums in the Alpine Ski World Cup.
At the age of 31, the Swede became the oldest debut winner in a World Cup event.
Laurence St-Germain became World Champion in the Slalom at the 47th Alpine World Ski Championships in Meribel on February 18. She left the US favorite Mikaela Shiffrin behind by 0.57 seconds. Bronze went to German Lena Duerr (+0.69). For the second time a Canadian won the world title in Slalom. Anne Heggtveit achieved this feat in 1960 in Squaw Valley.
St-Germain's best result in a World Cup Slalom event is a fifth place in Ã…re on March 11, three weeks after becoming a world champion.
Last season, Zrinka Ljutic (3rd in Špindlerův Mlýn) and Leona Popovic (2nd in Soldeu) recorded the first Slalom podiums for Croatia in the Women's World Cup since Ana Jelusic in 2007.
Levi's Slalom Season Opener Program:
Saturday, 11.11.2023
10:00 CET 1st run
13:00 CET 2nd run
Sunday, 12.11.2023
10:00 CET 1st run
13:00 CET 2nd run
Facts Levi Black Race Course:
Altitude at the start: 438 m
Altitude at the finish line: 258 m
Vertical drop: 180 m
Steepest section: 52%
Gates: 64–67, depending on the race track
Levi Winners:
2022 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) / Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)
2021 Petra Vlhova (SVK) / Petra Vlhova (SVK)
2020 Petra Vlhova (SVK) / Petra Vlhova (SVK)
2019 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) / Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR)
2018 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) / Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
2017 Petra Vlhova (SVK) / Felix Neureuther (GER)
2016 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) / Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
2014 Tina Maze (SLO) / Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR)
2013 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) / Marcel Hirscher (AUT)
2012 Maria Hoefl-Riesch (GER) / Andre Myhrer (SWE)
2010 Marlies Schild (AUT) / Jean-Baptiste Grange (FRA)
2009 Maria Riesch (GER) / Reinfried Herbst (AUT)
2008 Lindsey Vonn (USA) / Jean-Baptiste Grange (FRA)
2006 Marlies Schild (AUT) / Benjamin Raich (AUT)
2006 Janica Kostelic (CRO) / Anja Paerson (SWE)
2004 Tanja Poutianen (FIN) / Maria Riesch (GER)
Levi, located about 170 km north of the Polar Circle (Levi World Cup is the northmost Alpine World Cup), is one of the largest ski resorts in Finnish Lapland. Levi Fell village is actually a small holiday town, which offers a wide range of first-rate services to its guests.
The Levi fell is 531 meters above sea level. There are some 50 ski slopes in Levi and the skiing and snowboarding season is particularly long, typically lasting from mid-October to the beginning of June. Levi has been chosen as the best domestic skiing resort in Finland several times.
Levi is the market leader and pioneer in Finland in Ski Resorts. In the area, there are 24 000 beds, which makes possible 2,5 million overnights/year with 650 000 visitors/year.
Besides the 43 slopes and 27 ski lifts, there are 230 km's cross-country tracks and 880 km's snowmobiling routes.
More than 20,000 spectators are expected at the two races on the weekend and the organizers have put great emphasis on involving local schools and youngsters to bring them to the events.
The Levi Black competition racecourse vertical drop is 180 meters and the steepest part of the racecourse has a steepness of 52 %.
In the Year 2012, The Regional Council of Lapland awarded the World Cup Levi event for its’ annual nomination for Regional Developer. The award was a great honor for the event and the recognition of creating the attractive World Cup Levi brand and promoting significantly the international visibility of Lapland.
Updated November 2, 2023
The Alpine Ski World Cup races in Levi (FIN) are confirmed following the official snow control from today 2nd November 2023. As scheduled, the races will take place on 11th-12th November 2023.