After a three-week break, the Alpine Ski World Cup returns in Levi (Finland) on 17-18 November on the "Levi Black" slope. The Opening event of the Slalom season will once again bring together the world's best Men's and Women's skiers. The Men's World Cup Slalom returns to Levi after a four-year break.
Levi's World Cup is celebrating a major milestone this season as it marks its 20th anniversary. In 2004, the first 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.
It was during a slope inspection in 1996 that the idea of a Slalom World Cup on Levi's slopes was born. It was officially decided to build a new slope and lift to host the event. The opening date was set for the turn of the year 1999-2000. On New Year's Eve 2000, Archbishop Johannes inaugurated the new lift. It opened at 00:01 on 1 January 2000.
Kalle Palander's Slalom world championship at the 1999 World Championships in Vail was the final turning point in launching the World Cup project.
Levi hosted the first Men’s Europa Cup races in November 2000.
Finally, all the hard work paid off and on February 28, 2004, the white circus of Alpine Skiing landed in the freezing cold of Levi. The competition was held as a two-day Women's race. On the first day, local skier Tanja Poutiainen scored the first World Cup victory of her career at Levi's first World Cup event 20 years ago.
Until 2006, the World Cup was held at the end of February, when it was moved to November as the opening event of the slalom World Cup. As a result, two races were held in Levi in 2006. The Men's event was also on the agenda, so Levi was the venue for the opening of the slalom season.
The idea of giving the winner a reindeer as a prize was born in 2013.
Levi Program (FIN):
Saturday, 16.11.2024 Slalom / Women
11:00 LOC / 10:00 CET 1st run
14:00 LOC / 13:00 CET 2nd run
Sunday, 17.11.2024 Slalom Men
11:00 LOC / 10:00 CET 1st run
14:00 LOC / 13:00 CET 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 meters).
Levi Winners:
2023 Petra Vlhova (SVK) / Mikaela Shiffrin (USA)
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)
Last season, a dominant Petra Vlhova won the first Slalom of the Alpine Ski World Cup season in Levi. Vlhova set the best time in both runs demonstrating, as she already showed in Sölden, that she was in impressive shape. In the first of two slaloms held in Levi the Olympic champion from Beijing clearly differentiated herself from the rest, even from main favorites Lena Dürr and Mikaela Shiffrin.
The Slovakian won on Saturday on a demanding course, finishing 1.41 seconds ahead of German Lena Dürr. Katharina Liensberger finished in third place 1.55 seconds behind Vlhova thanks to a great second run.
Defending World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin finished in fourth place, 1.70 seconds behind.
After two races out of the podium, Mikaela Shiffrin returned to her winning mode in the second Slalom held in Levi. The US skier finished +0.18 seconds ahead of Leona Popovic. In third place, Lena Dürr, 0.30 seconds behind, repeated on the podium after finishing second yesterday.
Shiffrin became the most successful skier of all time on the "Levi Black" slope with her seventh win (2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, twice in 2022 and 2023). Shiffrin's seven 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) and Annemarie Moser-Pröll (7 Downhill in Pfronten) have recorded more than six World Cup wins in a specific event at a single resort among Women's skiers.
Henrik Kristoffersen won the last Men's Slalom in Levi on November 24, 2019. After finishing fourth in the first run, Kristoffersen skied a masterful second run to take first place. The Norwegian was joined on the podium by Frenchman Clement Noel (+0.09) and Swiss Daniel Yule (+0.18) in second and third respectively. It was Kristoffersen's second win (2014) and fifth podium finish in Levi.
Levi, located approximately 170 km north of the Arctic Circle, is one of the largest ski resorts in Finnish Lapland. The village of Levi Fell is a small holiday resort that offers its guests a wide range of first-class services.
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 repeatedly been voted the best domestic ski resort in Finland.
Besides the 43 slopes and 27 ski lifts, there are 230 km of cross-country tracks and 880 km of 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.
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