In whiteout blizzard conditions on Mont-Tremblant’s Flying Mile piste, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson delivered a masterclass in tactical Giant Slalom skiing. The newly 24-year-old who celebrated her birthday this week, won her second straight World Cup Giant Slalom, taking over the red leader’s bib. She showed a level of composure and terrain management that once eluded her on this very slope. Her domination—nearly a second faster than the field—capped a chaotic race day marked by heavy snowfall, fog, poor visibility and a series of DNFs from top contenders.
Rounding out the podium were Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic, who claimed her only second career Giant Slalom podium—her best discipline is Slalom—and Canada’s Valerie Grenier claiming third on her home mountain—she learned to ski here and is member of the Mont-Tremblant Ski Club.
Run 1
Heavy snowfall and poor visibility immediately defined the first run, catching out many of the world’s best skiers. Sara Hector, the first racer on course, opened the day with a shock DNF after skidding too low on a blind gate—an error that mirrored the struggles of many who followed. Paula Moltzan, running bib 2, nearly suffered the same fate but stayed upright thanks to the cat-like agility she is known for. Still, multiple mistakes left her far off the pace, finishing in what was ultimately 20th on run 1.
Zrinka Ljutic in bib 3 handled the storm far better, navigating the course—set by her father—with a smooth, intelligent approach. While not perfect, her run put her 1.84 seconds ahead of Moltzan. Meanwhile, Julia Scheib, fresh off a win in Sölden and initially looking faster than Ljutic, squeezed out time on the Croatian before the terrain caught her. The Austrian slammed directly into a gate (thankfully the flag not the pole) after getting bounced late on the rollers—another dramatic DNF from a top seed.
Momentum shifted when Alice Robinson, the fifth starter and Copper Mountain winner, attacked the top section to lead by 0.20 seconds. She built on that advantage through the tricky rollers, finishing 0.33 seconds ahead of Ljutic and establishing the top benchmark of the run.
Rising star Lara Colturi, wearing bib 6, couldn’t find the necessary pace. Skidding high on the course and battling visibility, she lost over two seconds—an uncharacteristic result for the young Italian-Albanian skier but a sign of the tricky course and conditions on the Flying Mile today.
From the elite top-seven bib group, Thea Louise Stjernesund skied solidly into the top ranks, half a second behind Robinson. Canada’s Valerie Grenier, wearing bib 12, thrilled the home crowd with a run into fourth, while teammate Britt Richardson slotted into seventh.
Mikaela Shiffrin, starting in bib 16 and still rebuilding Giant Slalom form after last year’s Killington crash, showed flashes of her old dominance. Sitting less than half a second back by the mid-section, she then produced the fastest sector three of the day. Her surge bumped Stjernesund out of third. The crowd at Tremblant roared—many sensing this might be the moment Shiffrin’s Giant Slalom breakthrough finally arrived.
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Sofia Goggia, known primarily for speed events, impressed as well, absorbing the terrain better than many tech specialists and skiing into tenth.
Team USA had five women at the start at Mont-Tremblant today. Aside from Shiffrin and Moltzan, Nina O’Brien qualified for run 2 in 18th place, while Kjersti Moritz narrowly missed out on qualifying in 31st place. Elisabeth Bocock unfortunately recorded another DNF, after suffering a similar fate last week.
Run 2
The snowfall stopped by the second run, but fog lingered at the top of the course. The snow cooled and firmed, leaving a faster surface that reshuffled the field. With a new course setting for run 2, it was almost an entirely different hill.
The earliest standout was Italy’s Lara Della Mea, who delivered the fastest second run of the entire day—smooth, aggressive and relentless from top to bottom. Her effort carried her through more than ten racers in the leader’s box and ultimately earned her a career-best ninth place.
Sweden’s Estelle Alphand briefly took over the lead by 0.20 seconds, holding strong until Clara Direz bumped her out. Direz’ moment in the hot seat was short-lived: Camille Rast immediately skied into first. But the Swiss racer was soon overtaken by Grenier, who unleashed an electric lower section thanks to her intimate knowledge of Flying Mile. The local crowd erupted as she seized control with only four skiers remaining.
Thea Louise Stjernesund, fourth to last, saw her podium hopes evaporate when she lost her outside ski and skied out—the third major DNF of the day after Scheib and Hector.
Up next was Mikaela Shiffrin. Starting with a 0.27-second cushion from run 1, she expanded her margin to nearly half a second early on. But the middle section—where subtle terrain shifts cost many—caught her. Though her run looked smooth, she bled time on the lower third, finishing 0.65 behind Grenier. The Canadian’s teammates burst into celebration and jumped into the leader’s box: a podium for Canada was now guaranteed.
Second last skier Zrinka Ljutic attacked with sharp precision. Like Shiffrin, she carved a strong top section before losing time low on the hill. But unlike Shiffrin, she preserved just enough of her advantage to take the lead by a razor-thin 0.06 seconds, securing her second career Giant Slalom podium.
Now only Alice Robinson remained—could she maintain her calm and hang onto her lead from run1 when so many struggled? Armed with a 0.33-second lead from run 1, Robinson maintained her advantage early, then did what no one else could: she added time to her lead in the critical mid-section. By the final splits, she had extended her margin by more than half a second, crossing the line nearly a full second ahead of Ljutic. The crowd and commentators erupted—it was a commanding, career-defining display from the Kiwi, who was once known for her inconsistent form, but time and training has brought a new level-headedness and consistency to this amazing talent that saw her clinch the red leader’s bib in the Giant Slalom standings.
“It’s a flat hill, but it’s not easy — it’s got so much micro-terrain,” the Kiwi explained in the post-race interview. “You have to be tactically smart with where you push and where you hold back. We did a lot of work this summer with terrain because that’s always been a weakness of mine, so I’m really glad it’s paid off,” and her preparation showed. With past Giant Slalom crystal globe winners Federica Brignone and Lara Gut-Behrami out with injuries and Mikaela Shiffrin still trying to find her pre-injury form, Robinson seized full control of the discipline. No longer a sporadic teenage prodigy, she is now a consistent podium threat, a Giant Slalom leader, and a rising favorite for the Olympic title in Cortina just two months away.
Team USA’s Shiffrin finished the day in sixth place, while Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan put down much stronger second runs, boosting their standings to 10th and 13th, respectively. This earns those three skiers valuable FIS points into the Olympic qualification and selection period which ends in January. Canada’s team also had three women in the top 30, with Britt Richardson in 15th and Cassidy Gray in 27th.
The race weekend at the Flying Mile course in Mont-Tremblant continues on Sunday, December 7, with a second Giant Slalom at Mont-Tremblant.
