The men’s slalom season came to a dramatic close at Hafjell, Norway, where a packed home crowd had two reasons to cheer: it witnessed both a Norwegian race win as well as a Norwegian Slalom Crystal Globe champion.Timon Haugan skied to a dominant home victory, finishing nearly half a second ahead of second-placed Loïc Meillaard from Switzerland, while Eduard Hallberg from Finland rounded out the podium. Hallberg had just been awarded the Longines Rising Star Award for the most successful young make skier of the season (under 23).
Meanwhile, American-Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath claimed the season crystal globe for slalom skiing. Leading the standings going into the race had been Lucas Braathen, but a DNF of the Brazilian-Norwegian practically handed the globe to McGrath. It was an emotional moment for McGrath, who had been having a difficult Olympic season with a DNF after leading on run 1. The disappointment just a week after losing his grandfather saw the athlete turn his back on the race course and walk into the forrest to lie down away from the crowds in a snow — a moment that brought tears to everyone.
In slalom, racers take on two separate runs set by different course setters, and the combined time across both runs determines the final result. That format leaves zero room for error—one mistake, and both a race result and a season title can disappear instantly — as happened to Braathen today.
Run 1
The race was opened by Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, who set a strong early pace with 58.59 seconds. He was quickly eclipsed by Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard, who undercut him by more than half a second to take control. France’s Paco Rassat struggled to find rhythm and finished more than 2.5 seconds back, while teammate Clément Noël slotted in roughly a second behind Meillard.
Norway’s Timon Haugan took advantage of the early gaps, squeezing into second between Meillard and Kristoffersen. Atle Lie McGrath, with the Slalom Crystal Globe on the line, skied conservatively and finished 1.65 seconds back in eighth.
Fresh off his Giant Slalom win the day prior, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen slotted into fifth between Noël and McGrath, keeping himself firmly in the hunt for a second Globe—and setting up a showdown with his close friend McGrath.
Finland’s Eduard Hallberg finished run 1 in eighth place, 1.88 seconds off the pace.
Team USA had no starters in the gate.
Run 2
The second run told a completely different story. Set by French coach Kevin Page, it was noticeably slower and more technical than the first, which had been set by Matteo Joris and clearly suited Meillard more.
Great Britain’s Laurie Taylor laid down the fastest second run of the day with a time of 1:04.47, but the performance of the day came from Finland’s Eduard Hallberg. The Longines Rising Star, sitting eighth after run one, threw down a blistering second run that launched him into the lead—and ultimately onto the podium. From there, he sat in the leader’s chair as one top skier after another failed to match his time.
- Related: Atle Lie McGrath Responds to Olympic DNF with Perspective — And a Quote from South Park’s Butters
Then came the turning point. Braathen, chasing the Slalom Globe after winning the GS race and globe the day before, straddled on the fourth gate and recorded a DNF—instantly handing the Crystal Globe to McGrath. The two close friends later shared an emotional embrace in the finish. “Today’s about Atle, he brought it home and he was the best man. It’s plain and simple,” Braathen said after the race.
Moments later, Haugan dropped in and delivered a stunning run on home snow, smashing the lead by a massive 1.03 seconds. “Crazy, unbelievable… It’s been a rollercoaster of a season,” Haugan said, still gobsmacked after the race. “Today I just really wanted to finish with a victory.”
Kristoffersen couldn’t quite match that pace, finishing just 0.09 seconds behind Hallberg, leaving only Meillard to challenge. The Swiss skier carried strong speed on the top section but lost time lower down, slotting into second place—0.44 seconds behind Haugan and more than half a second ahead of Hallberg.
While Haugan claimed the race win—becoming the first Norwegian ever to win a World Cup slalom on home snow—the bigger story belonged to McGrath. After a turbulent stretch that included the loss of his grandfather and a devastating Olympic moment in Bormio where he famously skied off into the woods, the Norwegian completed an emotional turnaround to secure his first Slalom Crystal Globe. “It’s the best day of my life,” McGrath said. “I’m just so relieved… The past months after the Olympics have been some of the toughest but also some of the most rewarding I’ve had in my life.” Despite finishing eighth on the day, it was enough. “To win the globe… I’ve been going the past two weeks not sleeping, struggling to eat… and to actually have it is insane.”
In the end, the Hafjell finale delivered exactly what slalom does best—keep the excitement going until the very last skier. Timon Haugan took the win, Loïc Meillard and Eduard Hallberg rounded out the podium, and Atle Lie McGrath walked away with the biggest prize of all.
Two runs, one mistake — one season decided — what a day! This wraps up the 2025-26 World Cup season.
