France’s Paco Rassat Wins World Cup slalom In Adelboden.

n a season defined by a changing of the guard, France’s Paco Rassat continued his meteoric rise today by conquering the legendary Chuenisbärgli, winning the FIS World Cup slalom in Adelboden.

The race was a predictably tight affair, with second-place Atle Lie McGrath (NOR/Head) only 0.18 seconds behind the Frenchman, and compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR/Van Deer) two tenths of a second behind Rassat in third. That finish represented a 99th career World Cup podium for Kristoffersen, who is now two away from Marc Girardelli (LUX) in third on the all-time list of men's World Cup podiums.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA/Atomic) and Manuel Feller (AUT/Atomic) rounded off a remarkably tight top five, with the latter only 0.38 seconds behind Rassat's pace.

Rassat had only one top-10 result in 34 Slalom World Cup starts coming into this campaign, but he won the Gurgl Slalom in November and came third in Madonna di Campiglio last time out. And now with his victory in a time of 1:51.22 on Sunday on the same slope where he made his World Cup debut in 2022, he becomes the first male skier to win more than one Slalom World Cup race this season and announce himself as a strong contender for Olympic Games gold at Milano Cortina 2026.

"I can't believe I have won here in Adelboden. Yesterday I saw Leo (Anguenot) on the podium here on the GS. The atmosphere is just incredible, thank you very much everybody for your support," the Head skier said.

"It's my first points here in Adelboden; four races here with DNFs. It was my first World Cup start here in Adelboden four years ago, and today to be in front of this amazing crowd is just amazing. I'm so, so happy."

The race began under rare sunshine for the Adelboden weekend, with temperatures hovering around -5°C. Henrik Kristoffersen initially looked poised to secure his 100th podium from the top step, leading after the first run. However, the icy conditions and the high-stakes pressure of the final pitch shook up the leaderboard during the afternoon finale.

Rassat, who sat just behind the leaders after the first heat, found an extra gear on the steep finishing wall. Despite being slightly off the pace on the top flats, he attacked the final gates with a rhythm that no one else could match, posting the fastest second-run time to vault into the lead.

"I can't believe it—I'm so happy," Rassat said after the race. "The atmosphere here is incredible, and I want to give this moment to my parents. This feels even better than I ever dreamed."

McGrath finished as runner-up in the Adelboden slalom for the third time in four years Ski Racing Media. The American-born Norwegian, whose father Felix competed for the United States at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, expressed satisfaction despite missing the top step. "It's kind of crazy. I'm of course super happy, it's such a challenging slope and mentally it's one of the toughest places to perform because of this amazing crowd," McGrath said 

Kristoffersen had led after the first run but was visibly frustrated after the final, clearly disappointed at surrendering his advantage. The result marked another twist in what has become the most unpredictable slalom season in recent memory, with six different winners now crowned in six races.

Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden observed a minute's silence before racing for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana on New Year's Day