McGrath Wins Alta Badia Slalom

If that's all Atle Lie McGrath wanted for Christmas, he wrapped it up in the last race before the break. The 25-year-old Norwegian athlete wins his fourth World Cup victory in the Slalom in Alta Badia on Monday. 

• Winner: Atle Lie McGrath; combined time 1:44.50.
• Second: Clément Noël; 0.30 seconds behind.
• Third: Loïc Meillard; 0.39 seconds behind

In the final race before the Christmas break, the 25-year-old Norwegian-American edged out Olympic champion Clément Noël and reigning world champion Loïc Meillard to claim his first win of the 2025–26 season.

For Atle Lie McGrath, who finished second on the first run, it was his fourth World Cup victory in the Slalom, following Flachau 2022, Courchevel 2022 and Wengen 2025. This is the Norwegian athlete's first victory this season. "It was a very good run. I was really sad after Val d'Isère, it was a difficult time for me. I told myself that from now on I'm going to ski at full speed. And here, I put in four good and aggressive runs, which have also produced top results. I won my first World Cup points here in Alta Badia, stood on the podium for the first time, and now I've finally won a race here too. I love the snow and the atmosphere here. This run is one of the most difficult. This is cool," said a delighted Atle Lie McGrath at the finish.

McGrath entered the second run in second place, trailing France's Noël by a slim margin. On a course that saw eight lead changes during the final session, McGrath delivered a masterclass in aggression and precision. He expanded his lead through the steep middle section of the Gran Risa, crossing the finish line with a combined time of 1:44.50.

Olympic slalom champion Noel couldn’t quite find the rhythm and groove of his first go. He struggled at the top, and despite bustling on the flatter mid section and pushing hard at the bottom, just missed out on victory, +0.30 seconds behind. Meillard was third, +0.39 adrift.

“This took a lot of effort, and I have such a passion for this sport, it’s hard to let it in,” said Lie McGrath. “Standing there knowing I had a chance. To fail, like I have over and over this season, and to finally do it, it is incredible.

He averted his gaze as the conclusion unfolded. “I couldn’t watch, it was too nerve-wracking," admitted Lie McGrath. "I was more nervous sitting at the bottom. They speak a little bit difficult German and Italian here, so I couldn’t understand anything. So when he came to the finish and I saw he was behind, that feeling was incredible.

“Now I go home. I get to see my girlfriend, it’s her birthday, so happy birthday. I’ll spend time with my family, and do some cross country skiing, I always do that at Christmas. And some training of course.

“January is the best month and then February with the Olympics, so I am so excited for what is to come.”

Noel was perhaps left pondering his conversion rate – he’s now had 18 leads in slaloms and has finished first seven times – but could be pleased with an excellent all round performance.

“I knew the first run was really tight, so you can expect to go down in the classification or to stay in your position, but it’s always tough,” he said. “The track was a bit bumpier than the first run, of course. I am happy with my race, even though you would prefer to win, for sure – when you are in first place after the first run you want to win, but that’s still a good race. My skiing is good and I feel that it will be even better in January.”

First comes a short rest. “I’ll have a bit of a Christmas break with my family, good food and good wine. Then we are going to train at the beginning of January for this big month, with Campiglio, Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbuhel, Schladaming. It’s going to be the real winter. I like Val D’Isere because it’s my home race, but then I would say all the January ones [are favourites], Kitzbuhel is at the top, but there are some really cool places.”

Meillard was also satisfied with his overall approach. “I pushed for the victory and I did a big mistake, so I am happy that I tried to win it,” he said. “I am very happy with how I skied, how I pushed, on the second run, that’s how I have to ski every time. I went back into the rhythm after the big mistake. I thought 'OK, give it all, it most likely it won’t be enough'. So to end up with a podium, I’m pretty happy. Now I’ll go home, have two days with the family, eat some good food, have a glass of wine to celebrate the last two weekends, then we will drive to Livigno for a Super G. So it will be very short break.”

Following his victory, McGrath performed his signature "ski-kick" celebration—kicking his right ski into the air and catching it in the style of Swiss legend Didier Cuche—before collapsing in joy.

"I am so incredibly happy. This feels absolutely insane," McGrath said in the finish area. "To fail like I have over and over this season, and to finally do it, is incredible. I was more nervous sitting at the bottom watching the final runs than I was at the start gate."

The win marks a redemptive moment for McGrath, who had previously finished on the podium this season in Gurgl and Sölden but had yet to reach the top step.

"Atle Lie McGrath's performance was excellent on the first run. What he did on the second run was superb," says HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "Winning on this slope is a very special achievement. You have to be able to do everything here. It starts off steep at the top, and then slants away at the bottom. He skied the toughest sections perfectly and is the well-deserved winner. After dropping out in Val d'Isère, he has now shown what's what. He is super fast. And winning here in the last race before Christmas makes it all the better. Hats off to Lindsey Vonn! I can hardly find the words to describe her performance."