The spicy combination of warm weather, changing terrain, and a long technical course turned the last giant slalom race of the season into a spectacle. The mountain proved so demanding that even the season’s best athletes humbly accepted defeat.
We saw many DNFs, tears, and surprises.
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What Was At Stake
The stage was set for a showdown between Federica Brignone (ITA) and Alice Robinson (NZL), as the difference between them was only 20 points. Robinson knew she needed to put more points between them, as the margin was so small, and a tie would not help her. As an additional rule states, in case of the same number of points, the one with the most wins in the season takes the globe. Brignone won all the giant slalom races she finished, while Robinson only won one before this event. Both declared that they would put everything into the race. Robinson went even further, saying she sees this as a win-or-DNF situation. Sara Hector (SWE) merely needed a good result to maintain her third place; she could not endanger the two leaders mathematically.
The Tricky Terrain And Its Toll
The giant slalom for men and women is the same length, very long. The course was technically set with many turns. But what made it even worse was the weather. It was very warm, and parts of the slope were under direct sunshine. The organizers put a lot of salt in it, but still, the conditions were changing and deteriorating. Combined with a few challenging turns and terrain changes, this created a deadly combination.
The toll of these conditions was high. We saw 8 out of 28 racers skiing out or falling in the first run. And some of the best racers they were. Paula Molztan (USA) stopped the heartbeat of the home crowd with her nasty crash. Zrinka Ljutic (CRO), whose coach set the first run, skied out. And most notably, Alice Robinson threw everything on the table and lost the gamble. This meant that Federica Brignone only needed to finish 13th or better in the second run and get the globe.
Still, the first run witnessed even the best racers, including Brignone, making uncharacteristic mistakes. As time passed and the sun shone more and more, chances for anybody to endanger Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) once again sitting in the red chair lowered.
The Sun Was Shining During The Second Run
The second run saw three women ski out, and only 17 finish. Sofia Goggia (ITA), Emma Aicher (GER), and Camille Rast (SUI) failed on the challenging course. The racers’ performance worsened as the sun shone and the terrain deteriorated. It was visibly hard to maintain the line. However, the three best racers from the first run showed their experience.
First, Sara Hector (SWE) performed a perfect run, raising the eyebrows of the others struggling on the demanding course. Her run almost asked the competitors, “What was the fuss about? See? It’s easy.”
But Hector was not the only one to show the start field how it’s done. Federica Brignone showcased why she is wearing a tiger on her helmet. Tigers always charge. She could have gone mildly, focus on finishing better than 13th; with her lead, that would not have been hard.
But she decided to give it all, made some mistakes, recovered, risked it all, and outran Sara Hector.
Then Lara Gut-Behrami, who had nothing to lose and was on a winning streak after her super-G Sunday, did the same. And as Brignone had the best time in the second run (remarkable given the conditions), it came down to her one terrible mistake in the first run. That mistake cost her victory, as Lara was a bit slower in the second run, but it still sufficed for a lead.
Fede Takes Another
So, Federica Brignone added another Crystal Globe to her 2025 collection. After the downhill, she gained the giant slalom title. Alice Robinson finished second in the overall ranking, but was smiling. She fought for the biggest prize in the first season when she started to achieve striking results. Robinson is young, talented, and mentally strong. She will continue the fight next year. Sara Hector maintained the third spot in the final ranking and was happy for it, as this season was not the best for her, and still, she managed to finish with a medal.
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Now, let us look forward to the men’s giant slalom. The battle for the globe is decided there, but watching the girls struggling in these conditions makes us look forward to the guys showing us their skills.
