McGrath leads the slalom in Hochgurgl – Feller fights for the podium!

McGrath leads the slalom in Hochgurgl – Feller fights for the podium!

On November 22, 2025, the second slalom of the Alpine Ski World Cup season took place in Hochgurgl, Ötztal. After the first round, Atle Lie McGrath from Norway leads with the best time. The 25-year-old racer, who is a member of the Norwegian alpine ski team, has enjoyed success in the past, including his first World Cup victory in slalom in March 2022 in Flachau, Austria. McGrath, who was born in April 2000, has achieved three victories in the Ski World Cup to date and is showing strong performances again this season, as evidenced by his current lead in Hochgurgl. His exceptional skills have earned him a total of 16 podiums, including 11 in slalom and 4 in giant slalom. This is stated in the report by vienna.at highlighted.

McGrath is followed by Eduard Hallberg from Finland and Tanguy Nef from Switzerland, who are also in second place. Both had to accept only 0.17 seconds behind McGrath's best time. The Austrian ski racer Manuel Feller, who finished sixth in the first round, is already 43 hundredths of a second behind the leader. His compatriot Fabio Gstrein follows in eighth place, 64 hundredths of a second behind McGrath.

Austrian performance and setbacks

The other positions of the Austrian drivers show a mixed picture. Simon Rueland is the third best Austrian in eleventh place, 0.73 seconds behind. In addition, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen also shares eleventh place, while Marco Schwarz follows in 13th place, 0.81 seconds behind. Unfortunately, several Austrian skiers failed in the first round, including Michael Matt, Adrian Pertl and Joshua Sturm, who were unable to progress to the second round.

The second round will begin at 1:30 p.m. For Feller and Gstrein, it will be crucial to reduce their deficits in order to reach the podium. Feller is 26 hundredths of a second shy of third place, which further increases the tension in the race.

World Cup season 2024/25

The current season is an exciting year for the Ski World Cup, which has been dominated by Switzerland and Austria in recent years. The nations lead the overall rankings, with Switzerland leading the way with 10,823 points so far in the 2024/25 season. Austria follows with 7,459 points. This illustrates the strong competition and the high pressure to perform in the Alpine Ski World Cup. McGrath's achievements could have a further impact on Norway's position, which has not been able to repeat its top results in the overall rankings in recent years.

With his successes so far this season, McGrath could lay the foundation for a successful career and continue to establish himself as one of the best alpine ski racers. Details about McGrath's track record and previous achievements can also be found on his Wikipedia page.

The results of the Alpine Ski World Cup are crucial for the overall ranking of the nations, which has fluctuated in recent years. The last few seasons have shown that the competition between the leading countries is tight, which is also reflected in the results of the Alpine Ski World Cup. In particular, performances at major events and the rise of young athletes like McGrath are central to the future of the sport.