Obereggen, Clement Noel leads the charge of champions

Big names for European Cup slalom

Reigning Olympic slalom champion Clement Noel leads the provisional entry list for the European Cup slalom, on the challenging Maierl slope (maximum slope gradient: 55 percent), scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 15, in Obereggen (20 minutes from Bolzano), the heart in the Dolomites of the Ski Center Latemar ski area. It is the first slalom of the season in the European Cup. Noel, in Obereggen, finished third in 2017.

The Azzurri are hoping for Tobias Kastlunger, surprising tenth last Sunday in the World Cup slalom in Val d’Isere, and Matteo Canins, Federico Liberatore and Hans Vaccari. The provisional list includes the names of Bulgarian Albert Popov, 11th last Sunday in Val d’Isere, Swiss Luca Aerni, Austrian Marc Digruber and the two Croatians Istok Rodes and Samuel Kolega.