The Frenchman, Olympic slalom champion 2022, was on his way out of the course where the fog had settled like a wet blanket over the piste.
If it was poor visibility or a technical mistake or a combination of both is unclear, but a second after Noël drove straight over a gate, he crashed into the safety net at high speed.
It looked bad, but the Frenchman got up soon. He made his way to the finish area on his own, but with his body weight on one leg. According to the initial reports, he was in pain in one foot, and judging by the TV images, he had a broken tooth.
Noël won the slalom in Levi and in Gurgl, but it remains to be seen if he will start on Sunday's slalom.
The Swiss Marco Odermatt had a more enjoyable day in the fog and snowstorm. With an eight-hundredth margin, he won the giant slalom in Val d'Isère for the fourth year in a row.
The Swede Mattias Rönngren came 45th in the first run, while his national team colleague William Hansson crashed out.
