FIS athletes compete in early season Colorado race series

At an early season race, people might expect ruts and early season nerves, but the four FIS races at Copper Mountain from Nov. 28 – Dec. 1 were filled with strong racing and clean courses. The series, which included two super-G and two giant slalom races, were the first competitions of the season for many U19 and older racers.

The first super-G kicked off the series with a few spurts of snow, flashes of sunlight, and plenty of clouds. The track held up well even through the fresh snow, thanks to frequent slippers and helpful teammates. The light was a bit flat due to the near constant cloud cover, and the temperatures were low. With temperatures well below freezing, racers were quick to plead for their teammates to bring clothes down to the finish area.

Claire Tan of the Netherlands won the first day of super-G by 0.72 seconds, followed by senior racer Noelle Barbahona of Chile in second and Abigail Murer of Ski and Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) in third. On the men’s side, Kipling Weisel of the U.S. Ski Team finished in first place. He was followed by U19 racer Cooper Cornelius of Aspen Valley Ski Club and the U.S. Ski Team’s Florian Szwebel, who tied for second place.

Szwebel had an even better finish on day two, placing first. He was followed by Tilen Debelak of Slovenia in second and Willis Feasy of New Zealand in third. On the women’s side, Maureen Lebel from the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team won the race by 0.17 seconds, Hannah West of Romark Ski Academy earned second, and Murer finished in third again.

The giant slalom conditions on the Nov.30 and Dec. 1 were just as consistent as the super-Gs, only with a bit more sun and slightly colder weather. The phrase “hero snow” was heard on every team’s radio at least once over the two days. On the third day of the series, Leona Popovic of Croatia earned the top spot, followed by Rachael Desrochers from SSCV in second and Katerina Paulathova of the Czech Republic in third.

On the men’s side, CU Boulder swept the podium with Max Luuko in first, followed by Johansen Ola Buer in second and David Ketterer in third. Andrew Miller of the Park City Ski Team, who was the top U19 man on both days of giant slalom, was excited to start the season strong.

“I really wanted to start off the season on a high note, so I was pretty nervous first run,” he said. “I was relieved that I got a solid run under my belt, so I tried to ski more aggressively second run and it ended up being fast. Great day!”

On the final day of racing, things got switched up. Green Mountain Valley School‘s Ali Nullmeyer took the win while Desrochers repeated her performance from day one, earning second place.

“First run was pretty tight and difficult,” Nullmeyer recounted. “It was just a fight-to-finish type of course. The second run was definitely more open, so I skied it a bit cleaner. Both were fun courses and put together made a great day!”

In third place was former World Cup slalom star Sarah Schleper. On the men’s side, Dominic Demschar of the University of Utah placed first. He was especially pleased with his improvement from 22nd place on day one.

“I had no real expectations, and running bib number one was definitely nice,” he said. “I had a good second run even though it was a bit darker and the course was more roughed up. It obviously worked out. It feels good to start the season off so high.”

William St-Germain of Canada came in second, and Willis Feasey of New Zealand took third, rounding out the final men’s podium.

Nov. 28 Super-G Results: Ladies, Men
Nov. 29 Super-G Results: Ladies, Men
Nov. 30 Giant Slalom Results: Ladies, Men
Dec. 1 Giant Slalom Results: Ladies, Men