Norway’s Levi starters to include NCAA champion Nordbotten

UVM’s Jonathan Nordbotten in last year’s Levi World Cup (credit: GEPA/Mario Kneisl)

Norway will send a rather light women’s team to represent the Norwegian Ski Federation at this Saturday’s (Nov. 16) World Cup slalom race in Levi, Finland. Sisters Mona and Nina Loeseth are the only Norwegian ladies who will compete on the famed Levi Black course following their training days in Funesdalen, Sweden. Nina finished 14th in last year’s race, while younger sister Mona did not complete the first run. They have been in Levi since Wednesday (Nov. 13) making their final preparations for the opening slalom race of the season.

The Viking men completed their pre-Levi preparations in Funaesdalen, Sweden, and Sports Director Claus J. Ryste reported that the team had excellent conditions for their final training block leading into the race. Leif Kristian Haugen, Henrik Kristoffersen, Sebastian-Foss Solevaag, and Jonathan Nordbotten comprise the men’s team starting in Levi. Haugen, who competed for the University of Denver and won the NCAA giant slalom title in 2010, will be joined by his countryman Nordbotten, currently a student at the University of Vermont and last season’s NCAA giant slalom champion. Neither Haugen, Nordbotten, or Solevaag qualified for the second run last year in Levi, but their teammate Kristoffersen placed 11th.