ALPINE
 
Haley Cutler earns win at U19 Nationals
The SVSEF FIS team is currently at U19 Nationals at Copper Mountain in Colorado, where athletes are putting it all on the line. Events include slalom, giant slalom, super G and downhill.
 
Haley Cutler had a breakout performance in the super G on March 1^st, winning the race and securing a spot at the U.S. National Alpine Championships here in Sun Valley, March 22-27.
 
Cutler skied a technically sound slalom race on February 28 to place seventh overall. Erin Smith dug in for 15^th in the giant slalom on February 29.

Haley Cutler racing at Schweitzer, Montana, earlier in the season. Photo by Brett Jacobson.

 
Results, Slalom
U19 Men: Jay Fitzgerald 29-S, DNF-GS; Will Snyder 42-S, DNF-GS; Yuri McClure 47-S, 40-GS; Duncan Fuller DNF-S, 45-GS
 
U19 Women: Haley Cutler 7-S, DNF-GS; Skylar Cooley 25-S, 19-GS; Erin Smith DNF-S, 13-GS; Ruby Marden 44-S, 36-GS; Katelyn Rathfon 46-S, 20-GS
 
Men’s slalom:
http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=84802
 
Women’s slalom:
http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=84803
 
Men’s GS:
http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=84804
 
Women’s GS:
http://data.fis-ski.com/dynamic/results.html?sector=AL&raceid=84805
 

NORDIC

 
Peter Wolter rises to the occasion at U18 Nations’ Cup

SVSEF nordic skier Peter Wolter traveled to Otepaa, Estonia to race in the U18 Nations’ Cup after qualifying with top performances at the U.S. Cross Country Nationals. Wolter was one of twelve Americans who competed against athletes from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Estonia.
 
The Nations’ Cup began with a 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint on Friday – Wolter qualified for the quarterfinals in 26^th place out of 44. He did not move on past quarterfinals and ended up finihsing 24^th overall.

Left, Peter Wolter in team relay

On Saturday, the men battled it out in a 10-kilometer classic event. This was Wolter’s stand-out performance of the weekend – the Hailey native skied a smart race to finish 15^th overall in a field of 41 competitors with a time of 26:14.7; he was the fourth American for the day. Norway swept the podium, with Joergen Lippert completing the course in 24:04.1 for the win.
 
Wolter started things off for his relay team as the first leg of three on Sunday, skiing five kilometers of classic before passing off to the subsequent five-kilometer skate legs. Wolter’s team, which included U.S. athletes Karl Schulz and Noel Keeffe, was ranked ninth going into the race; the team drove it home to finish eighth.
 
For full results:
Skate sprint: http://www.suusaliit.ee/bw_client_files/suusaliit/public/img/File/BOYS_SP_F_RESULTS.pdf
 
Classic 10km: http://www.suusaliit.ee/bw_client_files/suusaliit/public/img/File/BOYS_10_CL_RESULTS.pdf
 
Relay: http://www.suusaliit.ee/bw_client_files/suusaliit/public/img/File/BOYS_RELAY_RESULTS.pdf
 
 
 
Prep and Devo teams take home the hardware at Intermountain Youth Champs
SVSEF hosted the Intermountain Youth Championships February 27-28 at Lake Creek; the event was a chance for young competitors, whether new to the sport or veterans in their own right, to come together and participate in a variety of races – 270 athletes attended, with ages ranging from six to 15 years old. Athletes traveled from Boise, Bozeman, Glacier, Jackson Hole, Park City, West Yellowstone, McCall, Salt Lake City, Missoula, and Logan, Montana, for the event.
 
“The stoke was high and as the Norwegians would say, ‘the shape was good,’” observed SVSEF Nordic Program Director Rick Kapala. who served as chief of course for the event.
 
Saturday was a full day, with a mass start skate race (ranging from .75 to five kilometers in distance) followed by a downhill event (in which competitors ripped down Torin’s Tuck’er) and an obstacle course.
 
Icy conditions on Sunday made for a fast yet dodgy course for the classic race, which saw a number of falls on one sharp corner or another. The course was the same as the it was for the skate race on Saturday (again ranging from .75 to five kilometers in distance).
 
Highlights of the weekend were a sweep by Logan Smith in all four U14 girl’s events, wins for U14 Cash Dart in both the 3-kilometer skate event and the “Flying Downhill,” and a podium sweep by the U14 girls in the skate race, the downhill, and the obstacle course.
 
Two final awards were given out at the end of the weekend; one for sportsmanship, and the other for the overall team champion, based on points. Bozeman took home the Sportsmanship Award, while SVSEF won the Overall Team Award.
 
Concluded Kelley Sinnott, SVSEF assistant nordic program director, head prep team coach, and this weekend’s chief of competition, “[It was a] great event! We are really excited to see so many competitors from Intermountain out on the race courses; the future for Intermountain is bright! I am so proud of the SVSEF team racing hard on their home turf and winning the Team Overall [award]. Thank you so much to all of our volunteers – there is no way we could have put on this event without them.”
 

The gang’s all here! Photo by John Gorham.

Results, IMD Youth Championships 
IYC Skate Results
IYC Classic Results
Flying Downhill Results
IYC Obstacle Course Results
 
Gold Team
Nordic Gold Team member Miles Havlick has qualified for the OPA Cup (Central European World Cup B) competitions in Arber, Germany, (March 5-6) and Toblach, Italy, (March 11-13) – he is currently across the pond getting acclimated and geared up to represent SVSEF and the U.S. Ski Team at these races.
 
 
 

ALPINE

Monroe Cup
This weekend marked the 19^th year of the Monroe Cup in Sun Valley at Bald Mountain, held in honor of former SVSEF executive director and coach Lane Monroe. Racers flocked from Jackson Hole, McCall, Bogus Basin, and Teton Village for a giant slalom event on Saturday and slalom on Sunday, which ran down Hemingway and Greyhawk. SVSEF had 67 athletes participate in the event, the largest number from any one team.
 

Lane Monroe and overall champs, SVSEF’s Colin Hanna and Victoria Clancy of Jackson Hole

SVSEF racers tore down the mountain, earning top spots across the age classes. In the giant slalom on Saturday, Bogus Basin’s Meredith Bromley took the win in the girl’s U8 race in 1:33.56; right behind her were SVSEF’s Lowie Watkins and Natalie Gowe in second and third. In the boy’s U8 event, Jay Blackburn of SVSEF topped the podium with a time of 1:47.43, followed by McCall’s Cooper Harvey and Marcus Brouse. In the girl’s U10 race, McCall’s Lakota Hovey won in a time of 2:05.49, with SVSEF’s Taylor Hovey and Ava Agnew coming in right behind her in second and third. The top U10 boy’s finisher was SVSEF’s Max Meucci in 1:30.70, followed by Teton Village’s Gustin Clausen and SUNNY’s Trace Schroeder. In the U12 girl’s race, Annika Howard of Jackson Hole skied to a win in 1:29.42, with SVSEF’s Hannah Ferris and Tatum Minor rounding out the podium. Jackson Hole had a strong group of U12 boys, with Sam Clausen, Christien Gabriel Woiwode and Charles Hoelscher claiming the top spots. Colin Hanna was SVSEF’s first U12 finisher in fifth, and Cartier Sammis came in eighth. SVSEF swept the girl’s U14 category, with Taylor Dorland winning the race in 1:33.02, and Gillian Simcoe and Bel Clayton finishing in second and third. Bryce Foster was the top U14 boy with a time of 1:28.39, Bo Swenke was second, and Owen Robb was third; all of SVSEF.

Hannah Ferries digs in. Photos by Chase Millemann

 
In the slalom event on Sunday, SVSEF’s Lowie Watkins was the champion for the U10 girl’s race with a time of 1:17.45. Jackson Hole took the next two places, with Tegan Ritter in second and Savannah Kenney in third. Lucas Broussard was SVSEF’s top U10 boy in fourth, and behind him were Sacha Stern-Pre in sixth and Tucker Smith in seventh.
 
Thirty-eight overall champions have been named at the Monroe Cup between 1997 and 2015, and 21 of those have been SVSEF racers. This year’s overall champions were Colin Hanna of SVSEF and Victoria Clancy of Jackson Hole.
 
U12 Championships this year will be held March 11-13 at Brundage Mountain in McCall, Idaho.
 
For full results:
 
http://www.ussa-imd.org/alpine/races15/north.php
 
 
Soldier Mountain USSA races
After two days of private access to Soldier Mountain in Fairfield, Idaho, during which time athletes worked with high-caliber coaches to build upon speed and terrain skills, U16 and U19 athletes competed in two USSA scored downhill races on Wednesday, February 24.
 
SVSEF and U.S. Ski Team athlete Tanner Farrow won the men’s first downhill in 1:30.69. SVSEF’s John Blackburn, Griffin Curtis and Yuri McClure came in first, second and third for the men’s U19 category. Matt O’Connor was fifth overall and the first U16 finisher; Ian Hanna was second, and Jake Blackburn was third; all are SVSEF skiers.
 
On the women’s side, Haley Cutler won the U19 race in 1:38.70. Erin Smith was second and Sage Rheinschild third to round out the SVSEF podium. SVSEF’s Lily Fitzgerald won the U16 cateogry, followed by Allison Rathfon (SVSEF) and Kaia Jensen (SVSEF) in second and third.
 
In the second downhill event of the day, Farrow again took the win, this time in 1:34.04. John Blackburn, Griffin Curtis, and Yuri McClure were again first, second and third for U19 men. Matt O’Connor had his second win of the day in the U16 category, followed by Bennett Snyder and Ian Hanna (all of SVSEF).
 
The women’s second U19 podium was a repeat of the first event, with Haley Cutler in first, Erin Smith in second, and Sage Rheinschild in third. Allison Rathfon won the U16 girl’s race, with Kaia Jensen and Lily Fitzgerald in second and third.
 Results
#1 men’s downhill
#2 men’s downhill
#1 ladies downhill
#2 ladies downhill
 
 
Trudi Bolinder Memorial Races
Following a successful training camp, the USSA team moved on to Bogus Basin for the Trudi Bolinder Memorial IMC/U16 qualifiers. Rain on Saturday kept athletes from racing; the women ended up squeezing in two races on Sunday for a total of three super G events, while the men were only able to complete two races.
 
Despite the challenges associated with the weather conditions, SVSEF athletes stayed focused and showed strong performances across the board.
 
On Friday, the U16 girls raced the super G on Paradise. Lily Fitzgerald tied for fourth with a time of 1:25.14. Allison Rathfon finished in sixth, Ella Viesturs in seventh, and Kaia Jensen in eighth. Molly Milgard was 11^th and Libby Kaiser was 14^th.
 
Sunday was a full day of racing. The women’s second super G of the weekend was a strong one for SVSEF: Allison Rathfon won the race in 1:22.53, and Lily Fitzgerald came in second. Molly Milgard was sixth, Kaia Jensen and Libby Kaiser tied for 10^th, and Ella Viesturs was 13^th.
 
The second women’s super G of the day saw solid performances again by SVSEF athletes. Lily Fitzgerald won with a time of 1:22.09, and Allison Rathfon made the podium in second place. Libby Kaiswer was fifth, Ella Viesturs sixth and Kaia Jensen 10^th.
 
In the men’s first super G on Sunday, Max Noddings was the top SVSEF finisher in seventh place. Carter Jendrezak finished 19^th, and Wyatt Minor was 20^th.
 
In the second men’s super G, Max Noddings finished sixth, Bennett Snyder eighth, and Jake Blackburn 13^th.
 
For full results:
http://www.ussa-imd.org/alpine/races15/U16.htm
 
 
 
IMD Team at Snowbasin
 
The IMD team traveled to Snowbasin, Utah, for another round of U14 qualifiers.
In the super G on Friday, Falon Hanna of SVSEF raced her way to third, while teammate Marit Kaiser finished eighth. Sage Holter skied to 12^th place.
 
On Saturday, SVSEF’s Buey Grossman won the first boy’s super G event of the day. Ryder Sarchett was fourth, Shaw Dean 10^th, and Ridley Lindstrom 13^th.
 
On the girl’s side, Marit Kaiser finished 11^th, Sage Holter 13^th, and Sage Curtis 21^st.
 
For the boy’s second event of the day, Buey Grossman again made his way to the top, this time in second place. Ryder Sarchett was 11^th, Shaw Dean 12^th, and Charlie Snyder 15^th.
 
Buey Grossman rounded out his podium placements for the weekend with a third place finish in the super G on Sunday. Ryder Sarchett raced into fourth, and Ridley Lindstrom fifth.
 
In the girl’s event, Marit Kaiser finished fifth, Anhwei Kirk ninth, and Emma MacGuffie 11^th.
 
Results:
 
http://www.ussa-imd.org/alpine/races15/U14.php
 
 
Last week here at home, SVSEF racers joined in on a fun local race, the Super Duper Combined: the day consisted of two super G runs and two slalom runs, with times combined.
 
Girls:

1. Marit Kaiser
2. Anhwei Kirk
3. Emma MacGuffie
4. Lola Street
5. Julia Ott
6. Taylor Dorland

Boys:

1. Ryder Sarchett
2. Shaw Dean
3. Will Penrose
4. Nathan Gowe
5. Nick Maumus
6. Jett Carruth
7. Ethan Marx
8. Axel Hattrup
9. Shaw McCoubrey

 
 
 

FREESTYLE

The SVSEF Freestyle Travel Team had the opportunity to compete on the World Cup course, Champion, at Deer Valley, Utah. It was a great weekend for all SVSEF athletes, who are getting ready to bring the energy back to Sun Valley for Junior Nationals on their home course.
 
Pulling away from the crowds were Addison Rafford, who made it onto the podium in third in the moguls event on Saturday, and Alex LaFleur, who placed fourth in the boys’ category. On Sunday, Henry Cherp and Hunter Diehl stepped it up, coming in second and fourth place, respectively in the moguls. Luke Rizzo was in the mix, finishing seventh overall. In the duals, Addison Rafford again reached the podium, landing in third. Alex LaFleur won the boys’ duals, just ahead of Henry Cherp in second.
 
Saturday Moguls:
http://intermountainfreestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/scan0014.pdf
Sunday Moguls:
http://intermountainfreestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/scan0015.pdf
Sunday Duals:
http://intermountainfreestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/scan0016.pdf
 
 

FREESKIING

Smooth sailing at Jackson Hole Slopestyle
The freeskiing team brought style and finesse down to Jackson Hole, where they competed in rail jam, slopestyle, and halfpipe events.
 
Highlights of the weekend were Sara Kope’s first place finish in the rail jam open women’s category and the slopestyle open women’s category, Hanna Blackwell’s win in both the U15 slopestyle and halfpipe events, and Lachlan MacFarlan’s fifth place finish in the U12 rail jam and second place finish in the U12 boy’s halfpipe. Other standouts were Sam Ware, who finished fifth in the U12 boy’s halfpipe, and Joey Markthaler, who won the U12 boys’ halfpipe.
 
Results 
USASA Halfpipe
USASA Rail Jam
USASA Slopestyle
 
 

SVSEF skiers take in the view at the USASA Big Mountain Series at Jackson Hole. Photo by Reed Snyderman

 

SNOWBOARD

Big Mountain West Series, Jackson
 
The snowboard travel team ventured down to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the USASA Big Mountain West Series. Saturday morning’s slopestyle event brought with it a bout of snow, which cleared up for the rail jam and halfpipe events. Elk Spencer finished 2^nd in the rail jam, 6^th in slopestyle, and 4^th in the halfpipe. Phebe Ericksen won the rail jam, slopestyle, and halfpipe. Aidan Green placed 7^th in rail jam, 8^th in slopestyle, and 1^st in the halfpipe, with a best trick of highest air. (Please see results listed above).
 

Phebe Ericksen stepped up with a big first-place finish in Rail Jam.

 
Gold Team
Chase Josey wins bronze in second appearance at X Games
Chase Josey and Jacob Beebe, both SVSEF Gold and U.S. team members, were invited to participate in the first-ever X Games in Oslo, Norway, February 24-28. In the men’s snowboard superpipe event on Friday, February 26, Josey threw down three solid runs to earn a bronze medal behind Ayumu Hirano of Japan and Iouri Podladtchikov of Switzerland. Beebe held his own in the ski superpipe competition, earning 12^th in the elimination round. This was Beebe’s first invitation to the X Games.
 
Chase Josey’s bronze medal run:
http://xgames.espn.go.com/xgames/video/14851767/chase-josey-wins-men-snowboard-superpipe-bronze
 

Chase Josey in Oslo