Freestyle Nor-Am: Arapahoe Basin wrap up

The startlists for this season’s first two Nor-Am mogul events featured talent more familiar to a World Cup (with competitors from Japan,Sweden Norway and Korea) than the average Continental Cup. Olympic gold medalist Tae Satoya, U.S. National Champ Emiko Torito and the U.S. Ski Team’s top men David Babic and Pat Deneed were just some of the visiting luminaries. At Killington, the original golden girl and ’92 Games gold medalist, Donna Weinbrecht was on board as a coach for the Killington crew and Kari Traa (’98 Games Gold Medal) captained a Norwegian contingent. And rumor had it that Jean Luc Brassard had been spotted amid the crowd. 

Day one Killlington Nor-Am winner David Babic has since gone on to the U.S. men’s best finish (a second in Voss). Winner of both single events, Emiko Torito, and duals champ from Killington, Eliza Outtrim have been in the top 5 on the World Cup twice since moving on from the Nor-Am Tour. At Mt Gabriel Quebec, the Nor-Am’s second stop, World Champion Kristie Richards scored a singles victory and Maxime Gingras took one for the men over Pat Deneen.  Gringras, too has gone on to a World Cup podium appearance, proving that the Nor-Am tour is a hotbed for developing talent and a staging ground for established performers to sharpen their skills. On day two in Gabriel (single again), Nor-Am tour veteran Jay Panther accrued his first tour win and Henrianne LaTour emerged for the women.

Weeks later, when the tour reached the rarified air of Arapahoe Basin, Colo, Feb. 11-12  the field had thinned. Gone were the Swedes, Norwegians and Japanese, and the cream of the U.S. and Canadian crop.  Tour leaders Eliza Outtrim and Maxime Gingras had left the stage open for new developments on the Grand Prix. Only the hungry remained – regional and provincial team skiers and a handful of national team skiers needing to cough up results.

Arapahoe would offer the skiers a challenge, 30 degrees of average pitch with the lower section of the course running into the bottom air at 34 degrees. Throughout training the course would remain shrouded by snow, and cloud cover adding poor visibility to the list of adversities. Coaches and athletes alike, however, lauded the Basin for providing a venue that would test the skier.  “The tour needs more courses like this,” added U.S. Team coach Todd Schirman.

On Saturday, day one of two singles competitions, Shane Cordeau and local bumper Mikaela Matthews seized the opening, emerging with the first tour wins on the steeps of Slalom Slope.   

“Going into the bottom air, I don’t know, I was like going really fast but I just had to go with it,” Matthews said. “I normally don’t have that much speed in my flip but I didn’t have a choice.”

Cordeau, too, responded to the challenge. “I hadn’t made it down the course (in practice) until today,” said Cordeau. “So, I really didn’t have any expectations. This is great.”

“My coaches at the top were telling me that there’d been a lot of crashes,” Cordeau said. “If I just maintained control the whole way down the course, I’d be in the top six. That’s what you need to go for, and whatever happens in your run happens.”

For the women’s podium, Laurel Shanley took second place, and Arapahoe Basin local Whitney Henceroth landed in third.  On the men’s side, Canadian Warren Tanner took silver and Jeremy Cota claimed bronze.

On Sunday, the skies over Colorado’s continental divide finally cleared, giving the skiers their first good look at the course. Cordeau repeated for the win, Cota climbed into second and U.S. Team member David DiGravio claimed third. Cordeaus’s heroics vaulted him up the tour standings into second place in the Grand Prix, which is led by Cota. The U.S. Team women reasserted their form and swept the podium for the first time this season: Kayla Synderman, gold; Heather McPhie, silver and Jillian Votgli, bronze. Vail’s Heidi Klser bumped up for a fourth-place finish. Mikaela Matthews (fifth) and Whitney Henceroth (14th after missing the bottom air in the final) would end the weekend second and third on the Grand Prix behind the absent Eliza Outtrim. While Cota and Cordeau appear to have accrued an insurmountable lead in the tour, the women’s grand Prix remains tight with a number of players still in the mix as the tour moved on to it’s final event in Calgary at the COP.

The startlists for this season’s first two Nor-Am mogul events featured talent more familiar to a World Cup (with competitors from Japan,Sweden Norway and Korea) than the average Continental Cup. Olympic gold medalist Tae Satoya, U.S. National Champ Emiko Torito and the U.S. Ski Team’s top men David Babic and Pat Deneed were just some of the visiting luminaries. At Killington, the original golden girl and ’92 Games gold medalist, Donna Weinbrecht was on board as a coach for the Killington crew and Kari Traa (’98 Games Gold Medal) captained a Norwegian contingent. And rumor had it that Jean Luc Brassard had been spotted amid the crowd. 

Day one Killlington Nor-Am winner David Babic has since gone on to the U.S. men’s best finish (a second in Voss). Winner of both single events, Emiko Torito, and duals champ from Killington, Eliza Outtrim have been in the top 5 on the World Cup twice since moving on from the Nor-Am Tour. At Mt Gabriel Quebec, the Nor-Am’s second stop, World Champion Kristie Richards scored a singles victory and Maxime Gingras took one for the men over Pat Deneen.  Gringras, too has gone on to a World Cup podium appearance, proving that the Nor-Am tour is a hotbed for developing talent and a staging ground for established performers to sharpen their skills. On day two in Gabriel (single again), Nor-Am tour veteran Jay Panther accrued his first tour win and Henrianne LaTour emerged for the women.

Weeks later, when the tour reached the rarified air of Arapahoe Basin, Colo, Feb. 11-12  the field had thinned. Gone were the Swedes, Norwegians and Japanese, and the cream of the U.S. and Canadian crop.  Tour leaders Eliza Outtrim and Maxime Gingras had left the stage open for new developments on the Grand Prix. Only the hungry remained – regional and provincial team skiers and a handful of national team skiers needing to cough up results.

Arapahoe would offer the skiers a challenge, 30 degrees of average pitch with the lower section of the course running into the bottom air at 34 degrees. Throughout training the course would remain shrouded by snow, and cloud cover adding poor visibility to the list of adversities. Coaches and athletes alike, however, lauded the Basin for providing a venue that would test the skier.  “The tour needs more courses like this,” added U.S. Team coach Todd Schirman.

On Saturday, day one of two singles competitions, Shane Cordeau and local bumper Mikaela Matthews seized the opening, emerging with the first tour wins on the steeps of Slalom Slope.   

“Going into the bottom air, I don’t know, I was like going really fast but I just had to go with it,” Matthews said. “I normally don’t have that much speed in my flip but I didn’t have a choice.”

Cordeau, too, responded to the challenge. “I hadn’t made it down the course (in practice) until today,” said Cordeau. “So, I really didn’t have any expectations. This is great.”

“My coaches at the top were telling me that there’d been a lot of crashes,” Cordeau said. “If I just maintained control the whole way down the course, I’d be in the top six. That’s what you need to go for, and whatever happens in your run happens.”

For the women’s podium, Laurel Shanley took second place, and Arapahoe Basin local Whitney Henceroth landed in third.  On the men’s side, Canadian Warren Tanner took silver and Jeremy Cota claimed bronze.

On Sunday, the skies over Colorado’s continental divide finally cleared, giving the skiers their first good look at the course. Cordeau repeated for the win, Cota climbed into second and U.S. Team member David DiGravio claimed third. Cordeaus’s heroics vaulted him up the tour standings into second place in the Grand Prix, which is led by Cota. The U.S. Team women reasserted their form and swept the podium for the first time this season: Kayla Synderman, gold; Heather McPhie, silver and Jillian Votgli, bronze. Vail’s Heidi Klser bumped up for a fourth-place finish. Mikaela Matthews (fifth) and Whitney Henceroth (14th after missing the bottom air in the final) would end the weekend second and third on the Grand Prix behind the absent Eliza Outtrim. While Cota and Cordeau appear to have accrued an insurmountable lead in the tour, the women’s grand Prix remains tight with a number of players still in the mix as the tour moved on to it’s final event in Calgary at the COP.

For complete results click here.