From NorAm Rookie to World Cup Start: Maxi Hoder’s Rise

Photo: Eric Brandolini Media

For years, Maximilien “Maxi” Hoder watched World Cup slaloms before sunrise with his father. On Sunday, Nov. 15, he will make his first World Cup start in Levi, Finland. The 21-year-old from Stowe, Vermont, will race in the men’s slalom.

Hoder smiled throughout his Ski Racing Media interview. Although he knows he will feel some nerves, excitement dominates as he waits for the show to start. Asked what excites him most, he wrote, “I’m excited to be skiing with the best there is and to see how I compare.”

During the 2025-26 season, Hoder made his NorAm debut, tied for first in the slalom standings and won slalom bronze at the FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships. He also earned a place on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team for 2026-27.

A season that changed everything

Hoder entered the NorAm circuit focused on skiing well at that level. He was not thinking much about earning a World Cup start. His slalom result secured that opportunity.

Given the team’s history of starting slalom rookies in Levi, Hoder expected it could be the place his World Cup journey began. When the team confirmed his start, he felt relief, though he had anticipated the news.

He has dreamed of skiing on the World Cup for years. “There is nothing that I have dreamt of more than skiing on the World Cup and competing at the highest level,” he wrote. He also said he knows not everyone gets to realize a dream, and he is grateful for the opportunity.

A familiar group for his first start

Hoder did most of this season’s preparation in Chile. More recently, he and the Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s C Team slalom and giant slalom group have trained in Scandinavia, moving between Levi and Kåbdalis, Sweden. Because Levi has been warm, the group has done much of its recent training in Kåbdalis.

Other athletes in the group include Jevin and Cameron Palmquist, Bradshaw Underhill and John Kerbaugh. Kerbaugh is Hoder’s Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate and fellow Mt. Mansfield Academy racer. Mike Bansmer, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s head men’s Europa Cup coach, leads the group. Hoder knows his teammates well and described them as a very good group to train with.

After the World Cup, Hoder plans to stay in Levi for the Europa Cup races. There, he will have two coaches familiar with his development. Taber Engleken coached him and Kerbaugh at Mt. Mansfield Academy during their high school years and now serves as an assistant coach with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team group. Corrado Momo, the head Europa Cup technical coach, coached Hoder at APEX2100 last season. Their ties to Mt. Mansfield and APEX2100 give Hoder a familiar coaching community as he journeys through the Europa Cup circuit.

Choosing the right next step

Hoder’s quick progress has not meant rushing from one level to the next. He said racers need to understand their abilities and choose the circuit that fits their development.

“I started NorAms only when it made sense and when I could compete at that level,” he wrote. He sees the Europa Cup circuit as his natural next step.

At the same time, his NorAm results gave him a chance to gain World Cup experience. “I will take advantage of that this season,” he wrote.

Hoder is proud to wear his first World Cup bib. He believes he can be competitive and would not be lining up if he did not think he had a chance to qualify for the second run.

Family will share the debut

Hoder’s father, Randy, raced at Bates College and introduced him to World Cup racing. Randy has organized the winter around seeing as many of Maxi’s races as possible. His mother and aunt also plan to be in Levi. Asked what he expects to feel when his son starts, Randy said, “I don’t think it’ll really sink in until I’m actually there in the crowd.”

A Mt. Mansfield foundation

A HEAD athlete, Hoder developed at Mt. Mansfield Academy, where coach Lorant Gudasz and then Engleken worked closely with him for years. He later completed two seasons of postgraduate training with APEX2100.

Igor Vanovac, the academy’s executive director, has followed Hoder’s development since he began skiing with the program at age 6. “We are incredibly proud of Maxi and what he has accomplished,” Vanovac said. “Just one year ago, he was skiing his first NorAm, and now he is preparing to ski his first World Cup.”

Vanovac said the quick rise is “a massive leap in a very short period of time,” but added that Hoder’s journey “has also been a long time in the making.” He credited Hoder’s lifelong dedication, talent, hard work and belief in himself.

Vanovac also praised Taber Engleken, who coached Hoder at Mt. Mansfield Academy during his high school years and now coaches him with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team.

“I am equally proud to see Taber alongside him on this journey,” Vanovac said. “These relationships mean a lot to us.” He said the academy aims to help athletes reach the sport’s highest levels while building relationships and a community that last beyond their time there.

Randy also credited Vanovac with building the program that supported Maxi’s development. “Igor is responsible for creating a program that made it possible for Maxi to make it to the World Cup,” he wrote. Randy pointed to the training hill and conditions “second to none,” as well as Vanovac’s commitment to top-notch coaches and high standards for coaches and athletes.

In Levi, Hoder will begin his World Cup journey surrounded by and in the thoughts of family, teammates and coaches who have supported his path to the start gate.