Brandenburg in a November NorAm (GEPA/Andreas Pranter)

For the second day in a row, the U.S. Ski Team’s Will Brandenburg occupied the top step of the podium at a NorAm slalom race in Vail, Colo. The B Team member struggled in the first two World Cup slalom races this season but clearly found his form in Colorado, where he picked up back-to-back six-point results.

“I think the difference I’ve made this year from last is I usually hold onto those mistakes and get really pissed off about it, but I just tried to take the positives from what happened in Val d’Isere going into these races. These two six-point results are huge,” said Brandenburg who now significantly improves his start number in World Cup races. “I reached my goal of putting myself in the absolute best situation I could be in starting this January block.”

Brandenburg was joined on the podium by his teammates Will Gregorak in second and Nolan Kasper in third. It is the best result so far this season for Kasper who is looking to return to his place in the World Cup top 10, last reached in Feb. 2012 before a series of injuries.

“It’s funny because we’ve been together for a couple years, and we’ve seen all the potential to have great days on the World Cup. We all get along together and push each other, so we’re building to that. Hopefully it clicks for our whole team — it’s so much more fun when you’re not just doing it by yourself,” added Brandenburg.

The University of Utah’s Mark Engel finished a close fourth followed by Team America’s Seppi Stiegler in fifth. A handful of late runners managed to post scoring results as well, like BC Alpine’s Dominic Unterberger who skied from bib 79 into 23rd.

Independent skier Tim Kelley was leading after first run but just couldn’t produce a matching second run. He also led after the first run on Tuesday but dropped back to ultimately finish 16th.

“I’m really bummed for Tim Kelley. We came up on the team together, and he’s skiing better than he ever has,” noted Brandenburg. “He had two great first runs and never got it all together, but he’s skiing amazingly.”

In the women’s race, the U.S. Ski Team’s Paula Moltzan picked up a career-first NorAm victory while her teammate Lila Lapanja stood on the NorAm podium for the first time, in third. Conditions were pristine on the long course, and both sets utilized some swing to challenge skiers.

“A huge congrats to my teammate Paula, we’ve both worked so hard for these kind of breakthroughs,” exclaimed Lapanja, who didn’t have the cleanest second run. “I made a big mistake second run but I was determined and didn’t give up. Unfortunately, both of the Norwegian girls went out… so a little bit of luck was on my side. They have both been skiing super well, and it’s been good for me to race with them!”

It was also the second day in a row that American skier Hailey Duke, formerly of the U.S. Ski Team and Independent Ski Racing, notched a NorAm podium result, both times as runner-up. The back-to-back podiums were the best performances Duke has turned out since the Val St Come NorAm in March 2012.

Canadian development team member Roni Remme finished fourth, followed by the University of Vermont’s Kate Ryley in fifth. Dartmouth newcomer Meg Currie cut her bib 47 into an 11th-place result; attacks from the back must run in the family since younger sister Stephanie of Ostler Bluff Ski Club moved from start position 71 into 25th.

Women’s Results 

Men’s Results