Alpine Canada captures NorAm GS titles in Whistler

By Published On: March 30th, 2023Comments Off on Alpine Canada captures NorAm GS titles in Whistler

Asher Jordan. Photo: Alpine Canada

It was all red and white celebrations as Cassidy Gray and teammate Asher Jordan earned the 2023 NorAm GS titles for Alpine Canada. Both skied in tight battles to secure their first GS titles and secure personal World Cup continental cup quota spots in the year’s final race.

Teammates Battle for The Title

Alpine teammates Cassidy Gray and Britt Richardson battled neck and neck this season. Richardson made her way onto the podium five times out of the eight GS races, capturing three wins. Gray had similar results, four podium finishes and top five results in the seven of eight races she finished.

On Monday, Richardson quickly set the pace with the fastest first run and a lead over a second. Gray and U.S. Stifel member Mary Bocock were tied, with a stacked field close behind. On the second run, Richardson extended her lead to win the race by (-1.73) seconds. Madison Hoffman, skiing for the University of Utah, had a stellar comeback run, finishing second on the day. Allie Resnick finished third for the U.S.

Cassidy Gray. Photo: Alpine Canada

“It felt good to end the season with a podium,” said Hoffman. “I made some mistakes first run, so to go out and have a better second run was a relief.”

Bocock was faster than Gray during the second run and finished fourth. Gray came in fifth, but with another top-five finish, she secured the GS title just 4 points ahead of Richardson.

“It’s pretty cool to be part of the group of fast girls coming up in North America,” said Gray. “The NorAm GS title is very cool since this is my first one, but I also think there were a lot of girls who could have won it. I can’t wait to bring all this energy to the World Cup next season.”

Allie Resnick (USA), Britt Richardson (CAN), Madison Hoffman (AUS)

Nelson Vs. Jordan

The men started the morning with a very turny course set by Nick Cooper of Canada. The fourth-year Stifel US Alpine Team member Isaiah Nelson led the first run by 0.02 seconds. While considering himself to have a sloppy bottom section, running bib 3, he took advantage of a smooth surface. Behind Nelson was the NorAm GS leader Asher Jordan of Canada, battling with teammate Liam Wallace, who finished third on the run.

The second run saw a straight course set that required the guys to ski hard and carry that speed off the pitch across the flats. While the tempo picked up on the bottom, Nelson took a direct line, barely making the gates he was charging so hard. While losing just a bit of time, Nelson won the run and race by nearly a second. Jordan and Wallace kept their position on the second run, finishing second and third, respectively.

US Team

“I was a little late on the line, but I kept charging, barely making the gates,” recalled Nelson. “I lost a little time on the bottom but still won the second run, which was really exciting because I then won the race by nearly a second.”

Nelson and his fellow Stifel US Alpine teammates didn’t initially plan to do the NorAm tour. After a tough December, the team pivoted strategies to focus more on NorAms to continue development. Nelson picked up on the GS circuit mid-February and finished top 10 in all GS races he competed in, winning two and gaining enough points to rank second in the GS overall, only slightly behind Jordan.

Jordan ended the season with top-five finishes in all 2022-23 Nor Am Cup GS races, including three podium finishes and his first GS NorAm victory at Burke Mountain earlier this month. Jordan secured his 2023 GS title 28 points ahead of Nelson while competing in the same five races. The two will join each other on the World Cup circuit next year.

Women’s Nor Am GS results March 27th
2023 Nor Am Cup Women’s GS standings
Men’s Nor Am GS results March 27th
2023 Nor Am Cup Men’s GS standings

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About the Author: Karina Schwartznau

Born and raised in Bonney Lake, Washington, Karina grew up ski racing for Crystal Mountain and PNSA. She competed for 14 years across the world until settling in Salt Lake City, where she attended the University of Utah and achieved degrees in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. She currently resides in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.