ALPINE NATIONALS: Daron Rahlves wins super G, his final race with the U.S. Ski TeamCARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine – Daron Rahlves won the U.S. national championship super G on Sunday, the final race of his long and brilliant career on the U.S. Ski Team.

The 32-year-old Californian said that he was able to stand at the top of Sugarloaf mountain and reflect on the long road that got him there.

“Last ride down,” he said. “This wraps it all up, on the super G skis. It’s just the first time I let it settle in, realize that this was it. That was more of a motivational factor to come out and throw it down today. It felt good.”

On Saturday night, Rahlves received the Ski Racing U.S. Skier of the Year Award, a trophy that the magazine has bestowed on one man and one woman every year since 1975.

Rahlves will not race in the giant slalom later this week at Sugarloaf, so he thus goes out on top in what is being called a “career re-alignment” rather than a retirement. He plans to ride dirtbikes, surf and pursue opportunities in freeskiing.

On the unofficial results list, Scott Macartney and T.J. Lanning were second and third in the race, held under overcast skies at Sugarloaf on a course set by Pete Bosinger, the departing assistant speed coach for the U.S. team.

Rahlves beat Macartney by 0.31 seconds and Lanning by 0.75 seconds.

Lanning, who has been hampered by a long list of injuries over the last three seasons, displaced Bode Miller from the podium. Miller finished fourth.

“I’m happy,” Lanning said. “All last year, I thought if this doesn’t heal then I’m probably going to go to school. Quit skiing. But I decided I felt good this spring and started skiing in July.”

The top junior in the race was Andrew Weibrecht, who finished fifth.

Men’s Super-G
Sugarloaf, Maine
March 26, 2006
1. Daron RAHLVES, USA 1:18.80
2. Scott MACARTNEY, USA 1:19.11
3. Thomas LANNING, USA 1:19.55
4. Bode MILLER, USA 1:19.64
5. Andrew WEIBRECHT, USA 1:20.40
6. Steven NYMAN, USA 1:20.45
7. Justin JOHNSON, USA 1:20.58
8. Marco SULLIVAN, USA 1:20.65
9. Manuel OSBORNE-PARADIS, CAN 1:21.06
10. Christopher BECKMANN, USA 1:21.26
11. Ted LIGETY, USA 1:21.48
12. Michael CREMENO, USA 1:21.53
13. Jake ZAMANSKY, USA 1:21.69
14. Evan WEISS, USA 1:21.90
15. Eric HOLMER, USA 1:21.92
16. Nicholas BAKER, USA 1:21.94
17. Todd David THIBODEAU, USA 1:22.03
18. James COCHRAN, USA 1:22.19
19. Eric MANN, USA 1:22.34
20. Will BRANDENBURG, USA 1:22.36
21. Travis GANONG, USA 1:22.39
22. Charles CHRISTIANSON, USA 1:22.40
23. Greg BARTELS, USA 1:22.47
24. Benjamin DRUMMOND, USA 1:22.63
25. Ace TARBERRY, USA 1:22.92
25. Ben BABBITT, USA 1:22.92
27. Mark HEINRICH-WALLACE, USA 1:23.03
28. Peter ANDERSON, USA 1:23.05
29. Mark MIKOS, USA 1:23.19
30. Bump HELDMAN, USA 1:23.27
31. Nathan ASOIAN, USA 1:23.32
32. Zachary SCHWARTZ, USA 1:23.59
33. Andrew WAGNER, USA 1:23.68
34. Chris FRANK, USA 1:23.92
35. Carl RIXON, USA 1:24.11
36. Tom ROTHROCK, USA 1:24.12
37. Erik GILBERT, USA 1:24.17
37. Robert MILLER, USA 1:24.17
39. Taggart SPENST, USA 1:24.32
40. Stefan HUGHES, USA 1:24.39
41. Shane COLLINS, USA 1:24.48
42. Joey SWENSSON, USA 1:24.59
43. Bobby POEHLING, USA 1:24.66
44. Colin DEVORE, USA 1:24.67
45. Jason MCNEILL, USA 1:24.68
46. Maximilian HAMMER, USA 1:24.71
47. Austin JOHNSON, USA 1:24.84
48. Jacob LUND, USA 1:24.89
49. Eric ANDERSEN, USA 1:25.09
50. Alexander Stone TARBERRY, USA 1:25.16
51. Alex REEVES, USA 1:25.42
52. Gary BERESFORD, USA 1:25.49
53. Drew ROBERTS, USA 1:25.50
54. Taylor VEST-BURTON, USA 1:25.62
55. Linton JUDYCKI, USA 1:25.90
56. Ethan WEIBRECHT, USA 1:25.95
57. Alex ACOSTA, USA 1:26.10
DNF: Martin Harris, Marsh Gooding, Conor Lynch, John Teller, Timothy Kelley, Kamden Burke, Errol Kerr, Tague Thorsen, Samuel Sweetser, Warner Nickerson, Erik Fisher, Kevin Francis, USA; James O’Neill, Jan Hudec, CAN.

Equipment
Men’s SG, Sugarloaf, Maine, March 26, 2006 Skier, skis/boots/bindings 1. Rahlves, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic 2. Maccartney, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon 3. Lanning, Nordica/Nordica/Marker

It is the seventh career US National title for Daron Rahlves, matching him with Bob Cochran, Phil Mahre, Erik Schlopy, Jack Reddish, Buddy Werner, Kirsten Clark and Bode Miller for sixth on the all-time win list. … It is his fourth National SG title, breaking the record he shared with Tommy Moe and putting him first on that all-time list. It is his third straight SG crown.

It is the fourth U.S. National Championship podium for Scott Macartney, his second in SG having placed third in 2003.

It is the third U.S. National Championship podium for TJ Lanning and his second in SG having placed second in 2002.