Four World Cup downhill spots were secured for the Americans on Thursday’s NorAm final race in Whistler, BC. It was a short season of races, just four total downhills between two venues. It was all about nailing lines and full confidence to clinch the overall titles.

Three Men Battle for the Top

Wednesday was the start of two final downhill races. In relative terms, the Whistler downhill was much shorter and less technical for the returning World Cup skiers. Erik Ardvisson of the U.S. Stifel speed team grabbed the first win of NorAm finals just 0.17 seconds ahead of teammate Kyle Negomir. The two were neck-and-neck in the overall downhill title. Canada’s Jeffrey Read, the winner of the training run the day prior, grabbed third. Sam Morse of the U.S. Stifel team finished 9^th, less than a second behind Ardvisson but an impactful finish for his hunt in the overall title.

“Overall, this season was tough being both my comeback year from injury and first year on the World Cup circuit,” shared Negomir. “It was a great experience to fight with Sam and Erik and make our way as the young guys on this team.”

On the following day, the men competed in just their fourth and final NorAm downhill race. Arvidsson secured his lead for title with a third-place finish, ahead of his teammates Morse and Negomir who tied for fourth. U.S. World Cup skier Jared Goldberg took the top spot for the day, followed by Broderick Thompson of Alpine Canada.

“I’m super happy that Kyle and I were able to grab those (World Cup) spots,” said Arvidsson. “While we have plenty of spots in downhill, I think it’s really important that we have opportunities for younger guys coming up get exposure to World Cup. It’s nice having a fixed spot for next year and wearing a pretty good bib number to start the season.”

“Erik and Sam have both been skiing great all year and we’ve spent a ton of time together, so it was super fun to battle it out till the last race with them,” added Negomir.

The Racers Want More

Amongst gratitude and cheers was an overarching theme of hope for additional downhill races for the 23-24 NorAm circuit.

“It’s a little bit of a funny NorAm season with only four races,” shared Ardvisson. “I really would hope that Alpina Canada, the U.S. team, and NorAm committee can find a way to fit in some more races.”

Negomir added “hopefully in the future we can find more events to decide World Cup spots from, and ideally on either longer or more challenging hills. Still, always great to be skiing downhill no matter what.”

Two Ladies Go Neck-and-Neck

Independent skier Tricia Mangan and U.S. Stifel member Lauren Macuga were the ones to watch for the downhill title leading up to finals.

For the first race at Whistler, Macuga got her downhill win ahead of Alpine Canada’s Cassidy Gray in second and Britt Richardson in third. Managan went out on the race, opening up the hunt for Macuga in the overall standings.

Haley Cutler, another independent skiing out of Sun Valley, was also on the hunt for the overall title. Cutler finished 7^th for the day earning an additional 36 points.

“I am super happy with my skiing and performance,” said Macuga. “I came here to win and am glad I was able to keep it together.”

It Ends With a Tie

On day two it was Macuga again wearing bib 12, who won gold for the day. Mangan crossed the finish line just two skiers ahead of Macuga who came down to lead by 1.37 seconds. With each skier holding two first place finishes, one second place, and one without a finish, the overall title resulted in a a tie between the two with 280 points.

“This was a huge breakthrough year for me scoring my first World Cup downhill points,” said Mangan. “It felt great to end up tying for the NorAm downhill overall with Lauren. The U.S. has quite a few girls returning from injury next season so I’m happy to be able to secure another spot for the U.S.”

Macuga was also in joy, achieving one of her goals for the season and doing it alongside a friend. Cutler finished third in the overall standing with a fourth-place finish on the final downhill race of the year.

“Placing third overall is a great accomplishment but also a dagger to the heart because I’m just one place off having claimed a World Cup spot for next season,” shared Cutler. “I still have super-G to look forward to in the coming days.”

The men and women return to the hill on Saturday and Sunday for two more super-G races. Mary Bocock of the U.S. Stifel team leads for the women’s super-G standings, with teammate Jack Smith leading for the men.