Featured Image: Athletes and Coaches of Alpine Canada Alpin at the first NorAm at Panorama Resort. Credit: Panorama NorAm Event Pics
After two days of inaugural men’s and women’s NorAm super-G races, the event transitioned to tech races. The men and women battled it out at Panorama Mountain Resort, British Columbia, Canada, from December 12th to 15th. The vibes are always electric in Panorama, and athletes continue to boast about the positive atmosphere.
On December 12th and 13th, the men’s category participated in the giant slalom event, while the women competed in the slalom. In the subsequent two days, the categories reversed, with the men racing in the slalom and the women tackling the giant slalom course.
Each day, a different winner emerged among the men. In the women’s competitions, Amelia Smart of Alpine Canada Alpin stood out as the only athlete to win two consecutive races, while two additional winners ascended to the top of the podium for the slaloms.
Women’s Slaloms
First Day of Slalom
The women kicked off the tech events with two slalom races. They had to work hard through the soft snow conditions in order to make it onto the leaderboard. Czech Republic athlete Adriana Jelinkova stated, “The conditions were very specific; it wasn’t hard, but rather soft, and there were really fast course sets.”
On the first day of slalom, Amelia Smart of the Alpine Canada Alpin team started bib-8 and threw down a solid run. She established a strong lead of eight-tenths heading into the second run. Hanna Aronsson Elfman (+0.80) and Madison Hoffman (+0.85) trailed behind the lead but were still in possible striking distance.
Amelia Smart took the momentum from her first run and danced into the finish, -1.22 ahead of the field, claiming her 10th NorAm victory.
As Smart continues success on the NorAm circuit, she is setting her goals high for the World Cup Circuit. She stated, “My goal for this season is to achieve World Cup top-15 results in slalom.”
Swedish athlete Hanna Aronsson Elfman impressively skied from bib-32 to 2nd place. By moving up 20 positions, she achieved her first NorAm podium finish.
Hoffman rounded out the podium. She also has set goals for this season. She stated, “My goals for the season are pretty simple. I want to go out and race hard, as well as improve the consistency of my skiing on different hills, surfaces, and terrain!”
Second Day of Slalom
On the second slalom day, the challenging aspects of the first run took out a majority of the field. 42 athletes did not make it through the finish line of the initial run.
However, Canadian Amelia Smart and Australian Madison Hoffman used the early bib numbers to their advantage to establish a strong lead. Third to come down the course, Smart punched it from gate to gate and set the pace of 53.31.
Hoffman started bib-5 and was able to come across the finish line +0.35 behind the lead. This added pressure for the second run as Hoffman was eager to gain another victory on this slalom hill. She was triumphant in the Panorama NorAm Cup Finals at the end of last season and wanted to prove herself again.
“When racing World Cups and not getting second runs, it can be tough to practice and remember what it feels like to put two runs together, pull yourself out of a deficit, or even handle a lead. It reminded me that as much as I love training, the nerves and pressure that is race day is a very fun feeling,” Hoffman stated.
The girls fought hard through the second run, aiming to clinch the 1st-place position, and Amelia Smart was able to hold her lead, achieving another NorAm slalom victory. Hoffman held the second fastest time, finishing the day +0.22 behind Smart, and Hanna Aronsson Elfman of Sweden rounded out the podium, trailing by +1.31.
Smart stated, “I’m really happy with how the slalom races went. It was nice to feel some confidence in racing and put down 4 solid runs.”
This was Aronsson Elfman’s second NorAm podium of her career and the second at this event. She hopes to continue success on the World Cup ceiling, beginning the season with a 14th-place finish in the Levi slalom and 21st in the Killington race.
Logan Grosdidier of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club had an outstanding attack from the back on both days of slalom. She was able to come from 103rd bib number to 29th place and bib-100 to 13th position. These races marked Grosdidier’s first NorAm events, and she impressively scored in both the super-G and slalom races; thus, she brought confidence into the final GS races of the week.
Men’s Giant Slaloms
First Day of Giant Slalom
The men had softer snow conditions as well on the GS track, which added a challenging element for the athletes. Nevertheless, Alpine Canada Alpin athlete Liam Wallace persevered in the first giant slalom race of the NorAm season.
Wearing bib-32, Wallace reigned victorious in the giant slalom, finishing +0.14 ahead of the field. This marked an incredible comeback story for the Canadian. The 25-year-old was the overall NorAm title winner in the 2022 season, concluding second in the giant slalom standings and first in the slalom.
Sadly, last season, the athlete suffered serious injuries on February 9th, 2024, in Bansko, Bulgaria. He received treatment for a concussion and for serious injuries to his ribs, lungs, and spleen.
This was an excellent return-to-snow for Wallace and marked his fourth NorAm victory.
“I am proud. Considering everything over the past 10 months, to now already having done a few races is crazy. Getting results right away is a bonus. I am mostly excited about the way I feel on my skis after everything last year,” Wallace stated.
The race was close amongst the top men. His teammate, Asher Jordan, and the Stifel US Ski Team athlete, Isaiah Nelson, tied for 2nd place (+0.14). Australian Thomas Hoffman was a mere +0.49 off the podium.
Isaiah Nelson achieved two podium results in the super-G races prior to the giant slalom at this event, so he came into the day with built-up confidence. However, the World Cup athlete was still aiming for a win on the GS track.
The biggest attack-from-the-back athlete of the day was Ski and Snowboard Club Vail racer Alex Krupka. The 18-year-old kicked out of the start wearing bib 83, and with impressive skiing, was able to earn a 10th-place result. This was the Coloradans first top-10 in a NorAm.
Second Day of Giant Slalom
On the second day of the giant slalom, Stifel US Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson conquered the victory with a strong lead, -0.47 ahead.
Nelson kicked off the first run with the desire to secure first place. He took a commanding lead after his first run performance, and even though he lost some time to Liam Wallace in the second run, he still managed to finish the day with a win.
Before the NorAm, Nelson had started off his season at two World Cup races, Sölden and Beaver Creek, for giant slalom. Although he had a strong prep period, he did not qualify for a second run in either of the competitions. Before Beaver Creek, he stated on social media, “It’s been a very productive prep period, and I’m ready to have some fun on the home snow.”
Liam Wallace was over five-tenths back after the first run, so he knew he had to attack from panel to panel on the second. He executed the second run with the fastest second run time, but it was not enough to take over the leader’s chair from the U.S. competitor. He closed out the day +0.47 behind Nelson.
Wallace explained his goals for his comeback season: “The first thing is to take care of myself mentally and physically and from there take it step by step. I want to progress and be as high performance as possible, but for now just enjoy being where I am.”
His teammate, Asher Jordan, rounded out the podium +0.91 off the lead, achieving his eighth podium finish in GS on the NorAm circuit.
Women’s Giant Slaloms
First Day of Giant Slalom
The women headed into the third day of tech, getting prepped for two days of giant slalom races. For some of the athletes, the GS races were their fifth and sixth consecutive day of racing in this NorAm event. So, fighting through fatigue added another element to the giant slaloms.
However, Hoffman explained that, “The conditions were pretty similar during all four days in Pano.” Thus, the athletes knew what to expect with softer snow and the terrain.
The Australian put two solid runs together, achieving the top of the podium in the first giant slalom day. Kicking out of the start wearing bib-10, she was able to execute, finishing -0.19 ahead of the field.
Coming into this season, Hoffman explained that she was confident in her preparation. She stated, “I have had a really solid prep period this year. We got a handful more training days than before, but the overall quality of all our sessions this summer and fall was significantly better (more injected, watered slopes).”
Adriana Jelinkova of the Czech Republic finished just +0.19 behind her lead, and Mary Bocock of the Stifel US Ski Team rounded out the podium.
Jelinkova earned a podium and won on this track at the end of the season last year. She stated, “Last spring I had my win, which was definitely something I needed. So, I had a good feeling coming here. I love Pano, and the vibes are always great!”
After Jelinkova started the tech races off with a DNF, she had to change her mindset heading into the GS races. She explained, “It definitely took some effort to change my mindset and to really tell myself, ‘The race is over; it’s done, so let’s focus on GS.’ GS is more my discipline and I have more training in the discipline.”
Second Day of Giant Slalom
On the second day of women’s giant slalom, Aronsson Elfman took the energy and confidence from her two podiums in the slaloms to achieve victory in the GS.
This was the 21-year-old’s first victory on the NorAm circuit. Although she does have a slew of World Cup races under her belt, with ten top-15 results, she could bring that expertise into her inaugural NorAm event.
Adriana Jelinkova and Justine Lamontagne of Alpine Canada Alpin joined the Swedish athlete on the podium. Jelinkova executed two strong runs, finishing +0.22 behind the lead, and Lamontagne trailed by +0.65.
This marked Lamontagne’s fourth NorAm Cup podium and her first in the discipline. This will be her first full year on the World Cup Circuit, so she will be striving to score her first World Cup points.
Jelinkova has goals for the World Cup Circuit this season. She stated, “My goals are in the World Cups, to achieve second runs. I want to get into the top 20 and race in the [World Cup] Finals in the GS.”
Lauren Grosdidier was stellar once again in her ability to move up on the leaderboard. Coming from the back of the field, the Steamboat Springs athlete achieved 17th place on the final day of racing in Panorama.
Men’s Slaloms
First Day of Slalom
The last discipline for the men to close out the first NorAm Cup event was two exciting slaloms. With a strong field of athletes, the men had to give it their all to make it onto the leaderboard.
The challenge continued to be shown with a high DNF rate on the first day of slalom, with 43 of the men not making it to the second run.
The Croatian athlete, Matej Vidovic, persevered through the difficulties and secured a significant advantage over his competitors during the initial run. However, he did not hang onto the lead in the second run and got pushed to third place by Stifel US Ski Team athletes Stanley Buzek and Camden Palmquist.
Stanley Buzek secured his first NorAm Cup victory with a -0.14 lead over his teammate. Last season, Buzek earned a 5th-place finish at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships and has come into this season revealing his ability to win races at a high level.
Palmquist achieved a win and two podiums on the NorAm Cup Circuit last season and scored bronze medals in the US National Champs slalom and the World Junior Team parallel. His achievements earned him a World Cup spot, so he made his debut on the circuit this season in Levi. He stated, “This season, the focus will be on Europa Cups—fighting for podiums and skiing on that level. When I’m skiing well, and when it works in the schedule, I’ll do World Cups.”
Thereby, this NorAm podium was a confident start for the 21-year-old athlete.
Second Day of Slalom
The exciting final day of men’s slalom closed out the Panorama NorAm event. The race was off to a challenging start, tallying up the most DNFs for the event. 50 athletes did not finish their first run, five of the athletes being from the top 15.
On a positive note, this gave other athletes the opportunity to put two races together to earn valuable NorAm points.
Jesse Kertesz-Knight of Alpine Canada Alpin conquered two fast runs, which overall dominated the field by -0.95. The win marked his first NorAm podium and victory of his career. The 21-year-old also secured top-10s during the previous three days, so he had a strong performance on the Panorama hill.
The Croatian athlete, Matej Vidovic, achieved 2nd place, and the new Stifel US Ski Team athlete, Jevin Palmquist, rounded out the podium, +1.40 behind the lead.
Jevin Palmquist was the only male rookie named to the Stifel US Ski Team this season and is dedicated to succeeding in ski racing. He stated at the beginning of the season, “My goal is to be the best, which motivates me. I hope to inspire the next generation of alpine skiers.”
This podium was a milestone for Palmquist, as it marks his first top-3 on the NorAm Circuit.
The NorAm Circuit will continue in Lake Louise, January 27th-30th, with four giant slalom races. Learn more about the NorAm calendar HERE.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
