Featured Image: Jeffrey Read. Credit: GEPA
The Stifel Success North American Cup Finals have had several days of thrilling races and excitement at Sugarloaf Resort, Maine, and Burke Mountain Resort, New Hampshire. The speed races concluded in Sugarloaf after two downhill races and two super-Gs for the males and females.
Although the racers had to run all four downhill runs on the same day, Jeffrey Read of Alpine Canada Alpin elaborated that the conditions were pristine. He stated, “The conditions were phenomenal for the NorAm [speed events]. There was a perfect storm with warm weather, then rain, then cold temperatures that turned the track almost entirely to ice. The only other place I’ve skied a track like that is Bormio!”
On the downhill day the conditions changed from the first course set to the next. Read stated, “The first one was icy and challenging to grip, but still doable. We did a quick inspection and slip between races, and it made the track insanely polished. So, the second run was a huge battle to keep the edges biting the ice.”
On the bulletproof track, the athletes needed to hold a strong edge throughout the turn and identify opportunities to push themselves to the limit, aiming to conclude the 2025 season on a high note.
Six racers were victorious from the speed races, with one of the first-place finishes resulting in an exciting tie.
Women’s Downhill
Annika Hunt Takes First Downhill Victory of NorAm Finals
The Stifel Success NorAm Cup kicked off with the women’s downhill race. Burke Mountain Academy athlete Annika Hunt successfully threw down a dominating run, achieving victory by -0.99. This marked Hunt’s first NorAm win.
Anne-Catherine Théberge of Alpine Canada Alpin finished closest behind Hunt, and Mary Bocock rounded out the podium (+1.35).
Hunt alluded to the changes the women saw from the training runs to the race day. She stated, “The conditions were a lot different than the training runs. It was icy! During inspection, people were sliding around on the ice, and I think as a whole, the field was a bit nervous about the speeds that we were anticipating for the race.”
Hunt overcame the initial nerves in order to be triumphant. She stated, “I was nervous too, but I knew that I had to be even more aggressive with my plan and pressuring my outside ski if I wanted to finish, and finish fast for that matter.”
“I gave it my all.” She continued, “I was so proud to stand on top of the podium after that race!”
Mary Bocock Wins Second Downhill
Mary Bocock of the Stifel US Ski Team was the first to kick out of the start of the second downhill race. She came through with a fast time of 1:11.07, which set a pace that was challenging for others to beat.
Bocock concluded the first race, leading the field by -0.13. Annika Hunt of Burke Mountain Academy came in second, and Alpine Canada Alpin athlete Estelle Martin achieved 3rd place (+1.40).
Bocock stated, “I think I did one turn differently than the other girls during my winning run of the downhill. I committed to doing the turn that was two turns ahead of Headwall, which is the tricky part of the course, cleanly.”
“It was very slick that day, so doing that specific turn cleanly felt like I accelerated a lot,” Bocock concluded.
This was Mary’s first NorAm win of the season and sixth of her NorAm career. She stated, “Two years ago I felt pretty dominant on the NorAm circuit, but last year I really struggled and didn’t have much confidence. So, getting back to knowing that I can win the race on any given day is a great feeling.”
Men’s Downhill
Jeffrey Read Wins the First Men’s Downhill
After the women finished their run, the men’s downhill race began. Read, wearing bib 21, surged ahead to take the lead, finishing +0.33 seconds faster than Sam Morse from the Stifel US Ski Team.
Read has been igniting towards the end of the season by scoring in downhill for the first time this season and the 11th time in his career at Kvitfjell. Also, Read finished with a top 10 at World Championships in super-G.
Further, this marked Read’s fifth NorAm Cup downhill victory of his career.
Read stated, “It felt great to jump back into NorAms with a win. I came to score a 15 to match a World Cup result from earlier in the year, so the standard was set.”
“I knew there was some strong competition between other World Cup guys and NorAm regulars. It felt like a scrappy run, but I felt quick, and the time agreed,” he continued.
Read has several highlights he reflected on this season. He stated, “Some of my top highlights this season included a top 10 in the World Champs super-G, celebrating my teammates 1st place, 3rd place in the Hahnenkamm downhill, and taking the US National downhill title.”
Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club alpine racer Tristan Lane rounded out the podium, +0.71 behind Read.
Raphael Lessard Wins Final Downhill
Canadian athlete Raphael Lesserd represents the University of Utah. In addition to his strong performances in the university circuit, he has also distinguished himself in speed races. This season, Lesserd has achieved his seventh podium finish in the NorAm series, all in speed events, with an impressive tally of four victories.
“My main goal was to bring fast skiing to the races [NorAm Finals] and be very sharp in my execution,” Lessard explained.
It was a tight race! Lessard skied a solid run, dominating the middle section of the course. Although independent racer Wiley Maple revved up at the end of the course, winning the last section, he was unable to catch Lessard’s time. Lessard finished the race just +0.03 ahead of Maple.
Jeffrey Read rounded out the podium, 0.17 behind Lessard.
First Super-G: Riley Seger, Kyle Negomir and Mary Bocock Win
On the second day, both the men and women moved on to the super-G event. This day followed a traditional format, featuring a single run for each competitor. The women battled on the course first.
Mary Bocock was feeling juiced as she achieved a victory on the first day in the downhill. She established her lead early in the run and maintained that speed through the finish. She concluded the day 0.22 ahead of the field.
Her teammate, Liv Moritz, finished impressively in 2nd place, and Hunt rounded out the podium, +0.70 behind Bocock.
Bocock stated, “The winning run in the super-G felt pretty strong; it was also a slick day, but I think getting time on the course from the downhill really helped me for the first day of super-G.”
Bocock spent some time on the World Cup circuit this season, allowing her to gain insights from the more experienced athletes on her team. She stated, “My goal heading into the NorAm Finals was to take my experience that I gained from the speed girls in Kvitfjell into these races.”
The race was incredibly tight for the men as well, with a unique tie for victory. Riley Seger of Alpine Canada Alpin and Kyle Negomir of the Stifel US Ski Team came through with the exact same time of 1:12.03, ahead of the field by just -0.07.
Seger stated, “Sharing the win with Kyle was very special. We see a lot of Americans on the road in Europe and have trained a lot with them this winter. Obviously, he is a great skier, and at least we are similar in height, so he wasn’t towering over me on the podium.”
“I was really happy to put down a run and show some skiing that I was proud of. With such a strong field, it felt great that it was good enough to get me the win on a track that historically hasn’t been very good for me,” Seger continued.
Second Super-G: Lessard and Hunt Accelerate to Victory
During the second day of the super-G, the temperatures were a bit warmer, so the track did not hold up as well as the days prior. However, the conditions were still attackable.
Fueled by her downhill win, Annika Hunt ignited on the last day of speed racing. She shifted into top gear at the bottom of the course, which brought her through the finish line ahead of the field. Following her was Bocock, whose strong performance kept everyone on the edge of their seats. In a thrilling finish, Hunt narrowly clinched the win, finishing just 0.01 seconds ahead of Bocock’s remarkable run.
Hunt stated, “When I won, I was so happy! I won by only one-hundredth, which made me feel lucky and very excited. I also knew that with this win I would be able to take home the super-G and downhill NorAm overall titles, which was unbelievable. These were not my goals at the beginning of the season, so receiving them felt like a dream.”
The Burke Mountain Academy racer felt relieved coming into the NorAm Finals as she felt like she already achieved her top goals this season. She stated, “I had already achieved my season goals of qualifying for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team C-Team and placing top 5 in the NorAms in multiple events, including tech, so I really had no weight on my shoulders coming in.”
Logan Grosdidier, racing for Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, completed the podium +0.30 off the lead, marking her first NorAm podium result.
Raphael Lessard carried his momentum from narrowly missing the podium the previous day into the final day of the super-G, delivering an impressive performance that put him ahead of the competitive field by -0.54.
“It was great to be able to get wins in the downhill and super-G during the finals. I’ve had a good season in downhill, but had not yet won this year, so it was great to get my first downhill win on the last race of the season,” Lessard explained.
He continued, “For the super-G, I wanted to finish off with a good performance to end a very solid super-G season for me, so the feeling was good.”
Kyle Negomir from the Stifel US Ski Team secured a second-place finish, while Swiss competitor Loïc Chable took third, finishing +0.56 behind.
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
