Mangan and Maple Lead US Success at Corralco SAC Speed Events

Mangan and Maple Lead US Success at Corralco SAC Speed Events

Super-G Opens the Series

The South American Cup speed finals were staged in Corralco, deep in Chile’s Araucanía region, where over 90 racers from 22 nations came to contest the last races of the continental circuit. On perfectly prepared tracks by Ski Corralco and Snow Animal, the U.S. continued its summer of success with podiums in both the women’s and men’s events.

The series began Monday, Sept. 29, with two Super-G races for both men and women.

In the opening women’s race, Finland’s Rosa Pohjolainen delivered a convincing win. Iceland’s Hofi Dora Fridgeirisdottir followed in second, while Chile’s Matilde Schwencke took third. The Americans were close to the podium, with Jackie Wiles and Allison Mollin both within 0.16 seconds of the top three. Tricia Mangan also cracked the top 10 in eighth. Britain’s Gigi Gorringe added to the mix with sixth, and Sarah Schleper—racing for Mexico at age 46—finished 12th.

Women’s Super-G one:

1. Rosa Pohjolainen (FIN) – 1:19.95
2. Hofi Dora Fridgeirisdottir (ISL) – 1:20.46 (+0.51)
3. Matilde Schwencke (CHI) – 1:21.01 (+1.06)

The second women’s Super-G was even tighter. Tricia Mangan claimed victory by a single hundredth over Fridgeirisdottir, while Mollin joined her on the podium in third. Wiles added a seventh-place finish, with Britain’s Nicole Wordley and Gorringe in 11th and 12th.

Women’s Super-G two:

1. Tricia Mangan (USA) – 1:20.65
2. Hofi Dora Fridgeirisdottir (ISL) – 1:20.66 (+0.01)
3. Allison Mollin (USA) – 1:20.97 (+0.32)

After her win, Mangan described both the racing intensity and the quality of the training in Corralco:

“Jumping into races was very fun and a good way to get right back into the intensity at the start of camp. Corralco has been awesome so far and we’ve had some of the best super-G and downhill summer training I’ve ever had! Our coaches are doing an amazing job working with the mountain staff to prep the tracks as best as possible!”

Von Appen and Maple Share the Men’s Spotlight

On the men’s side, Chile’s Henrik von Appen gave the home crowd reason to cheer by winning the first Super-G. Slovenia’s Nejc Naralocnik was second, while independent U.S. World Cup racer Wiley Maple took third. Bradshaw Underhill backed him up in fifth, and Britain’s Max Laughland and Owen Vinter placed sixth and seventh.

Men’s Super-G one:

1. Henrik von Appen (CHI) – 1:17.66
2. Nejc Naralocnik (SLO) – 1:18.01 (+0.33)
3. Wiley Maple (USA) – 1:18.22 (+0.54)

Maple struck back in the second race, edging Estonia’s Juhan Luik by 0.11 seconds. Von Appen added another podium in third, while Underhill held sixth and Vinter repeated in seventh.

After his victory, Maple reflected on his six weeks in Chile:

“Great six weeks in Chile—besides the reliable unreliability of the place. Epic four weeks spent with the young USST EC team. And a successful strike mission to Corralco to improve my SG points before the World Cup season.”

Men’s Super-G two:

1. Wiley Maple (USA) – 1:17.78
2. Juhan Luik (EST) – 1:17.89 (+0.11)
3. Henrik von Appen (CHI) – 1:18.00 (+0.22)

Downhill Battles in Shifting Conditions

Tuesday, Sept. 30, brought poor weather, forcing organizers to run just one of the four planned downhills. Pohjolainen continued her strong form, winning ahead of Fridgeirisdottir. Mollin claimed third for the U.S., while Britain’s Gorringe and Wordley placed sixth and seventh.

Women’s Downhill one:

1. Rosa Pohjolainen (FIN) – 1:07.86
2. Hofi Dora Fridgeirisdottir (ISL) – 1:08.67 (+0.81)
3. Allison Mollin (USA) – 1:08.74 (+0.88)

The final day, Oct. 1, allowed three more races to close out the season. In the women’s downhill, Pohjolainen narrowly held off Mollin by 0.11 seconds, with Fridgeirisdottir third. Schleper finished 10th but missed out on the points she needed to qualify for Cortina.

Women’s Downhill two:

1. Rosa Pohjolainen (FIN) – 1:07.04
2. Allison Mollin (USA) – 1:07.15 (+0.11)
3. Hofi Dora Fridgeirisdottir (ISL) – 1:07.56 (+0.52)

Von Appen delivered another win in the first men’s downhill, just 0.08 seconds faster than Ukraine’s Taras Filiak. Slovenia’s Martin Cater was third, and Britain’s Vinter placed eighth, only 0.56 off the pace.

Men’s Downhill one:

1. Henrik von Appen (CHI) – 1:04.90
2. Taras Filiak (UKR) – 1:04.98 (+0.08)
3. Martin Cater (SLO) – 1:05.07 (+0.17)

Cater closed the series with a victory in the second men’s downhill. Von Appen finished second, and Filiak earned another podium. Vinter capped his week with a fourth-place finish, missing a career-first Continental Cup podium by just 0.01 seconds.

Men’s Downhill two:

1. Martin Cater (SLO) – 1:04.93
2. Henrik von Appen (CHI) – 1:05.38 (+0.45)
3. Taras Filiak (UKR) – 1:05.43 (+0.50)

Titles Decided

Consistency paid off for Fridgeirisdottir, who earned the overall women’s title—her first major international crown—20 points ahead of Argentina’s Francesca Baruzzi Farriol. Britain’s Gigi Gorringe edged Pohjolainen for third by a single point. Three Americans, Liv Moritz, Logan Grosdidier, and Mollin, also finished inside the top 10.

Fridgeirisdottir also won the women’s downhill title, just ahead of Haley Cutler, who had swept the La Parva races earlier. Pohjolainen tied Cutler for second, while Mollin finished sixth. Great Britain’s Gorringe and Wordley ranked eighth and ninth.

In Super-G, Fridgeirisdottir completed the triple crown, finishing 60 points clear of Pohjolainen. Gorringe placed third, while the U.S. had three in the top eight—Mangan, Mollin, and Wiles.

On the men’s side, Sweden’s Fabian Ax Swartz captured the overall South American Cup crown. Chilean veteran Henrik von Appen secured the downhill title, while Slovenia’s Nejc Naralocnik won the Super-G standings ahead of von Appen. The best American overall was Bradshaw Underhill in 11th, with independent World Cup racer Wiley Maple in 12th.

Von Appen dominated the downhill series with 218 points, ahead of Martin Cater and Jan Zabystran. Owen Vinter (GBR) placed seventh, one ahead of (USA) Sam Morse. Naralocnik took the Super-G title by 20 points over von Appen, with Maple in third place.

For the final section, instead of “Looking Ahead,” here’s a sharper subtitle that ties into the Olympic theme:

Olympic Hopes Sharpen in Corralco

The week in Corralco concluded with an awards ceremony at the 1,600 Restaurant, part of the Visa Chile Winter Series Ford festival that brought snow sports together across South America. With 20 South American Cup events staged across six resorts this season, the circuit once again proved its value for athletes from 22 nations to lower points and sharpen form.

For the Americans, podiums and quality training in Chile provided a vital step into the World Cup opener — and for Olympic hopefuls from around the globe, an early chance to test themselves against an international field.