The men wrapped up four days of racing at Beaver Creek, CO, concluding the NorAms for 2022. Collegiate racers, World Pro Ski Tour participants, and Stifel U.S. Ski Team battled for the podium positions. After the conclusion of the World Cup races, the Beaver Creek Birds of Prey course was repurposed for two GS and slalom races.

Giant Slalom

Jacob Dilling, a sophomore skiing for the University of Colorado, opened up the series by winning the first GS and earning his inaugural NorAm victory. The former U.S. Ski Team member has established himself on the collegiate circuit. He is a second-team All-American and finished all 14 races in the 2021-22 RMISA season. He was the only athlete to do so.

Behind Dilling was his former teammate, Stifel U.S. D Team member Jack Smith. The 21-year-old Smith also grabbed his first career NorAm podium with a silver, just 0.12 seconds off the pace of Dilling. Gustav Rosberg Voello, the Norwegian skier for the University of Utah, completed the podium in third.

Former teammate appreciates his battle with Dilling

“It was super fun to race on the Birds of Prey; I love that style of a hill,” shared Smith. “It was awesome to see Jacob win. We were teammates in the past and it was really fun to be back battling with him again.”

The next day, sophomore Cooper Cornelius skiing for the University of Denver grabbed the win over CU Buffalo Filip Forejtek. During the 2021-22 season Cornelius recorded six top-10 finishes on the collegiate circuit and dominated the GS NorAms in Panorama a year ago. Cornelius grabbed his first win of the season.

Notably, Jimmy Krupka came in third. Krupka is a Stifel U.S. Ski Team invitee this season. He beat out Dilling for the bronze and carried the momentum into the first slalom, where he earned the top spot.

Slalom

Last season, Krupka had some doubts about returning to slalom. He had suffered a season-ending injury in January 2021, where he sustained a boot-top tibia fibula fracture in the super-G at Santa Caterina, Italy. A few months into his return from injury, Krupka thought he would never be good at slalom again.

“The situation truly felt hopeless,” said Krupka. “But I stayed patient and kept believing in the ol’ Jimmy Krupka slalom miracle machine. Finally, it’s starting to kick into gear.”

Current and former collegiate athletes shine

Krupka held the lead over Forejtek, who took his second silver of the series. What’s more, Forejtek is also a dominant name on the collegiate circuit. He is a five-time All-American, with 18 podiums in his career, ranking him fourth most for University of Colorado men’s alpine skiing.

Uniquely, Canadian William St. Germain, the former University of Vermont Catamount, finished behind Forejtek in third. St Germain had retired from ski racing, gotten an MBA, and worked as an engineer before returning to the sport this season.

The final slalom race was championed to the collegiates again, this time Canadian Justin Alkier the former Middlebury College Panther. Alkier will be a name to watch as the World Pro Ski Tour kicks off in Steamboat on January 5^th. Forejtek secured yet another silver, while Krupka rounded out the podium in third. Krupka tied with Forejtek for the NorAm Cup lead in slalom.

“My village is huge… my teammates, GMVS, Dartmouth, the amazing coaches, techs, and PTs,” exclaimed Krupka. “I am so grateful to have been given another year of training with the U.S. Ski Team, to return from injury. It takes a village.”