Featured Image: 1st Place – Wiley Maple. Photo: Phil Lodico Photography.
While the Olympic spotlight burned overseas, the speed men brought their own intensity to Whiteface Mountain.
The 2025–26 Nor-Am Cup series opened Feb. 4 with three days of tight margins, comeback performances and statement victories — and from the first run, the tone was aggressive.
Monsen Breaks Through
Felix Monsen arrived in Lake Placid with something to prove.
The Swede, who missed selection for the Olympic team and trains independently amid the absence of a Swedish speed program, unleashed a dominant run in the opening downhill to secure his first Nor-Am Cup victory — more than nine years after his only previous podium on the circuit.
“All good with me,” Monsen told Ski Racing Media. “The races have been fun so far. Very nice conditions and happy to race right now to have something to focus on while the Olympics are happening.”
Feb. 4, 2026 — Whiteface Nor-Am Cup Downhill No. 1
- 1st 🇸🇪 Felix Monsen — 1:07.87
- 2nd 🇺🇸 Wiley Maple — 1:08.59 (+0.72)
- 3rd 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (HEAD) — 1:08.99 (+1.12)
- 4th 🇨🇦 Sascha Gilbert — 1:09.15 (+1.28)
- 5th 🇺🇸 Tristan Lane (Stöckli) — 1:09.18 (+1.31)
Behind Monsen, the U.S. team showed depth. Maple and Arvidsson landed on the podium, while slalom specialist Luke Winters, wearing bib 34, surged into sixth. Canadian Sascha Gilbert missed the podium by just 0.15 seconds.
Maple Answers Back
Day two tightened even further.
The second downhill was separated by just two-tenths of a second across the podium. This time, Maple — the experienced American out of Aspen — found the extra gear, winning by five hundredths of a second and leading a U.S. one-two finish with Arvidsson.
Monsen stayed in the fight in third.
While Maple welcomed the win, there was still disappointment at missing out on the Olympic team — a reminder of how fine the margins are at every level.
Further down the order, consistency defined the week for Tristan Lane and Sascha Gilbert, who both produced back-to-back top-five results.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun at this race series,” Lane said. “This track is fun to ski and snow has been perfect. It’s nice to be back racing in the U.S. with more friends after a long stint in Europe. The Super-G was awesome too.”
“The races in Whiteface were super fun,” Gilbert said. “The track is sweet with a good mix of pitch and moderate terrain with a couple of small jumps. Another huge bonus is the snow — which has been good. I had a lot of fun in the downhills although had some varying issues on the top pitch. I made a similar error in the Super-G but happy with the series.”
Feb. 5, 2026 — Whiteface Nor-Am Cup Downhill No. 2
- 1st 🇺🇸 Wiley Maple — 1:08.44
- 2nd 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (HEAD) — 1:08.49 (+0.05)
- 3rd 🇸🇪 Felix Monsen — 1:08.64 (+0.20)
- 4th 🇺🇸 Tristan Lane (Stöckli) — 1:08.88 (+0.64)
- 5th 🇨🇦 Sascha Gilbert — 1:09.46 (+1.02)
Two races in, the downhill standings were wide open.
Whiteface was already delivering razor-thin margins.
“The new track at Whiteface is amazing. It has some great elements that will be incredibly helpful in developing the next generation of American speed skiers,” said Arvidsson about the new Whiteface speed track.
Monsen Closes the Week in Control
If there were any doubts about Monsen’s momentum, he erased them in Friday’s Super-G.
Starting from bib 31, he attacked the steep, technical sections and let the skis run on the flats, winning by more than half a second — a commanding margin on a hill that punishes hesitation.
“It was a nice race, quite a lot of turns into the steep so I tried to just be on the line and then let it run out on the flat and it worked well,” Monsen said.
Switzerland’s Loic Chable finished second after leading early in the field.
“I feel good,” Chable said. “I was definitely hoping to get the win after leading after 30 guys, but I also knew some big guys were still to come so I’ll take this second place. I was a little bummed that they cancelled the second race but that’s life.”
Winters delivered one of the surprises of the week, stepping onto the Super-G podium after limited recent speed racing.
“It was great to be back skiing speed,” Winters said. “I have only done a few race runs on speed skis for the last so many years, so I was happy with how the Downhill and Super-G both ended.”
Feb. 6, 2026 — Whiteface Nor-Am Cup Super-G
- 1st 🇸🇪 Felix Monsen — 1:11.46
- 2nd 🇨🇭 Loic Chable — 1:12.02 (+0.56)
- 3rd 🇺🇸 Luke Winters — 1:12.20 (+0.74)
- 4th 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (HEAD) — 1:12.26 (+0.80)
- 4th 🇺🇸 Isaiah Nelson (SHRED) — 1:12.26 (+0.80)
The second Super-G, scheduled for Feb. 7, was canceled due to adverse weather.
Standings Tighten Ahead of Aspen Finals
With Aspen Highlands set to host the Nor-Am Cup Finals from March 19–26, the pressure is building. Titles — and critical World Cup opportunities — remain very much in play.
2025–26 Nor-Am Cup Downhill Standings (After 2 Races)
- 1st 🇺🇸 Wiley Maple — 180 pts
- 2nd 🇸🇪 Felix Monsen — 160 pts (−20)
- 3rd 🇺🇸 Erik Arvidsson (HEAD) — 140 pts (−40)
- 4th 🇨🇦 Sascha Gilbert — 95 pts (−85)
- 4th 🇺🇸 Tristan Lane (Stöckli) — 95 pts (−85)
2025–26 Nor-Am Cup Super-G Standings (After 3 Races)
- 1st 🇺🇸 Isaiah Nelson (SHRED) — 250 pts
- 2nd 🇨🇦 Raphael Lessard — 140 pts (−110)
- 3rd 🇳🇴 Johs Braathen Herland — 136 pts (−114)
- 4th 🇨🇭 Loic Chable — 120 pts (−130)
- 5th 🇺🇸 Sam Morse — 106 pts (−144)
About the Author: Matt Garcka
