Slalom Podium. Zoe Zimmerman, Nina O’Brien, Lila Lapanja. Photo: Andreea Sincu
Camp Fortune hosted the men’s and women’s slalom portion of the February 23-24 NorAms, while the GS races took place at Mont Ste-Marie. The athletes enjoyed bluebird skies for the second of the two days, putting smiles on everyone’s faces.
The women raced slalom first on the 23rd, while the men started with GS on the same day. They then swapped venues and disciplines the following day. The two venues are roughly an hour apart from each other.
NorAm cups attract many of the top ski racers in North America. “It’s an amazing opportunity for local athletes, and ski racing enthusiasts alike, to have the best skiers in the world competing here at Camp Fortune,” said Pat Biggs, Executive Director of Alpine Ontario and former World Cup skier.
Biggs knows the perks of racing at Camp Fortune well, as he grew up racing at the venue.
“Some are surprised that a smaller hill can host an event of this caliber, but the technical challenge of a Slalom race on The Chute can’t be underestimated.”
The Women
February 23, 2023, Camp Fortune, QC, Slalom
The slalom podium was dominated by the Americans. Two current Stifel US Ski Team members and Burke Mountain Academy Alumi, Nina O’Brien and Zoe Zimmerman, were on the first and second step of the podium. Lila Lapanja finished in third. Lapanja is not a current member of the Stifel US Ski Team, but her performance in the 2021-22 NorAm season earned her the NorAm World Cup start quota.
All three of these women have demonstrated speed in tech events, including at even higher levels than NorAms, meaning the World Cup.
Despite the race being held on Canadian snow, the US claimed five of the top six places. Allie Resnick finished in fifth and Dasha Romanov in sixth.
The fastest Canadian was Britt Richardson, who finished in eighth place, followed by Cassidy Gray in ninth and Eleri Smart in 10th.
Of the 61 athletes on the startlist, 38 athletes finished the race.
February 24, 2023, Mont Ste-Marie, QC, GS
On February 24, the women’s GS took place on a beautiful sunny day in Mont Ste-Marie.
For the second consecutive day, Stifel US Ski Team member Nina O’Brien claimed the top step of the podium. This time, by the smallest possible margin.
Adriana Jelinkova was right on O’Brien’s heels in second place, +0.01 second out. Katie Hensien, who is on the Stifel US Ski Team with O’Brien, rounded out the podium in third place, only +0.05 slower than O’Brien.
Five additional American athletes earned top 10 results. With the Americans claiming seven of the top 10 spots, Cassidy Gray, who finished fourth, was the only Canadian to find herself in the mix.
48 of the 58 competitors who started the women’s GS finished the race.
The Men
February 23, 2023, Mont Ste-Marie, QC, GS
Isaiah Nelson of the Stifel US Ski Team put together two great runs to win the men’s GS on February 23 by +0.51. Lithuanian Andrej Drukarov claimed second place, beating third place Canadian Justin Alkier by just +0.01.
Six other Canadians cracked the top 10: Liam Wallace (fourth), Asher Jordan (fifth), Sam Mulligan (seventh), Simon Fournier (eighth), William St Germain (ninth).
Jimmy Krupka and Sam Dupratt joined their American teammate Nelson in the top 10 in sixth and 10th, respectively.
There were 71 athletes on the start list and 58 finishers.
February 24, 2023, Camp Fortune, QC, SL
The day after the Mont Ste-Marie GS, Isaiah Nelson earned another podium. This time, it was in the NorAm Slalom at Camp Fortune.
First place, Reto Schmidiger (SUI) and second place, Liam Wallace (CAN), were separated by only two hundredths of a second. They held a significant lead over the rest of the competitors, with Nelson being in third +1.40 seconds out.
Including Wallace, the Canadians stacked five athletes into the top 10. William St. Germain (fourth), Jesse Kertesz-Knight (fifth), Asher Jordan (sixth), Simon Fournier (eighth).
The Americans had four in the top 10, including Nelson. They were: Justin Bigatel (seventh), Ryder Sarchett (ninth) and James Ferri (10th).
Camp Fortune Ski Club contributed to this report.
About the Author: Lexi Hanus
