Featured Image: Kyle Alexander racing downhill in Aspen, Colorado. Kyle Alexander won both of the downhill races this weekend in the NorAm Stifel Success Cup. Credit: GEPA/ Mathias Mandl

Over the past week, the Alpine men and women competed in the Stifel Success NorAm Cup at Copper Mountain, Colorado. The Stifel Success NorAm Cup showcases top-tier ski racing in North America and serves as a stepping stone for athletes to reach the World Cup circuit if they aren’t competing in it already. 

One of the standout athletes of the week was Stifel US Ski Team member Allison Mollin. She had an impressive showing, finishing the week with three victories. Mollin’s dominance was evident in her performance, as she claimed wins in the super-G event and one in the downhill race. Her only miss of the top spot on the podium came in one race, but her overall performance was still nothing short of exceptional.

After her second win, she stated, “Feels really good to have gotten this season underway and can’t wait to go attack Europe. Until today, my NorAm super-G best result was 9th.”

But Mollin was one of a few to make a mark at the event. On the men’s side, the Alexander brothers from Alpine Canada stole the show. Kyle Alexander took home two victories in the downhill event, while his brother Cameron Alexander claimed two wins in the super-G races. 

Other Highlights from the Women’s Field 

On the first day of downhill racing, Haley Cutler, a recent NCAA DI athlete from Sun Valley, Idaho, won with a solid lead (-0.58). She revealed immense strength by overcoming mental health challenges before this NorAm series to achieve two podiums and a 4th-place finish. 

She stated, “Leading up to this race was honestly pretty mentally challenging. A few weeks ago I was struggling with confidence and skiing in general. I reached out to a sports psychologist who helped me overcome my doubts and helped my mind and body become reconnected. This made me realize the importance of the mental side of the sport and I cannot be more thankful that I took the initiative to get help.”

After her win, she reflected, “This win was amazing for me. It gave me the feeling that accomplishing my World Cup skiing goals are closer than ever.” 

Another athlete who showed perseverance in her skiing throughout the week was Cheyenne Brown, from Aspen Valley Ski Club, who earned three podiums and one 4th-place finish. She stated, “It was the first race of the season and all the nerves and suspense to race made it feel more special. It feels really good to see your hard work pay off. It was a great start for me to see that, yes, I am good at skiing and I can do it.”

This week was a solid first step to Brown obtaining her goals. She explained, “My main goal for the season is to win a NorAm downhill title. I hope to make the US Ski Team and race in the World Cup one day.” 

An athlete who showed big leaps in three of the races through the week was Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club PG athlete Abby Olson. Olson had 23, 17, and 20 position jumps from her starting bib number to her finishing place. Her most extensive progression was in super-G and her top finish was 11th place in downhill. 

In an interview at the end of last season she stated, “Her and her teammates get such an advantage by competing with and against the top competition each year. It motivates her to get better every day.”

Other Highlights from the Men’s Field 

In the Copper Mountain, Stifel Success Cup NorAms, the week was filled with intense competition and impressive performances from the men. Multiple racers brought World Cup points to this first NorAm of the season. After several early-season speed cancellations for the World Cup men, including Beaver Creek, numerous athletes stayed to get speed races under their belt. 

Besides the impressive performances by the Canadian Alexander brothers, the other World Cup men who found podium spots were Wiley Maple (USA), Samuel Dupratt (USA), Cooper Cornelius (USA), Jack Smith (USA), and Kelmenn Kosi (SLO).  

Wiley Maple returned to ski racing last season after years of forced retirement from various severe injuries. Last winter, he only had a week on snow before the first NorAm and impressively finished in 4th place. This summer, Maple capped off good off-season training with four wins in South America, which dropped his points in his super-G and downhill world rankings to the best he’s had since he was 25. 

In Copper Mountain this past week, Maple earned second and third place in the downhills and two top-10 finishes in the super-Gs. 

He stated, “Snagging two podiums in the downhills in Copper was definitely a nice start to the winter. In many ways, it validates the comeback. But, there’s still a long road ahead to get where I want to go,” He continued, “I had a few mistakes in Copper that kept me off the top step, but my skiing was there. Hoping to maintain that momentum here.”

Dupratt, a Sitfel US Ski Team member, fought back and won the 2023 season as the NorAm super-G overall champion. He took back his spot on the World Cup circuit going into this season. He competed all week in Copper Mountain except for one of the super-G races. In the three races he did compete in, he finished on the podium with one silver and two bronze medals. In the downhill, he tied for 3rd place with his teammate, Jack Smith. 

Jack Smith had a solid week as well. Along with the bronze tie, Smith finished the week with one 2nd place in super-G and two top-10 finishes. After the cancellations in Beaver Creek, he is still itching to make his World Cup debut. Teammate Cooper Cornelius finished the week with a 2nd place in super-G and two top-10 downhill finishes. Unfortunately, he did not finish the second super-G race.

The first week of NorAms at the Stifel Success Cup in Copper Mountain was a thrilling and successful event for both the men and women athletes. The next NorAm starts today in Beaver Creek with two giant slaloms and two slaloms.