Ritchie Wins Second National Slalom Title
Ben Ritchie won his second U.S. Alpine Nationals slalom title on Monday in Vail, Colorado, leading a Stifel U.S. Ski Team podium sweep. The 24-year-old also claimed the crown in 2021 at Aspen Highlands. This season, Ritchie broke through on the World Cup, finishing 17th in the slalom standings and earning a career-best seventh at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals.
Ritchie laid down the fastest first run (46.81) and followed it with a clean, composed second run (47.94) to finish with a winning total of 1:34.75.
Men’s Podium – U.S. Alpine Nationals Slalom
- 1st Ben Ritchie – 1:34.75
- 2nd Stanley Buzek – 1:34.86 (+0.11)
- Second-ranked North American in the 2025 NorAm slalom standings
- Earned a World Cup slalom start position for next season
- 3rd Camden Palmquist – 1:35.21 (+0.46)
- Raced in two World Cup slaloms this season (Levi and Kranjska Gora)
Why Ritchie Raced Nationals
Despite a long and successful World Cup season, Ritchie made the trip to Colorado to compete.
“It’s super fun for sure,” Ritchie said. “It’s quite a different experience from World Cup Finals, but when I was a young FIS racer starting to do Nationals, I always loved when the better guys in the U.S. showed up and raced.”
He emphasized the importance of top athletes supporting domestic events.
“I think it’s good for the sport in the U.S. I think all the good guys should be at U.S. Nationals,” he said. “It’s fun, and there’s no pressure. Just some quick turns and a good time.”
No Plans to Slow Down
After a big World Cup campaign, Ritchie said he isn’t planning on much downtime.
“I’m not someone who really likes the break usually,” he said. “After a couple days, I’m itching to do something.”
He plans to head home to Vermont briefly, then get back to training. “I spent a lot of time last summer getting ready,” he added, “and it really paid off this season.”
Strong Depth Behind the Podium
Fourth place went to Jett Seymour, just 0.68 seconds back, with a strong push in Sector 1. River Radamus was fifth (+0.79), followed closely by Cooper Puckett (+0.84), who posted the fourth-fastest second run.
Matej Vidovic of Croatia, the only international skier in the top ten, finished seventh (+0.88). U.S. teammates Luke Winters and Isaiah Nelson followed in eighth and ninth, while Jevin Palmquist rounded out the top ten.
All top ten finishers were within 2 seconds of Ritchie—highlighting tight margins and rising talent.
Women’s Slalom
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Hurt Ends Season witHurt Ends Season with a Win
AJ Hurt of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team closed her season on a high note Monday, winning the women’s slalom at the U.S. Alpine Nationals presented by Stifel in Vail, Colorado.
After struggling with back pain early in the year, the 24-year-old delivered a strong finish. Despite earning fewer World Cup points than in 2024, she achieved her best-ever season slalom ranking: 29th.
Hurt was second after the first run but attacked the second with determination. She skied at her limit, made exciting recoveries, and posted the fastest second run (47.10) to edge out her teammate Katie Hensien by 0.05 seconds. Her winning time was 1:37.48.
“Slalom’s always hit or miss for me,” Hurt said. “I was like, ‘Oh, I haven’t won a race this whole season.’ Obviously, I haven’t done a lot of races that I could win, but it feels good to finally be able to win one—and in slalom, in the last race of the season.”
Her run reflected her all-in style. “No pressure. It was a lot of fun,” she added.
Women’s Podium – U.S. Alpine Nationals Slalom
- 1st AJ Hurt – 1:37.48
- Fastest second run (47.10)
- Closed a +0.34 first-run deficit
- Made bold recoveries at the limit of control
- 2nd Katie Hensien – 1:37.53 (+0.05)
- Led after the first run (50.38)
- Former University of Denver All-American
- Returned from injury to post career-best World Cup slalom and GS results this season
- 3rd Sara Rask – 1:39.73 (+2.25)
- Current DU All-American from Sweden
- Secured podium with a composed second run
Hensien Returns to Form
Katie Hensien, also of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and a former University of Denver All-American, finished second after leading the first run. It was a strong end to her comeback season after missing all of 2024 with a knee injury.
“I think after my slalom season—only finishing one slalom all year—it was nice to put another one down,” Hensien said. “It’s definitely relieving knowing that my slalom skiing’s still there.”
She qualified for her first World Cup Finals this season—in giant slalom—and earned a career-best 12th in slalom at Kranjska Gora.
She also took pride in sharing the stage with another DU Pioneer.
“I love sharing the podium with a fellow Pio,” she said. “It just shows that you can go to the World Cup after skiing in college. Many have proven it.”
Rask Leads Collegiate Charge
Sweden’s Sara Rask, an All-American and current University of Denver standout, placed third. She recently completed her third NCAA season and hopes to return for a fourth.
“A U.S. Nationals podium has been a goal since I came here three years ago,” Rask said. “It was so amazing to do it in my last for-sure year. It’s so much bigger than I expected, and it’s cool to see that we (DU PIOS) can pull it off at Nationals.”
Even though she didn’t attend DU at the same time as Hensien, she said it still felt like a team victory.
“It’s so fun. Even though I never went to school with Katie, it still feels like she’s one of my teammates,” Rask said. “We root for each other all year. It’s really an amazing community.”
She also spoke about the lasting impact of college ski racing. “You help each other out, even though everyone wants to win. You don’t do it at the expense of not helping your teammates or friends. It’s lifted my experience and made me better.”
The University of Denver Dominates Top Five
Four University of Denver athletes made up the top five: Hensien (2nd), Rask (3rd), Mia Hunt (4th), and Stella Buchheister (5th).
Keely Cashman placed sixth, followed by a wave of strong performances from U.S. athletes and current college racers. In total, eight of the top ten were American, with international skiers Rask (Sweden) and Louison Accambray (France) finishing third and seventh, respectively.
Men’s Top 30 Results
Women’s Top 30 Results
About the Author: Peter Lange
