Simon Fournier/ Courtesy of Eric Brandolini
Quebec took center stage in North American alpine racing from Tuesday, Jan. 6 through Friday, Jan. 9, as the Men’s Nor-Am Cup rolled through Mont Saint-Sauveur for slalom and Tremblant for giant slalom.
Tuesday, Jan. 6 — Men’s Mont Saint-Sauveur Nor-Am Cup Slalom
In a tight race to open the New Year Canadian Nor-Am Cup series, the Apex2100 team delivered a statement performance as Bradshaw Underhill earned his first career Nor-Am Cup victory ahead of teammate Maximilien Hoder. It capped an American clean sweep, with Cooper Puckett finishing third, just 0.13 seconds off the win.
Underhill built on momentum from his first Nor-Am top-five finish in Beaver Creek last month, converting that progress into his first career podium—and a breakthrough victory.
Underhill told Ski Racing Media, “To start, it was great to be back racing in Quebec. I have family from Quebec, and I used to ski there as a kid, so it was a great place to get back to for the Nor-Am races. The whole series had amazing conditions, and with the varying weather, the course workers did everything possible to ensure the races were fair.
“Beginning the series with a win in the slalom was amazing. I was training well before the series, and for two runs to come together after a challenging end to 2025 was a huge relief. I felt extremely grateful that my family was there to support me and couldn’t be happier with the result.
“The rest of the series was riddled with some unfortunate mistakes, but I am happy with my competitive days in the GS races and am looking forward to building off of my strong start to 2026.”
— Bradshaw Underhill (Apex2100 — USA)
Hoder Breaks Through With First Nor-Am Podium
In just his fifth career Nor-Am Cup start, Maximilien Hoder delivered a breakout performance, charging from bib 27 to finish second and record his first top-10 result at the Continental Cup level.
“The result was something I didn’t expect. Starting bib 27 to finish second was for sure a shock,” Hoder told Ski Racing Media. “The hill was prepared really nicely and the snow held up really well, which made it a very fair race.”
Hoder credited his preseason development and training environment for accelerating his progress.
“I have not raced much on the Continental Cup level, this year being my first year doing Nor-Ams, but I am really happy with the way things are going,” he said. “My preseason preparation with Apex2100 has been phenomenal. Skiing with a higher-level team has pushed me to be better and more professional.
“I hope I can continue my form for the rest of the season and that this podium is the first of many.”
— Maximilien Hoder (Apex2100 — USA)
January 6th Final result:
- 1st Bradshaw Underhill 🇺🇸 USA — 1:31.00 — Apex2100
- 2nd Maximilien Hoder 🇺🇸 USA — 1:31.11 (+0.11) — Apex2100
- 3rd Cooper Puckett 🇺🇸 USA — 1:31.13 (+0.13)
- 4th Stanley Buzek 🇺🇸 USA — 1:31.23 (+0.23)
- 5th Simon Fournier 🇨🇦 CAN — 1:31.24 (+0.24)
Wednesday 7th January – Men’s Mont Saint-Sauveur Nor-Am Cup Slalom:
It was a more comfortable margin of victory for Stifel US Ski Team member, Cooper Puckett, on day two in Mont Saint-Sauveur. Puckett secured third Nor-Am Cup win and first for over two years with a dominant display to win by 0.9 seconds. The experienced Croat, Matej Vidovic was the closest ahead of Canada’s Etienne Mazellier.
After his podium on day one and win on day two, Puckett said: “I’m really happy, firstly, with my skiing, and that I managed to adapt to the hill and snow in this short window and to get these two results which will help me start earlier in World Cup. For whatever reason, for the last few years I’ve haven’t been able to get my FIS points down to where my skiing has been, so it feels great to have a competitive start position” – Cooper Puckett (Stifel US Ski Team)
Vidović: Learning, Grit, and a Podium Result
Matej Vidović said he approached the NorAm races at Sommet Saint-Sauveur primarily as a training opportunity and came away encouraged by both the conditions and his execution. The Croatian racer praised the preparation on the hill, noting that the firm, race-ready surface allowed athletes to attack regardless of start position.
“The surface was bulletproof—you could ski 100 percent intensity, even with higher bibs,” Vidović said.
Racing the venue for the first time, Vidović emphasized rapid adaptation and steady improvement. He entered the series without result-based expectations after inconsistency earlier in the NorAm season, instead focusing on execution and learning run by run.
“I came into the races without any expectations,” he said. “I knew I had the pace, but I didn’t have the consistency to put two runs together.”
After being caught off guard by a simple second-run course on the opening day, Vidović adjusted his approach and responded with a strong second run that secured a podium finish, highlighting resilience after recent DNFs.
“After straddling in Beaver Creek, it felt great just to have the opportunity to fight for another run,” he said. “A very solid second run gave me a strong podium result.”
Vidović said cleaner execution remains the key step forward.
“I have to clean up my mistakes and get two runs together,” he said. “Then I believe I can challenge for the top of the podium.”
— Ski Racing Media, Matej Vidović (CRO)
Mazellier Breaks Through With First NorAm Podium
Étienne Mazellier reflected on a milestone result after earning his first career Nor-Am Cup podium, calling it a reward for years of steady progress and near misses.
“It feels good to finally score a podium after all those years and numerous top 5s,” Mazellier said. “My slalom has been really solid since the beginning of the season and I’m happy to show it in important races.”
Mazellier also praised the demanding conditions and preparation on the hill.
“Conditions were awesome, icy all the way down and well maintained thanks to the volunteers,” he said. “I’ve been training a lot and was really focused to start the year with a bang. More to come, I hope.”
— Étienne Mazellier (CAN)
January 7th Final result:
- 1st Cooper Puckett 🇺🇸 USA — 1:34.72
- 2nd Matej Vidović 🇭🇷 CRO — 1:35.62 (+0.90)
- 3rd Étienne Mazellier 🇨🇦 CAN — 1:35.73 (+1.01)
- 4th Nick Spoerri 🇨🇭 SUI — 1:35.86 (+1.14)
- 5th Jay Poulter 🇺🇸 USA — 1:35.95 (+1.23)
- 6th Jevin Palmquist 🇺🇸 USA — 1:36.02 (+1.30)
Thursday 8th January – Men’s Tremblant Nor-Am Cup Giant Slalom:
The men then transferred over to the Women’s World Cup venue, Tremblant, for two giant slalom competitions. Johs Braathen Herland continued his hot streak, winning the first GS by over a quarter of a second ahead of fellow Viking, Adriane Minde Hunshammer, who tied with Canadian independent athlete, Simon Fournier. The Norwegians dominated the first GS. The best of the Americans was Cooper Puckett, out of Steamboat Springs, in fifth.
- 1st Johs Braathen Herland 🇳🇴 NOR — 2:08.12
- =2nd Adrian Minde Hunshammer 🇳🇴 NOR — 2:08.39 (+0.27)
- =2nd Simon Fournier 🇨🇦 CAN — 2:08.39 (+0.27)
- 4th Tomas Holscher 🇨🇱 CHI — 2:08.54 (+0.42)
- 5th Cooper Puckett 🇺🇸 USA — 2:08.58 (+0.46)
Herland Charges From the Back With a Second-Run Statement
Johs Braathen Herland described a demanding but rewarding race, highlighting terrain, tactics, and the opportunity for high-bib athletes to attack as conditions held firm through both runs.
“Today was a really tight race. It’s an interesting slope with a lot of terrain and important gates, which made it a cool race,” Herland said. “There were a lot of people with high bibs who skied really fast in the first run. The conditions held up great both runs.”
Recognizing the chance to move up, Herland committed fully in the second run.
“I saw the opportunity to ski fast with a higher bib, so I knew I had to go hard in the second run and be smart coming into the flat,” he said. “Luckily it was enough to climb all the way to the top.”
Sharing the podium with a longtime teammate made the result even more meaningful.
“It was a cool hill and sweet conditions, and it was awesome to have fellow Norwegian Adrian Hunshammer right behind me.”
— Johs Braathen Herland (NOR)
Hunshammer Earns First Nor-Am Podium
Adrian Minde Hunshammer celebrated a breakthrough result, earning his first career Nor-Am Cup podium after delivering two strong runs on a surface that continued to reward commitment late in the race.
“Conditions were great. It held up surprisingly well and might even have gotten a bit faster into the race,” Hunshammer said. “I’m very happy with the performance—it’s nice to finally get to show what I can do in the more important races too.”
Sharing the podium with close friends added to the moment.
“Since we’re just one year apart, we’ve known each other for a long time and skied together a lot,” he said. “It was very fun to get to share my first NorAm podium with him and Simon, who is also a very good friend.”
Hunshammer acknowledged the hunger for more but appreciated the milestone.
“It was for sure a great start. It can always be better, and you always want more. But I’m very grateful for this one—it couldn’t have started much better.”
— Adrian Minde Hunshammer (NOR)
Fournier Reflects on Home Snow and Consistency
Simon Fournier said consistency stood out as a key positive from the week, particularly racing on familiar terrain close to home.
“I was quite happy about the consistency. Obviously, being able to race at home is always amazing,” Fournier said. “I’m from Tremblant originally, so it’s always great to be able to race on some race slopes that I grew up on.”
Despite strong skiing, Fournier felt he left opportunities on the table in slalom.
“I think I left a little bit on the table, and I just wish I had a little bit more in me in those races,” he said. “I was really close to a win on the first day and unfortunately ended up fifth.”
He pointed to the course’s unforgiving nature and the importance of execution in transition zones.
“That hill is not super forgiving. As soon as you make a mistake in the transition into the flat, it’s pretty much done for you,” Fournier said. “We saw a lot of guys punching in from far, which was great to see.”
Fournier said his second-run giant slalom performance marked progress, even as the final day brought challenging weather.
“I went really hard in the second run and had some really solid skiing, which I was really happy to show in GS,” he said. “The last day was mentally and physically challenging with the rain, but the course crew did an amazing job keeping the surface somewhat decent. Unfortunately, I fell short of what I wanted to do in that last GS.”
— Simon Fournier (CAN)
Friday 9th January – Men’s Tremblant Nor-Am Cup Giant Slalom:
In the final race for the series, Johs Braathen Herland completed the Tremblant GS double winning by 0.86 seconds on day two. This was Herland’s third Nor-Am Cup win, they have all come in giant slaloms this season, he now has five podiums for the season, four in GS. He finished ahead of World Racing Academy’s Nick Spoerri and Team Global Racing’s William St-Germain. John Kerbaugh was the fastest of the US athletes in fourth.
- 2nd Nick Spoerri 🇨🇭 SUI — 2:05.37 (+0.86) — World Racing Academy
- 3rd William St-Germain 🇨🇦 CAN — 2:05.70 (+1.19) — Team Global Racing
- 4th John Kerbaugh 🇺🇸 USA — 2:05.79 (+1.34)
- 5th Alex Krupka 🇺🇸 USA — 2:05.85 (+1.34)
- 6th Bradshaw Underhill 🇺🇸 USA — 2:05.93 (+1.42)
Herland Dominates With Back-to-Back GS Wins
After consecutive giant slalom victories, Johs Braathen Herland said the Tremblant races exceeded expectations and tested both skill and resilience.
“Tremblant was way above expectations. Going back-to-back in GS was huge,” Herland said. “The second day was super rainy and a true test of manhood.”
Herland credited smart use of terrain and speed management through the flats for the double victory.
“I really managed to bring good speeds into the flat both runs and use the terrain all the way to the finish,” he said. “I still haven’t quite realized that I went back-to-back in Nor-Am giant slaloms.”
— Johs Braathen Herland (NOR)
Spoerri Returns to the Podium in Challenging Conditions
Nick Spoerri said a small first-run mistake made the task difficult on a hill that offers little forgiveness, but he responded with a composed and effective second run.
“I made a little mistake in the first run, and on this hill it’s really difficult to gain back time after a mistake, so I was a bit behind,” Spoerri said.
He said execution and discipline paid off as conditions worsened.
“I’m happy with my skiing in the second run. I skied like I planned to and put down a clean run in difficult conditions,” he said. “I’m happy with that run and to take second place.”
— Nick Spoerri (World Racing Academy — SUI)
St-Germain Fights Through the Rain to Climb the Standings
William St-Germain said an aggressive second run helped him move up the leaderboard after identifying an opportunity early in the reversed start order.
“I was really happy with my second run. I knew I had a good opportunity to make a big move up starting early in the flip—not too far back time-wise—and I went for it,” St-Germain said.
Changing conditions added to the challenge as rain intensified.
“The snow conditions were pretty good on the first run, with a solid hard base underneath,” he said. “On the second run, a lot of rain came in during inspection and the run, which turned it into a battle. I don’t think I have ever been that wet.”
— William St-Germain (Team Global Racing — CAN)
Overall Impressions
This series taught us that there is talent continuing to come through the collegiate system that is now ready to step up onto the international stage with the likes of Norway’s Herland and Switzerland’s Spoerri showing their strengths in these races. The Americans, particularly in the slalom events, were able to showcase their strength-in-depth, especially Bradshaw Underhill and Maxi Hoder, who currently train away from the Stifel US Ski Team, both hitting the Nor-Am Cup podium for the first time.
Men’s Nor-Am Cup Overall Standings (after 10 races:)
- 1st Johs Braathen Herland 🇳🇴 NOR — 532 pts
- 2nd Simon Fournier 🇨🇦 CAN — 331 pts (–201)
- 3rd Bradshaw Underhill 🇺🇸 USA — 305 pts (–227)
- 4th Isaiah Nelson 🇺🇸 USA — 300 pts (–232)
- 5th Filip Wahlqvist 🇳🇴 NOR — 271 pts (–261)
- 6th Cooper Puckett 🇺🇸 USA — 227 pts (–305)
- 7th Matej Vidović 🇭🇷 CRO — 196 pts (–336)
- 8th Nick Spoerri 🇨🇭 SUI — 176 pts (–356)
- 9th Jay Poulter 🇺🇸 USA — 175 pts (–357)
- 10th Étienne Mazellier 🇨🇦 CAN — 157 pts (–375)
Men’s Nor-Am Cup Slalom standings (after four races;)
- 1st Filip Wahlqvist 🇳🇴 NOR — 200 pts
- 2nd Matej Vidović 🇭🇷 CRO — 196 pts (–4)
- 3rd Simon Fournier 🇨🇦 CAN — 184 pts (–16)
- 4th Cooper Puckett 🇺🇸 USA — 160 pts (–40)
- 5th Luc Herrmann 🇨🇭 SUI — 146 pts (–54)
- 6th Bradshaw Underhill 🇺🇸 USA — 145 pts (–55)
- 7th Étienne Mazellier 🇨🇦 CAN — 143 pts (–57)
- 8th Maximilien Hoder 🇺🇸 USA — 116 pts (–84)
- 9th Jay Poulter 🇺🇸 USA — 113 pts (–87)
Men’s Nor-Am Cup Giant Slalom Standings (after four races:)
- 1st Johs Braathen Herland 🇳🇴 NOR — 360 pts
- 2nd Aleix Aubert Serracanta 🇪🇸 ESP — 150 pts (–210)
- 3rd Simon Fournier 🇨🇦 CAN — 147 pts (–213)
- 4th Nick Spoerri 🇨🇭 SUI — 120 pts (–240)
- 5th Adrian Minde Hunshammer 🇳🇴 NOR — 119 pts (–241)
- 6th Isaiah Nelson 🇺🇸 USA — 100 pts (–260)
- 7th Bradshaw Underhill 🇺🇸 USA — 95 pts (–265)
Next Nor-Am series
Next month, the men’s and women’s Nor-Am tour will head to Whiteface Mountain, New York, with two races in each discipline, with more big points and season titles on the line.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
