Unsurprisingly, to start the season, some of the top names in junior racing and the fastest skiers of the 2021-22 NorAm circuit returned to the limelight in the opening Stifel Success NorAm races.

With a later start to the season, the ladies raced on good winter conditions during the series-opening competitions in Copper Mountain, CO. Predictably, It was a battle between USA and Canada for the top spots that wonderfully included some surprising come-backs.

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NorAm GS

Britt Richardson is a name to keep in mind. After finishing second in the NorAm GS season ranks in 2021-22, Richardson secured a World Cup GS start quota spot for this year.

Last February she experienced her first NorAm victories with back-to-back GS wins. She did it again in the opening NorAm GS races this season. Three seasons ago, Richardson was fighting to make a top-30 finish. She now leads the 2022-23 GS standings for women.

“The first NorAms of this season started on a good track,” said Richardson. “I’m really excited to grab these wins and bring confidence into my next World Cup starts. There’s a lot of talent on the women’s circuit in North America. It’s really cool to be pushed by my teammates and competitors.”

Richardson’s teammate Cassidy Gray isn’t far behind. After securing a Junior World Championship victory with her team last season, Gray has been on the radar in GS and parallel. Gray was 2^nd 0.57 seconds behind Richardson in this season’s opening GS.

On the U.S. side, the Bocock sisters made their mark in GS. It was Mary Bocock’s first race after an LCL injury almost a year ago. Over two days, Mary moved up from 12^th to fifth place in her first races back. Elisabeth Bocock also fired off in her opening NorAM of the season. In the first GS, she placed second for juniors behind Canadian Sarah Bennett and fifth overall before a DNF on the second day.

NorAm Slalom

The slalom series showed a fight between U.S. skiers Allie Resnick, Zoe Zimmermann, and Canada’s Kiki Alexander.

Resnick likes to joke about her best discipline switching every year. This season it seems to be a slalom year after she captured the opening NorAm ahead of teammate Zimmermann.

However, Zimmermann scored two slalom podiums in the opening NorAms, silver and bronze. She sits third in the slalom standings for this season behind Alexander and Resnick.

“It was especially nice to have my first NorAm victory on the same hill I had my first podium last year,” said Resnick. “The NorAms were later than normal this year, and I know I, and many others, were ready to get back in the start gate. It was cool to watch some of the younger girls step up and achieve some of their first podiums.”

21-year-old Kiki Alexander, skiing for Alpine Canada Alpin built on her momentum from last season and hasn’t backed down. After finishing second in the slalom standings and fourth overall last season, Alexander currently leads both standings for the 2022-23 NorAm season with results that include a third and first place in slalom.

“The vibes all around were good,” said Alexander. “The support from all the girls we train alongside was cool to see.”

Like Alexander, many NorAm ladies head to Sestriere, Italy, for the World Cup GS and slalom this weekend. The ladies will have a break between World Cup and Europa Cup races before the Stifel Success NorAm tech events return to the East Coast after the New Year.

Top 22 NorAm GS and SL standing after the Copper Mountain series

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