Victorious Downhill Runs at NorAm Cup Finals Leads to Securing the Titles

Featured Image: Allison Mollin competing in the downhill NorAm Finals. Credit: Gary Jones

The NorAm Cup Finals have kicked off in Panorama Resort, British Columbia, but the athletes have experienced somewhat of a rocky start. Unfavorable weather and snow conditions led to the need for schedule adjustments and a race cancellation. 

However, with the predicted forecast, the race committee adjusted the schedule and successfully finished one of the downhill races on April 2nd. They had planned to hold the second downhill race on the 4th, but due to ongoing snowfall and unsafe conditions, it was not possible.

On Tuesday, the women began the first day of downhill with an earlier start time to try and beat the forecasted weather. The women were lucky with decent conditions, but just as the men began, the sky became darker with precipitation coming towards the mountain. The light sprinkle caused the snow conditions to become more slushy, which challenged the men’s field. 

“It was starting to sprinkle rain ever so lightly and it was quite warm. So, when the men’s race started it was already getting a little slushy and some course holds early on from some guys crashing and some issues with gates staying in the ground,” Brodie Seger of Alpine Canada Alpin, explained. 

Nevertheless, the racers took on the challenge with full force and were ready to give it their all for the last downhill events of the season. 

The Stifel US Ski Team athletes, Allison Mollin and Isaiah Nelson dominated the slopes, securing the top spot on the podiums.

Women’s Downhill Race 

Lola Gilbert from Whistler Mountain Ski Club kicked off the day as the first athlete to push out of the start gate. It was her inaugural NorAm downhill start, and she set a strong pace that held off bib-2 and 3. 

However, Mollin came ripping down the course, attacking each section with confidence. She let the skis run and finished with a substantial lead, already -4.53 ahead. Other racers tried to get closer to the time that proved too difficult to catch. Mollin concluded the race in 1st place by -0.81. 

Mollin stated, “It feels great to be competing at the top of NorAms this year. I’ve been working my way up in NorAms for the past few seasons and to get that breakthrough and consistency competing at the top feels good.”

World Cup racer for Alpine Canada Alpin, Cassidy Gray, has not kicked out of many downhill starts. It was only the athlete’s third downhill of her career. Thus, her 2nd-place performance was very impressive on home snow. 

Gray came into the downhill on a high note, finishing her last seasonal World Cup race with a career-best result, so she is ready to continue the momentum into the next events at the NorAm Finals. 

Haley Cutler rounded out the podium (+0.91). The Sun Valley athlete started the NorAm Cup season with a victory in the downhill at Copper Mountain. She maintained her strong showing in NorAm speed events with five top-5 finishes heading into the Finals. 

Cutler stated, “I am happy with a podium finish! I have podiumed in every NorAm downhill this season, so it felt good to keep the streak!”

Cutler has been dealing with an injury this season, so overcoming that and achieving the season she has, has been very motivating for her. 

“My knee injury this season has been very difficult. I found out I have a cartilage focal lesion on the end of my femur bone. I’ve had to change my gym routines to solely focus on keeping my knee strong and healthy so I was still able to perform on snow. It’s a struggle everyday, but the progress I was able to make is super motivating,” Cutler explained. 

The athlete who moved up the most spots to achieve the top 10 was Beatrice May. The Burke Mountain Academy athlete skied a solid run and achieved her career-best result on the NorAm circuit, concluding the day in 6th place. 

Men’s Downhill Race

The men’s downhill race was a fight to the finish. The challenging conditions added another element for the racers that was different from the training run on the first day. However, the men who put together a strong run were able to move up on the leaderboard. 

Stifel US Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson was the second racer to hit the track. He was light enough on his skis to find speed through the soft snow but maintained a direct and confident line throughout the course. He concluded the day on top of the podium, -0.37 ahead of the field. 

Nelson stated, “It felt really nice to win the Downhill in Panorama. I haven’t done a ton of speed this season, but I’ve got an affinity with this hill, and I had a solid training run. I knew I just needed to be aggressive, in charge, and ski a direct line.”

Running early on in the day was on Nelson’s side because the track continued to get slower and deteriorate for the later athletes. 

“Usually in downhill, it’s nice to run behind a few athletes, but with the warmth, I think it worked out really well in my favor to run 2nd. I don’t think the course got any faster after bib 1,” Nelson stated. 

Despite running bib-21, Brodie Seger of Alpine Canada Alpin put together a fast run that got him onto the podium. 

Seger stated, “The course was kind of falling apart and not very feel-good snow. These are snow conditions that I have struggled with in the past, so I came down thinking that felt horrible. So, I was pretty happy to see that I still pulled off a second place.” 

Seger has been focusing on World Cup racing, but since the season endured a slew of cancellations on the Speed circuit, he came into this last event eager to race. 

“I started to find some confidence again, but the World Cup season was over pretty quickly after that. So, I felt like I was just getting going, and then there were no World Cup races left. Consequently, I came to this race not as burnt out as previous seasons, and I was eager to keep racing,” Seger explained. 

His teammate, Kyle Alexander, rounded out the top 3, finishing +0.64 behind Nelson. Alexander has been focusing on several racing circuits this season by competing in World Cups, University races, and the NorAm Cups. 

This season, Alexander started by winning both downhill races at the Copper Mountain NorAm, and this marked his fifth podium finish on the 2024 NorAm Circuit. Also, he scored in his first World Cup this season.

An athlete who moved up the most to earn a top-10 finish was Brodie’s brother, Riley Seger. Riley started bib-30 and faced the challenges head-on, not holding anything back, and moved through the turns with confidence. He concluded the day in 7th place. 

Securing a Spot on the World Cup with a NorAm Cup Title 

The 2024 season of the NorAm Finals downhill races has concluded, resulting in the achievement of the downhill NorAm Cup Title. The athletes will now strive for the Overall NorAm Cup Title. These Titles will grant them coveted positions on the World Cup Circuit.

The Overall NorAm Cup winner earns a World Cup start in all disciplines. The first and second-place finishers in a single discipline earn a World Cup start in that particular discipline.

For the men, the top 2 finishers in the downhill NorAm Cup are Kyle Alexander and U.S. Independent athlete Wiley Maple. Both men have been competing in speed events on the World Cup circuit this season, but this ensures they will have a spot in every downhill race in the 2025 season. 

Maple has been an impressive comeback story this season. After significant setbacks from injury and finishing a degree at Westminster University, the 33-year-old athlete decided to come back to racing this year and has defied the odds.  

He started the season off with two downhill podium finishes at the NorAms in Copper Mountain and went on to achieve two top-20 finishes in World Cup downhills. 

Maple stated this season, “Confidence in racing is moving into every turn ready to attack, holding strong and creating energy through the turn. Then, keeping rhythm and patience throughout the course. I think I am doing that for the most part.” 

For the women, the top two finishers in the downhill NorAm Cup are Allison Mollin and Haley Cutler. 

Mollin raced her first two World Cup downhills this season in Crans Montana, and after this NorAm title achievement, she will be looking to start a lot more next winter. 

Mollin stated, “The experience of running my first World Cup the season was amazing and gave me a glimpse of what I want my future in ski racing to look like.”

Cutler was the only athlete out of the four who achieved this title and has not debuted on the World Cup stage yet. This title achievement will take the athlete’s skiing to the next level in 2025. 

Cutler stated, “I am at a loss for words about the World Cup spot. To see this goal come to life had me cry tears of joy. I have already been thinking about my summer and fall preparations for the 24/25 World Cup season, and the drive I have has to be my absolute best self/athlete. Feeling stronger than ever, and I cannot wait!” 

Next up, the athletes will race super-G today (April 5th) and tomorrow (April 6th). Stay tuned!

Women-Full Results from Downhill

Men-Full Results from Downhill

Women- NorAm Cup Standings Downhill

Men- NorAm Cup Standings Downhill