By: Caleb Horsch
Carrabassett Valley, ME - The Colby Carnival wrapped up on Saturday with the Slalom portion of the event. Cold temperatures continued, and snow flurries in the afternoon added an unexpected wrinkle.
The start of the Slalom was higher on the hill than usual, as it was moved nearly to the top of Crib Works, giving racers a challenge right out of the gate as they battled the steep opening pitch. The snow was soft, and later, racers were forced to battle a shelf throughout most of the course. However, this did not stop some later numbers from making big move-ups.
Cydnie Timmermann (UVM) - Stephen R Cloutier
The men got the action underway, with Isac Hedstroem and Peder Nersnaes going 1-2 for the University of New Hampshire. Also well within the mix was Plymouth States Maximilian Haussmann, who sat in third.
There is a massive hole in EISA Slalom races this season without Mathias Tefre, who was unstoppable during his four years at the University of Vermont. His departure presents an opportunity for the next great collegiate Slalom skier. UVM would have hoped that Tefre's points would be picked up by one of his teammates, but, at least on Saturday, it was not to be, as Cole Palchak did not finish, and their best-placed male skier finished in 16th.
Isac Hedstroem (UNH) - Stephen R Cloutier
A straighter first run set on the women's side allowed for full gas skiing. Allie Resnick, running first, took advantage of a clean course to set the early mark that would not be bested. However, just one-tenth of a second behind Resnick was Cydnie Timmermann from UVM, followed closely by her teammate Justine Clement.
After a brief break in the action, racing resumed with the men's second run. Similar to the previous day's GS, the fastest times on the run were from skiers just inside of the flip-30, who took advantage of the cleaner course to move up considerably. This was especially true for Harrison Digangi from Colby and Sebastian Segre from Middlebury, who went one and two on the second run, respectively, to move up 12 and 11 positions. Bode Flannigan from Boston College, who was third on the second run, delivered one of the best men's results for his team, moving up to sixth on the day.
The battle for the top 5 was intense, with half a second splitting them. Dan Gillis skied a quick second run and held the lead for three racers to land a second-place finish on the day, his best result for Dartmouth. Despite a slower second run, where he finished 26th, Hedstroem was able to hold on for the victory, and Nersnaes settled for third. The top 5 were rounded out by Noah Riemenschneider from Colby and Haussmann.
Dan Gillis (Dartmouth) - Stephen R Cloutier
Despite some disappointment on the men's side, the UVM women were ready to try and save the day. Their solid second runs left them in the 2-3-4 position, led by Clement and followed by Timmermann and Moa Clementson. However, the win belonged to Resnick, the Big Green skier who won both runs en route to another commanding victory. A duo of Middlebury skiers finished fifth and sixth in Kaitlyn Fynn and Mika Anne Reha.
In the team standings, Dartmouth disrupted a four-carnival win streak held by the Catamounts. They were helped by a strong performance from their Nordic team, who scored a massive 912.5 points. UVM sat a distant second, followed by Middlebury. The University of New Hampshire narrowly bested Colby for fourth place. Full team results can be viewed at https://data.bullitttiming.com/events/2024/EISA-CBC-2024/team-scores.pdf.
Attention now turns to next weekend when the rescheduled University of Vermont carnival will occur at Stowe Mountain. The long and demanding Maine Street run will be the site of the GS on Friday and Slalom on Saturday.
Women's SL Podium (L-R): Timmermann, Resnick, Clement - Stephen R Cloutier
Men's SL Podium (L-R): Gillis, Hedstroem, Nersnaes - Stephen R Cloutier
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