Griffin Briley finishes in fourth in skimo in Italy

USA Skimo Team in Italy for early-season camp and comp. Photo: courtesy of USA Skimo

DOLOMITES, Italy — Park City’s Griffin Briley crossed the line in 4th place overall and 2nd for the U23 division in a skimo race in Italy this week after a training camp as the National Team prepares for the sports’ Olympic debut in February.

The team still participated in the popular Roseta Verticale trail race, With a distance of 6.9km and a vertical gain of 1,279 meters, the athletes quickly climbed to the top of the iconic peak in town. USA Skimo had great results in this race, with the highlights being a dominant win in the women’s field by Hali Hafeman, the aformentioned strong results by Briley, and Helen Desmond and McCall Birkinshaw took 1st and 2nd respectively in the u23 women’s division. 

Although the camp was held on a little bit of early-season snow, the season dictated that the competition took place on road roller skis and down a grass slope.

In the camp, eight athletes made their way up the 48 switchbacks of Stelvio Pass in mid September to find spectacular conditions for a few days of on-snow training. Here, the team trained with an Italian alpine coach who has spent years working with top skimo athletes. The team honed their skills with carving, body position and race tactics for the downhill part of skimo races.

Briley has been on and near the sport podium for years including gold in the Youth World Cup in 2024 in Norway among many other FIS level adult athletic endeavors around the world.

 On Dec. 6, 7, at Solitude Mountain in Big Cottonwood Canyon the public are invited to come out and watch a Skimo World Cup where Briley and the Americans will not only compete for team and individual glory, but to, more importantly, attempt clinch a limited, coveted slot for the United States to even be included in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.