First USA home-hosted Skimo World Cup, Olympic qualifier in the books

Solitude hosts Skimo World Cup. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — For fans of ski mountaineering (skimo) on a global level, there’s great news; for fans of skimo on an American level, there’s good news; for fans of skimo on a Park City level, there’s tough news.

The great news is that Solitude’s first-ever, home-hosted USA World Cup this weekend was a huge success, making the sport’s debut that much more exciting for the Milan Cortina Olympics this winter.

The good news is that Team USA will be able to compete in Milan, thanks to American athletes that took home the win on Saturday in the Mixed Relay, beating out Canada for the one slot to represent North America.

The tough news is that although Park City athlete Griffin Briley made a wonderful showing with great sportsmanship and definitely the loudest cheering section, he did not qualify, from this event, to go to the Olympics. His age puts him in the junior/youth division, though, so there is much time ahead in his promising athletic career for this, and future, seasons.

Watch the former Park City High School student and former Park City Ski & Snowboard athlete’s video below to see his on-course bobble which didn’t diminish his qualifying out of the individual round into the heats.

Video: TownLift // Michele Roepke / courtesy of ISMF

The President of the International Skimo Federation says in the interview below that the world-wide community looks forward to hosting this sport at the Utah 2034 Olympics.

Video: TownLift // Michele Roepke / courtesy of ISMF

Park City Elementary School District teacher at Trailside Elementary, Nina Silich, was at school on Friday and will be back on Monday, but on Sunday she helped host the world cup event, as seen below with the turquiose shoulders speaking with the Marketing and Communications Manager of IMSF, Jordi Millastre. The two also worked together in Norway where now-retired athlete Silich won one of her two Skimo World Cups on the USA Skimo Team.

“It’s is incredibly exciting to be hosting this event here in Utah. It’s really been the work of a village to make this come together, and to have it on home turf, and to host the mixed relay, and then to have the Americans win a spot to the Olympics.” Silitch told TownLift. “We’ve been working really hard to get skimo in the Olympics, and to be hosting the sprint here today is fantastic. I love that so many people are learning how much fun skimo is and how it brings together people from all over the world, and to be able to host it here in the US is absolutely amazing.”

Silitch still holds the best finish for an American at a World Championships with a silver in the 2013 Sprint race.

Briley made it into the heats portion of the Sprint race, his entire event can be seen in the video below. What is not readily visible here is the first transition where they put their skis on their back, the second transition where they put the skis back on and the peak of the course where they “rip their skins” off the bases and start the downhill. He didn’t cross the finish line in the top half of his heat therefore his day was over. That didn’t stop him from shaking the hand, high-fiving, congratulating, and thanking, every international competitor, national official, Utah volunteer, and Park City supporter, like his Dad, Tim. On the starting line in the video, watch him as he’s second from the right with the red, white, and blue striped arms.

Video: TownLift//Michele Roepke//courtesy of IMSF

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Photos: TownLift// Michele Roepke

Results

Briley finished the Sprint in 21st place. He was the top American male finisher with five others below him in the results and one DNF. Jon Kistler from Switzerland won the event with a Swiss teammate of his in second place and an athlete from Belgium in third.

For the women, USA’s Anna Gibson finished in 14th place in the Sprint with one other American crossing the finish line afterwards. Margot Ravinel won the race for her country of France with women from Italy bookending her on the podium.

In the Mixed Relay event, the American duo of Anna Gibson and Cameron Smith took the top prize, Italy placed second with Switzerland in third.