VAIL, Colo. February 24, 2021 – Devo FIS skiers looking to make their mark flocked to Vail Mountain this Monday and Tuesday to take part in another Colorado Ski Cup series event. With FIS points on the line and the season winding closer to its inevitable end, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail athletes locked down two wins and 17 of the top 10 times at the end of four giant slalom races. 

SSCV women kicked off the week with impressive speed and technique in their turns. Leading a field of over fifty athletes in the morning race, SSCV’s Cleo Braun secured the fastest time and a gold medal to go along with it. Joining her among the top 10 in the first race of the day were teammates Zoie Palmer, who fell just outside the podium in fourth, and Josephine Trueblood in sixth. With something to prove in the second race of the day, SSCV women surged up the standings to claim six of the ten fastest times. Helenka Ostaszewski, Palmer, and Samantha Trudeau closed ranks, taking third, fourth, and fifth respectively. They were followed by teammates Avery Shaffler in eighth, Josephine Trueblood in ninth, and Anna Zurabay taking tenth. 

On Tuesday, over 70 male athletes competed for the best times overall as the winds buffeted the course. In the first race of the day, SSCV put on an outstanding performance, sweeping the podium with quick edges and great lines. Trent Pennington, an SSCV athlete and member of the U.S. Ski Team, blazed down the course to secure the win followed by teammates Nicholas Unkovskoy in second place and Fletcher Holm in third place. Fellow athlete Tucker Strauch bracketed the podium with a fourth-place finish and Sebastian Kolhofer breached the top ten as well, taking tenth in the first race. The second race of the day saw Pennington grab another podium finish in second, with SSCV teammates Jack Reich and Kohlhofer landing in fourth and fifth place, respectively. 

“We had some really nice races and results overall,” said SSCV men’s FIS Head Coach, Ian Lochhead. “It was a great day for our athletes to get out there and compete, and it was awesome to see Trent Pennington come home and get a win. We’re so grateful to Vail Resorts and all the organizers that have made it possible to race this year.”

For a full list of results, please go to https://www.fis-ski.com/. 

Photo: SSCV athlete Cleo Braun goes for gold in Monday’s Colorado Ski Cup DEVO race.