The SSWSC alpine snowboard athletes traveled to Afton Alps, Minnesota, this past week, January 4-5, for the first of three stops on the Snowboard Race to the Cup North American Cup (NorAm) Series. Race to the Cup is a North American Cup (NorAm) parallel snowboard racing event featuring fast turns, technical finesse, and head-to-head racing with North America’s most advanced snowboard racers. In the January 4 parallel slalom races, Walker Overstake was 2nd. On January 5, at the FIS level race, Taggert Carr was 1st, Shikoh Sugimoto from Japan, but training with SSWSC was 2nd, Mike Smith was 3rd, and Sam Carpenter was 4th. In the second NorAm race of the week, on January 5, Mike Smith was 3rd, and Sam Carpenter was 4th.

Afton Alps NorAm/FIS Race Snowboard Parallel Slalom Results:
January 4 - PSL NorAm
Walker Overstake, 2nd

January 5 - PSL/FIS
Taggert Carr - 1st
Shikoh Sugimoto - 2nd
Mike Smith - 3rd
Sam Carpenter 4th

January 5 - PSL NorAm
Mike Smith - 3rd
Sam Carpenter - 4th

SSWSC hosted the second stop in the Race to the Cup Series on January 10-12, 2023. Racers began training on Steamboat and Howelsen on Tuesday. On Wednesday, January 10, FIS racers from around the region raced a single-course giant slalom at Steamboat Ski Resort. On Thursday, January 11, NorAm racers raced head-to-head down parallel giant slalom (PGS) courses at Howelsen Hill. Riders will be placed in brackets after a qualification run and work their way into the finals. On Friday, January 12, NorAm racers raced down head-to-head in the parallel slalom (PSL) races again, working the way through the brackets.