SSCV U16 athletes qualify for international events after successful National Performance Series races at Burke Mountain

Ski and Snowboard Club Vail will send a pair of athletes to two upcoming elite international U16 Alpine competitions after a successful National Performance Series event at Burke Mountain in Vermont earlier this month. Mari Renick qualified for the Federation of European Ski & Snowboard Associations (FESA) Alpine Ski Cup in Les Menuires, France and Maya Maxson earned a spot for the Alpe Cimbra event in Folgaria, Italy.

“They did a great job fighting for a spot to compete against some of the best U16s in the world,” stated U16 coach Lisa Perricone.

Renick will go up against some of the best athletes from Andorra, Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland from March 6-9. Jackson Leever, William Erickson and Lara Huml all represented SSCV at the FESA Cup event in 2024. This is Maxson’s second trip to the Alpe Cimbra competition, which runs from Feb. 7-8. Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin also competed at the event during their respective ski journeys.

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“They’re fierce competitors. I am confident they’ll do great and ski well,” Perricone continued. “I am very happy for them to reach a goal they have had since coming into the U16 age class.”

SSCV brought eight athletes to the NPS event in Burke, which brings together some of the top U16 skiers from each region (West, East and Rocky Central) in the country. Athletes contested giant slalom races on Jan. 7 and 8 and two slalom races on Jan. 10. The top-3 boys and girls — using World Cup points from the best two results from the four races — were selected for the FESA Cup and the 4-6 ranked skiers were chosen for the Alpe Cimbra event.

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“This event is perennially at Burke due to its tough conditions and challenging terrain,” U16 coach Ian Dunlop stated. “The experience they gained while racing out there is very important for their overall development.” 

Renick captured podiums in all four races, highlighted by a win in the final slalom. Maxson’s best result was a fourth in the GS on Jan. 8. Calen White led a group of three male SSCV athletes, placing 7th and 14th in the GS events, respectively. Aidan Wick notched a top-10 in one of the slaloms.

“We are very proud of the group that represented SSCV at the NPS in Burke,” Dunlop said. “We had good speed entering the event with several of our athletes getting a late start spot to enter the race due to outstanding results in our earlier SYNC Cup event in Winter Park.”

Burke Mountain National Performance Series U16 results

Girls giant slalom (Jan. 7)

Winner: Katie Rowekamp – 2:19.45

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 3, Mari Renick – 2:25.39

Girls giant slalom (Jan. 8)

Winner: Katie Rowekamp – 2:15.15

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 3, Mari Renick – 2:18.77
• 4, Maya Maxson – 2:19.79
• 20, Xania Gayer – 2:28.79
• 24, Anya Chadbourne – 2:30.83

Boys giant slalom (Jan. 7)

Winner: Kieran Hildreth – 2:20.41

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 7, Calen White – 2:24.73
• 20, Aiden Wick – 2:29.93
• 21, Seger Pomerantz – 2:32.12

Boys giant slalom (Jan. 8)

Winner: Kieran Hildreth – 2:15.00

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 14, Calen White – 2:20.83
• 20, Aiden Wick – 2:22.83
• 26, Seger Pomerantz – 2:24.03

Girls slalom No. 1 (Jan. 10)

Winner: Katie Rowekamp – 1:30.76

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 2, Mari Renick – 1:31.45
• 7, Maya Maxson – 1:36.07
• 18, Xania Gayer – 1:41.91
• 19, Anya Chadbourne – 1:42.36

Girls slalom No. 2 (Jan. 10)

Winner: Mari Renick, SSCV – 41.84

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 6, Maya Maxson – 42.99
• 20, Anya Chadbourne – 47.39
• 23, Xania Gayer – 48.10

Boys slalom No. 1 (Jan. 10)

Winner: Charles Lemerond – 1:26.29

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 10, Aiden Wick – 1:31.47
• 19, Seger Pomerantz – 1:33.66

Boys slalom No. 2 (Jan. 10)

Winner: Kieran Hildreth – 1:25.43

SSCV athletes (place, name, time)

• 19, Calen White – 1:32.87