Current and former members of the Colorado Buffaloes men’s skiing program have recently achieved notable results in international competitions, with performances spanning the World Cup, Nor-Am Cup, Super Tour, and Scandinavian Cup.
Ryder Sarchett, a former Colorado alpine skier, reached a career milestone by finishing 10th in giant slalom at Val d’Isère, France. This marked his first top-10 finish on the Alpine World Cup circuit. The achievement came shortly after he earned his first World Cup points with a 25th-place finish at Beaver Creek. Sarchett is now ranked 25th in the season standings for giant slalom and is the second-ranked American behind River Ramadus. These results strengthen his prospects for selection to the upcoming Olympic team.
On the women’s side, Cass Gray secured World Cup points by placing 27th in giant slalom at Tremblant, Canada.
In cross country skiing, four athletes with ties to Colorado competed in Davos, Switzerland. Freshman Jakob Moch made his World Cup debut with a 21st-place finish in the 10K freestyle race. He was noted as being one of the youngest competitors to achieve such a result for Colorado. Senior Hugo Hinckfuss participated as well, placing 53rd in the freestyle sprint and 78th in the 10K freestyle—his first World Cup races this season and bringing his career total to 15 starts.
Alumnus Alvar Alev finished 18th in the same event for his seventh career top-20 World Cup result. Former Buff Anna-Maria Dietze took part in both sprint and distance events.
The men’s alpine team competed at Beaver Creek’s Nor-Am Cup races. Filip Wahlqvist won both slalom events and had strong finishes in giant slalom races. Christoffer Oestroem made his season debut with results across multiple disciplines including a junior podium placement. Justin Bigatel continued consistent form with top-10 finishes after racing during summer months in Argentina.
The women’s alpine team raced at Copper Mountain where Louison Accambray placed eighth in one of two GS races and Paige DeHart achieved top-10 placements along with junior podiums. Other contributors included Cathinka Lunder, Alexa Brownlie, and Hannah Soria who all earned point-scoring finishes.
Most of Colorado’s Nordic team began their season at Alaska’s U.S. Super Tour from December 6–14. Nina Schamberger led among women with three consecutive top-five results while Selma Nevin and Elena Grissom also posted strong performances. Tilde Baangman finished second in one event after advancing through heats earlier that week.
On the men’s side of Nordic competition, Luka Riley placed just outside the top ten while Trey Jones qualified third for sprints before finishing fourteenth overall; alumnus Will Koch finished eighth on the final day.
Astri Lunde represented Colorado at Sweden’s Scandinavian Cup by securing sixth place in a long-distance classic race among other starts.
Former Buff Joanne Reid returned to biathlon competition after an absence of over one-and-a-half years: “After announcing her comeback, former Buff Joanne Reid needed just one IBU Cup stop to earn enough points to return to the World Cup circuit.” At Obertilliach she improved her standings over several days before moving up to compete again on the World Cup stage at Hochfilzen: “At Obertilliach, Austria, Reid improved steadily through the series, moving from 69th to 48th, then 35th, and finally 24th in the 10K pursuit.” She contributed to Team USA’s relay performance as well: “She advanced immediately to the World Cup at Hochfilzen, racing in the sprint and helping Team USA to a 15th-place finish in the relay.”
These results reflect ongoing contributions from current students and alumni as they continue preparations ahead of major international events including next year’s Winter Olympics.
