BY HEATHER FOSTER
John Steel Hagenbuch, a Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation alum and Dartmouth College student, took the win in the 10km classic at the U.S. SuperTour Finals going on in Craftsbury, Vt., Wednesday through Sunday, March 26.
And fellow alum Anika Landis finished 19th in the women’s 10km classic, which was held Wednesday.
But SVSEF skier Peter Wolter is giving Hagenbuch a run for his money, as Wolter is currently in second place in the overall U.S. SuperTour standings. The races started in British Columbia in November and even had a stop in Sun Valley on a snowy weekend in early December.
Wolter has had a dreamy season and it just keeps going. Wolter is returning from a successful trip to Dobbiaco, Italy, where he represented the U.S. Ski Team in the OPA Cup Finals.
Wolter, currently in second place in the overall U.S. SuperTour standings, is happy to be back racing on familiar trails in Craftsbury, VT, where he raced collegiately for Middlebury College. In the 10km classic, the first of three races at the tour, Wolter finished sixth overall, just seconds out of the top three. The goal: to finish the season as the SuperTour leader, a position that would grant him automatic World Cup starts in Period 1 next season.
“Peter got a little worn down over the final few OPA Cup starts in Italy but bounced back well three days later for a sixth in the 10km Classic at Super Tour Finals in Vermont,” said Head SVSEF XC Gold Team Coach Chris Mallory. “It’s a tight battle at the top of the SuperTour standings with Ketchum local and SVSEF Alum Hagenbuch, Wolter and Alaskan Zanden McMullen. With two National Championship races to go it’ll be an exciting finale to the season.”
Also competing in the U.S. SuperTour Finals is Jake Adicoff, who is returning from Norway after skiing the historic Norwegian Birkebeiner. Adicoff has had a golden season on the U.S. Para Nordic Team winning several medals in the World Championships. He, too, is excited to be back on U.S. trails.
He changed up his race attire from Team USA to shorts and a race shirt to match the spring conditions, finishing in 43rd place in the 10km race.
The US Super Tour Finals continued Friday with a Freestyle sprint. They will conclude Sunday, March 26, with a 50km Classic mass start race. Adicoff and Wolter will both be competing.
SKIING THE NORWEGIAN BIRKEBEINER
On March 3, Katie Feldman, SVSEF XC Gold Team member finished the Norwegian Birkebeiner in 46th place in the Elite Women’s category. Feldman had a fourth-place finish in the American Birkebeiner two years ago.
“The Birkie could not have been a better day…it was gloriously sunny, the fans were energetic, and we were kicking 45 (hard wax)! I was also sooo happy to do some striding and not just double pole,” said Feldman, who has had a tremendous winter racing the European marathon and Ski Classics series.
Feldman has one more marathon weekend to go and it just happens to be on some of the hardest courses on the circuit. That would be the Norwegian Reistadlopet April 1-2.
The 50km and 34km races, known for their “pure Arctic madness,” run through the Arctic from Setermoen to Bardufoss.