Despite a dusting of snow overnight, we enjoyed another fantastic day of racing at Aspen Mountain! With clear blue skies gracing our final day of competition, the energy was electric, and the athletes delivered outstanding performances. What a way to wrap up an incredible event!
The Aspen Pro Open, presented by Sports Insurance, brought back the same talented field of athletes for a thrilling second day of elimination rounds in the dual super slalom races.
With reigning champion Sarah Rask (SWE) leading the bracket and defending tour champion Erin Mielzynski (CAN) in second, the stage was set for a repeat of Saturday’s excitement. However, the competition took an unexpected turn. Rask advanced from the round of 16 to the quarterfinals, where she faced Evelina Fredricsson (SWE), holding a first-run advantage of 0.641 seconds. In a surprising twist, Rask made an unusual mistake halfway down the course, allowing Fredricsson to overtake her and win the second run, thus advancing to the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Erin Mielzynski faced off against Kaya Norbye (NOR) in the second round but was defeated in both runs, marking a shocking exit for the top two athletes from the previous day. In the quarterfinals, Fredricsson then faced Mia Hunt in a nail-biting race. Fredricsson won the first run, but Hunt turned the tables in the second run, advancing to the finals.
In the second bracket of the semifinals, the Norbye sisters, Tuva and Kaya, went head-to-head. Tuva (NOR), the past World Pro Ski Tour champion and third-place finisher from the previous day, narrowly won the first run by just 0.028 seconds. However, Kaya Norbye, who had yet to secure a victory on the World Pro Ski Tour, edged out her sister by a slim margin of 0.145 seconds to advance to the finals against Mia Hunt.
The stage was set for the final runs, with Tuva Norbye finishing in third place and Evelina Fredricsson taking the fourth step on the podium. In a thrilling battle for the championship, Kaya Norbye emerged victorious, claiming her first pro tour win over American rookie Mia Hunt.
Fantastic racing from all the athletes today! We can’t wait to see everyone at Tenney Mountain for more thrilling action ahead!
The Men’s Aspen Pro Open, presented by Celsius, showcased a stunning bluebird day on the Little Nell Run in Aspen, setting the stage for an exciting second day of dual super slalom racing. The competition kicked off with the round of 32, where the usual top contenders advanced, including Christian Soevik and Filip Forejtek, who were poised to meet again in the finals.
Forejtek faced an unexpected challenge in the round of 16, where he was stopped by American Tanner Perkins, who then advanced to the semifinals to compete against yesterday’s third-place finisher, Filip Wahlqvist.
Defending tour champion Christian Soevik, who had won the previous day, aimed for a back-to-back victory, having claimed the title in Aspen for the last two years. In the finals, he faced Tanner Perkins, who made history by winning the first run against Soevik by 2.77 seconds, marking the first time this season that Soevik had been beaten in a round. However, Soevik’s resilience shone through, and he ultimately remained undefeated in Aspen.
In the constellation round, Filip Wahlqvist squared off against Adrian Hurshammer, with Wahlqvist emerging victorious to secure third place for the weekend, while Hurshammer finished in fourth.
The event featured thrilling performances from all athletes, and a heartfelt thank you goes out to Jroy and Aspen Mountain for hosting, as well as to all the sponsors, athletes, staff and the ski community that came together to make this season kickoff truly unforgettable.
