CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — Tim Jitloff of Reno, Nevada, battled variable snow conditions, poor visibility, and a tough course set to take home his fifth career national championship title in the men’s giant slalom Friday at Sugarloaf.
U.S. teammates Tommy Ford of Bend, Oregon, and Nick Cohee of Tahoe Basin, California, grabbed the two remaining podium spots, with silver and bronze finishes, respectively.
Following the first run, Jitloff trailed teammate Tommy Ford by three-hundredths. With a second run time of 1 minute, 7.52 seconds, Jitloff overcame Ford by more than four-tenths of a second to solidify his third straight U.S. Alpine Championships giant slalom title.
A challenging course set for Friday morning’s first run claimed 27 racers that did not finish. Of the 44 finishers in today’s race, hometown competitor Sam Morse of Carrabassett Valley skied into 31st, while his older brother, Ben Morse, finished in 43rd.
As the country’s most prestigious domestic Alpine ski racing event, the U.S. Alpine Championships give up-and-coming athletes, like Morse, a chance to face off against A-Team stars in a hopes of advancing in the ranks.
For a complete schedule of the Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships, visit sugarloaf.com/usalpine.