World Pro Ski Tour Sportsinsurance.com Classic And Bear Valley Pro Open Results
The World Pro Ski Tour women's race at Bear Valley qualified to a talented round of 8 for an international battle. Only two of the eight ladies hailed from the USA, facing three Canadian and three Norwegian racers, respectively. The standout performer was Erin Mielzynski (CAN), a 4-time Olympian and 13-year veteran of the Canadian ski team, coming off a Tour Championship in 2023 and one victory this season in Aspen.
With Erin as the athlete to watch, Kaitlyn Harsch (USA) was the female athlete who best played the bracket game in yesterday's Far West Pro Open Giant Slalom, and qualified into the Open field of 16 against 15 male competitors. Erin and Kaitlyn, both members of Team SportsInsurance.com, began the day with marks on their backs from their fellow female competitors.
The only major surprise in the round of 8 came by way for Hedda Berntsen (NOR) defeating Harsch; in their second run, Harsch took an aggressive angle into a gate on the top of the course and was unable to recover, allowing Berntsen to ski into the semi-finals. Berntsen, an Olympic silver medalist, World Championships medalist and X-Games medalist, is no stranger to measuring her performance for success and proceeded into the next round with her conservative approach.
Into the semi-finals, Mielzynski faced Norway's Henriette Resen, who was unable to put down a competitive run agains the dominant Mielzynski. Meanwhile, Berntsen met 2022 Tour Champion, Tuva Norbye (NOR) in a battle of Norwegian racers. Norbye, more experienced on the dual course, easily advanced.
That left a small final between Norwegians Resen and Berntsen, with a victory by Rosen. Bentsen is not to be discounted, as the decorated ski-cross racer now has a number of races under her belt and she is sure to use this to maximize her strategy into Taos World Championships.
This left Mielzynski and Norbye up against one another in the finals. While Mielzynski showed dominant skiing all day, any mistake onion variable conditions creates an upset. Ultimately, Mielzynski was able to ski through to her second victory of the season as she leads the women's Tour in point standings.
BEAR VALLEY PRO OPEN
The Bear Valley Pro Open began with 16 men who qualified in yesterday's adverse conditions to race in today's sunshine. All eyes were on Christian Soevik (NOR), winner of Saturday's Far West Pro Open, as well as the Colorado Pro Open, and second place finisher in the Aspen Pro Open. Soevik easily eliminated Nico Monforte (USA) and Keiffer Christianson (USA).
Spain's Alex Puente Tasias met Joachim Mjelde (NOR) and skied on to advance to the semi-finals against Soevik. In the semi-finals, Tasias was neck and neck with Soevik, but took too straight of a line and straddled, allowing Soevike to advance to the finals.
Simon Brietfuss-Kammerlander (AUT), 2023 Tour Champion, was eliminated in the round of 16; after leading Mjelde in the first run, but hooked a tip at the top of the second run.
Top qualifier (both in Aspen and Bear Valley) Filip Forejtek (CZE) was defeated by Tour veteran Michael Ankeny (USA) in the quarter-finals. This left Ankeny to ski against the dominant David Ketterer ()GER), who won both races at Bear Valley in 2023.
David Ketterer (GER), progressed handily to the semi-finals to meet Ankeny; the Joker had a wild ride that put him ahead of the German, but he was ultimately outskiied and Ketterer advanced to the finals.
Ankeny handily put away Tasias in the small final, and skied to third place on the podium, despite being visibly exhausted after the weekend of racing.
Ketterer met Soevik in the finals; both athletes were neck and neck in the first run, with a small advantage by Ketterer. At the top of the second run, Soevik booted out and left Ketterer to ski into his first victory of the season.
