Carrabassett Valley, ME - The Colby Carnival wrapped up on Saturday with the Slalom portion of the event. Cold temperatures continued, and snow flurries in the afternoon added an unexpected wrinkle.
The start of the Slalom was higher on the hill than usual, as it was moved nearly to the top of Crib Works, giving racers a challenge right out of the gate as they battled the steep opening pitch. The snow was soft; later, racers were forced to battle a shelf throughout most of the course. However, this did not stop some later numbers from making big move-ups.
The men got the action underway: Freshman Noah Riemenschneider, starting back with bib 17, put down the fourth fastest time of the first run. An impressive four other Mules stood in the top 30 after the first run, with Tucker Strauch laying down a blistering run that would put him eighth on the run.
The women's side, benefiting from a course set by their coaching staff, was up next, eager to match the impressive performance of the previous day. Carissa Cassidy led the Mules on run one skiing into 12th place, Molly Mueller followed her in 29th.
On the second run, the Mules charged hard. Harrison Digangi, benefiting from a clean course, won the second run to move up 12 spots and finish in 15th. Brooks Reed showed the speed that has always been present in training to end the day in 17th. As the fastest skiers came down, all eyes turned to Riemenschneider; eager to start his college career with a bang, he attacked the deteriorating course. The margins were incredibly close and were not to be on his side, but he held on to fourth place to give the Mules valuable points.
On the women's second run, Mueller moved up to a tie for 20th, and Hannah Soria added a third score in 27th. Cassidy moved back slightly but finished inside the top 15 in 14th.
The men's side skied to their best finish since 2022, ending the day in third. As a team, the Mules finished their home carnival in fifth, just slightly behind the University of New Hampshire. Attention now turns to next weekend when the rescheduled University of Vermont carnival will occur at Stowe Mountain. The long and demanding Maine Street run will be the site of the GS on Friday and Slalom on Saturday.
