2023 ISMF World Championship USA Skimo Race Recap, PR Announcement Boi Taull, Spain

March 13, 2023

Racers from all over the US joined together in the Pyrenees to compete with the world's best in five different disciplines

/OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – USA Skimo took the stars, stripes and spandex to the 2023 ISMF World Championships in Boí Taülll, Spain earlier this month with great success. Racers from all over the US joined together in the Pyrenees to compete with the world’s best in five different disciplines.

For the first time in World Championships Skimo history the US brought home a gold medal! Griffin Brilley, 17 of Park City, UT, not only grabbed the first World Championship gold in the Individual, but also took home a bronze and a silver medal in the Sprint and Vertical events, respectively. Nina Silitch won the first World Cup US gold in 2012 at the sprint event in Lofoten, Norway.

The team made a name for themselves not only with their crazy Strafe trucker hats, Dynafit captain America race suits, and Darn Tough American flag ski socks, but also with their results. USA Skimo finished 7th out of 27 teams in the Overall Nations Ranking.

Competition Day 1 Report – The Sprint

USA Skimo started the 2023 World Championship with the sprint in the Pyrenees. The athletes stood ready to raise the bar for US participation and prove yet again our athletes belong on the world stage.

Seventeen US male and female competitors across four different age groups, toed the start line of the Sprint event. The Sprint is the shortest discipline in ski mountaineering and will be one of the events premiering at the 2026 Olympic Games. The event consists of skinning, running on foot, downhill skiing through gates, and short uphill skate to the finish. Although USA Skimo is a young “skimo” nation, our athletes performed beyond expectations.

Results:

U18 Men – Griffin Briley 3rd, Bryce Ostermiller 17th, Tiernan Pittz 31st

U18 Women – Carson Leys 18th

U20 Men – Ethan Romer 23rd, Sam Burke 24th, Jack Breezley 25th, Wesley Perkins 28th

U23 Men – Mario Cacciola 27th, Sam Wescott 29th

U23 Women – Grace Staberg 10th

Senior Women – Rea Kolbl 26th, Emmiliese Von Avis 32nd

Senior Men – Arthur Whitehead 38th, Jules Goguely 40th, Logan Greydanus 52th, Chris Jones 64th

Competition Day 2 – The Vertical

The vertical race yielded great results for Team USA. The anaerobic event consists of a singular uphill climb to the finish. This event is full gas, with athletes skinning to win – heading uphill as fast as possible until crossing the finish line with nothing left in the tank.

Results:

U18 Men – Griffin Briley 2nd, Bryce Ostermiller 23rd, Tiernan Pittz 26th

U18 Women – Carson Leys 12th

U20 Men – Wesley Perkins 24th, Sam Burke 25th, Ethan Romer 27th, Jack Breezley 28th

U23 Men – Mario Cacciola 28th, Sam Wescott 29th

U23 Women – Grace Staberg 6th

Senior Women – Rea Kolbl 19th, Emmiliese Von Avis 24th

Senior Men – ArthWhitehead 41st, Chris Jones 45th, Jules Goguely 48th

Competition Day 3 – The Teams

The Teams race is the longest discipline of skimo racing. Two male and one female teams of two completed a difficult course involving bootpacking technical ridges and skiing steep terrain in just under three hours.

Results:

Senior Women – Emiliese von Avis & Grace Staberg 7th

Senior Men – Chris Jones & Jules Goguely 17th, Mario Cacciola & Sam Wescott 24th

Competition Day 4 – The Individual

The Individual race is a true test of a ski mountaineer’s abilities: lung busting ascents with endless kick turns, boot packs, ascending rocky ridgelines, and steep, thigh-burning descents.

Results:

U18 Men – Griffin Briley 1st, Bryce Ostermiller 19th

U18 Women – Carson Leys 13th

U20 Men – Sam Burke 22nd, Jack Breezley 25th, Wesley Perkins 26th, Ethan Romer 28th

U23 Men – Sam Wescott 23rd, Mario Cacciola 24th

U23 Women – Grace Staberg 7th

Senior Women – Rea Kolbl 18th, Emmiliese Von Avis 22th

Senior Men – Chris Jones 40th, Tom Goth 42nd, Arthur Whitehead 50th

Competition Day 5 – The Mixed Relay

The mixed relay is one of two events that will be showcased in the 2026 Olympic Games. This event involved two racers, one male, one female who each complete a short, sprint-like course in relay fashion.

Youth Relay: Carson Leys & Griffin Briley 14th

Senior Relay: Rea Kolbl & Arthur Whitehead 17th, Grace Staberg & Jules Goguely 21st

Fundraiser Link

https://www.gofundme.com/f/usa-skimo-world-championship

More photos:

Team share:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xpni8CTPzujB5VBK6

Dynafit share Photos from @maurytorri:

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/1raEZ2dT75N8H7Eyw749g5PSKVnp0dy_A?usp=share_link

Skimostats:

https://bit.ly/ISMFWorldChamps2023