Nor-Alp Schralp A Success For The CU Ski Team

NEDERLAND, Colo. – A long standing tradition at the end of the season, the Colorado Buffaloes Ski Team took part in its annual Nor-Alp Schralp Sunday at Eldora Mountain Resort, the final time the team will be on the snow together for the 2024 season.

Hosted by CU's home hill at Eldora Mountain Resort, the Schralp pairs up one alpine and one Nordic skier and both compete in both disciplines. All competitors take two runs down the alpine hill, with the alpine skiers penalized one second per gate touched, and the two skiers pairing up for a Nordic relay with each skier taking two laps on the abbreviated cross country course.

Afterwards, the team took part in an autograph session at the base of the mountain.

To score the Schralp, the best of the two alpine runs are added up for the two competitors along with their cross country time. This year's winners were junior Jacob Dilling (men's alpine) and senior Weronika Kaleta (women's Nordic). The two were about six seconds back after the alpine portion but then crushed the cross country race, winning by about 10 seconds as the only team with a sub 3-minute total time in 2:58.96.

"This is just the Nor-Alp, the Nordics do alpine and do it well," Dilling said. "The alpiners try to do Nordic and we get out of breath, it's very short but if you watch it, it's pathetic to say the least, but it's so much fun. We get to enjoy each other's sport, each other's company, it's the best day ever out here at Eldora."

"We were teammates for your freshman year, then we took a year off," Kaleta explained. "I was confident with my alpine skills, but I was confident when I saw Jacob skiing Nordic. He knows what to do. I gave him some advice, just make sure you don't let them pass you, just block them."

"I'm not good at Nordic, but I know I'm better than all the other alpiners," Dilling concluded. "I know if I start on the inside line, I can just get a head and nobody can pass."

Freshman Sophie Spalding (women's Nordic) and senior Louis Fausa (men's alpine) took second in a total time of 3:06.74 while freshman Johannes Flaaten (men's Nordic) and sophomore Magdalena Luczak (women's alpine) took third with a total time of 3:07.96.

The ski team is coming off the program's 21st national championship, it's first in nine years, which it won in dramatic fashion in early March at Steamboat Springs. The Buffs overcame the second-largest final day deficit in NCAA skiing history to win by just two points, the closest margin under the current scoring format in history.

Eldora and the Buffs have a long history, and the resort has been home to the Buffs since it opened in 1961, in part to provide a training ground for the CU Ski Team. One of a few Colorado ski resorts on the east side of the Continental Divide, Eldora is just 18 miles west of Boulder and a perfect training ground for the Buffs.

Players Mentioned

Jacob Dilling

Louis Fausa

Johannes Flaaten

Weronika Kaleta

Magdalena Luczak

Sophie Spalding

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