Vail's Schleper speeds to second

Click to Enlarge Browse Vail Daily Photos Hunter Schleper skis down the course at U.S. Nationals in Maine last month. Schleper, a J2 skier with Iced out Racing, was second in a giant slalom Thursday in Breckenridge. Special to the Daily Get Sports Feeds

Ian Cropp
Vail, CO Colorado
April 3, 2008

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BRECKENRIDGE, Colorado — April is a great time to wind down the ski season and take a few easy passes on the slopes.

But don’t tell that to Hunter Schleper.

“I think, if anything, things are picking up,” said Schleper, a Vail skier who competes with Iced Out Racing.

On Thursday, Schleper blazed through a Colorado Ski Cup giant slalom race in Breckenridge to take second place in a field with U.S. Ski Team members.

“I really wish I could have gotten first, but second is good enough,” said Schleper, a J2 born in 1991.

Schleper won the first run, but U.S. Ski Team racer Will Brandenberg moved up two spots in his second run to take first in 1 minute, 57.97 seconds. Schleper’s time was 1.58.70. Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s John Kemp, a first-year J1, was fourth after the first run and finished sixth at 2:00.24.

The star of the second run was SSCV’s Bryan Shpall, who moved all the way from 27th into sixth with a screaming pass through the course.

“My coach made me pretty upset because I hadn’t skied well on the run before and he made me realize it,” Shpall said. “I got fired up and put it down the hill and got back to basics.”

Shpall’s time of 58.09 was tops and 0.09 seconds better than Brandenberg’s second pass.

“It was a nothing-to-lose situation,” he said. “Even if I didn’t get a point result or podium, the fact that I beat a lot of guys like Jake Zamansky, who was (second) in the NorAm giant slalom standings, gives me a lot of confidence for (Friday) and the rest of the season.”

Iced Out Racing’s Kitt Flowers, starting with the 55 bib, was 15th, good for second among J2s. By virtue of Schleper’s finish and the time difference among the top 10 finishers, he scored 19 points, which will more than likely move him to No. 1 in the world for his birth year when the next giant slalom rankings come out; he’s currently No. 2 in the slalom and giant slalom rankings and in the top 10 for super-G and super combined.

“I think Hunter was a little off his game at U.S. Nationals,” said Iced Out Racing coach Bruce Knoepfel. “It’s good for him to be back in form now.”

Knoepfel said that Schleper, who won two races at J2 Nationals in Aspen this season, will likely be nominated for a spot on the U.S. Ski Team, although Schleper has decided he will ski with Iced Out Racing again next year.

“I think I’m a little young,” Schleper said. “And Bruce is a great coach. Hopefully, Kitt really lets it out next year and we be on the U.S. team together.”

The races continue with another giant slalom today.

Ghent takes fifth
VAIL, Colorado — In a the ladies Colorado Ski Cup giant slalom at Vail’s Golden Peak, the University of Utah’s Eva Huckova came in almost a second ahead of the field at 2 minutes, 6.30 seconds to take first.

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail’s Erika Ghent, 13th after first run, moved up to sixth (2:08.85) with the fastest second run.

SSCV’s Delainey Ackerman moved up five spots on her second run to finish 16th, second among J2s. SSCV’s Joelle Chevalier was 23rd, fourth among J2s, while teammate Abby Ghent (25th) was the next J2 finisher. SSCV’s Mary Sackbauer, a J2, was 34th.

The ladies have another giant slalom in Vail today starting at 9:30 a.m.

Sports Writer Ian Cropp can be reached at 748-2935 or icropp@vaildaily.com.