4 Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumni qualify for FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships
Liv and Kjersti Moritz, Hunter Salani and Viktoria Zaytseva will compete in Tarvisio, Italy Feb. 27 through March 6
Robert F. Bukaty/AP photo
Four Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumni qualified for the 2025 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, Feb. 27 through March 6. Liv and Kjersti Moritz, Hunter Salani and Viktoria Zaytseva were named to the 16-athlete U.S. Ski and Snowboard roster on Feb. 12.
“Team members for this year’s Junior World Championship represent an exceptional cohort of athletes who have already made a significant impact at the NorAm level early in their careers,” Chip Knight, U.S. Ski Team Alpine development director, stated in a press release. “With a mix of seasoned athletes and promising newcomers, we are confident this team will deliver impressive individual and team performances for the U.S.”
Liv Moritz heads to Italy with three NorAm podiums, including a win, on her resume this season. The 20-year-old also made her World Cup debut in Kronplatz on Jan. 21. Her twin sister, Kjersti — who has been on the U.S. Ski Team since 2022 — is fresh off winning the giant slalom at her home NCAA carnival on Feb. 15. The Middlebury sophomore placed third and fourth in the slalom and giant slalom at the Dartmouth carnival to open the EISA season on Feb. 7 and 8 and was also second in the slalom last weekend. Both sisters, who graduated from Vail Mountain School in 2023, claimed victories at the Holiday Classic in Steamboat Springs in December.
Viktoria Zaytseva won three U16 national titles for Ski and Snowboard Club Vail in 2023 and nabbed top-10s in both the super-G and GS at U.S. senior nationals last spring in Sun Valley, Idaho. Zaytseva’s hometown in the press release is listed as Edwards and her club is now Apex2100.
Hunter Salani made the U.S. Ski Team D team for the first time this year. The 19-year-old has finished fourth in his last four NorAm Cup races and sits in fourth in the downhill season standings.
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This will be the first Junior World Championship for both Kjersti Moritz and Zaytseva; Moritz was named in 2023 but wasn’t able to compete because of injury. Liv Moritz and Hunter Salani will be making their third such trips.
Salani finished 23rd in the super-G and 38th in the downhill in St. Anton, Austria in 2023. Last year in France he was 14th in the team combined, 19th in the downhill, 31st in the super-G and a DNF in the giant slalom. Liv Moritz was also at both of those championships. She won a bronze medal in the team parallel in 2024 and was fifth in the event in 2023. Her best individual finishes were 11th and 19th in the GS and slalom, both coming in 2024.
- February 25 – Downhill training
- February 26 – Downhill training
- February 27 – Men’s and women’s downhill
- February 28 – Men’s and women’s super-G
- February 28 – Women’s team combined
- March 1 – Women’s super-G
- March 1 – Men’s team combined
- March 2 – Team parallel
- March 3 – Women’s giant slalom
- March 4 – Men’s giant slalom
- March 5 – Women’s slalom
- March 6 – Men’s slalom
More event information can be found at tarvisiano.org
U.S. team for 2025 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships
(Name, Hometown; Club; Birthdate)
Women:
- Elisabeth Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark/Dartmouth College/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 9/3/2005)
- Logan Grosdidier (Wenatchee, WA; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 12/16/2008)
- Tatum Grosdidier (Wenatchee, WA; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/University of Utah/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/24/2004)
- Annika Hunt (East Burke, VT; Burke Mountain Academy; 11/30/2006)
- Allison Mollin (Truckee, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/7/2004)
- Kjersti Moritz (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Middlebury College/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 11/28/2004)
- Liv Moritz (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/University of Denver/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 11/28/2004)
- Viktoria Zaytseva (Edwards, CO; Apex2100; 10/18/2007)
Men:
- Stanley Buzek (Silverthorne, CO; Team Summit/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 8/18/2005)
- Aksel Lindenmeyr (Crested Butte, CO; Apex2100; 11/25/2005)
- Jeremy Nolting (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 7/26/2005)
- Jevin Palmquist (Eagan, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team/Team Summit/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 3/6/2007)
- Sawyer Reed (Hingham, MA; Green Mountain Valley School/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/26/2005)
- Hunter Salani (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 2/25/2005)
- Nolan Sweeney (Littleton, NH; Colby College; 1/12/2004)
- Mattias Wilson (Jackson, WY; Jackson Hole Ski Club; 10/6/2006)
