ANCHORAGE, Alaska — For Ski & Snowboard Club Vail's 28-year-old Noah Hoffman, the U.S. Cross County Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska, last week were an opportunity to solidify his invitation to the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea — and with a stellar second-place result in the skate freestyle 15K, Hoffman hopes to have punched his ticket. "This result will hopefully get him in," said SSCV Nordic program director Dan Weiland.

Hoffman is a former U.S. Ski Team athlete originally from Aspen who was released from the national team several years ago — a fate that sometimes befalls aging athletes across all snowsport disciplines. After his departure from the U.S. Ski Team, Hoffman began competing on behalf of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail.

SSCV athlete Tad Elliot, a Durango native, scored a fifth-place result in the aforementioned 15K skate, probably not enough to crack the Olympic roster, but it's definitely a strong national championship result for the 29-year-old.

Other SSCV Athletes

With third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishes among his age group, SSCV's Cal Deline, a Vail native who now races for Dartmouth College, earned an alternate spot on the U23 World Championship team.

"The cool part is Noah and Tad are working out of the same trailer; we are providing the same service to those guys, and that service is passed down to the rest of our athletes," Weiland said. "The younger guys get to interact with them, and I think all of that is really good for their development."

Among SSCV's club-level athletes who competed at the national championship were Sharon Seabury, Molly Blakslee, Bridget Donovan, Nolan Hertzog, Marcus Gore, Cameron Wolf, Collin Wilson and Nathanial Badger.