Asher Michel, a 17 year-old Grand County native and Winter Park Competition Center athlete, enjoyed several podium finishes in international competitions this season — as well as his first World Cup event.

In January, Michel got to compete on home turf at a U.S. Freestyle Selection competition at Winter Park Resort. He finished sixth, seventh and 10th in different mogul events. Michel then competed in four Nor-Am Cup events through March.

The cup events went back and forth between the U.S. and Canada, and in the second Canadian competition at Val St-Come in Quebec on March 4, he recorded his best finish. In the dual moguls event, Michel finished first, qualifying him for a World Cup event later in March.

On March 18, Michel competed in a World Cup dual moguls event at Shymbulak Mountain Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan. One of 13 Americans total and six U.S. men competing in dual moguls, Michel finished 25th in the event. 

The highest-placing Americans were Jaelin Kauf, Olivia Giaccio and Alli Macuga, who went second, third and fourth on the women’s side. Dylan Walczyk placed sixth as the top American men’s finisher.

Five days after his World Cup appearance, Michel competed in Italy on March 23-25 at the International Ski Federation’s Junior World Ski Championships. 

He started with a third-place finish in the moguls competition, followed by a first-place finish in the team dual moguls race with teammate Alli Macuga the next day. On day three, Michel claimed 10th place in the dual moguls competition.

The World Cup season ended in late March, and Michel’s 25th-place finish in Kazakhstan earned him a 47th place ranking in the final standings. In the Nor-Am Cup, Michel finished first in dual moguls and 23 in moguls, giving him an overall moguls rank of eighth.