Three Team Duluth Skiers to Compete in U14 Championships in Vail

Three young athletes from Duluth will carry St. Louis County representation to Vail, Colorado, when Graham Chernov, Hattie Hallback and Nora Diers compete for Team Duluth at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rocky Central U14 Junior Championships March 9–13, 2026. Team Duluth announced the club’s contingent on social media and the local press confirmed the three skiers are traveling to the event.

The competition brings together top juniors from a broad geography: “Graham Chernov, Hattie Hallback and Nora Diers will compete against top athletes from the Rocky and Central regions, which cover 19 states,” according to local reporting. The Rocky/Central field places the Duluth athletes against peers from mountain and plains states where club racing programs feed regional championships.

Team Duluth celebrated the selections in an Instagram post that said, “HUGE CONGRATS to our athletes who qualified for the Rocky/Central Alpine U14 Junior Championships at Vail (March 9–13, 2026)! … Vail, Colorado,” signaling the club’s view that the three skiers earned their spots on the start list. The post is the club’s public confirmation that Chernov, Hallback and Diers will represent Team Duluth at the March meet.

That appearance reflects Team Duluth’s development pipeline. Team Duluth is an alpine ski club that trains athletes of all levels, ages 5-18, and the club’s Non-Scored Program is “designed for young alpine racers who wish to compete at a more intense level,” with participants generally in U12 and U14 categories. The club’s season begins in September with dryland training and runs through the end of racing in late March, a calendar that places the Vail championships near the close of Team Duluth’s competitive season.

Coaching priorities at Team Duluth emphasize technical disciplines the U14 racers will focus on. The club’s information notes that training concentrates on Slalom and Giant Slalom technique and tactics, and that “Skill development will increase significantly when athletes choose to train two or more nights per week with Team Duluth.” Equipment and safety requirements are spelled out in the club materials: helmets are mandatory for training and competition, slalom races require shin pads, pole guards and chin guards, and different disciplines use different length and design skis.

The three skiers leave Duluth for Vail for races March 9–13, 2026, representing a visible milestone for the club and for local families invested in youth alpine racing. Results from the Rocky/Central U14 Junior Championships will show how Chernov, Hallback and Diers measure up against competitors drawn from the 19-state regional field.