As the high school alpine race season winds down, we’d like to highlight three Franklin County athletes who have earned top spots in Alpine ski racing.
Grant Montgomery, a Junior at BFA St. Albans, is the Vermont High School State Champion in both the Giant Slalom and Slalom events. On Monday, March 2, at Burke Mountain, Grant edged himself into the first-place position after finishing the first run in 4th place. With a combined two-run time of 1:53:68, Grant finished 22 hundredths of a second ahead of CVU’s Sebastian Bronk for the title. Grant followed this with a win the next day, also at Burke in the Slalom event with a commanding performance, and a combined time of 1:29:24, a whopping 3.72 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Henry Semp of St. Johnsbury Academy.
These two state titles are the culmination of a successful season on the high school racing circuit, during which Grant has earned numerous other top spots. Without an alpine team at BFA St Albans, Grant races as an independent and trains with Rice Memorial High School. Grant also qualified as one of Vermont’s top 10 male ski racers to represent the state at the Eastern High School Alpine Championships at Attitash Mountain in New Hampshire, where the Vermont boys’ team took 4th place overall.
Grant says his greatest accomplishment this season was “winning the State Championship in both disciplines. Mentally, it made me more confident going into other races, and physically, I wasn’t tired, so I feel fit, energetic, and strong. “
Madalynn Wright at Smugglers Notch on January 9, where she skied to a third-place finish.
Madalynn Wright, of Georgia, a sophomore at Rice, has also had a successful high school season, with many top-ten finishes. Maddie finished in 9th place in the State Championship Giant Slalom at Burke and in 4th place in the Slalom. Both finishes, along with strong skiing from her Rice teammates, including her sister, senior Ella Wright, helped land Rice Memorial as the team State Champions for the first time since 2016.
Maddie also competed in the Eastern High School Alpine Championships this past weekend at Attitash Mountain as one of ten girls representing Vermont. In the slalom event, Maddie skied from the 79th seed to a 9th-place finish to help secure the overall championship for the Vermont girls’ team.
Maddie says her greatest accomplishment this season was “helping the Rice ski team win States and helping the Vermont team win Eastern Championships. It was amazing to see my team and teammates accomplish the goals we set together.”
Josie Riggs, in a slalom event at Smugglers Notch on January 9, 2026, finished in first place.
Josie Riggs, of Fletcher, a sophomore at BFA-Fairfax, has had a stellar first season racing independently on the high school circuit. Josie finished 8th overall in the high School state championship Giant Slalom event, and 5th place overall in the slalom event, just behind Maddie. Josie also qualified for the Vermont High School Eastern team and helped the team earn the top spot this past weekend at Attitash.
Josie has also continued to succeed in club racing, representing Smuggler’s Notch Ski Club. At the State Championships for club racing last week in Stowe, sponsored by the Vermont Alpine Racing Association (VARA), Josie skied to a 6th place position, earning a spot to the US Ski and Snowboard Eastern championships at Sugarloaf in Maine on March 18-20. Club racing in Vermont pits local kids like Josie against athletes from elite ski academies in northern Vermont.
Josie says her “greatest accomplishment this year was qualifying for all the state and eastern championships. They all happened to line up one right after another, which was mentally and physically exhausting. However, I’m proud of the work that got me there and the results that came from it.”
The Vermont Girls High School Eastern Team are Eastern Champs! They beat state teams from all over New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and as far away as Michigan on March 8, 2026.
Madalynn Wright on the far left, and Josie Riggs on the far right.
All three athletes are members of the Smuggler’s Notch Ski and Snowboard Club (SNSC), where they’ve been training since they were young. SNSC Head Alpine Coach Rob Engelken says, “These are homegrown athletes who have worked hard! They are great examples of how, if you work hard and trust the process, you can succeed! More importantly, I’m super proud of what fine young adults they’ve grown into.”
Smuggler’s Notch Ski and Snowboard Club is a not-for-profit club with the mission that, through coaching, competition, and community, SNSC athletes develop passion, abilities, decision-making skills, and friendships, preparing them for success on snow and in life.
