Parkite Nick Page will admit dual moguls isn’t his specialty. However, that didn’t stop the 21-year-old this past weekend on his way to his second duals podium of the World Cup season. 

Taking the third-place result in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy was Page’s third podium of the season, which concluded with this cup. Page and the rest of the field competed in 11 events across nine countries dating back to early December.

The result was thrilling for Page, who started putting work into his duals game following their addition to the Olympics register in 2022. He had to fend off a tricky course in Italy, featuring compact snow and low moguls.

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Low moguls actually increase the difficulty of a course, especially a steep or quick one, as they’re used as slowing blocks by the skiers. 

“It was a nice ending to the season,” said Page. “It was a challenging course, very, very tricky, and I didn’t train very well … I was able to make a nice adjustment (in the race).”

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Page took out his close friend Benjamin Cavet from France to claim his final spot. Page said he’s been taking tidbits from his friends Cavet, Mikael Kingsbury and Ikuma Horishima’s games and attempting to work them into his own to make the improvements he seeks. 

Page touched upon how his next big leap will be improving his consistency throughout the seasons. He finished this season fifth in the overall and dual standings, the best of the American men. 

Page’s previous-best duals season-ending place was 11th, the season before that (2022) 17th. 

“The gap I need to fill is going to start with my consistency. That’s something I’m normally quite strong with, and this season I maybe struggled more with that than in the past,” said Page. “There haven’t been many podiums he’s missed (friend Kingsbury) … I think there’s a focus, an intensity that he has.”

Page will have one last event in this weekend’s U.S. Freestyle Mogul Championships before getting the offseason to rest, recover and train. The championships will be held in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, where the U.S. team was in late January for a cup event. 

Page said he wants to prove to everyone there why he’s the top-ranked U.S. mens skier. He’ll be one of many Wasatch Freestyle skiers at the event, which typically serves as a platform for younger skiers to show off their skills. 

Wasatch Freestyle director Jon O’Brien is excited to see his former student Page and all of his current students perform this weekend. 

“I know Nick really wants to do well there,” said O’Brien. “He’s always been a genius in the air. Where he’s really making strides now is he’s really making some of the highest-quality turns on the World Cup (tour).”

O’Brien said the U.S. Championships put a nice bow on the season. He just hopes everyone excels and doesn’t pick up any injuries just before the offseason.

O’Brien said he expects U.S. team skiers like Page, Jaelin Kauf and Alli Macuga to excel. Another Parkite he said to keep an eye on is up-and-comer Nate Gendron, who’s a junior at Park City High making waves on the Nor-Am circuit. 

“In our sport, it’s kind of a historic event with a lot of clout,” said O’Brien. “It’s one of the factors of who gets to compete on the Nor-Am tour. It can also help a skier retain their spot on the national U.S. team.”

This Nor-Am tour is the step below the World Cup circuit for many U.S. and Canadian skiers. This past season, it held five events from February to March. 

To keep an eye on Page and the field’s results this weekend in New Hampshire, see the FIS’ website. The mens and womens solos events will be held on Saturday and the duals events on Sunday. The U.S. Championships are just one of several national championships being held across the world this weekend and in the weeks to come, including Japan’s, Sweden’s and France’s.