Jono Brauer has made a solid start to the 2004-05 Northern Hemisphere alpine ski season, claiming two top ten placings in Nor-Am slalom events in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The SSA/NSWIS skier was up against fields that included World Cup GS champion Bode Miller and six other top 30 World Cup slalom skiers.

In the first event he finished in eighth place, 3.31 seconds behind Kentaro Minagawa of Japan. In the second event Brauer was a place further back, but just 2.15 seconds behind the winning time of Minagawa, and sixth fastest on the second run

Brauer will ski his first World Cup event for the season in Beaver Creek, Colorado, on the 30 November 2004.

Craig Branch and AJ Bear who both are training in Panorama, Canada, will compete in their first World Cup event for the season at Lake Louise, Canada, this Saturday and Sunday, November 27-28. This will be followed by the World Cup events in Beaver Creek.