The alpine skiing hierarchy is a system that reinforces itself. Because start orders are determined by previous finishes, those stuck on lower rungs of the ladder compete when course conditions are at their worst.

All season long, Harvard skiers have been among the last to start in the collegiate fleet, and, perhaps not surprisingly, the Crimson has often had trouble moving up in the rankings.

The status quo held for Harvard at the University of Vermont’s Winter Carnival in Stowe, Vt., as the Crimson placed ninth for the third time this winter.

Harvard finished behind Bates College and ahead of St. Michael’s. Meanwhile the Catamounts won their third carnival of the year, solidifying their place as the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association’s top squad.

But in the slalom, sophomore Catherine Sheils was undeterred by her starting position. Sheils fought her way through the rough course conditions for a sixth-place finish, the best result of her career and one of the best finishes the alpine team has seen in recent history.

“It was a difficult day because the snow was pretty soft,” alpine coach Tim Mitchell said. “She started 26th...she just survived the first run. She had the third best second run. She got really charged. She had a very good tactical run...she has a lot of speed. It’s about limiting her mistakes.”

The alpine team’s most consistent finisher of the weekend was Caroline McHugh. The junior took 29th in the giant slalom and 21st in the slalom.

“I was really really happy with Caroline McHugh,” Mitchell said. “That [slalom] is definitely her best college run.”

The women’s alpine team will get a boost next weekend when freshman Rebecca Nadler returns to the lineup. Nadler was in Turkey competing in the World University Games, where she placed 21st in the slalom.

Freshman Ian Anderson was the team’s top finisher in the giant slalom with a 46th place finisher, while captain Alec Boardman paced the squad in a slalom with a 34th place finish.

“It’s been a season marked by inconsistency,” Mitchell said. “The speed is there, just a lack of consistency.”

On the Nordic side, sophomore Alena Tofte had another strong weekend. Tofte opened the weekend with a 30th place finish in the 15k classic but rallied to take ninth in the 5k free race.

“I think on Friday I was kind of wiped out,” the sophomore said. “I didn’t feel as good. I think I got a good night’s sleep [on Friday night]. I started 15 seconds in front of a girl I had raced before. She caught me, and then I skied with her and got to work to wish her and ended up up passing her.”

Captain Cara Sprague was the team’s top finisher in the 15k classic race.

“She just kept moving right up,” Tofte said. “She looked very strong, and I think she was very happy with it.”