Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) and Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) are both on a late-season hot streak after winning slalom titles at the 2019 Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships Sunday at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort.

O’Brien won her fourth-consecutive U.S. title by taking Sunday’s victory under warm sunshine on Waterville’s World Cup Course, and Winters won his second title to back up his alpine combined win Thursday at Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain.

“I didn’t expect really to win that combined because I hadn’t trained much super-G, but I’ve been training slalom all year, so I knew I had an advantage in the slalom, and then to come here and do this, get two wins after never winning a national title before, is pretty fun,” Winters said.

But it wasn’t easy. Taking a slim .07-second lead over Sandy Vietze (Warren, Vt.) in the first run, a slight bobbly midway down the rutted second run almost cost Winters a shot at the title. But he dug deep into his bag of rut-skiing experience to pull out the victory.

“It was pretty rough out there,” Winters said. “It’s a good thing I grew up at Mount Hood Ski Bowl and skied the wet, salted, rutty snow growing up. So when it’s like that, it tends to help me.”

Garrett Driller (Tahoe City, Calif.), Saturday’s parallel slalom champion, finished second, with Vietze rounding out the podium in third. Jimmy Krupka (Waitsfield, Vt.) was the top junior finisher, followed by Jett Seymour (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) in second and Tim Garrett in third.

In the women’s slalom, O’Brien proved unbeatable once again, winning for the fourth time in the 2019 U.S. Alpine Championships following victories in parallel slalom, super-G and alpine combined. O’Brien now has seven U.S. titles to her credit, and she made it look easy Sunday, taking a 1.45-second advantage over Paula Moltzan (Burlington, Vt.) into the second run.

“I knew I had a good lead, so I didn’t need to reach for some crazy speed that I’ve never skied before, but at the same time, all these girls they are pushing, they are hammering, so I couldn’t go easy (in the second run) by any means,” O’Brien said. “So I just had to ski solid and make clean good turns.”

As the defending U.S. slalom champion though, O’Brien did admit that the butterflies were fluttering at the start. “I was feeling nervous at the top and I was like ‘OK, just think about the skiing’ and it’s working out, so I’m happy,” she said.

Moltzan held on for second, as Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y.) was third. Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.) was the top junior, followed by Emma Hall (Avon, Colo.) in second and Caroline Jones (Edwards, Colo.) in third.

The 2019 U.S. Alpine Championships continue Monday at Waterville Valley with women’s giant slalom. O’Brien, the 2015 giant slalom champion, is excited for one final race of the season before heading back to the classroom for the spring semester at Dartmouth College on Tuesday.

“I think I’m going to just sort of keep the same mindset (I had for slalom) and not worry about it,” she said of trying to make it five-straight U.S. Alpine Championship victories. “I feel good about my GS, so we’ll see what happens, but hopefully it will be fun.”

RESULTS
Men’s slalom
Women’s slalom
 

Different venue, and a totally different first-time championship event, but the same outcome for Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) as she won her third-consecutive Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships title in parallel slalom at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort Saturday.

Fresh off her super-G and alpine combined titles earlier this week at Maine’s Sugarloaf Mountain, O’Brien was hot from the start in Saturday’s race, posting the second-fastest qualifying time, and then easily moving through the opening rounds and into the semifinals and finals where she defeated Canada’s Stephanie Currie for the victory.

“I’ve had a few good ones lately,” she said referring to her past few days of racing. “I’ve actually never won a parallel before, so this was a good day for me. Certainly a long day, but I think it was fun for everyone racing and watching.”

Currie, who also competes for nearby Dartmouth College, settled for second as Alice Merryweather, who won the U.S. Championships downhill title on Tuesday, rounded out the podium in third.

On the men’s side, World Pro Ski Tour experience proved to be the deciding factor as the top three all recently competed in pro events that featured the parallel slalom format.

“The World Pro Tour definitely gave a little added experience, knowing how to come out of the start gate, and how scary it is to have someone right next to you going down the course,” noted winner Garrett Driller (Tahoe City, Calif.).

Driller, who won his first U.S. title, qualified third and advanced through the event to face off against Tucker Marshall (Pittsfield, Vt.) in the finals. However, Marshall injured his back two gates from the finish in his semi-final victory and was unable to start the finals.

“We have matched up a couple of times on the Pro Tour, and we have gone back and forth in winning runs,” Driller said. “He was really hoping to get in there on the finals with me. He made it there, but his back went out and it was a bummer that he didn’t get to do the final race against me.”

“The day started out really good,” said Marshall, who qualified 11th. “I was feeling really good on my skis...but about two gates from the finish (in his semifinal run against Alex Leever), I slide into a rut and compressed my back...and kind of limped into the finish and into the final,” said Marshall said, who sat out the first run of the finals, but did attempt to start the second to no avail as the pain was too great.

Lever (Vail, Colo.) defeated recently crowned U.S. alpine combined champion Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) for third.

The parallel slalom format has proven a huge success on the FIS World Cup with city events in Sweden, Norway, and Russia over the past few seasons. Introduced to the U.S. Alpine Championships program this year, the athletes and the fans embraced the head-to-head format that filled the day with aggressive racing.

“I love this format,” Marshall said. “It’s making a comeback...with younger generations getting into it. There are more races. We had one NorAm this year where I was on the podium again, so I like the event and I can only imagine it’s going to get bigger and bigger.”

Up next, the men and women compete in slalom Sunday at Waterville where O’Brien is the defending champion and will be shooting for her seventh career U.S. title to continue her outstanding season where she also won the overall NorAm, slalom, giant slalom and super-G titles.

“I feel like I’ve found some consistency in my skiing this year, and I was happy to see that show up in my speed races as well,”  O’Brien said. “So I’m hoping to close off the season here in Waterville on another good note.”

RESULTS
Men’s parallel slalom
Women's parallel slalom
 

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) both led the U.S. Ski Team in 18th Saturday in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals classic distance Quebec City, Canada.  

In the women’s 10k, Bjornsen lost her kick early in the race competing in difficult snow conditions, but fought hard to not lose too much time to the leaders in front of huge crowds screaming encouragement to the racers. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was the second U.S. skier in 29th after a fall in the second lap.

“It was tricky out there, a little frustrating but the whole crowd and scene was fun,” said Sadie Bjornsen. “I feel amazing right now in my skiing and unfortunate we didn’t have much kick out there. Tomorrow should be fun and hopefully I have not lost too much time to those front girls, so I can try to ski with them because I am feeling incredible right now and would love to end the season with good distance race.”

“Today was not a very good race for me, it was a good effort, but in the race I had no kick,” said Diggins. “I caught a rut out there and fell but got up and fought hard to stay in the race.”

The women’s race was won by Stina Nilsson of Sweden, with Therese Johaug of Norway in second and Ingvild Flugstad Oetsberg, also of Norway, in third.

In the men’s 15k, Erik Bjornsen skied with the lead group for the first lap taking the lead for a short time. Simi Hamilton was the second U.S. finisher in 39th.

“I am happy with my result,” said Erik Bjornsen. “It was fun today, it may have been the first time I was leading a World Cup. I found a gap and just went for it and it felt easy to be in the lead for a bit.”

“I didn’t know what to expect as I have not done a distance classic race since Lillehammer,” said Hamilton. “It was nice to have a good start position. The poling was by far the hardest part today, the poling trenches were so rotten. It is awesome being here with the home crowd.”

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won the race, followed by local favorite Alex Harvey of Canada and Didrik Toenseth of Norway in third.

The World Cup Finals conclude Sunday with a men and women’s pursuit.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k
Women’s 10k

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:45 a.m. - Men’s 15k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) battled through a semifinal mishap and soft snow conditions to finish sixth in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Finals freestyle sprint Friday in Quebec City, Canada.  

Bjornsen was the fastest U.S. qualifier in fourth, followed by birthday girl Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) in seventh and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) in 15th. In the semifinals, Bjornsen was held up after Diggins and Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla crashed. But she was able to recover and take one of the lucky loser positions to advance to the finals.

“It looked like Jessie and Kalla collided and my skies were stuck under them, so I had to just stand there and really hope they got up fast,” Bjornsen said. “It was a huge surge to get back on the group. In the finals, I was definitely feeling that effort and just barely had anything left.”

Sweden swept the podium with Stina Nilsson winning the race, Maja Dahlqvist in second, and Jonna Sundling in third.

“Believe it or not I really love these conditions,” said Bjornsen. “It is what I train on all summer, so I have a lot of practice, but it was very soft.”

“It was really tough conditions out there and really hard on the legs,” said Caldwell. “I was really exhausted after the semi-finals, but the quarters felt good.”

Two U.S. men qualified for the heats with Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) in 11th, and Logan Hanneman (Fairbanks, Alaska) in 29th.

“I’m definitely satisfied with how today went, but also a bit frustrated for sure,” said Hamilton. “I’ve been feeling really good as of late and I’ve had some good successes sprinting here in Quebec before, and it’s always so incredible to race in front of a giant home crowd with tons of family, friends, and North American supporters out there. But the conditions were really tough for me today. The course broke down so much throughout the day, and I always struggle when it’s even remotely soft and slow.”

Hanneman crashed in the same spot on the first turn as Diggins and Kalla and did not advance. The men’s race was won Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, followed by Federico Pellegrino with Sindre Bjoernestad Skar completing the podium.

The World Cup Finals continues Saturday with mass starts in the men’s 15k classic and a women’s 10k classic.   

RESULTS
Men’s sprint
Women’s sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Saturday, March 23
9:15 a.m. - Women’s 10k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - Men’s 15k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k mass start - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, March 24
9:30 a.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:45 a.m. - Men’s 15k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Women’s 10k pursuit - Quebec City, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV*

The fifth and final FIS Freeski World Cup slopestyle of the season is coming to Silvaplana, Switzerland, March 29-30  and U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) is gunning to close out his season with the overall title.

“It feels crazy to be in the running for the crystal globe,” said Forehand. “I would have never thought I would be on the podium at any event his year. If I could take home the globe this season it would be an honor, although I’m not trying to set any expectations going into the final event. I’ve never been to Silvaplana before and I’m excited to see the creative course they build year after year.“

Forehand has had quite the year earning his first-ever World Cup podium with a second-place finish in Stubai, Austria, to kick-off the slopestyle season in November. In addition, he earned his first-ever World Cup victory at the Mammoth Mountain, California, World Cup just a couple weeks ago. Forehand will be coming in hot off his Mammoth win as the World Cup slopestyle leader.

Forehand is not the only U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete looking to close out his season on a high note. 2019 X Games gold medalist and U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah) has also had an impressive season. In addition to his X Games slopestyle victory and second-place finish at Dew Tour slopestyle, Hall collected two additional World Cup podiums and is sitting sixth in the slopestyle cup standings. In addition, Hall, who raised in Switzerland, will be looking to defend the top spot of the podium from the 2018 Silvaplana World Cup where his creative approach blossomed on the very unique course in Switzerland.

Joining Forehand and Hall on course in Switzerland are a batch of Olympic medalists including Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah), Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) and Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.). In addition, U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah) and Americans Ryan Stevenson (Washington, N.J.) and Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) are set to compete. Fagan has podiumed at the only two World Cups he has entered this season. He will be looking to continue that perfect record at the final stop of the season.

For the Women, U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.) and U.S. Rookie Team members Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah) and Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) are ready to compete. Claire has had a strong season and is currently sitting in tenth-place in the slopestyle cup standings. She will look to close out her season with her first podium since the Cardrona, New Zealand World Cup big air in September.

"I have not competed in Silvaplana before, so I'm very excited to see how this course plays out," said Claire. "The World Cups in Silvaplana over the last few seasons have gone off, so I’m hyped to see what everyone can do on this creative course. Also, it would mean so much to grab a podium at this last event. This season has not really panned out as I would have hoped, so to come full circle from a podium at the first world cup of the season in New Zealand and then to find success in Silvaplana would be awesome."

The 2018/19 FIS World Cup season has been full of excitement, milestones, and world class competition. Be sure to tune in as members of the U.S. Freeski Team drop in to close out their season on a positive note and hopefully crown a slopestyle FIS World Cup Champion.

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women's freeski slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

FREESKI
Saturday, March 30.
8:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - Olympic Channel-TV*
 

Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) added two more U.S. Alpine Championship titles to her resume, winning both the super-G and the alpine combined at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships at Wednesday and Thursday Sugarloaf, Maine.

The reigning super-G National Champion, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, (Starksboro, Vt.) also added another U.S. title in super-G Wednesday, to go along with the downhill title he won on Tuesday. In the men’s alpine combined, Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) won his first U.S. title after placing 11th in the super-G portion of the combined on Wednesday and winning the slalom portion of the combined Thursday.

On another day of back-to-back races Wednesday, O’Brien finished second in the morning NorAm Cup super-G, then dialed in her line for the second race, which counted as both a NorAm Cup event and U.S. Alpine Championship race.

“I had a small mistake at the bottom of my (first run),” O’Brien said. “So I was a little bit more prepared coming into the National Championship run and knew what I wanted to clean up down there, and I did that, so that was awesome.”

On Thursday, she won the slalom portion of the alpine combined to wrap up the title.

“Nationals are always a high-level competition, but everyone is really friendly and it’s really fun,” she said.

O’Brien, who exploded onto the scene at the 2018 U.S. Alpine Championships with victories in slalom, giant slalom, and super-G, also added the overall NorAm Cup, slalom, giant slalom, and super-G titles to her resume following three days of downhill, super-G and slalom competition at Sugarloaf. She is also one of the favorites when the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships resume with tech events at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort this weekend, having scored her first slalom and giant slalom points on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit this season.

Up next, the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships head south to New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort for parallel slalom Saturday, slalom Sunday, women’s giant slalom Monday and men’s giant slalom Tuesday.

RESULTS
Men’s U.S. Alpine Championships super-G
Women’s U.S. Alpine Championships super-G
Men’s U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined
Women’s U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined

EVENT SCHEDULE
March 23    Parallel Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H
March 24    Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 25    Women’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 26    Men’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.

The life of a winter athlete seems simple: sleep, ski, eat and repeat. In reality, many U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have passions off of the mountain as well and dedicate their free time to mastering a multitude of other skills. From skateboarding to public speaking, these athletes have proven to be talented and well-rounded individuals.

Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) are two prime examples. The two have a shared love for music and often play the guitar together. Lillis has played the piano since he was five-years-old, and has played the guitar since he was 16. Schoenefeld is newer to the art and has been playing guitar for about a year. “I was sitting over at Chris’ house one day last season and he taught me two chords and here we are,” says Schoenefeld, “It’s definitely one of the best things I have started to do in my life.”  

Lillis and Schoenefeld play whenever they have the chance to. “We play on the road constantly, especially in places like China and Russia,” says Lillis, “It’s kind of a way that athletes, especially on the aerials team, relax before competition.”

With their shared passion, Lillis and Schoenefeld decided to expand their love of music to others and started a music program called PC Rule Your Sound. Starting in April of 2018, the program was set up to teach the youth of Park City how to play the guitar, the piano, or drums. Throughout the summer, the program provided individual lessons to 15 aspiring musicians, who are still being taught today. The program is more flexible than most, the students have the freedom to choose what they learn to play. “Our philosophy for the program is that you get to pick the music you want to play and then we teach you that style of music you like,” says Lillis. This has proved to keep the students interested in the lessons. “That’s why it is called Rule your Sound: the kids and parents have more control over what is learned than we do,” says Lillis.

In addition to individual lessons through PC Rule Your Sound, the two also taught a six-week after school program at Park City Day School, which they are hoping to teach again this spring after their competition season wraps. They give credit and thanks to local Jennifer Kandlser, who has a daughter that skis for Park City Ski & Snowboard and works with the day school. “She got us connected with the after-school program,” says Lillis. Another goal of the duo is to play gigs for restaurants, venues, and other events. “Gigs are welcome, we are cheap,” says Lillis.

Playing on a daily basis, teaching frequently, and learning new styles and songs every day, Lillis and Schoenefeld have expanded their knowledge of music and instruments. The two attribute their improvement in playing to the skills they have acquired through skiing and believe their training in aerials has helped them pick up music quicker. “We are already used to spending our entire day learning and practicing new aerials skills and having a certain approach to it, and I think you can take that to other aspects of your life,” says Lillis. Their dedication to mastering a certain trick, being meticulous about specifics, and using their brain constantly has helped them immensely in skiing and now in music.  

“We can play the guitar anywhere and forever,” says Schoenfeld, “Music is good for the soul.”

If you are interested in getting a music lesson from this aerialist duo, please visit https://www.pcruleyoursound.com/  

The 2019 Spring Battle took place at the Absolut Park in Flachau, Austria, this week serving up a nice change of pace for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Lyon Farrell took the top spot earning the highest score of this very unique competition.

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say,” said Farrell as he watched his score of 97 hit the monitor in front of a live studio audience during the events grand finale prize giving show. “I had the craziest day ever. We had to submit all of our video by 2:00 p.m. and I landed my run 1:50 p.m. I spent all day struggling. Luckily, I was riding with my teammate and good friend Judd Henkes who gave me the best pep talk on the way up the lift before my last run. I almost submitted another run to be judged, but really wanted to do something different. I can’t believe I won.”

Farrell’s run included a 50-50 front 180 Nose to Pretzel and a Blunt 270 out on the rails, a Tailslide 270 on the Waterfall Rail, a front 180 Butter switch backside 540 Tailgrab on the Turbo Knuckle, a front double cork 1080 frontside grab and a backside 1620 Melon on the kickers. Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.), Farrell’s teammate and U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member also performed very well, finishing in fourth-place coming hot off his first FIS World Cup podium at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain in California.

Throughout the bulk of the winter, U.S Freeski and Snowboard athletes compete in numerous FIS World Cup, X Games, Dew Tour and a variety of relatively standardized and structured competitions. The Spring Battle offered an opportunity for these athletes to take a break, but keep the competitive spirit flowing throughout the slopestyle follow cam jam session format. This means that skiers and riders have a limited time frame to hit the terrain park and film one complete top to bottom run, which is then submitted to be judged as opposed to live judging format. This different competition atmosphere allows athletes to celebrate their season ending with an innovative and low pressure contest.

In addition to the main competition, there is also one off best trick events where U.S. Freeski Pro Team member, and 2019 X Games gold medalist, Alex Hall (Salt Lake City, Utah) thrived. Hall won the best 540 with a stylish interpretations of the classic trick including a creative left pre-nose hand drag take off. Also, Hall won the best rail trick competition with a super technical switch left 360 Tokyo drift 360 switch-up to blindside switch-up pretzel 270 off.

Hall will continue the season in Silvaplana, Switzerland, for the final World Cup slopestyle of the season. Hall, along with U.S. Rookie Team member and current slopestyle World Cup leader Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.), will be battling it out for the overall title and Crystal Globe. Be sure to tune in and catch the action live.

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women's freeski slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

FREESKI
Saturday, March 30.
8:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup - Silvaplana, Switzerland - Olympic Channel-TV*
 

Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass) skied to her first U.S. downhill title, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) added his second downhill title, and fifth-career U.S. title Tuesday on the first day of racing at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships in Sugarloaf, Maine.

Following a double-downhill training day Monday on Sugarloaf’s Narrow Gauge course, Tuesday was another double-downhill day with the first run counting as a NorAm Cup, and the second also counting as a NorAm Cup, in addition to being scored as the U.S. Alpine Championship race. Both Merryweather and Cochran-Siegle finished third in the first race and stepped it up for the one that counted for the U.S. title in the second.

“I just gave it a little more edge to cut through the ice...and tried to try to clean up a couple of sections that I didn’t ski as well as I wanted (in the first run),” Cochran-Siegle said of his championship run. “The biggest difference was...I stuck to my line that I wanted, carried more speed on the flats, and was able to hold off coming through the finish.”

Although referring to the course’s hard-packed condition as “ice,” Cochran-Siegle chuckled when his terminology was corrected to “New England packed powder!”

“It’s all East Coast, so we all get the same variable snow,” he said, referring to his family's’ home hill, Cochran’s Ski Area in Vermont where he grew up skiing. But in all seriousness, he had nothing but praise for the course conditions at Sugarloaf.

“This is honestly such an amazing surface to be racing on,” he said. “For a lot of racers, they look forward to being on a surface like this because it’s fair and it holds up. And I was so happy to come here and see just how well the hill has been prepped, it makes it a lot more enjoyable for racers like us to come here.”

Merryweather took a similar approach to the second race as Cochran-Siegle but cranked up the speed a few notches.

“I just sent it a little bit more,” she said of her second race. “I dialed in a some of the things I messed up in the first race and then I just tightened the screws.

‘It was an improvement over the first run,” she added. “It still wasn’t perfect, but it was a lot of fun. The snow here is amazing. It’s just really fun to be back here at Sugarloaf!”

Sugarloaf holds a special place for Merryweather, who grew up just a few hours south in Massachusetts, and she is glad to be close to home following a long World Cup season.

“It’s really, really fun,” she said. “It’s nice to race, not necessarily with less pressure, but different pressure. And especially to come back to a place where I raced my first downhill ever, it’s really special.”

Merryweather’s U.S. Ski Team teammates Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.) and AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) rounded out the podium in second and third respectively. Cashman was also the top junior.

Rounding out the podium in the men’s race, Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) was second, and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) was third. Kyle Negomir, who finished sixth in the downhill at the 2019 FIS Junior Alpine World Championship last month, capped off his outstanding season finishing fourth Tuesday and was the top junior finisher. Negomir also leads the overall NorAm Cup standings with four events remaining.

Up next, another double-race day with super-G on the schedule Wednesday at Sugarloaf. Both races will count as NorAm Cup events, with the second race of the day also counting as the U.S. Alpine Championships. Thursday’s schedule includes alpine combined before the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships head south to New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort for slalom, parallel slalom, and giant slalom events Saturday through Tuesday (March 23-26).

RESULTS
Men’s U.S. Alpine Championships downhill
Women’s U.S. Alpine Championships downhill
Men’s NorAm Cup downhill
Women’s NorAm Cup downhill

EVENT SCHEDULE
March 20     Super-G (National Championships) - Sugarloaf, Maine
March 21     Alpine Combined (National Championships) - Sugarloaf, Maine
March 23     Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 24    Parallel Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 25    Women’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.
March 26    Men’s Giant Slalom (National Championships) - Waterville Valley Resort, N.H.

The fifth and final event of the Toyota U.S. Rev Tour series concluded at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area last weekend. The event hosted NorAm sanctioned snowboard and freeski halfpipe, slopestyle and big air competitions from March 12-16.

The competition kicked off with the snowboarders taking over Mammoth’s Unbound Terrain Park for slopestyle competition. U.S Snowboard Rookie Team member Sean Fitzsimons (Mt. Hood, Ore.), who was said by the Snowboard and Freeski Head Coach Mike Jankowski to have “won” U.S. Snowboard Team Camp in Saas Fee, Switzerland, in October, finished third for the men. Teammate Jade Thurgood (Salt Lake City, Utah) finished second for the women.

“There was good weather, a really fun course and it felt great to make the podium,” said Fitzsimons. “It’s been a great season on the Rev Tour and I hope I continue to have this much fun riding and competing.”

Competition continued with snowboard halfpipe where Kolman Lecroy (Big Bear Lake, Calif.) finished second and U.S. Rookie Team members Lucas Foster (Telluride, Colo.) and Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) also earned spots on the podium.

“I’ve been competing for about eight years now, but this podium feels especially great,” said Lecroy. “I landed a new trick that I have never tried before, so to be rewarded and get on the podium is amazing. My ultimate goals are compete in X Games and the Olympics one day.”

The snowboarding program was capped off with an impressive men’s big air competition where U.S. Rookie Team member Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) took the win.

“It feels really nice to put down a run,” said Henricksen. “It definitely was a huge relief. I hope I can continue to progress, compete in the Olympics, and hopefully be at the top of the sport one day.”

The freeskiers picked right up where the snowboarders left off as they dropped in for big air. Coming off a double-FIS World Cup podium season, Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine) continued his success by taking the Rev Tour win. Tim Ryan (Gilford, N.H.) finished right behind Fagan in second-place. Ryan, ecstatic after his podium, may have very well been the most excited skier on the hill.

“It feels great to be on the podium,” said Ryan. “It was a fun day out there with my friends. My ultimate goals in skiing are to have the best time I possibly can, and keep hanging out with the amazing community that makes these competitions so fun.”

For the women, Lake Tahoe local Marea Adams (Truckee, Calif.) finished in third place.

“This is only my fourth year competing, so to land on the podium today felt really good,” said Adams. “I’m stoked, it was my first Rev Tour podium and I thought everyone was killing it. I want to continue to have fun, stay safe and healthy, and continue to ski my best.”

Freeski competition continued in halfpipe where it was a full U.S. Rookie Team sweep for the men. Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.) topped the podium in first, Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, Colo.) finished second, and Sammy Schuiling (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished in third.

“It feels awesome to take first place today,” said Ladd. “I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to pull through today, so to make it happen feels great. I hope I can make the U.S. Freeski Pro Team, compete in X Games, and also win an Olympic medal one day.”

For the women, another U.S. Rookie Team member Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) won the event after struggling in practice for a couple weeks at Mammoth Mountain. Despite challenging training sessions, Irving never lost sight of the most important element of freeskiing.

“I was struggling all practice at the Rev Tour and at the Grand Prix last week,” said Irving. “I just couldn’t land my runs. Finally, I was able to put it down. I would love to one day compete at X Games and the Olympics, but I also want to make sure competition doesn’t take away from my love of the sport. I want to continue to have fun for as long as I can.”

Finally, a week of Rev Tour competition came to end with freeski slopestyle. Young American skiers continued to deliver as Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H.) and U.S. Rookie Team member Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah) took the top spots.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Hunter Henderson (Waterville Valley, N.H.). “This is my second win of the season and it feels amazing. My ultimate goals are to always stay positive win or lose, but career wise, I would like become a true pro skier and compete at the highest level.”

The event at Mammoth Mountain signals the end of the first season with the improved athlete pipeline in place for the Rev Tour series. This season, the passion and motivation amongst Rev Tour athletes was undeniable. With the improved athlete pipeline throughout the Rev Tour Series, athletes have a chance to compete at the correct level of competition against their peers, continue to hone their skills and climb the competition ladder in an enjoyable atmosphere. It is safe to say that athletes are happy about the increased competition opportunities.

“It feels really good to finish first and ski well, especially at a NorAm level Rev Tour,” said Hamill. “My ultimate goals in skiing are to have fun and continue to compete at bigger and better events.”

Hamill is referring to the two different levels of FIS sanctioned competition now available to athletes as a result of an important decision made by U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Rev Tour events are divided into two different levels, two FIS sanctioned Rev Tour, and three FIS NorAm Sanctioned Rev Tour Elite events.

“As the Revolution Tour has grown in popularity over the last several years we recognized a demand to split the tour in order to provide appropriate competitive opportunities for athletes looking to progress through the development pipeline,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Halfpipe, Slopestyle, and Big Air Sport Development Manager Ashley Deibold. “With this new split in the Revolution Tour, the development pipeline for athletes starts with regional USASA events, moving to the Revolution Tour, then the Revolution Tour Elite, from which athletes can qualify into World Cups and other major competitions.”

This change has been well received by athletes, parents, coaches, and other industry constituents. Along these lines, there has also been a consistent theme among Rev Tour athletes this year and it’s one that is right on par with the goals of the event series. Athletes want to have fun skiing and riding, while also progressing and climbing the competition ladder with admirable goals of competing at the highest level in their sport. Stay tuned for more Toyota U.S. Rev Tour action coming next season!

RESULTS

SNOWBOARD
Wednesday, March 13.
Men’s slopestyle
1. Liam Brearly (Canada)
2. John Macdougall (Canada)
3. Sean Fitzsimons (U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; Mt. Hood, Ore.)

Women’s slopestyle
1. Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn)
2. Jade Thurgood (U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; Salt Lake City, Utah)
3. Danielle Weiler (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)

Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard slopestyle

Thursday, March 14.
Men’s halfpipe
1. Shawn Fair (Canada)
2. Kolman Lecroy (Big Bear Lake, Calif.)
3. Lucas Foster (U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; Telluride, Colo.)

Women’s halfpipe
1. Brooke Dhondt (Canada)
2. Tessa Maud (U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; Carlsbad, Calif.)
3. Kinsley White (Santa Clarita, Calif.)

Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe

Friday, March 15.
Men’s big air
1. Dusty Henricksen (U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; Mammoth Lakes, Calif.)
2. Sam Koven (Canada)
3. Kolman Lecroy (Big Bear Lake, Calif.)

Men’s snowboard big air

FREESKI
Friday, March 15.
Men’s big air
1. Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine)
2. Tim Ryan (Gilford, N.H.)
3. David Stine (Mosinee, Wisc.)

Women’s big air
1. Constance Brogden (Great Britain)
2. Lauren Bendixen (Keystone, Colo.)
3. Marea Adams (Lake Tahoe, Calif.)

Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air

Saturday, March 16.
Men’s halfpipe
1. Dylan Ladd (U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; Lakewood, Colo.)
2. Jaxin Hoerter (U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; Breckenridge, Colo.)
3. Sammy Schuiling (U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; Steamboat Springs, Colo.)

Women’s halfpipe
1. Svea Irving (U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; Winter Park, Colo.)
2. Yujin Jang (Korea)
3. Constance Brogden (Great Britain)

Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski halfpipe

Sunday, March 17.
Men’s slopestyle
1. Hunter Henderson (Waterville Valley, N.H.)
2. Porter Maclennan (Canada)
3. Ryan Mcelmon (Park City, Utah)

Women’s slopestyle
1. Marin Hamill (U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; Park City, Utah)
2. Skye Clark (Canada)
3. Megan Cressey (Canada)

Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women’s freeski slopestyle

REV TOUR ELITE OVERALL STANDINGS (NOR-AM)
SNOWBOARD
Men's slopestyle
Women's slopestyle
Men's Halfpipe
Women's Halfpipe

FREESKI
Men's slopestyle
Women's slopestyle
Men's halfpipe
Women's halfpipe

REV TOUR OVERALL STANDINGS (FIS)
SNOWBOARD
Men's slopestyle
Women's slopestyle
Men's Halfpipe
Women's Halfpipe

FREESKI
Men's slopestyle
Women's slopestyle
Men's halfpipe
Women's halfpipe

NOR-AM STANDINGS
SNOWBOARD
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe
Men’s big air
Women’s big air

FREESKI
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe

PHOTOS
https://www.instagram.com/usrevtour/