Due to ongoing and evolving concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the International Ski Federation (FIS), U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Loppet Foundation have cancelled the Fastenal Parallel 45 Festival, the Coop FIS Cross Country World Cup, and all associated events scheduled for March 14-17, 2020 in Minneapolis. 

“We are devastated to announce this cancellation,” said Executive Director of the Loppet Foundation John Munger. "In keeping with updated information from the Minnesota Department of Health and after consulting with medical advisors, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our community, fans, athletes, staff and volunteers involved in these events.”

“This would have been the first time in 19 years that the World Cup has returned to the United States,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We thank the local organizing committee, the Loppet Foundation, FIS and all of the staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to get this event off of the ground. However, we will look forward to another opportunity to bring the FIS World Cup cross country back to the U.S.”

Due to the recently enacted European travel restrictions, and ongoing concerns in the United States regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working to bring athletes and staff currently in Europe back to the United States over the course of the next several days.

Worldwide, there remain a handful of events that are currently scheduled, however, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff who have not yet traveled, will remain in the U.S.

All athletes and staff traveling back to the U.S. will be screened upon arrival and abide by all CDC guidelines. U.S. Ski & Snowboard continues to educate athletes and staff on the importance of reporting symptoms. Standard medical protocols will be followed for any athlete or staff member who reports symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

The health and safety of athletes and staff is the primary concern of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and we are monitoring the current outbreak COVID-19 closely. We remain in close contact with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our local health authorities here in Utah for guidance and instruction. 
 

The five-day-long annual U.S. Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA) Collegiate National Championships in Lake Placid, N.Y. are underway and nearly 500 competitors are set to compete for national collegiate titles in alpine, nordic, snowboard and freeski events.

USCSA is the only ski and snowboard league where colleges and universities compete and qualify for post-season competition as a team. Emphasis on team performance is a departure from the typical individual or FIS World Cup scoring format often found in skiing and snowboarding, allowing entire teams to qualify for the USCSA Collegiate National Championships. The format also allows for a greater number of competitors to attend the event, with over 200 alpine athletes, 200 freeski and snowboard athletes, and 100 nordic athletes competing this week. 

“Coming to Lake Placid is always a treat for the USCSA,” said USCSA Executive Director Alec Tandara-Kuhns. “Between the historic venues, flexible and accommodating organizing staff and close proximity for a majority of the teams, Nationals in Lake Placid have been instant classics.”

Teams began their quest to qualify for the U.S. Collegiate Skiing and Snowboarding National Championships in their local conference competitions, held across 11 conferences spanning the nation this December. Top teams from each conference attend one of six regional championships, which determines who ultimately qualifies to participate in events at the Collegiate National Championship. Results from all events can be found at www.uscsa.com.

Teams representing 71 colleges and universities are competing at the 2020 USCSA Collegiate National Championships. This includes alpine, snowboard, freeski, and nordic teams which qualified through their regional championships, including powerhouses such as Westminster College (Snowboard), the University of Wyoming (Nordic), University of Colorado Boulder (Freeski), Rocky Mountain College (Alpine), and James Madison University (Snowboard). 

The USCSA Broadcast Network will bring audiences over 60 hours of live, multi-camera HD video coverage from all three competition venues at its web portal. Scott "Boss" Hogg returns to lead the USCSA Broadcast Team at alpine, joined by legendary snowboard announcer Mark Oliver AKA “The Beav” at snowboard/freestyle, as well as Bob “Coach” Underwood and Jared Newell at nordic. 

Visit http://www.uscsa.com/broadcast for more information, including live-timing, daily schedules, and on-demand archived broadcasts.

The USCSA is the sports federation for collegiate team ski racing and snowboarding in America. The USCSA believes that student-athletes of all levels and abilities should have access to quality and exciting venues of competition. USCSA athletes agree that their team orientation fosters a collaborative approach across their collegiate athletic and academic careers, and often this mentality proves indispensable in their adult lives and careers. The organization includes 162 colleges from coast to coast, fielding 4,954 male and female, alpine, freestyle, cross-country, snowboarding and nordic ski jumping athletes in over 300 events annually.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact atandkuhns@uscsa.com 

QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONS
Women
Babson College
Bowdoin College
Brown University
California State University Long Beach
Carnegie Mellon University
Castleton University
Clarkson University
College of St. Scholastica
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Drexel University
George Mason University
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Iowa State University
James Madison University
Lees-McRae College
Liberty University
McGill University
Michigan Technological University
Rocky Mountain College
San Diego State University
Sierra Nevada University
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
Syracuse University
The Claremont Colleges
The Ohio State University
Tufts University
United States Air Force Academy
United States Military Academy
University of British Columbia
University of California Los Angeles
University of California, Davis
University of Colorado Boulder 
University of Connecticut 
University of Idaho 
University of Maine at Farmington 
University of Maine at Presque Isle 
University of Nevada 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
University of South Dakota 
University of Vermont 
University of Virginia 
University of Washington 
University of Wisconsin Madison 
University of Wyoming 
Virginia Tech 
Western Colorado University 
Westminster College 
Whitman College

Men
Appalachian State University 
Babson College
California State University Long Beach
California State University Sacramento 
Carnegie Mellon University 
Castleton University 
Clarkson University 
Colgate University 
Colorado Mesa University 
Columbia University 
Cornell University 
Dartmouth College 
Drexel University 
Dunwoody Technical College 
Hamilton College 
Hobart and William Smith Colleges 
James Madison University 
Lafayette College 
Lees-McRae College 
Lehigh University 
Liberty University 
Michigan State University 
Michigan Technological University 
Northeastern University 
Northern Arizona University 
Paul Smith's College 
Rocky Mountain College 
San Diego State University 
Sierra Nevada University 
St. Olaf College 
Stanford University 
The Claremont Colleges 
The College of Idaho 
The Ohio State University 
Tufts University 
United States Air Force Academy 
United States Military Academy 
University of British Columbia 
University of California Los Angeles 
University of Colorado Boulder 
University of Connecticut 
University of Maine at Farmington 
University of Maine at Presque Isle 
University of Michigan 
University of Minnesota Duluth 
University of Nevada 
University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
University of Southern California 
University of Vermont 
University of Virginia 
University of Washington 
University of Wisconsin Madison 
University of Wyoming 
Virginia Tech 
Western Carolina University 
Western Colorado University 
Westminster College
 

Due to the outbreak and situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the upcoming FIS Women's Alpine World Cup races in Åre (SWE) have been cancelled after new recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

The health and welfare of the athletes and all other participants, as well as the general public, are in the forefront and the priority of FIS and all stakeholders. FIS is fully compliant with the instructions and decisions of the National and Regional Governments and their Health Authorities in any recommendation regarding public gathers that impact FIS competitions.

Double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin had announced earlier on Wednesday that she would make her return to action in Åre following the sudden passing of her father last month. 

The World Cup Finals scheduled in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for March 16-22, were cancelled last week. The races in Åre, Sweden scheduled for March 12-14 were cancelled and will not be replaced on the World Cup calendar, meaning the 2019-2020 season is officially finished for the women.

Italy's Federica Brignone is the winner of the 2019-20 World Cup overall title, ending Mikaela's three-year reign. Federica becomes the first Italian ski racer since Alberto Tomba in 1995 to win the overall crystal globe, and the first Italian woman to win the title. She also wins the giant slalom globe, while Slovakia's Petra Vhlova wins the slalom globe. Despite missing the sitting out the last eight races, Mikaela was in contention for three globes heading into the final Åre tech series. She ended up second in the overall standings, trailing Federica by 153 points, second in the slalom standings, trailing Petra by a mere 20 points, and third in the giant slalom behind Federica (407 points) and Petra (333), with 314 points.

***

About FIS
FIS is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. Through its 131 member nations, more than 7’000 FIS ski and snowboard competitions are staged annually. Specific initiatives are undertaken by FIS to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation, notably for the young. For more information, please visit www.fis-ski.com

Release courtesy of FIS.

The final stop of the FIS Snowboardcross World Cup tour returns to beautiful Veysonnaz Resort in Switzerland on March 15 and eight U.S. Team riders are set to compete. The team is coming off of a solid performance in Spain and are fired up for the final event. 

“The crew rode really well in Sierra Nevada,” said Head Coach Peter Foley. “We just missed the big final there and now everyone is wound up and really wanting to make a statement at the final World Cup, I’m excited to see what we can do.”

The standout American this season has been U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team member and Olympian Faye Gulini. Faye has been extremely consistent finishing in the top-10 in every race she has entered, including a third-place podium finish at the Big White, Canada World Cup. She’s averaging a sixth-place finish and setting the tone for the U.S. Snowboardcross Team. 

"This season has been a lot shorter than we had planned," said Faye. "With only five races in the books, each race has carried a lot of weight. This puts added pressure on us to perform. It’s also difficult to maintain momentum from one race to the next when there is sometimes almost a month between each race. With these added challenges success can be harder to achieve. I feel like I have done a good job of staying focused during our lull time and have been diligent about maintenance and training. I have had a really good season so far, but I'm hoping to end the season with a victory. I am currently ranked fifth in the world with a podium and multiple finals appearances. I am confident that my snowboarding is polished and that a victory is an attainable goal."

Combined, U.S. riders have earned three total podiums coming into the final event including Faye’s third place, as well as third-place finishes from Olympic Bronze medalist Alex Deibold and first-year U.S. Pro Team Member Senna Leith. U.S. riders have collected 12 top-ten finishes in World Cup competition this season. 

Two riders who have yet to find the podium this season are 2019 FIS World Champions Mick Dierdorff and Lindsey Jacobellis. Mick and Lindsey will be looking to change that in their last opportunity of the season. Historically, Lindsey has ridden well in Veysonnaz, earning two victories and one second-place throughout her career. Mick has also collected a couple of podiums in Veysonnaz in 2017 and 2018. 

As athletes feed off of the momentum from the Sierra Nevada World Cup, they will be looking to close out the season strong moving into a FIS World Championship year next season. The big, fast, and technical course in Veysonnaz demand the best from the riders and it’s sure to be a show. Tune in live to catch all the action.

START LIST | CUP STANDINGS 
Men
Hagen Kearney - 12th
Jake Vedder - 14th
Senna Leith - 15th
Alex Deibold - 16th
Mick Dierdorff - 26th
Nick Baumgartner - 28th

Women
Faye Gulini - 5th
Lindsey Jacobellis - 11th

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Sunday, March 15
5:50 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Veysonnaz, SUI - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
10:30 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Veysonnaz, SUI - Olympic Channel*
 

It started long before she crossed the finish line to win the first-ever Olympic gold medal in cross country for her and Kikkan Randall in the team relay at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The drive. The determination. The suffering. The joy and the pain.

Jessie Diggins always dreamed of winning an Olympic medal, but the road to achieving her dream was not always smooth. Like many young athletes, she faced challenges, including an eating disorder that almost derailed her career, but has had a lasting effect on her life. And in her new book Brave Enough, she openly shares her harrowing struggle with bulimia, recounting both the adversity and how she healed from it in order to bring hope and understanding to others experiencing eating disorders.

Jessie reveals the true story of her journey in Brave Enough, from the American Midwest into sports history. With candid charm and characteristic grit, she connects the dots from her free-spirited upbringing in the woods of Minnesota to racing in the bright spotlights of racing on the World Cup Tour, World Championships, the Olympics, and beyond.

Brave Enough is on sale March 10 and available on Jessie's website, through Amazon, or your favorite book store.

Riders across the globe are registered and set to shred one of the 13 participating resorts on Friday, March 13th for A Day For Jake. Burton Snowboards has organized A Day For Jake to serve as a global day of snowboarding to honor the life of Jake Burton Carpenter by bringing people together to do what he loved most, snowboarding. 

Participating resorts offered free passes for those who registered by Sunday, March 8th, and will be provided branded armbands as a unifying symbol for the celebration. Although registration is closed for a free lift ticket at participating resorts, that doesn’t mean you can’t do your part to honor Jake’s legacy.

Create your own armband by cutting off a sleeve of a shirt, grab a paint pen, and get creative. Then make a plan and make it your own. Whether it’s your favorite backcountry trip, your local mountain, or your own backyard, just get out and ride for Jake. A Day for Jake is about snowboarding wherever you can, no matter where you are.

"Jake’s vision was to bring snowboarding to all. His dream, his perseverance, and his generosity were his gift to the world. As an industry, and as a community we come together for this day to remember, reflect and ride. Together we open our doors and open our hearts to carry Jake’s spirit forward; to share our love of the mountains and the joy of a perfect turn. Because snowboarding makes us happy. Snowboarding makes us hopeful. Snowboarding makes us free."
    - Burton Snowboards

If you are looking to join more riders excited to celebrate A Day For Jake, join the community at one of the participating resorts below. 

https://www.adayforjake.com

PARTICIPATING RESORTS
Absolut Park
Avoriaz
Big Bear Mountain Resort
Big Sky Montana
Big Snow American Dream
Woodward Tahoe
Boyne Mountain
Copper Mountain / Woodward Copper
Cypress Mountain
Laax 
Ursus Snow Park
Stratton Mountain
The Summit At Snoqualmie
 

Keely Cashman grabbed her career-first FIS Junior World Ski Championships medal with a bronze in Monday's alpine combined in Narvik, Norway, to lead the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

For the third-consecutive event at Narvik, the seemingly unbeatable Austrian duo of Magdalena Egger and Lisa Grill went 1-2. Magdalena finished just ahead of countrywoman Lisa in the super-G portion of the combined with a time of 59.24 seconds, while Lisa posted a time of 59.28. After getting fifth-place in Sunday's super-G, Keely proved she once again could hang with the Austrians, finishing just .31 seconds off Magdalena's pace in the super-G. All three ladies held their own in the slalom portion of the combined, and Keely secured her career-first World Juniors medal. 

Alpine Development Director Chip Knight noted that Monday's super-G was a more open super-G set, and less technical and turny. There was a lot more speed coming down that pitch, which resulted in a lot of DNFs. "Keely skied really, really strong in the super-G and put herself in a nice position and had a very solid, stable slalom run. These Austrian girls are very good skiers across the board...they have very fast skis. They get to the flats and they just motor at the bottom of the hill. They're a formidable duo with fast skis, but they were certainly capable slalom skiers as well, so I'm sure they'll be in contention in the last two races. It was great to sneak in there and get a medal today."

Keely said the conditions were challenging, but they reminded her of home, "it was super windy, so the start was moved down a bit, and the snow wasn't super wet, but it was really mushy, so it was pretty soft. It was kind of like skiing at Squaw, so it was familiar to me. I'm pretty happy with the result." Hopefully, she added, her result will help build the momentum for the rest of the group. "I think the boys are pretty happy with their slalom run, so hopefully it will help them do well in the super-G," Keely said. Chip agreed, saying that this medal was important for the team, and it will hopefully stoke the fire. 

She's feeling pretty good about her skiing in the tech disciplines and will look forward to the giant slalom and slalom events, though she knows the Austrians will be tough to beat. "I know they mainly ski speed events, so for me—as someone who doesn't solely ski speed—to be able to be up there with them is pretty cool. I was telling AJ that one of us needs to dethrone them because they've been winning every day," Keely said with a giggle (she and AJ grew up skiing together at Squaw Valley, Calif. and are best friends). 

Katie Twible, U.S. Ski Team Women’s World Cup and Europa Cup Assistant Coach was stoked about the progress Keely has made as well as her ability to keep it cool despite numerous delays. "Keely stepped up and skied awesome today!" Katie shared. "She has just been building all week. There were a ton, of course, holds and start/stops due to weather and crazy wind, and Keely came out of the start ready to roll. She skied well and nailed all the tough sections. It was a long day, with a ton of changes, so I'm really proud of her."

She added that AJ Hurt, who did not finish in the super-G portion of the alpine combined, carried a lot of speed and skied the top section well, but she came in with that speed and couldn't hold it. "She will be ready for the GS," said Katie. Olivia Holm also started for the U.S. but did not finish the super-G portion of the alpine combined. 

(Updated March 10th)
The men were originally supposed to ski both the slalom and the super-G portions of the alpine combined on Tuesday, but with weather coming in, the organizers modified the program. They were able to successfully run the slalom portion of the combined on Monday. The Americans put themselves in a solid position to strike after the slalom and heading into the super-G portion of the combined, with Bridger Gile in seventh, Isaiah Nelson eighth, Matthew Macaluso 12th, Jacob Dilling 18th, Bradshaw Underhill 19th, and Jack Smith in 27th.

Unfortunately, it rained overnight on Monday and the surface didn't refreeze, forcing the cancellation of the super-G and thus the cancellation of the alpine combined entirely. Up next, the women will take on the tech events, with the giant slalom on Wednesday. You can watch it live via Narvik's YouTube channel. 

RESULTS
Women's Alpine Combined
Men's Alpine Combined - Slalom (incomplete results)

WATCH IT LIVE
Catch all of the action via Narvik's YouTube channel

NARVIK 2020 JUNIOR WORLDS AMERICAN TEAM
Team Announcement

NARVIK 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
March 10  – Men's alpine combined (CANCELLED)
March 11  – Women’s giant slalom
March 12  – Men’s giant slalom 
March 13  – Women's and men's slalom 
March 14  – Mixed Parallel Team Event

MORE INFORMATION
Narvik 2020 Official Website
Narvik 2020 Promotional Video

Keely Cashman led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team on Sunday at the FIS Junior World Ski Championships in Narvik, Norway, finishing fifth in super-G, while teammate AJ Hurt finished sixth. 

Nobody could catch Austria's Magdalena Egger, who finished first, while countrywoman Lisa Grill was second, just .28 seconds back. France's Karen Smadja Clement was third, just one one-hundredth off of Lisa. On the men's side, Stefan Riser of Austria grabbed the victory, while teammate Armin Dornauer was second, .51 back. Switzerland's Yannick Chabloz finished rounded out the podium in third, .54 seconds off of Stefan. 

Four American men made it into the top 20, with Bradshaw Underhill skiing into ninth-place, while Isaiah Nelson was 13th, Matthew Macaluso 15th, and Jack Smith 19th. Unfortunately, Bridger Gile—who was a favorite in super-G—got a little low and late, which resulted in a DNF. 

Nevertheless, Alpine Development Director Chip Knight was proud of the athletes and their progress, especially considering 36 athletes in the men's field did not finish. "We had a good day today in super-G today...great results from Keely and AJ, both finishing in the top-6, and some really positive finishes from our first-timers Bradshaw and Isaiah in ninth and 13th," reflected Chip. "The course set was very challenging in the middle section, with high-speed technical turns down the pitch and through the terrain, which caused a high DNF rate. The staff was proud of the way our athletes attacked the hill and skied strong when it counted."

Up next, the women and men will take on the alpine combined on Monday. The men were originally supposed to ski the alpine combined on Tuesday, but with weather coming in, the organizers changed the program in an effort to squeeze at least the slalom portion of the combined into Monday's program. Last year in Val di Fassa, Italy, Keely finished just off the podium in fourth. You can watch it live via Narvik's YouTube channel. 

RESULTS
Women’s Super-G
Men’s Super-G

WATCH IT LIVE
Catch all of the action via Narvik's YouTube channel

NARVIK 2020 JUNIOR WORLDS AMERICAN TEAM
Team Announcement

NARVIK 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
March 9  – Women’s and men's alpine combined
March 10  – TBD
March 11  – Women’s giant slalom
March 12  – Men’s giant slalom 
March 13  – Women's and men's slalom 
March 14  – Mixed Parallel Team Event

MORE INFORMATION
Narvik 2020 Official Website
Narvik 2020 Promotional Video

U.S. Freeski Team member Maggie Voisin won X Games Norway slopestyle gold at Hafjell Resort on Sunday to collect her third X Games medal of the season and her second slopestyle gold. 

“I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for this weekend here in Norway,” said Maggie brimming with pure joy. “Taking home a silver medal in big air, and especially the gold in slopestyle, was a dream come true. This season has been very special to me and I haven’t had this much fun with my skiing in a long time. I’m so excited to keep pushing my limits and to see where the future of women’s skiing goes!”

In Maggie’s podium interview, she was quick to point out that it was Women’s International Day and showed some love for the rest of the field. 

“I want to shout out to all the lady freeskiers as well as the snowboarders who dropped earlier in the day and inspired us on the slope course,” she said. “I’m just so stoked to be one of the females in action sports.”

Swiss Freeski Teammates Mathilde Gremaud and Giulia Tanno finished second and third, respectively. 

Maggie’s success to close out the 2019-20 season comes as no surprise to those who have watched her ACL rehabilitation process following last season. Her work ethic and drive to be back at the top of the sport have never faltered. Despite coming out victorious in Sunday’s slopestyle finals, she still was pinpointing areas of improvement, continuing to strive for her best level of skiing. 

“I almost had the double cork 1260 today,” she said as she reflected on the day. “I’m a little bummed I didn’t get to put that down in slopestyle, but obviously I’m still super happy.”

Maggie landed a gorgeous double cork 1260 safety on her second run in Saturday’s big air finals, which significantly contributed to her silver medal performance. Although Maggie didn’t land her double in slopestyle, she showed incredible consistency putting down clean rails, a beautifully executed rodeo 900, switch 900, and multiple 720’s.  

She has gradually improved in every X Games competition since her return from ACL surgery earning bronze in Aspen slopestyle, silver in Norway’s big air, and gold in Norway’s slopestyle. However, Maggie’s post-recovery success is not limited to X Games. She’s also collected podiums at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix and Dew Tour. 

The remainder of Maggie’s contest season consists of the Absolut Park Spring Battle (filming based contest), Audi Nines (jam-session), as well as the FIS Slopestyle World Cup finals in Silvaplana, Switzerland. 

The freeski men took to the slopestyle course to wrap up the X Games Norway 2020 program and Alex Hall, like Maggie, took home his second medal of the weekend earning the silver and his fourth X Games medal of his career. 

"I'm so hyped on how this weekend unfolded," said Alex. "Knuckle huck last night was an all-time blast and today was insane too. Despite the rain, the course was really nice and everyone was having fun. That's what it's all about."

Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli and Fabian Boesch took home the gold and bronze, respectively. 

Alex, the 2020 Newschoolers Skier of the Year, has had a season for the record books. He’s found success in big air, slopestyle, rail-jams, film, and even the new X Games knuckle huck event. His ability to excel in every aspect of the sport is a quality that earns him incredible respect amongst his peers and sets him apart from the rest of the field. Not to mention, his unique style and creativity can not be replicated, such as the two consecutive Tokyo Drifts throughout the rail section on his last run to help secure his podium position (see video below).

Combined, Maggie, Alex, and the 2020 X Games double-gold medalist Colby Stevenson took home eight X Games medals this winter. In addition to an array of young U.S. Freeski Team athletes finding success across the FIS World Cup and NorAm circuit this season, the U.S. Freeski Team is on track to set the tone for big air and slopestyle moving into the 2022 Beijing Olympic season. 

RESULTS
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s freeski slopestyle