The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women roared back to the top in Lake Louise, Alberta, on Saturday with Mikaela Shiffrin storming onto the downhill podium in second place—just .13 seconds off of first—and Alice McKennis and Alice Merryweather taking 10th and 11th respectively. Mikaela’s result also extended her overall World Cup lead to 270 points.

Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria won the downhill with Italy's Francesca Marsaglia in third. Friday’s winner Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic was just two-hundredths off the podium in fourth.

After tough conditions due to snowfall and poor visibility on Friday, the Lake Louise course crew worked hard overnight to get the track into race shape. “All of us are looking for some redemption after yesterday,” said Alice Mckennis after the morning inspection. “We’re never satisfied unless we’re up near the top. Everyone is looking forward to giving it another shot.”

And the shot rang true, with three U.S. women finding their redemption in top spots.

Even after a long course hold that kept her waiting in the start gate, Mikaela held her composure to take her first speed podium of the year. “I feel every year I get more experience and I get more comfortable,” Mikaela said of racing downhill. “Right now, it’s just enjoying it. My goal is to be able to succeed in speed as well, so right now I’m just making a transition and trying to have fun with it.”

In only her second race back from injury, Alice Mckennis was happy to snag a spot in the top 10. “I’m pretty stoked on my run,” she said. “It was definitely a little loose and a little ragged, but I’m really proud of the way I approached the run. I didn’t hesitate at all and I went for it. That’s a huge step for me—to feel that race-day confidence and to trust myself and believe in myself again.”

Alice Merryweather’s 11th place finish was her second-best World Cup result and the second time she has finished in the top 15, showing the world that she’s someone to keep an eye on as the speed circuit continues. 

"Having a full downhill team here is so nice; it’s really fun to have a lot of girls here," said Alice Merryweather, who was a little bit of a lone ranger on the speed team last year with so many teammates sidelined with injury. "We’ve been bouncing a lot of good energy off of each other. Mikaela on the podium is super exciting, and then to have a full downhill team is so nice. It’s awesome to see four of us in the points and to really feel like we have a speed team again."

Rounding out the U.S. women, Jacqueline Wiles finished in the points for the second day in a row, taking 29th. Alix Wilkinson was 33rd, Isabella Wright was 36th and Keely Cashman was 37th.

Mikaela now has seven speed event podiums under her belt—four in downhill and three in super-G—and will be looking for another in Sunday’s super-G. “My super-G is pretty good right now, but it’s also a little tricky to switch from downhill skis to super-G skis and to change the timing a little bit,” said Mikaela, who won last year’s super-G in Lake Louise. “I’m going to have fun tomorrow and do my best and see what’s possible.”

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Anticipation was mounting all week for Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who put down the fastest training time in Wednesday's first and only downhill training run at Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup. Despite the increased pressure, the 2012 Junior World Downhill Champion held his composure and finished a career-best sixth-place - a blink of an eye (.08 seconds) - off the podium in a shortened downhill.

It's been a season full of ties on the men's speed circuit, and today was no exception. It's not a big surprise that Swiss Beat Feuz was the fastest man down the mountain today, as he was also last year's Birds of Prey downhill race victor. What was a surprise, however, was France's Johan Clarey tying Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, .41 seconds off Beat's pace. 

In a day with the weather a little bit like the east coast with flat light and some gusty winds at the start, Vermonter Ryan laid it down and trusted his skiing. "I was a little emotional...happiness and joy," Ryan said after his run. "You don't get that often, so I'll take it. I wasn't planning on being fast in the first training run and after winning that it felt like there might have been a little bit more of a spotlight, so just trying to handle it and show that I could perform on race day was huge." High winds at the start forced the men to start from the reserve start, so it was a bit more of a sprint.

Ryan made a brilliant recovery, pushing the line and holding his composure all the way down. "That's just skiing. In my training run, I had a couple of turns where one ski got up in the air, but I think just trying to keep moving forward and going with what I have is what makes me fast here. In my head, I thought I was in complete control. I haven't seen it yet - I'm sure it looked cool...but that's skiing, you gotta be on the limit." 

Both Steven Nyman and Jared Goldberg put down solid skiing, and finished in the points, in 17th and 22nd respectively. Sam Morse just missed the points by a few hundredths, finishing in 32nd. Bryce Bennett (39th), Travis Ganong (40th), Kyle Negomir (51), Wiley Maple (58), and Tommy Biesemeyer (59) also started but did not finish in the points. 

Up next for the men is giant slalom on Sunday, which will air live on the Olympic Channel and a replay on NBC. 

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RESULTS 
Men's Downhill

STANDINGS
Men's World Cup

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 7
11:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app.

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Jaelin Kauf lead the U.S. Moguls Team with a fourth-place finish at the FIS World Cup Opener in Ruka, Finland, Saturday. Jaelin absolutely dominated the middle section with her speed but came short of the podium when she straddled a mogul during her run. 

France’s Perrine Laffont took first, newcomer Anri Kawamura from Japan was second and Australia’s Britteny Cox finished third. In his 100th World Cup start, Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury continued to dominate and came away with the victory. Japan’s Ikuma Horishima took second and Sweden’s Walter Wallberg was third. 

Hannah Soar qualified in second for the first final, skiing an outstanding run, but ended the competition in 11th. “She’s a podium potential athlete and her day is coming very, very soon,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. 

Olivia Giaccio also had a great qualifier, coming in fifth. She was a little too amped out at the top air of her first qualifying run, landing with too much speed, which cost her and she finished the day in 14th. “Those two are super highlight trained and well prepared,” said Matt. “They’ll both be forces to be reckoned with for the rest of the year. We’re not talking about learning a new trick or having to have the ‘run of your life,’ they just need to go out there and be the skiers they are.” 

Dylan Walczyk was the top finisher for the U.S. men, skiing a smart, well-executed run in finals to come in seventh. Nick Page ended his first World Cup in 18th, earning his first World Cup points. “Nick had an absolutely outstanding first World Cup run of his career,” said Matt. “He threw a cork 7 grab at the top and a cork 10 at the bottom with a nearly flawless middle section. Nick made himself known and proved he belongs here.” 

Alex Lewis also had an awesome World Cup debut, skiing well-performed runs in both qualifying rounds to finish 26th. Experience plays a big part in being successful on the moguls World Cup circuit and Alex and Nick made their presence known. They are making a statement about what the future of U.S. moguls skiing looks like. 

The Team heads next to Thaiwoo, China, for moguls and dual moguls FIS World Cup events Dec. 14-15. “We will learn, adapt, adjust and move on,” said Matt. “Ruka provided a lot of learning opportunities we will use to move forward.”

Results
Women’s moguls
Men’s moguls

Jessie Diggins finished second in the 15k skiathlon, tying a career-best World Cup skiathlon result, to lead the Davis U.S. Cross Country National Team Program in Lillehammer, Norway, Sunday. Sadie Maubet Bjornsen was eighth, and Rosie Brennan was 16th.

“I felt great today, and was listening to my body and adjusting my pacing the whole way,” Jessie said. “It feels awesome to know I’m in good shape and that my technique is continuing to improve!”

Norway’s Therese Johaug took the victory, pulling away from the field at the 2k mark on the opening classic leg and leaving a huge pack of racers to chase her down. “It was a blistering pace set from the start,” noted Sadie. “Lillehammer is a particularly hard course because the entire course is climbing...leaving little opportunity to catch your breath.”

Jessie led the chase group for most of the classic leg, and at the 7.5k transition to freestyle she was second, Sadie was 13th and Rosie was 20th. “I was struggling in the classic, just not finding the relaxed good feelings you want,” Rosie said. “I couldn't hang with the front group, which I was disappointed by, but after I switched to skate, I found better feelings and was able to pick some people off.”

Out of the transition, Jessie continued to lead the chase with Norway’s Heidi Weng close behind. “I felt really strong in the classic part so I started to push the pace a bit before the transition, and then Heidi and I skied the skate half together, which was really awesome,” Jessie said. “It’s so fun to ski with someone who understands that when we both exchange leads and push each other we can create a good gap, and Heidi and I pushed each other to a much better race today!”

Heading up the final climb with less than one kilometer remaining, Jessie put in a huge effort to distance herself from Weng and glided in for second, with Weng rounding out the podium in third. “On the last long climb I was feeling good enough to try to make a move, so I went for it and got enough of a gap to secure second place,” Jessie added. 

Both Sadie and Rosie skied strong freestyle legs to move up a few places on the final climbs.

“I generally prefer classic as opposed to skate, but I had new and fun feelings today. Not only did I enjoy the skate portion more, but I felt really strong climbing,” Sadie said. “I am walking away from today with new confidence, and excitement. To finish the day within sight of the podium fight on a less than perfect day is a good sign. Kudos to Jessie today for an inspiring performance!”

“This course is one of the hardest on the circuit and you really have to be on your A-game to pull of good things here,” Rosie added. “I wasn't quite there, but I am satisfied with the result.”

In the World Cup overall standings, Jessie moved up to fourth with Sadie fifth. Rosie is 11th overall. The U.S. women have an opportunity to climb higher in the overall World Cup standings with the team sprint on Sunday. 

“Tomorrow is the 4x5km relay, which our team is obviously really looking forward to,” Sadie said. “We aren't sure what the lineup will look like, but you can guarantee socks, face paint, and a group of girls who are willing to dig deeper than ever!”

In the men’s 30k skiathlon, David Norris was the top American in 34th. Erik Bjornsen was 39th.

RESULTS
Women’s 15k skiathlon
Men’s 30k skiathlon

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup
Men’s World Cup

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Sunday, Dec. 8
4:05 a.m. - Women’s 4x5k relay, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Men’s 4x5k relay, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Women’s 4x5k relay, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
7:00 p.m. - Women’s 4x5k relay, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Mikaela Shiffrin extended her overall World Cup lead to 206 points after leading the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team with a 10th place finish in the first of two downhills at Lake Louise, Alberta.

Due to snow and poor visibility, the start of the race was delayed more than an hour, and the course was shortened, starting at the reserve start. Mikaela, starting bib 6, came across the finish line third, eventually dropping in the standings as track conditions improved. On and off snowfall throughout the race presented challenging conditions for the athletes, including AJ Hurt, who took a hard fall after catching her edge in the soft snow and was airlifted off the course. 

Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic won Friday’s downhill and became the first athlete to win both a World Cup alpine and snowboard event. Ester, the 2018 Olympic super-G champion, has 17 World Cup snowboard parallel slalom and giant slalom victories. Corinne Suter of Switzerland was second and Austria's Stephanie Venier was third. 

Alice Merryweather posted a solid start to the season, finishing 21st. Alice McKennis is back, finishing 27th, and Jacqueline Wiles just missed the points in her first race back from injury, finishing 31st. AJ Hurt posted the fastest first split time before crashing hard. She is OK but she will be sitting out in Saturday's downhill, pending further evaluation of a knee injury. 

Up next, the women compete in a second downhill at Lake Louise Saturday and super-G Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

STANDINGS
Women's World Cup

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

ALPINE
Friday, Dec. 6
11:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 7
1:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel,  Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

With perfect conditions, sunshine and hero snow prepared superbly once again by the legendary Talon Crew, Travis Ganong led four Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the points at the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colo. 

In what was an incredible run, the young Swiss Marco Odermatt skied what Travis called a “1 out of 100 run” - pushing the line all the way down. At one point, it resulted in a near-crash as Marco took the pizza-rather-than-french-fry-approach, but he miraculously pulled it off and skied confidently into first place. Norway’s Attacking Viking Aleksander Aamodt Kilde skied into second, just a tenth off of Marco’s time, with Austrian Matthias Mayer rounding out the podium in third. 

The course set today was a classic, more technical super-G set. For that reason, it favored the more technical super-G skiers, while the classic downhillers who excel on more downhill-like super-G sets, like Italy’s Dominik Paris, Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud struggled with today’s super-G set - “too technical,” Dominik said in the finish area, followed by  some expletives. On the flip side, the technical set benefited guys like Marco, as well as France’s Alexis Pinturault, who finished just off the podium in fourth. 

Travis was the lone American to finish in the top-10, though he led four athletes into the top 30 on Friday. Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished tied for 18th, Steven Nyman was 24th, and Ted Ligety finished 28th from bib 64 - in what appeared would be a top-five run before Ted made a mistake into the flats and lost time. 

It was a smooth run with solid and error-free skiing for Travis, who normally makes up a ton of time on the bottom, but today he was fast on the top. “The top section was normally my nemesis, but today the flow was amazing up there and the snow was really easy, reflected Travis. “I had a really good feelings on the top, then lost a little time on the bottom, but I’m super fired up to land in sixth.”

Once again the Talon Crew did an incredible job, making the track “a joy to ski,” as many guys said in the finish. “I just really had a fun and enjoyable run,” Travis said after his run. “The snow was perfect - it was money, the Talon Crew did an awesome job preparing the track as always! Anyone can win a super-G, it’s about who is willing to take the most risk and pull it off, watching Odermatt - he took way too much risk, but somehow it worked out for him and that’s tough to beat. That’s on the limit super-G, and that’s what’s fast.” Travis will bring the confidence from today’s run into tomorrow’s downhill. 

Kyle Negomir, Sam Dupratt, and River Radamus also started for the American squad but did not land in the top-30, while Tommy Ford and Thomas Biesemeyer started but did not finish. 

Up next for the men will be the “real event” (as Ryan - who is skiing in all three events this weekend at Beaver Creek - joked in the finish area with Steven) - downhill on Saturday at the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup.  

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RESULTS
Men’s Super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 7
1:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel,  Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app.

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Shrouded in constant darkness characteristic of Finnish Lapland, the U.S. Moguls Team is gunning to get into the start gate and are primed to emerge victorious from the moguls Freestyle FIS World Cup Opening in Ruka set for Dec. 7. Despite being unable to work on their goggle tans (this crew hasn’t seen the sun in five weeks), the Team has been grinding it out in Scandinavia since early November in their last prep period before game day. 

There is no better place to kick off the moguls World Cup season than Ruka, Finland. Athletes will compete on the famous Ruka Batter Run, and the course was freshly rebuilt Wednesday. “There are no distractions, only opportunities on the Ruka course,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. Cold temperatures have made for dry and fluffy snow, and paired with the fresh course, we can expect quick, athletic skiing and high flying tricks off of the newly cut jumps. 

The Team has a huge prep period under their belts that started domestically at official training sites Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Utah Olympic Park and Timberline Resort & Ski Area, then moved on internationally to Chile, Switzerland, Sweden, and finally, Finland (but not before they navigated an airline strike that forced them to travel across the entire Finnish country from Helsinki to Ruka by bus). 

Two new coaches joined this summer: Riley Campbell and Joe Discoe. Matt has worked hard to integrate the team together. “It’s not just pressure on the athletes but pressure on the staff to stay on top of everything.” Returning for another tour is Athletic Development Coach Josh Bullock and Physical Therapist Chuck Williams. “Chuck is the key to keeping the calm in the start, it’s where he’s been since Day one,” said Matt. “He’s the gear guy, cleaning boots, checking binds, making sure everyone’s set for that countdown.”

2019-20 is a whole new season and everything will get left on the snow this Saturday when the competition kicks off. Jaelin Kauf leads the Team as the second-ranked female in the world and the still-fastest-woman on the mountain. “I’m really excited to get back into the start gate and get the competition season rolling!” Jaelin said. “Our team has been putting in a lot of work and training this off season and I think we’ve all made some really great improvements. My biggest challenge is just remembering my competition routine and getting back into the swing of things. The first event is always the hardest in that aspect. It’s been a while but I’m ready! I love competing, pushing out of the gate and giving it my all on comp day. It’s been a long prep season and I’m ready to put it all together on Saturday!”

The American women of the U.S. Moguls Team have represented the best female team on tour two seasons in a row - a title they’re proud of and excited to defend. Together Jaelin, Tess Johnson, Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar make up the #PowHERhouse, a force we wouldn’t want to reckon with. The most technically sound skier of the group and the youngest American freestyle athlete to medal at World Champs, Tess will be one to watch for a lesson in fundamentals. Olivia has been hammer focused on her training and all that hard work is paying off - her jump-ability is unmatched and her run, a back full to cork 7, is the highest degree of difficulty for the women, making for an exciting show. She looked so good during Tuesday’s training that the French team stayed to video it. Hannah is a natural-born skier, has skied over 100 days a year for the past 18 years (and she’s only 20), and will call upon all of that experience no matter what course wherever in the world she’s competing. 

The men’s team will look to re-establish themselves with new leaders emerging. Jesse Andringa is the top American man and hungry to prove himself as such to the world. “I am feeling stronger than ever going into this season and my goal is to show and prove that to the judges!” he said. “We have been doing a ton of training and prep for this season, including five weeks of training without seeing the sun up in Scandinavia at the top of the world. So we are all hoping these first couple comps shine some light on us!”

Making their World Cup debuts are new Team members Alex Lewis and Nick Page. Alex has a solid, technical ski base to draw from and isn’t afraid to push the limits. He’s focused and has the execution on snow to prove it. Nick has the tricks, the technique and the athleticism. He’s getting his first shot at the world stage and is going to put the international field on notice. 

The key to success for this moguls World Cup season will be execution. “We’ve thought a lot about this as a team,” said Matt. “No matter what trick an athlete throws or how fast they ski, being able to execute turns and jumps at a really high level and minimize mistakes will be crucial to make it onto the podium. We need to see athletes stomp their landings of their airs and immediately return to high level skiing - that will make the biggest difference.”

U.S. Starters
Jaelin Kauf
Tess Johnson
Olivia Giaccio
Hannah Soar
Jesse Andringa
Alex Lewis
Nick Page
Dylan Walczyk*
George McQuinn*
*non Team athlete

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST
Saturday, Dec. 7
9:00 a.m. - Men and women’s moguls, Ruka, FIN - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Attention has shifted from the HomeLight Killington Cup over to speed week at the Xfinity Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek, and the anticipation is high for three days of racing, including Friday’s super-G, Saturday’s downhill, and Sunday’s giant slalom. 

Up in Lake Louise, the women will tackle two downhills and a super-G Friday through Sunday. After successful training runs that saw two Americans - both male and female - with the fastest times on the day Wednesday, the quest will now be to search for more than just “fools gold” and get it done on race day. 

Coming from bib 25, Ryan Cochran-Siegle was able to get a solid and informative course report from his teammates about the terrain on this year’s downhill track. The jumps - including Harrier, Golden Eagle, and Talon - were all flying big this year. So much so, in fact, that the race organizer decided to shave them prior to what would have been the second training run on Thursday. Eventually, snow and fog came in, forcing the organizers to cancel the second and final training run, leaving the guys with just one look going into the weekend. “I know you’re all good with the terrain, and you’re bummed,” said Head Coach Randy Pelkey in the team meeting with a laugh.” It’s true that the American boys like to fly. 

“The terrain does kick in places, a lot...especially with the jumps too - big air, that I wasn’t expecting,” Ryan reflected, “so hearing the course report gave me some time to change my approach and I think that’s why it was fast today. It’s a little bit of fool’s gold, so just trying to focus on the skiing and not focus on anything else.”

Switching your mindset from training day to race day and amping up the intensity is what separates the men from the boys, and that'll be the trick this weekend. It takes a lot of mental fortitude in order to have the ability and confidence to hurl yourself down a mountain at nearly 100mph. When asked what downhill feels like, legend Bode Miller has said, "It's like sticking your head outside when you're driving down the highway." It's true. Imagine that, and now imagine it on a vertical ice rink wearing nothing but a tight suit. The intensity level will go up more than a few notches, and the Europeans will be ready to throw down. The Americans are happy with their start, but they'll be hunting for more than just fool's gold at Birds of Prey. 

“I’m definitely satisfied with my skiing in Lake Louise," said Ryan, who was 21st and 30th in super-G and downhill in Lake Louise, respectively. "You can’t complain when you score twice, but I think you always want more as a ski racer too, so I think taking it as it is and not trying to get overly confident or down on it either. I can trust it right now, and that’s all I need to be doing. The guy's intensities are incredibly high and there are guys that are going to be performing incredibly well on race day, so I think carrying good skiing and trusting that you’ll be able to build speed."

It's been a rough couple of years for the Americans, with injuries across speed and tech, and veteran Steven Nyman - who was ninth in Wednesdays first and only training run - is excited for the squad to dive in to the new season. He'll be bringing his secret weapon - dad strength (he's the father to a 2 1/2-year-old little girl named Nell) - into the weekend. 

“This is the healthiest the team has been in a while. We had a rough couple of years," Steven said after his training run. "I’ve done well here and had three podiums, but I’ve never won here - that’s obviously highly motivating to me. Just being here is motivating - that energy and desire to push for more, that heightened focus, it’s a place where I tend to switch things on. This year was the best I’ve ever done at Lake Louise in 10th, and I hope to switch it on here. It’s a fun hill, I see it, I understand it, it’s just a joy to ski - it’s one of the most well-rounded downhills on tour. It has the steeps, it has the flats, it has the terrain, long flights...especially off of Harrier. I wish they build up Red Tail and that thing’s big.”

On the men's tech side, Olympic champion Ted Ligety and Tommy Ford - who was a career-best fourth place at Soelden, Austria - will lead the charge. Teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle will start in all three events this weekend at Beaver Creek. George Steffey, who is returning from injury and has been working tirelessly in the gym and on snow to come back, will be starting in his career-first World Cup on Sunday in giant slalom. 

The women will kick off their speed season up in Lake Louise, led by veteran Alice McKennis and 2019 super-G world champion and 2019 super-G titleholder Mikaela Shiffrin. Alice Mckennis and Jackie Wiles will both be returning to competition after gnarly leg injuries had them each sidelined for the entire 2018-19 season. In the first of two training runs on Wednesday, Alice tied for first to lead the charge, with Mikaela on her heels by just .17 seconds back. Lake Louise has been a special venue for Mikaela Shiffrin, who won her career-first downhill on the track in 2017, and followed that up with a career-first super-G win in 2018 - cementing herself in history as the first athlete ever - male or female - to win in all six currently contested FIS Alpine Ski World Cup disciplines. Keep an eye on these ladies as they hunt for the podium. 

Additionally, Alix Wilkinson and Isabella Wright will each start in their first World Cup - in the downhill. Keely Cashman and AJ Hurt each have World Cup tech starts under their belts, but they will be starting in their first World Cup speed events as well. 

See below for all of the details on who and how to watch. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Tommy Biesemeyer - SG, DH
Bryce Bennett - DH
Ryan Cochran-Siegle - SG, DH, GS
Sam Dupratt - SG
Tommy Ford - SG, GS
Travis Ganong - SG, DH
Jared Goldberg - DH
Ted Ligety - SG, GS
Brian McLaughlin - GS
Sam Morse - DH
Wiley Maple - DH
Kyle Negomir - SG, DH
Steven Nyman - SG, DH
River Radamus - SG, GS
George Steffey* - GS 

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Keely Cashman - DH
AJ Hurt - DH, SG
Alice McKennis - DH, SG
Alice Merryweather - DH, SG
Mikaela Shiffrin - DH, SG
Jackie Wiles - DH, SG
Alix Wilkinson* - DH
Isabella Wright* - DH

*Denotes first World Cup start

MEN’S DH TRAINING
Run 1

Men's DH Start List
 

WOMEN’S DH TRAINING
Run 1
Run 2

Women's DH Start List

WATCH 
Check out the Xfinity Birds of Prey Opening Press Conference, brought to you by Land Rover.

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Official event hashtags: #bcworldcup, #worldcuplakelouise

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, Dec. 6
12:30 p.m. - Men’s super-G, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN, NBCSN.com,  NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 7
1:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel,  Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Women’s downhill, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app.

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Adrenaline junkies and Deadheads of Atlanta rejoice! Not only are U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Atlanta Braves bringing you Olympic-level skiing and snowboarding, but in partnership with Teton Gravity Research (TGR), will be premiering highly anticipated “Fire on the Mountain” in SunTrust Park ahead of freeski big air competition on Saturday, December 21. 

"We are excited to be sharing Fire on the Mountain and segments from Winterland on the huge screen at the Big Air competition in Atlanta,” said Todd Jones, Co-Founder of Teton Gravity Research. “Since we founded Teton Gravity Research 24 years ago, our mission has been to inspire - we look forward to bringing our films and the TGR energy to such a large scale event, in a region that isn't normally known for ski and snowboard events.”
 

  Tickets on sale now at Braves.com/visabigair
  More information at usskiandsnowboard.org/visabigair

“Fire on the Mountain” comes from the mind of Chris Benchetler, and this short film features a cast of some of the world’s best athletes on an improvisational journey of skiing, snowboarding, surfing, and music, complete with a soundtrack comprised of only Grateful Dead music. Narrated by Hall of Fame basketball player and television sportscaster Bill Walton, with music supervision by David Lemieux (audiovisual archivist and legacy manager for the Grateful Dead), “Fire On The Mountain” features some of action sports’ most legendary athletes: snowboarding’s Jeremy Jones, Kimmy Fasani, U.S. Snowboard Team alumnus Danny Davis, surfing icon Rob Machado, and skiers Michelle Parker and Chris Benchetler. This visual journey features never seen before visual effects within nature and original artwork by Benchetler and Skye Walker.
 

Attendees of Friday’s snowboard big air and Saturday’s free ski big air competitions will also be treated to segments of TGR’s newest feature-length film “Winterland” throughout the weekend. “Winterland” is a celebration of ski and snowboard culture just as is the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover. Spectators will not only be wowed by elite competition as skiers and riders complete tricks 80-100 feet through the air off of a 15-story steel scaffold jump covered in 800 tons of snow, but also by the insane visuals featured in these films. Through the partnership with TGR, fans from all sides of the ski and snowboard industry - competitive, big mountain and film - will have something to celebrate in what is sure to be the ultimate winter kick-off party in Atlanta. 

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Backing up his top-10 Saturday, Travis Ganong led three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the points, finishing 12th in the first FIS Ski World Cup super-G of the season at Lake Louise, Alberta, Sunday.

Austria’s Matthias Mayer won, followed by Dominik Paris of Italy in second, and for the second straight day, there was a tie for third - this time between Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria and Mauro Caviezel of Switzerland. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 21st, followed by Steven Nyman in 22nd. Thomas Biesemeyer, Bryce Bennett, Sam Dupratt and Kyle Negomir also started for the men but did not finish in the top 30. 

Up next, the men head to home soil for the classic Birds of Prey World Cup race - a favorite by many on the circuit - at Beaver Creek for three days of downhill, super-G and giant slalom races Dec. 6-8.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

STANDINGS
World Cup overall
World Cup super-G