Eastern Region staff has aggregated some summary notes from this year's USSS Congress. This isn't intended to be an overview of some of the more major topics that were discussed. For a more exhaustive set of meeting minutes, agendas, and proposals, please see the USSS Congresss FTP site.

FTP site: https://media.usskiandsnowboard.org/Athletics/Alpine/Congress-2024

Congress Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j3DpHWG21kmSRdOstvTYz5MhQMb_wZohtLyzuDbQOvg/edit

Every year the release of the Masters National Speed Series schedule is highly anticipated. Speed races require more setup and resources to execute so the opportunities to race speed as an adult are limited. Masters speed racers plot out their season trying to hit as many of the speed races as possible, often having to adjust plans on a moments when races are rescheduled or canceled do to heavy snowfall. Just a few inches of snow with the right conditions can make a speed track unsafe for competition. As the saying goes... if you want snow, schedule a downhill! It is near impossible to pull off a full season of speed without any hiccups. 

The 2024 US Ski & Snowboard Alpine Masters National Speed Series, sponsored by A Racer's Edge, consisted a series of 23 SG and DH speed events, with races held in six divisions (PNSA, Far West, Intermountain, Rocky, Central, and Eastern). Heavy snow in the Far West and wet snow in the East and Pacific Northwest forced some cancelations we still had a solid 15 SG races at 8 resorts (Sun Valley, Granite Peak, West Mountain, Beaver Creek, Gore Mountain, Northstar, Breckenridge, and Mt. Bachelor) to contest the series. Unfortunately we were unable to host any of the DH races in 2024.

The 2024 A Racer's Edge National Speed Series overall champions are the top competitor in the overall group rankings for each group based on total world cup points accumulated in the series. Congratulations to the 2024 A Racer's Edge Speed Series Group Champions: Top finishers in overall standings

• Group C (all women): Andrea Levy (W02, EA).
• Group A/B (men age 20-64): Chris Maxwell (M08, IM)
• Group D (men age 65-80+): Jesse Scroggins (M09, PN)

The 2024 A Racer's Edge National Speed Series age class belt buckles are given to the top three competitors based on total world cup points accumulated in the series. Competitors must have at least three starts to be eligible for series awards.

• A/B men class champions
• D men class champions
• C women class champions

For full series results go to: usalpinemasters.org/2024/nss

Thank you to A Racer's Edge for sponsoring this year's speed series!

PARK CITY, Utah (April 24, 2024) – The Stifel U.S. Ski Team announced key staffing changes for the upcoming 2024-25 season across both the men’s and women’s alpine teams. 

Both alpine teams had a strong 2023-24 season, securing 10 World Cup wins, 21 podiums and 51 top 10 results in the World Cup across 11 athletes.

“We had a very good 2023-24 season and we are excited to build upon this success with these new hires,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty. “The coaches joining our organization are sure to make a positive impact on the future of our alpine programs.”

The team will be led by men’s head coach Mark Tilston and women’s head coach Paul Kristofic.

MEN

Longtime coach with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Ian Garner, is stepping down as the head men’s World Cup tech coach. Garner led the men’s tech team to some strong results across the board for several seasons, highlighted by River Radamus’ career best season this past year including his first podium . 

“We are so grateful for everything that Ian has done with the men’s World Cup team,” said Tilston. “His knowledge is invaluable to us and we look forward to collaborating with him as we make this transition.”

Stepping in as the head men’s World Cup giant slalom coach is Fabien Munier. Munier joins the Stifel U.S. Ski Team from the French Ski Federation where he has most notably worked with Olympic medalist, world champion and previous overall FIS Crystal Globe winner Alexis Pinterault, as well as the French Europa Cup speed and World Cup tech teams. 

Former French Ski Federation coach Claude Cretier also joins the men’s World Cup group. Cretier, an Olympic ski racer who finished fifth in the 2002 downhill, coached French greats such as Pinterault and Olympic medalist Victor Muffat-Jeandet. 

“Fabien and Claude’s background with the French Ski Federation shows that both have the experience and drive to make a positive impact on our team,” said Tilston. “We have a great group of athletes and Fabien and Claude will push our athletes to the next level of competition.”

On the men’s slalom side, Tristan Glasse-Davies joins the team as the head men’s slalom World Cup coach. Glasse-Davies most recently coached with GB Snowsports as the head men’s slalom coach for Dave Ryding as well as up-and-coming slalom skiers Billy Major and Laurie Taylor. Glasse-Davies has been key in Ryding’s slalom career, coaching him to one of the top slalom skiers in the world. Glasse-Davies was also a pivotal member of the team that claimed Great Britain’s first ever alpine World Cup win with Ryding at Kitzbühel in 2022. 

“It is exciting to have Tristan join our men’s slalom group,” said Tilston. “Tristan’s direction and experience is sure to help our slalom skiers reach their full potential.”

The men’s Europa Cup team will see new leadership under Clement Tomamichel. Tomamichel most recently coached with the French Ski Federation on the women’s development and Europa Cup teams. 

WOMEN

On the women’s alpine side, head tech coach Magnus Andersson has stepped down from his position. Andersson was a pivotal member of the women’s staff for eight years, leading the women’s tech team to a career-best season, first time podiums and Nations Cup discipline wins. “Through the years on the team Magnus has had an incredible impact on our athletes and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors” said Kristofic. Rudi Soulard has since been promoted to head women’s tech coach. Soulard was the assistant coach with the tech team in 2023-24 and made excellent strides with the staff and athletes alike.

His previous coaching experience includes head slalom coach for the French women’s team, coaching World Cup great Viktoria Rebensburg to two Olympic medals, two World Championship medals, 49 World Cup podiums and three giant slalom FIS Crystal Globes. Soulard is no stranger to the organization – he was also the head men’s tech coach with the Stifel U.S. Ski Team from 2008-10 where he worked with Ted Ligety as he secured two giant slalom Crystal Globes and a bronze medal at the 2009 Alpine World Championships.

“We are thrilled to have Rudi at the helm of our women’s tech team,” said Kristofic. “We know he will continue to build upon and raise the bar of this talented group of skiers.”  

Mikaela Shiffrin will bring in a new assistant coach this upcoming season with Janne Haarala, who most recently coached the Norwegian national team. He was the head women’s tech coach with the Norwegians for the past six years. 

“I’m super stoked to be part of the journey with the most successful alpine skier in the world,” said Haarala. “I am committed to working hard and sharing my experience and passion for alpine skiing with this team.” 

Finally, the women’s Europa Cup team will also have a new coach: Miha Kurner. Kurner joins the team from Killington Mountain School where he was the Alpine Program Director and U18 women’s coach. Kurner will bring a breadth of not just coaching experience but also his successful racing career where on the Slovenian Alpine Ski Team he raced on the Europa Cup and World Cup circuits. 

“We are very excited about the future of the alpine program with these excellent new hires,” said Patty. “These new staff additions build upon our previous success leading into a World Championships season and Olympic year on the horizon. Our teams are ready and equipped to begin prepping for the coming season.” 

A full staff announcement will be released this fall, in tandem with the official Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team announcement. 

As the sun shines and the snow starts to melt off the mountains, it's time to reflect on the success of the 2023-24 season for the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

In total, the alpine team brought home 10 World Cup wins, 21 podiums and 51 top 10 results across the men and women’s World Cup teams. With multiple career best seasons, overall ranks, first-time podiums and stellar comeback seasons, let’s take a look at how it all shook out. 

Men’s Alpine 

On the men’s tour this season, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team bagged three podiums, one World Cup win and 17 top 10 results. The season started off with a bang in Val Gardena, Italy for the men’s speed team when two-time Olympian Bryce Bennett won the first downhill of the season, his second World Cup win. Bennett did it in style coming from behind to upset speed superstars Marco Odermatt of Switzerland and Aleksander Kilde of Norway. (If you haven't seen the reaction video of this moment, it's worth a look.) Bennett followed up his win with a third place result just two days later on the same track. Also to note - Bennett made the second largest downhill rank leap this season from 37th to fifth in the world. 

Teammate and Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle also had a strong and consistent season. His best result was a fourth place in Kitzbühel, Austria in the first of two downhills, finishing just 0.01 seconds off a podium result. Both Bennett and Cochran-Siegle finished their downhill season with career best rankings: Bennett fifth in the discipline and Cochran-Siegle eighth. Younger athlete Kyle Negomir also made positive strides, finishing in the top 30 for super-G.  

Overall, it was a step in the right direction for the men’s speed team as a unit, closing the season with six men in the top 20 in the final downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway. The team finished fifth in the Nations Cup for downhill—just a few points off Austria in fourth. 

On the men’s tech side, River Radamus had his best ever season. Radamus consistently posted strong giant slalom results, all leading up to his first World Cup podium on home snow at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup where he scored third place. Radamus also dabbled in slalom, shooting up from bib 70 to 19th place in Adelboden, Switzerland and showed solid super-G results with a top 10 result in Garmisch, Germany. He finished his giant slalom season ranked 11th, his best rank to date. 

On the men’s slalom team, Jett Seymour continued to show his speed in the stacked men’s field with his best result coming at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup in 15th. 

It was an exciting season for the team’s young guns too. Up-and-coming tech skier Ryder Sarchett won gold at Junior Worlds in the giant slalom, the United States’ first gold in the discipline since Radamus in 2019. This victory enabled him to make his World Cup debut at World Cup Finals, when he scored the third fastest second run in the giant slalom, proving that he is ready for the big leagues. Jack Smith also made his World Cup debut this season in the super-G in Garmisch, Germany. 

Women’s Alpine

The women’s alpine season was highlighted by the winningest alpine skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin, claiming her record-equaling eighth slalom Crystal Globe—despite being out of the circuit for six weeks due to a knee injury. This season, Shiffrin again won more World Cups than any other woman on the circuit—nine victories across three disciplines, including a downhill, a giant slalom and seven wins in slalom. She now has 97 World Cup wins to her name, with an astounding win number 100 just around the corner.

AJ Hurt had a tremendous breakthrough year on the World Cup circuit, securing her first two World Cup podiums: one in slalom and one in giant slalom. She proved that she is a force on the women’s tech circuit across both disciplines. Teammate Paula Moltzan also showed immense speed and consistency this season, highlighted by her third career World Cup podium in the Soldeu, Andorra slalom race. Moltzan closed out her season with her best giant slalom result to date at World Cup Finals when she scored a sixth place result, her eighth top 10 result in the discipline. 

Although the women’s tech team was smaller this season due to injury setbacks, the women still won the Nations Cup for slalom for the second year in a row with three different women standing on the podium in slalom. A feat that has not happened since 1970 when Barbara Ann Cochran, Kiki Cutter and Jody Nagel all stepped on the podium in slalom that season. 

The women’s World Cup speed circuit was highlighted by Jackie Wiles who made a tremendous comeback this season, landing on the podium in the World Cup downhill in Cortina—the 2026 Olympic venue. Lauren Macuga also had a breakout season, with three top 10 results in super-G, including a fifth place in Kvitfjell, Norway. Macuga ended her season ranked 13th in the women’s super-G standings and qualifying for her first World Cup Finals. 

Tricia Mangan also had a great season on the Europa Cup circuit, securing two super-G podiums and one downhill podium. 

Young Talent

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team brought a few fresh faces to the World Cup tour this season. In the opener in Soelden, Austria, sister duo Elisabeth and Mary Bocock made waves in the ski racing world as they debuted together as the first sisters to make their World Cup debut together since 1999. Dasha Romanov also made her first World Cup start in the Levi, Finland slalom and Allison Mollin made her speed World Cup debut in Crans Montana, Switzerland. 

The future is bright for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. Along with the impressive World Juniors result by Sarchett and the number of World Cup debuts, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team claimed two NorAm Cup titles this season. Allison Mollin won both the super-G and downhill titles. 

Now the Stifel U.S. Ski Team looks to the future with a World Championships season looming and an Olympics year on the horizon. The team is fired up for a summer of prep and training to continue the fight to be the best in the world. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced their full support for Dexter Paine in his candidacy for the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) Council. 

As a visionary leader with a deep commitment to skiing and snowboarding and its athletes, Paine has been involved in governance at both the national and international levels for decades. He served as a member of the FIS Council Executive Committee from 2014-22 and has acted as an ex-officio honorary member from 2022 to the present. Throughout his time with FIS, Paine focused on transparency, communication and inclusivity, including championing for female representation on the Council, longer terms for athlete representatives and the inclusivity of Paralympic sports. 

Paine currently serves as a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Board of Directors (2021-present), is on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation Board (2002-24) and is actively involved in the Salt Lake City 2034 Olympic Winter Games bid. Previously, Paine was Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors (2006-19) and was on U.S. Biathlon’s Board of Directors (2020-24). He has extensive experience in event delivery as an Executive Committee member of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek, Colorado and the 2019 Freestyle, Freeski & Snowboard World Championships in Park City, Utah. 

Paine is the chairman at Paine Schwartz Partners and has more than 25 years of investment experience and 35 years in the private equity industry. In addition to his professional achievements, Paine is widely respected for his integrity, vision and dedication to the sport. His collaborative approach and strategic mindset have positioned him as a trusted leader within the skiing and snowboarding community.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors firmly believes that Paine’s extensive experience and unwavering passion make him the ideal person to represent the interests of athletes and federations worldwide, unanimously putting forward his candidacy. 

"Dexter Paine's dedication to the advancement of skiing and snowboarding is unparalleled,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President & CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “His leadership has consistently propelled our sports forward, and we know he will bring that same level of commitment and expertise to the FIS Council. We are proud to endorse Dexter and are confident in his ability to advocate effectively for the interests of athletes and federations around the world."

Gene Sykes, Chairman of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee, also voiced his support. "As an organization committed to supporting American athletes on the global stage, we recognize the importance of strong leadership within international federations,” said Sykes.
“Dexter’s proven track record of leadership and advocacy aligns perfectly with the values of the Olympic movement. We fully endorse Dexter's candidacy for the FIS Council and believe he will be an outstanding representative for skiing and snowboarding on the international level."

Olympic champion Kikkan Randall, who has served on the IOC Board, USOPC Board and FIS Council, echoed the sentiments: “Dexter has been an incredible leader and advocate for skiing and snowboarding across all levels. He understands the complex needs of all stakeholders and has always championed the athletes' voices in the process. He brings a wealth of experience, tremendous passion and dedication to making sport fair, safe and positioned for growth. Dexter is well respected across the sports universe and has been an excellent collaborator between organizations. I am proud to endorse Dexter’s candidacy.”

The election for the FIS Council takes place at FIS Congress on June 5, 2024. 

In Idre Fjall, Sweden, the Ski Cross Junior World Championships team found tremendous success both individually and in the team event, highlighted by a team event bronze medal from Morgan Shute and Jack Mitchell. 

In the individual competitions, two-time Youth Olympic Games silver medalist Shute claimed fifth place in the individual competition. The next top performer for the U.S. was Maggie Swain in 16th and Molly Hagan in 27th. On the men’s side, Jack Mitchell found the top 10 in ninth place. Walker Robinson was 21st and Sullivan Butler 37th. 

Shute, who hails from Carabassett Valley Academy, and Mitchell, from the Evolve SX/Mission Ridge Ski Team, teamed up together to snag the bronze medal in the team event. 

RESULTS
Ski Cross Junior World Championships

Congratulations to the USA athletes that achieved International ranking for the 2024 FIS Masters Cup Season!

Special congrats to Charlie Hauser (2nd in Age Class B12-RM), Knut Olberg (1st in Age Class B11-IM), Lydia Young (3rd in Age Class C10-RM) and Lisa Densmore Ballard (1st in Age Class C7-NO) for Winning Globes in their age class! Lisa was also 1st place for the women overall in SG! Knut and Lisa were on site in Reiteralm, AUT at the FMC Finals to receive their globes in person.

See the full 2024 FMC Final Standings! USA Ranked athletes shown here:

Results from the USA FIS Masters Cup in Beaver Creek can be found at: usalpinemasters.org/2024/fismasters

Full results from all FIS Masters Races

Here are the USA racer results summary from this season!