It’s Back: The Beast of the East

The domestic FIS Ski World Cup races are underway this week, as the excitement builds for the tech women in Killington, Vermont and the American Downhillers in Lake Louise.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), who attended Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy, looks for victory on home soil, where she’ll be competing in front of family and friends—including her best friend who will be in Killington to watch the action. Last year, the World Cup returned to the east for the first time in 25 years, and Killington played host to a record number of fans. With 30,000 spectators over two days viewing the best women skiers in the world on the steep and difficult Superstar trail, the crowds were among the biggest North American skiing has seen.

Shiffrin will aim to defend her reign as slalom “Superstar” gained last year, and she also seeks redemption, after finishing fifth in the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria, and second behind Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in Levi, Finland. This weekend will also mark the World Cup debut of two young U.S. Ski Team athletes, including AJ Hurt (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.).

Up north in the picturesque Lake Louise, Canada, the American Downhillers prepare for their domestic speed series kickoff. The speed men will be led by Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah), who has been rehabbing his knee since a gnarly crash last year in Garmisch, Germany and Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley. Calif.), who has podiumed twice in Lake Louise. It is still unknown whether Nyman will kick out of the start gate on race day, but he plans to ski the training runs and see how he feels.

Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) and Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) both posted fast times in the recent FIS downhill races at Copper Mountain, Colorado, with Goldberg setting the pace in the first race, among a stacked field of Germans, Italians, Austrians and more.

Dan Hicks will call the action from Killington, Vermont, joined by analysts Bode Miller, the most decorated U.S. Olympic skier in history, and former U.S. Ski Team alumnus Steve Porino, and reporter Carolyn Manno.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will call the action in Lake Louise. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS – Killington
Giant Slalom
AJ Hurt*
Tricia Mangan
Megan McJames
Nina O’Brien
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler

Slalom
Katie Hensien*
Lila Lapanja
Megan McJames
Paula Moltzan
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler

MEN’S STARTERS – Lake Louise
Downhill
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman**
Andrew Weibrecht

Super-G
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Ted Ligety
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman**
Andrew Weibrecht

*Denotes first World Cup start
**TBD on return to competition

HOW TO WATCH (times ET)

2017 XFINITY KILLINGTON CUP
Saturday, Nov. 25
10 a.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
12:30 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, run 2 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
3 p.m. ET – Women’s giant slalom, runs 1 & 2 – NBC (same day delay)

Sunday, Nov. 26
10 a.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 1 – nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App
1 p.m. ET – Women’s slalom, run 2 – NBC / nbcsports.com / NBC Sports App

LAKE LOUISE MEN’S SPEED KICKOFF         
Saturday, Nov. 25
2:15 p.m. ET – Men’s Downhill – streamed LIVE on the Olympic Channel app // olympicchannel.com
5 p.m. ET – Men’s Downhill – Olympic Channel (same day delay)

Sunday, Nov. 26
2:00 p.m. ET – Men’s Super-G – streamed LIVE on the Olympic Channel app // olympicchannel.com
4:30 p.m. ET – Men’s Super-G – Olympic Channel (same day delay)