The International Ski Federation (FIS) confirmed the 2020-21 World Cup Calendars across all disciplines during the FIS Autumn Meetings, which took place online September 23 - October 9. The 2020-21 alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeski, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping calendars are live and available online at fis-ski.com. 

Freestyle, freeski, and snowboard World Cup competition are set to return to the United States for the 2020-21 season. Three American venues are scheduled to host 22 starts between genders, with freeski and snowboard competitions at Copper Mountain, Colo., and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Calif., and freestyle competitions at Deer Valley Resort, Utah. Previously announced, the FIS Alpine World Cup tour will remain in Europe this season. 

The 2020-21 competition season will look different than in years past due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working closely with its resort partners and local health authorities to provide competition environments that adhere to required guidelines. 

“The impacts of COVID-19 have been felt across the global sports world, and after having our 2019-20 season cut short, we are especially fortunate to have the opportunity to host events on home snow this season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We are grateful to our resort partners in their commitment to providing world-class freestyle, freeski and snowboard competition, and highlighting the talents of our amazing athletes. We have seen success in other sports resuming and are learning from them. COVID-19 has challenged us to be more nimble in our planning, and while we can definitely say what we are doing one week from now, we understand circumstances may change months from now. We are working closely with FIS, our resort partners and local health authorities to plan what these events will look like, and look forward to sharing that information when available.”

The 2020-21 Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix is expected to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year with snowboard and freeski slopestyle and halfpipe competition returning to Copper Mountain, Colo., in December and Mammoth Mountain, Calif., in February.

As is tradition, the first halfpipe World Cup is scheduled from Dec. 16-19 at Copper Mountain, Colo. pending local and state approvals. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the halfpipe competitions at Copper Mountain this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties. 

The second annual Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover is also planned for Copper Mountain the weekend of Dec.17-19, pending local and state approvals, and is scheduled to feature both freeski and snowboard World Cup big air competition. The 2020 edition of the Visa Big Air will benefit from natural snow conditions and Woodward Copper’s jump building expertise. Copper Mountain has proved itself as a world-class big air venue and even hosted an Olympic qualifier in the lead up to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the big air competitions at Copper Mountain this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties.

From Feb. 3-6, the Grand Prix is positioned to return to the park and pipe mecca that is Mammoth Mountain, Calif. and the famed Unbound Terrain Parks for slopestyle and halfpipe competition, pending local and state approvals. U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro, Judd Henkes, Toby Miller, Dusty Henricksen, Sonora Alba, and Carly Margulies all call Mammoth Mountain home and year after year look forward to competing on home snow. 

The FIS Freestyle World Cup is set to return for its 23rd year at Deer Valley Resort on the storied White Owl and Champion courses, pending local and state approvals. The 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International is planned for February 4-6, with moguls Feb. 4, aerials Feb. 5, and dual moguls Feb. 6. Competitions will take place during the day, a notable change from what are historically night events under the lights. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the freestyle competitions at Deer Valley this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes that COVID-19 has impacted different parts of the country in different ways and with different timing, and therefore specific event information will be forthcoming as each local organizing committee works through its specific protocols. All events are contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, local organizing committees, and host venues are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

2020-21 FIS World Cup Calendars

• Alpine

• Cross Country

• Freestyle

• Freeski

• Snowboard

• Nordic Combined

• Ski Jumping

Helpful Resources

• U.S. Ski & Snowboard COVID-19 Information

• FIS COVID-19 Information

Salt Lake City, Utah - Wintersteiger, official supplier to U.S. Ski & Snowboard and exclusive tuning partner for the Center for Excellence, will again be offering equipment support at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at official training site Copper Mountain, Colo. during the fall training block this year. Wintersteiger’s World Cup dominance and support of the U.S. Ski Team make them the obvious machine tuning choice for both the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team and any race programs training at Copper Mountain.

Wintersteiger returns to Copper Mountain with Racing Technician Mike Beers and Swix Alpine Director Graham Lonetto to offer a full complement of services: ski evaluation, new ski prep, stone grinding, ceramic disc edging, and Wax Future cycling. These technicians will have a complete range of state-of-the-art tuning equipment, including a Scout Plus. The Wintersteiger Scout offers the highest caliber ceramic disc finishing for the most precise tuning of side and base edges as well as World Cup proven grinds to ensure the smoothest, fastest base possible.

Last season during the month of November, hundreds of skis were evaluated and, as a result, many of those skis were tuned by professional technicians onsite. “It was an amazing service for our up-and-coming athletes, many of whom have not received this type of ski preparation before," offered Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “For 2020, we are excited to continue and grow our partnership with Wintersteiger and Swix at Copper and beyond.”

The temporary shop in Copper will supplement Wintersteiger’s established partner locations in Colorado that are using the same machinery and processes found in factory race rooms around the world. With the ultimate goal of minimizing equipment as a variable in the racing success equation, it is critical that the machines local shops utilize are as serious as the athletes they service. 

More information on location, services, and timing will be available on the US Ski Team, Wintersteiger, and Swix social media pages.  To schedule service at Copper, please contact Mike Beers – mike.beers@wintersteiger.com. 

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With four decades of experience and more than 30,000 ski tuning machines sold worldwide—including 1500 automated ski tuning machines—Wintersteiger is the global market leader in racing service solutions. The Austrian, German, and US Ski Teams as well as ski manufacturers Atomic, Fischer, Head, Rossignol, and Salomon rely on the highest-quality results provided by Wintersteiger ski tuning machines to achieve competition success.

Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was featured among female sports legends in Sports Illustrated's recently launched "The Unrelenting" issue, introducing their list of "the most powerful, most influential and most outstanding women in sports right now—the game-changers who are speaking out, setting the bar and making a difference." 

As Sports Illustrated states, 

“Everyone thinks women should be thrilled when we get crumbs, and I want women to have the cake, the icing and the cherry on top, too.”

Those were the words famously spoken by tennis legend Billie Jean King in 1970 as she led a crusade calling for female players to earn equal prize money. Throughout her career and in the decades since that proclamation, King has championed equality and social justice and her efforts have created opportunities for both women and the LGBTQ community—and at age 76, she’s still charging on.

That’s why King kicks off The Unrelenting, Sports Illustrated’s list celebrating the women in sports who are powerful, persistent and purposeful in their pursuits—for athletic greatness, gender equality, social justice and more. Women who are innovating, influencing and inspiring. Women who are showing up, speaking out, setting the bar and making a difference, both inside and outside of competition.

From athletes and activists, to executives, coaches and more, the group of honorees is diverse and spans a variety of sports and fields, but all of the women share a common thread: They’re all changing the game.

Athletes and game-changers like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Megan Rapinoe, Simone Biles, Allyson Felix, and beyond, were mentioned in the article, and Mikaela posted on Twitter Wednesday that she's honored to be featured among them. 

Wow. 🙇‍♀️
It’s such an honor to be mentioned alongside legends like @BillieJeanKing, @serenawilliams, @naomiosaka, @Simone_Biles, @allysonfelix + more. Humbled. Thank you so much, @SInow. And thank you to all of those who paved the way for us in sport. 😊 https://t.co/yiUQLBm3fc

— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) October 7, 2020

Back in February, Mikaela did a shoot with Sports Illustrated for their March cover. It was February 1st, 2020—an unusually warm day in Alpe Cimbra, Trentino, Italy, home of the official European training base for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Olympic and World Champion and FIS Ski World Cup overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin was there to begin a training block, but she was also there to achieve yet another career-first: become the first Olympic athlete in this sport era to receive a solo Sports Illustrated cover outside of an Olympic year.

The evening of that shoot, Mikaela and her mother Eileen received a call that would change their lives forever and bring their world to a screeching halt. Mikaela's father Jeff had been in an accident. They traveled back to Colorado on the first flight they could, to spend their last hours with their beloved father and husband. Greg Bishop, from Sports Illustrated, wrote a beautiful piece for the cover issue. 

Throughout the last several months, Mikaela has announced her involvement as a Kindness Wins Champion with Kindness Wins, auctioned off gear to help those affected by COVID in her home state of Colorado, wrote songs dedicated to Barilla factory works in Italy to help them keep their spirits up, played music, spoke out against social injustice on social media, helped to launch the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in her father's honor—a fund created to help bridge the funding gap created as a result of COVID-19 setbacks for all athletes across all U.S. Ski & Snowboard sports, and more. Fast forward to Sports Illustrated's "The Unrelenting" issue, just released. 

The youngest slalom champion in Olympic history; the youngest skier to earn 50 World Cup race wins; the first skier—of any gender—to earn $1 million in prize money in a single season; the girl who for years has worn an ABFTTB (“Always Be Faster Than the Boys”) decal  on her helmet: It’s no secret that Shiffrin dominates her sport like no other athlete. After her father’s unexpected death in February and cancellations due to the coronavirus, the 25-year-old has confronted the many challenges of 2020 head on. With a changed perspective, Shiffrin is using her platform to make a difference, developing a more powerful, outspoken voice on racism and social justice and creating the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in honor of her father, to help athletes who have been impacted by the pandemic.

Read the full article on si.com.

Sadie Maubet Bjornsen has learned quite a bit during the past nine seasons on the FIS Cross Country World Cup circuit, including the glamorous, and not so glamorous, side of living out of a suitcase for months at a time while competing throughout Europe.

Over the past nine years, she has also scored World Cup points (top 30) at more than 150 races, in addition to a dozen podium results. So it’s safe to say the World Cup school of hard knocks has taught her quite a bit. Now, she is taking that knowledge to the next level as she’ll apply a more strategic, tactical approach to the 2020-21 season. 

“I have shaped a plan that will entail a different path than normal for competing on the World Cup circuit this season. I will spend more time at home in Alaska preparing for the season, which includes missing Period One (late November through December events) of the World Cup season.”
- Two-time Olympian Sadie Maubet Bjornsen

This year, the 2021 FIS Cross Country World Championships take place in late February - a couple of weeks later than in the past. World Championships events are Sadie’s number one goal for the season, and she knows that competing at the World Cup level for a full three months before World Championships would be a challenge to prepare her body and mind to compete at her fullest potential.

“Between the challenges we are facing with COVID-19 right now, and some persistent overuse injuries I have been working through during the summer and fall training, this plan will provide me the extra months to get my body in the place it needs to be for the World Championships,” she said. “I will certainly miss some of my favorite races of the year, but am confident this balanced approach will allow me to perform at my best at the World Championships.”

As she enters her 10th year of competing at the highest level of the sport and eyeing the potential of competing in her third Olympic Winter Games, this new strategy will also provide her the opportunity to enjoy more family time, including time with her husband Jo, and keeping a promise that she made to herself last season - spending the holidays at home with her family. 

“I have to look at the sustainability of that type of lifestyle,” she said of competing and traveling for months on end throughout Europe. “Also, when you’re 30 years old, your family starts meaning a lot to you, and spending time with them is important. I haven’t enjoyed Christmas with my family in nine years, so I’m looking forward to enjoying the holidays with them.”

When Sadie returns to Europe, she will be based out of France with Jo, and while racing she will continue her studies for the CPA exam and working towards her Master’s Degree in business. When this past season was cut short due to COVID-19, she put her accounting degree to good use, working at the CPA firm - which she admits helped her to avoid a potential midlife crisis.

“It’s been really nice because when I get injured, it's really hard not to get bummed out about it because our jobs depend on our bodies and being healthy,” she said. “Plus, (working) allows me some time to see a different perspective and having to learn and be OK with not knowing and asking questions. But, I’m also looking forward to getting back to racing and rejoining my teammates in Europe.”

Live Like Sam Day, created in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Live Like Sam Foundation, is coming up Saturday, Oct. 10. For this year’s second-annual celebration, the organization is not only honoring the legacy of the late internationally-ranked freeskiing champion, Sam Jackenthal, but is celebrating the nonprofit’s renewed focus on providing educational programming and mental wellness initiatives for youth communities.

On Oct. 10, 2015, the Park City community came together for Sam Jackenthal’s Celebration of Life following his sudden passing during a tragic skiing accident in Australia. While his death left behind a huge hole in the hearts of his fellow Parkites, his father, Ron Jackenthal, was determined to honor his legacy of love, kindness, community, and self-compassion by giving back to youth in need. In 2019, the Live Like Sam Foundation officially launched, getting support from partners all over the nation, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard, USASA, Vail Resorts, Woodward Camp, and many more.

Since the organization’s founding, Live Like Sam has provided more than $100,000 in merit and needs-based scholarships to deserving youth who exemplify the Live Like Sam core values of character, athletics, responsibility, and education. U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s core values of integrity, passion, fun, team, excellence, and grit closely align with Live Like Sam’s mission, making the partnership between the two organizations a perfect fit.

“I am very excited to have such a great partnership with Live Like Sam and we are looking forward to what future collaboration will bring,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director of Sport Education Gareth Trayner. “The mental health and wellbeing of our athletes, coaches and members is of critical importance to us and we are always looking for ways to better resource and support our communities. The incredible wealth of material that Live like Sam is producing will play a pivotal role as we move forward in building the next generation of lifelong lovers of sport."

As Live Like Sam looks to the future, the organization has big plans to help youth communities gain access to mental wellness resources so they can become emotionally, socially, and mentally fit for adulthood. Part of the foundation’s renewed focus includes a commitment to develop educational programming that aims to destigmatize mental wellness and help youth communities strengthen their coping mechanisms through practicing self-compassion.

“We’re not an organization focused on loss, we’re an organization focused on life,” explains Ron. “Sam is so full of life: Even after his passing, he is still making a positive impact on people’s lives. Our goal is to help others live a positive, compassionate life like Sam’s, and part of that means creating the tools and resources for them to do exactly that.”

On Oct. 10, Live Like Sam invites everyone to celebrate Live Like Sam Day either online or by attending the live event at Utah Olympic Park from 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m MDT. The day encourages people to put self-compassion and kindness first by performing acts of self-love and random acts of kindness. For those participating online, the organization has provided a list of self-compassion and random acts of kindness activities that people can use as a source of inspiration to celebrate the day. You can get involved by posting about your celebration online using #LiveLikeSamDay. Live Like Sam is also hosting a silent auction online for those unable to attend the live event in-person. The silent auction features more than 50 auction items valued at more than $50,000, and all proceeds collected will go towards furthering the Live Like Sam mission to champion mental wellness in youth communities. Learn more about the Live Like Sam Foundation by visiting www.livelikesam.org.
 

On September 21, two-time Olympic champion and Land Rover ambassador Mikaela Shiffrin announced the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in honor of her father who tragically passed away on February 2, 2020. Several international publications, including The New York Times, featured the launch of the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund.

A longtime friend of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and esteemed journalist Bill Pennington, wrote an exclusive about Mikaela, the fund, finding her voice and speaking out on social media, as well as her return to competition amidst all of the unknowns associated with COVID-19 and beyond. 

Bill wrote, 

Usually at this time of year, Mikaela Shiffrin, the seven-time Olympic and world ski champion, is building the mental fortitude to dominate another ski racing season.

But the last several months have staggered and changed Shiffrin, 25. In February, while she was competing in Europe, her father, Jeff, died in an accident at home in Colorado. After taking a six-week break from competition, Shiffrin decided to return to racing only to have the season’s final events canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, denying her a last chance to defend her multiple World Cup titles.

Returning to Colorado, Shiffrin — in a first — found a more potent voice on social media in support of calls for racial justice. Many of her followers, used to cheerful workout or dance videos, mounted a bitter backlash. Shiffrin’s response: “Wanna ‘Unfollow?’ I’ll see you to the door.”

The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund campaign will benefit ALL athletes across ALL sports at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Bill continued, 

The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, launched by U.S. Ski and Snowboard, the governing body for several Olympic winter sports, is meant to assist athletes in multiple sports whose training was cut short this year or whose travel expenses have skyrocketed in the pandemic. The fund was started by six families with a history of making winter sports donations who offered to match contributions raised through the website up to $1.5 million.

New safety guidelines and travel restrictions have ballooned the cost of transporting roughly 175 American winter sports athletes around the globe.

Tiger Shaw, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard president and chief executive, said coronavirus testing protocols alone would add $1 million to his budget. A mandated quarantine for a single team arriving in Europe from the United States might mean the added expense of housing and feeding 45 athletes and staff for 14 additional days. Adding to the fiscal strain, the organization’s biggest fund-raising events cannot be held as usual because of social distancing practices.

“We don’t want any of our athletes to feel at a disadvantage heading to the Olympics, which are coming up fast,” Shiffrin said. “We want the fund to bring awareness to how much resiliency is out there right now because everybody has conquered so much this year. Obviously, on a personal level, I feel that.”

Read the full piece on NYTimes.com.

Beyond the New York Times, Mikaela made several appearances on other media outlets to announce the new fund, including the following:

TODAY Show
Rich Eisen Show
On Her Turf
MSN
Yahoo News
Olympic Channel

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team took to the mountains of Austria for their annual team cohesion camp or “Rad Camp” from Sept 16-30. Rad Camp is a series of cross-training activities that lets the riders test their skills, develop a strong team culture, as well as have a ton of fun. 

“To be competitive in snowboarding, an athlete has to be able to spend a lot of time outside of their comfort zone," said U.S. Snowboardcross Team Head Coach Peter Foley. “I like to find activities that the athletes might not be as familiar with so that they build up more experience facing uncomfortable situations and finding success in those areas. I feel like this prepares them for when it comes time to face the competitive pressures and straight-up gnarliness of doing what they do at the highest level of their sport.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Peter Foley (@peterfoleyusa) on Sep 19, 2020 at 5:47am PDT

U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team member Hagen Kearney shared the importance of being in the right headspace before strapping into his board.

“Rad Camp was awesome,” said Hagen. “I feel like whenever we do action sport related activities together and get out of our comfort zones, it helps us be in a better mental state going into training on snow. “

 

 

 

 

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Some from the canyoneering trip

A post shared by Anna Miller (@annamillersbx) on Sep 23, 2020 at 9:20am PDT

In addition to the mental aspect, Peter feels strongly about the physical training benefits related to off-snow activities, especially as it relates to the other gravity-driven sports. This time around the team took on mountain biking, cable park wakeboarding, canyoneering, and hiking. 

“We did a bunch of mountain biking, which we feel is super valuable as another training aid,” said Peter. “For the athletes to be negotiating varied terrain, bank turns, jumps, doubles, etc. at speed is a huge benefit. Given the amount of time they can spend in an actual boardercross course during a year is very limited, it’s especially crucial we experience these elements as much as possible. The team also engaged in various activities including a really cool day of hiking in some high Austrian peaks, as well as spent an amazing day canyoneering,”

 

 

 

 

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Got after it yesterday in the canyon with my @ussnowboardteam teammates! Big mission with crazy natural rock water slides, some epic repelling, via ferrata, and solid cliff jumps like this one! (And yeah, the water was 🥶) Thanks for such an epic time @james_woodford38 🤘. 📷 @peterfoleyusa #austria #canyoning #cliffjumping #feelfreemoments

A post shared by Senna Leith (@sennaleith) on Sep 22, 2020 at 9:03am PDT

One new component of Rad Camp this year was the cross-team collaboration that took place at Area 47, the largest outdoor adventure park in Austria located in Ötztal-Bahnhof. Riders across the snowboardcross and the slopestyle teams tackled the cable park, where professional wakeboarder and U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Fynn-Bullock Womble put on a clinic. 

“We had a super fun day where we teamed up with the slopestyle crew for a session of wakeboarding in a cable park,” said Peter.  “It was really cool for the two groups to session it together. Fynn Bullock-Womble is insanely good, so it was rad for everyone to get to ride with him.”

U.S. Snowboard Slopestyle Pro Team member Dusty Henricksen has fully enjoyed getting a taste of Rad Camp and infusing cross-training into his regiment. 

“It's been a blast hanging out with the team out here in Austria,” said Dusty. “We’ve been playing games of S-K-A-T-E in the parking lot to pass some time. We've been able to snowboard Hintertux, hit the Banger Park airbags, and go to Area 47, which has every outdoor activity you could imagine. We even had an insane day at the cable park with the snowboardcross team where everyone was ripping.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lindsey Jacobellis (@lindseyjacobellis) on Sep 29, 2020 at 8:11am PDT

Following Rad Camp, Peter and the team settled into Saas-Fee, Switzerland, for a long training block. They are aiming for 16 days of on-course training. Stay tuned for more news from Saas-Fee camp across U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s social media channels. 

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Over the years American Downhillers have created history and built a reputation as fearsome competitors. It’s a captivating story that is brought together for the very first time in the full-length movie – ‘The American Downhiller’, which will premier online on October 2 at 12pm EDT.
 
The ‘American Downhiller’ mission is to empower young ski racers and create a speed-skiing platform for future generations. Supported by the best current and former downhill ski racers and coaches, the objective is to support the careers of young ski racers through curiosity, passion, and tenacity. 
 
“As a kid being a downhiller was always a dream of mine. From being inspired by American Downhillers ahead of me, like AJ Kitt, Tommy Moe, Daron Rahlves, and Bode Miller, and then being one of those leaders myself, is a dream come true. Starting this movement with Marco Sullivan to pay homage to the American Downhillers of the past is very meaningful to me, and has helped me become who I am in my life, and which can hopefully inspire others.” Steven Nyman, US downhill skier/American Downhiller

 

The American Downhiller story is one steeped in history, and with some of the all-time greats of US downhill skiing cast as the main characters, the full-length movie provides an insight into the world of speed, emotion, inspiration, and, above all, the respect that bonds the athletes and the community that supports them.
 
Elizabeth Reeder, Global Sports Marketing manager, POC, added – “We are delighted to support and present the American Downhiller film in its full, feature-length form. American Downhillers, from years gone by to the current generation, are incredible characters and athletes and their story is an inspiration which we hope it will impact many generations to come.”
 
The ‘American Downhiller’ film takes us through the history, back to before the advent of the World Cup and how the tradition of American men competing on European soil has formed a camaraderie that spans the test of time.
 
“Being an American Downhiller is joining a life-long brotherhood. If you have raced World Cup Downhill tracks you understand what it takes and it gives everyone a level of respect for each other no matter what generation you came from.” added Jared Goldberg, American Downhiller.
 
‘American Downhiller - only conviction can make gravity faster’

The American Downhiller – Film Premiere: How to Watch 
The film premiered today, nationwide, on U.S. Ski & Snowboard's YouTube channel. 

American Women's Legacy in Speed 
Of course, no story about the legacy of American Downhillers can be told without sharing the stories of the women's team and the legacy they've created, which includes the likes of Penelope Theresa "Penny" Pitou, Cindy Nelson, Picabo Street, Julia Mancuso, and of course—the G.O.A.T. of downhill—Lindsey Vonn. 

Penelope Theresa "Penny" Pitou, who in 1960 became the first American skier to win a medal in the Olympic downhill event. We'd be remiss not to mention Cindy Nelson, who became the first U.S. downhiller—man or woman—to win a World Cup in downhill in 1974, and paved the way for others, like Olympic Champion Picabo Street, to carry the torch. Picabo was not only an Olympic gold medalist in downhill, but also a World Champion downhiller, and a two-time FIS Ski World Cup downhill titleholder. To date, the incredible Julia Mancuso is the most decorated big event skier in American history. In all, she has four Olympic gold medals (one downhill silver medal), five world championship medals and 36 World Cup medals in a 19-year career. 

And finally, Lindsey, a downhill icon. Lindsey is one of only six women to have won World Cup races in five disciplines of alpine skiing—downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined. During her career, she won 82 World Cup races, just behind the Swedish great Ingemer Stenmark (86 victories). With 43 downhill victories, she has the most downhill wins—man or woman—of all time. With her Olympic gold and bronze medals, two World Championship gold medals in 2009 (plus three silver medals in 2007 and 2001), and four overall World Cup titles, Lindsey is the most successful American ski racer and considered one of the greatest skiers of all time.

This rich history in women's speed success has also created a solid foundation and for two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who currently sits in fourth on the all-time win list with 66 victories (including two downhill victories). Mikaela is the only skier—man or woman—to win across all disciplines, including slalom, parallel, giant slalom, alpine combined, downhill and super-G. 

Olympic (1984, Sarajevo) giant slalom gold medalist Deb Armstrong shared her thoughts on many of the female achievements we can expect to see in future storytelling about American Downhillers. 

Standing in the start gate of the PyeongChang Olympic downhill for the final training run prior to his first Olympic bid, Thomas “BZ” Biesemeyer was hopeful. That start gate moment, in and of itself, was an accomplishment...the culmination of countless hours of hard work, or the “grind” as BZ refers to it. It was cold that day in PyeongChang, South Korea. He took a deep breath and pushed out of the start gate. 

And then, it happened. 

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, though, with a sport full of variables like alpine ski racing, it usually isn’t. The downhill was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday, but with wind gusts reaching nearly 50 mph, it was postponed to the following Thursday. And so, in the final “optional” training run on Wednesday, just one day before BZ would get the chance to show the entire world what he was made of, he crashed, hit his head, and was knocked out. Soon after, he got up, trying to piece it back together, and he couldn’t feel his foot. It was his Achilles. It was that moment that kind of marked the beginning of the end of BZ’s career, if “end” is even the right word for it. 

As of Thursday, BZ has announced that he will be stepping away from the sport of ski racing. For now. 

BZ got the look for the Development Team unexpectedly as an invitee when he was 18-years-old, and skyrocketed straight from invitee status to the B Team the following year. That’s a trajectory most athletes don’t experience, and BZ himself forgot about until he reflected on his career this spring. Many athletes hang at the NorAm level and then dip their toes in the Europa Cup water before diving into World Cup-land. BZ was different. 

He was ranked top-30 when he was 22-years-old in super-G and snagged a 13th-place finish in super-G at World Championships in Schladming, Austria in 2013, but later was plagued with injury. During his 12-year career, BZ was a consistent FIS Ski World Cup point-scorer in both downhill and super-G, which was highlighted by a career-best top-10 (eighth) result in Santa Caterina, Italy in 2016, as well as an 11th-place in the Xfinity Birds of Prey super-G at Beaver Creek, Colo. in 2015 on that historical day where teammates Ted Ligety and Andrew Weibrecht went two and three, and Travis Ganong was sixth, as the Americans stacked four into the top-11. 

Like most hard-charging speed skiers, BZ has dealt with—and overcome—his fair share of injuries. He was injured prior to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, and then again prior to the 2014 Sochi Games when he tore his ACL, MCL, lateral meniscus, and medial meniscus. This injury required two years of recovery and was still painful. His career includes back surgery, shoulder surgery, and a broken jaw, plus more. 

Heading into the super-G of the World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland, BZ felt good. He was having his best season yet. He felt strong. He felt confident. He felt like he could do something special. When he stepped into the start gate, he believed in himself. As he neared the finish line, he planted a pole and his shoulder gave out. It was just 20 seconds from the finish line, and he was in podium contention. The pain was excruciating. The first thing he asked when he arrived at the finish tent and actually registered what had happened was, “How was my time, though? Was my time at least good?!” I was in the tent with him. What do you say to that? Do you lie? Nope. “Yes,” I said, “BZ, it was very good. Like, really fast.” 

BZ felt like if he had done well at World Championships in St. Moritz, it would have been validation that his road, which wasn’t an easy one and was riddled with heartbreak, was worth the pain and that he would have the confidence to move into the next phase of his career, with more consistency. After multiple knee injuries, back surgeries, he was in a position to win a medal at World Champs, and then to get hurt again, made him feel like any belief he could have gained was lost. 

Anyone who knows BZ knows he’s intense. He says he’s often criticized for being “intense and competitive,” but that’s the reason he loved training with the Norwegian team. He praised coaches like Forest Carey and Ian Garner (of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team tech team) for doing an incredible job at ensuring their athletes get the best possible training conditions and pivoting if that’s what they needed. BZ is indeed intense, and fiercely competitive, making it fun to watch him compete. Often the fastest on any training day, he demands excellence, trains hard, and finds joy in the work. 

But after his Achilles injury, it was challenging. A nagging staph infection leading to multiple surgeries delaying his preparation, and his return to the mountain was anything but easy. He scored a couple of times in his comeback season and lost his funding with the U.S. Ski Team. With multiple finishes just outside of the points (the top-30), his frustration grew. 

“When you do it on your own, it’s a struggle. It’s really hard,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of energy, and money—it’s more the money that’s spent and required to do a good job, that makes it really difficult. And what it really comes down to, I mean, when I was standing in the start gate, a lot of times, I just didn't feel prepared. And I was like, ‘F*ck, why am I feeling like this?’ It was more frustration with the lack of preparation and confidence than it was him not wanting to be a World Cup ski racer anymore. 

The lack of performance was grinding BZ down to a point where he would get in the start gate of a race he was about to reach speeds of 100mph in, and have little confidence. And then, he crashed in Wengen in January 2020 and tweaked his knee. His first thought?! “Sh*t.” He knew that with repetition, he would eventually put in some results and that he could build off and regain the momentum that he lost from the Olympics when he tore his Achilles.

He went back home to Keene, N.Y, to rehab his tweaked knee in hopes he could give it one more shot at the end of the season. He traveled to Kvitfjell, Norway in early March for the final speed series of the FIS Ski World Cup season, but he did not feel ready to step into the start gate of a World Cup downhill. When COVID struck, and most were devastated with the abrupt end of the season, BZ said he felt relief. 

“I was SO tired mentally from the sport, and what I put into it, especially this spring,” BZ said. “When COVID hit, it was a relief for me. I was not ready to race at that time." After that, he went home and hunkered down. He started to do other things. He reflected. A lot. He thought, “Oh wow, I probably should have treated that person better, or handled that situation differently, or worked harder there, or I worked as hard as I could have there…”—it was some much-needed self-reflection, and it was a positive experience. 

And then he tried to get back into it. He tried to work out this summer, but he didn’t feel like his heart was there. As his former teammates went to Zermatt, Switzerland for a camp and he watched their Instagram stories, he wondered how he’d respond. He might have surprised himself a little bit when he wasn’t losing sleep over the fact that he wasn’t there. He says he doesn’t know what it will be like to watch the races unfold, and that he’s curious to know how it will feel to “...just be on the sidelines, not from injury, but by my own choice. I’m not sure...maybe it will create a fire in me and I’ll think, ‘Wow, I made a horrible mistake—I have to get back there,’ he said. “That may sound ridiculous, but if that is the case, I’m prepared to be like, ‘alright, I’m going to get my sh*t together and do what it takes to make a run at this.’” 

So, is this retirement for Thomas Biesemeyer?! “I’m not entirely shutting the door, but I’m taking a break right now...and most likely retiring,” he said. And it hasn’t all been tough...there’s been a lot of positives along the way, too. 

Like most athletes, he will miss the team the most. “I’ll miss the guys...I think what is so cool about being on the Team is that you share your dream with teammates who have the same dream. And that’s what makes it tough, but that’s what makes it cool. You understand each other without having to ask questions. We each have the same issues—insecurities, sacrifices, relationship issues—so that connection, without having to get to know someone you know who they are...because it’s you, just in a different body.”

BZ remembered his first-ever ski camp with the U.S. Ski Team as a fond memory. It was at Official Training Site Mammoth Mountain, Calif., with the World Cup crew. He recalls teammate and friend/Olympic Champion Ted Ligety, as well as Steven Nyman and Marco Sullivan being there, “...guys in the peaks of their career—they were roommates...I was 20 years old or whatever, and I felt like I was a part of that group...I came back from that camp to my room, and it was very surreal,” he said. “And I was like, ‘I should probably take their posters off my wall, or should keep them on?’ I was sort of conflicted..like where am I on this spectrum?! I was in a position where I was trying to learn from them but also trying to be competitive with them, and beat them...and here I have their posters on my wall.”

BZ wants to thank sponsors Atomic and Rossignol (he started on Rossi and skied on them for 22 years), Windham, Aztech, and his parents—his biggest sponsors. He gives major props to numerous coaches along the way, including his childhood coaches, Jimbo Johnston and David Smith, Tommy Eckfeldt—Bernd Brunner, Josh Applegate, Forest Carey, Sasha Rearick, John “Johno” McBride, Chris “Becko” Beckmann, Scotty Veenis, and Randy Pelkey—who gave him an opportunity on the Development Team when he was young, which set up up for the next 12 years, and many more along the way. 

What’s next? Finishing school.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Sports Education Department has partnered with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to create a Club Excellence Fall Summit Webinar Series, which will take place every Wednesday evening in October beginning on October 7. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard's development programs support the vision and mission to make the United States the "Best in the World" in Olympic skiing and snowboarding. But that wouldn't be possible without engaging and dedicated coaches at all levels who are out there working to support athletes striving to reach their full potential.

The Club Excellence 2020 Fall Summit will aim to spark insights into each topic's foundational principles by increasing awareness, providing practical examples from the ski and snowboard community, and engaging in reflective exercises. These sessions are designed to build upon one another, keeping participants focused on what is most important: coaching. This Fall Summit includes five sections of participant engagement for each webinar: Pre-Work, 60 Minute Presentation, Panel Discussion, Post-Work, and Survey.

 Register for all four Sessions: HERE

*Please note all four sessions will be recorded and available for viewing following the conclusion of each session. 

 Session Details: 

• Session 1 - Coaching Philosophy: Your Why, Values, & Mission - October 7
  In order for you to have an influence on others, you need to know yourself. Your philosophy is an intentional guide to align your thinking, your values and your behaviors as a coach...
• Session 2 - Planning: Intentions, Standards, Communication - October 14
  Success for our athletes tomorrow depends on how we prepare for it today. In these incredibly complex and uncertain times, identifying target themes, establishing standards of performance, and clearly communicating to staff and athletes is indispensable...
• Session 3 - Coaching: Attention, Cueing, & Questioning - October 21
  Have you ever considered how YOUR performance in training influences your athlete’s learning? Enhancing how you start training, using intentional language to coach during training, and capturing the learning at the end of training will ignite your athlete’s skill development...
• Session 4 - Review: Debrief, Feedback, & Next Steps - October 28
  One of the greatest losses in potential doesn’t happen before or during training, but at the very end.  Deliberately debriefing captures new information and insights to close the learning loop for the day, and carry progress into tomorrow...