U.S. Freeski Team member Maggie Voisin earned her best X Games big air finish on Saturday, claiming the silver medal in Hafjell, Norway. This is Maggie’s second X Games medal since her return to competition from ACL surgery. 

“I can’t even begin to explain how happy I am after today,” said Maggie. “It’s so exciting to grab my fourth podium of the season and my second ever big air medal. More than anything, I am just so proud of my skiing from today and how healthy my body feels. I didn’t expect to feel and ski this well after my knee surgery in April and for that, I am super grateful.”

Maggie’s performance is sure to set aside any potential lingering doubt that her knee is ready for competition. Fresh off of a heli-skiing trip with U.S. Freeski alumnus and legend Tom Wallisch, she quickly transitioned from the powder to the park. Maggie stomped massive tricks with consistency including a left-side double cork 1260 safety, a left-side rodeo 900 with a unique rotation, and a right-side 900 tail. Maggie’s podium today marks her sixth career X Games medal. 

Megan Oldham of Canada won the event on the last run landing a beautiful double cork 1260 on her final jump of the competition to secure her first X Games medal. Norway’s own Johanne Killi rounded out the podium in third. Johanne also delivered in the final moments of the competition to move into podium contention. 

Alex Hall took the second medal of the day for the U.S. Freeski Team as well as his second X Games Norway medal of the season by winning knuckle huck gold. Alex jumped from the bottom of the pack to first place by landing a switch tail butter 1440 to cap off his round. Announcer Tom Wallisch called it the most difficult trick of the day. 

"This is 100% my favorite competition," said Alex. "We are all out here to have a good time. They groomed the landing so it was nice and soft and we are able to go as big as we wanted to. I was super nervous for my last trick, but I’m hyped to put it down. What a fun night."

In men's freeski big air,  Alex and 2020 X Games Aspen slopestyle gold medalist Colby Stevenson took to the massive kicker in Hafjell. Although they did not reach the podium, they put on a show landing 1440’s, 1620’s, and 1800’s complete with unique grab combinations. 

Antoine Adelisse earned his first X Games medal taking the gold. Norway’s Birk Ruud took silver and Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli took the bronze. 

In women’s snowboard big air, Jamie Anderson, who has gone undefeated in slopestyle competition this season, finished just outside the podium in fourth place. Jamie landed a cab double 900 and a frontside 1080 with her classic effortless style. 

Austria’s Anna Gasser took gold, Japan’s Miyabi Onitsuka took silver, and Canada’s Laurie Blouin closed out the podium with the bronze. 

RESULTS
Women’s snowboard big air
Women’s freeski big air
Men’s snowboard big air
Men’s freeski big air
Men’s snowboard knuckle huck
Men’s freeski knuckle huck
 

The Americans brought the heat to Siberia with Jaelin Kauf and Brad Wilson both finishing on the podium in third place at the FIS Dual Moguls World Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. The women of the U.S. Moguls Team continue to show their might as Jaelin led three into the top six under the lights, Hannah Soar finished fourth and Tess Johnson in sixth.

“[Today] was awesome!” said Jaelin. “I was definitely struggling a bit in training so stoked to come out for comp day and put down my runs!"

The #PowHERHouse of Jaelin, Hannah and Tess all skied in the quarter-final round. Tess met Australia’s Jakara Anthony there and although skied a tight course the entire way, did not advance to the semi-final rounds. Jaelin, who was on point all night skiing strong, clean middle sections, then met Jakara in the semi-finals and although skied the faster run, she did not advance to the Big Final. Hannah bested Canada’s Justine Dufour-Lapointe in the quarter-final round, providing some redemption from their Big Final dual at the Deer Valley event where Justine took the win. “You could kind of see in Hannah’s eyes she really wanted that one,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. Hannah then dueled against current World Cup leader France’s Perrine Laffont in the semi-final round, giving Perrine a run for her money, and finishing just behind to advance to the Small Final.

It was a round of American friendly fire in the women’s Small Final as Jaelin and Hannah battled it out for the third-place finish. The two Americans skied a tight duel the entire course and crossed the finish line together, tying for time. Jaelin had the edge in airs and turns and claimed the podium. “The battle between Jaelin and Hannah was pretty epic, they tied for speed on that one, pretty cool to see,” commented Matt.

Jaelin shared the podium with Perrine, who took the victory, and Jakara, who came in second.

“It’s always fun going in the gate against a teammate, fun to put on a show,” said Jaelin. “We duel each other a lot out in training to push each other so it’s fun to do it in a comp and just have fun with it. Stoked to be standing on the podium by two teammates today, that always makes it that much better!”

“I worked really hard to push my speed through my entire run today,” said Hannah. “I didn’t realize I was dialing Jaelin until we got in the gate and I knew it was going to be tough. We’ve gone back and forth all season so it’s always challenging. Next weekend I will keep working towards more podiums, skiing fast and going bigger."

The night was cold, around -11F, but Brad was on fire. He made good moves in the early rounds to build momentum as the duals went on and worked his way all the way to the podium. “Brad skied amazing all night through the middle section,” said Matt. “He was able to really use his veteran knowledge on a challenging night weather-wise. It was a good night to see him back on the podium.”

"It’s pretty amazing to be back on the podium after the incredible mental struggles I had to overcome the last few months," reflected Brad. "I didn’t think I would be able to ski again let alone be able to compete. So although it was only a bronze, it was a victory for me in a lot of other ways. Today was special because it marked a come back from some of the darkest times I’ve ever had to go through. My focus is to keep enjoying it and to push myself further."

After beating Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Reikherd in the quarter-final, Brad met winningest moguls skier of all time Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury in the semi-final round. One of the few skiers to be able to beat Mikael down a duals course, Brad kept Mikael on his skis but finished just behind him to advance to the Small Final. It was USA versus France for the men’s Small Final and Brad took the podium over Benjamin Cavet. Brad shared the podium with Mikael, who won, and Great Britain's Thomas Gerken Schofield, who came in second.

This is Brad’s first podium of the season, his fifteenth overall. Dylan Walczyk finished 12th, Nick Page 34th and Kalman Heims in 39th.

Up next for moguls is their final World Cup weekend in Sweden.

RESULTS
Women’s Dual Moguls
Men’s Dual Moguls
 

Travis Ganong led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Saturday’s FIS Ski World Cup downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway, landing in fifth-place to match his season-best—a mere 18 one-hundredths of a second from the podium. 

Under the sunshine, blue skies, and crisp, Norwegian air, all indications were leading towards a victory on home soil for the Attacking Vikings. That is, however, until Austrian Matthias Mayer laid down a beautiful, near-perfect run to take home the win and pull off the upset victory over hometown hero Aleksander Aamodt Kilde by just .14 seconds. Switzerland’s Carlo Janka came down bib 17 to sneak ahead of countryman Beat Feuz, pushing him off the podium and giving Carlo third to round out the podium. This was Aleksander's first podium in Kvitfjell in front of his home crowd. 

With seven podiums in nine World Cup starts, Beat once again had the consistency it takes to bring home his third-consecutive downhill globe. Germany’s Thomas Dressen ended up second in the downhill standings, followed by Austria’s Matthias Mayer in third.

With the Norwegians (who were the clear favorites coming into Saturday's downhill), Kjetil Jansrud and Aleksander running early, each coming down with solid runs, Travis came down bib six stoked to ski into second-place with a solid run that was (again) fastest from the last split to the finish. “Everyone loves a strong finish,” Travis laughed after his run. With fast and solid skiing, Swiss duo Carlo and Beat came down and squeezed into third and fourth, pushing Travis to fifth and less than two tenths from the podium. 

Travis, who has enjoyed success on this track with four-career top-five results, feels at home here in Kvitfjell. As a result of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine downhillers' established partnership with the Norwegian speed team, the Americans have enjoyed and benefited from training opportunities here in Kvitfjell in the spring. Though he’s happy with a solid top-five result, he’s hungry for the podium—a feat the men’s speed team hasn’t achieved since Travis last won in Garmisch, in January 2017. 

“I love this track, I’ve had a lot of success on this hill...I just really like this hill, and the snow,” reflected Travis. “I have a really good feeling on it. I’m skiing really well, and I’m stoked with where the season wrapped up in downhill. I really want to get back on the downhill podium—that’s definitely my ultimate goal, but it’s nice to be close and competitive, and consistently skiing well. Also, it’s great to feel super healthy, having no pain in my knees, or back, or anything. It’s really nice, so tomorrow is one last chance in the super-G and then, yeah, we’ll have to wait again until next year.”

Due to the cancellation of World Cup Finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo as a result of the Novel Coronavirus, this marked the final downhill of the season. “I really wanted to race in Cortina, to get on that hill before World Champs (2021)...it’s going to be interesting now because the Italian team is going to be the only team that will have trained on that hill and they’re going to have a huge advantage going into World Champs,” said Travis. “I was really bummed that it got cancelled, but it is what it is. It’ll be weird going home now, a couple of weeks early...we always want to race more and mentally we’re ready to race more, so it sucks to have the season end abruptly like that.”

Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle tied for 17th-place, with Jared Goldberg grabbing 20th and his second top-20 of the season. Unfortunately, Steven Nyman, who had two solid training runs and was feeling the good vibes coming into Saturday, leaned in and DNFed on the top section of the course before he could even get into a good flow. He is thankfully OK and skied down. Sam Morse also started on Saturday, finishing in 45th. 

It was a solid year for the downhillers, with Travis ending up ranked 13th, Ryan 14th, Bryce 16th, and Steven 20th. The top 25 athletes in each discipline in the world are invited to World Cup Finals, so the downhillers would have had a solid showing at Finals had it not been cancelled.

The Crystal Globe chase continues, with Aleksander regaining the lead in the overall with 1,202 points over French tech savant Alexis Pinturault with 1,148 points after failing to finish in the top 30 in Saturday’s downhill. 

Up next is the final super-G of the 2019-20 season, on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
10:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, March 8
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March. 9
1:00 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN**

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-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.
 

 

Following the announcement from the International Ski Federation that the 2020 FIS Ski World Cup Finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy have been cancelled due to the Novel Coronavirus in Northern Italy, the coming weekend’s races in Kvitfjell, Norway will be the final downhill and super-G races for the men. 

The Crystal Globe chase is on, with French tech savant Alexis Pinturault in the lead in the overall standings with 1,148 points over the Attacking Viking speed guru Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, by a mere 26 points. Here’s where it could get really interesting: the beat goes on next weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a final men’s tech series, and Aleksander isn’t a slouch in giant slalom, having finished no worse than sixth in the last five giant slalom races. On the flip side, Alexis has been in the top-10 in the four super-G races he’s started this season. It’s going to be a barnburner, folks! Buckle up. 

The Kvitfjell has always been a special place for the American boys. In 1994, on a crisp, clear, cold Norwegian morning, Tommy Moe rewrote history as he won Olympic gold at the Kvitfjell venue, 30 minutes north of Lillehammer. There’s magic up in the air here in the north. When the World Cup tour lands in Kvitfjell in March, the athletes and staff enjoy the slower pace, quiet spaces, and the wintry environment. And this year, Ullr delivered the goods as the men were greeted with the fluffy white stuff upon their arrival. Winter is here. 

In his career-best season in 2016, Steven Nyman went on a podium streak for four-straight races, including a third-place in Kvitfjell. He and his teammates feel at home in Kvitfjell. “I love it here...it’s beautiful here, obviously,” Steven said after the second of two downhill training runs on Friday. “I’ve never seen this much snow here...it’s quite fun to be back in winter and enjoy it. Obviously the hill, with all of the new snow, I was skeptical, but they’ve done an amazing job prepping it, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to push and race tomorrow.” 

With two training runs under their belt—the first time since their speed kick off in Lake Louise they’ve had two—the Americans are feeling positive about the weekend. Steven led the U.S. men on Thursday, with the seventh-fastest time. On Friday, Jared Goldberg—who was ninth in last year’s downhill at the venue—led the way with the fifth-fastest time, while Travis Ganong was seventh, Steven Nyman ninth, and Bryce Bennett 13th. Both days, Aleksander had the fastest time, with teammate Kjetil Jansrud on his heels on Friday, making them the obvious favorites.

“The Norwegians are obviously the favorites,” Steven commented. “They’ve had a lot of miles on this track, but so have the Americans with our partnership. We’ve trained here in the spring a lot, so I feel comfortable here and hopefully, I can lay it down. No expectations, just execute the way I know I need to execute, and really put everything on the hill to see what I’m capable of.” 

Taking into consideration FIS’ cancellation of the World Cup Finals, the men will be “full send” in Kvitfjell, hoping to sign off the 2019-20 season on a positive note. “The slope is fantastic, but it’s a tricky slope,” Steven added. “If you make a mistake, it’s hard to gain that speed back, so you really have to be precise and nail certain sections to carry the speed that you need to be on the podium here. You’ll see tomorrow, especially with the cancellation of the World Cup Finals—guys are going to be gunning and guys want to perform their best—but we’ve got to catch up to some Norwegians.” 

Following Saturday’s downhill will be a super-G on Sunday. 

Check out how and who to watch below. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Bryce Bennett
Thomas Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Sam Morse
Steven Nyman 

RESULTS
Downhill Training Run 1
Downhill Training Run 2

START LIST
Men’s Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
5:00 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
10:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, March 8
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March. 9
1:00 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN**

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-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.

The final stop of the 2019-20 U.S. Rev Tour NorAm is complete and U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team athletes took to the snow at the brand new Woodward Park City with vigor, claiming just under 60% of the available podium positions. The new relationship developing between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Woodward Park City is already proving to be fruitful for our U.S. athletes and event organizers.

“I want to thank Woodward Park City. They rolled out the red carpet for the final stop of the Revolution Tour. We received positive feedback from both the athletes and the coaches on the venue set-up, facilities, and overall support for the event. We are excited to build on the success of the first Rev Tour at Woodward Park City. Having the ability to host high-level events in our hometown creates new opportunities for our snowboard and freeski athletes. We look forward to building on our partnership with Woodward Park City in the future and are hoping that this event is the first of many to come.”
      - Eric Webster - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Senior Director of Events

With great facilities and courses dialed in for the week, competition kicked off on Monday, March 1 with snowboard slopestyle competition. U.S. Rookie Snowboard Team members Ty Schnorrbusch and Courtney Rummel took second and third respectively. 

“I’m super stoked to put a couple runs down today and end up second,” Ty said enthusiastically. “Woodward Park City is super sick and I’m excited to continue to ride here the rest of the week and moving forward into the future.”

For the men, Olympic silver medalist Kyle Mack and U.S. Snowboard teammate Lyon Farrell went one and two respectively. The Rev Tour often times offers a chance for young athletes to compete and ride with pro-level athletes. This scenario fosters a great learning environment and competition experience. Although young athletes may have a challenge ahead of them to reach the podium, the benefits, in the long run, are priceless. 

Women

1. Hinari Asanuma
2. Ty Schnorrbusch
3. Courtney Rummel

Men

1. Kyle Mack
2. Lyon Farrell
3. Aoto Kawakmi

On day two, the competition continued with snowboard slopestyle and freeski big air where the Americans continued to keep a stronghold on the podium. Ty Schnorrbusch collected her second podium of the week with a second-place finish in slopestyle. For the men, the 2020 Burton U.S. Open silver medalist Dusty Henricksen won the event followed by teammate Luke Winkelmann in second. Dusty’s win solidified his position as the overall Rev Tour winner in slopestyle for the season. 

“It’s been a super crazy season and I’m super stoked to walk away on top,” said Dusty. “I got to come out for the opening day of Woodward Park City and it was such a fun week, so I was stoked I got to make it back out and ride with all the boys.”

Women

1. Hinari Asanuma
2. Ty Schnorrbusch
3. Baily McDonald

Men

1. Dusty Henricksen
2. Luke Winkelmann
3. Aoto Kawakami

In freeski big air, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team members Rell Harwood, Grace Henderson, and Marin Hamill swept the podium for the women. Rell’s win secured her Overall Big Air Rev Tour Championship for the season.

“It felt really good to walk away with the win,” said Rell. “I had a lot of fun skiing the Woodward big air jump with all the girls and everyone crushed. I’m super excited to be the overall big air rev tour champion this year. This season has been great and a lot of fun!”

The men followed suit offering up an American sweep of their own consisting of Hunter Henderson in first, Tim Ryan in second, and Kiernan Fagan in third. Hunter also secured the Overall Big Air Rev Tour Championship

“I’m very happy to take home the overall for big air and win both of the events that I entered,” said Hunter modestly. “I am now looking forward to hopefully repeating what happened in big air, in slopestyle these next two days.”

Women

1. Rell Harwood
2. Grace Henderson
3. Marin Hamill

Men

1. Hunter Henderson
2. Tim Ryan
3. Kiernan Fagan 

With Thursday, came day three of competition and a stacked program including freeski slopestyle and snowboard big air. The trend continued as U.S. athletes continued to dominate. Marin Hamill and Rell Harwood both earned their second podiums of the week finishing first and third respectively.  For the men, U.S. Freeski Team members and twin brothers Kiernan and Deven Fagan took first and second respectively followed by American Tim Ryan in third. 

Women

1. Marin Hamill
2. Megan Cressey
3. Rell Harwood

Men

1. Kiernan Fagan
2. Deven Fagan
3. Tim Ryan 

Thursday’s snowboard big air competition continued to impress as U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Courtney Rummel claimed second place and also walked away with the Overall Big Air Rev Tour Championship. Also, Ty claimed the FIS NorAm championship in big air. 

“I’m so thankful to end my Rev season on such an amazing note,” said Courtney. “The big air overall championship is such an honor and I’m proud to be able to contribute to the U.S. Snowboard Team winning the overall Team NorAm! I am grateful to my coaches Nichole [Mason], Dave [Reynolds], Mike [Ramirez] and my teammates for their support this season.”

For the men, Dusty earned his second podium of the week and the Overall NorAm Championship in big air with a second-place finish.

Women

1. Hinari Asanuma 
2. Courtney Rummel
3. Baily Mcdonald

Men

1. Aoto Kawakmi
2. Dusty Henricksen
3. Carter Jarvis

The final day of the Woodward Park City Rev Tour did not disappoint offering up yet more U.S. Ski & Snowboard success. Marin Hamill and Rell Harwood once again led the way claiming first in second in the final slopestyle competition, both securing their Woodward Park City Rev Tour podium hat-trick.

“I had a great time skiing this week at Woodward,” said Marin. “I was especially excited to win both slopestyle events with my friends and family watching. My family said the venue was awesome because they could watch everything from the bottom of the course. I definitely am looking forward to more events at Woodward.”

To close out the week, Kiernan took the top spot for the men and also collected his third podium of the week. Marin and Kiernan each secured the Overall Slopestyle Rev Tour Championship.

Women

1. Marin Hamill
2. Rell Harwood
3. Bacon Bella

Men

1. Kiernan Fagan
2. Peter Raich
3. Tim Ryan 

FULL RESULTS
Freeski
Snowboard
 

Due to the outbreak and situation with the Novel Coronavirus in Northern Italy where there is a concentration of cases in the Veneto province that have led to travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of nations, on the recommendation of the FIS Council, the Italian Winter Sports Federation and its Cortina 2020 Organising Committee are regrettably forced to withdraw from the organization of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals scheduled for 16th-22nd March 2020.

The health and welfare of the athletes and all other participants, as well as the general public are in the forefront and the priority of FIS and all stakeholders. The recommendation of the FIS Council was made during an emergency conference call where the latest information and recommendations from the Italian, International and National Health Authorities of participating nations were presented. The main issue that steered the recommendation of the Council affecting the organization of the Finals in Cortina was the travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of National Authorities, which would have likely limited the participation of several athletes.

“This was an extremely difficult decision for us to make, but ultimately welfare and health of the athletes, teams, and everyone associated with the World Cup as well as the general public must be our top priority,” said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. “This is certainly not the way we wanted the season to end without World Cup Finals, but we must respect this very serious situation. We look forward to recognizing the winning athletes at a later date when we can properly celebrate their accomplishments.”

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals 2020 in Cortina were also scheduled as the main test event for next season’s FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

Kasper added, “It is also disappointing that the Finals in Cortina cannot take place to showcase the outstanding upgraded venue and both the women’s and men’s courses in action. Despite this setback the preparations of the Italian Winter Sports Federation and the Local Organising Committee together with our broadcast and marketing partner Infront, are fully on-track for what we are convinced will be exceptional FIS World Championships next year.”

Due to the short notice, alternative locations to stage such a large event and which do not have travel restrictions to enable all athletes to be able to participate or travel onwards after the event, the Finals will not be replaced and the discipline and overall globes will be confirmed after the last scheduled races on 15th March for the women in Are (SWE) and Kranjska Gora (SLO) for the men. An occasion to formally award the winning athletes with their globes will be announced at a later date.

FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020, Planica (SLO)

The Council also discussed the FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020 taking place in Planica (SLO) from 17th to 22nd March. In view of the fact there are no travel restrictions for Slovenia, the Council unanimously agreed to continue the preparations.

The Planica 2020 Organisers have already implemented a series of measures to minimise the risk of incidents that could compromise the welfare and health of all participants.

For all other FIS World Cup competitions, FIS will maintain the existing principles that are being applied, which are to fully comply with the instructions and decisions of the National and Regional Governments and their Health Authorities.

Additionally, FIS remains in constant contact with the hosting National Ski Associations and Organising Committees to provide support including information about measures undertaken by other Organisers.

Should any changes to the current competition calendars be necessary as a result of measures imposed by National and Regional Governments, they will be announced as any decisions are made.

***

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

Release courtesy of FIS.

The FIS Freestyle tour continues in Siberia this week with both aerials and dual moguls World Cup competition under the lights March 7-8 at the Sopka Cluster, Krasnoyarsk - a new venue for both teams. This weekend serves as Aerials’ World Cup Finals and is the penultimate event weekend for Moguls. Over 140 athletes and staff arrived via charter flight arranged by FIS (International Ski Federation) to ease travel logistics in getting from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Krasnoyarsk, Russia. 

While both aerials and moguls competed in Almaty last weekend, the teams were at different venues. In Krasnoyarsk, the U.S. Freestyle Team truly comes together. “On this long trip, being all together gives everyone a sense of home, and maybe more of a sense of comfort - it’s been nice,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “It’s really nice to see Vlad and Bergy and say hello in the morning. I even heard Justin [Schoenefeld] playing guitar outside of my room the other night.”

Krasnoyarsk is no stranger to elite-level ski competition after successfully hosting the 29th Winter World University Games in 2019. The city sits on the edge of Siberia, but its over one million residents have welcomed the freestyle community with open arms. “Everywhere you look in town, from flags in the park, all the way into the venue, it’s all decorated with banners and posters and fanfare,” relayed Matt. With added fanfare comes added security and the local organizers have not scrimped on that one bit. “Security is tight,” said World Cup Aerials Coach Eric Bergoust. “They screen everyone through metal detectors at the hotel before boarding a bus [to the venue]. The bus stays closed until entering a secure zone at the site. This method is called ‘bubble to bubble,’ requiring no added screening at the site.” 

The local organizing has been thorough planning for these World Cups in their attention to detail. Each team has their own wax and locker rooms, access to a gym and trampoline and lunch (surprisingly not always included on World Cup tour!). Athletes and staff were treated to opening ceremonies and a welcome reception, and will enjoy a farewell banquet. Each nation is also assigned an attaché to help navigate the language barrier. Nathalia is assigned to the U.S. and took the women of the moguls team thrift shopping, as well as coordinated a new haircut for Kalman Heims. 

The U.S. Moguls Team kicks things off on Saturday with dual moguls on what Matt describes as a dream course. “It feels like we are playing on a major league baseball field,” he said. “There are hundred-foot towers, all perfectly lined up to shine on every mogul on the course.” Coming into a perfectly prepped course means skiers got after it right from the get-go, skiing top to bottom runs during the first day of training. 

The #PowHERhouse of Jaelin Kauf, Hannah Soar, Tess Johnson and Kai Owens is looking good. The women of the moguls team are always strong contenders for a duals event. They have the speed, the technical prowess and the hunger to dominate the field come Saturday. Jaelin’s win last week has these athletes revved up for more results.

“Training [Thursday] was really great,” said Tess. “It was one of my best training days this year, and the course is a dream. It reminds me of the Olympic venue in Korea which brings up great memories. Krasnoyarsk has been full of amazing surprises. We really didn’t know what to expect coming here, but the city is unique and the people have been extremely kind!"

With more room to put distance between yourself and your competitor on this course compared to Kazakhstan, athletes may favor speed over DD to give themselves the edge. The 240 meter course suits Brad Wilson, who always puts on a show for duals. Kalman, who’s proven to be quite the dueler, knocking both Brad and France’s Ben Cavet this season, will look to reign in his top air to make it into a top-eight result. Nick Page is looking good too, working on his corks and throwing a loop jump on the bottom, providing a little more “fun and flare” as Matt says.

The U.S. Aerials Team caps off their World Cup competition season on Sunday. Three men and three women sit in the top 15: Chris Lillis in sixth, Justin Schoenefeld in 11th, Jon Lillis in 15th, Megan Nick in fourth, Winter Vinecki in 10th and Kaila Kuhn in 11th. This weekend will be the team’s last chance to make moves up the FIS standings list.

Twelve athletes will represent the U.S. in Sunday’s competition and the team is ready to stomp following the back-to-back U.S. wins on the men’s side. The venue is world-class and with mother nature providing lots of snow, the jump site has a nice, steep landing. 

“Training [Thursday] went well, the air site is big and the landings soft,” said Eric Loughran. “The last few stops the warmer weather hasn’t allowed us to get three full days of training. It’s cool to have some jumping time here before the contest.” 

“My favorite part about Krasnoyarsk has to be the jump site venue. It has all of the freestyle disciplines courses right next to each other. Also, a sweet gymnastics warmup area and ski prep and storage right at the site. I think everyone feels pretty comfortable with things here.”

The Krasnoyarsk stop is expected to be a mainstay on the Freestyle World Cup tour in the years to come and it’s clear the event is prepped for success. 

U.S. Starters

Aerials
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Megan Nick
Winter Vinecki
Madison Varmette
Megan Smallhouse
Kaila Kuhn

Men
Eric Loughran
Chris Lillis
Jon Lillis
Justin Schoenefeld
Quinn Dehlinger
Alex Bowen 

Moguls
Women
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Hannah Soar
Kai Owens

Men
Kalman Heims
Nick Page
Dylan Walczyk
Brad Wilson 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
6:50 a.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
1:30 p.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - Olympic Channel

Sunday, March 8
7:50 a.m. - Men’s and women’s aerials, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:30 a.m. - Men’s and women’s aerials, Krasnoyarsk, RUS - Olympic Channel

It was a historic day for Team USA at the 2020 FIS Junior Cross Country World Championships, as the junior men defended their team relay gold and the junior women’s relay team took the silver medal in Oberwiesenthal, Germany.

In the men's 4x5k relay, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Johnny Hagenbuch, and Luke Jager absolutely crushed the competition, finishing 35 seconds ahead of Canada—the surprise silver medal-winning team. Italy took the bronze 55 seconds behind the Americans.

“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves and (winning) was the only thing we really would have been satisfied with today,” Gus said. 

In the junior women's 4x3.3k relay, Kendall Kramer, Novie McCabe, Sydney Palmer-Leger and Sophia Laukli finished just 4.9 seconds behind the gold medal team from Switzerland to score the best-ever finish for U.S. women in this event. Sweden took the bronze.

 

 

 

 

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I’ve got hundreds of photos from our amazing day here in Oberwiesenthal, but let’s start with the WJC silver medal relay winners, the WJC gold medal relay winners and the amazing coaches, techs and staff that helped them get there!!! #gonnf #skilikeanamerican #jwsc2020

A post shared by flyingpoint (@flyingpoint) on Mar 6, 2020 at 5:39am PST

In the men’s race, Luke skied the opening 5k classic leg, and after leading the pack on the first of two 2.5k laps, he attacked the second lap and opened up a 24-second advantage before tagging off to Ben for the second classic leg. Ben opened the lead to 30 seconds when he tagged off to Johnny, who added an additional 13 seconds, tagging off to Gus with the anchor leg and a 43-second advantage over a group of chasers that included Canada, Italy, and Switzerland. 

As the trio of chasing teams played a game of cat and mouse for the final two medals, Gus continued to hold a 45-second advantage and had enough time to grab an American flag and enjoy an extended victory celebration in the final 100 meters.

When asked when they knew had the victory wrapped up, Gus replied: “after the first leg.” However, his teammate quickly chimed in, “at the finish,” as Gus was skiing into the finish arena waving an American flag. “Once I got the flag, it slowed me down so much, I was like ‘I hope we can still do it!’ But I wasn’t about to drop the flag.”

While the men’s team dominated from the start, the women’s team had to fight for a spot on the podium. In the first classic leg, Sydney kept the Americas in the mix, tagging off to Kendall for the second classic leg in third place, just 9.9 seconds back the leading team from Russia, with Italy in second just three seconds ahead. Kendall moved up to second as Sweden took the lead, tagging off to Sophia, who skied the first freestyle leg and held her position. She tagged off to Novie for the final leg, who closed the gap but was unable to catch the gold medal-winning Swiss team.

This is the second World Championship medal for the U.S. in the junior women’s relay. In 2017, the junior women’s team of Julia Kern, Hannah Halvorsen, Hailey Swirbul and Katherine Ogden won the bronze medal at Soldier Hollow. 

The 2020 FIS U23 and Junior World Cross Country Championships wrap up Saturday with the U23 mixed team relay. All races are streaming live on the official 2020 FIS Junior and U23 Cross Country World Championships Facebook page.

RESULTS
Women’s 4x3.3k team relay
Men’s 4x5k team relay

Junior Men's Team Relay Highlights

Junior Women's Team Relay Highlights

Olympic and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin announced her return to Europe, following more than a month of absence from FIS Ski World Cup competition due to the unexpected passing of her father Jeff in early February.

In a heartfelt message entitled "A Note to the World" delivered by Mikaela on Instagram Thursday morning, she announced her return to Europe. Since early February, Mikaela has been at home in Edwards, Colo. During her time in Colo., Mikaela has found solace in the mountains, training in both Vail and Aspen.

 

 

 

 

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Over the last few weeks, my family and I have received an overwhelming amount of support and love. The most kind and heartwarming messages you could imagine, checking in on us, sharing quotes and poems, song-lyrics, and telling wonderful stories about my Dad. Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in these messages, like we can’t keep up with the support and love that everyone has shown, yet in so many ways it has also been our lifeline. We have not been able to respond to everything, but we want you all to know that we feel your love, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing it with us. Many have asked how we are doing, and where we are in the “grieving process”? The truth is, we haven’t really even started. Accepting this new “reality” is going to take a long time, and maybe we never truly will, maybe we don’t have to. Because we can still feel him here. In our hearts, in our thoughts, in the sky and mountains and snow. He made his mark, and he is here. Many have also asked about my return to skiing and racing. I have been able to train a little bit over the last few weeks. It has been a slow process, but it has been theraputic to be on the mountain. I’ve found training to be a place where I can feel closer to my dad, yet it provides enough of a distraction so that feeling of “closeness” can be separated from the pain. I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race when the time comes, and I don’t really even have goals. I just hope to make a few good turns. I think that would make my dad happy. If and when I do return to competition I’d ask that you continue to respect my privacy, especially as it relates to my family’s heartbreak. We are so thankful for the time we had with him—we cherish every single one of those moments—and we will keep him here in our hearts and our memories forever. 🤍

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Mar 5, 2020 at 2:06am PST

In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Mikaela said of her father, 

“The best way to honor someone’s memory is to be so grateful that they existed in your life.”

Mikaela has not announced a return to competition, but she has said she will travel to Scandinavia and that—like always—her program is very day-to-day. The next FIS Ski World Cup competition fo the women is in Åre, Sweden on March 12-14. In her video announcement, Mikaela said she will be flying to Scandinavia on Thursday but is uncertain that she will step into the start gate when the time comes, 

“As far as racing goes, I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race. I don’t really even have goals. Any time the topic of winning would come up in the conversation with my dad, he would always say, ‘But, did you make any good turns?’ That’s sort of the basis of our family’s entire philosophy. So, I guess, that would be my goal. I just want to make a few good turns. I think that would make him happy.”

There are many variables that make the remainder of the World Cup calendar questionable. Both questionable weather in Europe, as well as the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), may compromise the remainder of the season. The FIS is scheduled to make an announcement on FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (or elsewhere) on March 6.

At the time of her departure from Europe on February 2, Mikaela held the lead in the World Cup overall, slalom, and super-G standings. She was in second in downhill and giant slalom. During her absence from the World Cup, Mikaela missed eight races in total (three downhills, two super-Gs, a combined, a giant slalom, and a slalom), while Italy's Federica Brignone took the lead in the standings and currently leads by 153 points over Mikaela. Federica has the lead in giant slalom, with 407 points, while Mikaela is in third with 314 points. In the slalom, Slovakia's Petra Vlhova has a slim 20-point lead over Mikaela. Switzerland's Corinne Suter leads the super-G standings with 360 points, while Mikaela is in seventh with 186 points.

The decision to return to the start gate in Åre will be very day-to-day for Mikaela. Stay tuned for more information. 

Read the full piece in the New York Times.

FIS (International Ski Federation) announced the cancellation of the final snowboard slopestyle World Cup in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic on Wednesday, originally scheduled for March 20-21, 2020. The decision to cancel the event is in response to restrictions imposed by the Czech government over concerns regarding the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19.

The local organizing committee in Spindleruv Mlyn alerted FIS to the fact that the Czech government would be reviewing potential health risks associated with all upcoming sport and cultural gatherings that could see 5,000 or more individuals in attendance. With the emphasis put on the fan and spectator experience of the SnowJam competition, the local organizers decided that it would not be feasible to hold the competition in light of the decisions taken by the Czech government.

According to FIS, it is unlikely that a replacement venue will be found at this late stage in the season. If the final snowboard slopestyle World Cup is not rescheduled, the current 2019-20 FIS Cup Standings will serve as the final rankings.

U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Dusty Henricksen would finish as the top American in third-place behind Japanese rider Ruki Tobita in first and Kiwi Tiarn Collins in second. Dusty had a breakthrough season collecting his first World Cup win in his second World Cup ever at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth. Dusty also finished in a respectable ninth place at the 2020 Laax Open. Teammates and pro team members Judd Henkes and Sean FitzSimons would finish fourth and ninth respectively.

Jamie Anderson and Julia Marino would serve as the top finishers for the women of the U.S. Snowboard Team both tied for eighth. Julia and Jamie both have collected impressive results this World Cup season. Julia won the 2020 Laax Open slopestyle, while Jamie won the Mammoth Grand Prix. Katie Omerod of Great Britain would earn the Crystal Globe in the top spot. 

Although the news of the cancellation is not the ideal way to end the snowboard slopestyle World Cup season, it does not take away from the impressive accomplishments of U.S. Snowboard Team athletes throughout the 2019-20 World Cup Season. Be sure to tune in next season for another exciting year of snowboard World Cup competition. 

FIS CUP STANDINGS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle 
Men’s snowboard slopestyle