Halfpipe athletes let ‘er buck for the final FIS World Cup of the season during the Calgary Snow Rodeo and Birk Irving led the pack for the U.S. Freeski Team taking third. 

“I've been getting fourth all year with a similar run, but I didn't have the double on the left side,” said Birk. “I knew what I had to do to get on the podium. I learned the right dub 12 on my first run. I'm really glad I learned that trick and have it in the bank going into next season. I'm feeling better and stronger than I ever have before.” 

Birk stuck an impressive run landing his first double and a left down the pipe 720, a trick that is unique to him. After qualifying in first, David Wise dropped into finals with a heater of a first run and a final run that was looking to be podium-worthy, but he washed out on his final hit landing him in fourth. 

"I'm so pumped to see Birk lay down a podium run here in Calgary at the last world cup of the season," said U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Pro Team Head Coach Mike Riddle. "He's been killing it all year and it's a great way to wrap up an amazing season. It was such a high caliber competition and everyone put on a hell of a show. Birk landed a new trick for him and while it wasn't enough for first here, it's a huge building block for next season."

Gus Kenworthy made a solid come back taking first as a recent addition to the Great Britain Freeski Team and Canada’s Brenden Mackay earned second. The rest of the U.S. Freeski men had a respestable showing with Cassidy Jarrell in sixth, Taylor Seaton in seventh, Hunter Hess in eighth and Lyman Currier rounding out the top ten.

Despite an injury during qualifications, Aaron Blunck held on to the top spot in the overall FIS Cup Standings taking home the crystal globe. It was a tight competition between Aaron and Canada’s Noah Bowman all season with Bowman in second heading into Calgary, but a fifth-place finish during the Snow Rodeo was just enough to keep him out of the lead with Birk taking third.

“I’ve had some goals that I’ve wanted to achieve in my career and winning a crystal globe has always been one of them,” Aaron said after awards. “I set the goal and worked as hard as I could to get this. I’m so stoked. I can’t believe it.”

Aaron also spoke to the season-long battle with Noah Bowman in the FIS Cup Standings. 

Noah’s my favorite guy to watch in the halfpipe,” said Aaron. “The moment he drops in I feel like it’s all eyes on Noah. We have two completely different styles, but the friendship between us keeps growing all the time. The way we got to battle it out all season was incredible. He had a hell of a season.” 

Meanwhile, on the women’s side, Abigale Hansen carried the momentum from her best result of the year at  Dew Tour landing in fifth again followed by Devin Logan in sixth and Brita Sigourney in seventh. China’s Eileen Ailing Gu celebrated her first World Cup win followed by Canada’s Rachael Karker in second and Russia’s Valeriya Demidova in third. 

Valeriya’s third place was enough to give her the overall world cup win, followed by Rachael Karker in second and China’s Kenxin Zhang taking third overall.

CUP STANDINGS
Men's freeski halfpipe
Women's freeski halfpipe

RESULTS
Men's freeski halfpipe
Women's freeski halfpipe
 

On Friday, Winter4Kids at the National Winter Activity Center—the nation’s first and only fully dedicated youth winter sports facility—announced the winners of the first-ever NorAm Cup parallel event in the United States hosted in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the International Federation of Skiing (FIS). Fans from the tristate area attended to watch members of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Alpine Canada (Canadian National Ski Team) and club skiers from Canada, university skiers and beyond, compete in an action-packed, fast-paced race under the lights.

The men's winner was Jett Seymour of the University of Denver (DU), while the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team's Ben Ritchie was second, and Dartmouth's AJ Ginnis was third. On the women's side, Foreste Peterson of Team X Alpine was victorious, while DU's Storm Klomhaus was second, and the U.S. Ski Team's AJ Hurt rounded out the podium in third. 

“I am really excited,” said Foreste Peterson, Team X Alpine. “This is my first-time skiing in New Jersey. I want to thank Winter4Kids for putting this event on, it was a great experience from the course conditions to the volunteers. I am really happy with how I performed and I’m thankful for this opportunity.”

“I’m happy to be here to be here,” said Jett Seymour, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. “This was an exciting NorAm race in New Jersey, especially for it being my first time in the state. I’m glad to have been able to race at Winter4Kids.”

The NorAm Cup which took place in Vernon, New Jersey at Winter4Kids, offered a new format with head-to-head competition between some of the best alpine athletes in the world for $75,000—the largest prize offering yet.

“Tonight, we hosted the first-ever NorAm Cup parallel ski race in the U.S. right here at Winter4Kids,” said Schone Malliet, CEO of Winter4Kids. “We’re thankful for all of our volunteers who allowed this event to be a success, as well as friends and family who came out to support. It was our pleasure to present competitors that have come from far and wide to showcase their talent, with a significant reward.”

The NorAm Cup strives to prepare athletes for the FIS Ski World Cup, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard is promoting this format at the grassroots level, in an effort to develop future World Cup parallel champions. The event features a head-to-head slalom with a knockout format each round. It is an exciting event for spectators and a unique opportunity from a broadcast standpoint, showcasing multiple world-class athletes from North America. Winter4Kids is the nation’s only nonprofit dedicated winter activity program and facility for youth only, serving school-age children of all economic backgrounds.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has had a long relationship with the National Winter Activity Center and Winter4Kids since its first season in 2015.

Currently, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Keely Cashman and Bridger Gile are leading the NorAm overall standings for women and men, respectively.

RESULTS
Women's Parallel
Men's Parallel 

STANDINGS
Women's Overall
Men's Overall

We Are Winter4Kids!
Winter4Kids is a youth-focused, nonprofit organization that changes lives through winter activities. We provide mentor-based, experiential learning and encourage kids to have FUN while mastering Snowboarding, Nordic and Alpine skiing. Our programs deliver incremental physical activity and have been designed to inspire our participants and build confidence in an educational environment. Winter4Kids is located at the National Winter Activity Center in Vernon, NJ. This facility is totally dedicated to making unimaginable dreams inevitable opportunities for youth.  For more information about Winter4Kids, please visit www.winter4kids.org.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team.

Release courtesy of Winter4Kids.org. 

Under the sunshine and on hard snow in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Nina O’Brien was the lone starter for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Saturday’s giant slalom, ending up in 26th—her fourth-straight points-scoring result across three disciplines. 

For the first time since Soelden, Austria when she won by a mere six hundredths over reigning giant slalom titleholder, New Zealand’s Alice Robinson won with a stunning second run, by .34 seconds over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. In fact, struggling to find her form, Alice had not even been on the podium since her win in Soelden. Rounding out the podium in third was a tie between Slovenian Meta Hrovat and Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, 1.59 seconds off the pace set by Alice. This was just the second podium for Meta, and Wendy’s second-career giant slalom podium—her first was in Courchevel, France in December. 

Nina had a solid first run despite a few small mistakes on a swingy course set by her coach Magnus Andersson. Nina started the second run strong, gaining time in the first two splits and ahead by .24 seconds at one point, but ran into trouble when she got low and lost nearly seven-tenths of a second on the bottom split. 

Though she is struggling to put two solid and clean runs together, this is the fourth-straight points-scoring result for Nina across three disciplines: giant slalom, slalom, and parallel giant slalom. This is the seventh time Nina has scored points in 12 FIS Ski World Cup starts this season. Last season, Nina scored just twice, so the consistency has been there this season. 

“It feels great to be finding some consistency lately,” noted Nina. “My skiing feels like it’s in a good spot, and the speed is getting there. While I’m always happy to be in the points, I want more. I had some really good sections today but ultimately made a few mistakes over terrain. It’s a process, and I’m trying to learn from each race. Hopefully, I can clean things up in tomorrow’s slalom!” 

Noticeably missing from Saturday’s race was current overall leader and reigning giant slalom titleholder Mikaela Shiffrin. During the team captain’s meeting on Friday evening, U.S. Ski Team coach Magnus Andersson delivered a statement on behalf of Mikaela’s management team that read, 

"As you can see, U.S. Ski Team athlete and current World Cup overall and slalom leader Mikaela Shiffrin’s name is not on the board for tomorrow. Our continued thoughts go out to Mikaela, Eileen, and Taylor as they deal with the incredible loss of their father and husband Jeff Shiffrin. At this point, we have no information to share about a return to Europe or a return to competition. We ask that you continue to respect the family’s privacy."

Despite sitting the last three race weekends out, Mikaela continues to hold the lead in the overall standings, by 113 points over Italy’s Federica Brignone (who finished a disappointing eighth in Saturday’s giant slalom) and 254 points ahead of Petra Vlhova. In the giant slalom standings, Federica is currently leading with 407 points, while Petra has moved to second with 333 points, followed by Mikaela with 314.  

The races in Kranjska Gora were a replacement for the previously scheduled "Golden Fox Trophy" races in Maribor, Slovenia, but warm temperatures forced the change in venues. 

Up next for the women is a slalom on Sunday, where Nina and Paula Moltzan are expected to start for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Mikaela currently has an 80-point lead in the slalom standings over Petra, with the next tech series in Ofterschwang, Germany March 7-8. 

RESULTS
Giant Slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 15
7:00 p.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Kranjska Gora, SLO - NBCSN*

Sunday, Feb. 16
4:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1, Kranjska Gora, SLO - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2, Kranjska Gora, SLO - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:00 p.m. - Women’s slalom, Kranjska Gora, SLO - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

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

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

Aerials continues World Cup competition this week with a city event in Moscow, Russia on Saturday, Feb. 15. Despite postponing the event for two weeks due to warm weather, building the site was still challenging. Aerials World Cup Coach Eric Bergoust relayed that coaches and athletes from all participating nations worked together to shape the jumps and install tubes of dry ice to keep them from melting. This is the U.S. Aerials Team’s first international World Cup competition after they kicked off their tour on home snow in front of 7,500 fans at Deer Valley Resort during the 2020 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International on Feb. 7. 

The U.S. arrived a few days ahead of training to acclimate and enjoy touring Moscow. Besides hitting the usual spots like the Red Square, Olympic Gold Medal Aerialist Anton Kushner from Belarus used his connections to take athletes to the Moscow circus. “We always enjoy seeing other acrobats do cool stuff,” said Eric.

Twelve aerial skiers will represent the United States on Saturday. Megan Nick, fresh off of her first career podium at Deer Valley Resort, is stoked for the city event. “The site is pretty sweet,” she said. “It’s always fun to jump in the middle of the city.” She is joined on the women’s side by Winter Vinecki, Ashley Caldwell, Madison Varmette, Kaila Kuhn and Megan Smallhouse. 

Leading U.S. man Eric Loughran noted that training was going better than expected, given the course build challenges. “The site shaped up a bit better than I thought it would be compared to the first day,” he said. “I feel good going into the competition after training [on Friday]. My favorite part about being in Moscow is jumping in front of the university with a cool city view. It feels a bit different than the usual ‘ski resort’ [vibe]. It’ll be a fun one! Moscow always brings a big crowd and a cool showing.” He is joined on the men’s side by Jon Lillis, Chris Lillis, Justin Schoenefeld, Alex Bowen and Quinn Dehlinger. 

Moscow is Megan Smallhouse and Quinn’s first World Cup overseas and was the stop Quinn was most excited to compete in. “It’s been great here so far,” he said. “The best way to describe it is that it is just different here. [From how] people get around to what they eat. People here are crazy on the road and take a lot more public transportation. One of my favorite parts is all of the crazy architecture. The buildings are all different, and there are just random places where there are just stand-alone high-rises. Everything is way more compact in Moscow, which is way different from the compact cities and then [the suburbs] in the U.S.”

With a jump site sheltered from the wind, Eric expects good jumping from all competitors so athletes will need relatively high scores to land on the podium this week. Tune in Saturday morning to watch the aerial skiers of the U.S. Ski Team launch themselves into the rest of their World Cup season.

U.S. Starters

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

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 15
10:50 a.m. - Men and women’s aerials, Moscow, RUS - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials, Moscow, RUS - Olympic Channel*

*Same-day broadcast

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

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

On a shortened super-G track due to heavy snowfall and high winds in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Travis Ganong was the fastest man on the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, finishing in a tie for seventh place.

Running bib lucky number seven, Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde snagged the victory—his first World Cup victory of the season—by 15 hundredths of a second, over Switzerland's Mauro Caviezel in second. Germany's Thomas Dressen, who grew up going to school 30 minutes away from Saalbach—was once again feeling at home finished in third. This was Thomas' third-straight podium, as he won Saturday's downhill and the previous downhill in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 

Aleksander is the only man to have finished in the top eight in each of the last 10 World Cup super-G events, with his best result second places in Beaver Creek, Colo. and Kitzbuehel, Austria. His only career super-G victory was on February 27th, 2016, in Hinterstoder, Austria. Despite having won only one race this season, Aleksander's podium consistency in the speed disciplines, coupled with his strong giant slalom skiing (he has two top-five results in GS), has made him a strong contender for this year's overall title. With 982 points, Aleksander is leading the overall title chase by just 79 points over tech-focused teammate Henrik Kristoffersen. 

Travis was within striking distance from a podium and had both the fastest speed and the fastest second split, but a couple of mistakes cost him valuable time. "I had a really good top two splits and was feeling really confident and comfortable on my skis, and I landed off the second to last jump and the snow is a lot different down there," reflected Travis. "I didn't adjust properly, so I went into two turns and tried to push hard and lost my ski, and I lost over seven-tenths on the second to last split. It's super frustrating because I have never been on the podium in super-G yet and I've been really close a lot of times, and today was a really good chance for me. I'm really bummed out, but also happy with my skiing, and I'm looking forward to one more chance in Kvitfjell (Norway), and Finals in Cortina (Italy). All in all, pretty happy and I can get to go home now for a little break, so it's nice."

After multiple delays to Sunday's race with volunteers, organizers, and coaches shoveling massive piles of snow off the course, an early bib number wasn't an ideal scenario to be in, making it difficult to get meaningful information or course reports. While Ryan Cochran-Siegle ran an unfortunate bib 2, he was still able to pull off a 16th place finish—his 13th top-20 finish of the season, across five disciplines: downhill, super-G, alpine combined, giant slalom and parallel giant slalom. 

With 15 DNFs in the 53-person field, the conditions weren't ideal, but Travis felt like it was a positive that the organizers were able to get a race off. "It's always tough when it's a big snowstorm and you're waiting and waiting and waiting," he said. "I think, in the end, the skies cleared and it stopped snowing, and we were able to have a race. Everyone always wants to race, that's why we're all here. You put in the effort in, it's good that we got the race off. The conditions were not perfect, but it was still a good race and the best guys won." 

Bryce Bennett started in just his third super-G of the season, finishing in 36th. Sam Dupratt was having a top-20 speed run, before skiing out and DNFing. Steven Nyman also missed a gate and DNFed, but skied away and is OK. 

The Saalbach races were a replacement for the previously scheduled Beijing Olympic test events in Yanqing, China, so the men's speed team will enjoy an unexpected break and travel home to spend time with family and friends. Due to the change in schedule, the men will enjoy the rare weekend off while the women compete in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Up next for the men is a tech series in Niigata Yuzawa Naeba, Japan. 

RESULTS
Super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, Feb. 14
6:00 p.m. - Men’s super-G, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, AUT - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

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

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

In the midst of world-class freeski and snowboard competition at the 2020 Dew Tour, there were more than just podiums on the line. The best skiers and riders from all corners of their respective sports came together to celebrate each other’s accomplishments, both in competition and film. What many people don’t understand about U.S. Freeski and Snowboard athletes is that they excel far beyond slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air competition. Many extend their motivation and expertise into the world of film. Their hard work and the endless pursuit of their craft paid off at last week’s Newschoolers and SNOWBOARDER Awards. 

SNOWBOARDER AWARDS

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the first annual SNOWBOARDER Awards took place in Copper Mountain’s East Village where winners received Shark Snowsurf rideable trophies. SNOWBOARDER’s Mary Walsh described the developing scene the best, “Snow was dumping, stacking up for a powder day of epic proportions. Vail Pass was closed. I-70 was, too. For a few hours, Copper was an island as the snow just kept coming down.” Copper Island was the stage for a celebration of sliding sideways, and U.S. Snowboard Team members Jamie Anderson, Red Gerard, Hailey Langland, and Luke Winkelmann were all recognized for their accomplishments. 

On top of collecting her third consecutive contest victory in three weeks, Jamie was named "Women’s Rider of The Year," but not for the reason’s you make think.

“I feel so honored to win rider of the year,” said Jamie. “I worked super hard last season and I felt so grateful to feel the love and support of the snowboard community in the room. Filming for Unconditional was the best thing I’ve done in a while and I’m really excited to ride more backcountry!” 

Jamie put her heart and soul into Unconditional and it paid dividends. She still has plenty of runway ahead of her in professional snowboarding, but when she does decide to hang it up, she will leave a legacy far beyond contest riding. 

Another film highlighted was JOY, starring Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard and U.S Snowboard Team alumni Sage Kotsenburg and Ben Ferguson. Appearances included U.S. Snowboard Team member Hailey Langland and team alumni Danny Davis, Brock Crouch, Nik Baden, and Gabe Ferguson. JOY was named "Movie of the Year." 

Like Anderson’s film, JOY highlights Gerard and company’s pursuit of bigger mountains, creative lines, and powder conditions. It may have been competition that brought these riders together, but it was the journey to find deep snow that banded them together for the film. 

U.S. Snowboard Team member Luke Winkelmann was crowned "Men’s Fan Favorite." The snowboard phenom from North Carolina has been making a name for himself, collecting multiple top-ten World Cup finishes as well invites to prestigious events like X Games and Dew Tour. Luke has only brushed the surface of what should be a stellar and well-rounded snowboarding career. 

It’s safe to say the first annual SNOWBOARDER Awards were a success. See a full list of winners here. 

NEWSCHOOLERS AWARDS

The following day on Friday, Feb. 6, it was the freeskiers' time to shine at the 20th annual Newschoolers Awards. The ceremony followed a next-level powder day. It’s safe to say there were some jelly legs in the crowd, but that didn’t seem to affect the energy level in the room. 

The night kicked off as U.S. Freeski Pro Team member and Olympian Caroline Claire earned the "Breakthrough Award." 

“I want to say thank you to Newschoolers,” said Caroline. “I didn’t know this was an awards show, but maybe my name would just be posted on the internet,” Caroline said jokingly. “I want to thank my mom and dad, Faction skis for releasing a sick women’s segment in their movie The Collective. Special shout out to D-LO (Devin Logan), my hero.”

Later that evening, the all-female segment in The Collective was named the "Ladies Choice Best Female Edit," in which Caroline had a significant part. 

The night continued with U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Hunter Hess earning the fan-voted "Trick of The Year" Award. Hunter landed a mind-melting triple Lincoln Loop on a natural quarter pipe as part of his short film Magma. 

“I would like to say thank you to everyone here,” said Hunter. “This is surreal. Landing that trick was probably one of the best moments of my life. I was psyched to share it with all my best friends and now the whole Newschoolers community.”

Hunter went on to find more success alongside his friend and teammate Alex Hall as well as their filmer/editor Owen Dahlberg. Together, they not only won the "Highest Rated Video" Award, but also the "Best Short Film" Award. Hunter took the mic to offer up even more gratitude. 

“This project was a bit of a dream for A-Hall and I, he said. “We talked about doing it for a long time and it took a while to get it together, but this year we decided to lock it down. Owen was super into it, and I think he made the whole thing happen for us. We couldn’t have had someone better on our team.”

Finally, Alex was also presented with the "Male Skier of the Year" Award. This came as no surprise as Alex has been on an absolute tear over the past two seasons. In 2019, Alex collected two X Games gold medals in both Aspen and Norway, won the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover, and managed to put together two film parts in both Magma and Faction’s feature-length film The Collective, where he undoubtedly shined. In 2020, Alex continued is reign winning the 2020 Dew Tour streetstyle competition and earning second place in slopestyle. 

Immediately following Dew Tour, Alex joined the Spyder Freeski Team, who also is the official apparel provider for the U.S. Freeski Team. His dedication to freeskiing and his overwhelming modesty makes him hard not to root for and he will surely be a great ambassador for Spyder Freeski.

It was a great night at the 20th annual Newschoolers Awards. See a full list of winners here.
 

On a sunny day in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, Bryce Bennett was the fastest man on the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, finishing in 12th place in Saturday's downhill.

Thomas Dressen of Germany—who grew up going to school just 30 minutes away from Saalbach—snagged his second FIS Ski World Cup downhill win in a row with a flawless run, highlighting his gliding ability down the winding course. The Swiss men stacked it in behind Thomas, taking second, third, fourth and fifth place. Beat Feuz was second, stepping on the podium for the seventh time this season and maintaining his hold of the downhill leader bib, and Mauro Caviezel third.

Bryce, who was fast at the top but made a few small mistakes, was still happy about his finish and the overall course conditions, which were unpredictable during training. “I think I made a little mistake entering [the middle] section and then I thought I skied the rest of it really well, which I was psyched on,” said Bryce. “I had a little bobble down bottom, and that’s just how it goes sometimes. The snow is a little inconsistent, but it’s pretty impressive how much the course conditions turned around from yesterday to today. They busted some serious butt last night to make this race happen, which is cool.”

Bryce, who didn’t have a great finish in the Garmisch downhill, said his improvement was due to some good training in between the races and a few tweaks to his equipment. But while he’s pleased with his progress, he’s still looking for that elusive spot in the top three this season. “I’m just trying to hopefully get on the podium,” said Bryce. “I think that’s the goal at the end of the season. Just keep pushing and stay focused.”

Travis Ganong—who finished fifth in Garmisch, the best downhill result from a U.S. male skier this season—was 15th. Also skiing into the points, Steven Nyman took 21st place and Jared Goldberg tied for 30th. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was just outside of the points in 32nd and Sam Morse 43rd.

The men race super-G on Friday, with World Cup fans hoping for good weather. The Saalbach races are a replacement for the previously scheduled Beijing Olympic test events in Yanqing, China.

RESULTS
Downhill

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, Feb. 14
5:00 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, AUT - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
6:00 p.m. - Men’s super-G, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, AUT - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

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

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

The second stage race of the season kicks off Saturday with Ski Tour 2020 along with a new twist on racing, travel and environmental stability for the FIS Cross Country World Cup tour.

Ski Tour 2020 will take place at both familiar, and unfamiliar Nordic venues in Sweden and Norway, featuring six stages over nine days at five different locations. Östersund, Sweden will host the first two stages - an individual start freestyle and a classic pursuit. 

“I am really looking forward to having some individual start races and pursuits as those are my favorite,” said Davis U.S. Cross Country Team member Rosie Brennan. “Östersund is the only venue I have been to before and I really enjoyed the courses, so I am excited about the opening weekend.”

Stage three will take place at a well known FIS World Cup venue - for alpine events. But instead of alpine races, a freestyle sprint course will be set up in the bottom of the ski slope of Sweden’s national alpine ski area of Åre, on Tuesday, Feb. 18.

Stage four, the queen stage, will feature the legendary crossing of the international border between Storlien in Sweden (start) and Meråker in Norway (finish) on Thursday, Feb. 20. The 38k course will require athletes to carry their own nutrition as no feeding zones or coaching will be allowed on the majority of the course. Upon arrival in Meråker, the athletes continue by train to Trondheim, Norway, the final destination of the Tour.

"The 38km point-to-point skate race should be really fun and interesting because we’ve never had a World Cup race like this before," said Jessie Diggins. "I’m looking forward to the challenge."

The organizers behind the Ski Tour 2020 want to set an example for future organizers by making Ski Tour 2020 as sustainable as possible. In minimizing the use of fossil-fuel operated transportation, all participating athletes and staff will travel by train between the venues as no team cars will be allowed, with the exception of wax trucks.

“Having no control over our travel will be a new challenge, but the whole field is in it together so it should also provide some laughs and enjoyment,” Brennan said.

The final stages of the Ski Tour 2020 will take place in the Granåsen Ski Stadium where the FIS Cross-Country athletes will meet the FIS Nordic Combined athletes for a Nordic weekend. Stage five will be a classic sprint, followed by the final stage classic pursuit, 15k for the women and 30k for the men.

“The unknowns such as mandatory travel by train and new venues for me are all factors that have given me a lot of anticipation for this tour,” said David Norris, the top American on the World Cup distance standings, who noted that the U.S. Ski Team ski technicians have truly made the difference with his results this season. “I have had really good skis this season and thanks to our team I'm getting a fair chance each race to fight for the results that I know are possible from our nation. I hope I can maintain the form I currently have and put myself in the position to fight for some top 20's and finish the tour in the top 30.”

Joining Rosie, Jessie and David for Ski Tour 2020 are fellow Americans Alayna Sonnesyn, Hailey Swirbul, Rosie Frankowski, Katharine Ogden, Caitlin Patterson, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Julia Kern, Sophie Caldwell, Simi Hamilton, Kevin Bolger, Ben Lustgarten, and Logan Hanneman.

Every member of the U.S. Team wants to make it to Trondheim, and each athlete has different goals and expectations, including Kevin, who in addition to testing his fitness in the sprint stages, is pretty stoked that this tour’s final stage doesn’t climb straight up an alpine ski run.

“Of course I'm looking forward to the sprints, and luckily enough one of them is in Trondheim - a city in which I spend a lot of my time in the summers training, so the classic sprint there is at the top of my list. It is near the end of the Tour so I'm hoping I can get there with good energy and I’m able to put together a result I am happy with,” Kevin said. ”I’m stoked to get this thing rolling and I know the rest of the team over here is as well. I think it's safe to say the U.S. is going to pull off some killer results!”

Ski Tour 202 Schedule:
Friday, Feb. 14
Opening Ceremony, Stortorget, Östersund, SWE

Saturday, Feb. 15
Stage 1 Östersund, SWE
Freestyle individual start - 10k women; 15k men

Sunday, Feb. 16
Stage 2 Östersund, SWE
Classic pursuit - 10k women; 15k men

Monday, Feb. 17
Rest day

Tuesday, Feb. 18
Stage 3 Åre, SWE
Freestyle sprint

Wednesday, Feb. 19
Travel day

Thursday, Feb. 20
Stage 4 Storlien, SWE (start) to Meråker, NOR (finish)
Freestyle 38k both men and women

Friday, Feb. 21
Travel day

Saturday, Feb. 22
Stage 5 Trondheim, NOR
Classic sprint

Sunday, Feb. 23
Stage 6 Trondheim, NOR
Classic pursuit, 15k women, 30k men

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Feb. 15
7:15 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 10k, Ostersund, SWE - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
10:10 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 15k, Ostersund, SWE - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:30 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 10k, Ostersund, SWE - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Feb. 16
7:45 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 15k pursuit, Ostersund, SWE - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
9:45 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 10k pursuit, Ostersund, SWE - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
12:30 p.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 15k pursuit, Ostersund, SWE - Olympic Channel*
1:30 p.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 10k pursuit, Ostersund, SWE - Olympic Channel*

Tuesday, Feb. 17
10:15 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men and women’s sprint, Are, SWE - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Feb. 19
4:45 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 38k mass start, Storlien, SWE - Meraker, NOR - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 38k mass start, Storlien, SWE - Meraker, NOR - 5:00 a.m. - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 22
7:00 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men and women’s classic sprint, Trondheim, NOR - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb 23
5:00 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 15k pursuit, Trondheim, NOR - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
7:05 a.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 30k pursuit, Trondheim, NOR - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
12:00 p.m.. - Ski Tour 2020, Women’s 15k pursuit, Trondheim, NOR - Olympic Channel*
1:00 p.m. - Ski Tour 2020, Men’s 30k pursuit, Trondheim, NOR - Olympic Channel*

*Same-day broadcast

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

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

The second of three U.S. Rev Tour FIS NorAm events has come to a close at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. and there was no shortage of stand out performances by young skiers and riders. The U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Rookie Team athletes collected eight total podiums, two of which were wins by Hunter Henderson in slopestyle and big air. The 2020 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist shared his thoughts about his experience. 

“The Rev Tour has been great,” said Hunter. “I have had the chance to ski with a lot of kids I haven’t seen in a few months. To be back with the old crew is a great feeling. The weather has been awesome and the course has been great. Having had the chance to ski it during the grand prix was really helpful. After not doing so well there, it feels amazing to get some revenge this week with two wins in slope and big air. I think wanting to improve on my World Cup performance has been the biggest motivator throughout the Rev Tour.”

Hunter was not the only freeskier to find success as U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Rell Harwood took the top spot in women’s slopestyle. Rell has had an impressive season collecting top-ten finishes at the Visa Big Air World Cup presented by Land Rover, the Font Romeu, France Slopestyle World Cup, and the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix the week prior to Rev Tour. 

"Mammoth was a lot of fun we had great weather," said Rell. "There were a lot of really talented girls out there. It was nice to have a little more time on the mammoth course after grand prix and put together a run I was stoked on. I was really happy with how I skied. I tried a new rail trick in my run and I was stoked with my result."

Over in the halfpipe, U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Dylan Ladd earned third place and his brother Connor finished in a respectable fourth place. 

“It feels great to be able to put a run down and walk away with a podium finish, especially with one of the cleaner runs I have done in a while,” said Dylan.“ The snow has been so soft, the skies were blue, and it has just been perfect conditions halfpipe competition.”

Moving over to snowboard competition, there was no shortage of American highlights including slopestyle wins by U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team members Dusty Henricksen and Jade Thurgood. 

Dusty has been on a roll after winning the 2020 Youth Olympic Games gold and winning at the Mammoth Grand Prix. Jade’s win represented her first podium finish of the season and her second NorAm win of her career. She has been putting in time throughout the off-season with Slopestyle and Big Air National Development Coach Nichole Mason and it’s evident that hard work is paying off. 

“The overall experience was great at Rev Tour,” said Jade. “I’m not gonna lie, there were a lot of breakdowns, especially during practice. I didn’t feel that my run would hold against some of the girls, so instead of stressing, I tried to go with the flow and listen to my coach Nichole. That strategy definitely paid off! At first, I didn’t realize that I won or that Ty got third, so I was super hyped when I found out I was sharing the podium with my teammate.”

The U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team also found success in big air claiming two third-place finishes by Jake Canter and Courtney Rummel. 

The final Rev Tour NorAm event will take place at the state-of-the-art Woodward Park City facility March 1-6, hosting freeski and snowboard slopestyle and big air competition. Woodward continues to be an important partner to U.S. Ski & Snowboard and plays a critical role in the safe progression of U.S. skiers and riders. Click here to learn more about Woodward Park City. 

RESULTS

FREESKI 
Men’s freeski slopestyle 
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski halfpipe
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air

SNOWBOARD
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard halfpipe
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air
 

Thirty-two freeskiers and 17 snowboarders will represent the U.S. at the Snow Rodeo FIS World Cup at Calgary, Alberta’s Canada Olympic Park Feb.12-16 in slopestyle and halfpipe competition. Athletes are looking forward to returning to the traditionally dialed venues. 

“I’m excited to compete in Calgary again this season and continue this crazy back to back schedule,” said Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. “Last year, the temperatures were in the negative 20’s, and this year we are looking at positive temperatures, which is great to see. I think we are all ready to put it down at the last World Cup of the season.”

David Wise is the returning champion after battling through wind and snow to claim victory last season. Returning from a broken femur, David has had a tough stretch in 2020 since kicking off the season with a second-place finish at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo. As he returns to familiar territory, he’ll look to earn his 17th career World Cup podium. 

Teammate Aaron Blunck leads the FIS World Cup standings by a narrow margin ahead of Canada’s Noah Bowman, who is coming fresh of a win at Dew Tour. Also in looking good in the standings are U.S. Freeski Team members Birk Irving, Lyman Currier, and Taylor Seaton who are ranked third, fourth, and fifth respectively. Aaron is in a good position to claim the Crystal Globe, but will need to fend off a confident Noah on his home turf.

The U.S. Snowboard Team also has a strong contingent dropping into the Canada Olympic Park halfpipe. Rookie team members Tessa Maud, Jason Wolle, Lucas Foster, and Jack Coyne are all set to compete. 

In slopestyle, the U.S. Freeski Team is rolling deep including Colby Stevenson, Deven Fagan, and Cody LaPlante who are currently all in the Top-10 of the FIS Cup Standings. Colby recently won both X Games Aspen and the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth. Joining Colby is teammate Alex Hall who is heading to Calgary fresh off a 1st place in streetstyle and a second place in slopestyle at the 2020 Dew Tour. 

Representing the women is U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Caroline Claire along with rookie team members Marin Hamill, Rell Harwood, and Grace Henderson. Caroline is currently second in the World Cup Standings followed by Marin in third, and Rell in tenth. 

In snowboard slopestyle, rookie team member Dusty Hendricksen is leading the charge after earning top honors at the Mammoth Grand Prix, which served as his first-ever World Cup podium. With consistent performances throughout the season, Dusty is currently first in the World Cup Standings. 

Winsport Canada Olympic Park consistently puts together a world-class facility featuring Canada’s only 22 foot superpipe and a purpose-built competition slopestyle course that will push the athletes to the limit. Tune in live to catch all the action for the Calgary Snow Rodeo World Cup. 

U.S. ATHLETES
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Hunter Hess - Pro Team
Aaron Blunck - Pro Team
Birk Irving - Pro Team
David Wise - Pro Team 
Cassidy Jarrell - Rookie Team
Jaxin Hoerter - Rookie Team
Sammy Schuiling - Rookie Team
Hunter Carey - Rookie Team
Connor Ladd - Rookie Team
Dylan Ladd - Rookie Team
Lennon Vaughn 
Aaron Durlester 
Tristan Feinberg 

Women’s freeski halfpipe
Devin Logan - Pro Team
Brita Sigourney - Pro Team 
Abigale Hansen - Rookie Team
Riley Jacobs 
Jennee Crane Mauzy 

Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Jason Wolle - Rookie Team
Lucas Foster - Rookie Team
Jack Coyne - Rookie Team
Kolman Lecroy 
Joey Okesson

Women’s snowboard halfpipe
Tessa Maud - Rookie Team
Kinsely White 
Athena Comeau 
Zoe Kalapos 

Men’s freeski slopestyle
Nick Goepper - Pro Team
Willie Borm - Pro Team
Kiernan Fagan - Pro Team
Colby Stevenson - Pro Team
Alex Hall - Pro Team
Deven Fagan - Rookie Team
Hunter Henderson - Rookie Team
Cody LaPlante - Rookie Team
Tim Ryan 
Peter Raich 

Women’s freeski slopestyle
Caroline Claire - Pro Team
Marin Hamill - Rookie Team
Rell Harwood - Rookie Team
Grace Henderson - Rookie Team

Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Ryan Stassel - Pro Team
Sean Fitzsimons - Pro Team
Lyon Farrell - Pro Team
Judd Henkes - Pro Team
Jake Canter - Rookie Team
Dusty Henricksen - Rookie Team
Storm Rowe 
Dave Retzlaff 

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski halfpipe
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe
Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH 
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Feb. 14
8:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Calgary, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 15
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Calgary, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Calgary, Alberta - NBCSN*

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Feb. 15
8:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Calgary, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 16
12:00 a.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Calgary, Alberta - NBCSN**
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Calgary, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

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.