-- A special thanks to John Dakin for contributing this wonderful story about Pepi Gramshammer.

Somewhere around 8 a.m. on Saturday, August 17, the heart of Vail, Colorado skipped a beat. The air in the heart of Vail Village seemed to become lighter and a sense of calm settled over the Gasthof Gramshammer.

Austrian ski legend and Vail pioneer Pepi Gramshammer had left his beloved valley for a higher place⁠—he was 87. He is survived by his wife Sheika, daughters Kira and Sheika, and two grandsons.

Gramshammer spent the waning days of his storied life in the place he loved most⁠—Vail. His hospital room’s window looked out on Vail Mountain and the Riva Ridge ski run.  His family played video thank you messages from other ski racing legends including, Mikaela Shiffrin, Franz Klammer, Hermann Maier, and Annemarie Moser-Proell, along with celebrities Arnold Schwarzenegger and Wolfgang Puck.

Many in the Vail Valley will forever wonder what could have been or, more appropriately, what might not have been if Pepi Gramshammer had decided that he was a better cheesemaker than a ski racer.  Born in Kufstein, Austria in 1932, he was determined to make the Austrian National Ski Team following the completion of his apprenticeship making cheese.

Gramshammer began skiing at the age of ten, moving to Innsbruck as a 17-year-old and joining the Innsbruck Skiing Association to ensure himself better training opportunities.  He initially worked as a ski instructor in Igls, while also teaching skiing during the summer months on the Stevio Pass in Italy.

It would take him four years to work his way up the ranks to earn a spot on the powerful Austrian team of the 1950s, joining the likes of Toni Sailer, Anderl Molterer, Christian Pravda and Ernst Hinterseer.  Gramshammer’s first major international victory came in 1956 in a Giant Slalom in Obergurgl, Austria.

Following the conclusion of his amateur career in 1960, Gramshammer moved to the United States, settling in Sun Valley, Idaho to teach skiing with Kitzbuhel native Siegfried Engl, who served as the ski school director. He also jumped aboard the newly-created U.S. Professional Ski Tour, becoming the circuit’s top racer in 1962, sponsored by Head skis, Nordica boots and Look/Nevada bindings.

That same year, Pepi was approached with another new opportunity, a fledgling ski resort in Colorado called Vail.  Resort pioneer Dick Hauserman showed him a film about the new ski area that impressed Gramshammer enough to agree to meet with developers Pete Seibert, Morrie Shepard, and Bob Parker, following a pro race at Loveland.  The next day, the men visited the mountain and skied the Back Bowls.

Pepi credits his decision to move to Vail to Hauserman and his wife, Blanche. “It was the best move I ever made in my life,” he maintained. Initially, Gramshammer worked for the ski school, but the lion’s share of his responsibilities came in public relations and racing for Vail.  He quickly became the resort’s Ski Ambassador, showing people around the mountain.

At the conclusion of his first season, Pepi approached Hauserman with an idea—he wanted to make Vail his home. Gramshammer had always harbored a desire to operate an Austrian-style hotel and wanted to build one in his adopted home.  With the help of investors that included Howard Head, Endicott Davison, Edward Lynch, and Jack Crosby, Gasthof Gramshammer and Pepi Sports became reality.

In the summer of 1966, Gramshammer, along with fellow Austrians Erich Sailer and Anderl Molterer, founded the Red Lodge International Summer Ski Racing Camp in Red Lodge, Montana in an effort to help teach alpine ski racing techniques to American youth.  He also created training programs for adults in Vail called “Wedel Weeks”.

When President Gerald R. Ford made Vail the Western White House during ski vacations, Pepi was one of his most frequent companions, both on and off the slopes. “Don’t worry about the White House,” advised Gramshammer, “you’re skiing now”.  As a result of this friendship between the Fords and the Gramshammers, the President and Mrs. Ford returned the favor, hosting Pepi and his wife Sheika at the White House.

But perhaps the Gramshammer’s greatest contribution to the Vail Valley has come from their love of skiing and ski racing. Through the proceeds of their annual Crystal Ball, which celebrated its final chapter in 1998, over $2 million was raised and donated to ski-related organizations and programs throughout the gala’s 20-year run, with beneficiaries including the Vail Valley Foundation, the U.S. Ski Team, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and Vail Resort’s Adaptive Ski Program. Pepi also served on the board of directors of the Vail Valley Foundation for 20 years.

Gramshammer was instrumental in helping to return World Cup ski racing to the Vail Valley in 1983, along with helping to direct the campaigns to bring the 1989, 1999 and 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships to Vail and Beaver Creek. He also created the Legends of Skiing competitions in conjunction with Vail’s annual American Ski Classic, while being inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame in 1990.

Pepi has been fortunate enough to enjoy a very special love affair with Vail since day one. During the 1994 FIS Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he stepped to the microphone as part of the Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships presentation and laid it out for the international delegation. "I was born and raised in Austria and I am proud of that”, Gramshammer explained. “But my home is Vail, Colorado and I love that.”

Throughout his life and career, Pepi Gramshammer has truly been the heartbeat of Vail, embodying the American “can do” spirit, along with the fun that is skiing.  His love for his adopted home and for all things skiing will remain as his lasting legacy and gift to Vail. The Vail Valley, along with everyone that visits Vail and Beaver Creek each year, most certainly owes the cheesemaker a great debt of thanks.

A memorial service for family and close friends has been scheduled for Monday, August 26, at 11 a.m. at the Vail Interfaith Chapel. A reception will follow at Pepi’s. A community Celebration of Life will be hosted at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in September.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in Pepi’s name to the Colorado Snowsports Museum, Vail Health Hospital or the Vail Valley Foundation, targeted for World Cup ski racing.

One of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s most revered ski racing officials, Allen Church, 91, passed away August 17 in Albuquerque, N.M. after a long illness. Church’s career as a volunteer official spanned five decades. In 2002, he was selected to take the oath on behalf of all competition judges and officials at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, where he served as chief of timing and scoring for alpine skiing.

Church began his career serving as an official with his home ski club in Taos, N.M. His career extended around the country and the world. With a primary focus on race timing, he became one of the world’s most knowledgeable experts and has been responsible for training thousands of other officials.

“Allen Church typified the passion we see in our volunteers that helps our sport thrive,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “While we miss Allen, his legacy will be in the thousands of officials he has impacted throughout his career.”

His professional career was as a scientist, heading the Sandia Labs in Albuquerque. He was also an actor, appearing in several cowboy westerns.

But his passion was working in alpine ski racing where served as a technical delegate from 1978 to 1995. In his career, he worked at the highest levels of the sport, including World Cup, World Championships and Olympics. He is a past recipient of some of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s highest honors for officials, including the Westhaven Award for international technical delegates (1996), John Clair Award for service to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Teams (2014) and the Bud and Mary Little Award for service to the Olympics and International Ski Federation (2003). He was inducted into the New Mexico Ski Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2015, he was recognized with the organization’s highest honor, the Julius Blegen Award. “Allen’s hallmark was that he was always available at any time to help anyone in our sport,” said Paul Van Slyke. “He was a true mentor to others and largely responsible for bringing Thelma Hoessler (2019 Blegen recipient) into our sport. He taught at her first timing clinic many years ago and mentored her through many events and experiences. Allen was an icon and mentor to many of us, his patient ways and thoughtful approach was an inspiration to us all.”

Church was born in Los Alamos in 1928 where his parents ran the Los Alamos Ranch School. His mother, Peggy Pond Church, was a famous poet. He grew up skiing at Sawyer’s Hill. In the 1940s, the Manhattan Project took over the school and the family moved to Taos. Church attended both Colorado State and Colorado A&M, initially to study veterinary science but then deciding to go into acting. After serving in the Korean War, he enrolled at Stanford, earning an engineering degree, returning to his home to work at the Sandia National Laboratories. He is survived by his two daughters, Janet Harrison, and Nancy Whetstone. It was their engagement in ski racing that brought him into the sport.

Repeatedly jumping off a 14-foot tall kicker that launches him nearly 50 feet in the air while performing quadruple twisting triple backflips into a pool all summer is not everyone’s idea of a good time. But for U.S. Ski Team aerialist Eric Loughran (Pelham, N.H.), it’s not only his passion, but it’s also his job. A 2018 Olympian and U.S. Ski Team member since 2013, Loughran, a consistent top-10 World Cup finisher, landed his first podium in March at Shimao Lotus Mountain in China. All of that hang time can get to your head, but Loughran found a way to decompress: fly fishing. 

 

 

 

 

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@ericloughran sent it to the moon at @utaholympicpark || 🎥: @lobbieryon

A post shared by U.S. Ski Team (@usskiteam) on Jul 18, 2019 at 12:09pm PDT

When not launching off of kickers, Loughran is on the river.

“I tried the whole [summer] mountain bike thing, and just kept finding ways to hurt myself. I got over that. But when I went out fishing, I got to explore and started to love the adrenaline rush of hunting the fish out. It was a lot easier on my body too. I can ramp all morning and then go out in the afternoon.”
– Eric Loughran, U.S. Freestyle Ski Team

Loughran knew how to fish before moving to Utah, but it was in Park City where he learned and fell in love with fly fishing. During the summer of 2014, his second summer training at the Utah Olympic Park (UOP), a friend introduced him to the fly rod. “At first I thought it was kind of ridiculous. But then I realized that if you do everything right, it can be one of the most effective ways to go out there and fish. Fish are always snacking on flies.” He hit the water hard that summer, both on the ramps and in the rivers. “It took me a while to figure everything out. I’d think I had it dialed, and then the next day I would go out and couldn't catch anything. So I really went after it that first year,” he said.

 

 

 

 

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Guess who's back..... . . . . #flyfishing #sharkonthefly #skiing #lowlifetroutbums

A post shared by Eric Loughran (@ericloughran) on Mar 3, 2018 at 4:33pm PST

While spending time in the local fly shops Loughran was introduced to Cody Salrin and Matt Happe, fellow Park City freestyle family members and owners of Mayfly Guides, a Park City-based fly fishing guide company. Cody competed and coached aerials and Matt is married to Shannon Bahrke, Olympic silver and bronze medalist in moguls. The Mayfly Guides took Loughran under their wings and taught him how to guide people on the river. “It was cool because it was like this close freestyle fishing family. They taught me how to take people out. Cody would bring me out with clients to be an extra hand, and I would watch and learn how he did it,” Loughran added.

As Loughran’s guiding experience grew, word spread and he landed a job guiding with Trout Bum 2, another local Park City fly fishing outfitter. Now in his third summer guiding river trips, mainly on the Provo and Weber rivers, and he works with clients both through Trout Bum 2 and Mayfly Guides. 

“My favorite part about guiding is teaching people who aren’t expecting much. They might be thinking maybe they won’t have that great of a day or make a fool of themselves and then they end up catching the most fish. It’s a sport that a 12-year-old boy could do the same as a 70-year-old man. I love getting people on fish that don’t really expect it, shocking people with a catch is pretty sweet,” Loughran said.

Loughran finds the process of organizing trips both a relaxing escape from aerials as well as good stress preparation for competition. Each trip is client-dependent, on their skill set, what experience they’re looking for and specific location so Loughran works closely with his clients to make sure he’s giving them a tailor-made experience. “It’s on me to know all of the water [in the area] no matter if the client wants to go to the Provo or the Weber, or ‘out in the wild’ in the Uintas," he said. "Even when I’m not working on a trip, I’m still technically working when I’m out fishing. I’m taking mental notes about what bugs are going on. I do a lot of scouting.” 

Eventually, Loughran would like to guide internationally. As a member of the U.S. Aerials Team, he spends about a quarter of his year traveling on the World Cup circuit and has been known to bring his fly rod with him. “I started traveling with my fly rod on World Cup my first year on the tour. I fished all over the place, everyone thought I was crazy. I ended up catching fish in Switzerland and Finland.”

The aerials World Cup schedule takes the team to some far-flung locations like Belarus and China. And as navigating the cultural differences of those nations can be challenging, so can finding public water. Loughran doesn’t have a whole lot of free time to navigate the rules and regulations of places he visits in between jumping, but it’s something he continues to explore when returning to the same stops year after year. “Fishing in Belarus was something special," he said. "I’ve tried ice fishing there, which was really cold. I watched locals sitting on buckets with hand lines catching pike. I didn’t have as much success with my conventional gear.”

Although he may have looked odd traveling around the world with ski gear, a fly rod, skateboard and guitar in hand, Loughran has won over his family and teammates to his fishing world. “I get a lot of excitement watching people catch fish, especially for the first time," he said. "The thing with fly fishing is that anyone can do it. I taught my sister how to fish. Once I taught her it was a good little competition between us. I bring my teammates out all of the time too.”

 

 

 

 

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• FAMILY • When @ashley_loughran moved out here she had asked me if there were anything I could go do with @kyle_leblanc24 ....That turned into a trip to the Fly Shop and endless hours of her annoyingly waiting for us to get off the river. Yesterday she asked me to go fishing, right after I got off a guide trip. She hardly gets time off and I was shocked thats how she wanted to spend the afternoon. She absolutely crushed it last night! Catching the most and the biggest trout! We might have another problem in the family... . . . #fishutah #utah #tightlines

A post shared by Eric Loughran (@ericloughran) on Sep 4, 2018 at 8:20am PDT

Last summer Loughran was on the river almost seven days a week, as aerials fell to the back burner as he took a much-needed break after the 2018 Olympics and worked on funding his upcoming season. However, this summer he plans to refocus on aerials and spend three or four days on the river if it works out in his schedule. “I’m fortunate to travel all winter skiing and work all summer on the river. I plan to focus more on my training, especially how last season went," Loughran said. "If I give a little more attention towards aerials I can make some things happen.” 

Follow Loughran’s journey via Instagram @ericloughran

Spyder, a leading ski and performance brand and long-time apparel partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, today launches a new freeski specific collection now available to the public. Over the past two years, Spyder has been working with athletes and designers to carefully create a new freeski collection that is both impressive in appearance and from a functional standpoint. U.S. Freeski Team member Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) has been part of the design and development process since the beginning. 

“I’m so excited to be a part of the Spyder Team and to have worked closely with everyone at Spyder to help create the new freeski collection,” said Voisin. “This new line bridges the gap between stylish and technical gear. I know everyone will love the final product!’

Spyder has been the exclusive official apparel partner of the U.S. Ski Team since 1989. In 2019, they expanded their partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, bringing on the U.S. freeski and freestyle teams. Today, Spyder is back in a big way in the freeskiing space. In the early years of the sport of freeskiing in the late 90’s, and the first decade of the 2000’s, Spyder and its Venom collection sponsored some of the godfathers of skiing such as Shane McConkey, Seth Morrison, Corey Vanular, JP Auclair and Kent Kreitler, just to name a few. U.S. Freeski Team head coach Skogen Sprang was sponsored by Spyder from 2004-2009.

“Team Venom was a large part of freeskiing then,” said Sprang. “They were an awesome sponsor and I am happy to see their continued support of the sport.”

Today, Spyder has taken on a new generation of freeskiers who continue to evolve and progress the sport. Members of the Spyder freeski team include Voisin, U.S. Freeski Team alumnus Bobby Brown (Breckenridge, Colo.), American Quinn Wolferman (Missoula, Mont.), as well as a notable list of international big mountain and competitive freeskiing athletes. You can expect big things from Spyder in the coming years. Check out their new 2019-20 freeski collection at spyder.com/freeski.

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 2018, 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. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

About Authentic Brands Group​
Authentic Brands Group (ABG) is a brand development, marketing, and entertainment company, which owns a portfolio of global entertainment and lifestyle brands. Headquartered in New York City, ABG manages, elevates, and builds the long-term value of more than 50 consumer brands and properties by partnering with best-in-class manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Its brands have a global retail footprint in more than 100,000 points of sale across the luxury, specialty, department store, mid-tier, mass, and e-commerce channels and more than 4,950 branded freestanding stores and shop-in-shops around the world. ABG is committed to transforming brands by delivering a compelling product, content, business, and immersive brand experiences. It creates and activates original marketing strategies to drive the success of its brands across all consumer touchpoints, platforms, and emerging media. ABG’s portfolio of iconic and world-renowned brands includes Marilyn Monroe®, Mini Marilyn®, Elvis Presley®, Muhammad Ali®, Shaquille O'Neal®, Sports Illustrated®, Dr. J®, Greg Norman®, Neil Lane®, Thalia®, Michael Jackson® (managed brand), Nautica®, Aéropostale®, Juicy Couture®, Vince Camuto®, Herve Leger®, Judith Leiber®, Frederick's of Hollywood®, Nine West®, Frye®, Jones New York®, Louise et Cie®, Sole Society®, Enzo Angiolini®, CC Corso Como®, Hickey Freeman®, Hart Schaffner Marx®, Adrienne Vittadini®, Taryn Rose®, Bandolino®, Misook®, 1.STATE®, CeCe®, Chaus®, Spyder®, Tretorn®, Tapout®, Prince®, Volcom®, Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Above The Rim®, Hind®, Thomasville®, Drexel®, and Henredon®. For more information, please visit authenticbrandsgroup.com.

About Global Brands Group Holding Limited 
Global Brands Group Holding Limited (SEHK Stock Code: 787) is one of the leading branded apparel, footwear and brand management companies. The Group designs develops, markets and sells products under a diverse array of owned and licensed brands and a wide range of product categories. Global Brands’ innovative design, capabilities, strong brand management focus and strategic vision enable it to create new opportunities, product categories and market expansion for brands on a global scale. In addition, the Group is the global leader in the brand management business through its joint venture, CAA-GBG Global Brand Management Group.
 

Inclement weather may have cut U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Park City, Utah-based fundraiser short, but it didn’t rain on their parade entirely, as the event - graciously hosted by Park City local Mike Engel - more than doubled their fundraising efforts over last year’s event. 

The event’s origin resulted in a relationship Engel had with the cross country team, having hosted athletes and coaches at his home when they came through for training camps. It began as a small, intimate gathering hosted in Engel’s home, and now, nine years later, it has grown into a community event drawing more than 170 attendees this year, as well as strong support from more than 30 local businesses who participated in the silent auction. 

Athletes representing all U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams were in attendance, ranging from seasoned veterans to the future of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. This included double Olympic champion and Park City local Ted Ligety, members of the gold medal-winning relay team at the 2019 FIS Junior World Cross Country Ski Championships Ben Ogden (Landgrove, Vt.) and Gus Schumacher (Anchorage, Alaska), double Junior World Alpine Ski Championships gold medalist River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.), Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.), who happens to be the fastest woman on the World Cup freestyle circuit, and many more. 

“Mike takes pride in hosting the event, and talks a lot about how other cities have pro sports teams,” noted Special Events Coordinator Elaine Minahan, “yet Park City gets the privilege of having the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team here at home - a tradition we should be proud of as a community. He really hopes to grow the event, encouraging the community to rally around our ‘home team.’”

The event was emceed by U.S. Ski & Snowboard alumnus, TV personality, U.S. Ski Hall of Famer and former freestyle legend Trace Worthington. President and CEO Tiger Shaw, Chief Development Officer Trisha Worthington, and numerous other U.S. Ski & Snowboard employees were present at the casual, backyard event. Aerialist Nick Novak (Woodbridge, Va.) wowed the crowd when he did a backflip on command, Radamus shot hoops with a 15-year-old attendee, and Ligety’s (and his wife Mia) son Jax stole the show with his cuteness while Ligety spoke to the crowd about what it was like to grow up as a local community Park City Ski & Snowboard kid who came up through the ranks to Olympic champion. 

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation hosts a variety of formal and on-snow fundraising events across the country that raise over $1.7 million for the Team annually. These featured events provide the perfect opportunity to meet the athletes and hear their stories firsthand. Special events account for a significant portion of the Team's annual fund and are supported and chaired by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Trustees, private donors, individuals, and businesses.

For more information about our upcoming events across the country visit https://www.usskiandsnowboard.org/foundation/foundation-special-events. 

Athletes in Attendance
Alex Bowen
Cooper Cornelius
Olivia Giaccio
Johnny Hagenbuch
Breezy Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Noel Keefe
Zak Ketterson
Ted Ligety
Novie McCabe
Alice Merryweather
Kyle Negomir
Nick Novak
Ben Ogden
River Radamus
Gus Schumacher
Jackie Wiles
Brad Wilson

To support U.S. Ski & Snowboard on their quest to become the Best in the World! 

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It’s been a longtime dream of recently hired men’s alpine speed team head coach Randy Pelkey to create an early prep period camp that combined time on the mountain in the morning, with SUP time on the river in the afternoon. Pelkey and the men’s alpine speed team—joined by return to snow athlete Galena Wardle (Aspen, Colo.)—recently did just that at official U.S. Ski & Snowboard training site Timberline Lodge & Ski Area in Mt. Hood, Ore.

“I thought it was a great camp,” Pelkey reflected. “I’ve had a dream about doing a camp like this where you combine the balance issues for a basics camp on Mt. Hood with the balance issues that come from balancing on a fluid, dynamic surface like water.” On-hill training consisted of a steady progression of fundamental drills and some giant slalom training, while afternoons were spent on Hood River SUPing, thanks to the help of local shop Big Winds, whose owner Steve Gates is a close friend of Pelkey. 

Gates—and Big Winds—graciously set the team up with two of the best paddlers in the world, including Fiona Wylde (who is top-five in the world) and Leif Bergstrom, who taught the athletes the paddle stroke on day 1 prior to the crew taking on the nearly eight mile downwinder from Viento to Hood River on the following day. Gates and co. taught the guys a few things about turning the board, using a smaller board to learn skills—which is a bit like going from slalom skis to downhill skis the next day. 

Men’s alpine athletes included veteran and team leader Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah), Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, Maine) and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.). In addition to Pelkey, they were joined by assistant coach Scotty Veenis and women's alpine speed team coach Karin Harjo, who—together with husband Pelkey call Oregon home—spend a significant amount of time on the Columbia River in the summer months. 

“The downwinder was really cool. It was really windy that day, and after a while we all got together as one pod going down the river and it was really fun. They just kept getting better and better. Again, the balance is tricky - you have to get on the front of the board to get it into the wave, and then you have to move back to ride the wave. I just think the parallels to skiing are so powerful.” Normally the eight mile downwinder takes about three hours to complete the first time they do it, but it’s no surprise that for this group of elite athletes, it only took 1.5 hours.  

On snow at Timberline, the crew focused on the fundamentals, sticking to brush gate courses for the first few days, with mostly giant slalom-type movements—slowing everything down. Pelkey had them do drills for depth and balance and patience, and then progress to drills for balance at the top of the turn, then balance at the bottom of the turn. They did this progression for two days, and Pelkey said the athletes were really into it. 

“The glacier was accommodating and great, and they gave us lane one everyday which was also awesome,” Pelkey commented on Timberline’s hospitality. “The surface froze one night, and the rest of the days the salt was great, and it worked. Four days on salted snow was enough for us. We kept it to eight gates of sections of GS and we were doing video right away. We kept going back to the balance and really basic stuff to knock the rust off.”

For the athletes, this first on-snow camp this summer is an important one as they build the progression to speed and head down to the Southern Hemisphere, to Chile and New Zealand, this month. “If you think about any elite sport,” Pelkey explained, “everything is founded in the fundamentals, and so truly—if you find an issue at a World Cup downhill at the worst possible spot—you can find a path to fix it through the fundamentals.” 

Bennett, who has worked with both Pelkey and Harjo in the past having hailed from Western Region, had nothing but great things to say about their first camp with their new head coach. For Bennett, the SUP session was a highlight, as was a visit to Viento CrossFit, where he—together with CrossFit Games competitor, coach and ski coach Karen McCadam—coached teammate and fellow big man Nyman to do muscle-ups. They also went to former World Cup downhiller and legend AJ Kitt’s house for a big barbecue one evening, in which there were about six former Olympians of various sports in attendance. 

“It was Randy’s home, so it was his chance to show us around his home,” Bennett said. We did an eight-mile downwinder SUP board session that was super fun, and also pretty challenging. We were catching wave after wave. I’ve worked with Randy in the past. I just really like him. He’s got a super mellow approach, he’s organized and we had a seamless first camp. We also had a sweet BBQ at AJ Kitt’s family with a big wave surfer Dave Kalama (who pioneered big wave surfing techniques with Laird Hamilton and other legends) and his son. It was fun to hangout, and I’m always inspired when I spend time with AJ.”  

Up next for this crew is a trip down to South America, where they’ll start by getting their feet wet with some tech training at La Parva, Chile before heading further down south to Nevados de Chillan for some speed training.

The 2020 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships, hosted by the Michigan Tech Huskies, return to Houghton, Mich., Jan. 2-7 with four days of classic and freestyle competition. 

"We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Cross Country Championships back to Michigan Tech," Michigan Tech Cross Country Head Coach Tom Smith said. "This will be our sixth time hosting a National Championship event at Tech, and the fifth time hosting the U.S. Cross Country Championships through the tenure of our Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Team.”

The four days of competition will award U.S. Cross Country Championship titles in freestyle sprint, freestyle individual start, classic mass start, and classic sprint races. 

“We are very excited to bring the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships back to Michigan Tech,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director of Events Eric Webster. “Michigan Tech always provides an outstanding event, and we are looking forward to four days of exciting racing for the athletes and fans."

"We boast one of the greatest race organizing committees, including astounding volunteers and Tech staff, all integral to allowing us to host this National Championship event,” Smith added. “This is a big deal for our entire community. With new trail and facility improvements, the opportunity to showcase what it is to be a Michigan Tech Nordic Husky, and an event that truly benefits our entire Keweenaw community from our Nordic Ski Team and Michigan Tech across the spectrum spanning local business and hospitality, the positive impacts this event brings are truly immeasurable!”

A full rundown of U.S. Cross Country Championships information is available at USNationals.mtu.edu. Want an up-close view of the event? Get involved as a volunteer by visiting the 2020 U.S. Cross Country Championship Volunteer Information Form.

2020 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships
Click here for a full event schedule.

Thursday, Jan. 2 (all times CDT)
9:30 a.m. - Men’s freestyle spring qualifier
10:30 a.m. - Women’s freestyle spring qualifier
12:00 p.m. - Men and women’s freestyle sprint heats, semifinals, finals
2:30 p.m. - Junior men and women’s freestyle sprint heats, semifinals, finals

Friday, Jan. 3
9:30 a.m. - Women's 10km freestyle individual
12:30 p.m. - Men's 15km freestyle individual

Sunday, Jan. 5
9:30 .m. - Men's 30km classic mass start 
11:30 a.m. - Women's 20km classic mass start
1:00 p.m. - Junior men 10km classic mass start 
2:00 p.m. - Junior women 7.5km classic mass start

Tuesday, Jan. 7
9:30 a.m. - Women's classic sprint qualifier
10:30 a.m. - Men's classic sprint qualifier
12:00 p.m. Women and men's sprint heats, semifinals, and finals 
2:30 p.m. - Junior men and women’s sprint heats, semifinals, and finals

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has announced the finalists for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame class of 2019. Olympic gold medalist and U.S. Ski & Snowboard freestyle team alumnus Jonny Moseley (Belvedere Tiburon, Calif.) is one of the 15 Olympians, nine Paralympians and three teams being considered for Hall of Fame induction. 

With his innovative approach and ability to progress the sport, Moseley will forever be dubbed a freestyle skiing pioneer. His achievements go far beyond his two Olympic medals, to landing new inverted rotations like the “Dinner Roll,” which were beyond his time and not well-received by FIS Judges in mogul competition at the time. There is no question about the vital role Moseley played in influencing moguls skiing to allow inverted tricks, and ultimately evolving the sport. 

Team USA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard fans can cast their vote at TeamUSA.org/Vote through Sept. 3 to help determine the class of 2019, which will mark the first class inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame since 2012.

“It is a privilege to introduce these deserving finalists for induction into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame,” said Sarah Hirshland, USOPC CEO. “They represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement and personal excellence, both on and off the field of play. We honor them and are pleased to memorialize their legacy as America’s most inspiring athletes and teams.”

The finalists will be narrowed down to five Olympians, three Paralympians and one team for induction into the class of 2019. In addition to the public vote, U.S. Olympians and Paralympians and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic family also vote on the inductees. The Olympic and Paralympic family consists of the Athletes’ Advisory Council, National Governing Bodies, Multi-Sport Organizations, USOPC board of directors, members of the media, and corporate partners.

The class of 2019 will be announced on Monday, Sept. 23, and inducted on Friday, Nov. 1, during a ceremony in conjunction with the all-alumni U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team Reunion in Colorado Springs, Colo. Red carpet arrivals, interviews and induction awards dinner at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center will be open to the media; credential information will be available in October. 

Opening in early 2020, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will become the new permanent home for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame. Visit TeamUSA.org/HallOfFame to explore the history and achievements of all 141-current Hall of Fame members.
 

The next generation of moguls athletes had the opportunity to train with national team members in a jam-packed 10-day Young Gun camp from July 15 - 25. 

The annual Young Gun program is an invitation-only experience extended to the top-three moguls skiers from each age group from junior nationals per gender. This year included four days of training in Park City and four days of on-snow training at U.S. Ski & Snowboard official training partner Timberline Lodge & Ski Area - a first for the almost-decade old talent ID camp. 

The Young Gun program creates a development pipeline for up and coming moguls talent. Participation grants access to national team coaching and facilities, and mimics on a small scale what being a national team member is like. U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Head Moguls Coach, Matt Gnoza estimates that about 80% of the current national team had all been Young Guns at one point or another. “We use this program to see what’s coming up the pipeline,” Gnoza explained. “These kids have placed themselves on the path to the national team, so the overall concept is to show these young athletes a day in the life.”

“I remember my first time being a Young Gun and I recall being a little nervous because I had never trained anywhere else but my home mountain,” remembered Alex Lewis (Carlisle, Mass.). “Being a Young Gun was important to me because it was exciting getting to work with some of the U.S. Team coaches at the time. It was also fun to meet athletes from other mountains and divisions. The Young Guns program gave me an insight into what the future looked like. Now being on the other side as a member of the U.S. Moguls Team, watching the young guns train alongside us, is cool because you can see how hard they are working and what they are working on in that part of their career.”

The Young Guns arrived in Park City on July 15 for the first half of the camp which mimicked a block of national team water ramp training. Morning sessions had the group up and at it bright and early with a 7 a.m. arrival to the Utah Olympic Park (UOP) for warm-ups, followed by their first water ramp session of the day. Lunch and trampoline training served as the group’s break before heading back to the ramps for an afternoon jump session. In total, the Young Guns participated in seven water ramp sessions and four trampoline sessions.

The group also spent time with USOPC Senior Sport Psychologist, Alex Cohen, who took them through a Performance Readiness Planning workshop. Performance readiness planning addresses four main areas to facilitate consistency in performance excellence: preparation, resilience, intensity, and focus. Through setting goals, identifying potential obstacles to those goals and then defining behaviors that will help overcome obstacles, the Young Guns gained valuable tools to be successful in their training and competition aspirations.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Cup Coach Joe Discoe took the lead for the Park City portion of the camp, working with the Young Guns in concert with his national team duties. He was assisted by Bryon Wilson, Wasatch Freestyle head moguls coach. “The young guns program is a great place for focused young athletes to come together and feed off of each other’s energy,” said Wilson. “The atmosphere at Young Guns is one full of focused passion, education, and fun, and every Young Gun I coached was hungry and eager to learn, which made it a pleasure for me to coach. The Young Guns program is also a great place for the athletes to learn where they stand physically and gives them a good understanding of where there might be some weaknesses. Overall I feel like all of the young guns left better than when they started, which in my opinion is a success.”

“What was cool about this camp is that the Young Guns were training alongside the U.S.  Ski Team,” said Discoe. “They weren’t set off to their own space. They trained alongside Jaelin and Brad, for example, up in Park City. The Young Guns ramped with them at the same time, which really pumped up the kids. It was really cool to see them get excited to be able to ski with some of their idols. They got to see how [Brad and Jaelin] work and how they work with their coaches. I thought that was very beneficial.”

On July 20 the group changed venues and flew out to Timberline Lodge & Ski Area for a four-day block of on-snow training alongside an on-going national team training camp. The Young Guns experienced what team travel is all about: being flexible about flights and car rentals, meal planning and taking care of oneself while on the road. With the help of national team staff, the group got a taste of what their future on the road could look like. 

The four-day block mimicked the national team athletes schedule. The Young Guns arrived at Timberline Lodge around 8:30 a.m. for warm-ups for a 9 a.m. lift load up to the snowfield. Both newly hired U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Cup coaches Discoe and Riley Campbell traded days focusing on the Young Guns, leading them through group drills in the flats for a few runs before making their way over to the jump site. The day ended with a few rounds through the moguls lines just as the national team was wrapping their day. This provided an opportunity for a few fun duals between national team members and Young Guns, as well as a chance for the young athletes to get feedback from Gnoza. 

Off hill the group stayed busy packing in typical Mount Hood experiences: swimming in Trillium Lake, rope swinging in Hood River and of course, huckleberry shakes. “The goal of Young Guns is not only to help create a funnel in that pipeline to get onto to U.S. Team but also to create that relationship with these young athletes,” said Discoe. “They are really good and really talented and have a real possibility of being on the team in the near future. It’s cool because these kids come from all over the country and get to hang out and meet each other. They get to create bonds among this more elite-level group, which will hopefully transfer in if they make the team. Because it’s more than likely some of these kids will be their teammates.”

Before arriving, each Young Gun had to submit their strengths and weaknesses, challenges, and goals for camp as well as their careers. “We want them to list their top three goals, what they want to get out of this camp, what their weaknesses are that they need to work on,” explained Discoe. “We then correlate their training towards that.” 

Taking the Young Guns on-snow was new this year, and well-received by both the athletes and the coaching staff. “Alli Macuga softened up her skiing quite a bit, which was one of the main goals she wanted to work on,” reflected Discoe. “Zoe Dwinelle threw her first fulls on snow ever. That was one of her major goals. A lot of them are trying new tricks with different grabs and bringing new skills to snow. They did well here.”

“My favorite part about the camp was being able to train with the U.S. Team coaches and use the facilities that they're able to use,” said Dane Alexander (Wasatch Freestyle). “I got to hang out with a good group of kids. I learned a lot more about how to take care of my body and stretch before and after training.” 

Riding the success of this year’s innovations of having the Young Guns training alongside the national team, as well as the on-snow component, has Discoe optimistic about future improvements to the program. “I would like to see Young Guns on a grander scale. Whether the camp is elongated to include two blocks of on-snow training or provide multiple, shorter camps. The on-snow portion was really good but it’s also short. The athletes would get more focused training if we did two on-snow blocks. Or we could bring them in, give them back to their coaches and get them pumped up, and then bring them back for something else.”

“At this year’s young guns I did my first full-on snow,” said Zoe Dwinelle (Park City Ski & Snowboard). “The coaches and athletes were the ones that helped me do it - they were so supportive and encouraging. When I did my first full I felt so happy that I had done something new, and something that will improve my skiing later. Overall this Young Guns camp was probably the best on-snow camp I’ve been to. I learned new tricks, met new people, and got to see what it felt like to be on the U.S. moguls team.”

This year’s Young Guns:
Jackson Harvey, Winter Park Competition Center
Dane Alexander, Wasatch Freestyle
Jackson True, Team Summit
Megan Ciaglo, Killington Mountain School
Sam Gottesfeld,  Winter Park Competition Center
Zoe Dwinell, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Alli Macuga, Park City Ski & Snowboard
Vivian “Reese” Chapdelaine, Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club
Kasey Hogg, Wasatch Freestyle
Luke Weiler, Bristol Mountain Freestyle

The newest American aerials site, Mikey’s Jump at Bristol Mountain’s High Point Terrain Park, will serve as the host site for the next two U.S. Aerials Freestyle National Championships, with events confirmed 2020 and 2021.

“We are thrilled that Bristol Mountain has built this new venue to host training for our nation’s elite athletes and conduct national and international competition,” said Jeremy Forster, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Director of Freestyle/Freeski/Snowboard. “We look forward to welcoming the United States’ aerials community for the next two years at our national championship event in New York.”

The event will welcome the United States’ top athletes to compete for the National Championship.  Spanning four days, including training, the championships will culminate with finals on Saturday, March 14, 2020, and Saturday, March 13, 2021, respectively, providing spectators ample opportunity to cheer as athletes soar to heights of more than 50 feet above the Bristol Valley. In freestyle aerials, athletes complete a series of acrobatic maneuvers in the air after skiing off jumps that range in height from seven feet, six-inches, to 13-feet, six-inches.  Athletes are judged based on their amplitude (height and distance in the air), form (style and execution), and landing.

“Bristol Mountain is excited to be hosting the 2020 and 2021 U.S. Aerials Freestyle Championships,” said Bristol Mountain Vice President Steven Fuller. “When we began construction of Mikey’s Jump last year, we envisioned the site being utilized for training and competition. Hosting an event of this prestige adds a lot of excitement to the sport and the Rochester Community. We are thrilled that not only will be hosting the national championships but will also have the opportunity to watch our hometown athletes compete. We can’t wait to cheer them on!”

Last year’s champions U.S. Aerial Champions were Bristol Mountain’s own Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, Mich.). Chris’s brother Jonathon Lillis finished second. The results of the 2020 and 2021 Championships will be used for the selection of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, and to award start positions for World Cup competition.