In the first men’s speed race of the season, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Bryce Bennett took the win in Thursday’s downhill race in Val Gardena/Gröden, Italy. It was his second victory on the track. 

“Last season I struggled all season long and I worked as hard as I could this summer," said Bennett. "But this year I am feeling confident and I want to continue this not just today, but this whole season." 

After a few days of concerning weather, the sun was overhead and blue skies came through, making for a beautiful downhill day in the Italian Dolomites. It was the first speed race of the season, after two previous speed weekends in Zermatt-Cervinia and Beaver Creek could not go on due to weather. 

The race began from the super-G start and the times were extremely close, with less than one second separating 30th place from first. After 30 races, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway, the season’s previous downhill globe winner, held the lead, with Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt in second. 

But make way for Bryce Bennett. Bennett blazed down the track running bib 34. His top split immediately on par with the top racers and he kept getting faster and faster. The noise of the crowd was defeaning as Bennett flew over the final jump, punching it to the line with the green light flashing. Bennett roared in the finish, winning his second World Cup downhill in his career. 

“I am speechless," said Bennett. "We have been working really hard with a lot of good camps this summer and I have been showing good skiing but I just love it here. I changed the approach last year and this year and I am just so happy. I wanted a good run today and I just had to let it flow and trust myself.”

Val Gardena has been a beloved place on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team through the years, with legends such as Billy Kidd, Bode Miller, Steven Nyman, Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Bennett having wins and podiums on the Saslong track. And a lot of credit goes to the renowned Fischer serviceman Leo Messi, who now has nine wins on the track between Bennett (2), Nyman (3) and Italian Kristian Ghedina (4). 

The rest of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team squad also came back with strong results. Cochran-Siegle landed a 14th place in the downhill and Jared Goldberg took 18th. Both men skied exceptionally well and are amped for the next two races in Val Gardena.

“I am feeling like I had a good approach mentally and am focusing on the things I do well,” said Cochran-Siegle. “I think this will give me some confidence for the next few days.” 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Kyle Negomir landed just outside of the 30 in 37th, Sam Morse was 45th and Sam DuPratt made his return to the World Cup tour in 58th place. 

For DuPratt, making it to the finish line was the biggest accomplishment of his day. Three years ago on the exact same track, DuPratt had a large crash and broke both of his legs, taking him out of the sport for the next few seasons. 

“It had to be pretty poetic to have my first World Cup back be in Gardena where I went down three years ago,” said DuPratt. “I think it added to some nerves. I don’t know if I felt them but they were in the back of my head. The fear of crashing again is definitely something I thought about, but it happens and I just need to accept it and work on my skiing. I'm happy to be back and ready for the super-G.” 

The speed men will now prepare for a super-G race in Val Gardena/Gröden Friday with another downhill Saturday. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
5:45 a.m. - Val Gardena/Gröden, men’s super-G, skiandsnowboard.live
5:45 a.m. - Val Gardena/Gröden, men’s downhill, skiandsnowboard.live

The world's most dominant Para snowboard team took no time showing this year's competition that they are stronger than ever. The season kicked off in Landgraaf, Netherlands, with a set of banked slalom events, where the U.S. Para Snowboard Team secured seven podiums throughout two days of competition. 

The competition was held in the “ice box,” an indoor venue that the team has grown to love, as it has become a familiar stop to start the season.  

Noah Elliott’s back-to-back wins highlighted the event in a stacked field in the LL1 classification. Elliott, a two-time Paralympic medalist, has been an integral part of the U.S. team since 2017.

“I am thrilled to have had such an incredible start to the season. All summer, I have been preparing mentally and physically for how intense the season will become,” said Elliott. “I made it a point to spend more time in my recovery and strength training in preparation to ride at my absolute best. Moving forward, I’m continuing to train hard and push myself. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my teammates on snow and at competitions.”

Due to a smaller pool of participants in the women’s LL1 and LL2 classifications, athletes will compete in combined-class events this season. Despite competing against athletes in different classifications, Brenna Huckaby showed her dominance in the women’s field by bringing home second and third-place finishes. 

On day one, Evan Strong was also on the podium in the first event in third, followed by Keith Gabel in fourth, Zach Miller in fifth, and Joe Pleban in sixth. Additional podiums on day two of the competition came from Mike Minor in second and Miller in third. Just off the podium was Gabel with another solid fourth-place finish, along with Strong in fifth and Pleban in sixth.  

The team is heading into a training block before their next World Cup event in Pyha, Finland, in February.

RESULTS
Men, Day One
Women, Day One
Men, Day Two
Women, Day Two

In what many would say is Jessie Diggins' best event, the reigning 10k skate world champion took home her 16th career victory in today's 10k in Östersund, Sweden - her second victory of the 2023-24 season and 50th career World Cup podium. Rosie Brennan and Sophia Laukli finished within the top 10 in fifth and eighth, respectively. 

It was another landmark weekend for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, with two individual podiums, over a dozen athletes in the top 30 and career bests across the board. Going into weekend four of racing, Diggins continues to lead the World Cup overall with Brennan close behind in second. Diggins also leads the distance overall; Brennan is third and Laukli is 16th. 

Sunday's 10k skate featured a technical three-lap course in snowy and cold conditions. The men started the day with the individual start format, sending an athlete off the line every 15 seconds. Coming off the energy and momentum of yesterday's historic day, the U.S. sent three into the top 30: Johnny Hagenbuch in 13th, Gus Schumacher in 21st and Zanden McMullen in 28th. Hagenbuch, who had a standout race, secured his career-best result, breaking through to the top 20; McMullen also had a career-best day, besting his 28th place from earlier this season in the Ruka World Cup 20k skate. 

"Today’s race felt great - a continuation of the form that started to come around in the relay in Gällivare," said Hagenbuch. "I executed my pacing really well, and it’s very gratifying to have a such a good result also! Hopefully I’ll be able to carry this momentum into Trondheim, U.S. Nationals and the rest of the season through NCAAs."

For the women, it was nearly a repeat of last weekend, where Diggins won the 10k skate by 23.1 seconds. This time, she won by 23 seconds -  an incredible margin for the shorter of the distance races on the circuit. Across every time check on course, Diggins was in the lead, with Brennan close behind. It was a course that played to the strength of the Americans - gradual gliding sections, technical corners and working descents. Alongside Diggins, Brennan and Laukli in the top 30 was Julia Kern, who ended the day in 29th.  

At the end of the day, Diggins credited her win "to the boys," mentioning in the post-race live interview that "she wanted to ski as fast as JC (Schoonmaker)," and that her race today was for the men's team, as well as shouting out to the wax technicians for providing the entire team with outstanding skis for the third weekend in a row. 

Next up, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will travel to Trondheim, Norway for the final race weekend of period one before taking a break for the holidays. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k skate
Men's 10k skate

Olympic champion and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athlete Red Gerard finished on the podium in third in the FIS Style Experience Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Edmonton, Canada.

The Edmonton World Cup featured many of the world’s best snowboarders as they gathered to take on the large scaffolding jump, where runs are judged on creativity and style over "spin-to-win" tactics. 

Gerard took on the massive feature in Edmonton and ultimately clenched the third spot among the stacked field, earning himself his 10th World Cup career podium. One of the world’s top big air competitors, this type of contest and style of jump is Gerard's bread and butter. He took three runs and executed three tricks: switch back 1620 weddle, back 1620 melon and back 1800 melon.

Taiga Hasegawa of Japan nabbed the number one spot and Yiming Su of China the number two.

Gerard was the only U.S. snowboarder to make the finals in men’s and women’s competitions. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team rider Luke Winkelmann advanced to semifinals and teammates Jake Canter, Sean FitzSimons, Fynn Bullock-Womble, Brooklyn DePriest and Hailey Langland were also in Edmonton for the competition but did not advance to semifinals or finals. 

Next up, the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team slopestyle/big air athletes will travel back stateside for the Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota in Copper Mountain, Dec. 13-16. 

Results 
Women’s Big Air
Men’s Big Air

History was made in U.S. men’s cross country skiing, with JC Schoonmaker taking his first career World Cup podium in the Östersund, Sweden sprint and Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Ben Ogden just behind him in fourth place. On the women’s side, Rosie Brennan and Jessie Diggins also finished at the top in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Diggins is now first in the overall and Brennan is third.

History in the Sprints

The Östersund sprint course was longer than a typical sprint, taking athletes over three minutes to complete the track. The snow was tricky, with new snow falling, glazed-over tracks and cold temperatures. Yet, despite the tough conditions to wax for, the wax technicians team nailed the American skis and the athletes capitalized. After the qualification round, where the top 30 times advanced, three American women and two men advanced to the heats: Diggins, Brennan, Julia Kern, Schoonmaker and Ogden. 

In the men’s heats, where the top two finishers advance, Ogden handily won his quarterfinal while Schoonmaker was second. The semis was a similar story with Ogden winning and Schoonmaker scoring second. It was the first time that Ogden and Schoonmaker had advanced to the sprint final in their careers, showing that the next generation of U.S. men’s skiing is here. 

In the final, Ogden and Schoonmaker were surrounded by four Norwegians, including the ultimate winner of the race, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. It was a tight race from start to finish, with various leaders going stride for stride on the long Östersund track. In the final stretch, around the 180-degree final turn, Schoonmaker was hanging onto the lead pack and crossed the finish line in third, landing himself on a World Cup podium for the first time in his career. Ogden was only seconds behind, crossing the finish in fourth. With this result, Ogden is now third in the overall World Cup sprint standings; Schoonmaker is seventh. 

“This is the best team in the world and my heart is full knowing I get to be a part of it!” said Schoonmaker, post-race. Teammate Luke Jager added, “I tell myself nothing else in the world matters when your team is doing what they’re doing right now! I felt like I was watching the Moon Landing live today during the men’s final. And Jessie and Rosie just causally both being top three in the overall?! These people show us over and over again that if you do your best every day and you are nice to everyone, good things will happen.”
 

Simi Hamilton was the last U.S. man to stand on a World Cup podium in 2017. 

For the women, Diggins and Brennan did it again, both landing in the top five and furthering themselves from the field in the overall standings. Similar to the men’s race, Brennan and Diggins both led their quarterfinals, easily making their way into the semis. In the semifinal, Brennan finished fourth, which typically results in an end to the race day, yet, based on Brennan’s time, she advanced to the final. Diggins won her semifinal, punching herself a ticket to the final alongside Brennan. In the last race of the day, Emma Ribom of Sweden ultimately won, but Brennan and Diggins crossed the line in fourth and fifth, showcasing their ability to be podium contenders in every single race they enter. Brennan’s fourth place also marks her best-ever classic sprint result. 

When asked about post-race feelings, the focus of Diggins was solely on the men. “When a person succeeds on our team, it feels like everyone’s success,” said Diggins. “We really do celebrate that. When JC crushed the sprint today, it felt like the whole team was part of that moment.”

The momentum of the U.S. team continues to tomorrow in the 10k skate. 

RESULTS

Women’s sprint
Men’s sprint

On Saturday’s men’s giant slalom in Val d’Isére, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus secured a 10th place result in the first men’s giant slalom of the season. 

It was a difficult giant slalom race across the board with over 20 racers not finishing the first run. The course's first run set was turny and difficult to keep a rhythm. Many of the world’s best had trouble making it down the course clean. 

“Val d’Isére is the most challenging and demanding giant slalom of the circuit so it was a tough welcome back to the circuit,” said Radamus.

Radamus ran bib 16 and landed in the 10th spot after run one. The swiss skier, Marco Odermatt, continued his dominant skiing, both run one and two up over a second from the rest of the field. The second run was just as tricky for the skiers. However Radamus skied a clean line making it to the finish without hesitation. He ended up in 10th place for his first giant slalom of the season. 

“It was awesome to get one under the belt and to come away with the top ten was great,” said Radamus. “I wasn't thrilled with either of my runs and I have a lot of work to ski the way I know I can on race day but still happy with the top ten.”

Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt won the race by almost a second, Marco Schwarz of Austria took second place and Andorra’s Joan Verdu landed his first Word Cup podium in third, he also secured Andorra’s first World Cup podium in any winter Olympic sport. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team member George Steffey did not qualify for the second run. Tommy Ford, Brian McLaughlin, Isaiah Nelson and Patrick Kenney also raced but they did not finish the first run. 

The next men’s giant slalom will be in Alta Badia, Italy Dec. 17-18. The men’s slalom team will hit the Val d’Isére slope next on Sunday. 

RESULTS

giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH (Times in ET)

3:30 a.m. - Val d’Isére World Cup, men’s slalom, run 1, skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. - Val d’Isére World Cup, men’s slalom, run 2, skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s women’s downhill in St. Moritz, Stifel U.S. Ski Team member and winningest skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin notched her fourth downhill victory, 91st World Cup win and 142nd World Cup podium. Stifel U.S. Ski Team member Bella Wright also started her downhill season strong with a 12th place finish.

The day started out beautiful and sunny with a solid snow surface for the competitors. Shiffrin ran bib three and immediately took the top spot, skiing an aggressive and clean line to nail the pitch and rollers. The fiercest downhill competitor, Sofia Goggia of Italy, came just a few skiers later, also skiing an gutsy line. She came in just 0.15 behind Shiffrin, giving Shiffrin the clear lead and eventual win. Goggia ultimately took second place with Italian teammate Federica Brignone in third. 

“Today was amazing,” said Shiffrin. “I felt so good with my plan and my skiing. The biggest challenge for me was to trust that if I don’t ski the perfect line I can still dive into the turn with confidence.” 

Wright ran just after Shiffrin with bib four. She also took an aggressive approach, executing the pitch perfectly and punching it to the line with a competitive time, ending the day in 12th place. 

“Today was a big stepping stone for me,” said Wright. “I've been having some interesting training days and I’ve been trying to lay down an aggressive run so I was happy to make it to the finish with a smile on my face.”

The action continued for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team with Alice Merryweather set to make her official return to World Cup skiing running bib 33. The weather began to turn just a few racers before her run with the sun going behind the clouds, making the visibility extremely poor and dangerous for speed. The race still ran as planned for Merryweather and she made it down to the finish. 

“It was probably one of the scariest runs I’ve ever done,” said Merryweather. “It was so dark so it was not what I would have wanted as my first run back, but I am also really proud I made it down and if I can get through that hopefully I can ski almost anything."

As Merryweather crossed the finish line she was overcome with emotion as she made her return to the circuit after more than three years off the circuit. Her teammates immediately embraced her in the finish area congratulating her for making it back. 

“It has been more than three and a half years since I pushed out of a World Cup start gate and I’ve dreamed of this day for so long. There are so many emotions and so much that has helped me become who I am in the past three years,” said Merryweather. 

The race was called off right after Merryweather ran due to the extremely poor visibility making it unsafe to continue. However, the race is still considered a valid race.

Jackie Wiles, Keely Cashman, Tricia Mangan and Lauren Macuga all slated to compete did not run due to the midway cancelation. 

The women’s speed team will now switch gears to a super-G on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH (Times in ET)

4:30 a.m. - St. Moritz World Cup, women’s super-G, skiandsnowboard.live

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Jaelin Kauf secured her eighth career World Cup win and fifth dual moguls win on Saturday, Dec. 9, in Idre Fjäll, Sweden. 

Kauf is known as one of the fastest women on the World Cup moguls circuit, which was on full display today in Sweden. Early in the heats, Kauf started knocking out the best of the best, including the most dominant women’s moguls skier in the world, Jakara Anthony. 

"I’m super happy with today; I had so much fun skiing," said Kauf. "The first few events [this season] I didn't bring the skiing to competition that I wanted, but today I finally hit that skiing I’d been searching for. It felt really good to lay down some really fun skiing and just let it go."

Despite low visibility, it was a battle of the Americans today with multiple U.S. head-to-head heats. Olivia Giaccio and Alli Macuga battled in the round of 16, pushing each other to ski faster and having fun in the process. The women motivate each other on and off the snow, cheering each other on even when skiing side by side. 

The U.S. women once again packed the top 10 with Johnson just outside the small final in fifth, followed by Giaccio in sixth, Hannah Soar in seventh, Kai Owens in eighth, Liz Lemley in ninth and Alli Macuga in 13th. 

Nick Page led the men with a seventh place finish. Dylan Walczyk followed in 14th, Cole McDonald in 19th, and Dylan Marcellini in 28th. 

Next up the team is headed to Alpe d’Huez, France for another set of moguls and dual moguls events Dec. 15-16. 

RESULTS:
Women
Men 

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team halfpipe team athletes showed insane talent in the Secret Garden, China halfpipe finals with Alex Ferreira taking home first, Hanna Faulhaber second and Hunter Hess third. 

Two-time Olympic medalist Ferreira took home the win in the first of five stops of the 2023-24 FIS Freeski World Cup halfpipe circuit. Ferreira went huge on his hits, dominating the space. In his winning run he executed switch left 10 blunt, right double 16 safety, left 10 blunt, switch right dub 10 Japan and left double 16 safety. Hess, looking smooth himself, earned his second podium, with his first in 2018 in this very location. Luke Harrold of New Zealand was in the second spot on the podium.  

“I was actually talking to my coach on the bus ride up…  I don’t know what’s going on but this is the least stressed I’ve ever been going into a final,” said Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Alex Ferreira. “I think it’s finally because I have my life in order and am just so happy to be skiing well. I’ve been training very hard and everything’s just unfolding in front of my eyes exactly how I envisioned it.”

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team teammates Dylan Ladd finished in seventh and Kai Morris, who earned his personal best in competition today, ended up in eighth. 

On the women’s side of things, Faulhaber, the reigning world champion, landed in second place, clinching her fourth career World Cup podium. Known for going huge on her first hit, she skied to the bottom of her runs, always a smile on her face. Teammates Riley Jacobs and Kate Gray both earned personal bests in competition, taking home the fourth and sixth spots, respectively. 

Eileen Gu ultimately came out on top for China finishing in first and Amy Fraser of Canada finished third.

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes Nick Geiser, Cassidy Jarrell and Matt Labaugh were also in China for the competition, but did not make finals.

"I’m incredibly proud of the whole squad, especially Alex Ferreira for sticking to the plan and securing the well-deserved win, Hunter Hess for embracing a new run and earning third, and Hanna Faulhaber for sending it huge as always and claiming second for the ladies (and going for her first-ever 10 on run 3)," said Stifel U.S. Freeski Team halfpipe team head coach, Mike Riddle. "Everyone has been skiing well all week and I’m excited to watch them keep it going all year. Thanks Secret Garden for hosting an amazing event. Next stop Copper!”

Next up the freeski halfpipe team heads to the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper Mountain Dec. 13-16. 

Results
Women’s Halfpipe
Men’s Halfpipe

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes had another successful day in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, with Nick Page snagging second place and Olivia Giaccio bringing home third for the second week in a row. 

"I tried to keep things simple and focus on my process and execution run after run; it was sweet to have things pan out results-wise," said Giaccio. "I'm very proud of the effort and process focus I've been putting into my performances, and I am hungry for more in duals tomorrow!"

Idre Fjäll is a favorite stop for many U.S. athletes, as Page and Liz Lemley earned their first World Cup wins at the venue in 2022, and Page has now podiumed there four times. 

“Today was special," said Page. "It felt really nice to bounce back after last week and compete with the guys at the top again. There’s a lot to be said about learning from mistakes and growing from them. Last week offered me an opportunity to understand what went wrong — and once I processed all that I was able to adjust for this event. I’m happy with how I competed today and am excited to keep it rolling into duals tomorrow!”

Page sat in first after his superfinals run but was bumped into second by moguls World Cup leader Mikael Kingsbury.

This event setup differed from most, with women’s qualifications happening the day before finals instead of the same day. Some of the women were nervous about how this would impact their performance, along with the low visibility and snow throughout today’s finals; however, this did not stop the U.S. women from shining once again.

Just off the podium was Tess Johnson in fourth, followed by Jaelin Kauf in fifth, Lemley in sixth, Hannah Soar in seventh and Kai Owens in 12th. Alli Macuga finished qualifications in 33rd. 

On the men’s side, Cole McDonald finished finals in eighth, followed by Dylan Walczyk in 17th, Landon Wendler in 21st, and Dylan Marcellini in 30th. 

The team is looking forward to the first dual moguls World Cup of the season tomorrow in Idre Fjäll. 

RESULTS
Women’s moguls
Men’s moguls

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Dec. 9 
6:30 am ET - Idre Fjall dual moguls - skiandsnowboard.live