It was a successful return to competition for the U.S. Moguls Team in Calgary “Cow Town,” Canada, at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. The U.S. had four men and four women qualify for finals: Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.), Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.), Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.) and Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H.) on the women’s side and Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.), Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.), Hunter Bailey (Vail, Colo.) and Jesse Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) on the men’s.

Jaelin Kauf leads the Americans, skiing into a third place, just behind Perrine Laffont (France) in first and Yulia Galysheva (Kazakhstan) in second. “I had a lot of fun out here; the course was really nice, and we had great conditions. It was fun to put down three solid runs today. I made some mistakes, specifically top air, but I’m happy with how I’m skiing and competing, so stoked to end up on podium again,” Kauf commented on today’s competition.

Kauf sits behind Laffont in the FIS rankings at second by a mere three points. “Expect her back in yellow when we head back to Canada after this coming World Cup in Lake Placid,” says Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “The fight for yellow bib will be down to wire this season between Jaelin and Perrine. Jaelin is hungry for it, she maintains being seconds faster than rest of the field so she’s in contention for every event.”

Overall the women skied strong, “I’m really happy with how women skied in qualifications,” says Gnoza. “Olivia qualified in third and Jaelin in second. They’re getting their job done. Tess didn’t have the finals run she wanted but she made some corrections in her skiing to make it to the super finals, to finish sixth, which was impressive. Nessa has been skiing consistent top to bottom runs, skiing very scorable stuff.”

Olivia Giaccio continues to push the boundaries of moguls with her run, which has the highest degree of difficulty for the women of the World Cup circuit. It will pay off, in a big way, down the road. Hannah Soar (Killington, Vt.) came back from significant ankle injury, putting down some good runs and earning World Cup points. Regional skier Alex Jenson (Park City Ski & Snowboard Club) continues to ski strong and is on the brink of top breaking into the top-16 more consistently.

On the men’s side, Mikael Kingsbury (Canada) topped the podium, followed by Walter Wallberg (Sweden) in second and Daichi Hara (Japan) in third. Hunter Bailey achieved a career best with a fifth-place finish, skiing in his career-second World Cup finals. “Hunter was phenomenal and consistent in finals. I can’t be prouder for him and how he’s grown and trusted the process,” says Gnoza.  

Jesse Andringa had a career-defining moment, skiing in his first World Cup finals, finishing 13th. “It was pretty crazy making the final and skiing against the top dogs - such a fun and exciting experience,” said Andringa. “I had a small mistake and didn’t end up as well as I’d hoped but it’s exciting to see that I’m capable of skiing with all of these hot shots.”

Bailey and Andringa both made big statements today. “Those guys are going home with significantly lower bib numbers and significantly higher confidence,”Gnoza comments. Bailey cut his bib number from 35 down to 16 and Andrindga went from 40 to 22.

Casey Andringa continues to ski well. "He is developing into one of the top World Cup athletes for sure," said Gnoza.

The growth in performance from the national team goes deeper. Kalman Heims (Killington Mountain School), earned his first World Cup points with a 29th place. George McQuinn (Winter Park Competition Center Team), although didn’t have the run he hoped for, learned a lot about World Cup level skiing, which will pay off in the long run.

The first World Cup event of the New Year was a proving ground for the U.S. Team. “Having eight in finals is something I’m pretty proud of. We want to see more podiums, but part of the process is to get there first. We had a big step accomplishing that here in Calgary.”

RESULTS
Women's Moguls
Men's Moguls

Seven women and 18 men make up the U.S. Snowboard Team roster of athletes going head to head with the world’s snowboarding elite in slopestyle and halfpipe at the FIS Snowboard World Cup Laax Open in Switzerland, Jan. 15-19.

Entries include 19 different countries spanning five continents. The last time U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes were in Laax was in 2017. This year marks the fourth season of the Laax Open in its current form, though the resort has been a host of memorable top-level competition dating all the way back to 1993. According to president & CEO of Laax Ski Resort Reto Gurtner “The Laax Open brings all snowboarders together: the top riders, the amateurs and rising stars, the next generation of jibbers and all the boarder families. It’s a mountain lifestyle affair!”

The 2017 Laax Open did not disappoint with incredible performances in the halfpipe from U.S. Snowboard Team members Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho) and Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.). The conditions were tough to beat with clear skies, no wind and a laser cut halfpipe. Josey arguably had the breakout performance of his career where he claimed his first ever World Cup victory with style and technicality. Josey landed five consecutive doubles, two of which were back-to-back switch doubles. Kim was also on one winning with a run that was almost exclusively switch and included one frontside 1080. Since 2017, Josey and Kim have gradually increased their amplitude, run difficulty, and experience. Knowing that Josey and Kim are clearly comfortable in Laax, this year’s competition is set up to be quite the spectacle.

"I’m looking forward to the Laax Open because is consistently one of the best halfpipes in the world and really allows everyone to showcase their best riding,” said Josey. “This is my first year back at Laax since winning in 2017, so I’m excited to go out there, try some runs and aim at the podium again.”

Josey and Kim will be joined by an all-star cast including U.S. Snowboard Pro Team athletes, Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.), Gabe Ferguson (Bend, Ore.), Taylor Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Ryan Wachendorfer (Edwards, Colo.). In addition, U.S. Rookie Team members competing include Chase Blackwell (Longmont, Colo.), Lucas Foster (Telluride, Colo.), Jack Coyne (Edwards, Colo.), Jason Wolle (Winter Park, Colo.) and American Josh Bowman (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.).

For the women, Kim is leading the charge with U.S. Snowboard teammates Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Calif.) and 2018 Toyota U.S. Copper Grand Prix and Dew Tour medalist Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.). U.S. Rookie Team member Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) and American Zoe Kalapos (Vail, Colo.) will also be competing.

For slopestyle, U.S. Snowboard Team heavy hitters for both the men and the women are making their way to Laax including Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), who is fresh off a second place in slopestyle at the Kreischberg World Cup slopestyle in Austria, and a second place at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado. Joining Corning in Laax is U.S Pro Team members Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.), Nik Baden (Steamboat Springs, Calif.), Lyon Farrell (Haiku, Hawaii), and Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska). In addition, U.S. Rookie Team member Sean Fitzsimons (Hood River, Ore.) and Americans Grant Giller (Salt Lake City, Utah) and Will Healy (Riverside, Conn.) are set to compete.

For the women, coming off a second-place at the Dew Tour in slopestyle, Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) will lead the way for the ladies with teammate Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.).

With a stacked roster heading into the 2019 Laax Open World Cup, the current FIS World Cup standings are bound to see experience some change. In halfpipe, with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper and the Secret Garden, China, World Cups in the books, Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) is ranked sixth and Josey is ranked eighth. To catch points leaders Jan Scherrer of Switzerland in first and Australian Scotty James in second, Josey will need to step up. If his past performances in Laax are any representation, this is not far fetched by any means. For the women, Kim is fourth and Mastro in sixth chasing the leader Cai Xuetong from China.

Currently, two Americans sit in the top 10 of the World Cup slopestyle standings following the Kreischberg, Austria, World Cup. Corning is fifth and Stassel is seventh behind slopestyle World Cup leader Takeru Otsuka from Japan. Miyabi Onitsuka from Japan leads the slopestyle standings for the ladies followed by Reira Iwabuchi of Japan and Austria’s Anna Gasser ranked third.

WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe

HOW TO WATCH
*Subject to change
*All times EST

Friday, Jan. 18
6:00 a.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle - Laax, SUI - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle - Laax, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV*

Saturday, Jan. 19
8:00 a.m. - Men and women’s parallel giant slalom - Rogla, SLO - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:30 a.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe - Laax, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
 

Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) took the victory and Eileen Gu (San Francisco, Calif.) claimed her first-ever FIS Freeski World Cup podium with a second-place in Font Romeu, France, Saturday.

“I’m really stoked we got some amazing weather today after a tough week of wind,” said Hall. “Everyone killed it today and I was hyped to be a part of it and land on top!”

Gu also shared her excitement about her performance. “I'm over the moon after my first World Cup podium," she said. "I celebrated after getting invited to compete amongst my role models and didn't even dare dream that I would be able to podium alongside longtime idol and Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hoefflin. I am beyond happy to have been able to land a run I was proud of."

Gu had a smile on her face all day long and led the way with strong performances across the board from U.S. Freeski women. Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.) finished fifth and Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) finished seventh out of a field of 18 athletes. Gu shared the podium with PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hoefflin and Giulia Tanno from Switzerland who finished in first and third place respectively.

For the men, Hall earned his second World Cup slopestyle victory of his career with two very strong runs, both scoring in the 90s. Coming fresh off an urban filming trip, Hall took those skills to the rail section displaying great technicality. Earlier this season, Hall showed his big air prowess placing second at the Modena, Italy, World Cup big air and then proceeded to land on the podium at the Dew Tour slopestyle competition in Breckenridge, Colorado, with another second-place finish. Phillipe Langevin of Canada finished in second-place and Andri Ragettli of Switzerland closed out the podium in third-place.

Hall was not the only American skiing well in Font Romeu, Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.), who recently earned his first World Cup podium at the Stubai, Austria, World Cup in slopestyle finished fifth. Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) was 12th, and William Borm (Chaska, Minn.) 15th.

The FIS World Cup standings have been shaken up following competition in Font Romeu. For the women, Eileen Gu jumps in front of Estonian prodigy Kelly Sildaru to the number two spot behind Hoefflin, the current World Cup leader. Voisin sits in sixth, Claire in eighth and Krass in 13th. For the men, current World Cup standings have three U.S. Freeski Team members in the top 10 including Hall in the top spot, Forehand in second, and Borm (Chaska, Minn.) in seventh.

Freeski slopestyle World Cup competition will continue for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes in Seiseralm, Italy, Jan. 25-27. Shortly after, the world’s top freeskiers will descend on Park City, Utah for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships Feb. 1-10. Tune into NBC for all the action.

RESULTS
Men’s Slopestyle
Women’s Standings

WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men’s Slopestyle
Women’s Slopestyle
 

Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) claimed his first World Cup slopestyle podium of the season at the Kreischberg, Austria, FIS Snowboard World Cup. It all came down to the last run for Corning and after slight bobbles on his first two runs, he was able to put it down and close out his final run with a very stylish cab 1260 Nosegrab in front of a high energy Austrian crowd.

“I am really happy with my result,” said Corning. “It was a tough contest and not landing my first or second run didn’t help. I was able to pull it all together on the last run. I just had to regroup and get pumped up and make sure not to give up on myself.”

U.S Snowboard Team athlete Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif) fought his way back after not making it straight through to finals from the qualifying round. Henkes had to compete in the semi-finals Saturday morning where he finished fourth, claiming the last spot on the finals start list. Henkes finished sixth in the finals with Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska) ninth. Norwegian Mons Roisland won the event and Hiroaki Kunitake of Japan closed out the podium in third place.

Currently two Americans sit in the top 10 of the World Cup slopestyle standings following the Kreischberg event. Corning is fifth and Stassel holds onto the seventh position behind slopestyle World Cup leader Takeru Otsuka from Japan.

FIS World Cup slopestyle competition will continue Jan.15-19 in Laax, Switzerland, followed by Seiser Alm, Italy, Jan. 24-26. After that, the world’s top snowboarders will descend on Park City, Utah for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships Feb. 1-10. Tune into NBC for all the action.

“I am feeling good heading into the World Champs,” said Corning. “I think I will get the invite and I look forward to really showing what I’ve got and hopefully bringing home some World Championship medals in slope and big air on home turf.”

RESULTS
Men’s Slopestyle

WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men’s Slopestyle

Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) continues to show consistency and strength in his skiing, with a sixth place in Adelboden, Switzerland on the legendary - and extremely challenging and technical - Chuenisbärgli slope on Saturday.

On what is regarded one of the most difficult giant slalom tracks on the FIS Ski World Cup tour, Ford displayed a work of art, laying down beautiful arcs and some very composed and confident skiing in the first run, to land in fifth place, .39 seconds off of the leader, Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen. Despite a “one cheek sneak” hip check on a right-ski turn about three-quarters of the way down, Ford remained calm and even made up five tenths in the last split, where many athletes looked exhausted and out of gas.  

Starting 26th in the second run, Ford knew his first podium was within reach and took his classic TFord zen moment in the start house before kicking out of the gate with a .05 advantage and guns blazing. Thomas Fanara of France had already laid down a super fast and solid run, but despite some small mistakes, Ford was able to make up some time on Fanara from the second to third split, with a mere .27 second deficit going into the final pitch. Though Ford’s legs were likely screaming, he held it together and crossed the finish line in third, .75 seconds off of Fanara’s pace.

The stage was set for another massive duel between none other than first-run leader Kristoffersen and Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, while Hirscher was determined to establish himself as the king of giant slalom once again, and he did just that. Kristoffersen finished in second, by a whopping .71 seconds, while Fanara rounded out the podium in third, 1.04 seconds back.

"It was a good fight...kind of a rattly second run," Ford said. "My legs - I could feel them there - you probably saw my head bobbing a couple of times. The weather was all over the place, but all in all, I'm keeping it consistent...the speed is there."

Adelboden’s Chuenisbärgli slope has not necessarily been a favorite of Ford’s in the past. In fact, his previous best result at Adelboden was 19th place in 2017. Of his career six starts on the track, he has DNF’d three times. Ford’s sixth-place finish at Adelboden is further proof that he is skiing more balanced and consistent than ever, in what has been the most successful season of his career.

In six starts so far this season - five giant slalom and one parallel giant slalom - Ford has finished no higher than 16th place. In giant slalom, his worst finish has been 14th - both at Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria and Beaver Creek, Colorado. His other three finishes?! Sixth in Adelboden, fifth in Alta Badia, Italy, and sixth in Val d’Isere, France. Ford now sits in ninth in the giant slalom title race. In what is an incredibly deep and talented men's tech field, these results are nothing short of impressive. 

The giant slalom skiers have a little bit of a break between now and their next race in Garmisch, Germany on February 3rd, so Ford will take time to rest and recharge. "Sleep a little, lift a little, see Laurenne for a couple of days, and maybe do some super-G (FIS races)," Ford commented in regards to what's next, after his second run Saturday. 

For the Americans, Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) also finished in the points, landing in 16th. "First run was pretty bad, especially on the bottom here," Ligety reflected. "Second run was a step in the right direction, but there's still a lot of work to be done...just kind of stuck in this little vicious cycle, so I need to break that right now." Ligety will head to Wengen, Switzerland next for the alpine combined. "My slalom has been feeling good, so for combined, things could look good. Then, we're having a little break and then going to train for a couple of days before Garmisch."

Ligety has been dealing with a little bit of a nagging back issue since the giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, "It's the same area on my back...I don't have radiating sciatica down my leg or anything, I just popped a disc out pretty good - so I'm just dealing with that. It feels OK...definitely on the vulnerable side," Ligety said. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.), Nick Krause (Northboro, Mass.), Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, Mass) and River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.) also started but did not qualify for a second run. Up next, the men will ski slalom on Sunday in Adelboden.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

STANDINGS
Men’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Jan. 13
4:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Adelboden, SUI - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Adelboden, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) skied two very smart sprint heats, setting her up for a fifth-place finish in the FIS Cross Country World Cup Dresden city sprint Saturday. The podium was swept by Sweden led by Stina Nilsson, Maja Dahlquist in second and Jonna Sundling in third.

In the semifinals, Caldwell rounded the final turn in the first lap towards the back but jumped on the Swedish train of Nilsson and Sundling moving up the outside to finish second for the heat, qualifying for the finals.

“Today was a long, flat course with a big headwind as you headed out of the stadium each lap, so my strategy was to conserve energy for the first lap and try position myself well with fresh legs for the second lap,” said Caldwell. “This worked quite well in my quarter and semi, but in the final, I was bopping around not quite in the draft at the beginning of the second lap and definitely lost my legs a bit for the last half of the lap.”

Also qualifying for the women was Julia Kern (Waltham, Mass.), skiing in her first World Cup of the season. Kern, along with D Team members Hannah Halvorsen (Truckee, Calif.) and Hailey Swirbul (Anchorage, Alaska) are in Dresden on their way to the U23 Championships beginning later in January.

In the men’s race, both U.S. qualifiers Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.) and Kevin Bolger (Burlington, Vt.) were in the same quarterfinal heat. Although Bolger led most of the first lap, neither one was able to advance. The race was won by Norwegian Sindre Bjoernestad Skar, followed by Gleb Retivykh of Russia and Erik Valnes from Norway in third.

Sunday’s event will be the team sprint, a true favorite of the Americans. For the women, Kern and Caldwell are teaming up for USA1, Sargent and Halvorsen are teamed up for USA2.  

RESULTS
Men’s Sprint Finals
Women’s Sprint Finals

START LISTS
Men's team sprint
Women's team sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Sunday, Jan. 13
6:40 a.m. - Men and women’s team sprint - Dresden, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s team sprint - Dresden, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*

The U.S. Moguls Team returns to North America and the FIS World Cup circuit with a moguls event Jan. 12 in WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. Rearing to get back in the gates, the Americans were looking sharp and on point during Thursday’s training.

“I’m really excited to get back into the swing of things. I love the North American part of the tour and am really stoked this year to compete with my family supporting me here in Calgary!” said Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) who coming off back-to-back podiums from Thaiwoo, China, dons the yellow bib for the women.

The Calgary course is a “skiers’ course,” says Moguls World Cup Coach Caleb Martin. “The teardrop profile is classic. Halfway down the course the pitch drops to about 34 degrees leading into the bottom airs and across the finish line. It takes tremendous precision to slow down for the bottom air.”

The course is set and thanks to an abundance of man-made snow, the profile is consistent. The snow in Calgary has been dry and chalky, with skier traffic it loosens up nicely.

“I’m pretty excited for this contest. Calgary is always pretty challenging and, generally, the more technical skiers shine, which I think is cool,” said Hunter Bailey (Vail, Colo.). Bailey gave Ikuma Horishima (Japan) a run for his money during the Duals competition in Thaiwoo and has been skiing consistently well.

Other men to watch are Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) and Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.), who finished 6th and 7th in Calgary last season. “Casey Andringa is ready to pop, Calgary could be just what the doctor ordered,” said Martin.

Leading the women is Kauf, who's first in the FIS rankings by just five points over Perrine Laffont (France) and Yuliya Galysheva (Kazakhstan). Fellow American Tess Johnson(Vail, Colo.), currently ranked fifth in FIS standings, has the skiing to perform well on this kind of pitch. Kauf and Johnson hope to stand together on the podium this season, and Calgary could be where the magic happens.

Starters
Men
Brad Wilson
Hunter Bailey
Dylan Walczyk
Casey Andringa
Jesse Andringa
Kalman Heims
George McQuinn

Women
Jaelin Kauf
Tess Johnson
Olivia Giaccio
Hannah Soar
Nessa Dziemian
Alex Jenson

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
Saturday, Jan. 12
3:30 p.m. - Men and women’s moguls - Calgary, Alberta - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

From February 1-10, approximately 1,400 athletes from 40 countries will converge on Utah to compete in the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota—the biggest winter sports event to be held in Utah since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Contests held as part of this elite event will include snowboard and skicross; freeski and snowboard big air, slopestyle and halfpipe; snowboard parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom; and freestyle moguls, dual moguls and aerials.

But long before the first competitor arrives on deck, enters a start gate or drops in, multiple teams of course designers, builders and preppers will have put in countless hours planning, sculpting and refining the competition venues at Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain and Solitude Mountain Resort. Snow, hundreds of cubic feet of it, is where building each of these courses begins. Thanks to consistently cold temperatures and lots of natural snow in Utah this season, the 2019 World Championships host resorts have been able to make and stockpile plenty. Beyond this shared construction element, however, building the fields of play for each of these events is a very different and very specific task.

Champion moguls course and White Owl aerials jumps, Deer Valley Resort
“The crew of course builders at Deer Valley are so dialed in. Almost all of them, including both staff and volunteers, have built moguls courses there since before the Olympics,” says Nat Schirman, Champion Moguls Chief of Course and former NorAm freestyle skier.

Schirman and co-Chief of Course Tony Gilpin begin by stringing ropes and flags along the Champion Run designating where a snowcat driver should place the piles of snow that will eventually become moguls. Course builder volunteers then move through every inch of the course, removing ice chunks from the snow and further shaping the bumps. Schirman then invites local freestyle team athletes to ski the run, which continues to build the mogul field and allow he and Gilpin to see how the course is skiing. The final step is building in the two sets of jump tables, used by competitors as take-off for aerial maneuvers consisting of upright or inverted tricks. These are made by filling prefabricated forms with snow and water and the leaving them to freeze overnight.  

World Cup moguls courses generally range between 650 and 885 feet long with an average slope grade of 26 degrees. Deer Valley's Champion course is 827 feet long with an average slope grade of 28 degrees, making it one of the steepest, longest and most coveted moguls courses on the World Cup circuit. “It’s really one of the best moguls courses in the world,” Schirman says. “It’s steep at the top and allows the crowd to see athletes going for it from the top all the way to the finish.”

Deer Valley is also particularly well-known for its White Owl aerial jumps, a sport pioneered by the resort’s late Director of Skiing, Olympic Gold Medalist Stein Eriksen. Course builders will construct five jumps for the 2019 World Championships—one single (2.1 meters or 6 feet, 11 inches tall), two doubles (3.5 meters or 11 feet, 6 inches tall) and two triples (4.1 meters or 13 feet, 6 inches tall).

“Prior to building the actual jumps we spend about five days moving snow with a snowcat to get the profile of the course correct,” says Wayne Hilterbrand, the White Owl aerials course builder and jump builder for more than 20 national and international events since 2005. Other items on the pre-jump building checklist include grading the in-run, ensuring the transition curve—the stretch of the in-run from the ramp to the jump table—is a specific length, building the jump table and laying in the finish area.

Building the actual jumps starts with construction of a three-sided, steel and plywood jump form. Then a large industrial snowblower mounted to the front of a snowcat is used to fill the forms with snow. Volunteers pack snow into the forms by hand to eliminate air pockets; water is also added to help the snow harden. “The trick is to get enough water that they get hard, but not so much that they become total ice,” Hilterbrand says. After the forms are filled, the builders manipulate the snow further to achieve what’s called a rough shape. The jumps are then left to freeze overnight. The next day the forms are removed and official aerial jump shapers—typically coaches—carve the jumps into exact heights, lengths and angles for competition. Then the athletes get to fly. “We’ve estimated that, off the triple jumps, aerialists that get about 45 to 50 feet of air from the peak of the jump to the landing,” Hilterbrand says.

Doc’s Run big air, 3 Kings slopestyle course, Eagle Superpipe and Picabo’s run snowboard parallel slalom/GS, Park City Mountain
“Long before course construction begins,” says Park City Mountain Terrain Park Manager, “our team sits down and makes a plan for the course design.” Executing four separate competition venues—hosting the lion’s share of 2019 World Championships competition—involves multiple resort departments including snowmaking, grooming, competition services and fleet maintenance. Snowmaking and course prep begin soon after the resort opens for the season. And then as competition nears, Ingham and other course building staff use snowcats to shape the piles of snow into the basic feature profiles for slopestyle, big air and halfpipe.

To complete the final stage of the 600-feet-long, 70-feet wide, 18-degree pitch Olympic-caliber Superpipe, Park City Mountain relies on the expertise of Jake Ingle—U.S. Ski & Snowboard halfpipe builder and a part of the team responsible for the famed 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Superpipe. After resort crews have built the pipe decks and dig out the middle into the characteristic U shape, Ingle uses a snowcat fitted with an elliptical-arc-profile arm with an articulated augur (Ingle’s 'pipecutter of choice is the Zaugg Pipe Monster) to shave the Superpipe’s walls. “We try to use a drier snow to create a chalky riding surface,” Ingle says. And then, as is the case with all other freestyle event features, a team using hand tools puts the finishing touches on the Superpipe.

But Ingle’s job is really just beginning once the halfpipe is finished. “I start getting feedback from the athletes and coaches from the first practice session,” Ingle says. He also spends times watching training sessions to get firsthand clues about how the Superpipe is riding and seeks out veteran Grand Prix competitors who are typically able to provide more specific feedback. Once competition is underway, most of the work in the Superpipe shifts to slippers, hand shapers and the dye crew. Unless is snows. “Then I’m back in the snowcat on dawn patrol, digging the snow out before the day begins,” Ingle says.

The resort’s grooming department and well-seasoned race department are responsible for preparing the surface along the snowboard parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom run on Picabo’s Run in the Eagle Race Arena. “We take a similar approach to the snowboarding event venue as we would for a ski racing venue,” says Park City Mountain Competition Services Manager Karen Korfanta. “The ultimate goal is to get the two courses as even as possible, left to right. And snowboarders love going fast just as much as the ski racing population but the course surface should be firm, but not slippery or as dense as an alpine skiing event.” Ten to 15 slippers and four to six course workers will maintain the both the 470 to 500 meter parallel giant slalom course, as well as the 350 to 370 meter parallel slalom course.     

Main Street Run snowboardcross and skicross course, Solitude Mountain Resort
The 2019 World Championships snowboardcross/skicross course at Solitude Mountain Resort was designed and will be built by Nick Roma, founder of the Mountain Projects Company. “The terrain is different at every venue, so every snowboardcross and skicross course is different,” Roma says. “Because both the freeski and snowboard athletes will run the same line at Solitude, the challenge with this course is building features that are both safe for all riders that provide a high level of difficulty at the same time.”

To meet that challenge, Roma designed the Solitude’s state-of-the-art, 1,298-meter-long, 180-meter vertical skicross/snowboardcross course using a combined AutoCAD and Leka software platform—the first time this level of technology has been used to design a ski-/snowboardcross course in the United States. The course—which spans seven different multi-features consisting of 34 different rollers, multiple banked turns and two massive jumps—is located on the skier's right side of Solitude's Main Street run; the left side of the run will remain open throughout competition, allowing skiers front-row spectator access along its entire length. Beyond the time put in beforehand by Solitude's snowmaking staff, the course takes about two weeks and 500-plus hours to build, performed by multiple snowcat drivers that push and shape the snow mechanically and a team of on-the-ground course builders using specialized shovels and tools to refine every feature along the course by hand.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary broadcast schedule, subject to change
Streaming schedule TBA
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Friday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women's snowboardcross finals - NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - Olympic Channel
8:30 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - NBCSN*

Sunday, Feb. 3
1:00 a.m. - Men and women’s freeski big air finals - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Team snowboardcross - Olympic Channel
4:00 p.m.-  Team snowboardcross - NBCSN*

Monday, Feb. 4
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - NBCSN*

Tuesday, Feb. 5
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard slalom - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard big air - NBCSN

Wednesday, Feb. 6
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s freeski slopestyle finals - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Olympic Channel
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - NBCSN*

Thursday, Feb. 7
9:00 p.m. - Team aerials - NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 8
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard  halfpipe - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s moguls - NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 10
2:00 a.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - NBC*

Monday, Feb. 11
10:30 p.m. - Women’s freeski halfpipe finals - NBCSN**

EVENT SCHEDULE
All times MST (local time)

Friday, Feb. 1
11:00 a.m. -Snowboardcross Final - Solitude Mountain Resort

Saturday, Feb. 2
1:00 p.m. - Skicross Final - Solitude Mountain Resort
7:00 p.m. - Freeski Big Air Final - Canyons Village - Park City Mountain

Sunday, Feb. 3
11:00 a.m. - Mixed Gender Team Snowboardcross Final - Solitude Mountain Resort

Monday, Feb. 4
1:00 p.m. - Snowboard Parallel Giant Slalom Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain

Tuesday, Feb. 5
1:00 p.m. - Snowboard Parallel Slalom Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain
7:00 p.m. - Snowboard Big Air Final - Canyons Village - Park City Mountain

Wednesday, Feb. 6
11:00 a.m. - Freeski Slopestyle Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain
7:00 p.m. - Freestyle Aerials Final - Deer Valley Resort

Thursday, Feb. 7
7:00 p.m. - Freestyle Team Aerials Final - Deer Valley Resort

Friday, Feb. 8
11:00 a.m. - Snowboard Halfpipe Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain
7:00 p.m. - Freestyle Moguls Final - Deer Valley Resort

Saturday, Feb. 9
11:00 a.m. - Freeski Halfpipe Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain
7:00 p.m. - Freestyle Dual Moguls Final - Deer Valley Resort

Sunday, Feb. 10
11:00 a.m. - Snowboard Slopestyle Final - Park City Village at Park City Mountain
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Webb
Director of Marketing and Communications, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
+1.435.602.9644
tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org

FOR ACCREDITED MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Tom Kelly
Chief of Press
+1.435.602.9799
2019WorldChampsMedia@usskiandsnowboard.org
 

With the conclusion of the 2019 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury, Vermont, Tuesday, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named three teams to represent the nation in international competitions.

U23 World Championship Team
The U23 team of five men and five women has been selected to represent the United States at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Jan. 20-27.

The team includes seasoned veterans of international competition with tremendous depth on the women’s side. “Julia (Kern), Hannah (Halvorsen), and Hailey (Swirbul) will be racing a World Cup in Dresden, Germany, and then head to World U23,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Cross Country Sport Development Manager Bryan Fish said. “Their success at U.S. Nationals and experience on World Cup provides positive momentum rolling into World U23 Championship.”

Men
Peter Holmes (Sun Valley SEF/Truckee, Calif.)
Daniel Streinz (Northern Michigan University/ Hersey, Maine)
Hunter Wonders (APU/Anchorage, Alaska)
Ian Torchia (NMU/Marquette, Mich.)
Braden Becker (Williams College/ Yarmouth, Maine)

Women
Julia Kern (SMST2/Waltham, Mass.)
Hailey Swirbul (Alaska Pacific University/ Basalt, Colo.)
Hannah Halvorsen (APU/Truckee, Calif.)
Evelina Sutro (UVM/Burlington, Vt.)
Alayna Sonnesyn (SMST2/Plymouth, Minn.)

Junior World Championship Team
The Junior World Team of 12 athletes - six men and six women - was also named on Tuesday and will compete in Lahti, Finland, Jan. 19-27. The Junior Worlds take place alongside the U23 racing also taking place in Lahti.

“The Junior men’s team is the strongest team we have ever fielded with respect to performance and depth,” said Fish. “We have athletes that threaten in every event. We also return three of the four team members from the silver medal relay.

“Our women’s team is young in age, but many have international experience from past Under-18 trips,” Fish added. “They are ready for this next step.”

FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships in Lahti will be shown via live stream via a subscription package. All events, with the exception of qualifications, will be streamed live at www.jwsc2019.com.

Men
Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars/Anchorage, Alaska)
Johnny Hagenbuch (Sun Valley SEF/Sun Valley, Idaho)
Ben Ogden (UVM/Landgrove, Vt.)
Luke Jager (APU/Anchorage, Alaska)
Noel Keeffe (University of Utah/Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
Zanden McMullen (APU/Anchorage, Alaska)

Women
Kendall Kramer (NSCF-FXC/ Fairbanks, Alaska)
Novie McCabe (Methow Valley Nordic/Winthrop, Wash.)
Waverly Gebhardt (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports/Steamboat, Colo.)
Sophia Mazzoni (Sun Valley SEF/Sun Valley, Idaho)
Mara McCollor (Minneapolis Ski Club/ Plymouth, Minn.)
Sydney Palmer – Leger (Sun Valley SEF/Park City, Utah)

U18 Scandinavian Championships Team
A 12-person U18 Team has been named for the U18 Scandinavian Championships taking place annually in Otepaa, Estonia, Jan 20-23.  Many U18 women declined to accept nominations to the team in lieu of accepting nominations for the Junior World Team.

“This three-event race series is a critical piece of the U.S. development pipeline to prepare athletes for the Junior Worlds by giving them great international race experience,” said Fish.  “This is a very talented group of young men and women.”

Men
Joshua Valentine (GMVS/Australia)
Will Koch (Stratton Mountain School/Peru, Vt.)
Brian Bushey (GMVS/Montpelier, Vt.)
Kai Mittelsteadt (Bridger Ski Foundation/Bozeman, Mont.)
Michael Earnhart (Alaska Nordic Racing/Eagle River, Alaska)
Lane Myshrall (PCSS/Park City, Utah)

Women
Charlotte Ogden (Stratton Mountain School/Landgrove, Vt.)
Nina Seeman (Bondville, Vt.)
Adrianna Proffitt (Alaska Nordic Racing/Chugiak, Alaska)
Annie McColgan (Mt Bachelor Sports Education foundation/Bend, Ore.)
Kate Oldham (Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club/Carbondale, Colo.)
Abigail Streinz (Craftsbury Outdoor Center/Hershey, Maine)

The U.S. Freeski Team is traveling to Font Romeu, France, this week with a full squad of eager competitors ready to kick off the new year with their second FIS Freeski World Cup slopestyle event of the season Thursday through Saturday.

At the first slopestyle World Cup in Stubai, Austria, U.S. Rookie Team member Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) claimed second-place and his first World Cup podium. Forehand’s result has him sitting just behind the leader Henrik Harlaut of Sweden in the FIS Freeski World Cup slopestyle standings. Also, joining Forehand in the top-10 in the standings is Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) and William Borm (Chaska, Minn.) after strong performances in Stubai.

“I feel pretty good going into Font Romeu,” said Forehand. “I’m just gonna have fun with it and ski my best. The course was running well today so I'm pumped on that. There is some weight on my shoulders because of world champs coming up and I haven’t secured a spot yet.”

Forehand will be striving to earn his second-consecutive podium of the 2018-19 World Cup season. However, with a strong international field, including his own U.S. Freeski teammates, this will be no easy task. Forehand will be joined by teammates Hall, Borm, McRae Williams (Park City, Utah), Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.), Colby Stevenson (Park City, Utah), Joss Christensen (Park CIty, Utah) and American Quinn Wolferman (Missoula, Mont.).

For the women, Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) is leading the charge following a third-place finish at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado, last month. Joining Voisin are teammates Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt. ), Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.), Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) and U.S Rookie Team member Eileen Gu (San Francisco).

STANDINGS
Men’s World Cup slopestyle
Women’s World Cup slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

FREESKIING
Saturday, Jan. 12
4:20 a.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle - Font Romeu, FRA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
2:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle - Font Romeu, FRA - Olympic Channel-TV