Crashes took their toll during stage five of the Tour de Ski in Oberstdorf Thursday, a day after mother nature threw her wrath over the region with a massive lightning storm that canceled the classic sprint. In the women’s 10k freestyle mass start, Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) both skied at the head of the pack early in the race before each of them lost ground in crashes. 

Norway's Ingvild Flugstad Østberg extended her Tour de Ski lead. Norway's Imil Iversen won the men's 15k with Tour leader Dario Cologna of Switzerland fourth.

Diggins saw her hopes for a podium finish dashed in the final 200 meters, crashing into the sideboards and finishing 24th. Bjornsen was 26th with Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, Vt.) 28th in the women’s 10k freestyle mass start. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) led the men in 32nd.

Despite being well back in the stage, both Diggins and Bjornsen remained in strong position for top Tour finishes. Diggins is third and Bjornsen seventh in the Tour de Ski overall rankings heading into the final two stages in Val di Fiemme, Italy this weekend.

Wednesday’s severe weather wreaked havoc with the course, felling trees and blowing course bannering away forcing organizers to make changes to the planned course for the mass start events. The new course was essentially the women's sprint course plus an additional 800 meters. It featured very little vertical, which kept virtually the entire field packed together from start to finish and allowed very little opportunity for passing.

Diggins and Bjornsen skied at the front of the lead pack most of the first half of the race, taking turns in the race lead, before Bjornsen fell on the uphill into a sprint prime on the third lap, dropping back just past the midway mark. Diggins remained in the hunt and was in good striking position coming into the finish before she crashed into the sideboards less than 175 meters from the line, dropping from a top position back to 24th in the blink of an eye, losing around 15 seconds. 

“I got into great position to sprint for the bonus seconds,” said Diggins. “Unfortunately, I hit ice and crashed hard into the boards, spinning around and losing quite a bit of time and places. But that happens sometimes in racing and I shook it off already!” 

Diggins showed little frustration and kept her focus looking forward. “Fortunately I had great skis and did the best I could today,” she said. “I have a lot of energy left to fight as hard as I can in these last two stages.”

“Another interesting day in Oberstdorf,” said Bjornsen. ”With the salted course, it kept people pretty tight together and was a challenging day to get an edge into the snow. The highlight of the day was controlling lap two alongside Jessie.”

That highlight was dashed a lap later for Bjornsen with her crash. “In the four seconds on the ground, I managed to get passed by 20 people, and then struggled to fight my way back up,” she said. I was pretty bummed, but then again, it’s tour skiing. You can’t think about a race more than 10 minutes after it’s over or you waste energy for the next.” 

The Tour now heads to Italy for a pair of races that will decide the Tour de Ski. Saturday it’s back to mass starts, this time classic technique. Then Sunday is the final freestyle pursuit featuring the 9k climb up Alpe Cermis.

Diggins is poised for a potential podium finish while Bjornsen is fighting for a top 10. All eyes will also be on Stephen who is a master on the Alpe de Cermis climb.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k Freestyle Mass Start 
Women’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start

Men’s Tour de Ski Rankings 
Women’s Tour de Ski Rankings 

It was a day for the Patterson family as the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships opened in Anchorage. Golds went to the brother-sister duo with Scott Patterson (Anchorage/APU Nordic) and Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Common/Craftsbury Nordic). Nearly 400 athletes are participating.

SuperTour leader Caitlin Patterson Championships Wednesday with an important victory in her quest for a spot on the Olympic team. Patterson won the women’s 10k freestyle in near blizzard conditions in Anchorage’s Kincaid Park. Patterson took gold with a 19.7-second margin over Caitlin Gregg (Minneapolis/Team Gregg). Chelsea Holmes (Anchorage/APU Nordic) was third.

In the men’s 15k, Scott Patterson took a 55-second win over Noah Hoffman (Aspen, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) with Matt Liebsch (Orono, Minn.) third.

“I was a little nervous going into today having not raced domestically yet this season and also with a lot on the line today,” said Scott Patterson. “I had to keep reminding myself that although I wasn't racing as I wanted to be on the World Cup, I was still in good shape and nationals in Anchorage gave me quite an advantage with it being my home course.”

Scott also admitted there was some extra family incentive after his sister, Caitlin, won the women’s 10k an hour earlier.

“My race strategy was to make it through those tricky conditions with energy and build time throughout the rest of the flatter rolling terrain,” he said. “This paid off from the beginning as I was able to build an early lead and keep increasing it throughout the race.”

The win was important to him for Olympic selection, which is based on SuperTour events with U.S. Championships being weighted more heavily. “Today was quite important,” he said. “After today, I think Noah Hoffman and I are in the driver’s seats. Although we were not racing as we wanted to be on the World Cup, today showed that we are still in good form. A lot is going to come down to Sunday's distance race.” 

The women’s race was more tightly contested. Caitlin Patterson, Gregg and Holmes were all within seconds of each other for nearly the entire race before Patterson surged on the last lap.

“This is definitely a good mark in my book,” said Caitlin Patterson. “I don’t know how many women they will take from these races but I’m hoping one or two will be selected. This along with my win in Silver Star will be good for me but we still have another distance race.”

Patterson came in as SuperTour leader with three podiums including the Silver Star victory. She was second to Gregg by less than a second after the first lap of the individual start race before moving out in front.

“It was a really interesting weather day with the new snow on top of the manmade,” said Patterson. “The hills were really choppy but I tried to keep working through them. I had a really strong finish and happy with the win today.”

“I felt great out there and had an awesome race,” said Gregg. “I felt solid. Caitlin Patterson just had that extra oomph at the finish. But overall I’m very happy.”

Gregg, too, found the conditions fascinating. “Conditions were crazy,” she said. “Part of it was not really knowing. I saw the forecast and thought it might get colder but the track stayed stable just below freezing - a lot like when I won my medal in Falun (in 2015).”

For Holmes, it was a homecoming after spending the first period of the World Cup in Europe. “Today it was fun out there, to be at home and make some laps,” she said. “One hill got really soft but the course held up really well with the manmade snow. It was great conditions. Coming back from Europe back home has been fun.”

In the men’s race, juniors had some impressive finishes including Gus Schumacher (Anchorage/Alaska Stars) in sixth and Ben Ogden (Landgrove, Vt./Stratton Mountain School) in ninth. Hailey Swirbul (Carbondale, Colo./Univ. Alaska Anchorage) led the junior women in eighth. They are vying for spots on the Junior Worlds team that will compete later this month in Goms, Switzerland.

Action continues with freestyle sprints on Friday with classic distance racing set on Sunday. All events are being streamed live by U.S. Ski & Snowboard on its Facebook channel.

RESULTS
Men's 15k Freestyle 
Women's 10k Freestyle 

Sarah Hendrickson stood at the top of the 134-meter ski jump at Holmenkollen, the city of Oslo in the distance. Japan’s Sara Takanashi had just flown 133.5 meters to take the lead. Only Hendrickson, the first jump leader, remained. She took a deep breath and pushed off the bar. Soon, she was in flight - floating down the hill before touching down in a perfect telemark landing. She pumped her fist into the air, a big smile crossing face as her teammates and friends Lindsey, Jessica, Allisa and Abby came running to greet her.

It was a joyous day - March 17, 2013. This past Sunday, New Year's Eve, that same smile came back to Sarah Hendrickson’s face, this time mixed with tears. The same friends and teammates who cheered her at Holmenkollen, were there at the Utah Olympic Park to share those tears and cheer her to win once again. More than a group of friends, these girls were pioneers who had helped shepherd their sport to its Olympic debut in Sochi.

It took 1,750 days for Sarah to find that feeling again - to simply smile about the sport she loved so much. To pump her fist into the air. To put her head in her hands and cry. To triumphantly hold her skis above her head to celebrate a victory.

Sarah Hendrickson was a winner once again. This time there was no discretionary choice to make the Olympic Team. She earned it in a hotly contested Olympic Trials that featured five women who all had a pretty equal shot at the win. She would be an Olympian again.

“My goal was to have fun and smile today,” said an emotional Hendrickson. “When I got up today, that was what I set my mind on. I love ski jumping and that’s why we’re all out here.”

Over the span of four and a half years, that love was severely tested. Hendrickson’s August 2013 training crash in Germany led to countless surgeries, each one seemingly leading to another. It resulted in three separate comebacks to the sport, each filled with optimism. Each resulting in dashed hopes. Each followed by periods of perseverance that only a world-class athlete can muster.

This time it was different.

Atop the 98 meter hill at the Utah Olympic Park, her mind raced back to that time as a 5 year old when she walked up to watch the Olympic ski jumping competition, later convincing her parents she should be able to jump like her older brother Nick.

All Sarah ever wanted to do was to fly.

She thought for a moment about her objective of the day - to just have fun and enjoy the moment. This was a chance she might not have again - to put on a show for the 7,000 hometown fans in the stadium. She didn’t think about the aches and pains or things she might have done differently. She put the fear of pain out of her mind. When you show up on competition day, you have to leave that behind.

Amidst the thousands of tense fans was her mother Nancy and her father Bill. There were friends and fans from Park City whose hearts had been aching with hers over the last four years as she pursued her relentless series of comebacks.

When she nailed her landing on that final jump the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. For Sarah, the world stood still. She sought a moment of solitude in the finish amidst the deafening cheers, holding her head in her hands as tears poured out of her eyes. She looked to the sky, thrusting her skis upward to the heavens. This was what she loved. This was what she had so sorely missed.

“It’s pretty emotional because the last four years have been so tough,” she said. “This gives me confidence that hard work pays off. If you keep working towards your dream you’ll get there. That is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life. It’s a really good lesson to hold with you.”

Sarah Hendrickson is going to PyeongChang.

ZAGREB, Croatia (Jan. 3, 2018) – Mikaela Shiffrin once again proved she is not only the best skier in the world, but arguably the best athlete in the world with the 2018 Olympic Winter Games just five weeks away.

With another dominating display of speed and skill, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) rolled to her 38th career FIS Ski World Cup victory in Wednesday’s slalom in Zagreb, Croatia.  It was her eighth World Cup victory this season, and she extended her overall World Cup lead to 571 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who did not compete Wednesday. Shiffrin also leads the overall World Cup slalom and downhill standings.

“I’m really excited to race, race, race, race!” said Shiffrin who has won three of the last four World Cup races in the past eight days. “It’s a tough period for the tech girls, but it’s cool to be part way through it now and feel like I have good momentum and just try to keep it going through the rest of the season.”

Shiffrin cruised to a 1.41-second first run lead and extended it to a 1.59-second margin of victory over Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, who finished second, and Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter in third. Fellow American Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) was 14th.

With Wednesday’s victory, Shiffrin was crowned the Snow Queen for the third time in her career as she also won the crown in 2015 and 2013.

Up next, the women head to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for giant slalom and slalom events Jan. 6-7, then to Flachau, Austria for a night slalom on Jan. 9. The men race the Zagreb night slalom Thursday.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

Severe weather has forced the International Ski Federation to cancel stage four of the Tour de Ski in Oberstdorf, Germany. A huge rainstorm with strong winds and lightning descended on the German community during the women's classic sprint qualifying, which did run to its conclusion. The men's qualifying and both men's and women's heats were canceled.

The results of the women's sprint will be used for FIS points but not for either World Cup or Tour de Ski rankings. The sprint will not be rescheduled and the Tour will have only six stages, not seven. The classic sprint was the final Olympic selection race for a top-eight finish for the U.S. skiers.

In women's qualifying, Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was second with Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.) ninth. Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) was 21st. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash) finished outside the top 30.

The team woke to a wet but calm morning with a forecast of heavy rain and win at about start time for women’s qualifying. The storm rolled in as planned and played a factor in the qualifying race with wind, rain and hail impacting athletes. Some banners and inflatable displays were blown away by the wind.

As the men’s qualifying was set to begin, coach Jason Cork reported a strong microburst with debris blowing onto the course and trees falling onto the test track. Thunder and lightning accompanied the storm. Much of the on-course fencing was damaged between the women’s and men’s qualifying rounds.

“We’re grateful for the decision by FIS and the organizing to cancel the race in the interest of safety,” said U.S. Ski Team Coach Matt Whitcomb. “This is the first time I’ve seen lightning at a World Cup and it created stress for our staff and the athletes.”

The Team’s new wax truck got a lot of use as athletes gathered to weather the storm and ride stationary bikes.

One skier who may have gotten a break is Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.). Caldwell, who has won the Oberstdorf classic sprint in the past, was sick and did not start. Because of the cancelation, she will still be able to continue in the Tour de Ski if she chooses.

Nearly 400 athletes are on hand this week in Anchorage's Kincaid Park for the 2018 L.L.Bean U.S Cross Country Championships. The six-day event opens Wednesday, January 3, continuing through Monday, January 8. All events will stream live on U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Facebook channel.

Top athletes at the U.S. Championships will be vying for additional Olympic quota spots. While the primary team qualifying will come from World Cup results, additional spots will come from the event. Olympic nominations will be announced the week of January 22.

The U.S. Championships will also be used to select the U.S. team that will compete in the FIS World Junior Championships and U23 World Championships to be held in Goms, Switzerland January 28 - February 3. A team will also be selected for the U18 Nordic Nations Championship in Vuokatti, Finland at the same time.

Among the anticipated leaders will be SuperTour leaders Ben Lustgarten (Burlington, Vt./Craftsbury Nordic) and Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury Common, Vt./Craftsbury, Vt.). Lustgarten won his first U.S. title a year ago in the 30k classic. Patterson took a pair of medals a year ago at Soldier Hollow, Utah and two U.S. titles in 2016.

Some of the top athletes from the World Cup tour will be in Anchorage seeking spots on the Olympic Team. Among them are Noah Hoffman (Aspen, Colo./Ski & Snowboard Club Vail), Scott Patterson (APU Nordic/Anchorage) and Chelsea Holmes (Anchorage/APU Nordic).

The action opens with the women's 10k freestyle Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Alaska time, with the men going out with a 15k freestyle at 12:30 p.m.

Live Streaming Schedule
2018 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships
Schedule subject to change

Live race results

Wednesday, January 3
2:00 p.m.  EST - Women's 10k freestyle
4:30 p.m. EST - Men's 15k freestyle

Friday, January 5
2:00-3:30 p.m. EST - Men's and women's freestyle sprints - qualifiers
4:45-8:00 p.m. EST - Men's and women's freestyle sprints - heats

Sunday, January 7
2:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Men's 30k classic mass start
Women's 20k classic mass start
Junior men's 10k classic mass start
Junior women's 5k classic mass start

Monday, January 8
2:00-3:30 p.m. EST - Men's and women's classic sprints - qualifiers
4:45-8:00 p.m. EST - Men's and women's classic sprints - heats

Happy New Year from U.S. Ski & Snowboard! The countdown is on to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and athletes have just three weeks of qualifying competition left to achieve nominations to their respective Olympic teams. January will feature a host of competitions both abroad and on American soil, including Toyota U.S. Grand Prix stops at Snowmass, Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, California, and FIS Freestyle World Cups at Deer Valley Resort, Utah and Lake Placid, New York.

Read on to see where U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be in action this week and how to watch via NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA.

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup - Zagreb, CRO + Kranjska Gora, SLO
The U.S. tech women will get to put on a show under the lights with night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 3. The tour then moves to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Jan. 6-7 for a giant slalom and slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) is expected to compete in all three events and will be favored to add more World Cup podiums to the 11 she’s already landed this season. Other familiar U.S. faces include Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) and Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.).

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Zagreb, CRO + Adelboden, SUI
The men’s Alpine team follow the women with their own night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 4 and then Adelboden, Switzerland will host a giant slalom and slalom Jan. 6-7. Skiers expected to race throughout the week include Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.) and Nolan Kasper (Warren, Vt.), who’s returning to the World Cup after two years of injury.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Calgary, CAN
The U.S. Ski Team moguls athletes kick off the New Year with a World Cup event in Calgary, Alberta on Jan. 6. The event will take place at the 1988 Olympic Park. Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) and Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine), who both landed podiums at the last World Cup in China, will be leading the charge into the third Olympic selection event of the season.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Moscow, RUS
The aerials World Cup tour continues with a city event on scaffolding in Moscow Jan. 6. U.S. athletes have historically done well on the Moscow site; Mac Bohonnon (Madison, Conn.), Jon Lillis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Madison Olsen (Park City, Utah) landed podiums there in 2016.

FIS Cross Country World Cup - Tour de Ski: Oberstdorf, GER + Val di Fiemme, ITA
Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) all landed podiums in the first three stages of the Tour de Ski. The Tour continues with a stop in Oberstdorf, Germany Jan. 3-4 followed by the finale in Val di Fiemme, Italy Jan. 6-7. Diggins and Bjornsen are currently sitting third and fifth in the Tour standings.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup - Innsbruck + Bischofshofen, AUT
Coming off strong performances at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, 2018 Olympic Team member Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.), Kevin Bickner (Wacounda, Ill.) and Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) move into the final stops of the Four Hills Tournament in Austria.

FIS Snowboard World Cup - Lackenhof, AUT
Riders will compete in a pair of parallel giant slalom races Jan. 5-6.

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD BROADCAST AND STREAMING SCHEDULE
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE
Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m.  – Women’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb  – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

FREESTYLE
Jan. 6
12:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s aerials; Moscow – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 p.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Calgary – Olympic Channel TV

CROSS COUNTRY
Jan. 3
8:50 a.m. – Men’s and women’s sprint – olympicchannel.com
12:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s sprint – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 4
4:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k + Men’s 15k – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
8:15 a.m. – Women’s 10k mass start – olympicchannel.com
9:45 a.m. – Men’s 15k mass start – olympicchannel.com
11:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k mass start – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s 15k mass start – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 7
5:30 a.m. – Women’s 9k pursuit – olympicchannel.com
7:30 a.m. – Women’s 9k pursuit – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)
8:30 a.m. – Men’s 9k pursuit – olympicchannel.com
1:30 p.m. – Men’s 9k pursuit – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

SKI JUMPING
Jan. 3
8:00 a.m. – Men’s HS130 Qualification; Innsbruck – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 4
8:00 a.m. – Men’s HS130; Innsbruck – olympicchannel.com
2:30 p.m. – Men’s HS130; Innsbruck – Olympic Channel TV (SDD)

Jan. 6
11:00 a.m. – Men’s HS140; Bischofshofen – olympicchannel.com
8 p.m. – Men’s HS140; Bischofshofen – Olympic Channel TV (SDD)

SNOWBOARD
Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s PGS; Lackenhof – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 6
5:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s PGS; Lackenhof – olympicchannel.com

Heading into an extremely busy month which will culminate with the naming of Team USA, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) is finding not only momentum in her skiing, but also inspiration from the performances of her cross country and ski jumping teammates. And it’s the female athletes who have been in headlines as we roll into 2018.

With podiums by cross country skiers Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Bjornsen and Jessie Diggins in the Tour de Ski and a win by Sarah Hendrickson in the recent U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Trials, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team women have been fast and furious in the last two weeks. Add to that six podiums by Shiffrin since December 20 – five of those being victories – and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team has some serious momentum heading into the new year and the upcoming Olympic Games in PyeongChang.  

As she heads into a big tech series with FIS Ski World Cups in Zagreb, Croatia, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia and Flachau, Austria, Shiffrin admits she’s thriving off that momentum and feeding off the success of her #oneteam teammates.

“It’s always really exciting to see teammates from the other sports having success and you see it everywhere – you see it on Instagram and we get the weekly newsletter from U.S. Ski & Snowboard – just seeing how much excitement there is across all the sports,” noted Shiffrin.

“I can get isolated in my own little bubble with ski racing and it’s really fun – especially with the Olympics – to branch out a little bit and look at the other sports and think, ‘Oh yeah, these girls I see at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence training in the summer all of the time are crushing it,” Shiffrin reflected. “Knowing a lot of them on a more personal basis, it’s just really exciting to see them have success and it makes me feel a little more inspired to keep working towards mine.”

Shiffrin goes into the weekend with a healthy 471-point lead in the overall World Cup hunt ahead of Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg and a 135-point lead in the slalom standings over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. She will be looking to stand atop the podium at Zagreb and once again be crowned “VIP Snow Queen” as she was in 2013 and 2015 at this venue. In fact, in her last 23 starts in a World Cup slalom, Shiffrin finished on the podium 22 times, including 18 wins, two second-place, and two third-place finishes. The only exception in this run was the Zagreb race a year ago, when she straddled and recorded a DNF in the first run.

“I’m really excited to race tomorrow and just keep this mentality going,” Shiffrin said after Tuesday’s bib draw at the Ice Park in Zagreb’s city center’s King Tomislav Square. It’s good to be back in Zagreb. Last year I had a bit of a heartbreaking race here with the straddle and I’m really looking forward to skiing aggressive on the hill this year, and hopefully continue that all the way down.”

Joining Shiffrin in Wednesday’s slalom will be veteran Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.), who finished a season-best seventh last year at this venue, as well as Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Megan McJames (Park City, Utah).

On Thursday, all eyes will turn to the men who will also battle for the VIP Snow Queen Trophy. Veteran David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.) will headline six American men as he looks to find his way back into the top 10 in an incredibly deep and talented men’s slalom field.

The women will then travel to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a tech weekend originally scheduled for Maribor, Slovenia, but canceled due to lack of snow and warm temperatures. The men will head to the classically iconic Adelboden, Switzerland venue for giant slalom and slalom, as Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) looks to build on his “Mr. GS” momentum, steadily climbing back up to the top. Not only has Ligety won here in giant slalom (2013), but he also landed on the slalom podium with second in 2006. Keep an eye out for Ligety, as we may see him throwing on the disco sticks once again and jumping into the slalom start gate on Sunday.

Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT) has been sidelined with injury the last two seasons and will be returning once again to World Cup competition in Adelboden. His last World Cup start was Schladming, Austria on January 27, 2015. Keep an eye on Kasper, as he has one career podium from 2011 and has worked extremely hard to come back from injuries.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Steve Porino will call the action in the coming week. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Zagreb, CRO – Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler
Nina O’Brien
Tricia Mangan

MEN’S STARTERS 
Zagreb, CRO – Slalom
Michael Ankeny
David Chodounsky
Mark Engel
AJ Ginnis
Robby Kelley
Hig Roberts

NOTE: Final starters for Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and Adelboden, Switzerland have yet to be solidified. Stay tuned to our social channels for updated information.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m.  – Women’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb  – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

START LISTS
Women’s Slalom

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Jan. 2, 2017) – Top cross country skiers from across America will compete for national titles, FIS Junior World Championship spots and potential Olympic berths at the 2018 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships Jan. 3 - 8. The week’s competitions will feature two freestyle and two classic events for both men and women, with more than 350 athletes expected to compete. All events will be streamed live on U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Facebook page and on U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s U.S. Cross Country Championships page.

All races in Anchorage are also part of the 2017-18 SuperTour and points will count towards the overall SuperTour titles, Olympic Winter Games selection and international World Cup starts. The long distance and team championships will take place March 23-28 in Craftsbury, Vermont.

Fans can also follow live timing via Superior Timing. More information on the 2018 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships can be found at usskiandsnowboard.org and usnationals2018.com.

2018 L.L.BEAN U.S. CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS STREAMING SCHEDULE
*times subject to change
All times EST

Jan. 3
2:00 p.m. - Women's 10k freestyle, men's 15k freestyle

Jan. 5
2:00 p.m. - Men and women’s freestyle sprint

Jan. 7
2:00 p.m. - Women’s 20k classic, men’s 30k classic

Jan. 8
2:00 p.m. - Men and women’s classic sprint

U.S. Cross Country Championships LIVE Stream

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s primary men’s Alpine speed team athletes, suffered an injury at the recent FIS Alpine World Cup event in Bormio, Italy which means he will miss the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. Post-event assessments by a medical team in the USA established that the injuries Travis sustained included an ACL tear which brings to an end the Californian ski racer’s season.

“I’m obviously disappointed that the injury I sustained in Bormio means my season is over, especially as this is an Olympic year,” said Ganong after his injury was diagnosed. “But I know I will be back, and I will be back stronger and faster than ever. Now my focus is on recovery and on supporting my teammates at the Games in South Korea. We have an incredible team, right across all the disciplines U.S. Ski & Snowboard represents, and I’ll be cheering as loudly as any of our fans when our guys win medals in PyeongChang.”

“Travis was a medal threat in South Korea, for sure,” said Tiger Shaw, CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “He has the speed, talent and experience to win, and he’s tasted podium success already on the world stage, so not having him on our team in PyeongChang is clearly disappointing, but he will recover and he will have many opportunities to win in the future.

“Looking at the team overall, in Ted Ligety and Steven Nyman, we have two more experienced, world class athletes flying the US flag in international men’s alpine competition, and we have some exciting talent coming through the ranks which bodes well for the future. Bryce Bennett, for example, has been showing good consistency this season, as has Jared Goldberg, and now we also have the exciting talent of River Radamus coming through -- a young racer who has just taken part in his first World Cup event. We have a lot to look forward to but, for now, our focus is on achieving our targets across the team in South Korea.”