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Four in the Top 30 in 15km Skiathlon

By Leann Bentley
February, 25 2023
cross country race
Sydney Palmer-Leger skis the skate portion of the 15km skiathlon at the 2023 World Championships. (Nordic Focus)

Four U.S. women were in the top 30 for the 15kmsSkiathlon at the 2023 World Championships. With 7.5km of classic to start the race and 7.5km of skate to bring it home, the field of 50 women skied a fast-paced race on the third race of the championships. 

The forecasted rain and wind held off for race day and instead the glaring sun came out to play, creating a spring skiing-esque feel. Instead of dealing with the rain, athletes and support staff were seen cutting their race suits to t-shirts and shorts to deal with the heat. 

With a mass start, the strong field of women descended onto the first half of the course, which features a long downhill into a technical 180-degree turn at the lowest part of the track. Three classic tracks span the narrow course and, as it goes in mass starts, there was carnage. Unfortunately, on the second lap of the classic course, Rosie Brennan who was leading the entire field of skiers got caught up in the deep, powdery snow and lost a ski, sending her back nearly a minute from the leader. 

"I have never had that happen before," Brennan said. "I had a moment of not knowing what to do. At first I thought maybe my boot just came off the binding, but then I went to pick up my ski and I realized it was the binding. Luckily one of my coaches was there with one of my skis." 

Brennan pushed on with a spare ski. Throughout the next several kilometers and through the transition zone she continued to pick athletes off and move up the ranks to 19th place. 

"I feel like... I am at the World Championships representing my country and I have to give it my best until the very end," said Brennan. 

A highlight of the day was young athlete Sydney Palmer-Leger skiing to a top 20 in her first ever World Championships race. Palmer-Leger has a few World Cup starts to her resume but this was her first time on the World Championships stage. Nerves aside, Palmer Leger led the pack of four U.S. women throughout the entire race and ended the day in 20th place. Aside from a top 20 in her first World Champs, this was her first ever skiathlon for the 21 year old, making her result even more impressive.

“Getting top 20 at my first World Championships was pretty amazing," she said. "I didn’t have any expectations how it was going to go and I just went out there to have some fun and I definitely succeeded!”

Hailey Swirbul skied a consistent race and crossed the finish line in 26th and Sophia Laukli was in the top 30 in 29th. Among the crashes in the first few kilometers, Laukli broke a pole and skied with a reserve pole until lapping through the stadium where a staff member was there with a new one. Despite the broken pole, Laukli skied strong and added another top 30 to her resume. 

Winning the day was Ebba Andersson of Sweden and in second was teammate Frida Karlsson. Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway was third. 

Now, the women will reset and look forward to the next races. Tomorrow, the men and women will race the team sprint. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's skiathlon

HOW TO WATCH

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

Silver for Kauf in Moguls World Championships

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 25 2023
Jaelin Kauf
USA celebrates Jaelin Kauf's silver medal at the moguls FIS World Ski Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Feb. 25. (ID One - Mike Page)

Jaelin Kauf earned her first singles moguls World Championship medal in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Saturday claiming silver. This is her third World Championships medal in the four she’s competed at. Kauf continued her season’s speed streak, skiing the fastest run of the women’s super final round and earning a score of 83.56.

“I’m really stoked,” she said in the finish area. “I was really toying around with the idea of that last one to do cork on the bottom air and really go for that top spot. But I’ve never had a World Champs medal before in singles. I just focused on skiing my same run, putting it down, skiing it fast and nailing those turns.”

Kauf is having a time of a season skiing fast and confidently, and making it look effortless on the bump track.

“I am really focused on my strengths and that’s skiing the speed and executing the jumps that I have to a really high level. I feel like I’m really pushing the sport and it’s really fun, pushing the speed, seeing if I can max it out every event.”

The American women made a statement on Saturday with Kauf, Olivia Giaccio, Hannah Soar and Elizabeth Lemley all qualifying for finals in the first qualification round, going 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. World Championship format differs from typical World Cup format in that each athlete has two chances to qualify for finals, which features 18 per gender instead of the usual 12. 

Lemley made her World Championships debut on Saturday, running first out of the gate to kick off the event and setting the tone for the rest of the women. The 17-year-old joined Kauf in the Super Final round, but unfortunately DNFd and finished the day in sixth. 

“I was pretty nervous but I laid down a good run,” Lemley reflected after qualifications. When asked if she liked going first, she answered, “Nope! Hated it.”

In finals Giaccio performed back full to cork 7 and skied a strong middle section, but didn’t quite nail the landing of her bottom air and finished the day in 12th, her career-best World Championships result. Soar finished the day in 8th, her best singles World Championships finish as well. 

France’s Perrine Laffont won her second consecutive World Championship title and Austria’s Avital Carroll rounded out the podium with bronze. 

On the men’s side Nick Page was the lone American to make finals, qualifying eighth in the first qualification round, excusing him from running a second time. In finals Page stomped his top cork 7 grab and skied a strong middle section, but had a mistake in landing his bottom cork 10, and finished the day in 15th - his career-best World Championships finish. 

Dylan Marcellini and Cole McDonald each made their World Championships debuts. Marcellini had a strong first qualification run, coming in 11th, narrowly missing the ninth position cutoff. He took another run, but it wasn’t enough to make it to finals, and he finished the day in 20th. McDonald finished the day in 30th. Dylan Walczyk also competed, and finished in 24th. 

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury earned his seventh World Championship gold medal, Australia’s Matt Graham took silver and Sweden’s Walter Wallberg took bronze.   

Moguls continues World Championship competition with Duals on Sunday. 

“Same thing for tomorrow,” said Kauf for her game plan. “Focus on the speed, be the first out of the gate and first to cross the finish line, and hopefully move up one place.”

RESULTS
Women's Moguls
Men's Moguls

Patterson Top 20, Wonders Top 30 in Men's 30k Skiathlon

By Leann Bentley
February, 24 2023
skiathlon
Scott Patterson skis in the 30k skiathlon. (Nordic Focus)

Not every day of cross country ski racing can include firm snow with perfect tracks, and today was no exception. Despite the challenging conditions, the U.S. men posted solid results among the strong field in the men's 30k skiathlon, highlighted by a top-20 result from Scott Patterson, who was 19th overall.

The skiathlon race features both techniques - skate and classic. Throughout the 30km of distance, athletes started the first 15km with the classic technique, then transitioned straight to the skate technique for the second 15km. 

For the classic portion of the race, the course led the skiers downhill for the first 1-1.5km. With technical turns at high speeds in a pack of 64 skiers, it was hard not to get tangled up; there were a few significant crashes that led to several broken poles and broken skis. Moving forward, the U.S. men consistently skied within the same pack. Within seconds of each other, Patterson was 18th going into the stadium for the first lap. Wonders and Gus were right behind him in the top 30. At the 6km marker, Patterson dropped back by only a few skiers, again in a large pack and was positioned in 26th, Hunters 30th and Schumacher 35th. 

After the first 15km of classic skiing, all athletes skied through the exchange zone to switch to their skate skis and poles, and began the second half of the race, this time on a new course.

With Simon Hegstad Krueger of Norway leading the way, he eventually put some space between him and his teammate Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, the winner of yesterday's 1.4km individual classic sprint. With the snow getting choppier each lap, the athletes pushed through. 

"This course has some really long working sections and with the snow, it made them even longer," said Schumacher. "I just tried to ski as well as I could, and I finished the race to prove that I can and to keep practicing fighting through." 

At the end of the day, Norway swept the podium. Krueger won, Klaebo was 4.09 seconds behind in second and Roethe was third. For the U.S. Patterson scored a World Championships top-20 result, Wonders was 24th and Schumacher 38th. 

"It was a good race! I skied a very consistent race which I am happy with, with good transitions into skate." said Wonders. "Overall I am happy with the performance!" Teammate Patterson was similar in his post-race response. "Today was fine!" he said. "I never really feel like I could find the top gear but it was a fine start to World Championships but I am definitely looking forward to more racing!" 

Now, the men will have a rest day and the women will race the 15k Skiathlon tomorrow, Feb. 25. 

RESULTS 

Men

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Feb. 25 - skiandsnowboard.live

8:00 a.m. ET - 15k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

Masters Western Regional Championship Team Named

By Lauren Beckos
February, 23 2023
2023 Western Region Champions at Beaver Creek
Congratulations to the 2023 Denver Sports Lab Western Regional Champions named at the championships event at Beaver Creek February 3-5, 2023. The event was a delightful four days of sunshine and great competition.

The sun and postcard Colorado weather came out in full force for the 2023 Denver Sports Lab FIS Masters Cup and Western Regional Championships February 3-5! The race surfaced was perfectly prepped and 115 racers from 10 countries were full send for 3 days of competition. Racers lined up eagerly at the start discussing their intended line and strategies for the day then gathered around the scoreboard dissecting their times and runs. The excitement and stories of the day continued into the afternoon and evening at the awards parties held at the EagleVail Pavillion with free food and beverages thanks to our generous party sponsors. We wrapped up three days of racing with the SL awards and announcement of the 2023 Denver Sports Lab Western Regional Champions at the base of the resort. 

A big thanks to the Beaver Creek Race Department and all of the official and the volunteers for making it a great event!

Best wishes to all the racer for the rest of your seasons as you pursue more fun, titles, podiums, and maybe even a FIS Masters Cup globe!

FIS Results

Western Regional Championships Results

PDF Results Packet

 

PHOTOS

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

 Denver Sports Lab Logo

  • Party Sponsors
    • A Racer’s Edge - SGtraining, National Speed Series
    • SG1 JENSCO Cup – Jeanette Saylor
    • SG2 Harold Wescott Memorial – Charlie Hauser, Bob Benson, Lee Kaufman, Knute Reistad
    • Protern.io – 2GS, SL
  • Fuxi Racing – 1-Stop Shop and Swag Sponsor

Brennan, Kern, Schoonmaker Top 10 in World Championships Classic Sprint

By Leann Bentley
February, 23 2023
rosie brennan
Rosie Brennan skis in the semifinal classic sprint at the 2023 World Championships in Planica, Slovenia. (NordicFocus)

On the first day of competition at the 2023 Nordic World Championships in Planica, Slovenia the U.S. Cross Country Team not only sent three women to the classic sprint heats and two men, but three athletes had their best-ever results at the World Championships. 

On a cool and partly cloudy afternoon, over 200 skiers, representing 60 nations descended onto the classic sprint 1.4km course for the first race of the World Championships.

In the qualifications round, it took skiers just over three minutes to ski the 1.4km course. With thousands of fans, donning their countries’ flags surrounding the course, the sights and sounds of Planica filled the stadium with loud cheers for the athletes. 

For qualifications, Rosie Brennan qualified the highest for the women, securing her position in the rounds in sixth overall. Right behind Brennan was teammate Julia Kern. Kern qualified 12th, breaking the top-30 to move onto the next race. Next, was Jessie Diggins. Diggins was merely seconds behind Kern and landed 14th. Hailey Swirlbul did not qualify for the rounds, but in a post-race reflection, Swirbul found several other highlights of the day. ““Everything was great. even though I didn’t have the race that I wanted, I ended up having one of the most fun days of my winter,” said Swirlbul. “I felt like the energy was really positive from everyone today. I also got the chance to go out on course for the heats and be there for support and that was really fun to support my teammates in a different way.”

For the men, two qualified for the heats. Ben Ogden led the way by qualifying in sixth overall among the strong field of over 100 racers. Teammate JC Schoonmaker was close behind and qualified in 15th; Kevin Bolger did not advance to the heats, but stayed through the entire race to support the team.

Onto the Heats

With the men’s and women’s heats going one after the other, the top 30 racers each fought to make it to the semifinals, with only the top two securing a spot and the third fastest “lucky loser” time moving on.

With the course breaking down before our eyes due to warm temperatures, impact of all of the racers and snow quality, the snow became choppy. Yet, the U.S. skiers charged on.

Kern was ultimately second in her heat and Brennan made it through to the next by having the fastest third-place time. Diggins did not advance. 

“In the semis, Rosie and I were battling in the race but we both had really good energy,” said Kern. “Overall, I gave it my all and it’s all looking good for the races ahead. It was awesome to see Rosie get her best ever classic sprint result and World Champs result and to also get my best ever World Champs result, along with JC skiing so well!”

“The course was pretty crazy. It was salted the night before and once it broke, it got really mushy,” said Diggins. “For me, this is my most challenging conditions to race in, but I was really proud of how I skied. That was some of my best slushy striding that I have ever done! But, I learned some things for the next time I race this course and it was very valuable - and it was so cool seeing JC, Julia and Rosie skiing into the finals!”

For the men, Ogden skied fast in his technical heat, but did not advance. For Schoonmaker, after a crash in his heat that he nearly missed, he advanced on to the semifinals.

At the end a long sprint day there were many moments to highlight but the best-ever results from three athletes were top of mind. Schoonmaker finished the World Championships classic sprint in ninth overall, securing his best-ever individual World Championships result. Rosie Brennan not only skied to her best ever individual World Championships result but also snagged her best-ever classic sprint result with her seventh place finish. In eighth place overall, Kern now adds the Planica classic sprint to her best ever World Championships result.

Next on the World Championships agenda is the skiathlon race. The men will race tomorrow, Feb. 24 and the women on the 25th. The skiathlon is a unique race that features both classic and skate techniques. The men will race two 15k’s and the women will race two 7.5k’s. Watch the action LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS

Women's

Men's

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Feb. 24 - skiandsnowboard.live

9:30 a.m. ET - 30k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, Feb. 25 - skiandsnowboard.live

8:00 a.m. ET - 15k Skiathlon, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Sunday, Feb. 26 - skiandsnowboard.live

5:30 a.m. ET - Team Sprint, Skate, Men’s and Women’s 

Tuesday, Feb. 28 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 10k, Skate, Women’s 

Wednesday, March 1  - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 15k, Skate, Men’s 

Thursday, March 2 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x5k Relay, Classic/Skate, Women’s

Friday, March 3 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. ET - 4x10k Relay, Classic/Skate, Men’s

Saturday, March 4 - skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 30k, Classic, Women’s

Sunday, March 5 -  skiandsnowboard.live

6:00 a.m. ET - 50k, Classic, Men’s 

Silver for Dehlinger in Aerials Freestyle World Ski Championships

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 23 2023
Men's 2023 Aerials WSC Podium
Quinn Dehlinger earned silver in men's aerial competition at the 2023 Freestyle World Ski Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, on Feb. 23. (Miha Matavz/FIS)

Quinn Dehlinger is a double World Ski Championships medalist in his first World Championships starts, after earning silver in Thursday’s singles aerials event. “It feels unbelievable when put that way,” Dehlinger commented from the finish. “That’s crazy. But again, I put in the hard work this summer and the results show. Thanks to my coaches, thanks to my parents, and shout out to Cincinnati!”

Aerials World Ski Championships competition was delayed two days due to high winds. The women qualified in World Championship format Tuesday before the weather shut the rest of the day down. Unlike usual World Cup competition, each athlete had two opportunities to qualify for finals. Athletes must perform two different jumps, so strategy regarding degree of difficulty becomes an important factor. Two American women made the cut: Ashley Caldwell and Kaila Kuhn. 

Through snow and fog, competition resumed Thursday but in World Cup format. The men only had one opportunity to qualify for finals. Chris Lillis absolutely stomped his double-full full full, flying tall and straight, and earned a score of 124.43 to qualify in first. Justin Schoenefeld qualified in fifth and Dehlinger in 11th. 

“It started off really tricky honestly,” Dehlinger said of the day. “My training didn’t go as I would have liked. Then in the competition, I put one done in qualifying and snuck through. During Finals 1 it got really tricky there. It was really sticky, but I managed to put down another one. When it came to Finals 2, I put down a really nice one and grabbed myself a second place.”

Dehlinger earned a score of 114.48 for his double-full full full in the super final round, just a few points off from Switzerland’s Noe Roth who took the gold. China’s Longxiao Yang took bronze. 

Lillis also represented the USA in the super finals round, performing a double-full full full for a score of 107.24, finishing just off the podium in fourth place. Schoenefeld came in eighth, his best singles World Championships finish. Derek Krueger was 23rd in his World Championships debut. 

Kuhn was the lone American in the women’s super finals and performed a double-full full but didn’t have a clean landing. She earned a score of 76.84 to end the day in fifth, her best singles World Championships finish. 

“The conditions were really challenging today,” reflected Kuhn. “That was only the second time I performed that jump on this site so I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It sucks because if I had landed that jump it would have put me on that podium. But it’s a learning experience for next time and I’m really happy to walk away healthy from this week.”

China's Fanyu Kong took gold for the women, Australia's Danielle Scott earned silver and Ukraine's Anastasiya Novosad rounded out the podium with bronze. Caldwell finished 10th. Winter Vinecki finished 16th and Megan Nick finished 19th. 

This marks the end of Aerials World Ski Championships competition. Athletes compete next in Engadin, Switzerland, for their last World Cup before World Cup Finals. 
 

RESULTS
Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials

USA U18 Men Win First Ever Relay at Nordic Nation's Championships

By Leann Bentley
February, 22 2023
U18
The U18 men's relay podium at the Nations Cup in Finland. (Coaches, parents)

USA U18's Win First Ever Relay at Nations Cup

The best U18 skiers traveled to Jyvaskyla, FIN, and ended the weekend on top of the World. At the 2023 Nordic Nation's Championships, the future of the U.S. Cross Country skiing shined bright with two overall wins - one of them being the first-ever win in the men's relay - and eight top-10 results. 

For the first international racing experience for many of the young athletes of the U.S. made possible by the support of the National Nordic Foundation (NNF), the men's team relay came out on top for the first time in history. The last time that the U.S. was on the podium was in the women's relay, with now U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Julia Kern and former U.S. athletes, Heidi Halvorsen and Katherine Ogden. 

For the first time since 2020, the U.S. sent the best U18 skiers to race in the Nation's Cup, a competition designed to give the young athletes exposure to international travel and begin building positive team bonds on the competitive circuit. Along with the U.S., many other nations sent athletes, including Norway, Sweden, Finland and more. 

"A huge thanks goes as the club coaches that led the U18 Nordic Nations Cup trip," said Bryan Fish, Cross Country Development Director. "These development trips would not be possible without the financial support of the National Nordic Foundation. The USA Cross Country system is built on teamwork and this community collaboration is impressive for our short and long-term success."

For the individual podiums, Stratton Mountain School's Finegan Bailey and Green Mountain Valley School's Tabor Greenberg skied to the top in the men's 10km skate, and Sydney Drevlow (Loppet Nordic Racing), Neve Gerard (Mt. Bachelor), Fin Bailey (Stratton Mountain School), Rose Horning (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail), and David Isom (Minneapolis Ski Club) found the top-10. 

RESULTS 

Men's CLASSIC SPRINT:

4th – Fin Bailey

Women's 5km FREESTYLE:

8th – Sydney Drevlow

9th – Neve Gerard

10th – Rose Horning

11th – Lena Poduska

Men's 10km FREESTLYE:

1st – Tabor Greenberg

6th – Fin Bailey

10th – Davis Isom

RELAY:

USA Boys – 1st

USA Girls – 4th

 

Masters Eastern Regional Championship Team Named

By Alpine Masters
February, 21 2023
2023 Eastern Regional Champions
Congratulations to the 2023 Eastern Regional Champions in Stratton, Vermont.

Thanks to Carol Tomassetti (Mid-Atlantic Masters Division Chair) and Matt Mitsis (Eastern Division Chair) for providing the recap below!

 

In January NEMS hosted the 2023 Masters Eastern Regional Championship at Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont. We had racers from over ten states as well as Canada and France join us for this great event. New England Masters and Stratton Mountain hosted the races. Stratton did an amazing job running great races and training.   Given the pending snow storm, the SG training and SG races transitioned to SL training on Wednesday and Thursday.  The SL race on Friday and the GS race on Saturday were flawlessly run.  The surface was nice for racing and the courses were fun and challenging.  The weather was quite nice and mild by Stratton standards.  There was lots of fast skiing, great parties hosted by New England Masters with fantastic comraderie.  Giacamo Migliori and Alex Mitchell were the fastest man and woman on the hill on both days.  Their skiing was inspirational!


You can find pictures from the weekend taken by both Mark D Phillips and Hubert Schriebl at the following links.  Consider purchasing a picture.  There is a promotion code from Mark for one free download.
SL Pictures by Mark D Phillips
GS Pictures by Mark D Phillips
Facebook Album of GS and SL taken by Hubert Schriebl

For more in depth coverage of the event, see this great article written by Mark Phillips:

Event Recap - Masters Eastern Championships at Stratton by Mark Phillips

Shiffrin Nominated for 2023 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 21 2023
Mikaela
Shiffrin Wins Her Fourth Overall Globe (CC: Getty Images)

14-time World Championship medalist and 85-time Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup winner Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin is nominated for the prestigious Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award.

The award is intended for athletes that took a large leap forward in the sport in the past year. Shiffrin joined the ranks, having won her fourth overall World Cup title in the 2022 season with 14 World Cup podiums and five World Cup victories to close in on the all-time win record.

“Each nomination for a Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award comes as a surprise,” said Shiffrin. “You just need to look at the other five nominees in the category—each one is an inspirational athlete and woman who took their sports to new heights in 2022.

Nominations for this category come from the 1,400 members of the Global Media Panel. Shiffrin is in awe-inspiring company of all-time greats from an array of sports including Iga Światek (tennis), Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (track and field), Katie Ledecky (swimming), Alexia Putellas (soccer) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (track and field). On the men’s side, star athletes including Lionel Messie (soccer), Rafael Nadal (tennis), Stephen Curry (basketball), Kylian Mbappe (soccer), Mondo Duplantis (track and field) and Max Verstappen (motor racing) were nominated for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year. 

“It’s an incredible honor to be nominated this year,” said Shiffrin. “2022 was a rollercoaster year for me with everything that went on in Beijing, but with hard work, belief and the truly incredible team around me, we managed to finish the season strong and win our fourth World Cup overall title. Thanks to those around me for the unconditional support, and to the world’s media for nominating me for this award.”

 The winner of the award will be announced this spring. The final decision comes from a group of judges within the Laureus World Sports Academy organization.

Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Returns to California for Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
February, 21 2023
River Racing
River Radamus skis in a giant slalom race earlier this season. (Getty - Alain Grosclaude)

The top male tech skiers in the world will return to the 1960 Olympic Winter Games venue at Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, California Feb. 25-26 for the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup—one of four domestic Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cups in the United States for the 2022-23 season, the most in history. Hosting two events, the slalom and giant slalom, Palisades Tahoe will welcome back athletes, spectators, friends and family for the second time since 2017.

With the 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships wrapping up in Courchevel-Meribel, France earlier this week, World Cup skiers are headed stateside. The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team, including 2023 World Championship gold medal winners River Radamus, Tommy Ford and Luke Winters, are among the U.S. athletes that will race in the series. International athletes will race down the storied Olympic venue track in just a couple of days, including 2022 overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, 2023 World Championship slalom champion Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway and more of the World Cup’s best technical skiers.

“We are very excited to welcome back the athletes to the states, especially to Palisades Tahoe, a resort known for its incredible skiing, hospitality and a storied racing history,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “With the World Championships just wrapping up with great success in France, we are excited for the U.S. team to come to the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup and be cheered on by fans, friends and family on home snow!”

Palisades Tahoe, formally known as Squaw Valley, has experience in hosting this level of alpine events. In 2017, the resort held the women’s FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, where Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin took home the win in the giant slalom event. Olympic champions were also crowned at this same venue 63 years ago in the 1960 Olympic Winter Games. The renowned slalom track has been described as one of the toughest and most technical on the World Cup circuit, known for its relentlessly steep terrain.

In addition to the races, there is a strong lineup of events to cater to the spectators and fans. Entertaining the crowds all weekend will be musical artists including international sensation Noah Kahan, American rock band 311 and Black Jacket Symphony feat. Marc Matel.

New to the event calendar this year is the Visa® Lounge. Visa, a U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner for 37 years, will host the first-ever multi-day interactive lounge at a men’s FIS Alpine World Cup, including panels, athlete signings and more. While the Visa lounge will host private events throughout the weekend, the space will be open to the public for an autograph signing with the men’s Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 4-5:00 p.m.

For more information on the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup, follow this link.

SCHEDULE

February 25, 2023
Giant Slalom

February 26, 2023
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH

(all times ET)

February 25, 2023
1:00 p.m. - men's giant slalom, run 1 - LIVE on Outside+
4:15 p.m. - men's giant slalom, run 2 - LIVE on Outside+

February 26, 2023
12:30 p.m. - men's slalom, run 1 - LIVE on Outside+
1:00 p.m. - men's giant slalom - NBC*
4:15 p.m. - men's slalom, run 2 - LIVE on Outside+

March 4, 2023
10:00 a.m. - men's slalom - CNBC*

*delayed broadcast