Warm temperatures made for challenging conditions for the higher bibs once again, at the annual FIS Alpine Snow Queen Trophy World Cup slalom at Sljeme in Zagreb, Croatia, with no Americans making the second run. 

A little over a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia, Germany's Linus Strasser grabbed a sensational career-first slalom victory, with the Austrian duo of Manny Feller and Marco Schwarz rounding out the podium in second and third. 

The organizing committee worked tirelessly to make the Snow Queen Trophy slalom races happen, despite an earthquake and warm temperatures. The course crew watered and salted the track, but the soft conditions and big ruts made it a challenge for the highter bibs, including the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, who all started between bibs 45 and 50. Luke Winters, Ben Ritchie, and Jett Seymour—are one of, if not the, youngest men's slalom team on the Tour with an average age of just under 22-years-old. 

Winters and Ritchie finished just outside the top-30, in 36th and 39th, respectively, while Seymour did not finish first run. 

The men’s tech team now will jump on a flight to travel to Adelboden, Switzerland for a giant slalom and slalom series this weekend. 

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 6-13, 2021

Friday, Jan. 8
4:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan 9
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, St. Anton, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
8:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Jan. 10
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, St. Anton, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Jan. 12
12:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
2:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock

All streams will be available via desktop as well as mobile, tablet, and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports, Peacock TV, and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire.
 

Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan went deep into the pain cave in Wednesday’s 10k Classic pursuit in Toblach, Italy, to maintain their stronghold in the overall FIS Tour de Ski standings. Diggins rallied to finish third, and Brennan glided across the line in fourth.

"Wow, that was a tough fight out there," Diggins said, once again crediting the Davis U.S. Cross Country Service Team for providing fast skis for the warm, tricky conditions. "I was really proud of myself for hanging tough and just gritting it out until the end! It was a good test of mental toughness for me after a little fall and getting caught to be able to refocus, stay calm and ski as smart and smooth as I could!

Russia’s Yulia Stupak won Wednesday’s race in the sprint to the line, her first World Cup victory in more than two years after taking last season off for the birth of her first child. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson was second in a photo finish with Diggins.

“Today was a very tough fight,” Brennan said. “My goal was to lose as little time as possible and then see what I had in me. I fought with all I had today and am proud of that and happy to maintain second in the overall tour.”

It was another solid day of results for the Davis U. S. Cross Country Ski Team as Diggins not only kept her podium streak alive at five, but Brennan maintained her lead in the World Cup overall and distance standings; Katharine Ogden finished 20th; Hailey Swirbul was 22nd. For the American men, Gus Schumacher continues to impress on his first full season on the World Cup Tour, finishing 15th in the 15k classic to move up to 23rd in the overall standings. 

Thanks to his 14th-place result from Tuesday, Schumacher is now nicely positioned for a top 30-overall FIS Tour de Ski finish, something only achieved four times in the history of the race by an American male. Noah Hoffman was 26th in 2017; 22nd in 2016 (best American result); and 24th in 2014; Kris Freeman was 28th in 2011. 

With three stages remaining in the 15th FIS Tour de Ski, Diggins holds the overall lead by 22 seconds over Brennan and 58 seconds over Stupak. Swirbul is 18th overall and Ogden is 22nd overall. Caitlin Patterson was 39th Wednesday and sits 37th overall; Julia Kern finished 41st Wednesday and sits 39th overall. 

Russia once again swept the podium Wednesday with Alexander Bolshunov taking a commanding 55-second win over countrymen Ivan Yakimushkin and Evgeniy Belov who finished second and third respectively. Scott Patterson was 36th, and Kevin Bolger was 46th. Bolshunov holds a massive 2:06 lead in the overall standings with three stages remaining.

Up next, the athletes will enjoy a rest day Thursday while relocating to Val di Fiemme, Italy, for the remaining stages. Stage 6 on Friday features a 10k classic mass start for the women and a 15k classic mass start for the men.

RESULTS
Stage 5
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 5)
Men’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 5)
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall

SCHEDULE
Friday, Jan. 8, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Saturday, Jan. 9, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Men and women’s classic sprint

Sunday, Jan. 10, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb
Men’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Jan. 8
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 15k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 9
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 10
6:45 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

For the second-straight race, the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team made history with Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan finished 1-2 again and leading five American women into the top 25, this time in the fourth stage of the FIS Tour de Ski 10k freestyle in Toblach, Italy. Gus Schumacher skied an impressive race, leading the U.S. men in the 15k freestyle and finishing a World Cup career-best 14th.

Katharine Ogden posted a career-best World Cup freestyle result, finishing 18th. Hailey Swirbul was 20th and Julia Kern 25th. Caitlin Patterson was 39th. For the men, Scott Patterson was 32nd, Kevin Bolger 40th.

Tuesday’s victory was the third win in Toblach for Diggins and her eighth career World Cup victory. She also surpassed Kikkan Randall with her 30th career World Cup podium, the most for any American cross country skier. 

“Getting a win here in Toblach is so special to me because this is where my first (individual victory) came during the (2016) Tour de Ski,” Diggins said. “It was also special for me to have this be my 30th (World Cup individual) podium because it feels like a full-circle moment. Just like a super cheesy Netflix show!”  

Wearing the yellow Tour de Ski leader’s bib, Diggins started last in the only interval start event of this year’s Tour. However, she had a huge advantage chasing her teammates with Kern starting 30 seconds ahead, Brennan one minute, and Ogden one minute, 30 seconds. Racing under sunny skies over fast snow, Diggins powered from the start, catching Kern at the 2.1k mark and keeping both Brennan and Ogden in her sights. 

“I loved getting to ski with Julia and having the four of us girls starting right in a row made the start pen such a psyched-up vibe!” Diggins said, adding that “I smiled and had fun and kept the pressure off, just saying to myself ‘this is my favorite course and I'm going to go out there and see how fast I can ski it!’”

“The course here is challenging with lots of climbing in the beginning and then lots of downhills that require a lot of work and aren't terribly restful coming back into the stadium,” Brennan said, adding that the individual start is her preferred event format. “Knowing that I wanted to make sure I didn't waste time getting down to business but also wanted to be sure I had enough in me to push all the way to the finish. I felt I did this well and skied a very consistent race, but it was not enough to not lose time to Jessie, especially on the working downhills which I consider her to be best in the world at.”

Diggins posted the fastest time at every interval, with Brennan moving into second at the 3k mark and holding that advantage all the way into the stadium to finish second at 14.8 seconds off Diggins’ winning time. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson was third at 1:02 back.

“I left it all out there and am happy with the way I skied,” Brennan said. “If I'm going to lose a race, losing it to a teammate is not a bad way to go! More importantly, I gained some time in the overall standings on everyone except Jessie, so for the long game, it was a good day. I feel that I am holding up well at the halfway mark of the Tour and really hope I can continue to fight hard in the second half. We made it another day with America 1-2 and that in itself is something to celebrate!”

So far this season, four U.S. women have racked up 10 World Cup podiums, including four victories. Plus, Brennan continues to lead the overall FIS Cross Country World Cup standings, with Diggins in third. Brennan also leads the overall World Cup distance standings. In the overall Tour de Ski standings, Diggins holds a 20-second advantage over Brennan in second, and 1:02 over Sweden's Frida Karlsson in third.

“So proud of Rosie and how she’s been crushing it all year, and loving every podium we get to share together,” Diggins said. “Also, so pumped for Gus for his breakthrough race today! It’s so cool to see this team on fire.”

Schumacher’s result Tuesday moved him up to 25th in the overall Tour de Ski standings. Scott Patterson is 37th overall and Bolger is 51st. "It feels good to have that validation, and fun to have it midway through the tour," Schumacher said. "Definitely starting to feel the fatigue, but I’ve got a lot of energy left to finish this out with hopefully a few more good races."

Up next, stage 5 in Toblach features a 10k classic pursuit for the women and a 15k classic pursuit for the men.

RESULTS
Stage 4
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 15k freestyle

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 4)
Men’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 4)
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall

SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Jan. 6, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Friday, Jan. 8, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Saturday, Jan. 9, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Men and women’s classic sprint

Sunday, Jan. 10, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb
Men’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb

HOW TO WATCH
Wednesday, Jan. 6
7:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock
8:40 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 8
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 15k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 9
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 10
6:45 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

With the new year comes the return of the FIS Park & Pipe World Cup season! Big air competition set to go down Jan. 7-9 at the 2015 World Championships venue in Kreischberg, Austria. Three women and 13 men will represent the U.S. in the second freeski and the first snowboard World Cup of the season.

Due to the cancellation of the Beijing, China, and Copper Mountain, Colo., World Cups scheduled for November and December, respectively, competition has been a long time coming and the athletes are yearning to get back on course.

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member and Stratton Mountain School graduate Mac Forehand is set to compete in his first competition following ACL surgery in January of 2020. Forehand has been working relentlessly throughout his recovery to get back on top after earning the 2019 FIS Slopestyle Crystal Globe. 

“It’s crazy to think all that stands between me and Kreischberg is back-to-competition testing for my knee at the COE (USANA Center of Excellence),” said a thrilled Forehand ahead of his flight to Park City, Utah. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this and can’t wait to get back in the gate! After skiing in Park City and back in Vermont a little bit, it became very clear I missed just having fun on the hill.”

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Rell Harwood is in a slightly different boat, competing in only the third FIS World Cup big air competition of her career. 

“I think this will be a great big air,” said Harwood. “I’ve never skied at Kreischberg before, but I have heard great things. Between Park City Mountain and the Utah Olympic Park, I have had the ability to get some training on big jumps, which makes me feel prepared going into my first big air of the season. I am hoping to land some jumps I feel proud of and have a lot of fun!”

For the snowboarders, Olympic big air silver medalist Kyle Mack, who earned double-bronze in slopestyle and big air at the 2015 FIS World Championships held in Kreischberg, is feeling thankful to have the opportunity to compete again.

“During these times, I’m just glad to get back to competition mode,” said Mack. “What better place to do that than somewhere I have previously found success like Kreischberg.”

Joining Mack is a teammate and 2020 FIS Big Air Crystal Globe winner Chris Corning. Corning won his second big air crystal globe in the last three seasons (he also finished second in 2018-19) following a stunning victory at the Visa Big Air in Atlanta, Ga. Corning’s win at SunTrust Park also earned him his seventh crystal globe to sit behind only Cai Xuetong of China on the all-time Park & Pipe list.

Both women's snowboard and freeski qualifiers will take place on Jan. 7. Men's snowboard qualifiers and finals will take place on Jan. 8, and freeski qualifiers and finals on Jan. 9. Be sure to follow U.S. Ski & Snowboard on social media and tune in on NBC’s streaming platform Peacock to catch all the action. 
 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.

Friday, Jan. 8
12:00 p.m. - FIS Freeski World Cup Big Air Finals - LIVE, Kreischberg, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 9
12:00 p.m. - FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air Finals - LIVE, Kreischberg, AUT, Streaming Peacock

START LIST
Freeski Men
Mac Forehand
Alex Hall
Nick Goepper
Willie Borm
Tim Ryan 

Freeski Women
Rell Harwood

Snowboard Men 
Chris Corning
Judd Henkes
Lyon Farrell
Brock Crouch
Luke Winkelmann
Kyle Mack
Sean FitzSimons
Dusty Henricksen

Snowboard Women
Julia Marino
Ty Schnorrbusch

FOLLOW
Instagram - @usfreeskiteam
Instagram - @ussnowboardteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter - @usskiteam

Interested in organization, athlete, and event related news?
Sign up for our Daily or Weekly Update
 

Mikaela Shiffrin led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women in the annual Zagreb night slalom, finishing just off the podium in fourth place. Paula Moltzan was 14th and Katie Hensien 18th.

While the ski world was on edge about the future of the Snow Queen Trophy race last week after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Croatian city, the Zagreb race organizers didn’t back down and pressed on to hold the FIS World Cup race only five days later. Under the lights, the women raced in springlike conditions, complete with sugary salted snow and even some rain first run. And neither earthquake nor sloppy snow could stop Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who won her fourth race of the season. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was second and Michelle Gisin was third.

Mikaela, who was fourth after first run, put down a fast second run to leave her just .05 seconds off the podium. “Things are going in a good direction,” she said, referencing that it was only her sixth race back on the circuit after an extended break. “But it takes time and I always said that from the beginning: It’s not easy to win. Especially if you don’t have momentum, then it’s even harder. It’s always really hard work—hard mentally and I know that. I’m trying not to expect too much.”

However, Mikaela’s signature drive is still there—seen in her eyes and in her fast skiing. She had won in Zagreb four times before and can see herself on the top of the podium again. “I want to be there—on the podium and in the first spot—but it’s also greedy or arrogant to think I can just do it,” she said. “It’s strange because of the past 10 years, but at the same time, it’s normal for right now. I’m not sad.”

For now, she’ll take the fourth-place result and put some more time on her skis. Slalom requires hours and hours of work and Mikaela is still getting those miles under her feet. “Out of all the events, you have to ski a lot of slalom to be really strong,” she said. “I can be hopeful and positive, but also realistic. Fourth and three tenths out is okay. I had a better second run with fewer mistakes—maybe a little less risk, but some better position on my skis. I can take that and go with it.”

It was also an impressive day for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women, with four athletes skiing in the second run—the first time since 2007 that four women made the flip. Paula Moltzan skied the third-fastest second run to take 14th overall—her best World Cup slalom result since 2019 when she was 12th in Flachau, Austria. Katie Hensien made a World Cup second run for the second time in a week and scored her first points, nailing a coveted top-20 result in 18th place. Nina O’Brien was 30th after first run, but straddled and did not finish.

Resi Stiegler and Lila Lapanja also raced but did not qualify for a second run.

Zagreb was just another example of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team showcasing its depth, with the men and women amassing 10 podiums across five different athletes so far this year, along with career-best results and first World Cup points for a number of athletes. This has been the strongest start to a season in this generation. Keep an eye on this team!

Next up, the men race a night slalom in Zagreb on January 6. The tech women have a short break before racing another night slalom in Flachau on January 12.   

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 3
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBC
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Replay From Bormio, Italy, Bormio, ITA, Broadcast NBC
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, Jan. 6
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock

All streams will be available via desktop as well as mobile, tablet, and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports, Peacock TV, and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire.

Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan powered to the top of the overall FIS Tour de Ski standings, finishing a historic 1-2 in Sunday’s 10k freestyle pursuit in Val Müstair, Switzerland. 

Coming into Sunday’s third stage, Jessie was second overall, and Rosie was fourth. Starting 19 seconds back of the race leader–and winner of the first two stages–Sweden’s Linn Svahn, Jessie settled into a pace with Sweden’s Frida Karlsson and Rosie, who started 20 and 22-seconds back respectively.

"I started out trying to help pull the group, but then nearly imploded in the altitude and spent the next few laps getting my legs back after feeling extremely wobbly," Jessie said after leading Rosie to the first ever 1-2 finish for two American athletes on the World Cup circuit.

The trio caught the leader on the second of four 2.5k laps. At the midway point of the race, Frida, Jessie, and Rosie held a 24-second advantage over Linn and a further 43-second advantage over the chase group that included Slovenia's Anamarija Lampic and Russia’s Yulia Stupak. 

"I was fortunate to start in a strong group with Jessie and Frida. We are all workhorses so I knew it was going to be game on from the start," Rosie said. "Frida really took reigns and charged hard the whole race. Being more of a climber I tried to make a move at the top of the climb on the last lap. It worked to get a gap to Frida but also made a perfect launch for Jessie to utilize her fantastic downhill skills." 

On the final lap with Frida setting the pace up the last climb, Jessie launched her winning attack over the top and once again, enjoyed the fast skis prepared by the Davis U.S. Cross Country Service Team. Rosie followed and the two, separated by a couple of seconds, put a further five seconds into Frida, who finished third.

“Frida was amazing and I kept trying to push the poles and be there, but I kept thinking that every lap I’m going to get dropped,” Jessie said after her first victory of the season, and third-straight podium. “I was just hanging on by a thread and I just got really excited for the downhill. I thought that maybe I could hold on, and if not, then I blow up, but it was worth a shot.”

Worth a shot indeed! The victory moved her atop the overall Tour de Ski standings, with Rosie second overall, just five seconds back. Frida sits third at 10-seconds back of the overall lead.

"I did my best to follow (Jessie's) counter move but didn’t quite have what I needed," Rosie added. "It’s a pretty cool feeling to finish and realize that two Americans are 1-2 in the Tour right now!"

In addition to Jessie and Rosie landing on the podium, Sunday was another impressive day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team with Hailey Swirbul finishing 13th (seventh fastest Time of Day), and moving from 17th to 13th in the overall standings. Katharine Ogden finished 25th (22nd fastest Time of Day) and sits in 25th overall. Rosie continues to lead the overall FIS World Cup Cross Country standings and the overall World Cup distance standings. 

“I love this team and we have such a positive environment,” Jessie said. “It’s a fun time to be on this team.”

In the 15k men’s race, Gus Schumacher continued to impress in his first World Cup season, finishing 32nd to lead the Americans, he also had the 24th-fastest Time of Day, tying his World Cup career-best result from earlier this season in Ruka, Finland. Scott Patterson was 38th (24th fastest Time of Day); Simi Hamilton was 47th and Kevin Bolger was 55th.

Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov dominated again, winning his third-straight race by 53 seconds over his countryman Artem Maltsev. Maurice Manificat was third. Alexander holds the overall lead through three stages by 53 seconds over Artem.

Monday is a rest day followed by stage 4 Tuesday, which features a 10k freestyle for the women and a 15k freestyle for the men in Toblach, Italy. Toblach holds a special place for Jessie as she won a World Cup stage race freestyle event there in 2017, sharing the podium with her teammate Sadie Maubet Bjornsen.

"It’s important for me not to put pressure on myself and take the tour one day at a time," Jessie said. "But it’s also important to not take these special moments for granted, and to enjoy a few moments knowing how hard so many people have worked to help me get here!"

RESULTS
Stage 3
Women’s 10k pursuit
Men’s 15k pursuit

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 3)
Men’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 3)
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall

SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 4
Rest day

Tuesday, Jan. 5, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 15k freestyle

Wednesday, Jan. 6, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Thursday, Jan. 7
Rest day

Friday, Jan. 8, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Saturday, Jan. 9, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Men and women’s classic sprint

Sunday, Jan. 10, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb
Men’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb

HOW TO WATCH

Tuesday, Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Women's 10k - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock
10:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Wednesday, Jan. 6
7:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock
10:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 8
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 15k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 9
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 10
6:45 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Jessie Diggins finished third to grab her second-consecutive podium, and Rosie Brennen finished sixth to maintain her overall FIS Cross Country World Cup lead in Saturday’s 10k classic mass start, the second stage of the 15th FIS Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, Switzerland.

In a four-up sprint to the line, Sweden’s Linn Svahn took her second-consecutive victory, with Russia’s Yulia Stupak in second. Hailey Swirbul and Katharine Ogden both had impressive results, finishing 17th and 23rd respectively. Caitlin Patterson was 38th, Julia Kern finished 41st; and Sophie Caldwell Hamilton, who was taken out near the end of the first lap, rallied to finish 46th.

“My goals for today were to ski smooth and really work the downhills without letting them become a stress in a mass start environment, so I stayed near the front to keep out of trouble,” Jessie said. “This was a great course for me with all the long power-striding, and when I felt good on the last half of the last lap I just decided to push it!”

With light snow falling throughout the race, Jessie, Linn, and her Swedish teammate Frida Karlsson pushed the pace in the first mass-start race of the season, which always proves a bit chaotic, especially at the start. 

“My goal was to keep things as close as possible and then see what I left in the end,” said Rosie, who posted a career-best classic distance result. “I think I did this well as I skied in the front pack throughout the race.”

With a lead group of 10 heading in the final 2.5k lap, Jessie upped the pace up the final climb and whittled the group down to seven, and on the final downhill into the finish arena, she found herself in a position to sprint for the podium.

“For someone previously labeled as a skater only, it was very exciting to find myself sprinting for the podium in a 10k classic race, and confidence-boosting as well since I’ve been working so hard for so long on my classic striding,” Jessie said. “I think that improvement speaks to our coaches’ dedication and our positive team environment where we can learn from one another and push each other in our weaker areas. This summer I really benefited from my SMST2 teammates helping me push the envelope in classic intervals and I’m extremely grateful to them!”

Once again, Saturday’s results were a team effort between the athletes and service staff, who worked long hours to prepare fast skis.

“We had great skis out there,” Jessie added. “Huge thanks to our service team and coaches for all their hard work, and the Salomon service team for their help picking my skis before the race!”

In the 15k men’s race the Russians dominated, in fact, the only thing that stopped the Russians from sweeping the podium was themselves. With Alexander Bolshunov holding a commanding lead into the finish to secure his second-straight victory, Evgeniy Belov and Alexey Chervotkin were sitting second and third before they got tangled up in the final downhill corner and opened the door for Switzerland’s Dario Cologna to land on the podium in second. Russia’s Ivan Yakimushkin finished third.

Gus Schumacher was settling in for a top-30 result, sitting 23rd after the first lap, then 27th after the third of four 3.3k loops. As the final lap pace kicked into high gear, the race split apart and Gus slid back a bit but glided across the line in 37th to lead U.S. men, with Scott Patterson in 44th, Simi Hamilton 47th and Kevin Bolger in 60th.

Up next, Stage three features a freestyle pursuit format, 10k for the women and 15k for the men Sunday in Val Müstair. Rosie won the previous freestyle pursuit in Davos by a huge margin, so she’ll toe the line Sunday with a ton of confidence. “I am in a great position for tomorrow's pursuit start so I hope to find some good energy and take advantage of that,” she said.

After two of eight stages, Jessie is second and Rosie is fourth overall. Hailey is 17th and Katharine moved up to 28th overall.

RESULTS
Stage 2
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 10k classic mass start

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 2)
Men’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 2)
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall

SCHEDULE
Sunday, Jan. 3, Val Müstair, SUI
Women’s 10k freestyle pursuit
Men’s 15k freestyle pursuit

Tuesday, Jan. 5, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 15k freestyle

Wednesday, Jan. 6, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Friday, Jan. 8, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Saturday, Jan. 9, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Men and women’s classic sprint

Sunday, Jan. 10, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb
Men’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Jan. 3
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Pursuit - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Women's 10k Pursuit - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Tuesday, Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Women's 10k - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock
10:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Wednesday, Jan. 6
7:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock
10:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Pursuit - LIVE, Toblach, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Jan. 8
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 15k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 9
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 10
6:45 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS World Cup Cross Country Tour de Ski Men's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Editor's Note Jan. 2, 2020: Appeal from Slovenian Ski Association against FIS Jury decision of January 1, 2021 partly granted by FIS Appeals Commission

The appeal by the Slovenian Ski Association against the FIS Jury decision of the Sprint Freestyle case concerning Anamarija Lampic from January 1, 2021 was partly approved. The Appeals Commission asks to change the sanction to a written reprimand (yellow card). 

As a consequence, Friday's Sprint results will be updated and Anamarija Lampic will be ranked as second and Jessie Diggins ranked as third and Frida Karlsson ranked as fourth. Additionally, the decision impacts the Tour Overall standing, the Tour point standing, and therefore also the start list of Sunday’s Pursuit competition.

Jessie Diggins suddenly found herself sprinting for her first podium result of the season in the opening stage of the FIS Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, Switzerland, Friday. And, she certainly didn’t let her good fortune slip away, eventually finishing second to kick off a solid start in the 10-day event for Davis U.S. Cross Country Team. Rosie Brennan finished fourth to maintain her overall FIS World Cup Cross Country lead.

"Today was a fun way to start 2021! " Jessie said. "But I think it’s important for me to say that I’m equally as proud of my all-out effort and our team as I am when I’m not on the podium. It was just another day of giving it my absolute best effort, but the patience and trust in the training plan that (coach Jason) Cork and I set down together have been paying off and my race form is coming into sharper focus now."

Qualifying 14th on the longest sprint course so far this season, Jessie won her opening quarterfinal heat and finished second in her semifinal heat to advance to the finals. Rosie, meanwhile, qualified fifth and finished third in her opening quarterfinal heat, advancing to the semifinals as one of the Lucky Losers. Racing in the second semifinal with Jessie, Rosie finished fourth, but again advanced to the finals as one of the Lucky Losers. 

"This might be the hardest sprint course I have ever raced. It's long, at altitude, and had some slow snow out there today," Rosie said. "I worked hard in the semi to keep the pace high to ensure our heat would have lucky losers, which I then benefited from. However, I was pretty beat by the time we got to the final."

In the finals, Jessie and Rosie were up against three of the best sprinters in the world in Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic, Sweden’s Linn Svahn, and Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndrich - the current World Cup sprint leader. With Linn holding the lead into the final 300 meters, Anamarija made a pass on the inside around Nadine on the final downhill, to move into second, clipping the front of Nadine’s skis and sending her face-first onto the snow. In a move to avoid the Swiss skier, who was sprawled out on the snow, Jessie made a high-speed dash to the inside and jumped over Nadine to move into third. 

"The final was exciting, for sure," Jessie said. "I fell behind a bit on the steep climb, and was working my way down the downhill sections with as much speed as I could when I saw Nadine go down and slide around the corner in front of me. I didn’t want to hit her (or break her equipment, or my own) so I jumped over her pole while rounding the corner! In sprinting you can get lucky or be the recipient of incredibly bad luck, and today the luck definitely came my way (and I’m grateful for it)."

Across the finish line, Linn took her fifth career individual World Cup sprint victory, with Anamarija in second and Jessie in third—her first podium of the season. However, after further deliberation by the race jury, Anamarija was relegated to sixth for obstruction, moving Jessie up one step on the podium to second, Sweden’s Frida Karlsson into third, and Rosie into fourth. 

"I stayed out of trouble and for that was rewarded another two places," Rosie added. "That's a sprint race for you...It's also very cool to note that we had our fourth different girl on the podium in just four weeks of racing. Our team is really working hard to get through this tough season together and support one another as we navigate the world."

"It was so exciting to have (U.S. athletes) as one-third of the women’s final," Jessie added. "And for myself, it was exciting to be out there having fun, not putting pressure on myself but still skiing with confidence and enjoying the banked turns and rollers all at the same time."

In addition to Jessie and Rosie, five other U.S. athletes qualified for the heats Friday, including Sophie Caldwell Hamilton, Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul, Simi Hamilton, and Kevin Bolger. Simi, Hailey, and Sophie just missed advancing to the semifinals, each finishing third in their respective quarterfinal heats. Unfortunately for Kevin, his race day was cut short when he clipped a ski, fell and broke a pole just a few hundred meters into his quarterfinal heat. Gus Schumacher just missed qualifying for the heats, finishing 31st in the qualifier. 

Hailey posted a career-best World Cup sprint result finishing 15th, while Sophie was 16th, and Julia 24th.

In the men’s race, Italy’s Federico Pellegrino took the win—his 16th individual World Cup sprint victory. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov finished second and maintained his overall World Cup lead, while France’s Richard Jouve was third. Simi was 13th and Kevin 30th.

Up next, Stage 2 features a classic mass start, 10k for the women and 15k for the men Saturday in Val Müstair. 

RESULTS
Stage 1
Women’s freestyle sprint
Men’s freestyle sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 1)
Men’s Tour de Ski overall (through stage 1)
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall

SCHEDULE
Saturday, Jan. 2, Val Müstair, SUI
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Sunday, Jan. 3, Val Müstair, SUI
Women’s 10k freestyle pursuit
Men’s 15k freestyle pursuit

Tuesday, Jan. 5, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 15k freestyle

Wednesday, Jan. 6, Toblach, ITA
Women’s 10k classic pursuit
Men’s 15k classic pursuit

Friday, Jan. 8, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

Saturday, Jan. 9, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Men and women’s classic sprint

Sunday, Jan. 10, Val di Fiemme, ITA
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb
Men’s 10k freestyle mass start hill climb

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Jan. 2
6:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Women's 10k Mass Start - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock
8:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Mass Start - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 3
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Men's 15k Pursuit - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Women's 10k Pursuit - LIVE, Val Mustair, SUI, Streaming Peacock

The remaining Broadcast/Streaming Schedule will be available here!

Two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht has been picked to guide the relaunch of the Alpine skiing program at Paul Smith's College, a small school in the Adirondacks.

Weibrecht is a three-time Olympian who won medals in super G at Sochi and Vancouver. He will bring 16 years of national and international experience with the U.S. ski team to the school. Weibrecht, 34, retired from skiing two years ago.

Weibrecht, 34, retired from skiing two years ago. He will assume a lead role in creating a new Alpine program. Members of the men's and women's teams will be able to train and compete at nearby Whiteface Mountain, which hosted Alpine skiing at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

"The Division I world has gotten crazy competitive, both admissions into these colleges and getting slots on the team, which often go hand in hand," he said. "If you're being recruited by the team, it does help you get into the school itself."

Paul Smith's, the only four-year college in the Adirondack Mountains, is committed to bringing more sports to its campus. The addition of Alpine skiing for 2021-22 comes after the school added Nordic skiing, biathlon, hockey, trap shooting and esports, giving the school 27 varsity sports programs.

Release courtesy of the Associated Press. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle thrilled downhill fans on Wednesday, linking together one of the fastest runs with a couple of incredible recoveries to take seventh in the Bormio downhill.

The Austrians went one-two on the dark and bumpy Stelvio track, with Matthias Mayer taking first and Vincent Kriechmayr second. Urs Kryenbuehl of Switzerland was third. It was a tight podium, with all men finishing within .06 seconds of each other.

Ryan was fastest in both downhill training runs and was equally as fast as soon as he kicked open the start wand. However, it looked like he was done off the first jump when he flew a little too far and landed with his butt on the tails of his skis. But he managed to muscle himself back into a tuck and continued making up time; each split flashing green throughout the run. Then, just before the finish, he came in a little in the backseat off a roller and nearly threw a power-wedge into his run—before straightening himself out and finishing. Murmurs of Bode Miller were thrown around at the finish, with racers compared Ryan’s run to the fellow fast New England speed skier and speculating that Ryan would have won again if he didn’t have those errors.
 

"The top jump, I was just getting a little rattled and backseat and a little beyond my comfort zone. I think that was lucky I was able to carry through there," said Ryan. "Getting seventh in a World Cup downhill, I am grateful for that and appreciate that result. I was happy to survive when I got to the finish and seeing that I was still competitive was cool, but I’m realizing that it could have been a really good day. I'm learning with that and will try to take what I learned this year into next year."

Ryan had won Tuesday’s super-G—his first World Cup victory—and his results in Bormio combined with his results this season continue to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with on the FIS World Cup circuit. He podiumed in the Val Gardena downhill and has only finished out of the top 15 in a speed event once this season. 

"End of the day, it was definitely an incredible weekend," Ryan said. "Yesterday was something else. I don’t know if that's hit me yet. In a way, this is a good way to end the weekend—not being totally on top, staying a little bit hungry, knowing that there’s still more to learn and more to gain in order to be that top-level skier that I’m trying to be and believe that I can be."

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Jared Goldberg, who put down a couple of strong downhill training runs, finished 20th. Travis Ganong finished just out of the points in 31st, while Bryce Bennett crashed and DNFed, but is OK. So far this season, the Team has amassed nine podiums across five different athletes, as well as career-best results and first World Cup points for several athletes—making it the strongest start to a season for this generation of U.S. Ski Teamers.

The men’s speed team has an extended break over the new year before heading to Adelboden, Switzerland January 8-10. The tech men start back up again in Zagreb, Croatia with a night slalom on January 6.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 28, 2020 - Jan. 3, 2021
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 3
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBC
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Replay From Bormio, Italy, Bormio, ITA, Broadcast NBC
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBCSN

All streams will be available via desktop as well as mobile, tablet, and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports, Peacock TV, and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire.