On a sunny day in Val d’Isere, France, Breezy Johnson grabbed her first FIS Ski World Cup podium to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 25—including Keely Cashman in 17th from bib 46 to grab her career-first World Cup points. 

It was a tough day with a lot of brutal crashes in Val d’Isere, including four athletes in the top 25 and American Alice McKennis. Alice skied down following her crash but will sit out Saturday’s downhill and Sunday’s super-G as she undergoes further evaluation. Both Austria's Nicole Schmidhofer and Italy's Federica Brignone crashed, causing significant course holds for Breezy, but she wasn't phased. The races was tight in the top three, with Switzerland’s Corinne Suter in first, by .11 seconds over Italy’s Sofia Goggia in second place, followed by Breezy in third, .20 seconds off the pace. 

Breezy started the week off strong, finishing second in the first downhill training run on Wednesday, and winning the second of two downhill training runs on Thursday by a massive six tenths. Breezy’s go for broke style served her well in Friday’s race, but it still hasn’t hit her. “I don’t think anything has sunk in yet, so I think I’m probably just going to keep it that way and just keep working towards tomorrow,” she reflected post-race. “The snow in most places was actually a lot better, it was just a little bumpier in some spots, and a lot faster with the race wax and everybody going for it. It was a good race.”

If you watch Breezy, her approach to downhill resembles Olympic champion Picabo Street’s hard-charging style. Mentally tough and physically strong, Breezy is destined for the top of the podium. “I was happy with it...I try to go out and ski 100% every day,” she added. “There were a few mistakes for sure, and places to clean up for tomorrow and I’ll keep working, but I’m obviously very happy. I love Val d’Isere, this is where I first felt at home on the World Cup—I came here in 2016...I did well after some really bad training runs, and that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I belong on the World Cup.’” As far as tomorrow goes...for Breezy, her eyes are on the prize. “After the training runs, and today, I’m hunting for the win tomorrow,” she said. 

Keely Cashman skyrocketed from bib 46 to land in 17th and grab her first career World Cup points, while Jackie Wiles—who has been skiing consistently fast in training runs—landed in 23rd. When asked about how it was today, Keely said, "slightly scary, but mostly fun." Bella Wright also started for the Americans, but finished just outside the top 30, in 35th. 

Up next, the women have a downhill on Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBC
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

There is, quite possibly, no venue on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit quite as aesthetically spectacular as Val Gardena, Italy. It is a downhill track like none other, requiring skill, power, courage, and stamina. The terrain is unlike any other. Nine jumps. 17 larger bumps. Athletes jump up to 262ft and are 20 feet about the ground. Imagine that. The infamous “camel humps.” It’s a doozy. It also happens to be a favorite track for the Americans. Just ask veteran Steven Nyman, who has won three times here. Buckle up, because it’s going to be quite the weekend. 

In the first of two downhill training runs, the Americans went 1-2. Jared Goldberg, followed by big ol’ Bryce Bennett...who, as we know, loves this track. Day 2? Those Attacking Vikings threw down: Aleksander Kilde first, Kjetil Jansrud second. But guess what?! Jared, once again, the fastest American, in fourth. Ryan Cochran-Siegle fifth. Bryce seventh. Sam Morse 19th. Former World Junior Downhill Champ and Middlebury Alpine athlete Erik Arvidsson will be checking out this real-deal track for the first time. He's stoked. "That was SO much fun," he said when he came down after his first training run. Giddy up!

Caught up with three-time Saslong victor (we like to call him, “King of the Saslong,” though he doesn’t agree with that title), Steven Nyman. Here’s what he had to say: “Obviously it’s a bummer, but it is what it is, and I’m trying to help the boys in any way that I can. My words of advice to them are: ‘You gotta nail that first big right-footer...give yourself space, don’t try to gain anything there. It’s just about cleanliness and carrying your speed through that flat. When it comes to terrain, you need to be confident...like know it like the backside of your hand and just go over every blind roll, and know where you’re going without hesitation because that’s going to set you apart from 95% of the guys. Everybody is going to hesitate, and as Americans, we have an advantage, growing up, playing in terrain parks, and understanding terrain better than the Europeans. Fight, fight, fight for aerodynamics wherever you can.’”

Again, he reiterated that he’s “not the ‘King of the Saslong.’” “It’s Kristian Ghedina [from Italy, with four victories on the Saslong]...or, actually, it’s Leo Mussi [Steven’s and Kristian’s technician, who has won seven times on the Saslong], then Kristian, then me,” he added with a laugh. To put it simply, the Americans love this track and you’re not going to want to miss the action this weekend. First up: super-G Friday, followed by downhill day on Saturday. Sunshine all ‘round'. In super-G, watch Travis Ganong, who was fourth last weekend in Val d'Isere, France to match his career-best in the discipline. He's en fuego at the moment, and his super-G set-up is dialed! 

Speaking of sunshine, the women brought the heat in both downhill training runs over in Val d’Isere, France, with Alice McKennis Duran first, Breezy Johnson second, Jackie Wiles 11th, and Keely Cashman 28th on day one! Day two: more of the same. Breezy in first, with a commanding .63 second lead. Jackie Wiles ninth. Alice McKennis Duran 11th. Keely Cashman 30th. The women’s speed crew is healthy, confident, and back with a vengeance. Watch out, world. Of course, Breezy was quick to call it “Fool’s Gold,” and added that she hopes she didn’t “peak too soon.” With two downhills and a super-G at Val d’Isere, there’s bound to be some big-time results in France. Oui Oui!

Follow all of the action on Peacock TV, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel...because we’ve got a stacked pre-holiday week of alpine action for y’all.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill training 1
Women’s downhill training 1
Men’s downhill training 2
Women’s downhill training 2 

START LISTS
Men’s super-G
Women’s downhill 

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Friday, Dec. 18
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Super-G - LIVE, Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Super-G - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val Gardena, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBC
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
10:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Same Day Broadcast, Val Gardena, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 20
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - Same Day Broadcast, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Monday, Dec. 21
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Dec. 22
11:34 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel

As we head into the season, there are still many logistical challenges that we’re all still sorting out. How can we ski in groups, especially with really young kids that need more help from adults? How can we ski enough if we have to limit the number of hours in our program? How can we adapt our teaching to be more effective at a distance? Our Eastern Youth Development Coach, Kathy Okoniewski, took these questions on and collaborated with a number of folks around the region to put together some amazing ideas for you. It is especially relevant with the slow start that many ski areas have had to the year, and we thought it would be perfect to dedicate this newsletter to the topic. So here it is!

Developing passion and skills through freeskiing, mountain adventures, and on-snow games.

By Kathy Okoniewski

These are challenging times. As I talk with many of you around the Region, there is great concern about keeping our athletes safe, engaged, and learning. More than ever, our kids need sport as a way to stay active, be social, and feel connected as a culture. In my opinion, we have an opportunity this season to rethink, reprioritize and reboot our system. It’s an opportunity to train more and freeski more, which is the cornerstone of long term athlete development (LTAD).

Check out this video with Ted Ligety:

https://videos.usskiandsnowboard.org/alpineed/category/videos/general_ 

As alpine skiers, incredibly, we have the ability to participate and still stay distanced and masked! However, this becomes a challenge for our youngest skiers, as we often rely on help from coaches and parents for a multitude of things, including loading and riding lifts with them, assisting with bathroom breaks, and chaperoning while warming their toes. That will be a challenge in this environment, and so we’ll need to engage parents in the process more than ever!

We all know that volunteerism takes commitment and an attitude of teamwork. It sometimes requires memberships and training. These volunteer requirements may seem unnecessary or time consuming, but I can assure you that this is the moment when good parent involvement will have a huge impact on the health of our sport, as well as their child’s connection with snowsports, their coaches, and their skiing community.

With the limitations around this season, we have an opportunity to enjoy and improve our skiing so much more than a season filled with too many ski races.  This is the time when we can ski, play, have mountain adventures and improve our fundamental base together as skiing families. One of life’s greatest joys is to learn new things with the people we love!

As parents, we should not try to take the place of the coaches, and we shouldn’t try to coach the technique and tactics of a sport we do not have the experience or knowledge for. That’s not always easy to do when we want to help.

But here’s what we can do to help improve their skiing and their experience:

• Go skiing with your kids wherever they want to go. Try to ski all day! Get that important mileage!
• Be a playmate on the hill
• Do skiing challenges together - get your child to teach you!
• Work to improve our own skiing 
• Be supportive of their team, teammates, coaches, and club
• Encourage independence and respect
• Be on time
• Be prepared
• Read organizational emails

HERE ARE SOME CONCRETE SUGGESTIONS FOR GOING REMOTE AND DOING MORE WITH LESS GROUP TIME:

GMVS - Bingo Parent/Child Challenge:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZkqBTULvOfER06ltMYORD2P3MVnHUBDFK8jqMXuIRXw/edit

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d_39j6J-GeJSf6Zd0qAC6MEON57M3gJfkn3Ul61nfqA/edit

NYSEF - All Mountain Vertical Challenge and on snow games:

https://www.nysef.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2020/12/NYSEF-Program-Activities.pdf

Gould-Sunday River - Five Games to play on snow:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kJRLgKTqNYLU0x4EeOESmV5vNtoRZvpzyCu35ieBQ8E/edit

Gore/NYSSRA Future Stars - Scavenger Hunts/All Mt. Adventure:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1giguCgs0W0W3HU27mJNis0NwRvAu-fUvDVg0neFPRPw/edit

Run by run: Coaching for athletes & coaching for parents:

As a parent, you can be incredibly helpful in this sport. Once the clubhouse floor has been swept and the gate shed is organized, get your boots on! 

• You can help the littlest kids get on the lift and ride safely to the top. They need the help, and they are hilarious. 
• You can take a ski lesson and start working on your own skiing. 
• THEN, when the ski program breaks for the day, go ski! Let your child show you around the mountain. See if you can get them to lead some of the activities they did with their coach that day. Explore their favorite places on the mountain. 
• No programming at all one day? Or a half-day? Go remote. Coaches: generate some themes and/or drills and get the kids to coach their parents and demo for them that day.

Lastly, if you’ve ever been into the Killington Mountain Ski Club, you’ll see these great signs:  (As a parent of 4, these really resonate with me!)

Thank you to all the parents! And a HUGE thank you goes out to leaders and coaches around the East who have shared some of their curriculum for keeping our athletes engaged and excited about skiing!

Four American women, led by two-time Continental Cup champion Tara Geraghty-Moats,  will make history participating in the first-ever International Ski Federation (FIS) nordic combined World Cup competition. Friday's event in Ramsau, Austria, is another stepping stone for the hopeful introduction of women’s nordic combined into the Olympic Winter Games program. 

The event was originally scheduled in early December at Lillehammer, Norway but delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions, then rescheduled for January, and then rescheduled again for Austria.

FIS initiated a Continental Cup program in the 2018 season, with a plan to debut a World Cup level tour in 2020-21, along with inclusion in the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships this February in Oberstdorf, Germany. 

Geraghty-Moats, who won tour titles in 2019 and 2020, will headline four Americans. Also competing will be Tess Arnone, Alexa Brabec and Annika Malacinski.

“This is a very notable milestone for women's nordic combined to eventually be included in the Olympics,” said Geraghty-Moats. “It's much more favorable for us to have both a World Championships and a World Cup tour. And having a World Cup enables the field to grow and for us to prove that the sport is at a high level and show the world what our potential is.”

In the past two years, 17 different nations have scored Continental Cup points. 

“Over the past two years on the Continental Cup, there's been more competitors, more nations, and the level of competition has gotten higher. It's been really cool to see that transformation and see it happen so quickly,” she said.

National ski federations like Austria, Germany, and Norway are investing in their women’s teams with larger coaching and wax teams.

Nordic combined remains the only event in the Olympics without women’s participation. USA Nordic officials see the World Cup and World Championship inclusion as important steps but are continuing to push for a women’s Olympic event.

“Over the past three years of the women’s Continental Cup we’ve seen tremendous growth in both the quality of competition and number of nations,” said Olympic champion and USA Nordic Executive Director Billy Demong. “The World Cup debut is important, but it should be seen in the context of a step towards Olympic inclusion on the 2026 program in Milan-Cortina. The women have shown the depth and quality of athleticism in their sport and should be provided with that opportunity.”

As the two-time defending champion, Geraghty-Moats’ young USA Nordic teammates are looking up to her for leadership. “I’m really trying to just be their teammate and vice versa,” she said. “They’re working really hard and they have really great attitudes. They're just looking to do the best they can. It's really been amazing to have them here.”

It’s unclear now what the rest of the season will bring with an uncertain schedule leading up to the Feb. 27 World Championship debut for women’s nordic combined in Oberstdorf, Germany. While COVID is clearly impacting schedules and travel, Geraghty-Moats has felt comfortable.

“We are able to move around comfortably and safely, which is really important,” she said. “A huge thanks goes out to everyone trying to keep us safe - FIS and USA Nordic. There definitely is a lot of looking at regulations and having to plan ahead. And it takes a lot more energy and a lot more planning. But life is surprisingly normal here.”

Women’s ski jumping will also open its 2020-21 season in Ramsau with five Americans competing. Making the start for the USA will be Annika Belshaw, Anna Hoffman, Paige Jones, Nina Lussi, and Logan Sankey (Steamboat Springs, Colo.).

In men’s nordic combined in Ramsau, Taylor Fletcher and Ben Loomis will start in the second weekend for the men’s World Cup tour.

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Dec. 18
3:30 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Women's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:45 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Women's 5k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
12:00 p.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
8:15 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's 10k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 20
5:00 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's HS98 - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS Nordic Combined World Cup Men's 10k - LIVE, Ramsau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Men's HS140 - LIVE, Engelberg, SUI, Streaming Peacock

In an interview with The New York Times, Hig Roberts, a U.S. Alpine Ski Team alumnus, two-time U.S. national champion, and former Middlebury NCAA skier, shared that he is gay—becoming the first elite men’s alpine skier to publicly come out as gay, hoping to encourage others to be themselves.

“I just woke up one morning and I said, ‘Enough is enough,’” Roberts said to the New York Times. “I love this sport more than anything — I’m so lucky and privileged to be doing this — but I can’t go on another day not trying to achieve the person that I am meant to be. Which I think for each and every one of us, one of those main goals needs to be happiness and authenticity.”

The Steamboat, Colo. native had a successful four years of collegiate ski racing for Middlebury and a stint with Team America and coach Peter Lange during the 2015 season, then he rocketed to the U.S. Ski Team B Team. His collegiate career featured two NCAA team slalom championships and an appearance at the 2013 World University Games. Hig was named to the U.S. Ski Team in 2015-16 for two seasons and snagged two national championships, including the giant slalom national title in 2017 and the slalom national title in 2018. 

In August of 2016, Hig's younger brother, Murphy, died after a diabetic seizure while hiking, falling, and sustaining a head injury. "Murph," as Hig called him, was just 22.

Hig told the New York Times, that Murph taught him to live authentically. 

As he ascended in the sport and struggled again with his sexual identity, the slopes became a safe haven — the only place he could freely fly down a mountain.

Until his world came crashing down.

In August 2016 his younger brother, Murphy, died after he had a diabetic seizure while on a hike, fell and sustained a head injury. Murphy was 22.

The sudden loss of his brother was a blow that almost ended Roberts’s career; he recalled Murphy as the “most special person” in his life. Murphy, who grew up with Type 1 diabetes, taught Roberts one of his most valuable lessons: Live every day authentically yourself.

The ski industry is intensely male-dominated and "hyper-masculine," and though many Americans aren't as familiar with ski racers...they are like gods and goddesses over in Europe. Skiing to Europe is the NFL or NBA to America. It's wild. Thousands of screaming fans asking for autographs. But Hig said he felt as though he were in an environment that "almost encouraged womanizing." "Instead, he opted for his hotel room, alone." 

When the New York Times piece went live on Sunday, there was an outpouring of love and support from former teammates, friends, and ski industry members on social media. Two-time Olympian Tommy Ford, who just snagged his career-third FIS Ski World Cup podium in Santa Caterina, Italy posted his support on Instagram, saying that he was "Proud of Hig for coming out as gay. Thank you for being courageous. Time for things to change."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Tommy Ford (@tommyford)

Hig posted on his Instagram on Tuesday. Here is an excerpt: 

...the one thing I have not conquered until now is: my own self, my identity—or in other words—my authentic truth. So, in the name of doing myself the greatest justice there is in life, I’ll be doing that now.

I am gay.

It is puzzling to think that this 3-letter word, just like my name and equally as critical to my identity has eluded me during this “full” life. Rather than try to pan for that answer which has been veiled in maybe fear, maybe weakness, and also maybe the understanding that I would eventually come to this moment on my own time, I have decided to release and embrace my genuine intention. I share this because while parts of my journey are unique, I feel that I am in the process of harnessing one of life’s greatest lessons that I do believe all of us have the capability to realize. Simply put, it is flipping the script on what you perceive to be your greatest weaknesses and instead employing them as your greatest strengths...

Big congratulations to Hig for being brave to share his story with the world and be authentically himself. Hig's honesty will undoubtedly inspire others to be comfortable with who they are.

Read the full articles on NYTimes.com and Out.com. 

ESPN announced today that X Games Aspen 2021 will return to Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass, Colo., for the 20th-consecutive year Jan. 29-31, marking the first elite North American snowboard and freeski event of the season.

The list of invited athletes was nothing short of impressive including U.S. riders and Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, Shaun White, and Red Gerard. The roster continues to get deeper with the freeskiers including back-to-back FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck; Olympic medalists Alex Ferreira, Nick Goepper,  David Wise; as well as 2019-20 X Games medalists Alex Hall, Colby Stevenson, and Maggie Voisin. 

X Games Aspen 2021 will feature men’s and women’s freeski and snowboard competitions in the disciplines of superpipe, slopestyle, big air, and men’s knuckle huck. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, X Games Aspen 2021 will be closed to the public and produced with comprehensive COVID-19 risk mitigation protocols in place for participants and staff.

Following X Games, U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Team athletes are set to continue competition in the United States from Feb. 3-6 at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. The famed Unbound Terrain Park will host both slopestyle and halfpipe competition, pending local and state approvals. Meanwhile, U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes will take on the world-class moguls and aerials venues at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, for the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International planned for Feb. 4-6 pending local and state approvals.
 

Read The Full Press Release at ESPNPressRoom.com

Invited U.S Freeski Athletes 

• Aaron Blunck

• Alex Ferreira

• Nick Goepper

• Alex Hall

• Birk Irving

• Colby Stevenson

• Maggie Voisin

• David Wise

• Quinn Wolferman

Invited U.S. Snowboard Athletes 

• Sonora Alba

• Jamie Anderson

• Red Gerard

• Arielle Gold

• Dusty Henricksen

• Chloe Kim

• Hailey Langland

• Julia Marino

• Maddie Mastro

• Toby Miller

• Zeb Powell

• Shaun White

On a stunning day in Courchevel, France, Mikaela Shiffrin made her triumphant and emotional return to the top step on the podium in a FIS World Cup. Young gun AJ Hurt took home her first World Cup giant slalom points, and top-20, in 18th place.

After an issue with the snow, in which the course was watered after heavy snowfall on Saturday and then groomed, the track was deemed unfit for racers for the previously scheduled Sunday giant slalom. But Sunday’s postponement left a hard and fast track for the women on Monday under blazing sunlight and it was worth the wait to see Mikaela take her first World Cup win in almost a year.

It was a beautiful moment when she crossed the finish line ahead of the field, as the community at the bottom of the hill realized that this was Mikaela’s first win after her father’s sudden passing. Mikaela took a moment in the finish corral, sitting on her skis and hugging her legs—seemingly letting it all wash over her. Emotions ran higher when she stepped off the podium and into her mom’s arms, as she cried through her post-race interview.

“It was a pretty incredible day, obviously,” said Mikaela through tears. “But I’m pretty sad. I mean, it’s a bit bittersweet. But it’s pretty special.”

Mikaela won the first run, but only by seven-hundredths and she knew she had to keep up her energy and stamina to hammer out a strong second run for the win. And given that this was only her second giant slalom race after over 300 days off the World Cup circuit, she wasn’t sure she could do it. “I didn’t really know if I could come back to this level. It’s a lot of energy to focus like that and to put the toughness and strength in your skiing,” said Mikaela. “I’ve done it—I used to do it all the time—but I’m at a different place and didn’t know if I could do it again.”

But Mikaela proved herself wrong and threw down a stellar second run on the swingy-set course to take the win by .82 seconds—her first victory since January 2020 and first giant slalom win since December 2019. Behind Mikaela, Federica Brignone of Italy finished second—a particularly impressive feat given that she went down on her hip in the second run—and Tessa Worley of France was third.

Mikaela was quick to commend her teammates, rivals, coaches and family. “It’s a really big testament to my coaches and my mom and everybody around me—my whole team, my family,” said Mikaela. “I definitely didn’t ski alone today. I had a lot of strength from a lot of people to help me get down.”

Sunday’s win was Mikaela’s 67th FIS World Cup victory, tying her with the legendary Marcel Hirscher and placing her third on the overall win list, behind Ingemar Stenmark and Lindsey Vonn. “I was thinking a lot about his skiing today—so that’s pretty cool,” said Mikaela.

AJ Hurt, who celebrated her 20th birthday last weekend, had a huge day, grabbing her first-ever World Cup second run and subsequent World Cup points with a top-20 finish. “I’m very excited,” she said. “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be!” AJ's result earned the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women's tech crew another World Cup giant slalom spot in their quota. 

Paula Moltzan, Keely Cashman and Nina O’Brien also started for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Courchevel, but did not qualify for a second run.

The women head next to Val d’Isere, France for speed events. Training begins Wednesday.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team finished out a strong weekend in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, with more Americans finding the podium on Sunday. Jaelin Kauf snagged second place and Brad Wilson third in a dual moguls event plagued by fog to close out the first segment of the 2020-21 FIS Freestyle World Cup Tour.

The fog led to long delays, but Jaelin didn’t let it bother her, securing her second podium of the season. “I’m really happy with it,” she said. “Especially with this fog and weather coming in, I’m just really happy the event actually went off and finished for the girls. I’m really happy with my skiing all weekend—just skiing really consistently and hitting the top air like I wanted to.”

Jaelin’s domination of dual moguls has been noticed on the World Cup, with Head Coach Matt Gnoza dubbing her “the queen of the duals.” Her speed is consistently impressive and her jumps are solid, which helped carry her to her 11th career duals podium.

Perrine Laffont of France took the win for the women with Anri Kawamura of Japan in third.

Tess Johnson finished just off the podium in fourth place and is proving that she’s a podium-caliber skier who is hungry for another top-three result. “This one has been coming for quite some time,” said Matt. “She’s one step closer to the podium that she’s bound to be getting in the very near future.”

Rounding out the U.S. women, Hannah Soar was seventh, Kai Owens was 12th—her best finish in a dual moguls World Cup so far—Olivia Giaccio 24th and Madison Hogg 27th.

The men’s event was a bit more complicated, as the fog refused to let up and visibility was at a zero, which resulted in the event organizers calling for the men’s big and small finals to be canceled. The big final skiers would tie for first and the small final skiers tied for third. This had never been done in a World Cup competition before and was a one-time ruling in order for the athletes to get results, especially during a pandemic-riddled season. While it was a disappointing conclusion, all four men skied down the course together and jumped the bottom air at the same time, which made for a nice show of sportsmanship.

Matt Graham of Australia and Ludvig Fjallstrom of Sweden tied for first with Jordan Kober of Canada and Brad Wilson taking third.

Brad was excited to secure his first podium of the season. “With this sport, we can ski through any weather except for fog—we haven’t figured out how to get through it,” he said. “As soon as I rolled in the gate it just came down—it was so socked in here—we thought maybe it was going to be a wash of an event. We’re stoked that they came up with something to get us the points that we deserved. I’m stoked!”

The course conditions in Idre Fjäll played well with Brad's ability to ski the fast line and competitive nature. “When there are dual moguls, there’s a different look in Brad Wilson’s eye and it was there from the start today,” said Matt.

Nick Page scooped up a top-10 result—his personal-best dual moguls finish—making it a stellar weekend for Saturday’s podiumer. “He’s going to enter our next World Cups with a really low bib number,” said Matt. “That was one of the goals for Nick to start the season and he’s right on top of that right now. Pretty exciting times for the mogul team!”

Dylan Walczyk finished 22nd, Alex Lewis 39th and Jesse Andringa 50th.

Next up, the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team heads back to the states for some much-needed time off and training after a six-week trip through Scandinavia. “I’m excited to see the sun and be home,” said Jaelin. “We’ve been in darkness for so long—and hopefully some powder skiing too!”

RESULTS
Women’s dual moguls
Men’s dual moguls

Saturday Rosie Brennan proved she was a sprinter. Sunday, she proved she is one of the best cross country skiers in the world after taking her second-straight FIS Cross Country World Cup victory and moving into the overall World Cup lead. 

“That is quite honestly something I'm not sure I've ever even dreamed of,” Rosie said of taking the overall World Cup lead, in addition to the overall World Cup sprint and distance leader bibs. “Obviously, we have only had a few races, but it's something I'm proud of nonetheless and while I'm not sure I expect to keep them all the whole season, I hope to do them proud while I have them and put up as good a fight as I can!”

So how do you make back-to-back victories even better? By sharing the podium with a teammate!  Hailey Swirbul landed on her first World Cup podium, finishing third in Sunday’s 10k freestyle, just 6.5 seconds back from second-place finisher Yulia Stupak from Russia.

“When I crossed the line, Hailey was keeping the leader’s chair warm for me and so I knew she must have had a good race too,” Rosie said. “Then when I finally sat down and saw she was going to get a podium, I was just beside myself. Sharing the podium with a teammate is something special. She's been the one pushing me all summer and keeping me on my toes and really forcing me to broaden my skills so I am just so excited to share this with her.”

"A really exciting and surprising day (for me at least, but I had a feeling Rosie would crush it!!)," Hailey said. "I had a split with about 2.5k to go that I was in the running for a podium, so I dug REALLY deep to fight for it. All I could do was give my best and I truly left it all out there. The techs and coaches have really helped set our team up for success this weekend and I am truly honored to be part of it."

Even without the teams from Norway, Sweden, and Finland competing in Davos, Switzerland, due to concerns from the COVID-19 virus, Rosie’s 34-second margin of victory was impressive as she is now the second U.S. woman to wear the overall World Cup Leader’s bib. Her teammate Sadie Maubet Bjornsen wore the overall leader’s bib last season in Ruka, Finland. However, the leader’s bib wasn’t the goal of the day - winning was.

“I set out as smooth and controlled as possible and quickly learned my pace was good enough for the win so I just kept chugging along and trying to stay focused on good strong skiing. With about 3k to go, I got a split that someone who started behind me was only 10 seconds back after 5k and that sounded a bit too close for comfort for me so I really doubled down and tried to just carry all the speed I could through the rolling last 2k. I had great skis all weekend and cannot thank the techs enough for all their effort to make the most of this weekend.”

Indeed, fitness and fast skis propelled five U.S. women into the points Sunday. In addition to Rosie and Hailey on the podium, Jessie Diggins was seventh; Katharine Ogden scored her first World Cup points of the season, finishing 22nd; and Caitlin Patterson also scored her first World Cup points of the season in 30th. Julia Kern finished 33rd.

In the men’s 15k freestyle, Scott Patterson continued to climb the results sheet, leading the American men in 16th place - his best result of the season so far. Kevin Bolger was 33rd; Gus Schumacher 35th; Simi Hamilton 38th; Adam Martin 44th; and Ian Torchia 49th.

"In four years of racing in Davos, this was the first time I really felt like I had something to give," Scott said. "I focused on lots of little items like skiing certain hills well and I think it served me well. I’m pretty psyched with today and looking forward to more fast racing after a little holiday break."

Russia swept the podium with Alexander Bolshunov taking a commanding 32.2-second victory over countryman Andrey Melnichenko in second, and Artem Maltsev in third. 

Up next, the FIS Cross Country World Cup moves to Dresden, Germany, Dec. 19-20 with an individual freestyle sprint, and team freestyle sprint. The athletes then enjoy a holiday break before kicking off the FIS Tour de Ski Jan. 1-10 in Switzerland and Italy.

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

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup Overall
Men’s World Cup Overall

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Dec. 13
10:00 p.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10k - Same Day Broadcast, Davos, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Monday, Dec. 14
12:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10k - Same Day Broadcast, Davos, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Dec. 19
8:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women’s Sprint - LIVE, Dresden, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Sunday, Dec. 20
11:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women’s Sprint - Same-day delayed broadcast, Dresden, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women’s Sprint - Same-day delayed broadcast, Dresden, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Ryan Cochran-Siegle led three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 25 in a tight and wild Val d'Isere downhill on Sunday, finishing in 13th, .81 off the pace, set by the surprising Slovenian Martin Cater—who snagged his first World Cup victory (and podium) from bib 41. 

It was a tight race, and when the sun came out on the top of the course, the track appeared to get faster as the race went on—particularly at the top. For a while, it appeared that the Norwegian Aleksander Kilde had the victory in the bag, but the opportunity was there for the higher bibs to send it, and Martin Cater took advantage of that, landing on the top of the podium. Austria's Otmar Streidinger came down bib 26, to finish second on the day, and Switzerland's Urs Kryenbuehl rounded out the podium in third.

Ryan, one of the few athletes on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit that competes in five disciplines (parallel, giant slalom, alpine combined, super-G, and downhill), has struggled to find his groove in the first few races, but Sunday was a good step forward for him. In Saturday's super-G, Ryan went down on his hip. He scored his first World Cup points of the 2020-21 season last weekend in Santa Caterina, Italy, in the second of two giant slalom races. 

"I feel good...I think where my skiing has been and where my racing has been, there's been a pretty big deficit between the two, and I feel like today I was able to bring those two closer together," he said after the race. He'll bring that momentum into the next races, including a speed series in Val Gardena, Italy, and a giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy. "Today I had a good feeling on the skis, which is all I can really ask for right now—try to build the confidence from that," he continued. "Hopefully, I continue to stay in there and stay competitive. Obviously, you always want more as a ski racer, but I think today was a good step forward, and I'll take that."

The race featured some unexpected bibbos, razor-thin margins in the top 10 (.62 seconds between first and tenth), and pretty big crashes. Travis Ganong, who was fourth in Saturday's super-G opener, ended up a solid 23rd, and teammate Bryce Bennett tied for 24th. 

It's definitely a cool race, where, there was a lot of opportunities still there even after the top 20 guys, and there were guys that committed and were able to ski well," reflected Ryan. "Obviously, when you start earlier, you don't really want to see that, but, as a ski racer, I think it's good for ski racing...getting an equal opportunity and those young guys or guys who are trying to work their way up are able to get there. The whole podium deserved it today."

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Jared Goldberg was 43rd, Sam Morse 45th, and 2016 World Junior downhill champ and Middlebury College athlete Erik Arvidsson 54th in his World Cup debut. 

Up next for the men is a super-G and downhill in Val Gardena, Italy—a venue that has treated the Americans well in the past, including Steven Nyman, who is known as the "King of the Saslong" and has won all three of his World Cup victories at the venue. The men, including Bryce and Travis, are stoked to be heading there next. 

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Monday, Dec. 14
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock + Broadcast Olympic Channel