Due to the inconsistency of the surface on the race slope at Courchevel, France, Sunday's FIS Ski World Cup women's giant slalom race has been postponed until Monday. 

After significant snowfall before, during, and after Saturday's first of two giant slalom races at Courchevel, France, the International Ski Federation (FIS) together with the local organizing committee, decided to push off the snow, then water the surface, and groom it—ultimately compromising the surface and rendering it unsafe for athletes due to the inconsistency. 

Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammates Nina O'Brien, Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt, and Keely Cashman will take on the second of two giant slalom races at the rescheduled time on Monday, Dec. 14. The first run will take place at 10 a.m. CET, with the second run at 13:00. The revised TV broadcast schedule will be forthcoming. 

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

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

Hannah Soar and Nick Page both earned their first Moguls FIS World Cup podiums in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, Saturday, with a pair of third-place finishes. This marks moguls’ second event of their 2020-21 season and brings the team full circle to where their 2019-20 season fell apart in the wake of forced COVID-19 shutdowns. After an uncertain prep period and limited days on snow, laying it down in Sweden feels especially sweet. “It’s good to see the hard work pay off,” commented Head Coach Matt Gnoza. 

Qualifications ran Friday due to limited daylight in Scandinavia this time of year and six Americans qualified for Saturday’s finals. The PowHERHouse women of the moguls team had a strong showing with four women in the finals and two, Hannah and Jaelin Kauf, skiing in the super final round. The day was Hannah’s for the Americans and her back tuck to cork 7 super finals run landed her on the podium in third. 

“The day started with Matt telling me I needed to get my stuff together and ski fast,” Hannah reflected.  “Sometimes I struggle with pushing myself to that next step of maybe shaving a second off, maybe going a couple of feet higher on each air, you know, skiing more direct in the middle. These are the things that make a podium and pulls a run together to make it special. I knew if I wanted a podium I needed to rise up and do it.”

France’s Perrine Laffont won the event and Japan’s Anri Kawamura took second. 

Kai Owens continues to prove herself against a strong field of women and finished the day in 12th. Tess Johnson improved from last week with a ninth-place finish and will look to keep climbing the rankings as the season progresses. Jaelin Kauf made a solid super finals appearance and ended with a fifth-place finish. 

On the men’s side, Nick Page led the Americans with his first-ever World Cup podium in third place. It was also the 18-year-old’s first super finals appearance. “Today was awesome,” Nick said. “It was a whole weekend of firsts: first podium, first super finals, first time getting to ski in the top six. It was really fun being up there with all of the guys and it was just such a productive group. Everyone wanted everyone to ski their best and see where the pieces fell. I was just running through my three cues in my head: getting a flawless top air, ripping the middle, and pinning the bottom... and looks like I did it.”

“I watched Nick’s runs before my super final and it inspired me to do something special out there,” commented Hannah.

France’s Benjamin Cavet came in first and Australia’s Brodie Summers took second.

Brad Wilson had a strong showing, skiing fast and strong through the middle section to land him in fifth place. “That classic Brad Wilson speed through the middle section was absolutely unbelievable,” said Matt. 

Olivia Giaccio made an impressive return to competition almost a year to date since sustaining a 2019-20 season injury coming in 21st. “The course was super fun and I feel like I managed it well and was able to adjust and put my stuff down [during official training],” she said. “I felt ready, mentally, and physically ready, and so I made the decision to step into the gate. I had a really really fun day and I was proud of my skiing and my jumping. I skied a bit slow but other than that it was an awesome experience to be back in the gate. I definitely did not expect to be back this early but I'm really glad to get another World Cup start under my belt. I’m really looking forward to continuing my trend upwards.”

The FIS Freestyle tour continues in Idre Fjäll with Dual Moguls. The men began dueling Saturday afternoon to cut the field down to 16 to account for limited daylight for Sunday. Both Nick and Brad will ski in Sunday’s event. 

The moguls crew loves a Dual Day and the team is amped to go head-to-head with the world’s best. “What a better way to end [this] trip than some Duala action, which really always seems to get the most out of our athletes,” said Matt. “They love that head-to-head, beat-the-skier next to you approach. It should be fun.”

RESULTS
Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Dec. 13
5 a.m. EST – Men’s and Women’s Dual Moguls, Idrefjäll, SWE – Live, Streaming Peacock Premium

Rosie Brennan not only surprised herself in winning her first FIS Cross Country World Cup race of her career but she led an impressive day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Saturday in Davos, Switzerland.

“It’s wild,” Rosie said after winning the freestyle sprint, and leading five U.S. women into the points. “I have never considered myself a sprinter, so to find myself on the podium in a sprint is something I honestly didn’t even dream of. I was thinking about (tomorrow’s 10k freestyle), so this is just incredible.”

To say the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team had a great day in Saturday’s sprint is an understatement. Ten Americans scored World Cup Points, including Logan Hanneman, who posted a career-best World Cup result in ninth; Kevin Bolger in 13th; Simi Hamilton in 14th; JC Schoonmaker, who posted the fifth-fastest qualifying time, finishing a career-best 18th; and Gus Schumacher with a career-best sprint result in 25th. 

In addition to Rosie’s win, Sophie Caldwell Hamilton also advanced to the finals and finished fifth; Julia Kern was 11th; Jessie Diggins 13th; and Hailey Swirbul was 19th. Hannah Halvorsen finished 38th in her return to World Cup racing.

“Today was definitely a step in the right direction for me personally and an incredible day for the team as a whole,” Sophie said. “It was amazing to watch Rosie get her first World Cup win, have Hannah back racing, and have ten men and women qualify for the heats.”

After posting the fastest qualifying time, Rosie finished second in her opening quarterfinal heat. In the semi-final round Rosie, Sophie, and Julia were all seeded in the first heat, which turned out to be the fastest of the two semi-final heats as Rosie and Sophie finished third and fourth, but advanced to the finals as Lucky Losers. In the final, Rosie attacked the second lap climb and turned on her sprint to the finish for the victory, letting out a joyous scream as she crossed the line. Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic was second, and Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was third.

With her victory, Rosie moved into the lead in the World Cup sprint standings, and up to third in the overall World Cup standings. Up next, the women compete in a 10k individual start freestyle, and the men compete in a 15k individual start freestyle. 

RESULTS
Women’s freestyle sprint
Men’s freestyle sprint

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

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Dec. 12
11:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women's Sprint - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Davos SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Sunday, Dec. 13
4:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10k - LIVE, Davos, SUI, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15k - LIVE, Davos, SUI, Streaming Peacock 

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

Mikaela Shiffrin battled through fresh snow and fog in Courchevel, France to finish just off the podium in fourth place in her first giant slalom FIS World Cup of the 2020-21 season.

Marta Bassino of Italy made it two for two, taking her second GS victory of the season after winning the opening giant slalom in Soelden in October. Sara Hector of Sweden was second—her first podium in six years—and podium mainstay Petra Vlhova of Slovakia finished third.

Mikaela sat in third place after first run, but hit a bump and threw her skis sideways on the pitch, which caused her to lose valuable time. But she acknowledged that the line she chose was a risk and the ever-positive skier was still happy about her showing and her future in giant slalom racing this season.

“I felt pretty good. I’m pretty excited,” she said. “My first run, I was more surviving. Some good turns—a good starting point—with a pretty big mistake in the second run. I was trying to go more aggressive, but I knew it would be bumpier with the snow and running later.”

Mikaela was also quick to shine a light on Sara Hector, who she’s long admired as a ski racer and has had a long return to snow after a major injury six years ago in Are—the same weekend Mikaela was injured. “She’s had a really difficult comeback,” said Mikaela. “She’s a fighter and she wants to be fast all the time and I’m always wondering if she would approve of how hard I’m trying because she's always the one who tries the hardest and is willing to put in the most effort into every single turn in order to make speed!”

Overall, Mikaela was excited about the progress she’s making, given her lack of training and over 300 days out of a World Cup giant slalom start gate. She had skipped the Soelden GS in October due to a back injury. “All in all, it was a pretty incredible day and not quite so stressful as Levi,” she said. “I felt like I could do some good skiing and the rest of it is just stuff I still need to pick up on—learn how to find the cleaner line and push through the bumps like the way some of these girls are doing. I know I can do it and it’s just a matter of getting to that point again.”

Nina O’Brien was another shining star for the Americans, snagging 19th place in Courchevel after finishing 15th in the first giant slalom this season. On top of that, Nina was skiing with a brace on her left hand after breaking her thumb in 15 places in a crash in training prior to the World Cup in Lech Zuers, Austria. Her skiing is one to keep an eye on this season as she continues to climb the ranks and score more World Cup points.

Paula Moltzan, Keely Cashman, and AJ Hurt also started for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team but did not qualify for a second run.

The women get another chance at giant slalom on Sunday in Courchevel with the American women hungry for results.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
10:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Travis Ganong showed that he’s still someone to fear on the FIS World Cup circuit this season, crushing the Val d’Isere super-G and matching his career-best in the discipline to take fourth place, just .22 seconds off the podium. 

Snow fell heavily throughout the race with Mario Caviezel from Switzerland taking his first World Cup win. Adrian Smiseth Sejersted of Norway was second and Austrian Christian Walder third—both of them also nailing their first World Cup podiums.

This was Travis’ 10th top-five result in his career, who is 32 years old and has been a mainstay on the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team for 15 years. But he’s not letting his veteran status get in the way of speed—he packed in seven top-10s in the shortened 2020 season and with another top-five in his first race back on the World Cup circuit, he showed that he’s still someone to keep an eye on this season. Saturday's fourth-place finish matches his career-best in the discipline of super-G. His previous best in super-G was fourth in November of 2015. 

“I’m really happy,” said Travis. “We haven’t raced in so long—we’ve been training a ton and I just kinda forgot what racing is all about. It’s so much more fun to race than train. Being in the start gate and knowing that you have one shot to put it all out on the line and take some risk and see what happens—it’s awesome.”

Travis, who hails from California’s Lake Tahoe, factored in the heavy snowfall to his result. “It feels like I’m back home in California where it snows a lot,” he said. “It’s a very similar vibe and snow. There was no warmup slope so I just skied some powder on the way to the start and it seemed like it was good for me.”

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Bryce Bennett was the next U.S. man to finish and took 33rd. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who went down on his hip on the upper section of the course, was 47th and Jared Goldberg 49th. Sam DuPratt did not finish.  

The men race downhill in Val d’Isere on Sunday to wrap up the men's first speed weekend of the year.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
10:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Back-to-back FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Champion and U.S. Freeski Team member Aaron Blunck recently caught up with Team USA's David Seigerman to discuss his renewed perspective on life after a bone-crushing crash during training camp this past October in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Aaron Blunck (@aaronblunck)

Aaron discussed his new appreciation of the little wins in life and relived his thought process following the devasting impact. Aaron also shared his experience at the 2020 Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., where he was seemingly unstoppable according to the judges and his fellow athletes.

"There was no one watching on this tentative October morning, no gallery of awestruck fans lining the halfpipe, no television analysts rendered agog by some cutting-edge aerial display. There were no flips, no twists, no corkscrews, none of the graceful acrobatics associated with Aaron Blunck, two-time defending world champion freestyle skier. For an athlete-artist whose canvas is mid-air, this one move on this solitary morning was decidedly pedestrian. But for Blunck, it was glorious." 

Read Full Story at TeamUSA.org

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, 2018 Olympian, and 2017 World Juniors Downhill Champion Alice Merryweather announced on Wednesday that she has been struggling with an eating disorder and will be taking a break from FIS Ski World Cup competition. 

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Alice formally announced she will take the time she needs to focus on health and happiness while pursuing intensive treatment. "Over the past few months, I have been struggling with an eating disorder," she stated. "It has beaten me down, broken my heart, drained me, and quite nearly destroyed my passion for the sport I love so dearly. Luckily, I am surrounded by some of the best people in the world who helped me come to terms with my disorder and encouraged me to seek help."

Alice, who has been focusing on the speed disciplines of super-G and downhill, as well as alpine combined, in recent years on the World Cup, attended prep period camps in September with the Team, and she said during the camp at Saas-Fee, Switzerland she had felt like she had "lost all of my life for the sport of ski racing." While training at Official Training Site in Copper Mountain, Colo., Alice made the decision to go to treatment, hence her absence at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Copper Mountain. 

While the the rest of her team traveled to Europe for the World Cup kickoff in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Alice remained stateside and in treatment. She said, "I’m not sure how long this journey will take, but I’m putting my health and happiness first and taking things one step at a time. I’m optimistic that by putting in the work in treatment right now, I’ll be back stronger than ever when the time comes."

By sharing her story, Alice hopes to help dispel the stigma associated with mental health and eating disorders. "I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with their mental health or an eating disorder to reach out, and remind you that you’re not alone," she wrote. 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Alice Merryweather (@aliweather_)

Notes of encouragement came through from teammates and friends on social media and beyond, including two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who has very publicly dealt with her own struggles this year following the tragic passing of her father, Jeff. Mikaela shared, "Pain shows up in many different forms, and it's not always clear how to tend to the wounds or easy to make the decision *to* tend to them. Just remember that you are not alone, and showing vulnerability is not weakness, it is strength."

Alice, thank you for your courage, honesty, and transparency. We know your story will encourage others to be open and seek help if they are feeling the same way. Sending all of our love. 

The Davis U.S. Cross Country Team returns to World Cup action this weekend and welcomes Hannah Halvorsen back to the team for her first World Cup start after suffering injuries in a season-ending accident last year.

Davos, Switzerland, will host men and women’s freestyle sprint Saturday, and distance freestyle events Sunday—10k for the women and 15k for men. All events will be streamed live on NBC’s Peacock platform, and The Olympic Channel and NBCSN will provide a same-day broadcast of both events. 

Starters for Saturday’s freestyle sprint include Simi Hamilton, Kevin Bolger, Logan Hanneman, Gus Schumacher, Tyler Kornfield, JC Schoonmaker, Jessie Diggins, Sophie Caldwell Hamilton, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul, and Hannah Halvorsen, who has spent the past 13 months recovering from injuries suffered when she was hit by a car walking across a downtown Anchorage street in Nov. 2019. 

“Just to be here and be able to put on a bib and step on the start line is a massive accomplishment,” Hannah said. “I have worked hard to get here, but certainly not on my own as I have been supported by the entire nordic community. As I head into this race, I feel a lot of things, but most powerfully, I feel happy, proud, and grateful.”

 

 

 

 

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Heading into this weekend, Hannah has a couple of goals in mind. The first, to enjoy the friendship and comradery of her teammates, including seeing Jula and Katharine, who along with Hailey, were members of the 2017 bronze-medal winning Junior World Championship Team. And secondly, putting forth her best effort in Saturday’s sprint. 

“I have felt strong and healthy in training, but I honestly have no clue how I will do result wise,” she said. “I don’t have expectations to earn a certain place, but I do expect myself to prepare mentally and physically to get on the start line ready to give my absolute best.”

Rosie enters Saturday’s race as the top U.S. woman on the overall World Cup Cross Country standings in fifth, following her fifth-place finish in the season-opening Ruka Triple. Jessie currently sits 15th overall and Hailey 29th. Jessie, Hailey, Julia, and Sophie all qualified for the heats at Davos last year, with Sophie finishing on the podium in third.

For Sunday’s 10k freestyle, starters include Jessie, Julia, Rosie, Hailey, Katharine, and Caitlin Patterson. On the men’s side, Simi, Kevin, and Gus will be joined by Scott Patterson, Ian Torchia, and Adam Martin. Heading into the weekend, Scott is the top-ranked American on the World Cup standings in 44th, followed by Gus in 46th.

Green Light for FIS Tour de Ski 
The FIS Tour de Ski was given green light as all health prevention plans of the local organizers in Val Müstair, Switzerland, Toblach, and Val di Fiemme, Italy, were approved by the respective governments. The Tour de Ski is scheduled for Jan. 1-10.

FIS Cross Country World Cup in Ulricehamn, Sweden, Rescheduled
To avoid additional international travel during January, FIS, together with the Swedish Ski Association and the Finnish Ski Association and all stakeholders, agreed that the Cross-Country World Cup competitions of Ulricehamn, Sweden, originally scheduled for January 16-17 will be rescheduled to February 6-7. 

U.S. Starters, World Cup Davos, Switzerland, Dec. 12-13
Saturday Freestyle Sprint
Women

• Jessie Diggins
• Sophie Caldwell Hamilton
• Julia Kern
• Hailey Swirbul
• Rosie Brennan
• Hannah Halvorsen

Men

• Simi Hamilton
• Kevin Bolger
• Logan Hanneman
• Gus Schumacher
• JC Schoonmaker
• Tyler Kornfield

Sunday Freestyle Distance
Women, 10k

• Jessie Diggins
• Rosie Brennan
• Julia Kern
• Hailey Swirbul
• Katharine Ogden
• Caitlin Patterson

 Men, 15k 

• Scott Patterson
• Simi Hamilton
• Gus Schumacher
• Ian Torchia
• Adam Martin
• Kevin Bolger

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 12
7:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women's Sprint - LIVE, Davos, SUI, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women's Sprint - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Davos SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Sunday, Dec. 13
4:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10k - LIVE, Davos, SUI, Streaming Peacock
8:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15k - LIVE, Davos, SUI, Streaming Peacock 

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

Giro Sport Design, the leader in high-performance snow helmets and goggles, today announced a new four-year commitment to support athletes of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard as an official competition supplier of race helmets and goggles. In addition, Giro announced that Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team alumnus Daron Rahlves will serve as Giro’s liaison to the U.S. Ski Team, providing the next generation of ski racers invaluable insight into competition strategy. 

“We’re proud to support such an incredibly talented team of skiers and snowboarders and really look forward to growing our relationship over the next several years together,” commented Jim Heeney, Global Sports Marketing Manager at Giro. “And, to that end, we’re particularly thrilled about the role that Daron Rahlves will be able to play in helping to cement this relationship, offering the whole team—particularly the newest members—his vast reserve of expertise on everything from race technique to off season training. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us and the racers to have Daron out there.”

“Giro has been synonymous with advanced snow performance for over 30 years and we are thrilled to have their continued partnership,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Director, Jesse Hunt. “Giro’s attention to detail and commitment to superior protection and high-quality products enables our athletes to ski to the best of their ability on the world’s highest stages. We look forward to the next four years with Giro.”

With sights set on the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, the involvement of Daron Rahlves will be an incredible asset to the athletes competing in these high-profile events. As one of the most decorated downhill skiers in American history, racers will be able to leverage his deep knowledge of courses, conditions and competitors. 

After heavy snowfall forced the postponement of Sunday’s giant slalom to Monday, the FIS Ski World Cup was luckier with the weather on Monday, and Tommy Ford led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, landing in second at Santa Caterina, Italy. 

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland skied a strong first run and was leading by 19 hundredths over Norway’s Leif Kristian Nestvold Haugen, with France’s Alexis Pinturault in third, and Tommy in fourth by .43 seconds. Croatia’s Filip Zubcic was sitting in 21st after the first run, but once again had a blazing-fast second run to move up to third. For a while, he looked unbeatable...until Tommy came down, skiing smooth and clean through the finish, into the lead by a mere .02 hundredths. Alexis and Leif up next...but they couldn’t catch Tommy, who landed in second, grabbing his third career podium. Marco skied beautifully, winning by .73 seconds, making him the first Swiss skier to win a men's giant slalom event in the World Cup since Carlo Janka in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on March 5, 2011.

The volunteers did an amazing job all weekend clearing the track and creating a great surface for the guys to push off of. “It was nice snow, the volunteers here did a great job...and I felt quite at home because of the falling snow,” Tommy reflected in the finish area after the race. “This is just like home at Mt. Bachelor [Oregon], and I’m just happy to be skiing here period...and happy to have a nice smooth two runs.”

Tommy's style is so chill, he almost looks like he's meditating in the start gate, and has been described as "Zen-like" by commentators, as he pushes out of the gate. Make no mistake...his signature calm and collected approach is deceptively fast. When told he looked like a “free-rider who really enjoyed his runs” by a reporter in the finish, Tommy laughed and replied, “Oh yeah, I mean—it’s all about enjoyment. I was arcing turns...this hill is made to arc on, like the whole way down, and I’m happy to ski on it.”

Due to shoulder and back injuries sustained this summer, Tommy’s already limited (due to COVID-19) summer prep period was further limited, and he ended up in 22nd at the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria. He credits recent training at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo. with getting him where he was this weekend, grabbing a sixth-place and second, respectively. 

“It’s been a progression, with not as much skiing as I would have liked this summer, but I had a good camp in Copper, and the coaches have been providing great training. I’ve been working with my mental coach, and we’ve been putting it together.” He continued, “I would say I’ve been experimenting for years, and my mental coach has really helped the last four years...he helped me find my self-confidence, and trust what I already know.” 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle was sitting in 27th after the first run and was having a strong second run before he went down on his hip and had a great recovery, ending up in 28th on the day and grabbing his first giant slalom points of the season. Ted Ligety, River Radamus, and Bridger Gile also started but did not qualify for the second run. 

Up next for the men will be a speed series at Val d’Isere, France, with a downhill on Dec. 12, followed by a super-G on Dec. 13. The men’s tech crew will have a training break, before heading to Alta Badia, Italy on Dec. 20-21 for giant slalom and slalom races, followed by a slalom under the lights at Madonna di Campiglio on Dec. 22. 

RESULTS
Men’s Giant Slalom