The U.S. Mogul Freestyle Ski Team started off their World Cup season hot in frigid Ruka, Finland, Saturday. Olivia Giaccio skied to a career-first World Cup victory, ending France’s Perrine Laffont’s singles moguls win streak since 2019. Giacco shared the podium with teammate Kai Owens in third place. Cole McDonald put the world on notice with a fifth-place finish in his World Cup debut. 

“I wanted to perform well and consistently throughout the day and lay down my run the way I had been training,” said Giaccio. “I kept my focus tight to my process in each round.

“It’s been nearly five years since I was on the podium in World Cup. So even when I came down and knew I was on the podium, it was very emotional. 

“This win came at a time when my coaches and support staff all around me believed in me, it’s a very crucial moment for my career. And to even be able to compete in the World Cup today, I am so thankful.”

Saturday’s competition was an Olympic-style qualification format: two rounds of qualification runs with the top eight from each advancing onto the final rounds. Giaccio qualified in first place for finals and kept that momentum going throughout the competition. She consistently executed her run package of a top back full to bottom cork 7 for high scores on her airs and skied fast and clean to keep her ahead of the deep women’s mogul field. Giaccio will wear the yellow leader’s bib heading into next week’s competitions, another first for the twenty-one-year-old.

“I’m really excited for the challenge of fighting for the yellow bib throughout the remainder of the season. [Wearing the yellow bib] is something I have always dreamed of and wanted to accomplish. It was really cool to put it on. There was a moment when they were doing the men’s podium that I was just staring down at it. It was a very surreal moment.”

After sustaining a season-ending injury in 2019, Giaccio has fought hard to come back to be at the top of her game. Her work ethic and grit pushes her to constantly improve and understand what little adjustments she can make to propel her into the top position. 

“Olivia, from the start of the prep period, has been super focused and super determined,” said Head Mogul Coach Matt Gnoza. “She was always one of the first to warm up and jump and one of the last to leave the ramps. Her attention to detail on the little things are making a big difference. Yes, she would have a good jump, but then she wants to know what would make it better? She’d had a good section of turns and ask ‘How can I get faster?’ She got it all to click today, she trusted herself and went right after it.”

Aside from her physical preparations, Giaccio has worked hard on her mental game. “So I would say even with my knee recovery, from being the first alternate for the 2018 Games, to progressing the women’s side of sport [by throwing the first cork 10 in 2019], all of that has been a mental learning process in many different ways. Today, if there were little self doubts I was able to rebound so I could still perform in the moment. I have been working specifically on that since my knee injury. It was really gratifying to put that into practice today and have it work quite well.”

Owens claimed her first singles World Cup podium on the course where she made her first super finals appearance just one year ago. “Ruka is an amazing course and it really highlights my skiing,” said Owens. “It always has some big airs, I really like that bottom air, it’s drop-y and big. It’s early season, the first event, I was really nervous for every run, but that keeps me on my toes, keeps me ready and focused on my skiing. 

“For me personally the first event of the season is always super nerve-wracking. You’re coming off training and a huge break from competing. You don’t really know where you stand. It’s nice to know this is where I'm at, and focus on how I can improve my performance from this.” 

Owens skied fast and aggressively in the middle section and played up her jumping strength with the hardest jump package performed on the women’s side today. She flew high with a top cork 7 to a bottom cork 7 grab. 

“This is the highest DD I’ve ever competed and was the highest today on World Cup. It’s exciting for me, keeps me challenged, keeps me chasing, striving and pushing. But today I am most proud of my skiing, I made some big improvements from last season.”

Australia’s Jakara Anthony completed the women’s podium with her second place finish. 

Five total women represented the U.S. in finals with Hannah Soar, Jaelin Kauf and Tess Johnson all making appearances. Soar skied consistently throughout the day to finish in the top-six with a fifth place. Tess Johnson and Jaelin Kauf also skied in finals, finishing eighth and 14th, respectively. It’s cutthroat on the women’s World Cup with a very high level of competition, so expect to see the whole #PowHERhouse continue to get after it as the season unfolds. 

In her first World Cup back from injury since 2019 Morgan Schild finished 23rd. “This was a huge step for Morgan,” said Gnoza. Madison Hogg had some trouble in the top air and did not finish but is okay.

Cole McDonald led the Americans on the men’s side, making an impressive statement with his debut World Cup performance finishing fifth. The 18-year-old was the youngest man to compete in Saturday’s finals. His back full to a cork 10 jump package scored high in both finals rounds. McDonald pushed his middle sections proving he can keep up, his super finals run was the fastest of the field.

“Today was really about trusting my abilities, especially in the first few rounds. It was just having confidence in what I can do and putting down my run,” said McDonald.  “It feels really good to finally know that I belong out there with all of those other guys, some of the best in the world. At the start gate I was really just thinking ‘My run, it’s your run. You don't’ have to do anything more, just trust your ability.’” 

“Cole showed everyone that he arrived on the World Cup scene today,” said Gnoza. “The goal for any first World Cup performance is to go out there and try to cut down your bib number. Cole did just that. We really pushed him to just ski his best and to ski the middle. He trusted his stuff and rode all of that to fifth-place finish. The neat part with Cole is that he did really well in his jumps, but he also has tricks in his bag. He is going to become a force to be reckoned with.”

“After today I am hungry for more and to see what damage I can do on the World Cup tour,” said McDonald.

McDonald is part of the pilot moguls D Team program and shows the collaborative approach U.S. Ski & Snowboard is taking with the development pipeline is paying off. “[The U.S. Ski Team] can’t take full credit for Cole, he came from Wasatch Freestyle. But this summer was a collaborative effort with our D Team members’ clubs and Cole definitely capitalized on getting a taste of Ski Team life and training. In that regard the system is starting to show that it can work.”

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won, Kazakhstan’s Pavel Kolmakov came in second and Japan’s Ikuma Horishima finished third. 

Nick Page came out of the gate ready to put on a show in his first finals run with a cork 14 planned. Page became the first American to throw a cork 14 in World Cup competition at last year’s Ruka Opener. Unfortunately he had some trouble with the takeoff and didn’t quite put the trick down and finished the day 14th. Dylan Walczyk also made an appearance in finals, finishing 11th. Brad Wilson came in 21st. 

“There were a lot of big wins from everyone today,” said Giacco. “Morgan coming back from injury, Tess doing her cork in competition. Cole making it into supers. It was cool to see, it’s one of the exciting aspects of competition beyond the numbers and results.”

Moguls continues their World Cup tour in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, with two competitions Dec. 11 & 12, including the first dual of the season. 

RESULTS
Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule

2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule

FOLLOW THE U.S. FREESTYLE SKI TEAM

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Watch top athletes from cross country clubs across America compete in the National Nordic Foundation U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour this season.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will carry live streaming broadcasts from all events beginning Friday, March 23. Watch it at on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Facebook channel or at usskiandsnowboard.org.

Fresh snowfall and cheering fans have a way of bringing out the best in Rosie Brennen.  

“It was a great day for me today,” Brennan said after posting her first FIS Cross Country World Cup podium of the season, finishing third in the 10k freestyle individual start in Lillehammer, Norway. “It snowed a bit overnight and the winter conditions were beautiful. I love skiing in new snow. It was great to have spectators out there today too! I forgot how fun it is to have fans.” 

Sweden’s Frida Karlsson continued to display her early-season fitness, winning her second race of the season by just 0.03 seconds over Norway’s Therese Johaug. Brennan was third at 11.3 seconds back. Jessie Diggins was 18th, while Hailey Swirbul just missed scoring points, finishing 32nd. Julia Kern was 36th; Sophia Laukli 46th; Movie McCabe 52nd; Caitlin Patterson 53rd; and Katharine Ogden was 56th.

In the men’s 15k individual start freestyle, Gus Schumacher was the top Davis U.S. Cross Country Team finisher in 38th. Zanden McMullen was 48th, Hunter Wonders 63rd, David Norris 64th, and Ben Ogden 67th. Scott Patterson, racing in his first World Cup of the season since recovering from a wrist injury sustained in training over the summer, was 70th. Norway swept the men’s podium with Simen Hegstad Kruger taking the win, Hans Christer Holund in second, and Martin Loewstroem Nyenget in third.

Organizers in Lillehammer debuted new courses for this weekend’s races, which are shorter than courses traditionally used for previous World Cup events and the 1998 Olympic Winter Games. The shorter distance courses require multiple laps. For Saturday’s 10k, the athletes completed three laps on a 3.3k course.

“There is no rest, and the terrain requires constant work, especially with the slightly slower conditions,” Brennan said, adding that she enjoyed the new course design, despite the increased traffic. “With a three-lap course, we had more traffic out there than usual, so I skied with some other skiers but mostly felt like I was giving some others a good ride.”

Brennan added that with so many skiers on the course simultaneously, it was difficult to gauge her actual position in the race. “I knew it was tight, so I really tried to let loose the last lap and trust my strength,” she said. “I had great skis and was able to hold pace all the way to the finish while others faded, giving me a podium.”

Brennan flirted with the podium at the 4.6k point of the race, moving into the fourth position. But it wasn’t until the 7.4lk mark that she moved into podium contention when Johaug briefly moved into the lead, with Karlsson at 0.6 seconds back and Brennan at 10.5 seconds off the pace. At the 8.3k interval, Karlsson moved back into the lead, with Johaug second at 0.6 seconds and Brennan third at 10.5 seconds back. 

“I am thrilled to find myself on the podium and feel really good about my fitness,” said Brennan, who sits third in the World Cup distance standings through three races. She is also fourth in the overall World Cup standings, with Diggins sitting fifth.

Racing concludes Sunday with men’s 4x7.5k relay and the women’s 4x5k relay. 

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

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Dec. 5
3:20 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men 4x7.5k Relay - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
5:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women 4x5k Relay - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

U.S. Freeski athletes Alex Hall and Colby Stevenson advanced into finals in a heated qualification session at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota in Steamboat, Colorado on Friday. Two-time World Cup big air winner Hall earned the fourth place qualifying spot with his signature switch left double cork 1800 buick. 

“We’ve been really lucky with the weather the last couple days and the jump has been really good,” said Hall. “I pretty much had to do my hardest tricks to make finals. The level is so crazy nowadays and everyone is so good, so I just had to give it my all. I’m hyped on how I skied—I’m usually just looking to ski my best and if I can make finals, that’s the cherry on top. And Colby’s in there, too with me, so that should be really fun.”

Hall’s U.S. Freeski teammate Stevenson also landed in the top-10 to advance into Saturday’s finals, stomping a switch double cork 1800 stale grab - the first time he’s landed the trick in competition. 

“What a crazy qualifier,” said Stevenson. “You either needed to do an 1800 with a different grab than a safety or just go huge and do something creative. I’m just really hyped to make it through, so I couldn’t be more stoked.”

Hall and Stevenson are among a stacked field of ten men advancing into Saturday’s finals with Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut leading the way with the day’s top score for his left nosebutter triple cork 1620 safety grab. Norway’s Christian Nummedal and France’s Antoine Adelisse followed behind Harlaut with the second and third best scores for the men.

Eight women advanced into Saturday’s finals, with France’s Tess Ledeux in the top spot after landing a left double cork 1260 mute grab for a score of 95.75. Switzerland’s Sarah Hoefflin and Norway’s Johanne Killi rounded out the top three women. 

VISA Big Air Freeski Finals will run Saturday 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. MST

Final Starts List:

Men’s Freeski Big Air Finals

Women’s Freeski Big Air Finals

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021

3:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - LIVE - Streaming Peacock

11:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - Same-day broadcast - NBCSN

FOLLOW THE U.S. FREESKI TEAM
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In her first race back in Lake Louise since 2017, Breezy Johnson earned her first downhill podium of the Olympic season behind Italy's Sofia Goggia. Goggia executed a flawless run, posting a winning time 1.47 seconds faster than Johnson. Austria's Mirjam Puchner finished just behind Johnson in third, 1.54 off the pace.

"You know I hope she's not unbeatable, but I'll have to analyze it a little bit because it was an incredible run honestly," Johnson chuckled in response to questions about Goggia's inimitable run. "She's showing what women's ski racing can be, and you know I think the men should maybe start watching her a little bit too."

Despite missing two days of training in Lake Louise due to weather, the women were able to get their first speed race of the season off under bluebird skies in Lake Louise thanks to the hard work of the course crew. Lack of training on the track did not deter Johnson's confidence. She still chose to run early and attack the first women's downhill of the season with the same tenacity and aggression as she has in the past.

"It's been a process, getting better and better, so I feel really good. I felt like today was a really solid run," expanded Johnson. "You can only ski one hundred percent, so I'm going to try and ski one hundred percent of my best and not worry so much about Sofia and going beyond my limits because that's when I make mistakes."

Friday also saw a handful of top 30 results from the American women. Jackie Wiles finished 23rd, Mikaela Shiffrin finished 26th, and Isabella Wright finished 27th overall.

Shiffrin, who won the downhill in Lake Louise in 2017, has come into the 2021/22 season with a focus on the overall title but hasn't had much opportunity to work speed training into her pre-season schedule. Nonetheless, she made the commute to Lake Louise with realistic expectations, knowing that there is no better training than feeling the very real pressures of race day, no matter where she lands in the ranks.

"Right now, I have a pretty lofty goal of shooting to race in every event at the Olympics, but I can't just go into it and do it," said Shiffrin. "I'm trying to take these races as not only practice but training. The last run of downhill I had was in September and before that it was in May, so it's trying to get as much as I can, as quickly as I can, and racing is really the perfect situation to practice finding your balance mentally and physically, and the right intensity for race mode."

Up-and-comer Alix Wilkinson finished just outside the top 30 in 33rd, Keely Cashman finished 46th, and Lauren Macuga skied into the finish with a smile and waved to the crowd, having finished her first-ever World Cup downhill in 48th.

Competition in Lake Louise continues on Saturday with yet another downhill, and again on Sunday with the women's super-G season opener.

RESULTS 
Women's Downhill

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Dec. 4
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. 

Check out our "How to Watch" guide to figure out what the best watch option is for you. 

Travis Ganong grabbed his first career podium in a FIS Ski World Cup super-G on Friday, Dec. 3, in front of a roaring crowd of Americans at the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colo. Ganong, who ran second, came out strong right out of the gate, but his time was eventually surpassed by four-time Beaver Creek super-G winner, Marco Odermatt. In the end, Odermatt finished in second, two-hundredths of a second off of Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

After a difficult day of racing for most of the men's field on Thursday, Ganong finished 22nd overall. A decent result in his eyes, but not what he wanted. In his race recap, he said the only thing he could do was come back tomorrow and do better. And thankfully, he did just that.

"I felt pretty great out of the gate today, skied tactically on the top, and really felt my flow right away," commented Ganong. "Yesterday I also skied well, but messed up the tactical section and today I nailed it. So today I'm stoked to be up there with the top guys."

Ganong has often found himself just outside of podium position, so to finally grab a top spot on home snow, in front of 15+ members of his family, is a great way to start the season. Friday's finish is his first podium since his victory in Garmisch, Germany's gnarly downhill in 2017.

"People love ski racing in the U.S., and skiing in general in the U.S. is such a popular activity, all these people are so passionate, so it's awesome to showcase our sport back here at home," said Ganong. "It's almost like a little family reunion."

Both Ryan Cochran-Siegle and River Radamus were on track to post strong times throughout their runs but skied out of the course and DNFed. Fellow Americans Erik Arvidsson, Steven Nyman, Bryce Bennett, finished just outside of the points in 35th, 36th, and 39th respectively.

Looking ahead, the men have two more chances to perform on home snow. Due to excess snow in Lake Louise, Canada, the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup has the opportunity to host not one, but two, downhill events before the athletes head to Europe for the next couple of months.

RESULTS
Men's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Dec. 4
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. 

Check out our "How to Watch" guide to figure out what the best watch option is for you. 

It was a back-to-back competition day for the aerial skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team on Friday, Dec. 3, with two World Cup events in Ruka, Finland.

Things kicked off with a one-jump World Cup event. Differing from the usual World Cup format, a one-jump World Cup is exactly what it sounds like: athletes have only one opportunity to land on the podium. Winter Vinecki and Justin Schoenefeld led the Americans, each placing fifth. 

“We’re still in the beginning of our season and just getting our jumping feet back under us,” said Vinecki. “It was exciting to put some jumps to my feet today. I’m looking forward to cleaning up my jumps [for next week]. I’ll also hopefully get some new tricks off in Ruka so I’m in a good position for the rest of the season.”

Vinecki has competed her double-Full Full the past two days and will look to bring a Full double-Full to snow to round out her trick package. Today’s double-Full Full earned her a score of 89.19, tying with Australia’s Danielle Scott for fifth place. 

China’s Xu Mengtao and Kong Fanyu earned first and second, respectively. Belarus’ Hanna Huskova rounded out the women’s podium in third. Kaila Kuhn finished eighth, Tasia Tanner 18th, Karenna Elliott 22nd, Dani Loeb 24th, and Ashley Caldwell 27th. 

Schoenefeld threw a Full double-Full Full to earn a score of 117.26. Russia’s Maxim Burov won, China’s Zongyang Jian came in second and Switzerland’s Noe Roth finished third. Eric Loughran finished 18th, Derek Kreuger 37th, and Quinn Dehlinger 38th.

Vinecki, Schoenefeld, and Loughran represented the U.S. in the Mixed Team event, which makes its Olympic debut in February in China later this season. In Mixed Team Aerials, nations field mixed-gender teams of three athletes. Each team’s athletes jump in the first round and combined scores per nation determine which teams compete in the final round of four. 

Vinecki kicked it off for the USA and threw a double-Full Full in the first round and earned a score of 89.18. Loughran jumped second with a Full double-Full Full, looked great in the air but came in a bit too short and punched front, only earning 92.04. Schoenefeld also threw Full double-Full Full but unfortunately slapped back on the landing, earning 83.63. Team USA finished sixth. China won, Russia came in second, and Ukraine in third.

"It felt great improving from the day before, but I know there is still a lot of work to be done to end up on the podium this winter," said Shoenefeld. "I'm excited to get some more training in before next weekend's World Cups. This is an important season and we are building to peak at the right time."

“We made some improvements today and we are slowly moving to where we should be,” said Head Aerial Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. "We look forward to continuing to train and getting more jumps ahead of the next competitions.”

Aerials’ World Cup season continues next week in Ruka with three more competitions on Dec. 10 & 11. 

RESULTS

Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials
Mixed Team Aerials

Jessie Diggins earned her first podium of the season, finishing second, while Rosie Brennan was fifth in Friday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup freestyle sprint on a new course in Lillehammer, Norway.

Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist edged Digging by 0.35 seconds to win her second World Cup sprint of the season, as Norway’s Tiril Udnes Weng earned her first career individual World Cup podium, finishing third. 

“Nobody really knew what this course was going to be like tactically,” said Diggins, who along with teammate Julia Kern pushed the pace in the opening quarterfinal heat. “It was a really cool chance for me to figure out where my strengths were on this course and how to work around this, because it is a really cool course, but also sprinting is kind of scrappy sometimes and you have to figure out how to position yourself and be where you want to be at the right moment.”

With light snow falling, both Diggins and Brennan worked their position well on the new two-lap sprint course that maintains the short punchy climb into the finish area’s long, flat straight, and single 180-degree corner before the finishing stretch. In both the semifinal, and final, Diggins fought for inside positioning on the final corner for a clear sprint line to the finish. Meanwhile, Brennan advanced to both the semifinals and finals as the Lucky Loser.

“The long uphill into the finish provided a good opportunity to make some moves,” Brennan said. "I felt that if I could get some more space for myself, I stood a chance in the final. I made a move early in the final to try to see what I had and unfortunately, was passed on the downhill into the last uphill. I didn't find the space I needed on the uphill but kept battling to the end."

“It was awesome to have two Americans in the final,” Brennen added. “Despite the lack of snow, it was cold and very good conditions for racing so I'm looking forward to an action-packed weekend.”

Overall, it was an outstanding day for the Americas as seven Davis U.S. Cross Country athletes qualified for the heats, including JC Schoonmaker and Kevin Bolger, who finished 11th and 12th respectively. Schoonmaker finished second in his quarterfinal heat to advance to the semifinals, while Bolger advanced to the semis as one of two Lucky Losers. For Schoonmaker, it was his second-straight semifinal sprint appearance after finishing a career-best seventh in the classic sprint last week in Ruka, Finland.

"That course was super fun," Schoonmaker said. "I’ve never raced on the old Lillehammer course... it would’ve been cool to race on the one that was used in the Olympics, but still a sweet course that skied super well in the heats. I thought the race went great and was really happy with it. I would’ve liked to have squeaked into that final, but was just missing a little bit of steam in that last 100 meters. Super pumped for Davos now!"

Ben Ogden qualified for the heats, finishing 30th. Luke Jager was 33rd, Gus Schumacher 41st, and Logan Hanneman 45th. Kern finished third in her quarterfinal race and just missed advancing to the semifinals as one of two Lucky Losers, and ended up 13th; while Hannah Halvorsen advanced to the heats and was 28th. Hailey Swirbul was 42nd, Movie McCabe 56th; Katharine Ogden 61st, and Sydney Palmer-Leger was 62nd.

“It was so cool to have so many athletes in the heats,” Diggins added. “It's just so motivating when you know you're there with your team and a bunch of people having a great day...it's a very cool feeling.”

In the men’s race, Norway went 1-2 Friday with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning his 39th career individual World Cup race, and Thomas Helland Larsen picking up his first career World Cup podium in second. Richard Jouve of France was third. 

Racing on another cold day with light snow falling, the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team tech crew once again rose to the occasion, delivering fast skis for the athletes.

“It was really impressive how amazing our skis were (today),” Diggins added. “That's always huge because you don't win alone, and you don't lose alone, everything we do is as a team and all the pieces of the puzzle have to come together to have a good day. So I’m just feeling really really thankful to our coaches and techs for getting that piece of the puzzle totally nailed.”

Racing continues Saturday with a 10k freestyle individual start for the women, and a 15k individual start for the men. Sunday, it’s team relay time!

RESULTS
Women’s freestyle sprint
Men’s freestyle sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Dec. 4

4:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men’s 15km Freestyle - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming
6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women’s 10km Freestyle - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming 

Sunday, Dec. 5

3:20 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men 4x7.5k Relay - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
5:45 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women 4x5k Relay - LIVE, Lillehammer, NOR, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Hailey Langland earned the top result of the day for the U.S. Snowboard Team in Thursday’s qualifications at the Visa Big Air World Cup presented by Toyota at Steamboat Resort, with a fifth-place finish to advance into Saturday’s women’s finals. Langland, a three-time X Games medalist, most-recently led the U.S. Snowboard team with a second-place finish in snowboard slopestyle at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup in Aspen last season. 

Langland earned her top score with a frontside 900 Weddle. “The jump is so good, so I felt really safe,” said Langland. “I thought the girls were going to play it safe, but as soon as Anna [Gasser] did her back 10 I knew it was going to be on from there. It’s so cool to watch everyone progress and especially on such a fun jump.”  

Langland finds herself amongst a stacked field of eight women advancing into Saturday’s finals, with Japan’s Reira Iwabuch leading the way on the strength of her backside doublecork 1260 melon to earn the top spot, followed by Austria’s Anna Gasser and Germany’s Annika Morgan in the top three. 

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and Olympic Gold Medalist Red Gerard landed in the eleventh spot in qualifiers, after putting down a switch backside 1620 Weddle, just missing the top 10 result needed to advance into Saturday’s finals. It was Norway’s Marcus Kleveland who earned the top score of the day, opening up the second round of qualifiers with a stomped backside 1800 melon followed by China’s Yiming Su and Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara rounding out the top three. 

VISA Big Air Finals will begin Saturday 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EST

Final Starts List: 

Men’s Snowboard Big Air Finals

Women’s Snowboard Big Air Finals

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Saturday, Dec. 4
12:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - LIVE, Steamboat Springs, CO, Streaming Peacock
9:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - Same-day broadcast - NBCSN

Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021
4:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Visa Big Air Presented By Toyota Men and Women's Finals, Steamboat, CO, Broadcast NBC

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The Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, Colo. got underway on Thursday, Dec. 2, yielding some decent results for the American men. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top U.S. finisher, skiing into a tie at 19th with Switzerland's Thomas Tumler. Travis Ganong tied for his position of 22nd with France's Mathieu Faivre.

Both Cochran-Siegle and Ganong did what they could at the super-G season opener, which posed some issues for a majority of the men's field. By the conclusion of the race, 15 men had DNFed, including top speed competitors such as Dominik Paris, Max Franz, and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Switzerland's Marco Odermatt repeated his past success in Beaver Creek, taking the lead by 0.78 seconds over Austria's Matthias Mayer. Canada's Broderick Thompson shocked the start order, skiing from the back of the pack in bib 35 to snag third by three-hundredths of a second. 

The track has a reputation for touting grippy, hero-snow, that is fast, yet controlled, and an absolute blast for the athletes to compete on. But Thursday's warm conditions upped the pace. Fast snow, a bumpy course, and a turny course set made for a race that set the tone for a weekend – fight hard, it's anyone's game.

"I've had a lot of good races here, and today wasn't one of them, but it was still decent," Ganong commented after his run. "On a day like today when a bunch of people were missing the same gate it would have been nice to know how turny it was. But we have an opportunity to make it better tomorrow."

Ganong, who started ahead of Cochran-Siegle, and came into his run with little information about this particular turn that had caused a lot of the field trouble. So he stuck to his plan. Cochran-Siegle, on the other hand, received info that Ganong took the problem turn a bit too straight, which led him to stivvy his skis, and dump some speed in hopes of keeping it together and skiing a clean run. Unfortunately, he released a bit too much.

Edwards, Colo. native, River Radamus, also had a strong showing for a majority of his run, on track throughout each split to finish among the top 20 men of the group. Unfortunately, Radamus lost his grip on the course just a few gates before the finish and DNFed. He'll seek vengeance in the weekend's second super-G on Friday, Dec. 3rd. Fellow Americans Steven Nyman, Bryce Bennett, and Jared Goldberg finished 42nd, 43rd, and 46th. 

The speed crew is looking forward to not one, but two, downhill races on home snow over the course of the weekend, and another chance at the super-G on Friday. Fuel has been added to the fire, and with the extra chance to show off their speed on home soil, it's sure to be a show fans won't want to miss.

RESULTS
Men's super-G

SUPER-G STARTERS
Erik Arvidsson
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Steven Nyman
River Radamus

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Super-G - Same-Day Broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, NBCSN

Friday, Dec. 3, 2021
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Super-G - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live

Saturday, Dec. 4
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. 

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