For a number of young athletes on the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, their first taste of FIS World Cup Cross Country racing has been an eye-opening experience, both in terms of the racing, and of course, the extensive travel required to reach the opening events in Scandinavia from all corners of the United States.

Zanden McMullen, Novie McCabe, and Sydney Palmer Leger kicked off their World Cup careers north of the Arctic Circle in Ruka, Finland, Thanksgiving weekend, then traveled to Lillehammer, Norway, for the second race weekend of the season. Now, six races into the season, all three have experienced the highs and lows of World Cup racing, but overall they have succeeded in bringing a youthful energy to the team while learning what it takes to be a professional athlete.

“Having retired three veterans last year, Sadie (Maubet Bjornsen), Simi (Hamilton) and Sophie (Caldwell Hamilton) all over (age) 30 and replaced them in some ways with one junior, Sydney Palmer-Leger, another one who was a junior last year, Zanden McMullen and...Novie McCabe, who is also a first-year senior, the average age on our team has dropped considerably,” said Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “But the youthful energy is really amazing to have around.”

Full-time racing on the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour is no easy task. Being away from home for an extended period of time, living out of a duffle bag, and sleeping in a different bed week after week can certainly take its toll on a young athlete. 

“It has been really tough the past two weeks of racing,” Palmer-Leger said. “Learning to race qualifiers at the World Cup is a lot different than in the States. Coming from the States where we do well, to World Cups where you are fighting to not get last is mentally challenging. But, I’m excited to be over here, and get the shot to race with the best in the world at (age) 19.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sydney Palmer-Leger (@sydneypalmerleger)

Palmer-Leger, the 2021 NCAA Champion, is used to winning. Top results are always the goal for her. But, for new athletes to World Cup racing, Whitcomb says it’s more about learning and building for the future than posting immediate results.

“The result that I look for in Period 1 with new athletes, regardless of age but just people that are new to the World Cup, is trying to nail the process. There's a little bit of extra stress that they don't feel when they're back home. You're pretty exposed over here and you have to put together nearly perfect races to challenge this competition." 
– Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb,

“What we are trying to do is make sure that we know the process and make sure that they're enjoying the daily life of a professional racer on the road,” Whitcomb continued. “So far, with three weeks behind us, it has been really fun. It's been a good balance, and these new rookies, this new youth, has been such a great addition to the team with regards to chemistry and just great energy.”

 

 

 

 

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“One of the main things I’ve learned is that reflecting on each race is great, but it’s important to move on and treat every race as a new opportunity, especially when there are so many race days,” McCabe said. “My body is feeling a bit tired for sure, but it’s been so much fun to be here and it’s made me super stoked to just keep trying to improve a bit each weekend.”

With six race starts so far this season, McCabe has made steady progress. Toss in a team relay in Lillehammer as a member of USA 2 with Palmer-Leger, and two athletes who have a bit more World Cup experience in Sophia Laukli and Katharine Ogden, and the fun factor was certainly alive.

“I am almost unconcerned with results, except for the fact that a good ski result can make them happy and it adds to the fun,” Whitcomb said. “We will start to be a bit more predictable with our results starting this coming weekend (in Davos) and moving forward now that we're settled in, we're not jet-lagged, people have had quite a bit of on-snow time, and so I think even as recently as this last week and you some more people racing well in Lillehammer than in Ruka.”

 

 

 

 

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For McMullen, his intro to World Cup racing has not only been a huge eye-opening experience but rewarding as well when he posted the 29th-fastest time of the day in the 15k freestyle pursuit in Ruka.

“I’ve actually learned a lot more than I thought I would,” McMullen said. “A lot about what it takes for high-level racing at such an early point in the season; venue familiarity; course strategy; everyday life at hotels the team always stay; race tactics; and a lot more confidence throwing down with the best in the world.”

Both McCabe and Palmer-Leger traveled with the team to Davos, Switzerland for this weekend’s World Cup sprint and distance races, while McMullen traveled back to the United States for finals week at the University of Montana, and to prepare for the upcoming SuperTour and L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships next month at Soldier Hollow. 

“My body feels great, and I feel like I will soon sharpen up my body for the important races of the season,” McMullen said, adding that he looks forward to being “so much more mentally prepared for the next stage of my ski career.”

And will that career include a shot at making Team USA for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games?

“There's always a chance that an 18 or 19 or 20-year-old could make the Olympics for us, and if they do, that’s great,” Whitcomb said. “But that is something that is certainly not high on my priority list. What I would rather see happen is that we establish an environment on the World Cup where they really love this profession and they're still around in 2026 (Olympics in Val di Fiemme, Italy) and in 2030 for, who knows where that Olympics will take place. That is the real focus for these young athletes. It is very long-term.”

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team just completed their first World Cup races this season at the Secret Garden testing center in China— the home course for the 2022 Olympics Games. The SBX team enjoyed a short reprieve in Reiteralm, Austria where they had a chance to recoup and train for the upcoming FIS Weltcup race in Montafon, Austria. 

Montafon race is a great venue with a steep long course that is bound to deliver a great show for the fans at home and a fun, challenging course for all the athletes. This year the SBX team will have one day for testing and inspecting the course, followed by a training day.

In overall rankings, the U.S. SBX team stands in third place, only ten points behind Italy, with Austria currently holding the lead. For the U.S. men’s team, Nick Baumgartner is in third place after a great showing in China. A difficult semifinal run put Mick Dierdorff in sixth place with room to make a big comeback here at Montafon. Hagen Kearney and Alex Deibold are both sitting in the top 25 spots for the men’s SBX. 

The women’s team is showing up this year with five women in the top 25 overall rankings. Stacy Gaskill is in eighth place, with Faye Gulini sitting in tenth, with Livia Molodyh and Anna Miller closing in the gap and sitting in the top 25. 

The team is well-rested and ready to show the competition what they’ve got. The fun begins on Thursday, Dec. 9th with qualifications, then into finals Dec.10-11.

U.S. Snowboardcross Men's Starts
Mick Dierdorff
Nick Baumgartner
Hagen Kearney
Jake Vedder 
Alex Deibold
Senna Leith
Mike LaCroix
Tyler Hamel

U.S. Snowboardcross Women's Starts
Faye Gulini
Stacy Gaskill
Anna Miller
Livia Molodyh

Men's Start List
Women's Start List

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Mixed Team Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

The U.S. Snowboard and U.S. Freeski teams are ready to throw down this week in the 22-foot Superpipe at Woodward Copper Mountain, Colorado. The team already has a day of training in the bag, and the reviews are in—this pipe is absolutely chiseled and ready to go. Take that as a sign that we should be prepared to see another heavy progression session as this international field of competitors drops in ready to unleash their newest tricks. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper is one of four U.S. Olympic halfpipe snowboard qualifying events and one of six U.S. Olympic freeski qualifying events. This competition will serve as the first 2021-22 halfpipe qualifying event, bringing the best athletes in the world to debut their latest tricks ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Snowboard Halfpipe

The field is stacked in men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe. While the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season, the U.S. snowboard team has been training hard leading up to it. The team is heading into this competition fresh from a month in Saas Fee, Switzerland, followed by a ten-day training camp in Kitzsteinhorn, Austria.

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas had this to say after the first day of training, “We’re pretty tuned up right now. The pipe here at Copper opened just in time for training, but not any earlier. That works for our team because they’re all polished up. They’re feeling pretty confident today and it shows in their snowboarding. They look great. The whole team is ripping so hard.”

“I’m feeling good,” says 2018 Olympian Taylor Gold. “We’ve had some really good training, so I feel strong and comfortable and ready to go.”

Keep an eye on the U.S. Team vets including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White looking to compete in his fifth Olympics, X Games medalist’s Toby Miller and Taylor Gold who can lean into years of experience and skill, as well as young guns like Joey Okesson, Lucas Foster, Zoe Kalapos, Sonora Alba and Tessa Maud.

The international field includes top ranked riders including Japanese team riders Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano and Raibu Katayama, Switzerland’s Jan Sherrer in the men’s field; with China’s Xuetong Cai and Jiayu Liu, Spain’s Queralt Castellet and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono to keep an eye on.

The level is through the roof right now in halfpipe snowboarding, it’s going to be an absolute battle to make it into finals. Expect to see riders attempting to one-up the field with a whole new level of tricks. Will we see the triple cork variations unleashed in this competition?

Snowboard qualifiers kick off on Thursday, Dec. 9th with finals on Saturday, Dec. 11th here at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

U.S Snowboard Men’s Starts
Taylor Gold
Chase Josey
Chase Blackwell
Shaun White
Lucas Foster
Ryan Wachendorfer  
Toby Miller
Joey Okesson
Joshua Bowman
Jason Wolle
Levko Fedorowycz

U.S Snowboard Women’s Starts
Zoe Kalapos
Sonora Alba
Tessa Maud
Alexandria Simsovits
Summer Fenton
Kaili Shafer
Natalie Partridge
Lola Cowan
Kelly Berger

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Snowboard Qualifiers 
Women's Snowboard Qualifiers 

Freeski Halfpipe

The U.S. Freeski Team is stacked with 30 athletes slated to compete in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. The team has been putting in the work heading into this event. They completed three-weeks of training at Saas Fee, followed by a ten-day camp in Kaprun, Austria.

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise is definitely one to watch as he looks ahead to his qualifying for his third Olympic Games. And Olympic Bronze Medalist Brita Sigourney is in a great position going into this event following her third-place podium finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen.

Halfpipe Champion Aaron Blunck comes into the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix following a first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, Colorado, also looking to qualify for his third Olympic Games. “Training was great,” says Blunck, who we caught up with after the first day of training. “Copper put some serious work in—they showed up, they put on, big shout out to all of them. It’s going to be a great week. The pipe is in great shape and I’m feeling really good, I’m just excited to be on snow and am thankful for every day I get to ski.”

The international field includes some heavy hitters to watch out for including Eileen Gu, competing for China, England’s Zoe Atkin, Canada’s Noah Bowman, New Zealand’s Nico Porteous and many more.

The freeski competition kicks off with qualifiers on Wednesday, Dec. 8th, followed by finals on Friday, Dec. 10th.

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Freeski Qualifiers 
Women's Freeski Qualifiers 

U.S. Freeski Men’s Starts
Aaron Blunck
Birk Irving
David Wise
Alex Ferreira
Jaxin Hoerter
Cassidy Jarrell
Dylan Ladd
Samson Schuiling
Tristan Feinberg
Cameron Brodrick
Connor Ladd
Aaron Durlester
Mathew Labaugh
Chace Maytham
Eugene Morris
Nathaniel Bourgoin
Jack Ganley

U.S. Freeski Women’s Starts
Brita Sigourney
Devin Logan
Hanna Faulhaber
Carly Margulies
Abigale Hansen
Svea Irving
Annalisa Drew
Jeanee Crane-Mauzy
Riley Jacobs
Jenna “Jay” Riccomini
Lauren Bendixen
Kathryn Gray
Nikita Rubocki

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Friday, Dec. 10, 2021

2:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

5:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021

1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Editor's note: Team Toyota Athlete and U.S. Snowboard Team Pro Halfpipe Team member Toby Miller attended the 2018 Olympic Winter Games as a spectator. Now he is gearing up to represent Team USA at the 2022 Games in Beijing. 

Like many young athletes, snowboard champion Toby Miller spent his childhood cheering on many great competitors in his sport. Now, the 21-year-old snowboarder is training for what he hopes will be his first Olympic Games — and getting ready to compete against some of those same icons he grew up watching.

“I mean, it’s pretty surreal to put myself back in my seven-year-old snowboard boots, to think that I am competing against the idols that I looked up to so much,” Miller says. “I don’t think I would have believed it. They’re my childhood superheroes and mentors and they’ve become great friends of mine.”

The snowboarding community is tight-knit, and some of the people Miller says he met during his early competitions have become lifelong friends. While Beijing 2022 could very well be Miller’s first Games where he competes, the Team Toyota athlete has attended the Winter Olympics in the past. In 2018, Miller accompanied his good friend Shaun White to watch him compete in PyeongChang.

“PyeongChang with Shaun was an incredible experience,” he says. “It’s the most amazing event as an athlete, and it made me more excited and more motivated than ever to make the 2022 Olympic team. It fueled the fire inside of me leading into this next run.” ...Read to Full Story at Toyota.com

Hailey Langland earned the top finish of the day for the U.S. Snowboard Team, landing in fourth place at the VISA Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat Springs, Colorado. She earned her combined top score with a Cab frontside 900 indy, followed by a frontside 900 Weddle—both first-time tricks for Langland.

The snowboarders were the first to drop in during a full day of big air competition, “It was pretty firm at the start,” said Langland referring to the early morning conditions, “ but as soon as the last couple laps of practice rolled around, the sun started to peak out over the jump, and there’s something about seeing the girls send in conditions like this that makes you want to do the same thing. I’m just really hyped on today – I couldn’t imagine it going better.” 

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.  

“This was really exciting for us,” said U.S. Slopestyle Coach Dave Reynolds, “Hailey worked on these tricks at our most recent camp in Austria and this is the first time she’s landed them in competition.”

Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi took the win for the women landing a backside 1260, which  also earned her the women’s VISA Best Trick honors. Big Air champion Anna Gasser of Austria followed in second, and Germany’s Annika Morgan finished off the podium in third—marking her first World Cup podium.

On the men’s side, 17-year-old Chinese rider Yiming Su earned his first podium and the first Big Air podium for China, especially notable ahead of Beijing 2022. Su put down a backside triple cork 1800 indy and a frontside 1800 tailgrab for the best combined score of the day. 

“It feels incredible,” said Su. “I still cannot believe this just happened. I just kept training and finally I had the chance to join World Cups and do my best in the competition. I put two tricks down. I couldn’t be happier.”

Second place behind Su went to Austria’s Clemens Millauer, who fired up the crowd with a backside double cork 1620 tail grab and a switch backside 1620 nose grab. Rounding out the men’s podium in third place was Norway’s Mons Roisland, whose frontside triple cork 1800 tail grab also earned him the men’s VISA Best Trick award.

The U.S. National Champions in Big Air were announced at the end of the event—congratulations to Red Gerard and Hailey Langland. Gerard just missed the finals, earning an eleventh place finish at Steamboat.

The World Cup season continues at Copper Mountain, Colorado with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, featuring the best halfpipe snowboarders throwing down in Copper’s legendary 22-foot Superpipe Dec. 10-11, 2021.

RESULTS

Men’s Snowboard Big Air

Women’s Snowboard Big Air

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EST

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
 

The Xfinity Birds of Prey men's downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 5, has been canceled due to strong winds. The second downhill in Beaver Creek was meant to replace the Lake Louise downhill, canceled the weekend prior due to weather. FIS has not yet determined if, and when, the downhill will be rescheduled.

The men's tour looks ahead to a tech series on Val d'Isere Dec. 11-12.

HOW TO WATCH

*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

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

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin made significant improvements in Lake Louise Sunday, finishing sixth overall and leading four American women into the super-G points. The Italian speed powerhouse, Sofia Goggia, went three for three wins this weekend, followed by super-G specialist Lara Gut-Behrami, and Austria's Mirjam Puchner.

Although Shiffrin finished the day in sixth, 0.58 seconds out from Goggia and 0.14 seconds out from Puchner, her run seemed the most threatening to Goggia's win while on course.

Super-G involves a bit more technical prowess than downhill, and technical is where Shiffrin thrives. In the upper sections of the course, Shiffrin in fact posted faster splits than Goggia, leading her winning run into the final two splits. The tension was palpable in Goggia's reaction, sitting in the leader seat as Shiffrin crossed the finish and Goggia realized she did not make up any time on Easy Street. Unfortunately for Shiffrin, she took a key turn towards the bottom a bit too straight and got pushed out of her line, sending her back behind Goggia by 0.58 seconds overall.

Other than that mistake, Shiffrin was incredibly happy with the improvements she made on Sunday and will walk away from the weekend in Lake Louise with a bit more confidence in speed.

"That super-G felt quite a lot better than downhill," commented Shiffrin. "I'm actually pretty excited because I felt like I was skiing really well and executing my plan. I just got a little bit too straight on one turn in the course and got pushed a little bit. The skiing and all those pieces were there and I'm actually really excited about not having much training in the last few weeks. I was pretty concerned coming into this week."

"Obviously the downhills were not super fast for me," she laughed. "So I thought uh, oh, maybe I can't really pull this off. But I still feel quite comfortable on a super-G ski so that's really positive and makes me feel a little bit better about the weekend as a whole." 

Breezy Johnson posted another solid finish to wrap up the first speed series of the season. On top of two second place finishes in downhill on Friday and Saturday, Johnson finished 11th in the super-G. Keely Cashman and Jackie Wiles also punched in point scoring finishes, earning 29th and 30th respectively.

Tricia Mangan finished 37th, and Isabella Wright did not finish. 

Next weekend the women's tour will land in St. Moritz, Switzerland to compete in their second speed series of the season. Races will air on NBCSN and peacock.com. Times are yet to be determined. In the meantime, plan to get your alpine skiing fix with the men's tech races in Val d'Isere, France.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

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

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

The Davis U.S. Cross Country Team wrapped up three days of FIS World Cup racing by fielding four teams in the men's and women’s relay, with the women’s Team USA 1 fighting back to finish fourth Sunday.

“The team relay spirit was out in full force!” said Julia Kern, who skied a tactical final leg for USA 1, pulling back five positions and out-sprinting Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu to finish in fourth. “It has been a blast to have such a big team on the road, with veterans, but also a lot of first-timers, adding a lot of new energy to the team.”

For the women’s 4x5k relay, USA 1 included Hailey Swirbul, Rosie Brennan, Jessie Diggins, and Kern. USA 2 finished 13th and included Sydney Palmer-Leger, Katharine Odgen, Sophia Laukli, and Novie McCabe. 

For the men’s 4x7.5k relay, USA 1 finished ninth and included Luke Jager, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, and Zanden McMullen. USA 2 finished 15th and included Hunter Wonders, David Norris, Kevin Bolger, and JC Schoonmaker.

“It was so, so fun to have two relay teams for both the men and the women,” Diggins said. “We brought a lot of fire to the race today, and I was just so proud watching everyone ski so hard and really just giving it all they had out there today.”

In the women’s race, USA 1 kicked off with Hailey Swirbul skiing the opening classic leg. Swirbul was skied with the lead group until she, unfortunately, broke her pole basket. “She fought hard until the end despite having a sinking pole for most of the race,” Kern said. 

Still chasing Russia, Norway and Sweden, Brennen tagged off the Diggins for the first 5k freestyle leg. With Russia 1, Sweden 1, and Norway 1 setting the pace at the front of the race, Swirbul tagged off to Brennan for the second 5k classic leg. Brennen then posted the fourth-fastest classic lap time, moving USA 1 into eighth.

“For me, it was so fun because I got to ski or leg that I have never seen before,” Diggins said. “We wanted to see if I could just go for as much time as possible, and that is exactly what I did.” 

Diggins worked with Norway’s Ragnhild Haga to pull back more time on the leaders, posting the second-fasted 5k freestyle lap time before tagging off to Kern. Sitting 26 seconds off the leaders, Kern crushed the final 5k, passing Russia 2, Germany 1, Norway 2, setting up a sprint to the line with Joensuu from Finland 1 for fourth, just 21 seconds off the podium.

“I was really happy with how my body and my skis felt,” Kern said. “I was skiing smart within the pack, avoiding a crash, and skiing to my strengths by racing a tactical leg.”

The FIS Cross Country World Cup tour moves to central Europe with races in Davos, Switzerland next weekend, including a freestyle sprint on Saturday, Dec. 11, and distance freestyle races on Sunday, Dec. 12. Heading into Davos, Brennen and Diggins sit fourth and fifth in the overall World Cup standings.

RESULTS
Women’s 4x5k relay
Men’s 4x7.5k relay

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

U.S. Freeski athlete Alex Hall earned a huge second-place finish at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota in Steamboat, Colorado on Saturday in front of a fired up crowd for the first-of-its-kind big air jump at Steamboat - the only Olympic qualifying big air competition of the season here in the U.S.

What started as a battle of 1800s in qualifiers progressed to a full-on 1980 throwdown in finals. The three-run format, with a best of two runs counting, left plenty of room for progression—and progress they did. Austria’s Matej Svancer was the first to up the ante, throwing down a left nosebutter triple 1980 safety on his second run of finals—the first time the trick has ever been landed in competition. 

After witnessing Svancer’s level-up, two-time World Cup big air winner Hall answered back on his third and final run, stomping an incredible left double 1980 with his signature Buick grab. It was the first time Hall has ever even tried this trick, and to land it in competition with all the pressure of a home soil crowd on his shoulders was a huge moment for the 23-year-old.

“Yesterday was crazy and today was even crazier,” said Hall. “The jump was even better because we went in the afternoon, so it was really soft and we were able to go big. It was pretty much as good as a jump can get. I’m hyped to be on the podium, and I’m stoked for everyone to ski so well. Matej is obviously an animal and I’m just hyped to be up here with him and Antoine. We all had a really good time so that’s up there, too.”

France’s Antoine Adelisse rounded out the podium in third place, with his day highlighted by a switch right side pre-nose grab 1440. U.S. Freeski athlete Colby Stevenson earned a solid sixth-place finish among the field of ten men competing in Saturday’s finals.

In the women’s field, Eileen Gu battled it out with France’s Tess Ledeux for the top spot. The final run is where the action really heated up as Ledeux, who earned her best score when she landed a left double 1260 mute on her first run, just missed putting down a 1620 on her final run in an effort to bump herself into first. 

With her victory already assured, Gu went ahead and upped the levels anyway, landing a right double 1440 safety, becoming the first woman ever to land the trick in competition.

“I made that decision (to do the double cork 1440) probably after I landed my second run,” said Gu from the finish area, “I felt like I had done the best of my ability for the dub 1260 and I really wanted to push it. I had a super good early season camp out in Europe where I learned the 1440, did the world’s first, and I had landed it enough that I felt comfortable to do it today. The boys were so inspiring out here throwing absolutely insane tricks, so I really wanted to represent the women as well and kind of step it up to the next level. 

“It does a lot for my confidence—I’ve always thought of myself as a slopestyle skier and a halfpipe skier and now after this I guess I’m a big air skier, too.”

Ledeux would finish in second place, while Norway’s Johanne Killi would end up in third. 

Today’s VISA Best Trick Award went to China’s Eileen Gu for the above mentioned, history making right double 1440 safety, while Svancer’s for his left nose butter 1980 safety would clearly earn him that honor on the men’s side of things.

The World Cup leaders after today’s finals are France’s Tess Ledeux and Austria’s Matej Svancer.

The U.S. National Champions in Big Air were also announced at the end of the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota —congratulations to Darien Stevens and Alex Hall.

The FIS Freeski World Cup season continues at Copper Mountain, Colorado with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, where the best halfpipe skiers in the world will one throwing down in Copper’s legendary 22-foot Superpipe: Dec. 10-11, 2021.

FINAL RESULTS

Men's Freeski
Women's Freeski

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021

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

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On Saturday, Breezy Johnson, once again, found herself second on the downhill podium behind Sofia Goggia in Lake Louise, 0.86 seconds off the Italian's pace and 0.14 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Corinne Suter. 

Despite a familiar-looking podium, course conditions in Lake Louise made a drastic change from those on Friday. Heavy snow, flat light, and low visibility made confident skiing challenging to find. As Johnson exited the finish, she looked over at Goggia in the leader's seat and symbolically tipped her hat to the Italian, who laid down another immaculate run.

"I tried my best, and I was happy with my run," reported Johnson. "I wanted to ski well, and I feel like I did. Two years ago, I wasn't here because I was injured, which was really hard for me. So I'm just really happy to be back here racing."

Johnson earned a total of four podiums last year, a great show of grit and tenacity in an injury-comeback season. For Johnson to land, not one but two podiums back-to-back at the beginning of an Olympic season gives her confidence for races to come.

"Consistency is not something that every downhill skier is blessed with, but based on my four podiums last year and these two, I hope that maybe I have that," she added.

Jackie Wiles followed her performance on Friday with another top-30 finish Saturday, settling into 29th overall. The next best American finish came from Isabella Wright in 34th, followed by Mikaela Shiffrin in 38th, Keely Cashman in 42nd, and Lauren Macuga in 49th. Alix Wilkinson did not finish.

The American women have officially concluded the downhill series in Lake Louise but have another go at the track on Sunday, Dec. 4, in the weekend's final race – the super-G season opener. 

"I think super-G is the hardest event, and I respect super-G skiers so much for that reason," noted Johnson. "I have been working hard on my super-G, and some of my training has been really good,  so I'm hopeful I can put some good runs down tomorrow and take some confidence from today. I'm not looking for the win tomorrow; I'm just trying to ski my best which is what I'm looking for every day."

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Dec. 4
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 determine what option is best for you.