CHICAGO/PARK CITY, UTAH (December 2, 2021) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced that Guaranteed Rate, a leader in retail mortgage lending and digital financial services, is now the Official Mortgage Partner as the 2021-22 season opens.

Guaranteed Rate’s sponsorship launches at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air on Dec. 3, as athletes on the U.S. Freeski Team and the U.S. Snowboard Team will be looking to secure their spots on Team USA to compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

“We are very excited to kick off our partnership with Guaranteed Rate ahead of an important season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Given their track record of simplifying the mortgage process and delivering best-in-class customer service, we are proud to call them our Official Mortgage Partner.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard joins a host of Guaranteed Rate’s successful sports partnerships including U.S. Figure Skating, NHL, MLB and the Professional Bowlers Association.

“We are honored to partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard as these amazing athletes prepare to enter the most exciting and important competitions of their lives,” said Guaranteed Rate Vice President of Sports Marketing and Partnerships Steve McNelley.

Founded in 2000, Guaranteed Rate’s mission is to deliver more value to customers than any other financial services company by offering innovative technology, low rates and unparalleled customer service.

For more information on Guaranteed Rate, please visit www.rate.com. 

About Guaranteed Rate Companies:  

 The Guaranteed Rate Companies includes Guaranteed Rate, Inc., one of the top five retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, and Proper Rate, LLC. Headquartered in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Companies combined funded over $73 billion in 2020 and have more than 10,000 employees in over 850 offices across the United States. Founded in 2000 and located in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Guaranteed Rate has helped homeowners nationwide with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has established itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates and delivering unparalleled customer service. In 2017, the company launched Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. In 2020, the company launched Proper Rate, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and @properties, one of the nation's largest residential brokerage firms. Collectively, the Guaranteed Rate Companies have earned numerous honors and awards including: Forbes Advisor’s Top 10 Mortgage Lenders for 2021; Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans and Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing by NerdWallet for 2021; 2018 Top Lender for Online Service by U.S. News & World Report; HousingWire’s 2020 Tech100 award for the company’s industry-leading FlashCloseSM technology; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide's 2021 list of Top Retail Mortgage Lenders; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for six consecutive years; and Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

Quinn Dehlinger led the Americans with a career-best eighth place result in the Aerials FIS World Cup Opener in Ruka, Finland, Friday. 

“The whole day was going fantastic,” Dehlinger said. “I was jumping really consistently, putting down all of my jumps. It all fell into place there at the end to put me into that result.”

This is Dehlinger’s second season competing on the triple. It’s a years’-long process to work up to the highest degree of difficulty jumps to be competitive to make the super final round. “[The process] is going just about as well as I can hope for. My goals for this season are to make as many finals as possible and to do Full double-Full Full Full, which looks like it will happen very soon.”

“Quinn competed very well. His final jump was beautiful,” said Head Aerial Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. 

Cold temperatures, wind and snow made for tricky training and competition conditions all week. Athletes had to manage the elements while still getting their jumping legs under them. “A big part of that is trusting your coach with the speed and making sure you hit a great takeoff,” explained Dehlinger.

Three Americans qualified for finals in Friday’s event, including Dehlinger. Eric Loughran and Kaila Kuhn both finished ninth. 

On the men’s side Russia’s Maxim Burov won and Switzerland’s Pirmin Wener and Noe Roth finished second and third, respectively. China’s Fanyu Kong won for the women, Kazakhstan’s Zhanbota and China’s Qi Shao tied for second. 

Justin Schoenefeld finished 27th and Derek Kruger 31st. Karenna Elliott finished 15th, Tasia Tanner 21st, Ashley Caldwell 27th, Winter Vinecki 28th, Megan Nick 32nd, and Dani Loeb 37th.

Competition continues Friday with a one-jump World Cup followed by the first Team event of the season. 

HOW TO WATCH

All times EST

Friday, Dec. 03, 2021

3:40 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Women’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

6:15 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Men’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

9:30 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Mixed Team Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, 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.

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule

2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule

FOLLOW THE U.S. FREESTYLE SKI TEAM

Instagram @usskiteam

Facebook @usskiandsnowboard

TikTok @usskiandsnowboard 

Twitter @usskiteam

The White Circus rolls on this weekend, landing in FIS Ski World Cup Tour favorite and classic, the Xfinity Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, Colo. for the men’s speed team, while the women’s speed team heads to Lake Louise, Canada in hopes that Mother Nature will cooperate for a pair of downhills and a super-G. 

Let’s start with Lake Louise, shall we?! It’s going to be a tricky one up there, with rain and heavy, wet snow expected. In Tuesday’s downhill training run, the usual suspects rose to the top, including Italy’s hard-charging reigning downhill champion Sofia Goggia, followed by Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec, and Switzerland’s Joana Haehlen. Four-time World Cup downhill podium finisher Breezy Johnson led the way for the U.S. women, posting the fourth-fastest time, while two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin started bib 31 and finished 17th (or 12th-fastest, if you take away those who missed gates). The light was flat at many of the women commented that it was the “sketchiest” run they’ve ever taken, but in the end, everyone made it down safely in what may have been their only training run, given the weather. 

“Training up here, obviously they’ve been working really hard with the weather, there’s definitely some soft spots and some bally spots they need to clean up, but I think they’re doing a great job,” Johnson said of the conditions up in our neighbor to the North. "I think a lot of people didn’t really expect they were going to be able to get a training run from the top to the bottom today, so it’s good to have that...hopefully we’ll get another training run at some point. Hopefully, it comes together for race day. Given everything, I’m feeling good...the weather looks better for this weekend, so hopefully, we’ll have some sun up here in Lake Louise."

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Breezy Johnson (@breezyjohnsonski)

Shiffrin, who has skied on the longboards one day prior to coming to Lake Louise, but has confidence in the form of five podiums across both super-G and downhill, highlighted by a downhill victory in 2017 and a super-G victory in 2018—which put her in the history books as the only athlete (man or woman) in history to win in all six disciplines. “I was actually almost surprised at how much there was a little bit of a response in the surface, that was probably because I actually haven’t skied any downhill, so I didn’t have high expectations...but my skis felt really good and they felt like they were running and I was just skiing solid everywhere, nothing too crazy. I wasn’t pushing too hard, but I felt like it was a really good first run and a good step, and I can build on that and I feel a bit more familiar with the course...so I’ll just try to bring a little more speed and aggressiveness and aerodynamics into it from here.” 

A large women’s contingent is up in Lake Louise, and Head Women’s Coach Paul Kristofic hopes to use the second training run on Thursday to determine the final start list for Friday’s race. Thankfully, there looks to be a bit of a break in the weather on Friday so the ladies are all crossing their fingers they’ll get at least one race in.

The men look forward to snagging four opportunities on home soil, as the canceled downhill from Lake Louise last weekend has been added to the program this weekend in Beaver Creek—that makes it two super-G races, followed by a pair of downhill races on Saturday and Sunday. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who returned to World Cup speed competition in Lake Louise for the first time since sustaining an injury last January at the Hahnenkamm, skied into a respectable top-10 in Lake Louise to lead the men, but he still has more gas in the tank.

During today’s first and only training run at Birds of Prey, though, Cochran-Siegle had some issues with the snow. The Birds of Prey track is widely regarded as the best-prepared track on the World Cup circuit, featuring the snow wizard Tom Johnston (aka “Cowboy”), the legendary Beaver Creek mountain ops crew working in tandem with the Talon Crew, among many volunteers from local clubs who bust their butts to make the surface something special. With warm temperatures heading into this race series, the crew had a challenge but they lived up to it. Under sunny, blue skies, the surface was buttery and smooth, but the warm temperatures presented some issues.

Cochran-Siegle didn’t have a good feeling the entire way down. “Well, I would say my skiing today was not race quality and I need to make adjustments based on what the conditions are in order to be competitive,” he said. “The snow didn’t feel good today, but it was still the same snow that everyone else skied on. It’s up to me to figure out how to ski it the way I would like.” 

Many of the athletes came down saying the course was coming at them fast, especially with the lack of terrain this year due to the lack of snow. Cochran-Siegle felt differently. “It didn’t feel like high speeds to me, just that the skis were moving away every turn especially when under high pressure,” he reflected. “It didn’t matter how hard you pushed into the snow either, there was never a response coming back.” 

Bennett, who has been tinkering with his boot set-up, on the other hand, had a good feeling. Travis Ganong, who won Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships silver in downhill, also had a smile on his face in the finish area as he greeted his parents and friends donning “Travis Ganong Fan Club” hats. He turned in the 11th-fastest time of the day, though there were many guys who didn’t make all the gates, including the three fastest on the day—Austria’s Max Franz, France’s Matthieu Bailet, and Norway's Adrian Sejersted. Jared Goldberg posted the fastest time of the day among the Americans, in ninth, while teammate and veteran Steven Nyman struggled to find a good feeling too as he makes his way back following an Achilles injury in the summer of 2020. 

Celebrate Birds of Prey Legend Ted Ligety
Join us to celebrate two-time Olympic champion and absolute legend Ted Ligety at the Xfinity Birds of Prey. Cheer on this Beaver Creek legend as we celebrate his historic career, including 12 podiums in Beaver Creek, and stick around for a commemorative poster signing on Friday, December 3, from 3:45-4:30 p.m. in Beaver Creek Village. We’ll be celebrating Ligety all weekend, so make sure to come to the downhill race on Saturday too, as there will be a special celebration in Shred’s honor. 

For more information on what’s going on in Beaver Creek Village, parking and transportation, and spectator access and viewing, check out bcworldcup.com. 

Make sure to tune in to all of the action this weekend as the Fidelity Path to Qualify continues for athletes in the Olympic season. Ligety, who served as an analyst during NBC Sports’ coverage of Killington last week, will also be serving as an analyst this weekend in Beaver Creek, Friday-Sunday, while Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht will be serving as an analyst on Thursday for the men’s super-G and throughout the weekend for the women’s speed series in Lake Louise. 

WOMEN’S STARTERS - LAKE LOUISE, TBD
Women’s starters will be determined based on the second training run. The following athletes are currently up in Lake Louise and are participating in training runs.  

Keely Cashman
Breezy Johnson
Mo Lebel
Lauren Macuga
Tricia Mangan
Mikaela Shiffrin
Jackie Wiles
Alix Wilkinson
Bella Wright

MEN’S STARTERS - BEAVER CREEK
Erik Arvidsson
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Steven Nyman
River Radamus (SG only)

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

START LISTS
Men's super-G
Women's downhill training run 2

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
1:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Super-G - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming, Peacock
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, Broadcast NBCSN
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Luise, 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. 

The U.S. Freestyle Team kicks off their World Cup season this weekend with four competitions in Ruka, Finland. Aerials takes off Dec. 2 in their World Cup Opener, followed by a double event day on Dec. 3 with a one-jump World Cup and  the first Team event of the season. Moguls competition season opens on Dec. 4. 

It’s been seven months since the aerial skiers put their tricks to the snow, and Head Aerial Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev reports that their first and only preseason on-snow camp has gone smoothly despite challenging conditions. The Arctic Circle has proven to be extra dark and cold throughout the final prep period, touting some negative 20 degree Celsius days.

 “This time of the season can be quite challenging,” explained Lebedev. “With limited on-snow training options we’re working through getting back to where we want to be. The team is excited to kick off the season. It’s a step-by-step process, so we’re going training day-by-training-day, building back up athletes’ strength and stamina on course.”

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Quinn T Dehlinger (@quinn.dehlinger)

The aerials athletes have six total World Cups over the next two weeks in Ruka, with three competitions each week over two consecutive days. It’s a grueling schedule, yet a challenge the athletes have been working towards all summer long. 

A deep field of talented women will represent the U.S. on Thursday and Friday: Ashley Caldwell, Karenna Elliott, Kaila Kuhn, Dani Loeb, Megan Nick, Tasia Tanner, and Winter Vinecki are all slated to start. On the men’s side Quinn Dehlinger, Derek Krueger, Chris Lillis, Eric Loughran and Justin Schoenefeld are set to compete. 

Moguls, will compete on Dec. 4, and have been taking full advantage of their final on-snow prep period.  Over the past three weeks, athletes have been fine-tuning new elements they’re looking to bring to their runs. 

“Whether it’s a new trick or a more dynamic turn, or faster speeds from increased strength and improved technique, each athlete is working on something here,” explains Head Mogul Coach Matt Gnoza. The Ruka course is an ideal training course.  Lap time is quick, which gives athletes a lot of time on task.” 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Morgan (@morganschild)

The #PowHERhouse is looking strong. The  women of the mogul team have collectively elevated their air packages, bringing a higher degree of difficulty to each of their runs. Seven women will start on Saturday: Olivia Giaccio, Madison Hogg, Tess Johnson, Jaelin Kauf, Kai Owens, Morgan Schild and Hannah Soar. Cole McDonald, Nick Page, Dylan Walcyzk and Brad Wilson will represent the U.S. men. 

“Training has served me well on the Ruka mogul course and I am really eager to see my results and achieve one of my lifelong dreams,” said McDonald in anticipation of his World Cup debut. “The best part of this experience thus far is being able to train and have a direct comparison to some of the best skiers in the world.”

U.S. Starters

Aerials
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Karenna Elliott
Kaila Kuhn
Dani Loeb
Megan Nick
Tasia Tanner
Winter Vinecki

Men
Quinn Dehlinger
Derek Krueger
Chris Lillis
Eric Loughran
Justin Schoenefeld

Moguls
Women
Olivia Giaccio
Madison Hogg
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Kai Owens
Morgan Schild
Hannah Soar

Men
Cole McDonald
Nick Page
Dylan Walcyzk
Brad Wilson

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
9:30 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Men’s and Women’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Dec. 03, 2021
3:40 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Women’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
6:15 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Men’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
9:30 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Mixed Team Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, Fin, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Saturday, Dec. 4
9:00 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Moguls - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

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.

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule
2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule

FOLLOW THE U.S. FREESTYLE SKI TEAM
Instagram @usskiteam
Facebook @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok @usskiandsnowboard 
Twitter @usskiteam

PARK CITY, Utah (December 1, 2021) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced its continued partnership with HKD Snowmakers as the Official Snowmaking Supplier of the organization.

HKD Snowmakers has served as the Official Snowmaking Supplier of the U.S. Ski Team since 2011, responsible for all snowmaking at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center and Alpine Tech Center at Copper Mountain, Colorado. HKD snowguns cover the world-class training venue with early season snow, which allows alpine athletes to train on a full-length course in early November before conquering the demanding terrain featured on the World Cup circuit. 

“HKD Snowmakers has made a major impact on all levels of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes around the United States,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Our elite athletes access pre-season training thanks to the HKD snowguns putting down reliable early season snow at Copper Mountain. And HKD helps competitive skiers and snowboarders throughout the country gain access to terrain through its White to Gold program.”

As part of the partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, HKD Snowmakers created the White to Gold Program to help member clubs improve the reliability of their race venue through improved snowmaking. HKD understands that snowmaking is a significant investment and developed this program to alleviate the capital cost of snowmaking. The program includes discounts on snowmaking products to participating U.S. Ski & Snowboard member clubs and technical support from HKD. Clubs that have benefitted from the program include Burke Mountain Academy and Cochran’s Ski Area, which have produced U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team stars such as Mikaela Shiffrin and Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

“We’re excited to kick off our 10th year as the Official Snowmaking Supplier to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, especially with the Winter Olympics just around the corner,” says Charles Santry of HKD Snowmakers. “It’s always satisfying to work with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and help member clubs access affordable snowmaking through our White to Gold Program. Early season snow is always a game-changer for clubs and their aspiring athletes.”

For more information on HKD, please visit www.hkdsnowmakers.com.

CREATIVE ASSETS

Photos of U.S. Ski & Snowboard/HKD Snowmakers co-branded snowmakers for editorial use can be found here.

ABOUT HKD SNOWMAKERS  
HKD Snowmakers, founded in 1991, is a North American-based manufacturer that makes snowmaking simple, effective, and efficient. HKD products include air/water snowguns, fan guns, KLiK hydrants, and snowmaking controls, and automation software. The HKD team loves the outdoors, and champion the success of its mountain partners with affordable and dependable snow.

ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of the team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Courtney Harkins, Elevate Communications/U.S. Ski & Snowboard, charkins@elevatecom.com

Mark Horton, HKD Snowmakers, mark@hkdsnowmakers.com

The U.S. Snowboard and U.S. Freeski teams are heading into the first and only Big Air qualifying event of the season for the U.S. in Steamboat, Colorado this week. Snowboarding is set to make its second Olympic appearance at the 2022 Winter Games and Freeski Big Air is set to make its Olympic debut!

This weekend also marks the first time that the FIS Snowboard World Cup has been hosted at Steamboat, which has rolled out to white carpet to create the 60-foot big air jump despite unseasonably warm conditions. The action at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota is guaranteed to be Olympic caliber as the athletes bring their biggest tricks to kick off the World Cup qualifying season.  

Both teams have been training hard ahead of the event, including two weeks of training at Stubai Prime Park in Austria through November.

The Freeski Field 

The Freeski team parlayed their training into the season-opening World Cup Slopestyle event at Stubai, where U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hunter Henderson earned a fourth-place finish. Henderson will be joined by two-time World Cup big air winner Alex Hall, 2021 Aspen Grand Prix World Cup winner Colby Stevenson, Mac Forehand, Cody LaPlante, and two-time Olympic medallist Nick Goepper in the men’s field. In the women’s field, seven-time X Games medalist Maggie Voisin, Marin Hamill, and Caroline Claire continue their push to the podium.

The international field is also packed, with Tess Ledeux (FRA), Sarah Hoefflin (SUI) and Elena Gaskell (CAN) among the women and Matej Svancer (AUT), Teal Harle (CAN) and Birk Ruud (NOR) as well as reigning big air World Champion Oliwer Magnusson (SWE).

The Snowboard Field

U.S. Snowboard Team athletes Hailey Langland and Red Gerard are both coming into Steamboat following second-place finishes at the 2021 Aspen Grand Prix World Cup and Brock Crouch is coming in with a top-five finish at the recent Big Air World Cup, Chur. Also competing are Julia Marino, Ty Schnorrbusch, Courtney Rummel, and Jade Thurgood in the women’s field. The men’s field is stacked, with 2018 Olympic Big Air Silver Medalist Kyle Mack, Chris Corning, Sean Fitzsimons, Jake Canter, Judd Henkes, Dusty Henricksen and Luke Winkelmann among the 60 competitors slated to drop. 

The international field includes heavy-hitters like Kokomo Murase (JAP), Anna Gasser (AUT), Jasmine Baird (CAN) and Brooke Voigt (CAN) among the women. In the men's field, there's a heavy contingency from Canada including Mark McMorris, reigning big air Olympic gold medallist Sebastien Toutant, and Max Parrot; and Japan including Takeru Otsuka, Ruki Tobita and Hiroaki Kunitake, plus Rene Rinnekangas (FIN) and Jonas Boesiger (SUI). 

The VISA Big Air kicks off in Steamboat, Colorado, with qualifying Dec. 2-3, followed by Snowboard and Freeski Big Air finals on Saturday, Dec. 4th with a full day of action. 

Following this weekend’s event, the FIS snowboard and freeski World Cup season will roll into Copper Mountain, Colorado with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Dec. 10-11.

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Saturday, Dec. 4
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - LIVE - Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota Men and Women’s Finals - LIVE - 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
11:00 p.m. FIS Freeski 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
 

2021 Rookie of the Year Nick Page caught up with FIS for their 10 questions Q&A series:

We’re wrapping up our Q&A series with the final installment before we kick off the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup season later this week in Ruka, and today we present you another good one with 2021 moguls “Rookie of the Year” - Nick Page (USA). Enjoy!

Q: Looking back at 2020/21 season, no doubt it was a very successful season for you. First World Cup podium, top-10 in the overall standing and some impressive results at World Championships in Almaty that led to the Rookie of the Year award. What does it all mean to you?

A: Last season was great. I made some nice steps in getting closer to where I want to be and I was excited with the progress when we finished in March. As I recount all the accolades that came from the 2020/21 season, it was nice to see the work I had put in was paying off — and at the same time served as a great reminder to work even harder to reach the next step. It’s easy to take for granted how lucky I am to travel and compete against the best in the World; and when you look back on, it’s really special. 

Q: Let’s look back at last year’s event in Idre, where you scored your first your first World Cup podium. Can you tell us something more about that day? We reckon it must have been a pretty special day for you…

A: Idre last year was awesome. With it being my first podium, it was one of the first times I really felt like I was ready to contend and compete at the highest level of our sport. I remember so vividly standing up at the top before Super-Finals with the other five guys I was competing against (Ikuma, Ben, Brodie, Brad, and Oskar). There was almost this 'unspoken energy’ at the time — we all wanted to win, but at the same time we all wanted each other to ski their very best runs. We were all looking to beat each other at their best; and I think that positive and competitive energy is what our sport is all about, and it was definitely something I will never forget.  

Q: What is the biggest challenge for you when competing during a worldwide pandemic and how do you deal with it?

A: Competing and traveling during the pandemic was absolutely a curve ball. I don’t think anyone could have predicted what that was going to entail, but all around I think FIS as well as the US Ski and Snowboard Team handled it extremely well. The uncertainty of what our schedule was going to look like or if we’d even be able to travel were some challenging roads to navigate, and it’s hard to forget the countless amount of COVID tests. I still tear up every time I get one poked up my nose! However, with all the negatives that the pandemic brought I think it brought along some positives as well. With training centres and gyms being shut down, I was really able to focus on getting my fitness to a new level. I built a gym in my basement and was able to take advantage of all that new free time in a productive way that would pay off once we got back into competing; and as I moved from 28th to 9th in the World. I think it did just that. 

Q: Now looking ahead to the new season with the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on the horizon, what are your goals for 2021/22?

A: We’re coming up to an exciting year — there’s a lot on the line and I’m so excited to see what happens. The Olympics are definitely on my mind, as I’d love to represent Team USA in Beijing; but on top of that, I want to continue to work on getting into contention. Being able to bring your best when it matters most is so important in competition; whether that be in a World Cup start gate, the golf course, or any situation where something is on the line. I think that’s something you can only learn by putting yourself in the situation — seeing what works and what doesn’t, and ultimately learning how to fail in order to succeed.  I’m really looking forward to showing off all the work I’ve put in during the off season and see what happens by the end of the competition year! 

Q: The US moguls team looks like one big family. You spend a lot of time together training, traveling and competing. What is like to be part of such a successful team? Who pushes you the most and how? 

A: Our US Team is really special. I think the backbone of it comes from our staff who put in every effort to help make us our best. I really feel like I’m held accountable for everything I do, which makes our staff full of exceptional allies, on top of being already great friends. The athletes on the team are full of hard workers, and it’s great to train alongside them because I think that kind of culture makes everyone better. It’s pretty cool; there are lots of people around me who challenge me to be my best. I grew up idolizing Bryon Wilson. I went from watching him in 2010 to being able to call him one of my closest friends and most trusted coaches; he helps make me better everyday. I remember as I started to develop as a skier I constantly chased athletes like Brad Wilson and Morgan Schild around at every opportunity I got. I was obsessed with being around them because I knew they would make me better — as a skier and a person. Fast forward to today: and it’s no different… now we just wear the same jacket as teammates. 

Original article on FIS-Ski.com

The U.S. snowboardcross team came into this first World Cup of the season following a stellar 2020-21 season, which included the team winning the Nation’s Cup and earning the title of the best snowboardcross team of the season. Nick Baumgartner kept the momentum going into this season, earning a third-place finish in a heated men’s final in the season-opening FIS World Cup.  

For the Secret Garden Olympic test event, the riders competed on a course almost identical to the planned Olympic course, with 45 features set along the 4,110-foot-long course. The start gate of finals was a stacked field, with Austrian Alessandro Haemmerle taking the lead early, leaving Baumgartner to battle against Italian veteran Omar Visintin, and Austrian Jakob Dusek. Baumgartner was sitting in the second position until the final set of rollers, where Visintin was able to overtake him for second, with Haemmerle taking the win.

Head Snowboardcross Coach Peter Foley says, “It was so great to see Nick lead the team to the podium today.  The races were really close all day with a bunch of passing in every heat. Nick made some amazing passes and rode rock solid all day.”

U.S. Snowboard Team athlete Mick Dierdorff was on track to make the big final but was pushed off course in the semi-final. He still had a great finish earning sixth in the small final.

In the women’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team athletes Stacy Gaskill earned an eighth-place finish, followed by Faye Gulini rounding out the top 10. The Czechoslovakian 2018 Olympic bronze medallist Eva Samkova took the win, followed by Great Britain’s World Champion Charlotte Bankes, and Italian 2018 Olympic champion Michela Moioli.

The Secret Garden Olympic SBX Test Event was a great preview of the Olympic course to come. Foley says, “The course is an interesting combination of both gliding skills and power, so it takes a really well-rounded and incredibly strong snowboarder to do well here.” He adds, “The wax tech crew did an amazing job of finding the fast wax, working past midnight pretty much every day this week.”

The team now heads back to Europe for the next stop in Montafon, Austria, December 10–11 with single and mixed-team events slated.

Secret Garden SBX Final Results
Men
Women

World Cup Standings
Men
Women

In yet another exciting battle between Mikaela Shiffrin and Slovakia's Petra Vlhova, Shiffrin has once again been crowned the Queen of Killington, winning her fifth consecutive slalom race on home soil in Vermont.

Shiffrin came out in her second run guns a-blazin' to close the gap between her and her closest rival, who led the field by two-tenths after the first run. Thanks to an aggressive push, and an agile recovery in the mid-section of the course, Shiffrin was able to best Vlhova by 0.75 seconds, after Vlhova made a significant mistake second run. Switzerland's Wendy Holdener rounded out the podium in third.

"I hope everyone enjoyed watching (the race) because that's the most show that we have," Shiffrin commented on her battle with Vlhova. "It takes someone who is not only able to do the work and to ski that way, but really does it, and takes care of the fine details. She and her team, they have what they need and they're pushing the limits, and we're trying to do the same...every race is an enormous test and it's very nerve-racking as well." 

With her 71st World Cup victory and 46th World Cup slalom victory, Shiffrin has officially tied with the legendary Swede Ingemar Stenmark's 32-year-old record for wins in a single discipline. A thrilling conclusion to a highly anticipated weekend back at the Homelight Killington World Cup—a venue and a race, that has always meant so much to Shiffrin over the course of her career. Emotions were high after securing the slalom win, with Shiffrin feeling the love from a rambunctious crowd of American fans, as well as from missed loved ones on high.

"Getting to the finish knowing I put everything I could into it, that's always a special feeling," reflected Shiffrin. "I've had a lot of incredible memories at this race over the years, and I've shared it with family and all the people I love, the people who I love the most in the world. And this year, two of them are not here anymore. So it's emotional, it's one of the more emotional ones for sure." 

Paula Moltzan also had an excellent showing in Killington, coming into the second run full steam ahead and holding on to her position in the top 10, finishing seventh overall.

As an alumnus of the University of Vermont Catamounts, Moltzan's performance was well celebrated by a large showing of friends and family who traveled far and wide to cheer her on at her collegiate stomping grounds. For Moltzan, having her support system on the ground while she made her first big push of the season towards achieving her Olympic childhood dream was incredibly meaningful.

"I literally have 20 people here that I'm blood-related to, and my entire fiancee's family too," said Moltzan. "I've dreamed of going to the Olympics my whole life and today was maybe the first punch in my ticket, so I'm hoping I can keep building off of this so I can build steam into the Olympics this year.

Fellow American competitors Nina O'Brien, Katie Hensien, AJ Hurt completed their first run, but did not qualify for the second run of slalom. Allie Resnick, who was starting in her inaugural slalom World Cup, also started but did not qualify for the second run. Resnick's best friend and fellow Dartmouth peer Zoe Zimmermann also started in just her second World Cup, but did not finish the first run. 

The North American action continues next week, with the men's team competing in two downhills, and two super-G's in Beaver Creek through December 1-4. The women will head north to compete in speed in Lake Louise, Canada.

RESULTS
Women's Slalom – Killington World Cup

STANDINGS
Women's World Cup Overall
Women's World Cup Slalom

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

Rosie Brennan once again proved her early-season form, finishing fifth to lead four of her Davis U.S. Cross Country athletes into the top 30 in Sunday’s brutally cold FIS Cross Country World Cup freestyle pursuit in Ruka, Finland. 

"I felt really good, or as good as one can racing in so many layers," Brennan said. "But struggled with my tactics and confidence today. I am very happy to remain in the mix and to know my body is there but have some to gain on the mental side. It was a good first weekend for me and really gave me a good starting point. I know where I am now and where I need to go to meet my goals later in the season. I am working with a new wax technician this season to add a little more chaos into the mix, but am feeling good about our start! I know we will be dealing with some subpar snow conditions so that will be the next hurdle to tackle next week."

Jessie Diggins continued to make strides in her early season form, finishing 11th. Hailey Swirbul and Katharine Ogden each scored the season’s first World Cup points, finishing 26th and 30th respectively. Julia Kern just missed the points, finishing 31st, with Sophia Laukli in 32nd, Caitlin Patterson in 35th and Novie McCabe in 37th.

Norway’s Therese Johaug caught Saturday’s race winner, Sweden’s Friday Karlsson, just past the 5k mark of Sunday’s race as she skied to her first World Cup victory of the season. Karlsson held on for second, with Norway’s Heidi Weng out-sprinting Finland’s Krista Parmakoski and Brennan for the final podium spot. 

The women’s race was postponed until later in the afternoon due to the cold conditions, which saw more than a dozen women choosing not to start. "We had to be flexible as the race kept getting delayed and finally rescheduled for the afternoon," Brennan said. "It's always hard to warm-up, have to stop, go back home and then start over again and in the dark...I am happy I managed to deal with the punches and make the best of it."

In the men’s race, Gus Schumacher found a spark in the bitterly cold day, finishing 11th in the six-up sprint to the line in the men’s 15k pursuit. David Norris was 37th, Zanden McMullen was 40th; Hunter Wonders 45th; Ben Ogden 55th; and Luke Jager 60th.

"Honestly, it felt like it wasn’t too different than yesterday," Schumacher said of the cold temperatures, "but I rocked the full face tape and double under layers. Stayed warmer than yesterday actually. And yea, my skis were rockets, really fun to be able to use that to my advantage!"

With the Norwegians opting not to start due to the cold conditions, Russia swept the podium with Alexander Bolshunov taking the win, followed by Sergey Ustiugov in second, and Artem Maltsev in third.

The FIS Cross Country World Cup continues next week in Lillehammer, Norway.

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

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

2021-22 FIS World Cup Schedule
2022 Olympic Winter Games Schedule

Follow the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam