Giaccio First, Kauf Second at Deer Valley

On the first day of competition at the 2024 Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley, Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes Olivia Giaccio and Jaelin Kauf went one-two in the moguls competition, with three of their teammates in the top six, including Hannah Soar in fourth, Alli Macuga fifth and Kasey Hogg sixth. Nick Page finished fifth. 

On a challenging weather day, that started with rain then transitioned to snow, Deer Valley Resort welcomed the best moguls skiers in the world back to the infamous Champion course, the 2002 Olympic venue, for what many call the “Super Bowl of Freestyle Skiing.” 

With qualifications kicking off in the afternoon, the top 16 athletes advanced to the finals. On the women’s side, that included nearly the entire U.S. roster, led by Giaccio, Kauf, Soar, Lemley, Macuga, Hogg and Tess Johnson. 

In the women’s final, all the women were throwing down impressive tricks despite the heavy snowfall and variable course conditions. After the first run in finals, the U.S. women made a statement going into super finals with five out of six super final positions: Giaccio, Kauf, Soar, Macuga and Hogg. 

The highlight of the evening came with the final athlete descending onto the course. With a roaring crowd, filled with friends, family and steadfast moguls fans, the atmosphere was electric, cheering on Giaccio through the bumps. On the second hit, Giaccio threw a cork 1080, and landed perfectly to win the competition. It was the first time in history a woman won a competition with that trick. It is also Giaccio’s first win since the 2021-22 season, where she took home a victory in Ruka, Finland. 

“It was just incredible. That was my first Deer Valley podium,” said Giaccio. “To do it under the lights with my friends and family, seal in with a win and to get the first (women’s) moguls win with a 1080 in the run was incredible. Something I’ve dreamed of.”

Kauf, who landed in second place, secured her 33rd career World Cup podium and celebrated with her teammate. “This is such an incredible event. It’s all of our favorite every year. We look forward to it every single year,” said Kauf. “So stoked for all of our girls to be skiing so well and so stoked for Olivia for getting that win today!”

For the men’s race, Park City local Page led the men, finishing in fifth place. It was a redemption story for the accomplished Page, who has World Cup wins under his belt but had a tough time on his local hill last season and did not make finals. This year was different, sending it into the finals and throwing a cork 1440 on his final hit to thrill the crowd and take fifth. “I’m happy, really happy,” said Page. “After a poor performance last year, I definitely wanted to come back with some vengeance this year. It really felt like everything came together. And landing that 14 in front of the home crowd was pretty cool. I could hear the cheers right when I finished and it was electric.”

In the finals, similar to the women, the U.S. men stacked it into the round of 16. Landon Wendler eighth, Charlie Mickel 10th, Cole McDonald 11th and Dylan Walczyk 13th. 

The Intermountain Health Freestyle International continues Friday with an aerials event Friday night and dual moguls Saturday. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team took on the iconic Olympia delle Tofane track at the Cortina d’Ampezzo World Cup this morning, where Andrew Kurka landed on his first podium and earned his first win since sustaining a shoulder injury at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. 

It was a beautiful bluebird day in Italy, with perfect icy course conditions built for speed. “I really enjoyed this course mostly because it was high speed right from the get-go, so when you’re coming out of the start, you really gotta muscle down and stick your face in it,” said Kurka. “It was a course that wasn’t built to go slow by any means, and that’s where I excel.”

The course set and picturesque conditions allowed far fewer DNFs and DSQs than we have seen this season. On the women’s side, the youngest U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team member, Audrey Crowley, made her World Cup debut in Cortina. On one of the most renowned tracks in World Cup alpine, Crowley has already made a mark on the circuit, finishing fourth in her first World Cup at only 16 years old. Jesse Keefe finished ninth in the men’s standing event, followed by Andrew Haraghey in 12th and Spencer Wood in 13th. On the men’s sitting side, Ravi Drugan finished ninth and Matthew Brewer rounded out the top 10. 

Kurka talked about his long career and how his experience led to his success today. “I was able to take the experience that I have from being on the team for so long and slow down and tactfully maneuver myself in areas that gave me the advantage to help get me to the finish where a lot of people [had to] manage mess ups or crashes, I was able to consciously slip in there. My focus moving into tomorrow is to manage and assess, inspect the course and send it. The Italians set (tomorrow), and with it being their home mountain, I have a feeling they know exactly how this mountain is going to run well. There’s going to be some errors and sketchy stuff, just like there was in the downhill, and that's where I excel. I’m really excited going into tomorrow’s super-G.”

The team is taking on super-G in Cortina tomorrow, starting at 4:30 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio stepped on the podium in dual moguls to wrap up the weekend at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Kauf was second and Giaccio third.

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women stacked it into the finals again, showing their consistent dominance this season. Seven women headed into the quarterfinals, including Kauf, Giaccio, Tess Johnson, Alli Macuga, Hannah Soar and Kasey Hogg, and swept second place through seventh. Johnson finished fourth, Macuga fifth, Soar sixth and Hogg seventh.

Kauf scored her second podium in two days, knocking out opponent after opponent throughout the day. She just lost the finals matchup to Jakara Anthony of Australia by one point, who took her second win in two days and eighth win in a row.

The crowd showed up on Waterville's historic Lower Bobby’s Run, named after Robert F. Kennedy. Fans, friends and family were thrilled to see the best skiers from around the world, as the New Hampshire fans braved fog, snow and rain to watch the head-to-head races.

“I could hear the crowd and the announcer, which was really fun,” said Giaccio, who hails from Connecticut. “The east coast is always a huge community of bump skiers so it’s awesome to have some representation.”

Kauf echoed her teammate’s appreciation of the east coast fanbase. “It’s always been fun coming out here for U.S. nationals. They’ve put on such a great event in the past and really stepped it up for the World Cup too,” she said. “And here at the birthplace of freestyle skiing, they have that history and that’s really cool to be a part of and bring the World Cup back here. I’m stoked that we’re going to have it again next year and excited to come back.”

Rounding out the Americans, Lulu Shaffer was 22nd, Skylar Slettene 23rd, Olivia Maurais 24th and Kylie Kariotis 28th

On the men’s side, Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team development team athlete Landon Wendler was the top U.S. man in eighth—his second top 10 of the weekend. Cole McDonald was ninth and Nick Page 10th.

Mikael Kingsbury took the win, his 86 career victory, which tied him with alpine skier Ingemar Stenmark as the winningest male skier in history. Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin broke the record last season and is the winningest alpine skier in history. Ikuma Horishima of Japan was second and Walter Wallberg of Sweden was third.

The FIS freestyle World Cup tour heads next to Park City, Utah for the Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
Jan. 28
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - CNBC (next day delay)

It was another bluebird day in Gangwon, South Korea at the Geongseon High 1 Ski Resort. It was the perfect conditions for Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Elizabeth Lemley to clinch her second Youth Olympic Games gold medal in the same amount of days. Team USA dominated, with Lemley standing alongside Abby McLarnon of Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club with a bronze medal and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail's Porter Huff taking a silver.

Lemley wore bib one throughout the weekend and told an Olympics reporter, “I’ll bring home that I was bib one here and maintained my position, and I think I learned how to be at the top. I’m honored to have the first gold medals in dual moguls in the (Youth) Olympics. It’s a beautiful feeling.”

Lemley’s competitors understand the magnitude of her performances over the last two days. “I love Liz so much," said McLarnon. "She just knows how to do this. She is so good at finding the right things to do and when to do them."

McLarnon finished in third place, earning her second bronze medal of the weekend after winning in the small final against Manuela Passaretta of Italy. Huff, who took the top box alongside Lemley in yesterday’s team dual moguls, was on the podium again today, finishing in second place.

RESULTS
Women
Men

In front of a cheering hometown crowd at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley, Jaelin Kauf and Hannah Soar scored podium spots at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA, finishing second and third, respectively. 

While the weather didn’t cooperate, seeing everything from snow to freezing rain throughout the day-long competition, the competition was fierce for the individual moguls competition on Friday.

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women stacked seven into the 16-person finals, continuing their dominating season. Five athletes then qualified for the six-person super finals, guaranteeing at least two spots on the podium. Alli Macuga, Kasey Hogg and Olivia Giaccio all had trouble in the finals as course conditions worsened with the weather, but Kauf and Soar put down clean and fast runs to take second and third place, respectively. New Hampshire native Hogg finished just off the podium in fourth, a career best. Giaccio was fifth and Macuga sixth. Jakara Anthony won the event—her sixth World Cup in a row—and clinched the win of the overall single moguls Crystal Globe.

“The conditions were so tough, but the women’s success today shows how good of skiers we are and how much fight we have,” said Kauf. “No matter the conditions, no matter how tough and icy and challenging they were, the girls were able to put runs together and really showcase the strength of our skiing. Maybe Hannah is used to this east coast weather, but most of us are spoiled out west!”

Soar, a New England native from Connecticut who went to the Killington Mountain School, laughed about the conditions and was happy to land on the podium in front of family and friends. “Normally when I ski in the rain on the east coast—which is all the time—I’m wearing a rubber suit, I have my dish gloves on and I am prepared for it,” she laughed. “I’m a New Englander and I know how to prepare for it! But this is one of my first time competing in this kind of weather. In the super final when everyone was crashing in front of me, I just knew that there was one thing I know how to do and it’s skiing a top-to-bottom run in the rain.”

Behind the super finals, Tess Johnson was 11th and Park City Ski & Snowboard's Skylar Slettene was 14th. It was Slettene’s first World Cup and her first World Cup finals. Slettene also went to Vermont's Stratton Mountain School (SMS), just a few hours away from Waterville Valley.   

On the men’s side, five men sent it into the finals. Cole McDonald was the top American man, finishing fifth. Landon Wendler sent it to seventh place and Asher Michel was 11th, a career best. Nick Page and Dylan Marcellini had trouble putting down their runs in finals, finishing in 14th and 16th.

On the podium, Ikumu Horishima of Japan finished first, Cooper Woods of Australia was second and Mikael Kingsbury third.

The United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA was the first freestyle World Cup at Waterville Valley, which is known throughout the world as the birthplace of freestyle skiing. “Waterville has so much freestyle history,” said Kauf. “Wayne Wong is here. Donna Weinbrecht is commentating (on Outside). Hannah Kearney and Trace (Worthington) are commentating on NBC. It’s really cool to be a part of history and having the old freestyle community coming together for it. It’s really special. It really shows the family community that freestyle is.”

The weather looks to dry out at Waterville with dual moguls closing out the event on Saturday in front of a rowdy New England crowd.

RESULTS
Women
Men  

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
Jan. 27
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - Outside Watch

Jan. 28
2:00 p.m. - men's and women's dual moguls, Waterville Valley, NH - CNBC (next day delay)

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Elizabeth Lemley led the United States to victory at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in the team dual moguls competition in Gangwon, South Korea. 

On a picture-perfect day in Gangwon, Lemley took the top box alongside Porter Huff of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, triumphing over the Republic of Korea’s Yun Shinee and Lee Yoon Seung in the big final. USA’s Abby McLarnon and Jiah Cohen also put on a dominant performance, taking home the bronze medal in the small final against Japan’s Hikaru Sakai and Takuto Nakamura. With today’s competition coming to a close, Team USA is not taking home one, but two, Youth Olympic Games medals to the U.S. 

“I had such confidence in Liz that she would always put down a good run and be up in the points. She’s one of a kind, a prodigy. I’m so happy to be teamed with her,” said Huff to an Olympics reporter. 

Throughout Lemley’s career, the young moguls star has already secured four World Cup podiums, most recently in Ruka, Finland where she was second. With today’s result, Lemley added another podium to her career, this time, from one of the biggest stages of the sport. 

RESULTS
Team dual moguls

It was another cold evening in Val St. Côme as the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes took on the first dual moguls event of 2024, with Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio on the podium in second and third, respectively. 

The U.S. women have been a force to be reckoned with throughout the first period of this season's competition schedule, with six sitting in the top 10 in the overall World Cup moguls standings. Currently, Jaelin Kauf sits second, Olivia Giaccio fourth, Hannah Soar fifth, Tess Johnson seventh, Liz Lemley eighth and Alli Macuga ninth.  

During the qualification rounds, the U.S. athletes avoided going head-to-head, which allowed them to advance eight into the finals. Kasey Hogg narrowly missed the quarterfinals as she dueled against third place overall moguls-ranked Rino Yanagimoto. Alli Macuga and Tess Johnson also dueled in the 1/8th finals, where Macuga used her speed out of the gate and massive bottom air to advance over her teammate. 

On the men’s side, Nick Page and Cole McDonald went huge in the second air in the 1/8th finals but were bested with speed by Japan’s Takuya Shimakawa and France’s Benjamin Cavet, respectively. Page finished 11th and McDonald 14th. Outside the finals was Dylan Marcellini in 24th, Dylan Walczyk in 27th and Landon Wendler in 29th. Nash Lucas also earned valuable experience in his first World Cup dual moguls start, finishing 43rd. 

It was a battle of the American women in the quarterfinals, with Jaelin Kauf, Alli Macuga, Hannah Soar and Olivia Giaccio going head-to-head for two spots in the semis. The women know how to turn it on in the bumps and push each other while immediately smiling and hugging in the finish. 

Olivia Giaccio bested Hannah Soar 18 to 17 in the quarterfinals in one of the tightest duals of the night. In the other heat, Kauf advanced over Alli Macuga. Kauf and Giaccio met in the semifinals, where Kauf moved on to the big finals and Giaccio to the small. Soar finished fifth, followed by Macuga in seventh, Kasey Hogg in 10th and Tess Johnson in 16th.  

Kauf and Jakara Anthony dueled once again in the big finals. Kauf, unfortunately, took a nasty fall in the big final and did not finish but ultimately finished on the podium in second place alongside Giaccio, who finished third. This is both Kauf and Giaccio's fifth podium of the season, showcasing their incredible strength and consistency. 

The team is heading to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, for the first of two World Cups on home snow this season. They will compete at the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA in moguls and dual moguls on Jan. 26-27. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes kicked off the second period of their competition schedule under the lights in Val St. Côme, Canada. Jaelin Kauf led the way for the United States, landing in second place and earning her 29th World Cup podium. 

It was a cold, crisp evening with temperatures hovering around zero degrees Fahrenheit, making it the coldest competition of the season so far. The bumps were soft, proving challenging for many athletes, leading to more DNFs than the average competition. 

The U.S. women have dominated the circuit this season, and today proved no different despite the conditions. All six Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women’s moguls athletes qualified for the finals alongside two U.S. men. Just off the podium was Alli Macuga, tying her personal best moguls result in fourth, followed by Hannah Soar in fifth, Olivia Giaccio in sixth, Tess Johnson in seventh and Kasey Hogg in 11th. 

"Honestly, it took a little bit to figure it out again and put all the pieces together. It felt like I’d been out of competing for a while, but I felt like that last run I finally hit my stride again," said Kauf. "I think tomorrow I'm focusing on hitting that top air takeoff and let it go from there - trust that I have the pace and turns in the middle to win every run. I think it was a little bit of a weird event for everyone, but this girl's team especially really crushed it out there, even with not hitting everything how we wanted. Kasey started off the day stomping a cork 10 in qualifications, and Olivia followed suit in finals. It was super inspiring to see our girl's team continuing to push the field."

Cole McDonald and Nick Page qualified for finals for the men, finishing 10th and 11th, respectively. Just outside finals was Dylan Walczyk in 18th, Landon Wendler in 30th, Nash Lucas in 31st and Dylan Marcellini in 36th. Today was Lucas’ first World Cup start after earning the spot during the 2024 U.S. Freestyle Selections in December. 

The team has spent the last few weeks at home in Park City, Utah, having a successful training camp. This training and focus on tricks paid off, as during today’s event, Kasey Hogg became the first woman to throw a cork 10 in a qualification. Hogg followed in the footsteps of her teammate, Olivia Giaccio, who was the first woman to ever do a cork 10 in a competition.  

"I am so excited to be back in World Cup competitions. That atmosphere is always awesome, and skiing with the rest of the World Cup team is super fun," said Hogg. "It felt incredible to throw a cork 1080 in both my qualifying and finals run today! It has been a goal of mine to compete this trick, and I felt like the time was right. Only having done a 1080 in my full top to bottom run just the day before comp was a challenge, but I’m so glad I decided to compete it today. I’ve spent a lot of time practicing this trick on the trampoline, water ramps, and snow, and competing at the World Cup level was a dream come true. I am so eager for the rest of the season and improving even more as the season goes on!"

Tomorrow, the team takes on the dual moguls in Val St. Côme starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, live on skiandsnowboard.live.  

RESULTS
Women
Men

New Hampshire’s Waterville Resort, the birthplace of freestyle skiing, has announced that tickets for the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA are now available for purchase at waterville.com. On January 26-27, Waterville will host the best men’s and women’s moguls skiers in the world for a set of moguls and dual moguls events. Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf and top-ranking American Nick Page are both set to compete alongside New England natives Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar, who have both found themselves on the podium this season. 

Festivities kick off Friday morning with the single moguls qualifications slated to begin at 9:10 am ET, followed by dual moguls on Saturday. The festival village will also be open during competition. 

The event will feature an athlete bib presentation and autograph signing on Friday night. No ticket is required for the Friday night activities, which are free to the public.

Spectator Ticket - $10 Fri / $20 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup arena, lift ticket not included

Foot Passenger Ticket - $20 Fri / $20 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup arena, Valley Run lift ticket included (access to the World Cup arena via Valley Run Quad). 
• Ride up Valley Run Quad as a foot passenger. From the top of Valley Run Quad, you can walk to the arena by following a short path. 
• Lift ticket is limited to Valley Run Quad and is not valid on any other aerial or surface lifts. 

VIP Ticket - $250 Fri / $250 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup VIP Tent, including premier viewing area, access to VIP cash bar, complimentary continental breakfast, lunch buffet and snacks.
• One (1) Priority Parking Pass
• Includes full mountain lift ticket for skiing/snowboarding. You also have the option to ride up and down the mountain on the Valley Run Quad as a foot passenger. 

BUY TICKETS HERE

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes wrapped up the first part of their season with a dual moguls event in Bakuriani, Georgia, landing two on the podium, with Jaelin Kauf and Nick Page both in third.

Continuing their strong start to the 2023-24 season, today’s competition was no different. Going into the finals, the moguls team sent all six women and two men to the finals, despite the challenging weather conditions.

For the first time this season, none of the U.S. women had to go head-to-head in the qualification rounds, giving the U.S. the best chance to make an impact in the finals, which they ultimately took advantage of. 

Kauf and Alli Macuga - coming off her first dual moguls podium and career best individual result in yesterday’s event - made it to the semi-finals for the U.S. women and Page advanced for the men. 

In the end, it was a battle for third place for Kauf and Macuga, with Macuga crossing the line first but Kauf taking home the third place finish. Just outside the semis was Olivia Giaccio, who finished fifth, followed by Hannah Soar in ninth, Tess Johnson in 11th and Elizabeth Lemley in 13th.

“I’m stoked to finish this part of the tour with a podium, and I’m very excited to be headed home for Christmas! I’m really happy with putting down some solid skiing throughout today, especially after last week's duals,” said Kauf. “Right now I’m focusing on getting home for Christmas and will reevaluate the plan for the second part of the tour, but will probably be focused on bringing in some more tricks.”

At the end of the day, Page once again showed his skill and consistency by putting down consistent run after consistent run, which led him to the podium. Outside the quarter-final was Cole McDonald, finishing 15th, along with Dylan Walczyk in 18th, Landon Wendler in 20th and Dylan Marcellini in 21st. 

“Today was a great day - it felt like I found a new level of consistent intensity that I was really happy with. The guys I skied against today are so good; the level of competition is so high, and every run took everything I had,” said Page. "I’m lucky to have them pushing me to the next level. It will be nice to have a moment to come up for air after a long two months on the road. I’m excited to get back to training before we pick it up again in Val St. Come.”

The team is returning to the United States for a break before heading to Val St. Come, Canada Jan. 19-20.

RESULTS
Women
Men