Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin earned her 82nd slalom win, 95th World Cup victory and 150th World Cup podium on Sunday, Jan. 21, in Jasna, Slovakia, further solidifying her dominance in the discipline standings and the race for the overall World Cup Crystal Globe.

However, something, or rather someone, was missing in the battle for the slalom win today and her absence did not go unnoticed by Shiffrin. Slovakia's own Petra Vlhova, who sustained an ACL injury in Saturday's giant slalom, was not there to push Shiffrin to her absolute limit. The absence felt even more significant in front of Vlhova's home crowd.

Yet the Slovakian fans continued to cheer loudly and proudly for Shiffrin and the rest of the women's field. This did not go unnoticed by the slalom champion, who acknowledged and thanked the crowd for sticking around to celebrate the sport and its competitors, even without their country's top athlete to root for.

"It's pretty amazing to race for this crowd; it gives me feelings like Killington, which is quite special," said Shiffrin.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt and Lila Lapanja all qualified for the second run with varying results. Moltzan finished the race 18th overall, while Lapanja finished 27th, scoring her first World Cup points in three years after a difficult second run. Hurt came into the last pitch with some serious speed but was unable to hang on to her edge and slid out of the course. Fortunately, she is okay.

The women's alpine circuit will now move on to a speed series in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, where the women will compete in two downhills and one super-G. After taking a brief hiatus from speed the week prior to recover from sickness, Shiffrin will be joining the speed women to compete in the series Friday through Sunday.

Races will be available to stream live on skiandsnowboard.live, starting on Friday, Jan 26. at 5:00 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women

Mikaela Shiffrin started the weekend in Jasna, Slovakia with a solid second-place finish in the giant slalom behind Sweden's Sara Hector on Saturday, Jan. 20. A challenging first run knocked many of the tour's top giant slalom skiers off their game. Still, Shiffrin was able to hang on in the slick, turny course and make the best out of a day that took a turn for the worse for many, including her rival in the overall and slalom standings, Petra Vlhova.

The weekend was meant to celebrate one of the sport's fiercest rivalries, highlighting the ongoing battle between Shiffrin and Slovakia's hometown hero – Vlhova. However, Vlhova's first run ended in a crash and an unfortunate ACL injury, taking her out of competition for the remainder of the season. 

"Of course, it was a bittersweet day for many reasons," Shiffrin wrote in an Instagram post following the race. "The sport will not be the same without your energy, beautiful skiing and our battles, but I know you'll come back hungrier and stronger"

Shiffrin's 149th career World Cup podium bumped her up in the giant slalom standings, where she currently sits in third. She maintains her lead in the overall standings as well.

AJ Hurt had another career-best finish, skiing into seventh in the giant slalom, her first top-10 result in the discipline. Hurt's score on Saturday bumped her into the top 15 of the women's World Cup giant slalom standings and continues to boost her confidence for the remainder of the season as she looks to build on the new-found consistency she is having in her skiing on race day.

"The snow was very icy, and I was a little nervous because usually I'm not as strong on ice, but I feel like the confidence from the last few weeks has really helped. I knew if I just skied the way I've been training and the way I've done the last few races that I could put down a few good runs, so it feels good to do that," said Hurt.

Paula Moltzan clocked a top-20 finish in the giant slalom, finishing the day 16th overall. The Bocock sisters, Mary and Elisabeth, both did not make the second run but were able to get another World Cup start under their belt.

Sunday, Jan. 21, the women continue the weekend in Jasna with one last competition in the slalom. 

RESULTS
Women's slalom

STARTERS
Slalom (name/bib number)
Mikaela Shiffrin (5)
Paula Moltzan (9)
AJ Hurt (29)
Lila Lapanja (44)

HOW TO WATCH
Women's slalom, Jasna, Slovakia, Run 1 – 3:30 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live
Women's slalom, Jasna, Slovakia, Run 2 - 6:15 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live 

On the picture perfect sunny Hahnenkammrennen day in Kitzbühel, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Sam Morse posted top 20 results in 16th and 17th, respectively. 

The atmosphere was electric at the famed downhill with more than 50,000 ski racing fans packing the sides of the hill to watch the world’s fastest race down the Streif. Coming off an excellent day where he was just .01 off the podium in Friday's downhill, Cochran-Siegle ran first for the U.S. squad and slid into the top spot. But his day for a podium on the Streif would have to wait because Swiss skier Marco Odermatt and French skier Cyprien Sarrazin are skiing speeds on another level. Odermatt first went into the lead by over a second. But he was one-upped by Sarrazin who annihilated the field, winning by 0.91 seconds for his second win of the weekend. Rounding out the podium was Italian force Dominik Paris. 

“It was tougher today for sure. I was trying to give it the best fight I could but needed to stand over the skier a little bit more and carry more energy,” said Cochran-Siegle. “This has been my best week in Kitzbühel by far, so I'm glad to get some good memories and embrace what the Streif is.” 

The downhill was full of excitement with many skiers punching it into the top 10 and top 15 from bibs further back in the field. Morse continued a strong weekend of skiing with another top 20 finish from outside the top 30. Bryce Bennett was 39th and Wiley Maples 42nd. Jared Goldberg did not finish but he is OK. 

The speed men will now prepare for a pair of super-G races in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Jan. 27-28, while the slalom men will race on Sunday in Kitzbühel. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. ET - men’s slalom, run 1, Kitzbühel, Austria - Peacock 
7:30 a.m. ET - men’s slalom, run 1, Kitzbühel, Austria - Peacock 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle posted his best race of the season, a fourth place result in the Kitzbühel downhill -- a mere one hundredth off of the podium. 

“My focus today was trying to make the best turns I could and crossing the finish line," said Cochran-Siegle, who holds an Olympic silver medal from the 2022 Beijing Games. "I had no idea what was going to happen, so I am happy."

It snowed overnight and into the morning causing a slight delay to the men’s downhill start. However the weather did a big 180 from snow in the morning to sun in the afternoon. The racers all commented that the track was very slick in some sections and grippy in others, which made for an interesting day of results on the famed downhill course. 

Cochran-Siegle’s confidence has been building race after race and it was clear he was skiing with grit and newfound confidence. He was in and out of the green all the way down and punched it to the line just 0.01 behind Swiss skier Marco Odermatt. Cochran-Siegle ended the day in fourth place, ready to risk it all for the Hahnenkammrennen on Saturday. 

“I gave it my best! Of course it would be great to be on the podium but I am really enjoying skiing this track,” said Cochran-Siegle. “The track is so unique and historical and it's cool to ski it and fight to ski fast. Plus the best part is I get to ski it again tomorrow and I am not changing a thing with the approach.”

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Sam Morse also had a strong day of skiing landing in 19th place. He has had good sections throughout the run and felt good with his result. 

“When you can kick out of the gate with confidence and execute your plan it's great,” said Morse. “I am going to clean up a few more turns and be cleaner with the turns for tomorrow.” 

Bryce Bennett also landed in the top 30 in the 25th position. Jared Goldberg finished in 32nd place, Wiley Maple in 45th and Kyle Negomir in 54th. The winner of the race was French skier Cyprien Sarrazin, second place was Italian Florian Schieder and third place was Odermatt. 

The men will bring their successful day into the classic Hahnenkammrennen for the thousands of spectators ready for a show on the track. The action begins at 5:30 a.m. ET on Peacock. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill 

HOW TO WATCH 
5:30 a.m. - men's downhill/Hahnenkammrennen, Kitzbühel, Austria - Peacock

It was an emotional night in Flachau, Austria with Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin earning her 94th World Cup victory, 81st slalom podium and 57th slalom victory. With her 81st slalom podium, she tied alpine ski racing legend Ingemar Stenmark for the most slalom podiums in history.

The emotions at the finish were not because of the win but because of the week Shiffrin had leading up to the win. This past Saturday, Dec. 13 in Wengen, Switzerland, her boyfriend, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, crashed on one of the most dangerous downhills on the men’s circuit, the Lauberhorn. Kilde had to be airlifted by helicopter to nearby Bern, Switzerland for emergency surgery to tend to his injuries. 

At the time, Shiffrin was taking time off from racing, focusing on illness recovery and forgoing a speed series in Zuuchensee, Austria. Not long after she got the news of the severity of Kilde’s injuries, she hopped on a plane and flew to Bern, Switzerland. She spent Saturday night and most of Sunday at the hospital, sleeping on pillows on the floor to be by his side for the short amount of time she could be there - but she was not going to miss the upcoming night slalom in Falchau, a race that she ultimately ended up winning. 

“I could either be with Aleks right now, or I could come race, and if I was going to come race, then it wasn’t going to be for nothing,” Shiffrin said. “The last three days, it feels like I lived a lifetime.”

Shiffrin's slalom rival, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, didn't go down without a fight in the race, having won the first run. But Shiffrin made up a time deficit from first run to win by 0.27 seconds and grab her fifth victory in Flachau. Vlhova was second and Sweden's Sara Hector third. 

“I’m very proud of this evening, and I’m very thankful for my whole team,” Shiffrin said through tears as she spoke to the crowd in the wake of her victory. “These last days have been very challenging, and they’ve been so supportive and helped me go see Aleks… and thank you all for cheering.”

Shiffrin and Vlhova have continued to dominate World Cup slalom skiing, having won 13 of the last 14 World Cup slalom events. All seven of this season's slaloms were won by Shiffrin and Vlhova; Shiffrin has four victories and Vlhova has three. In Flachau alone, each of the last six slaloms were won by Vlhova or Shiffrin, stretching back to 2017.

“It’s a pretty special time in ski racing,” she added. “And I’m thankful that I’m able to have a career where I’ve been able to race against multiple athletes who are the greatest of all time. It’s not always easy, but it's special.”

Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate AJ Hurt sat in ninth after the first run, another blazing fast time for the slalom up-and-comer, but was unable to hang out through the first section of the second run and did not finish. Paula Moltzan laid down the fastest time in the first section of the course on her first run, setting a high standard for the night’s race of a time to beat. Unfortunately, Moltzan pushed her limit and skied out of the course early on in the race. Lila Lapanja also skied out and did not finish first run. 

Later this week, the women’s tech team heads to Jasna, Slovakia to tackle yet another giant slalom and slalom series, this time in front of Vlhova’s fan base. Tune in to skiandsnowboard.live to watch this weekend's race series on Jan. 20 and 21.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

When 21-year-old Lauren Macuga skied into the finish after her super-G run on Sunday, Jan. 14, she was surprised, to say the least. Macuga, who was the 48th racer to ski the course, had skied into 10th – a career-best result for her and the best result for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team in Zauchensee.

"I came through the finish and thought, 'My run couldn't have been that good' because it didn't feel that good. Then all of a sudden, I heard the announcer say, "Oh my gosh," she said. 

Macuga frantically looked around trying to find the leaderboard to see how she finished. "It didn't even feel real."

As the last Stifel U.S. Ski Team member to cross the finish line on Sunday, Macuga didn't expect to be the only woman who posted a top 30 time, especially since her run didn't feel as solid as her time.

"[My run] was everything I've been trying to do, and I did it," she said. "It didn't feel great, but that's just kind of how it went. I was trying so hard in the right way, and it just gave back, and it was fast." 

The Park City native had her first World Cup start in 2021 and has only posted a top-30 result thrice since. Her best finish in a super-G was 17th in Val d'Isere early on in the 2023-24 season. 

"I've been working so hard, and it's showing," she exclaimed. "It's that little bit of confidence to be like, I know that I've done it, and now I can do it again." 

Macuga's ability to break into the top 10 on Sunday is quite the feat, especially given the tight times posted by all of the competing women throughout the day. Macuga was just 0.58 seconds behind the day's winner, Lara Gut-Behrami. Austria's Cornelia Huetter finished second, 0.25 seconds back, while her teammate, Mirjam Puchner, finished third, 0.26 seconds back.

Stifel U.S. Ski team athletes Bella Wright, Alice Merryweather, and Keely Cashman finished their runs, but outside of the top 30.  Jacqueline Wiles and Tricia Mangan both skied speedy top sections but made mistakes towards the third section of the course and were unable to finish. 

Women's speed continues in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Friday, Jan. 25. The next race on the docket for the women's team is the night slalom in Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Peacock. 

RESULTS

Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

12:00 p.m. ET, – Women's slalom, Flachau, AUT – Peacock

Jacqueline Wiles posted another strong result in Zauchensee on Saturday, Jan. 13, finishing 14th overall in the downhill, her best result in the discipline since Cortina in 2022. Wiles' push into the top 15 from bib 39 also earned her her second Stifel Bibbo Award of the weekend, an honor that goes to the racer who advances through the ranks the most from their bib number. 

"I've had some great memories on this track, so I'm more confident with where I'm going, and I have my line dialed," said Wiles. "I just needed to nail a few key turns and let the skis run. I got late at times, but I kept it going, and I think that's why I was able to have a fast run."

Wright, who pushed out of the start in bib 2, also ended the day with a solid result, finishing 17th overall. After Friday's super-G, Wright changed her plan and chose to ski with more enthusiasm and less reserve than the previous day.

"I will always feel better with a result where I know I pushed my skiing to the limit rather than trying to ski the whole course perfectly," said Wright. "A small mistake ended up costing me a lot of time today, and when you start that early on great snow, you end up on the right or the wrong side of the times. I fell back a bit today, but I still feel good about my skiing."

Italy's Sofia Goggia came out on top, winning her first downhill of the season. Austria's Stephanie Venier finished one-tenth off Goggia's winning time in second, followed by her teammate Mirjam Puchner, who tied with Italy's Nicol Delago in third.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tricia Mangan did not finish but escaped a crash and is okay. Lauren Macuga finished 36th, and Keely Cashman finished 38th.

The speed series in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, will wrap up on Sunday, Jan. 14, with a second super-G. Wiles, Wright, Mangan, Cashman, Macuga and Alice Merryweather will start. Tune in on Peacock at 5:00 a.m. ET to catch the final race of the weekend.

RESULTS
Women's Downhill

SUPER-G STARTERS
Isabella Wright (34)
Keely Cashman (42)
Alice Merryweather (43)
Tricia Mangan (45)
Jacqueline Wiles (47)
Lauren Macuga (48)

HOW TO WATCH
5:00 a.m. ET - women's super-G, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria - Peacock

On Saturday’s classic Lauberhornrennen men’s downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle scored a ninth place finish with Bryce Bennett close behind in 10th. 

“It is a tough hill to ski with so many different components so you will never have a perfect run but I am happy with it,” said Cochran-Siegle, who won an Olympic silver medal in super-G in 2022. 

Saturday’s downhill is the marquee event for Swiss fans with well over 50,000 people in attendance on the sides of the hill. The weather could not have been more perfect either, no wind, no clouds - just sunshine. The speed skiers were coming off of an unusually tiring few days of racing with the added downhill Thursday, two training runs and a super-G on one of the longest tracks on tour. Regardless, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men persevered and ended up with four in the top 25. 

One of the more tense moments came a few racers after Bennett when Norwegian powerhouse Aleksander Kilde crashed just before the finish line. There was a lengthy course hold as Kilde was taken in a helicopter out to address his injuries. 

“That course hold after Kilde went down was tough. I think that’s always hard when you are standing at the start but I feel like I still went out there and tried to execute and focus on the skiing,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

But the star of the weekend was Swiss skier Marrco Odermatt who at first came into the downhill lead by over three seconds, a gap that is almost unheard of in the sport. Odermatt won the first downhill on Thursday and was second in the super-G. 

“When you come down and Marco Odermatt kills you by three seconds it's crazy,” said Bennett. 

The only other skier who could come close was Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin in second, who was 0.59 seconds out from Odermatt’s near perfect run. Third place was Italian skier Dominik Paris, still 1.92 seconds off the pace. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team skiers Jared Goldberg landed in 16th place and Sam Morse in 25th to help produce a strong team result for the speed men. Kyle Negomir landed in 40th position. Wiley Maple did not finish but he is okay. 

“It was a very heavy race weekend but to have 50,000 people watch it is cool and it was a solid run,” said Bennett. 

The schedule does not let up for the men as they prepare for the downhill of all downhills, the Hahnenkammrennen in Kitzbühel, Austria Jan. 19 and 20. 

“It is a cool combination coming from Wengen into Kitzbühel so I am excited to ski it,” said Cochran-Segle.

“I am feeling good for Kitzbühel and our whole team is skiing well. We have competitive runs there always so I am fired up,” added Bennett.

The slalom men take the stage on Sunday in Wengen with the first run going off at 4:15 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
4:15 a.m. - men's slalom, run 1, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live
7:14 a.m. - men's slalom, run 2, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live

The first leg of this weekend's series in Zauchensee, Austria, wrapped on Friday, Jan. 12, with two Stifel U.S. Ski Team women punching into the top 30 in the super-G, led by Jaqueline Wiles in 21st.

Wiles skied into the top 25 from bib 47, punching in her best World Cup super-G result since 2018. Three of the past four super-G races Wiles has started in this discipline have resulted in a DNF, so today was a huge confidence boost for her heading into the downhill on Saturday and a second super-G on Sunday.

"I know the right things I needed to do to have solid super-G skiing, and I'm really excited that I finally executed that today," said Wiles. "It's a reminder that I can do it, especially going into the downhill tomorrow. I'm psyched with the way I skied."

Wiles' result also earned her the Stifel Bibbo Award, a monetary prize given to the racer who moves up the most places from their bib number. If a Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete wins a race's bibbo award at an international race, they bring home the award. At domestic World Cups, any international or U.S. athlete can win the Stifel Bibbo Award.  

Isabella (Bella) Wright finished 30th overall, and even though she still scored points, she knows she has more in the tank. Despite the course staying dark throughout the day, the snow made up for what the lighting lacks, to the point where even little mistakes can be costly because every racer is on an equal playing field. 

"I felt great coming into the last pitch, and then one little mistake, and I lost a whole second," Wright exclaimed, frustrated. "I know that I have more to give this weekend, and tomorrow, I really need to push."

Tricia Mangan showed some promising skiing for most of her run, pacing to score her first World Cup points in super-G (and potentially a top 15) heading into the final section. She was 12th in her third split. However, Mangan pushed her line a bit too much and skied out coming into the final section of the course, resulting in a DNF. 

Overall, the heat is building up as the women look forward to the rest of the weekend in hopes of showing their best skiing before racing in Zauchensee wraps.

Saturday, Jan. 13, Wiles, Wright, Mangan, Keely Cashman and Lauren Macuga will compete in the downhill. Alice Merryweather has opted to focus on super-G this weekend as she looks to find her groove after returning from a three-year hiatus due to injury. She'll be back in the start gate on Sunday for the second super-G.

Men Post Three in Top 30 Wengen Super-G

Over in Wengen, Switzerland, three Stifel U.S. Ski Team men threw it into the top-30. Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the way in 21st position, Jared Goldberg in 27th and Bryce Bennett in 28th. Bennett made big moves from his bib number of 61 to 28th place, he earned himself the Stifel Bibbo Award for jumping the most positions in the race. The classic Lauberhorn Wengen downhill is Saturday and the men's team is fired up to send it down the long and unique downhill. Kyle Negomir and River Radamus did not finish but they are OK. Sam Morse landed in 37th place. 

RESULTS
Women's super-G
Men's super-G
 

DOWNHILL STARTERS
women:
Isabella Wright (2)
Keely Cashman (37)
Jacqueline Wiles (39)
Tricia Mangan (42)
Lauren Macuga (43)

men:
Jared Goldberg (3)
Bryce Bennett (7)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (17)
Sam Morse (32)
Kyle Negomir (46)
Wiley Maple (49)

HOW TO WATCH

4:45 a.m. ET - women's downhill, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria - Peacock
6:30 a.m. ET - men's downhill, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live 

On Thursday’s men’s downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle scored a sixth place finish, his best result of the season thus far. 

“I feel like that was the most solid run I’ve had on the course this week,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

Thursday’s downhill was a make-up race from the previously canceled Xfinity Birds of Prey speed event in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The weather could not have been more perfect for the downhillers; it was a picture-perfect bluebird day in Wengen. Course crews watered portions of the hill overnight making the track conditions stable and gave ample opportunities for the racers to push hard. 

First to start on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was Bryce Bennett running second. Bennett had top splits up until the final turn where he took a different line and lost quite a bit of speed. It knocked Bennett’s time up a few tenths and he ended up in 16th place. Cochran-Siegle ran next for the team in bib 16. He skied fast with a clean run through the finish into the sixth position. 

“It’s about finding the speed so rather than trying to ski perfectly I was trying to find speed so I am happy to have done that,” said Cochran-Siegle. “You really have to give it all you got on this track.” 

The Wengen downhill is widely considered a “classic” due to its history, length and very unique elements. The track includes a spot in the course where racers go under a train crossing, significantly narrow sections and more. The hill is a good one for the American men as it provides every element of downhill, including flats, big jumps and big turns, which are all areas of the discipline the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men can exceed. 

Sam Morse also made it into the points in 30th place. Kyle Negomir landed in 46th and Wiley Maple in 55th. River Radamus and Jared Goldberg did not finish but both are OK and will race the super-G. 

The day's winner was Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt, who took his first ever downhill World Cup win. Second place went to French skier Cyprien Sarrazin and in third place was Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway. 

The speed men will race super-G on Friday with the full-length Lauberhorn downhill slated for Saturday. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Men's super-G, Wengen, Switzerland, 6:30 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live
Men's downhill, Wengen, Switzerland, 6:30 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live