Speed Series Kickoff Weekend
VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 1, 2016) – It’s been a slow start to the season for the American Downhillers, with the cancellation of Lake Louise and a move from Beaver Creek to Val d’Isere due to unseasonably warm weather. It’s safe to say the men are anxious to drop into the OK (Oreiller-Killy) course at La Daille, Val d’Isere. Meanwhile, over in Lake Louise, conditions are looking supreme and the Speed Unicorns are looking even better, stacking four in the top six today, led by Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO).
This weekend’s TV coverage is highlighted by the men’s speed series in Val d’Isere, which will feature Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) as a color commentator alongside Steve Porino on NBC and NBCSN. The women’s speed series kicks off with coverage on both Universal HD and NBCSN. You can also catch all the action from both Val d’Isere and Lake Louise in high definition live via NBCsports.com/live.
Travis Ganong was the strongest American man during Val d'Isere training runs. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)
The men are returning to Val d’Isere for the first time since 2007, so this is a fresh stop for many of the men’s field. They grabbed some free skiing on Tuesday to check out the lay of the land, and they like what Val d’Isere had to offer. After two training runs, it seems the Attacking Vikings and Italians are once again the ones to chase. Our neighbor to the north, Canada, had a strong showing out of Eric Guay in the final training run today, placing first. But don’t count out Austria’s Max Franz and Matthias Mayer.
The collaboration with the Norwegians born during the 2015-16 season continued into the 2016-17 season, so the American Downhillers have had the chance to train alongside Norwegian racers for summer prep period camps. Kjetil Jansrud and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde posted fast times in training runs, with Aksel Lund-Svindal to follow, still getting his bearings back after returning from injury.
Steven Nyman is hunting for a good result. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alain Grosclaude)
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) led the way for the American Downhillers, finishing 10th and ninth, respectively, in the training runs. Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) followed. The track is a good—and slightly familiar—one for veteran Nyman, and he believes it will also be a good track for teammate Ganong.
“We stopped racing it in ’07,” Nyman said. “The first couple of years that I raced it I always thought ‘this is a course I could do really well on.’ It’s more of a glider’s course and then it gets more technical in the middle and then there’s more gliding on the bottom. If I execute, I think I can do really well.”
Alice McKennis looked strong during training runs at Lake Louise. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)
Over in Lake Louise, Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) has been dominant in training runs, winning the second training run, and placing fourth and sixth in the others. She loves the track this year and is hoping to translate this speed to race day. “The course is really fun this year,” noted Wiles. “It’s more of a charging course. There are a couple places you can really attack it and I’m feeling very confident in my skiing. Going into the race, I need to stay focused and not do too much—just do what I have been doing, stay focused and charge it as much as I can.”
McKennis continued the strong American showing by placing second in the third and final training run, leading four into the top six today. Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) followed closely behind McKennis in third, Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) in fourth and Wiles in sixth. Mikaela Shiffrin, who is making her downhill debut, will be one to watch as she gets more experience on her long boards. Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) also had a strong showing in training, finishing ninth yesterday.
Leanne Smith is making her comeback at Lake Louise (Getty Images-Mark Ralston)
The team is stoked to have teammate Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH) back on the mountain, returning to World Cup action after sitting out two seasons due to injury. In a recent interview with Ski Racing, she said, “I think that getting myself into a race atmosphere and back into what I do best will be good for me—just to let everything go and not think about technique or the fact that I’ve been out two years.”
For the men, coverage begins with super G on NBCSN Friday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by NBC's coverage of the downhill on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. NBCSN will air the giant slalom Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. For the women, coverage begins with downhill on Universal HD on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by NBCSN's coverage of the downhill Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Universal HD will air the super G Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
CONFIRMED STARTERS
Val d’Isere—Men:
Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) – SG, DH
Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) – SG, DH
David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO)– GS
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT) – SG, GS
Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) – GS
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) – SG, DH
Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) – SG, DH
Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) – GS
Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) – SG, GS
Steve Nyman (Sundance, UT) – SG, DH
Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT) – SG, GS
Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) – SG, DH
Lake Louise—Women:
Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) – DH, SG
Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) – DH, SG
Anna Marno (Centennial, WY) – DH, SG
Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) – DH, SG
Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) – DH, SG
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) – DH, SG
Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH) – DH, SG
Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) – DH, SG
Mikaela Shiffrin will be racing her first World Cup downhill. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Val d’Isere is replacing the Beaver Creek weekend with a downhill, super G and GS.
- Travis Ganong has been the strongest American man in downhill training runs in Val d'Isere.
- Jackie Wiles is poised for her potential first podium, after winning a training run in Lake Louise.
- Mikaela Shiffrin is making her Audi FIS Ski World Cup downhill debut.
- After missing two seasons due to injury, Leanne Smith returns to action in Lake Louise.
- Anna Marno is the 2016 super G National Champion and will be racing in Lake Louise.
- Ligety goes for the podium after a strong top-five finish in the Soelden season opener—his first race back from injury.
- For the men, coverage begins with super G on NBCSN Friday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by NBC's coverage of the downhill on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. NBCSN will air the giant slalom Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
- Saturday’s downhill on NBC will feature Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) as color commentator alongside Steve Porino.
- For the women, coverage begins with downhill on Universal HD on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by NBCSN's coverage of the downhill Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. Universal HD will air the super G Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
QUOTES
Steven Nyman
[On how he feels going into the first speed series]
The preparation period was great and we’re just chomping at the bit to get racing. It’s nice over here—soft and nice snow up top, turning into hard, bumpy stuff down bottom. There’s going to be a lot of variance from top to the bottom of the hill. That’s the thing that eats at you—I want to compete; that’s what I live for. I love the competition. I love testing myself and seeing what I’m capable of—and finally it’s going to happen this week.
[On the Val d’Isere track]
We haven’t raced this course in a long time. It’s the women’s course. We used to race this side. It’s a classic—it’s one of the old ones. We stopped racing it in ’07, and those first couple of years that I did race it I always thought, ‘this is a course I could do really well on.’ It’s more of a glider’s course and then it gets more technical in the middle and then gliding on the bottom. If I execute well, I think I can do really well.
Jackie Wiles
[On the conditions at Lake Louise and the track this year]
The course is really fun this year—it’s more of a charging course. There are a couple places you can really attack it and I’m really loving this track so far and feeling very confident in my skiing at the moment. Going into the race now, I need to stay focused and not do too much—just do what I have been doing, stay focused and charge it as much as I can. It’s been a great offseason and I’m really excited to start racing tomorrow!
[On being an Ambassador for the Lindsey Vonn Foundation]
I’m extremely grateful and I feel truly blessed to have Lindsey as a mentor. She’s kind of taken me under her wing, and really helped me a lot this summer in training. She looked at some of my video and helped me with my equipment. It’s made a huge difference so far and I am so lucky to have the best female skier in history in my corner wanting to help me succeed.
Alice McKennis
Today was a really nice day to finish up our final training run. It was beautiful weather—pretty clear today—so visibility was good. I think as a group we’re all feeling really good and strong and stable on our equipment. We all know this hill really well, so hopefully today’s training run is just a precursor to tomorrow. We’re all excited and getting ready to race! I’m really looking forward to kicking out of that gate tomorrow.
Laurenne Ross
I feel really good going into this weekend. My preparation has been strong, and I have a special connection with this place as I spent my youngest skiing years in these mountains. Coming back to this area in the Canadian Rockies puts me at ease; it makes me feel small and allows me to breathe deeply. I’m really excited to race, too! The conditions are great in Lake Louise this year. The start was moved down a bit due to snow, but the course is basically the same as every other year. There is a bit less terrain because the snow levels are so low, but the course still runs well and speeds will be up by race day. The organization and volunteers did an amazing job of getting everything together in time for us to race, considering the lack of snow. As a team, we are missing Lindsey and Julia, but it’s exciting to have Mikaela here skiing some downhill with us. Hopefully the weather cooperates and the races go smoothly—it’s going to be a blast.
Mikaela Shiffrin
I am confident, mainly just because of the way I stand on my skis. For the most part, I feel safe on my skis. I know how to handle what comes up, and so I never feel really crazy—which is good. With my downhill and super G skiing, it’s just about time and getting used to it, and linking together an entire run of aggressive skiing. I know I can do it—it’s just going to take a little bit of experience.
I always expect a lot from myself, but to be in a place where nobody expects me to win is really nice. I feel like I could use this mentality with my slalom and GS more, because I’ve been getting really nervous in the tech races and really worked up—wondering what’s going to happen if I don’t win. It’s not a great feeling when I go into those races. I’m much happier right here, without expectations and just trying to learn as much as I can. And that’s when I perform best—when I’m just trying to learn. So I’m just trying to use this mentality and take it with me the rest of the season.
Leanne Smith
I think that getting myself into a race atmosphere and back into what I do best will be good for me—just to let everything else go and not think about technique or the fact that I’ve been out two years. There’s no better time than to get back in the start gate and build the confidence.
BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Friday, Dec. 2
Men’s super G – NBCSN, 1:00 p.m.
Women’s downhill – Universal HD, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 3
Men’s downhill – NBC, 5:00 p.m.
Women’s downhill – NBCSN, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Men’s giant slalom – NBCSN, 5:00 p.m. ET
Women’s super G – Universal HD, 6:00 p.m. ET
Live streaming available on NBCsports.com/Live.
BROADCAST AND LIVE STREAMING (times EST)
Friday, Dec. 2
6:00 a.m. – Men’s SG, Val d'Isere – NBCsports.com - LIVE STREAM
1:00 p.m. – Men’s SG, Val d’Isere – NBCSN
2:30 p.m. – Women’s DH, Lake Louise – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
7:30 p.m. – Women’s DH, Lake Louise – Universal HD
Saturday, Dec. 3
4:45 a.m. – Men’s DH, Val d’Isere – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
2:30 p.m. – Women’s DH, Lake Louise – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
5:00 p.m. – Men’s DH, Val d’Isere – NBC
8:00 p.m. – Women’s DH, Lake Louise – NBCSN
Sunday, Dec. 4
4:00 a.m. – Men’s GS1, Val d’Isere – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
7:00 a.m. – Men’s GS2, Val d’Isere – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
1:00 p.m. – Women’s SG, Lake Louise – NBCsports.com – LIVE STREAM
5:00 p.m. – Men’s GS, Val d’Isere – NBCSN
6:00 p.m. – Women’s SG, Lake Louise – Universal HD