In the final super-G of the regular World Cup season, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men punched three into the top 15 with a career best result by Kyle Negomir in 12th, Ryan Cochran-Siegle 11th and Sam Morse in 14th. 

“I always heard that the Americans loved this place, but seeing it in person was on another level,” said Negomir. 

The conditions were not quite as sunny as the day prior with visibility problems moving the start lower, making for a short and sweet super-G. The speed men, riding a wave of confidence from the unreal team result day on Saturday, knew they could make another splash in the super-G. Ryan Cochran-Siegle skied solidly to squeeze the top 10 for the majority of the race, but ultimately ended in 11th. 

The highlight result of the day went to Negomir for his career best result, topping his career best from the downhill just the day before, skiing into the top 15 in 12th. 

“After a tough last month it was very nice to come into the finish and not be in last place for a change,” said Negomir. 

Sam “Moose” Morse also had an exciting weekend, landing in 14th position. Morse had his best result of the season the day before in 10th and this 14th place marked his best super-G result ever. 

“Seeing everyone ski with so much confidence and enjoy this hill really helped me to feel comfortable here,” said Negomir. 

Jared Goldberg also cracked the top 30 in 23rd place. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes River Radamus, Bryce Bennett, Tristan Lane and Jack Smith also raced, finishing in 37th, 40th, 50th and 51st, respectively. The winner of the race was Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr, second place went to Canadian Jeffrey Read and third place was a tie with Italian Dominik Paris and Swiss skier Marco Odermatt. 

The speed team has had a strong season overall finding more success in the super-G discipline and more consistency in downhill. The team will end the regular speed season with two men in the top 10 overall downhill rankings and two men in the top 25 super-G rank. The speed team is also in fifth for the downhill Nations Cup standings. 

The next and final World Cup speed races for the men will be at World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria in March. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

In front of 20,000 screaming fans in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jessie Diggins sprinted to fourth place in her hometown at the Stifel Loppet Cup. 

It was a chilly day, but it didn’t stop massive crowds from showing up at Minneapolis’ Wirth Park, armed with cowbells, bibs and homemade signs for the first day of racing. Fans packed the park, running from location to location to cheer on their favorite athletes on the hard-packed track at the first World Cup in the United States in more than 23 years.  

From a stacked start list of Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes, eight Americans qualified through to the heats in the skate sprint: Diggins, Julia Kern, Rosie Brennan and Sammy Smith for the women, and Gus Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Zak Ketterson and Kevin Bolger for the men. 

The heats were rowdy. Kern had a near-crash with Frida Karlsson of Sweden, forcing her out of contention in her quarterfinal heat. Brennan and Smith were in the same quarterfinal heat, but did not move on to semis. Schumacher, Schoonmaker, Ketterson and Bolger also did not move out of quarterfinals. 

Diggins sailed through both the quarterfinals and semis, finishing in first place for both. In the finals, she was locked in a battle with Jonna Sundling and Linn Svahn of Sweden and Kristine Stavaas Skistad of Norway, but was beaten out to just miss the podium. But that didn’t matter to Diggins, who was thrilled to be racing in her home state and in front of her friends and family. 

“We’ve been keeping track and I've cried seven times today and all for the best reasons,” said Diggins, who was instrumental in bringing the World Cup to Minneapolis. “I’ve dreamed about this for my entire career. I thought about what it would be like to race in my own country for 300 World Cups and this blew me away. This is the coolest day in my entire racing career. It was so special. It was really overwhelming.” 

Out of the eight athletes in the heats, three hail from the midwest: Diggins from Afton, Minnesota, Ketterson from Bloomington, Minnesota and Bolger from Minocqua, Wisconsin. While all of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes were excited to race in their home country, it was particularly special for these three.

“This exceeded any expectations I could have ever had,” said Ketterson. “It was the loudest, most well-attended race. You go to races like Holmenkollen with a lot of fans, and they’re never cheering for you. Hearing ‘Zak, Zak, Zak!’ and then when they announced that I was from Bloomington, the crowd was just yelling. That’s why you ski.”

Rounding out the American women, Brennan was 21st, Smith 26th, Kern 27th, Ava Thurston 40th, Haley Brewster 41st, Alayna Sonnesyn 44th, Renae Anderson 48th, Sydney Palmer-Leger 49th, Margie Freed 50th and Michaela Keller-Miller 51st. On the men’s side, Schumacher was 17th, Bolger 20th, Ketterson 21st, Schoomaker 28th, Jack Young 33rd, John Steel Hagenbuch 37th, Will Koch 38th, Michael Earnhart 44th, Zanden McMullen 46th, Adam Witkowski 53rd, Luke Jager 62nd and Walker Hall 67th.  

The race continues on Sunday with a 10k skate. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The women's downhill races are complete in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and Jackie Wiles finished 13th in both, two career-best results at the venue since she first took on the track in 2014. 

Wiles has consistently bettered herself at each World Cup event in the 2023-24 season after taking the previous year off due to injury. In her first race in Val d'Isere, Wiles finished 25th, wearing bib 39. Now Wiles is back where she belongs, in the mix with the best speed athletes on the women's circuit, starting the first 10 bibs, a vast improvement from where she began in the season. 

"Like my coach Alex (Hoedelmoser) told me, it only takes one race to get you back in there," she laughed.

Of course, after finishing in third during the second training of the week in Crans-Montana, Wiles had hoped for better results in her favorite discipline. However, the warm weather and variable soft snow made for an awkward race weekend. Topped with a couple of mistakes, Wiles could not punch it back onto the podium. Despite a tinge of disappointment, two top 15s are solid results that further solidify her chance at making the World Cup finals in Saalbach, and overall, she continues to build confidence in her strength and capabilities after years marred by injury after injury. 

Her teammate, Lauren Macuga, also has had quite the confidence-building season. Macuga scored her first-career World Cup points in Saint Mortiz in December and has continued to build further into the points, her best result being 10th in the Zauchensee super-G. 

This weekend in Crans, Macuga finished 20th in Friday's downhill and 23rd on Saturday. She'll look to post another top-25 result on Sunday in the weekend's final race, the super-G.

The downhill series also marked a monumental weekend for 19-year-old Allison Mollin, as she earned the first World Cup start of her career, competing in both Saturday and Sunday's events.

"I almost started crying at the start gate; I was so excited," Mollin exclaimed after her first run in the finish. "Then I realized that this wasn't a dream, and I actually had to focus and race, so it wouldn't be helpful if I couldn't see."

Sunday, Feb. 18, the women's racing in Crans-Montana wraps with a final super-G, beginning at 4:30 a.m. ET. Fans can watch live on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's downhill - 2/16
Women's downhill - 2/17

SUPER-G STARTERS (name/bib)
Lauren Macuga (28)
Bella Wright (32)
Jackie Wiles (40)
Tricia Mangan (44)

On the final downhill in the regular World Cup season, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men’s speed crew dominated the race with a top-tier team result led by Bryce Bennett’s fourth place finish, just off the podium. Teammates Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Sam Morse were close behind in seventh and 10th place, Morse’s top result of the season. 

“Super stoked with how the day went for myself and the whole team,” said Morse. “The track was in such good shape they did a really good job getting all the snow off from the day.” 

The conditions were good on Saturday after snow had been adequately pushed from the training run the day prior. The sun was shining and the speed men knew what to do. First Cochran-Siegle raced down into fourth place position, running right before Bennett. Bennett, currently riding one of his best downhill seasons to date, knifed the course, in the green the majority of the way, falling short of a podium by 0.10 seconds. He settled for fourth place, his third best result of the season. 

“I’m happy with today’s skiing, where my focus was during my run and getting the end result,” said Cochran-Siegle. “There’s always some time to be had or turns you wish you’d skied a little better that can be the difference between a good solid day like today and an amazing day, but that’s ski racing.”

The excitement for the men’s team did not stop and their confidence was shown through the rest of the skiers. Morse came down into seventh place eventually moving into 10th for the day. 

“Starting my first race in the top 30 you feel the pressure to stay there, so to have it all come together meant a lot,” said Morse. 

Jared Goldberg sped down for a top 20 result in 17th. Kyle Negomir landed his best World Cup result to date in 19th, tied with fellow American Wiley Maple. That marked six U.S. men in the top 20 for the last downhill of the regular season. The winner of the race was Swiss skier Niels Hintermann, second place went to Austrian Vincent Kreichmayr and third place to Canadian Cameron Alexander. 

“Really proud to be a part of this team after such an incredible performance from every one of us," said Cochran-Siegle. "I'm looking forward to racing tomorrow on such a fun track."

The next and final downhill will be the World Cup finals in Saalbach, Austria in March. The top 25 athletes by ranking in each discipline will compete. 

The men have another chance at the track for a super-G on Sunday. The race will be streamed and on demand on skiandsnowboard.live at 6 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

And just like that, the 2024 A Racer’s Edge National Championships is a wrap! It will for sure be one to remember! This year’s nationals was hosted in the Central Division at Granite Peak Ski Area in Wausau, Wisconsin February 5-10. While initial event planning included heated tents to hedge against what can be below zero winter temperatures, we ended up with uncharacteristic above freezing temps and sun that were reminiscent of our typical late-March nationals weather. The Midwest Masters, Granite Peak Ski Team, Granite Peak Ski Area, Hilton Garden Inn and the town of Wausau pulled out all the stops. Granite Peak may have less vertical than the places we typically travel to for Nationals, but with the Exhibition race trail running nearly top to bottom, it was a great venue for the event along with the debut of the Parallel GS as the 4th event for the 2024 National Championships.

Video Recap    Racer Photos     More Photos     Full Event Results

From the moment we checked into our hotels through to the hugs and goodbyes, the hospitality and experience were next level. The week started with SG training on Exhibition and SL and Parallel GS training on Sundance. Following training was a welcome party with an amazing buffet of food that highlighted Wisconsin classic snacks and flavors.

As seems to be the trend this season, Mother Nature threw us a curveball rendering the intended SL and Parallel GS venue unsuitable for racing on the first day of competition. After the SL inspection, it was clear that Sundance would not be safe for racing until the temperatures dropped much lower. Undeterred, the organizing committee quickly developed a plan B to run all racing on Exhibition until the final day where temperatures were expected to be colder.  The main trail Exhibition, is north facing and tree lined limiting the direct daily sun on the hill and allowing it to stay in prime shape for competition. The A/B group got started as scheduled with two 2-run SG races, while C/D got to relaxing, brunch, and free-skiing. The first SG race was the 2024 A Racer’s Edge National Championship SG and the second was a bonus and part of the 2024 A Racer’s Edge National Speed Series. Both races are scored for the National Speed Series. Due to the shorter vertical drop, the SG at Granite Peak is a combined time of two runs. At 40 plus seconds a run with a 7 minute lap time on the chairlift, it was an absolute blast to get 4 runs down the SG track. As soon as the SG wrapped up, the race crew quickly setup the trail for C/D SL and off we went slapping plastic. Before transitioning to awards the organizers and team captains hashed out a plan for the following days to best utilize the Exhibition race trail until colder temperatures arrived. We then transitioned to awards at the Grand Historic Lodge restaurant at the base of the resort. The party vibe was at an all-time high as racers recapped their runs, made new friends, caught up with long-time ones, congratulated fellow competitors, and set the stage to throw down for three more days of national competition.

Rolling on with plan B, Thursday brought C/D SG in the morning with A/B SL in the afternoon. Despite the initial forecast for cloudy with rain, we were delighted with a sunny day. Not to be outdone by the welcome party, the Thursday awards party wowed us with a beautiful top floor view at the Velveteen Plum looking out toward the mountain lit up for night skiing. Rain never came until later Thursday evening with a quick shower for a little bit of natural injection for GS the next day.

Friday was GS day for all groups which would round out the events that were part of the Combined Overall Award (SG, GS, SL combined). The little bit of natural injection the night before left us with prime racing conditions for GS. Awards for GS were at the Great Dane. Though the temperatures were back to winter, the 2nd race slope would still not setup enough in time for Saturday's races. It was decided on Friday to run the parallel race for all groups on Exhibition. 

2024 Overall Combined Masters National Champions

Eager to earn more points for the Division's Cup, racers geared up on Saturday for the inaugural Masters Championship Parallel GS. Racers went head-to-head within age groups A, B, C, and D which are divided as follows: age Group D Men's Classes 9-14 (ages 65+), Group C All Women, Group B Men's Classes 6-8 (ages 50-64), Group A Men's Classes 1-5 (ages 1-5). Competition was fierce in the qualifying rounds. Elimination brackets of 4 each were created for Groups C and D while Groups A/B raced in a combined bracket starting with 8 racers. With a few delays working out the kinks of the inaugural event and the extended timeline racing all groups in one day, the race wrapped up at 5pm taking full advantage of the longer hours of a resort with night skiing. Though the race was done, the party was then just getting started. Spirits were high and libations were plenty for the awards ceremony. 

With a field of about 110 racers we had racers in all age classes from 1-13 for women and 1-12 for men. It was the first time in 12 years we’ve had 23 age classes represented at the National Championships! It was a first for Nationals in the Central Division and a first hosting a parallel GS as part of the event. With both getting rave reviews, it probably won't be the last for either! We're working on plans for the 2025 Nationals and will make that announcement as soon as possible!

Thanks to all the sponsors!

Special thanks to Mark Abendroth for donating the Cherry, Walnut, and Oak wood for the overall awards that were in the shape of the state of Wisconsin!

It was a night of victory for the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team in the first of two World Cup finals at the Snow Rodeo freeski halfpipe World Cup with Alex Ferreira writing his name in the FIS history books with his fourth straight freeski halfpipe World Cup podium, a new FIS World Cup record. 

Controversial scoring combined with a squirrely second hit that took many riders victim made for an entertaining Thursday night final at the World Cup double header in Calgary. Riley Jacobs was the top performer for the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team women, putting down three solid runs that consistently scored in the high seventies. After sitting in podium position the majority of the night, she was knocked out of the top three by Canada’s own Amy Fraiser, who stepped up under pressure in front of her home crowd and put down a final run worthy of a spot on the podium. Jacobs was joined by teammates Svea Irving and Kate Gray, but both were unable to string together a complete run. China’s Eileen Gu took the top spot on the women’s side, adding to her lead in the overall freeski halfpipe World Cup standings and once again proving why she is dubbed the “Snow Princess.”

On the men’s side, all eyes were on two-time Olympic medalist Ferreira, who repped the yellow bib to signify his top spot in the World Cup overall standings. He continued his dominant season with his fourth win in a row to reset a FIS record. 

“I’m amazed, I didn’t even know that,” joked Ferreira in a post-competition interview. “I’m just so grateful. I have a wonderful team around me. Thank you Calgary for a great atmosphere, what a great city to compete in front of. I’m so thankful.”

Ferreira was joined by teammates Hunter Hess, Dylan Ladd, Birk Irving and Olympic gold medalist David Wise, displaying the dominance of the American men in the halfpipe this World Cup season, with 50% of the field of finalists composed of Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes.

Despite falling on his first run, Hess continued his impressive season, scoring in the 90s on his second two runs but ultimately landing in fifth place. Ladd finished the night in seventh with an impressive first run score of 82.25, speaking to the high level of competition in the pipe for the men. Irving and Wise ended the night in eighth and ninth respectively.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team has another chance in the halfpipe with the second round of World Cup qualifications in Calgary on Friday morning. The freeski halfpipe season will wrap up Saturday night with the second round of finals at the Snow Rodeo freeski halfpipe World Cup.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup is a go! On Thursday, Feb. 15, the International Ski & Snowboard Federation (FIS) officially gave the green light to the local organizing committee during the scheduled snow control meetings, giving the go-ahead for Palisades Tahoe to host the men’s technical World Cup for the second year in a row.

The Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup will host a giant slalom and slalom scheduled for February 24-25. As with every stop on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup, each mountain must pass “snow control” ahead of the races to ensure course quality for the racers. Palisades Tahoe has received 179” inches of snowfall this season and groomers and racecourse planners have been working on the course since February 1st.

“It’s a great honor to be the host resort for the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup as we continue to bring international competition back to our legendary slopes,” said Dee Byrne, COO and President of Palisades Tahoe. “From the 1960 Winter Games to the 1969 Men’s World Cup, the 2017 Women’s World Cup, and most recently the 2023 Men’s World Cup we’re looking forward to bringing an international competition back to our resort for the second year in a row. I would like to give a huge shoutout to our hardworking and dedicated Palisades Tahoe staff, North Tahoe community, and volunteers from around the world, because we couldn’t put this event on without them.”

A full schedule of events can be found here. here.

On a day where seemingly all weather patterns moved through the Canadian Rockies, the fourth race of a week-long World Cup brought the cross country world together for an exciting day of classic sprinting, with JC Schoonmaker skiing to an impressive seventh place and Julia Kern leading the women in 11th. 

With the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis looming, skiers had one more chance to see what they could do before traveling to the United States. In the qualifiers, where only the top 30 advance to the heats, which include a quarterfinal, semifinal and final round, seven Americans made their way, including Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern, JC Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher, Zak Ketterson and Luke Jager. This was Schumacher’s first time advancing to a classic sprint heat and the first time for Jager in the 2023-24 season. 

In the quarterfinal heats, there were seven Americans on the start line, all fending for the top two spots in their heat or the remaining two positions reserved for the "lucky losers," which refers to the third fastest athlete across the line. The quarterfinals were a nail-biter. On a tough course that challenged each athlete due to the slow snow, steep hills and skied-out classic tracks, everyone had to dig deep to fight for position. After several quarterfinal rounds, it was only Kern and Schoonmaker who made it to the semis - advancing to the next round by literally hundredths of a second. 

In the semis, Kern crossed the line in sixth, yet her time across around the course (3:20.81) was faster than the winner of the second semi-final heat. But, rules and rules and Kern's day was ultimately cut short, yet her positive attitude was present knowing that she is back to skiing where she wanted to be.

"I am really proud of how I skied today," said Kern. "It was just fun to ski on the skis I was on - our techs did an amazing job - and I love classic skiing on these kinds of days. It's been so fun here in Canmore and it's just building the excitement to next week in Minneapolis. I am so ready to show the world the U.S. I cannot express how exciting it will be."

For Schoonmaker, the race was interesting and exciting from start to finish. On a course that emphasizes the final stretch, it was all Schoonmaker's game. Coming into the last several hundred meters in sixth, he pulled out all the stops and made the move on the left side of the six-lane classic tracks into the finish, moving past three of his competitors and nearly crossing the line in third. With that move, Schoonmaker secured a top 10 result and even though he did not advance, still put a seventh place onto his strong resume. 

"It was nice to have a couple of good finishes and have a solid result," said Schoonmaker. "Honestly, my mentality in sprints is to act like I am going into the semis because if I am thinking too much about if I make it or not make it, that's just not the right headspace. I just went into it and skied on those trails and did what I could."

Alongside Kern and Schoonmaker in the top 30, was Brennan in 16th, Diggins in 17th, Ketterson in 18th, Schumacher in 20th and Jager in 24th. The ultimate winners of the race included five-time Olympic champion Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway in first for the men and World Cup sprint overall leader Linn Svahn of Sweden. 

Now, it's time for the race everyone has been waiting for, the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the first cross country ski race in the United States in more than 23 years. The action starts Saturday, Feb. 17. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of competition in Lac-Beauport, Québec, Canada, Winter Vinecki led the way for the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes, earning her third individual win of the season. 

It was another moody weather day on course with intermittent rain and persistent clouds, leading many athletes to adjust their typical game plans. The weather didn’t appear to significantly impact the U.S. team, however, as they put on a show in the qualification round, advancing five women and two men into the finals. Included in this group was Winter Vinecki, who missed out on yesterday’s finals but qualified in the second position today. She was looking to regain the yellow bib, signifying the overall World Cup leader. Karenna Elliott, yesterday’s winner, ran into trouble in qualification, finishing in 13th place just outside of finals. Derek Krueger also finished outside of finals, landing in 17th, followed by Ashton Salwan in 22nd and Ian Schoenwald in 31st.  

In finals, Vinecki almost lost her balance on her landing, but her score of 76.05 was just enough to put her in the sixth position to advance into the super finals. Chris Lillis fell hard in finals, landing on the knoll, but he skied away unharmed. Just outside super finals was Megan Smallhouse, finishing eighth along with Tasia Tanner in 10th and Kyra Dossa in 11th. It was a close fight in finals for the men, with Connor Curran narrowly missing super finals, finishing in seventh place. Chris Lillis finished 12th. 

Ultimately, Kaila Kuhn and Winter Vinecki represented the United States in the final round of six. Here, Vinecki pulled out all the stops to get in the top spot by competing a back lay-full-full as the only woman attempting a triple in today’s competition. Her efforts paid off, as she earned her third individual and fourth overall win of the season, completed by regaining the well-earned yellow leader's bib. Kuhn toned down her difficulty in super finals but was technically perfect in her back lay-full. Kuhn sat in podium position in third place until the final competitor, current World Cup leader Danielle Scott, bumped her into fourth place. 

The team is headed into a well-deserved rest and training period before they travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for their final World Cup of the season on Mar. 10. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Paula Moltzan ensured the Stifel U.S. Ski Team ended the weekend with a bang in Soldeu, Andorra, taking third in the slalom on Sunday, Feb. 11. 

Moltzan started the day off strong, crushing her first run and setting a precedent for the time to beat. She knew it when she came to the finish, exclaiming, "Now that's how I ski slalom." 

Backed by a wave of motivation coming off of Saturday's giant slalom, where she finished 11th, and a solid understanding of the slope, having trained in Soldeu the week before, Moltzan was able to put it down confidently on the steep, final pitch, a section where most struggled. She was only surpassed by the day's winner, Sweden's Anna Swenn-Larsson, by a mere 0.14 seconds heading into the second run. 

By the end of the race, Moltzan held onto her podium position, finishing third overall behind Swenn-Larsson and Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic. It was her best result this season and second career slalom podium.

"Thus far, it's been a season of really high highs and really low lows, so to finally take a step up on the podium feels really good, and a step in the right direction," said Moltzan. 

"I know we're missing a lot of top competitors, but that doesn't discount anybody's skiing," she added. "Everyone gave it their all in challenging conditions, and it shows."

AJ Hurt also qualified for a second run, sitting in 13th after the first 1.57 seconds off Swenn Larsson's time. So, in classic AJ Hurt fashion, she held nothing back as she pushed out of the gate a second time, holding on to the green light one second faster than the girls that had skied before her through the third split. Sadly, her aggression pushed her line too low, and she could not hang on to the finish and straddled.

Lila Lapanja also started the race, but did not finish her first run. 

Overall, the women had a solid weekend in Soldeu, Andorra, despite missing Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still tending to a knee injury incurred in Cortina. The women's tour now looks ahead to a speed series in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where the speed crew will compete in two downhills and one super G. 

RESULTS 
Women's slalom