Luke Winters led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Sunday’s FIS Ski World Cup slalom in Chamonix, France, taking 19th place and matching his best-ever World Cup finish.

Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway came out firing after straddling in the first slalom in Chamonix on Saturday, winning the race in the French sunshine. Ramon Zenhaeusern of Switzerland was second—but the story of the day was his Swiss teammate Sandro Simonet, who wore bib 35 and finished 30th first run. Running bullet, Simonet put down a blazing second run and maintained his lead for much of the second run to eventually take his first career World Cup podium in third place.

Wearing bib 48, Winters sat in 28th place after first run in the race—one of only five skiers outside of the top 30 to make a second run—and skied tactfully through the soft snow to secure 19th place. The result was Winters’ second points score of the season, having snagged 23rd place in Adelboden in mid-January, and matched his best-ever result of 19th in Val d’Isere in the 2019-20 season. In just his 24th World Cup start, the promising 23-year-old skier has scored now in five races.

Sunday's result was particularly sweet, after Winters missed the top-30 and a chance at a second run on Saturday by mere hundredths, landing in 31st. The men's slalom circuit is incredibly deep and talented and feels like a "battle" as Winters noted. Winters skied strong and within himself second run to grab a solid result. "I'm really happy with where my skiing is going...throughout the month of January there have been a lot of ups and downs and I've figured some stuff out, so I'm looking forward to World Champs. Got some good mojo with the team, it'll be good to have a little break, then get back to work and see what we can do the rest of the season."  

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team's men's slalom coach, Ryan Wilson, said that he's proud of the result, but looking forward to more to come in the future for this young slalom team. "First run was incredibly difficult, Luke was the highest bib number to get into the second run, and he did it with some seriously athletic skiing first run, but also good technical skiing," reflected Wilson. "First run today definitely benefited him...that was an impressive first run. More impressive, Luke has not yet had what I would call a 'complete race.' Of course, there was more in the tank second run, but very excited that he was able to ski down smart...it shows that he's in there and ready for more. It should prove to be a big confidence booster for him...at the end of a long month like this, it really shows his character and his ability to push through adversity and come out better for it." 

Rounding out the Americans, Jett Seymour and Alex Leever did not qualify for a second run. Ben Ritchie did not finish first run.

This result sends Winters into his first-ever FIS Ski World Championships, which kicks off February 8. The men’s speed team heads to Garmisch for one last super-G and downhill Friday and Saturday prior to the World Champs.  

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Monday, Feb. 1
4:50 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER, Streaming Peacock

Chloe Kim remained podium perfect in the superpipe at X Games Aspen 2021 earning her sixth X Games gold, and eighth medal in as many X Games. Teammate Maddie Mastro claimed silver. 

After taking a year off the contest scene to attend Princeton University, Kim watched from afar as the gold medal was awarded to Spain’s Queralt Castellet’s at X Games Aspen 2020. On Saturday night, Kim made a statement through her riding that she is back, reclaiming gold and displaying serious toughness fighting through unforeseen challenges. 

“I have actually struggled a lot this week,” said Kim. “I was in the emergency room a few days ago after a really crazy allergic reaction where my throat closed up, and this morning my face was swollen. Then, after my first run slam, my ribs were bothering me, so I’m actually happy with how things worked out because it wasn’t looking so good when I woke up.”

The fact that Kim went on to land a solid second and third run to take the win while in pain and discomfort, makes her performance all the more impressive. 

One thing is for sure, despite taking the top two spots on the podium, there are some great runs left on the table for Kim and Mastro. Kim will look to incorporate her back-to-back 1080's and the frontside double cork 1080 that she has yet to land in competition. Mastro, despite landing the double crippler at multiple World Cups, has yet to take her signature trick to the Buttermilk superpipe. It’s safe to say great things are on the horizon for both U.S. Snowboard Team athletes. 

Haruna Matsumoto of Japan rounded out the podium earning bronze and 14-year-old Sonora Alba made her X Games debut as the youngest competitor at X Games Aspen finishing eighth. 

Earlier in the evening, U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Alex Hall claimed his fifth X Games medal. Hall used his creativity and consistency to his advantage to earn his first podium at X Games Aspen big air. Hall has a big day ahead of him with slopestyle and knuckle huck both on his agenda for Sunday.

“I have been trying to go mellow in practices, but it’s super fun to take part in all three events and I’m hyped for tomorrow,” said Hall. “I just hope I have some energy left for the morning, but no matter what, it will be fun to get back out here for another beautiful day of competition in Aspen.”

Hall stomped his signature switch double cork 1800 Buick and a new double cork 1620 Nose grab, completely capping the tip of his ski. At 6-foot, 4-inches tall, completing a nose grab while executing a massive rotation is quite the spectacle. 
 

The competition was full of many firsts for multiple athletes including Andri Ragettli of Switzerland, who landed a triple cork 1980 for the first time ever to take the win. Antoine Adelisse of France earned silver with no shortage of impressive tricks including a triple cork triple grab, which he referred to as the hardest trick in his arsenal. 

X Games snowboard and freeski action continues Sunday, Jan. 31 with a chock-full program including men’s snowboard slopestyle and women’s snowboard big air, which were added to the schedule after postponements on Saturday due to weather. 

Tune in to watch your favorite U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Team athletes as they take their final shot at taking home hardware from X Games Aspen 2021.

REPLAYS
Men’s ski big air
Women’s snowboard superpipe

RESULTS
Men’s ski big air
Women’s snowboard superpipe

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
Next-day broadcast
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Sunday, Jan. 31
9:30 a.m. - Men’s snowboard slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
1:00 p.m. - Men’s ski slopestyle, women's snowboard slopestyle* - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:30 p.m. - Women’s snowboard big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
8:30 p.m. - Men's snowboard superpipe, men’s snowboard big air, ski knuckle huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

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Megan Nick led the Americans with a first-place finish, her second win of the season, at the aerials FIS Freestyle World Cup in Raubichi, Belarus on Jan. 30. Winter Vinecki earned her second podium of the season, and her career, with a third-place finish. The American women shared the podium with World Cup leader Australia’s Laura Peel. 

“It’s pretty crazy,” said Nick of her two wins this season. “I had a rough start to the season so I’ve just been trying really hard to improve on my jumps. To compete that full double-full again and to win again is almost a relief!” On whether the jump gets any easier, “I definitely get more comfortable. But when you're in the super final and you want to lay it down I don’t know if it gets any easier.” 

“To share the podium with Winter was awesome. We have been training together all summer and it's just so fun to share a podium with a teammate.”

Vinecki was elated with her third place, earning her back-to-back podium results from last weekend’s win. “It felt pretty sweet with last week being my first podium ever to get two in a row,” she said. “I did another double-in for my final jump and was a little deep on landing. But I stood it up and made it count. I was super excited to get on the podium with my teammate. It’s been a long trip with a lot of different hurdles, including COVID-19. We’ve all been doing our best to make sure we stay safe. It’s even more worth it making it onto the podium, especially long travel throughout the last couple weeks.”

The Raubichi World Cup marks the final stop on a three-week eastern European tour for the aerial skiers of the U.S. Ski Team. The travel hasn’t been easy, but the team kept their spirits, and results, high. Seven athletes have earned 10 podiums, including two wins. 

Rain and weather caused delays throughout official training leading up to Saturday’s competition. Sugary snow quality also caused challenges for speed and landing. “The snow condition wasn't great,” said Head Aerial Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. “That presents crazy challenges with speed. Our goal going into qualifications was to perform jumps with good quality and to land. Aerial jumps have lots of impact so landing in the sugary conditions is difficult.” Most of the field toned down their degree of difficulty in the qualification round to that end. 

“The woman did well, they performed probably to their max in those conditions,” said Vlad. 

Three women qualified to finals: Nick, Vinecki and Ashley Caldwell. Caldwell ended the night in 11th. Dani Loeb finished 15th and Megan Smallhouse finished 25th. 

On the men’s side Chris Lillis was the only American to qualify for finals. He laid down a solid full full double-full in the first round, qualifying to the second round in third. In his last jump, a double-full full full, he looked long and straight in the air, but unfortunately did not stick the landing. “Chris performed a crazy, nice jump but unfortunately did not land,” said Vlad. “But he will be there. He’s got the talent and the ability and we should see him on the podium again this season.” Lillis ended the night in sixth. 

Russia's Maxim Burov continued his win streak, with his sixth first place of the season. Russia's Stanislav Nikitin came in second and Canada's Lewis Irving came in third. 

Eric Loughran finished just outside of finals qualification in 13th, Quinn Dehlinger in 25th, and Justin Schoenefeld in 31st.

“We made it through these three weeks and are so happy to be returning home to compete,” said Vlad. “It’s been a challenging time and I’m very proud of this team for pushing through all of the extra stress to perform the way they have.”

Nick is especially excited to get that big green salad she’s been craving. “I’m very excited for the food back home. It will definitely include a big salad. Maybe even some green juice,” she added slyly.

The team will pack their bags and board planes home to America on Sunday. They are thrilled to be competing on home snow for the 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International FIS Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort Feb. 2-6. The Feb. 6 Aerials World Cup marks the first Olympic qualifying event for any discipline across U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Due to COVID-19, this year’s competitions are closed to spectators. 

RESULTS
Women's Aerials
Men's Aerials
 

In a fast and chaotic World Cup classic mass start in Falun, Sweden, Saturday, Jessie Diggins and Gus Schumacher led the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team. Diggins was seventh in the women’s 10k, while Schumacher was 29th in the men’s 15k.

Once again the athletes were treated to a cold, hard and fast track that unlike Friday's individual freestyle races, featured numerous crashes and mishaps due to the mass start. In the men’s race, Schumacher got tangled up on a short climb around the 4k mark and fell back to the 46th position in the three-lap race.

"I got stepped on by the guy behind me," Schumacher said. "Kinda crazy it didn’t happen more because of how tight that pack was."

Midway through the second lap, World Cup leader Alexander Bolshunov went down in a high-speed corner that scattered the field. Bolshunov jumped back into the race and Schumacher was able to ride his gravy train and weave his way back into the top 30.

In a remarkable display of athleticism, Bolshunov outsprinted Norway’s Johannes Klaebo and Paal Goldberg for the win. Klaebo was second and Goldberg third. Hunter Wonders, competing in only his fourth World Cup, skied an outstanding race to post a career-best 36th. Adam Martin was 57th; David Norris 60th; Ian Torchia 64th; and Scott Patterson 65th.

In the women’s 10, Diggins went with the first surge by Norway’s Therese Johaug as she pushed the pace.

"Today was awesome as this course had a lot of power striding," Diggins said. "We had really competitive skis, and I actually have been loving how cold it is because when it’s cold like this I feel like I can just keep pushing and pushing my body!"

With the lead group cut down to 10, Sweden’s Ebba Andersson and Linn Svhan pressured Johaug, but unfortunately, Andersson overcooked a tight right-hand corner and fell. That left the door open for Svahn, who is one of the best sprinters in the world, to dive to the inside of Johaug on the second to last corner and open a lead, which she held all the way to the line for her eighth individual World Cup victory. Russia’s Yulia Stupak was second, followed by Johaug in third.

Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, racing in only her second World Cup of the season, posted another solid result, finishing 15th. Rosie Brennan was 33rd; Katharine Ogden 42nd; Sophia Laukli 50th; Caitlin Patterson 51st; and Alayna Sonneysn 56th.

"After spending 11 months away from racing, this weekend has been particularly fun to just kind of re-remember how this works," Maubet Bjornsen said. "I haven't yet raced without spectators, and I will say it is a different feeling. It almost feels like a super serious summertime trial. You hear your coaches cheering more than ever, which is kind of fun in a new way! It kind of takes racing back to the core, which is special."

Sunday’s classic sprint wraps up three days of World Cup racing in Falun. Next weekend, the World Cup tour moves to Ulricehamn, Sweden, for a freestyle sprint and team sprint, Feb. 5-6.

Diggins continues to lead the overall World Cup standings, with Stupak in second and Brennan in third. Diggins also leads the World Cup distance standings with four distance races remaining on the 2020-21 World Cup schedule.

RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

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

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Sunday, Jan. 31
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men's and Women's Sprints - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Peacock

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Isabella “Bella” Wright once again led the crew in super-G, grabbing 29th—her sixth-straight points-scoring FIS Ski World Cup result—on a balmy day in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 

Norway’s Kajsa Lie Vickhoff started bib two and had what looked like it might be an unbeatable run...until Switzerland’s Lara Gut came down into the lead, by a whopping .68 seconds. Rounding out the podium in somewhat of a surprise finish, was neighbor to the north, Alpine Canada’s Marie-Michele Gagnon, .93 seconds back in third. Gagnon, also known as “Mitch,” started bib 29th and crossed the finish line in third, saying to the camera “I didn’t expect that!” 

Gagnon, who also is U.S. Ski Team athlete Travis Ganong’s longtime girlfriend, hasn’t been on the podium since 2016 when she won the alpine combined at Soldeu, Andorra. This is her first super-G podium. Gut, on the other hand, is no stranger to the podium, claiming her third-straight super-G victory and her third super-G victory at Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It was Vickhoff’s maiden World Cup podium. 

Wright continues to show consistency, scoring her sixth-straight World Cup points-scoring finish, but she’s hungry for more and is looking forward to another opportunity in super-G on Sunday. The classic speed series in Garmisch was supposed to feature a downhill and a super-G, but Mother Nature had other plans. Warm temperatures, rain at the bottom, and snow at the top wreaked havoc on the Kandahar track. Despite challenging conditions, the organizers were able to prep the slope well for Saturday’s super-G and the athletes are happy to have gotten a race off at all. That said, Breezy Johnson—who has four podium finishes this year in downhill—was looking forward to skiing downhill on one of her favorite tracks. 

“I was definitely looking forward to Garmisch because it’s one of my favorite downhill tracks,” Johnson said after her 34th in Saturday’s super-G. “It’s where I got my first top-five, and my first points, so it means a lot to me. With the weather, it just wasn’t really possible, and I’m glad that we got something off at all. Mentally, it’s kind of good to focus on super-G for a weekend, but I like to switch up the tracks and I like skiing all of the different downhill tracks...so having one less downhill in the season is kind of a bummer. Hopefully, they’ll make up the race in Val di Fassa.”

Johnson’s eyes are still on the prize, and she’s looking to climb that podium on the big stage at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. “I don’t know that it changes my mentality going into World Champs at all, but I’m definitely very eager to get to Cortina,” she added. 

Also starting for the Americans on Saturday were AJ Hurt in 39th, Jackie Wiles in 41st, and Laurenne Ross—who did not finish, but is OK and skied down. 

The women will take on super-G once again on Sunday, weather permitting, which will be their final race prior to World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Oh, and speaking of speed in Cortina...we spy defending super-G World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin training some super-G lately. Psyched!

 

 

 

 

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RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 30
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - same-day broadcast, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Jan. 31
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Chamonix, FRA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Chamonix, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Chamonix, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
 

U.S. Freeski teammates Aaron Blunck and Birk Irving rose to the occasion under Friday night lights on day one of X Games Aspen. Blunck took silver after receiving medical clearance to compete only three weeks ago and Irving claimed his first X Games podium taking home the bronze. 

Despite crushing his own expectations and earning his third X Games medal, Blunck could not help but reflect on the bigger picture. 

“It’s incredible to have the opportunity to return to competition and bring back a bit of normalcy to the world,” he said in a calming voice as the adrenaline started to subside. “The pandemic has been hard for a lot of people and it’s made me feel privileged to be able to do what we do. I want to share a big thank you to Aspen and X Games for being so hospitable and welcoming us to town despite the difficult circumstances.”

Blunck did not just recover from minor injuries. His crash in October at Saas-Fee, Switzerland resulted in a grade three laceration on his kidney, a broken pelvis, six broken ribs, and a sprained wrist. In addition, both his lungs and heart were bruised. When asked about his recovery process and his vision for his first event back, it was clear he surprised himself.

“I didn’t get the ok to compete until about three weeks ago, so just being able to be here, skiing with good friends, and watching everyone throw down was amazing,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without all my fellow competitors and teammates who have pushed me and got me back to where I want to be sooner than I ever could have expected.”

Following the event, Irving reflected on the challenge of carrying momentum from last season, and the work ethic that allowed him to stand atop his first X Games podium. 

“We all knew we would eventually be able to come back to competition, but we didn’t know when,” said Irving. “I tried to do my best to keep the momentum flowing from last year, but it wasn’t easy. I did my best to stay motivated and train for a day like today and an event like X Games. Honestly, I think I have never trained or worked as hard as I have over the past few weeks. I pushed myself as much as I possibly could. I knew I had to keep up with everyone’s pace of progression. Being on the podium for the first time at X Games with two legends like Aaron (Blunck) and Nico (Porteous) is a dream come true.”
 

Kiwi Nico Porteous took gold with no shortage of show-stopping maneuvers. Porteous landed consecutive 1620’s, a never been done combination in the halfpipe. 

For the women, China’s Eileen Gu topped the podium becoming the first X Games rookie to ever win gold in the superpipe. Canada’s Cassie Sharpe and Rachael Karker earned the silver and bronze, respectively. 

Women’s freeski big air also went down on Friday with Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland taking gold. After crashing on her first attempt, Gremaud rallied on her second attempt to land the first double cork 1440 in the women’s freeski competition. Canada’s Megan Oldham earned silver, and China’s Eileen Gu the bronze. U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Caroline Claire also had a strong day finishing fourth, landing a perfect switch double cork 900 and even more impressive switch double cork 1080. 

X Games freeski action continues tomorrow with women’s slopestyle and men’s big air. Tune in to watch your favorite U.S. Freeski Team athletes as they battle for their spot on the podium. 

REPLAYS
Women’s halfpipe finals
Men’s halfpipe finals
Women’s freeski big air

RESULTS
Women’s halfpipe finals
Men’s halfpipe finals
Women’s freeski big air

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Saturday, Jan. 30
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski slopestyle, men’s snowboard slopestyle, women’s snowboard big air, women’s ski big air** - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s snowboard superpipe, men’s ski big air* - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 31
1:00 p.m. - Men’s ski slopestyle, women’s snowboard slopestyle**, Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Men’s snowboard superpipe, men’s snowboard big air, ski knuckle huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

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Double-Olympic gold medalist and the most decorated woman in X Games history Jamie Anderson earned her 18th X Games Medal, her seventh gold in snowboard slopestyle, Friday at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. 

The oldest in the women’s snowboard slopestyle field at 30 years-old, Anderson continues to find the drive and push her limits. 

“I think I’m continuously motivated by all the girls I ride with,” said Anderson. “I don’t know when I’m going to retire. I kind of thought this might be my last season. I don’t know! I’m taking things one day at a time and mixing it up. We don’t have a lot of events this year, so I feel really happy to be here and to try to ride my best.”
 

For someone who mentioned they are on the tail end of their competitive career, her weekend schedule doesn’t resemble that of an athlete who is winding down. Slopestyle was the beginning of a hectic X Games program for Anderson. She’s the only woman snowboarder competing in three disciplines including slopestyle, big air, and knuckle huck. Funnily enough, according to X Games, the last woman that competed in three snowboard disciplines at a single X Games was Anderson half her life ago at 15 years old. 

Throughout all of this, she remains humble, grounded, and an advocate for women’s snowboarding. 

“I’m honestly speechless,” said Anderson immediately following the competition. “I feel grateful and so proud of all of the girls. Zoe’s (Sadowski-Synott) last run was flawless and all the riders continue to inspire me. After all, I can’t believe we are here in the middle of a global pandemic. We definitely missed the fans, but it was definitely a bit more chill, which I actually like. Less work and obligations, just sleep, eat, and snowboard.”

New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synott finished second and Canadian Laurie Blouin rounded out the podium in third. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Julia Marino just missed the podium finishing in fourth place. Teammate Hailey Langland did not start due to a crash in training. 

Later in the evening, Dusty Henricksen earned knuckle huck gold in his first-ever X Games appearance. Henricksen will ring his 18th birthday on Monday with some new hardware courtesy of X Games. 

"I didn't think things were going to go my way tonight, but I am so stoked they did," said Henricksen still in awe. "It was amazing to kick-off my first X Games experience with an event that's all about having fun."
 

X Games snowboard action continues tomorrow with men’s slopestyle, women’s big air, and women’s snowboard superpipe. Tune in to watch your favorite U.S. Snowboard Team athletes as they pursue X Games glory. 

REPLAYS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Snowboard knuckle huck

RESULTS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Snowboard knuckle huck
 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Saturday, Jan. 30
1:00 p.m. - Women’s ski slopestyle, men’s snowboard slopestyle, women’s snowboard big air, women’s ski big air** - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:00 p.m. - Men’s ski big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s snowboard superpipe, men’s ski big air* - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 31
1:00 p.m. - Men’s ski slopestyle, women’s snowboard slopestyle**, Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Men’s snowboard superpipe, men’s snowboard big air, ski knuckle huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

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Jessie Diggins went all in physically, and mentally, to win Friday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup 10k freestyle individual start in Falun, Sweden. And she did it against a stacked field of competitors!

“I had to be thinking every single second: ‘how can I take this corner, and this corner over here,’” Diggins said after posting a winning time of 23 minutes, 35 seconds. Edging Norway’s Therese Johaug, who finished second, by just 2.1 seconds. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson was third at 14.6 second back. “Some people make skiing look easy; I think I make it look really painful. I wish I made it look pretty, but I just...it’s hard. But for me, my strength is in my head. Just pushing every single second and for me, the goal is to always cross the finish line and feel like I have nothing left. And I did that today!”

Diggins' victory led another outstanding day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team with five athletes finishing in the top 15. Rosie Brennan was eighth, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen - racing in her first World Cup this season - was 10th. Sophia Laukli was 41st; Caitlin Patterson 42nd; Katharine Ogden 48th; Julia Kern 55th; and Alayna Sonnesyn was 58th.

“I love individual start races so I wanted to start hard and see what my body had in it as we move further away from the Tour de Ski,” Brennan said. “My body felt better than last week so things are coming along and on track for being in top shape for the World Championships (Feb. 22-March 7).”

"Wow, what a surprise!" Maubet Bjornsen said of her top-10 result. "I really wasn't sure what to expect today, but I can't say I was expecting to race top 10. While things have been so amazing this winter, and I have felt in better shape than ever, I have been working through a back injury the last five weeks that has left my preparation for hitting World Cup far from perfect. But, I will gladly take this as a starting point, and look forward to using the next few weeks of racing to build towards World Champs!"

In the men’s 15k freestyle individual start, Gus Schumacher posted an impressive ninth-place finish, and Scott Patterson finished a World Cup career-best in the freestyle distance discipline in 15th. Schumacher was also the second U23 athlete, which bodes well for him as he prepares for the Junior/U23 FIS Nordic World Championships which get underway on Feb. 9 in Vuokatti, Finland. Simi Hamilton was 32nd; David Norris 40th; Hunter Wonders 52nd; and Kevin Bolger was 61st. 

Schumacher and Scott Patterson are leading a renaissance for the U.S. men in distance skiing - and both are finding time in the leader’s chair. At just 20-years-old, Schumacher is quickly establishing himself as a top-10 contender.

"I felt strong, the course was solid and it was cold out there, but I stayed nice and warm," Schumacher said. "Some icy corners, I definitely had an RCS-level save (referring to his U.S.Ski and Snowboard Land Rover Alpine Ski Team teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle), but I'm feeling quite good aerobically, and it was fun to have some pop and quick recoveries at sea level."

Meanwhile, Scott Patterson, who just celebrated his 29th birthday Thursday has rebounded from a couple of disappointing seasons, climbing the results list all season. Friday’s race proved to be just what he needed to take another step.

“Conditions were pretty spectacular today,” he said. “It was cold and sunny with firm tracks on to start. The top layer started breaking a little big making some of the corners a little tricky later in the race. I really focused on skiing powerfully through the flats and gradual uphills and I think that worked well. It was sweet to spend a long time in the leader's chair and when I was eventually unseated, have it done by a teammate.”

With five World Cup distance races remaining this season, Schumacher currently sits 21st overall. Scott Patterson is 39th overall, just 19 points outside the top 30. In the overall World Cup standings, Schumacher is the top American in 27th.

Diggins extended her lead in the women’s World Cup overall standings as she leads Brennan, who sits second, by 235 points. Diggins also leads the World Cup distance standings, with Brennan in third.

Up next, a mass-start 10k classic for the women and a 15k classic for the men Saturday in Falun.

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

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

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EST
Saturday, Jan. 30
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men's 15k Classic Mass Start - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Peacock
8:45 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Women's 10k Classic Mass Start - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 31
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men and Women's Classic Sprint - LIVE, Falun, SWE, Streaming Peacock

Two bluebird days in Winter Park, Colo. provided a perfect backdrop for the 2021 iteration of U.S. Freestyle Selections Jan. 27-28. Although a shorter program than usual due to COVID-19, there was no lack of talent and skill on course. Extensive testing, symptom monitoring and sanitization practices allowed the nation's mogul programs to come together and run a successful two days of competition. 

Historically, U.S. Freestyle Selections provides the pathway for athletes to qualify for the NorAm Tour and domestic World Cup starts. New this year, however, top development-level athletes are able to pre-qualify for NorAm starts and use Selections as an opportunity to focus on pushing themselves on course to achieve a coveted Deer Valley World Cup start. "It allows those top-level athletes who did well to focus more for World Cup starts without a negative impact towards NorAm starts," explained U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Cup Moguls Coach Joe Discoe. 

Winter Park set athletes up for success with a well-built course that allowed skiers to lay it all in the bumps. "There were some tricky sections that kept competition interesting," noted Discoe. "Those who were able to perform and hold their technique were the ones who showed up on the top of the podium. The development field is looking super strong. There were multiple different clubs putting contenders out there for the NorAm and World Cup. It was a battle to the end of the event for those domestic starts. It was fun to see that much of a challenge being put up."

U.S. Ski Team member Olivia Giaccio, having just returned to competition in December, laid it down both days to win back-to-back. On Jan. 27 she shared the podium with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail's Elizabeth Lemley in second and U.S. Ski Team member Avital Carroll in third. Carroll earned her second podium of the event with a second place on Jan. 28 and U.S. Ski Team member Kenzie Radway came in third. 

On the men's side on Jan. 27 U.S. Ski Team member Joel Hedrick, in his first competition back from injury, came in first, U.S. Ski Team member Jesse Andringa took second and Wasatch Freestyle's Ian Beauregard came in third. Andringa topped the podium on Jan. 28, Beauregard took second and Steamboat Winter Sports Club's Wyatt Antkiewicz came in third. 

Being able to run development events such as U.S. Freestyle Selections is critical in identifying up-and-coming talent for those seeking to make the U.S. Ski Team. Without the support of the wintersports community, especially resorts this season, none of that would be possible. "Winter Park put on a great competition," said Discoe. "Thanks to the resort, the judges, and staff for hosting."

RESULTS
Jan. 27, Women's Moguls
Jan. 27, Men's Moguls
Jan. 28, Women's Moguls
Jan. 28, Men's Moguls
 

Before a weekend full of racing across Europe, the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team gathered virtually with hosts and U.S. Ski Team alumni Daron Rahlves and AJ Kitt for their annual fundraiser, raising a record-breaking number of over $330,000.00.

Every year, athletes use this fundraiser as a means to help offset travel and training costs. Unfortunately, this year there was no in-person gathering at Yama sushi in Vail, Colo. hosted by generous U.S. Ski Team supporters, the Viola Family, but instead, a virtual event hosted through Facebook Live. Although the annual gathering at Yama Sushi was missed, going virtual had its benefits as alpine supporters from across the globe had the opportunity to join us for this event. 

Rahlves and Kitt started off the event by talking about what support meant during their careers and then they were joined by a few members of the men’s team, including Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Sam Morse, Bryce Bennett, and Jared Goldberg, and the women’s team, featuring Breezy Johnson, Jackie Wiles, and Isabella Wright. Each athlete shared how they were feeling about their upcoming races and how donor support has fueled their ability to focus on their training rather than being overwhelmed, worrying about fundraising. 

Those who watched were encouraged to give a donation, while those who were unable to virtually attend had the option to donate online and/or bid on unique auction items, including double Olympic champion and five-time World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin's own personal Atomic helmet, as well as one of her former race bibs. Through donations and the silent auction, the Team had a record year, raising over $330,000.00! These gifts have a direct impact on our mission of supporting athletes in achieving excellence and becoming Best in the World. 

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team is now gearing up for an exciting weekend of racing with the men’s team competing in Chamonix, France, and the women in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. If you missed the virtual event click here to watch!  

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation is the non-profit fundraising arm of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. To support our athletes on their quest to become the Best in the World, please click the donation link below. 

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