The 2024-25 international junior competition season has officially wrapped, and the United States brought home the 2025 freestyle Marc Hodler Trophy, awarded to the nation with the best cumulative results across all FIS Junior World Championship freestyle events. This is the eighth win for the United States since 2014. The U.S. won by just seven points over the second-place nation, China, which dominated the aerials events, while the U.S. athlete shone in moguls and ski cross. 

The action began earlier this season with the freestyle moguls and aerials Junior World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In moguls, the team was led by Porter Huff, who finished fourth and Abby McLarnon, who also took fourth. On duals day, the women were on fire finishing in second, third, fourth and seventh place with Reese Chapdelaine and Abby McLarnon taking silver and bronze. The event came to a close with the dual moguls team event, where Jiah Cohen and Reese Chapdelaine (USA 2) took home gold and Anabel Ayad and Chase Littlefield (USA 3) rounded out the podium in third place. At the end of the events in Almaty, the U.S. sat second in the trophy standings behind China. 

The best junior ski cross athletes flocked to Isola, France at the beginning of April to wrap up their season with ski cross and ski cross team events. Morgan Shute continued her international tear in women's ski cross with a third-place performance, becoming the first U.S. ski cross athlete to earn a Junior World Championships medal since 2018. Her podium moving the U.S. ahead of China in the overall standings. However, the battle for the trophy wasn’t done yet, and it all came down to the ski cross team event, where the U.S. finished in ninth place to earn two points and secure the 2025 Marc Hodler Trophy. 

HIGHLIGHTS

(Hometown; Club; Date of Birth)

• Gold, dual moguls team - Reese Chapdelaine (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/3/2005), Jiah Cohen (Minturn, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 05/28/2006)
• Silver, dual moguls - Reese Chapdelaine (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/3/2005)
• Bronze, dual moguls - Abby McLarnon (Steamboat Springs, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/16/2006)
• Bronze, dual moguls team - Anabel Ayad (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 9/1/2005), Chase Littlefield (Yarmouth, ME; Wasatch Freestyle; 3/9/2006)
• Bronze, ski cross - Morgan Shute (Allendale, NJ; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 9/13/2006)

RESULTS

Women’s moguls
Men’s moguls

Women’s dual moguls
Men’s dual moguls

Dual moguls team

Women’s ski cross
Men’s ski cross

Ski cross team

Marc Hodler Trophy standings

2025 Hybrid Club Excellence Conference

“The Power of Team” 

• Thursday, May 15th, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM + Post-Conference Reception until 6:30 pm
• Friday, May 16th, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM

This year’s conference will be held at the Westgate Resort & Spa in Park City, UT, from Thursday, May 15 - Friday, May 16, 2025. The venue also hosts the 2025 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress (May 12-16), providing an exciting opportunity to be part of a larger sports community gathering. There will also be a virtual option for those who are unable to make it in person and all sessions will be recorded so you can view them at a later date if you cannot make the live sessions. Whether you're joining us onsite or logging in remotely, get ready to dive into a world of practical insights and collaborative opportunities across all disciplines. 

• CLUB EXCELLENCE PRESENTATION SPEAKERS, TITLES & DESCRIPTIONS
   
• Congress & Club Excellence Schedule 
   
• REGISTRATION OPTIONS

You must be subscribed to the Sport Education Academy (SEA) to register. We cannot accommodate group registrations, please register individually for the conference. Prior to selecting a registration link below, please ensure that you are logged in to the Sport Education Academy and presently subscribed at the corresponding tier (i.e. the GOLD SEA SUBSCRIBER link will only work if you currently have a Gold subscription). 

• ​​Here are directions on upgrading your SEA subscription from Silver to Gold. Upgrade SEA Subscription Directions
• Here is the voucher code you can use:: UPGRADEGOLD25

IN-PERSON OPTIONS

*Includes continental breakfast on both days, lunch, and a post-conference reception, raffle, and networking on Thursday. 

• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - IN PERSON - GOLD SEA SUBSCRIBER - $100.00
• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - IN PERSON - SILVER SEA SUBSCRIBER - $150.00
• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - IN PERSON - BRONZE SEA SUBSCRIBER - $200.00
   

LODGING INFORMATION 

• The Westgate Resort and Spa, 3000 Canyons Resort Dr, Park City, UT. 84098
•  Book your discounted hotel rooms here

VIRTUAL OPTIONS - ZOOM

• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - VIRTUAL - GOLD SEA SUBSCRIBER - Free
• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - VIRTUAL - SILVER SEA SUBSCRIBER - $50.00
• 2025 Club Excellence Conference - VIRTUAL - BRONZE SEA SUBSCRIBER - $100.00

CERTIFIED COACHES CONTINUING EDUCATION 

Get ahead on next year’s Continuing Education (CE) requirement! Certified coaches (Level 100 or higher) may meet the 2025-26 CE requirement in FULL by participating in this conference.

• Attendee participation is recorded automatically and will be added to your coach education records this summer. 
• Our normal CE calendar is July 1 - June 30. The annual Club Excellence Conference is a special exception that allows coaches to get ahead on CE credits for the coming season. Online and external CE completed in May/June otherwise applies to the previous season’s requirement.
• Please note all sessions will be recorded so if you are interested in registering for the sessions but cannot make the live dates, register for the virtual option and we will provide you with all of the webinar recordings, all of the resources, and you will still qualify for continuing education credits.
• Attendance will earn you 10 continuing education credits to keep your coach certification current for the 2025-26 season. 

Thank you to our Title Sponsor, World Cup Supply, for making this conference possible.

We hope you will join us! 

Best,
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Sport Education
sporteducation@usskiandsnowboard.org

In the final FIS snowboard cross World Cup of the 2024-25 season and first official qualifier for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team’s Nathan Pare earned his first career World Cup podium with a third place finish at Mt. St. Anne.

Pare found himself in an unfamiliar spot during Thursday’s qualifications, leaving it up to his second run to earn a spot in finals. An aggressive second run earned him the 26th fastest time of the day and a coveted spot in Friday’s big show and the young American looked to redeem himself infrant of the loud Canadian 

Joining pare in the round of eight finals was top American qualifier Senna Leith, with the 10th fastest time in qualifications, Olympic Gold medalist Nick Baumgartner and Olympian Jake Vedder. Leith and Baumgartner were taken out in the first round of heats but Pare and Vedder kept the American hopes alive, making it all the way through to the quarterfinal round where the two teammates were forced to race in the same heat. Pare bested veteran Vedder to take second place in the heat and moved to the round of semis, where another second place results set up the 20 year old for the first World Cup big final of his career. Up against the likes of Austria’s Jakob Dusek and Canada’s Eliot Grondin, Pare took to the start gate and put on a show, racing toe-to-toe with the world’s best riders and edging out France’s Loan Bozzolo for a spot on the podium.

Earning such an accomplishment at the Mt. St. Anne track is special for Pare, who won the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year honor at the same track last season despite not being able to race in the World Cup due to a broken jaw.

“This race is so special and it means so much to podium here after last season,” said the Maine native. “It made me so hungry to come back and crush it this year and to have my friends, family and everyone who has supported me my whole life here to watch me earn my first podium- it just means everything”

The Canadian double header caps off a successful season for the snowboard cross team, who will now take a well deserved break before heading into summer training camps ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The annual Stifel Awards were handed out to the nine recipients at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel. The awards honor athletes and staff from the season ranging from best comeback to rookie of the year and staff member of the year. 

The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes voted on the categories through two rounds of voting and each winner received a $1,000 check - made possible by Stifel. 

“The recipients of this year's awards are well deserved. Whether it was an impressive comeback story or just a valued member of our team, it is a great way to cap off a successful and long season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty.

o Best Comeback (Men): Bridger Gile

Gile has been plagued with back problems for the last several years. This season, he was able to manage the pain and complete a full season, during which he scored his first World Cup points in giant slalom. 

o Best Comeback (Women): Breezy Johnson

Johnson has had a difficult past few seasons but overcame the challenges to capture golds in downhill and the team combined at the World Championships. Johnson then went on to capture another World Cup podium in Kvitfjell. 

o Most Improved (Men): Ben Ritchie

Ritchie has always shown promise in slalom, but this season he catapulted himself to new success. Ritchie scored multiple personal bests and ended the season in his best slalom rank to date, capping off the season with a new personal best at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals. 

o Most Improved (Women): Lauren Macuga

Macuga has had an incredible breakout season on the World Cup circuit, including a World Cup win and a World Championships medal. It was a huge improvement from the previous season when her best result was fifth place. 

o Rookie of the Year (Men): Stanley Buzek

Buzek consistently showed strength in slalom as a young rookie and this season was no different. Buzek helped lead the Junior Worlds team to two medals with his talent in the team parallel and team event. 

o Rookie of the Year (Women): Elisabeth Bocock

Bocock continued to impress this season on the World Cup tour, claiming personal bests and a top-10 World Cup result in giant slalom. 

o Athlete of the Year (Men): Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Cochran-Siegle is always a speed skier to watch. He continued his build this season with a strong start in Val Gardena where he garnered another podium result in downhill.

o Athlete of the Year (Women): Lauren Macuga

Macuga has had a laudable breakout season on the World Cup circuit, which included a World Cup win and a World Championships medal. 

o Staff Member of the Year: Zan Spilar

Spilar, the women’s tech World Cup coach, took on a huge load this season and did it with confidence and grace. His athletes and the alpine program appreciate Spilar and his efforts.

Freeski halfpipe finals marked the of end of an exciting two weeks in Engadin, Switzerland, for the 2025 FIS Ski Freestyle World Championships. Nick Goepper walked away with his first halfpipe World Champs medal, finishing second, and Alex Ferreira finished third.

Goepper is not a stranger to the pressure of World Champs, with two previous slopestyle podiums in 2013 and 2019. However, this result was Goepper's first in the halfpipe discipline and his highest World Champs finish ever. Goepper finished the day with a 94.00 on run 2, after a crash score on his first run. He impressed the judges with back-to-back double cork 1620s and finishing the run with his signature bone air 900. Ferreira finished third, tying his best result at a World Champs (he was also third in Bakuriani 2023), with a 92.50 on run one. He capped his run off with the classic double cork 1620 blunt and celebratory pole swings that got the crowd going. The Kiwi phenom, Finley Melville-Ives took home the gold after scoring a 96.00. Hunter Hess also had a great performance, finishing fifth, and impressing the crowd and judges alike with his left misty 720 mute. David Wise finished 11th, unable to put down a clean run in finals.

On the women's side, Svea Irving was the top finisher for the U.S. women in fifth. Irving put down two clean runs, highlighted by her left 1080 safety on her last hit. Kate Gray finished tenth, putting down the first bone air by a woman in competition. Great Britain's Zoe Atkin secured her first World Championship gold, with China's Fanghui Li in second and Canada's Cassie Sharpe in third.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team is now officially on summer vacation. They are looking forward to enjoying their off season with training camps, time in the gym, and even more skiing.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The 2025 FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships came to a spectacular end with the individual aerials event, where Kaila Kuhn shocked the world, and herself to become the 2025 World Champion. Quinn Dehlinger followed it up with a silver medal, going back-to-back in the individual event. This comes just two days after their team event gold medal alongside Chris Lillis. 

The event followed the Olympic format, including an extra qualification jump and extra finals jump. In the qualification round, athletes who finished in the top six in the first jump automatically qualified for finals. Five U.S. athletes achieved this feat, allowing them to sit out the second qualification jump to save energy for finals the next day. Dehlinger led the way for the men taking the top qualification spot with a beautifully executed double full full full - his signature jump. Chris Lillis and Connor Curran also advanced from the first round, finishing in fifth and sixth, respectively. On the women’s side, Dani Loeb led the U.S. qualifying in fourth followed by Kuhn in fifth. 

Finals day brought the return of the sunshine in St. Moritz, along with off and on gusty winds that kept things interesting for the athletes. Many of the women struggled in finals on their first jump, including the U.S.. After jump one, Loeb sat in eighth and Kuhn in 10th. The women knew they would have to be on their A game to advance to the super finals. Kuhn went back to the top and threw a lay full full, and even with a slapback on the landing, was enough to earn her a spot in the super finals. Loeb finished 11th.

Dehlinger threw down one of the best jumps of his life in finals, scoring a huge 129.21, earning perfect air and landing scores. With his fantastic jump one, Dehlinger took his second jump as a mini victory lap, throwing a full full full, qualifying in first for the super finals. Lillis unfortunately was just bumped out of super finals, finishing seventh. Curran finished 10th overall. 

The women’s super finals were full of surprises, including some of the best in the world not living up to expectations. Marion Thenault of Canada was the top qualifier with a sticky full full full but she was not able to execute in the super finals, finishing fifth. This opening was all Kuhn needed to know that she could do anything she set her mind to, including winning a gold medal. Kuhn was the third athlete to go in the super finals and threw a lay full full, a trick she has only landed in competition for the first time recently. Kuhn landed the jump and went into first place with a score of 105.13. The athletes left to go were the best of the best, but no matter what they did, they were unable to dethrone Kuhn, earning her first individual World Championships podium and win. 

“This is the biggest surprise; I couldn’t be happier,” said Kuhn. “It has been kind of a rough season for me transitioning to triples, and this couldn’t be better icing on the cake. I trained that trick [lay full full] all summer, and I decided to put it down when it counted, so I’m super excited.” 

As he was the top qualifier, Dehlinger was the last athlete of the day to drop. Right before him was Noe Roth, who as a Swiss athlete, was determined to put on a show for the home crowd. Roth threw a double full double full full and executed it perfectly, beating the all-time score record for that trick with a 143.31. Dehlinger dropped in ready to throw a double full full full. It was a jump that the U.S. will remember forever, as he secured his second individual World Championships silver medal. Every time Dehlinger has started at a World Championships, he has finished on the podium. Kuhn’s win and Dehlinger’s silver mark the best individual results for the U.S. since 2017, when Ashley Caldwell and Jonathan Lillis swept the wins in Sierra Nevada. 

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team wrapped up their slopestyle and big air season with an epic night finals at the FIS Ski Freestyle World Championships big air in Engadin, Switzerland. In a stacked field, three U.S. men threw down but just missed out on the podium, with Mac Forehand taking fourth, Troy Podmilsak fifth and Alex Hall sixth.

Forehand was the top American, finishing just one point off the podium. He wowed the judges with a switch left triple 1800 mute on run one, earning him a 94.00. Unfortunately, even with an 88.00 on run two, it wasn't enough to crack the podium. Podmilsak, who was the 2023 big air world champion, looked to defend his title, but finished fifth for the night. Hall was sixth.

New Zealand's Luca Harrington landed in the top spot with a total score of 192.00. He was joined on the podium by Finland's Elias Syriain second and Norway's Birk Ruud in third. 

The slopestyle squad is celebrating the end to a great season with two slopestyle medals already won at these World Championships, Alex Hall bringing home the 2024-25 slopestyle Crystal Globe and the team winning the FIS Park & Pipe Nations Cup.

Freeski halfpipe finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 30 at 5:00 a.m ET. Tune in at skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's big air
Men's big air

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim made history at the 2025 FIS Snowboard World Championships, earning her third career World Championships gold to match the all-time record for most world titles in women’s halfpipe snowboarding.

A wind-blown pipe and white out skies forced a two-hour delay on the women’s halfpipe final, forcing riders to anxiously await an update from event organizers on whether the contest would run. Despite significant snowfall and windy conditions, officials deemed the pipe worthy to ride and the competition was on. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team teammates Maddy Schaffrick and Maddie Mastro competed alongside Kim for the U.S.

Kim set the tone early on with a dominant first run, executing a switch double cork 1080, two back-to-back 900s, a frontside 720 and a massive switch 1080 stalefish to earn a score of 93.50. With the win locked in before her second drop, the crowd lining the pipe watched as Kim decided to forgo the victory lap and proved why she’s the most successful female rider in women’s snowboard halfpipe history, attempting to land a 1260 on her final hit, a feat she has only completed in the run that earned her the 2024 X Games gold medal.

“I wanted to take a victory lap to progress the sport and try to do the craziest run I’ve ever done,” said Kim. “I was really hoping to put that down here, but next time.”

“I was just happy I was able to land something,” Kim joked. “Today was a big mental battle for off of us- I definitely had a couple of mental breakdowns during practice.”

Mastro, the 2024-25 FIS Crystal Globe champion, put down a solid performance in her fourth career World Championships, throwing her signature double crippler and crowd pleasing Haakon flip to post an 81.00 on her second run. Despite a top-to-bottom pull, the snowy conditions and slow pipe got the best of Mastro who finished the day in sixth place behind a second to fifth Japanese sweep.

Rounding out the American women was veteran Schaffrick who held strong and put down her first attempt but slipped out on her second to take 11th place.

Japan’s Sara Shimitzu and Mitsuki Ono rounded out the women’s podium. 15-year-old Shimitzu took silver and Ono bronze.

On the men’s side of halfpipe competition, all four Americans named to the World Championship quad were set to drop, led by two-time Olympian Chase Josey who headed into finals fourth overall after earning a massive 90.00 score in qualifications. The tough riding conditions got the best of Josey, who was unable to follow up his performance in qualifications and landed in 12th overall. Olympian Lucas Foster was the top American male, ending his second career World Championships in eighth overall. 16-year-old teammate Alessandro Barbieri earned ninth and Jason Wolle 16th in their first World Championships appearance. 

The conclusion of World Championships marks the end of the 2024-25 halfpipe season. The team will return home for some well-deserved rest before heading back on the road to Aspen, Colorado for an airbag camp in April.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Less than one week after taking home the snowboard slopestyle World Championships bronze medal, 16-year-old Ollie Martin of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team backed up his podium performance with another World Championships top three, securing a bronze medal in Friday night’s big air competition.

Martin was the only American to make it through the round of qualifications and came into the big air final seeded second in a stacked field of Olympic champions and big air legends. Carrying all the weight of the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team on his back, the young American and youngest rider in the field started the night off strong with a frontside 18 mute but leveled up on his second jump, throwing a huge backside 18 indy to keep his hopes at another World Championships medal alive. 

Despite having a deep bag of tricks, Martin played it safe and chose to clean up his first jump, besting his first run score by 11 points and locking in the third place spot on the podium. With only one rider left to drop, the American watched as France’s Romain Allemand took to the St. Moritz big air jump for one final attempt. The Frenchman uncharacteristically biffed the landing, securing Martin his second World Championships podium. Martin finished behind Japanese teammates Ryoma Kimata in first and Taiga Hasegawa in second.

“It went really well,” said Martin. “I played it safe and decided not to go for anything too big, but it paid off and I snuck onto the podium.”

The accomplished rookie stepped on his first World Cup podium at the end of February, and also took bronze in the World Championships slopestyle, proving that he will be one to watch as the 2025-26 Olympic season looms in the distance.

“It feels amazing to walk away from my first World Championships with two medals,” Martin said. "I can’t imagine it going any better.”

RESULTS
Women’s big air 
Men’s big air

Sun Valley, Idaho played host to the world's best alpine ski racers for the 2025 Stifel Sun Valley Finals, marking the first time since 2017 that the season-ending event was held outside of Europe. Over seven days, fans packed the stands to witness world class alpine ski racing and immerse themselves in a festival atmosphere that spanned from the towns of Sun Valley and Ketchum to the race course. 

“The Stifel Sun Valley Finals was a fabulous event and we are thrilled with how how the community came together for such an important week and we had some great performances from our athletes,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Sun Valley was an extraordinary host and we are so appreciative of all the work that went into pulling off such a successful event. The support from the local community and our partners elevated the entire week and showcased how passionate America is for ski racing.”

The event featured four races for the top 25-ranked racers in each event: downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom. While the downhill was canceled due to weather, the sun came out the following days with spring-like conditions for the rest of the week. The races also included hotly contested fights for the FIS Crystal Globes and the Nations Cups, which are awarded to the best racers and teams of the 2024-25 season. 

Highlighting the week’s results and thrilling the packed U.S. crowd, there were two podium results for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. In the super-G, Lindsey Vonn made her historic return to the podium, finishing second. At 40 years old, Vonn became the oldest woman to podium in a World Cup race, 2,565 days after her last World Cup podium in 2018. And then, to cap off a historic season, Mikaela Shiffrin won her 101st World Cup in the slalom, continuing to reset records with every World Cup win. 

Other notable results include Ben Ritchie snagging seventh place in the men’s slalom, AJ Hurt securing a top 10 finish in eighth place in the women’s super-G and Lauren Macuga scoring giant slalom points in her debut in the event, alongside her fourth overall ranking in the downhill standings. 

A highlight of the week was the presentation of the Stifel HERoic Cup, a $50,000 award from Stifel U.S. Ski Team partner Stifel Financial, created to celebrate and support women in alpine skiing. Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland claimed the honor by accumulating the most World Cup points across the three domestic World Cup stops—Killington, Beaver Creek and Sun Valley—further solidifying her dominance this season. Gut-Behrami also swept her events this weekend, winning both the giant slalom and super-G events. 

Beyond the racing, Sun Valley embraced the World Cup Finals as a community-wide celebration of ski culture. Fans filled the venue each day, creating an electric atmosphere that extended into town with concerts, a Picabo Street statue unveiling, skijoring and other festivities. The Stifel Sun Valley Finals underscored the deep ties between the western U.S. community and the sport of skiing, with local businesses, volunteers and fans coming together to celebrate the culture of skiing. 

"We are incredibly proud of the success of this event and the overwhelming support from athletes, fans and partners who made it possible,” said Stacey Ehleringer, Stifel Sun Valley Finals local lorganizing chair. “Sun Valley has a deep-rooted passion for the sport, and we hope to build on this momentum with the goal of bringing the Finals back in 2027. The legacy of this competition will continue to inspire younger generations, and we look forward to welcoming the world’s best skiers back to our slopes in the near future."

“The Stifel Sun Valley Finals is a testament to how our community has come together, celebrating both the achievements of our athletes and the enduring legacy of Sun Valley as a premier ski destination,” said Pete Sonntag, COO of Sun Valley Resort. “With resoundingly positive feedback on the course features and construction and a deep appreciation for the sport’s rich history, this event marks an exciting chapter for the future of alpine skiing. It’s an opportunity to honor our past while uniting athletes, fans and the entire ski community in a shared passion for the sport.” 

As the first American venue to host the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in seven years, Sun Valley delivered an event that reignited the alpine ski community in the U.S. The town’s storied skiing history, combined with an outstanding venue and community support, created an unforgettable experience for athletes, families and fans. Now, the athletes will all travel back home as the 2024-25 World Cup season has officially come to an end.