U.S. Ski & Snowboard is mourning the death of Greg Boester, an Olympic ski jumper and longtime sport governance leader. He passed on December 29, 2023 at the age of 55. 

Greg grew up in Denver, learning the sport of ski jumping as a boy on the jumps at Winter Park, Colorado, and later at Steamboat Springs. He was part of a burgeoning population of young ski jumping athletes coming out of Colorado in the 1980s. His perseverance highlighted his career, weathering dramatic evolutionary changes in the sport to a radically new jumping technique. He had an immense passion for the sport throughout his life, and spoke often about how ski jumping was like flying. 

He split his high school studies between home in Denver and the ski jumps at Steamboat Springs to keep up with his training. His steadfast determination earned him a spot in the 1994 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, and the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer, Norway. 

After earning degrees from St. Lawrence University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, his business career took off with senior leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase, Citadel, Barclays and his own firm, Praesagio Partners.

He joined the Board of Directors of U.S. Ski & Snowboard (then U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association) in 1996, later becoming vice chairman. He was named a trustee of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation in 2004 and became the Board of Trustees president in 2013. His keen insights, strategic acumen and tireless efforts were instrumental in guiding the organization through pivotal moments. He believed in the power of sport to transform lives and tirelessly advocated for initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for aspiring athletes. While he retired from those roles in 2018, he remained a Trustee and an active and passionate supporter of skiing and snowboarding.

As we mourn the loss of a remarkable leader, mentor and friend, U.S. Ski & Snowboard celebrates his legacy and sends its deepest condolences to Greg’s family, community and loved ones. We remember the joy he brought to many lives and the indelible mark he left on the ski and snowboard community.

In lieu of flowers, Greg's family has asked for donations in his honor to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation.

The Tour de Ski continued today with an exciting skate sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Jessie Diggins claimed her spot on the podium for the third time this tour, finishing in third place, while Gus Schumacher was just off the podium in fourth - a career-best result. Diggins maintains her lead in the overall standings, while Schumacher rose to fourth place overall.

The first stage in Davos and the fourth stage overall kicked off with more ski racing, featuring a lively skate sprint in the sunny mountain town with fans filling the sprint course to cheer. In the qualifier round, seven Americans, including Diggins, Sammy Smith, Julia Kern, Rosie Brennan, Zanden McMullen, Schumacher and Kevin Bolger, advanced to the heats. Notably, it was McMullen's first time qualifying for the heats in his World Cup career.

The challenging course included a long approach to a steep hill, a fast downhill stretch and a sharp, technical right-hand turn. The strategy was clear – go hard from the start and maintain the effort until crossing the finish line.

Into the quarterfinal heats, where to advance, athletes must be top two in their heat, or hold one of the two third fastest times (commonly referred to as the “lucky loser”), Diggins won her heat, Kern was second, and Schumacher became the lucky loser to secure a place in the semis. Brennan, Smith, Bolger and McMullen did not advance.

In the semifinals, Diggins once again won her heat and Schumacher put the hammer down to post a fast time to secure the lucky loser position again and punch his ticket to his first-ever final sprint round.

As the sun set over the mountains, the final race unfolded with USA staff lining the finish stretch with the stadium lights illuminating the course and flame-throwing pyrotechnics decorating the stadium. Diggins showcased tactical moves, up and down the course and ultimately finished third behind Sweden's Linn Svahn and Norway's Kristine Skistad. For the men, Schumacher finished fourth, securing his career-best result in the process. His previous top sprint result was 18th place. 

Smith and McMullen also had career-best results, finishing in 22nd and 25th, respectively.

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team continues to excel, thanks to the athletes' incredible efforts and the dedicated staff working behind the scenes. The team looks forward to the 20k classic pursuit Thursday in Davos before heading to Val di Fiemme, Italy for the final two stages of the 2024 Tour de Ski. Heading into stage five with a podium in every stage so far, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is establishing itself as the team to beat.

RESULTS
Women
Men

TOUR DE SKI OVERALL STANDINGS
Women
Men

New Hampshire’s Waterville Resort, the birthplace of freestyle skiing, has announced that tickets for the United Airlines Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by ID One USA are now available for purchase at waterville.com. On January 26-27, Waterville will host the best men’s and women’s moguls skiers in the world for a set of moguls and dual moguls events. Olympic silver medalist Jaelin Kauf and top-ranking American Nick Page are both set to compete alongside New England natives Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar, who have both found themselves on the podium this season. 

Festivities kick off Friday morning with the single moguls qualifications slated to begin at 9:10 am ET, followed by dual moguls on Saturday. The festival village will also be open during competition. 

The event will feature an athlete bib presentation and autograph signing on Friday night. No ticket is required for the Friday night activities, which are free to the public.

Spectator Ticket - $10 Fri / $20 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup arena, lift ticket not included

Foot Passenger Ticket - $20 Fri / $20 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup arena, Valley Run lift ticket included (access to the World Cup arena via Valley Run Quad). 
• Ride up Valley Run Quad as a foot passenger. From the top of Valley Run Quad, you can walk to the arena by following a short path. 
• Lift ticket is limited to Valley Run Quad and is not valid on any other aerial or surface lifts. 

VIP Ticket - $250 Fri / $250 Sat

• Admission to the World Cup VIP Tent, including premier viewing area, access to VIP cash bar, complimentary continental breakfast, lunch buffet and snacks.
• One (1) Priority Parking Pass
• Includes full mountain lift ticket for skiing/snowboarding. You also have the option to ride up and down the mountain on the Valley Run Quad as a foot passenger. 

BUY TICKETS HERE

On the third stage of the 2023-24 Tour de Ski, Jessie Diggins clinched her 17th career World Cup victory in the 20k pursuit, maintaining her firm grip on the overall Tour de Ski standings. Meanwhile, Gus Schumacher secured his first top 10 result of the season to solidify his 10th place position in the overall Tour de Ski standings. Each of the first three Tour stages in Toblach, Italy featured a Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete on the podium, as the Tour moves on to Davos, Switzerland.

Despite the appearance of a mass start, a pursuit race can come across as complicated from the outside. A pursuit-style race in the Tour de Ski means that those who are leading the overall standings are off the start line first and are “pursued” by those in second place, third place and so on. The first person to cross the finish line at the end wins. The ‘time of day’ result reflects the athlete’s overall speed and is calculated separately than the overall result.

Navigating the challenging five-lap course on slow, wet snow, the racers put the hammer down and showed impressive skiing at each point on the course. The men were on the snow first, with Ben Ogden, fresh off his inaugural podium in the skate sprint, starting third based on his overall Tour ranking. However, Schumacher was the top American for the men and consistently posted top-10 times at each marker, elevating his race in the challenging conditions. His chip time placed him sixth overall in the time of day standings, but he crossed the line in 10th place, adding his first top 10 of the season to his resume. Accompanying him, Scott Patterson secured 28th overall with an impressive 20th in the time of day standings, followed by Zanden McMullen in 48th, Ogden in 63rd, and Kevin Bolger in 65th. 

Diggins, donning the coveted overall leader bib for the pursuit, started seven seconds ahead of the second place athlete, Victoria Karl of Germany. Diggins embarked on the course with a clear mission to widen the gap. Through the splits, Diggins kept on it, leading the race at every turn. Skiing the entire 20k by herself, Diggins had to dig deep and put together a race without any competitors around her. Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athletes Rosie Brennan, Sophia Laukli, Novie McCabe, Sammy Smith and Julia Kern also raced, with Laukli putting together a strong race—highlighting by her winning the ninth fastest time of the day, showcasing her skill in longer distances skate races. Brennan finished 15th, Laukli 21st, McCabe 27th, Kern 45th and Smith 47th.

As the final racer crossed the line, the victory belonged to Diggins, securing her second win in the initial three stages of the Tour and fortifying her leadership in the overall rankings as the race heads to Davos, Switzerland. Stage four features another skate sprint on Jan. 3.

RESULTS
Women's pursuit
Men's pursuit

TOUR DE SKI OVERALL RESULTS
Women
Men

The momentum kept on moving for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the second stage of the Tour de Ski with Jessie Diggins clinching the podium in third place in Toblach, Italy. Rosie Brennan was just off the podium in fourth place and Ben Ogden was ninth in the 10k classic.

It was Diggins' 52nd career podium and fifth individual podium of the 2023-24 season, and she now officially leads the Tour de Ski overall standings by seven seconds going into Monday's 20k skate pursuit. Right in the fight with Diggins was Brennan, who crossed the line in fourth place, adding another top-five result to her stellar 2023-24 resume.

For the men, Ogden led the team in ninth place after his podium finish on Saturday and now is the overall points leader for the Tour de Ski points standing - celebrated after the conclusion of the men's race with Ogden doing a backflip off the podium wearing the yellow bib. He is also third in the chase for the Tour de Ski overall. Off the start line, he was posting positive splits and never ventured out of the top 10, and is in a good place entering the third stage. Gus Schumacher also skied a strong race and finished in 15th, another strong result for the Alaskan. 

In stage two of seven, athletes attacked a fast, icy and challenging 10k classic. With 91 starters for the men and 66 for the women, the field was stacked in Toblach. With women out of the gate first on the two-lap course that featured steep uphills and fast downhills, each athlete pushed to end the year 2023 on a good note with top results. 

In the women's race, Novie McCabe was the first American out for the interval start format. Following McCabe was Sophia Laukli, Brennan, Sammy Smith, Diggins and Julia Kern. Through the splits, Brennan and Diggins were in the fighting position for podiums throughout the entire race, with Brennan leading at 2.1k, 3k, 5k, 8k time checks. Brennan's result adds to her stellar 2023-24 season, where she has only ventured out of the top-10 twice. 

"I wanted to ski with conviction today and go out and see what was possible, so I tried to set a good pace from the beginning and hold on," said Brennan, post race. "I did that relatively well, I lost some time at the end, but sometimes that the way it works! But I am really proud about how I was skiing today and am happy to have a stronger race than yesterday."

At the end, Diggins pushed into another gear to land on the podium, with Brennan just seconds out of the top three. 

"Today was really cool to get to share my day with my family. I heard them out on the course and that was amazing to have them there in person, as they don't get to see many races live," said Diggins. "Also, my skis were amazing again today. I mean, this is a team sport, not an individual sport; it's a team effort and you can't succeed in this sport without competitive skis and our techs are working so hard and our success today was in a big part because of them. I'm just really grateful and really proud about today!"

McCabe scored top-30 World Cup points in 29th. Laukli took 39th, Smith 52nd and Kern 59th. 

Rounding out the men, Scott Patterson was 40th, Zanden McMullen 50th and Kevin Bolger 72nd. 

On Monday, the journey in Toblach ends with the 20k pursuit skate race, with men kicking off the line at 4:00 a.m. ET and women at 6:30 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

TOUR DE SKI OVERALL RESULTS
Women
Men

On the first stage of the 2023-24 Tour de Ski, under the sunset over the Dolomites mountain range, Ben Ogden went on to secure his first career podium in the Toblach skate sprint.

Alongside Ogden, Jessie Diggins finished in the top 10 in ninth place.

The Tour de Ski has officially started, with hundreds of athletes lining up at the start line to kick off the first stage with a skate sprint in the city of Toblach, Italy. As the Tour de Ski rules state, an athlete is eliminated from the Tour if they do not start a race, and in today's sprint, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team showed up strong, with six Americans advancing to the sprint heats, a feat not easily done. 

Today was Ogden's day. Coming off a strong period one in Scandinavia, Ogden was restless to get the Tour started, starting off with his preferred race style - a sprint. In the qualification round, he was in a good position, crossing the line in eighth place. Alongside him going into the heats were teammates Kevin Bolger and Gus Schumacher. 

Into the rounds, Ogden kept the momentum going all the way through to the final. Towards the end of the heats, the snow was getting choppier and messier by the second, but that did not stop Ogden from pushing it around every corner, each downhill and up the steep uphills (even the one that goes over a building) to snag third place.

"This was really fun. I just feel like I was able to execute every heat and it worked well for me. I couldn't believe I was in that position at the finish line and I just thought to myself that I had what it takes to just land on the podium," Ogden said, seconds after spraying his celebratory champagne over his whole team. "This is a crazy feeling. A fantastic race to start the tour after a hard summer and a hectic start to the season. I'm really proud of myself for today."

Ogden's hard summer references his father John Ogden, who passed away after a decade-long battle with cancer. John Ogden was beloved in the cross country world, having coached for many years and passionately cheered on his children - Ben and former U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete Katharine - as they raced throughout their careers.

Ogden had shown his speed last season on the World Cup, securing six top-10 results and coming away from the season with the U23 green bib, distinguishing him as the fastest male athlete under the age of 23 on the circuit. This season, he was just off the podium in fourth place in Östersund, while his teammate JC Schoonmaker became the first American man to step on a World Cup podium since 2017. With Ogden's podium in Toblach, it marks the first time two different American men have been on the podium in the same season since 1983 (Tim Caldwell and Bill Koch).

Rounding out the men's race, Schumacher and Bolger did not punch their ticket to the final, but it was a highlight for Schumacher, who walked away with the best sprint result of his career in 18th. Bolger was 24th.

For the women, Diggins led the way, landing in the top 10 in ninth place, with teammate Julia Kern right behind in 11th. Rosie Brennan was 27th. In the qualifications, Diggins qualified second, Kern was sixth and Brennan 14th. The day came to a close for Brennan in the quarterfinals, but her focus is now on her favorite race, the 10k classic. For the World Cup overall leader Diggins, a top 10 is a race to celebrate and for Kern, an 11th is added to her impressive World Cup resume. 

Sammy Smith, Novie McCabe, Sophia Laukli, Zanden McMullen and Scott Patterson did not qualify through to the heats, and will now look to Sunday's race.

Tomorrow, the team is back in Toblach for the second stage of the Tour, the 10k classic. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live, with women starting at 6:15 a.m. ET and men at 9 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS
Women's sprint
Men's sprint

Four Stifel U.S. Ski Team men landed in the top 30 in the Bormio, Italy super-G Friday. Jared Goldberg finished 18th, Ryan Cochran-Siegle 19th, Sam Morse 26th and Kyle Negomir in 27th. 

It was another typical icy and tough super-G on the famously dark track making it difficult for racers of all talents. Goldberg ran with bib 22 but with a surface as icy as Bormio, start position did not matter and anyone had the opportunity to throw it into the top positions. He ultimately skied solid to an 18th position overall. 

“I had the Bormio downhill hangover today and yesterday was pretty tough after solid training runs,” said Goldberg. “Super-G has been building for me and I have been learning more about how to race it. Today you had to be really over it with the wavy snow and changing snow conditions and I did that well.”

The next best skier for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team squad was previous Bormio winner Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who ended his day in 19th place. Morse and Negomir were also in the top 30 in 26th and 27th. 

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland won the race, while Raphael Haaser of Austria was second and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway third. 

The speed men will now prepare for the classic, the Wengen World Cup in Switzerland Jan. 11-13. 

RESULTS
Men's super-G

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin scored her 93rd career World Cup victory with the slalom in Lienz, Austria on Friday. 

It was another beautiful day in Lienz for a women’s World Cup and the Austrian fans did not disappoint, packing the stands and cheering loudly for the top women slalom racers. The day started out with a bang for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. Paula Moltzan ran with bib four and outpaced the field, sitting in the leaderboard chair for some time. Then teammate Mikaela Shiffrin had an aggressive first run to take the lead by over a second, with Moltzan just behind in second place. 

“It’s always a good feeling when you see the green light and beat out some of the other top skiers in the field,” said Moltzan. 

On the second run, the surface was strong and the course set perfect for racers to give it their all on the hill. Moltzan ran 29th, so a slight groove was established on the snow - but Moltzan knew what she needed to do. She charged down the final pitch, just a mere tenth of a second off from the leader, but a slight bobble got her off balance and she did not finish the second run. 

“The way Paula skied the first run was so wonderful and it's bittersweet and disappointing for her today but it will come, I know it will,” said Shiffrin, who had shared the Lienz slalom podium with Moltzan in 2022.

Shiffrin ran last on run two. She skied calm, cool, collected and fast -- gaining time with each interval to win by a whopping 2.34 seconds above the second place German skier Lena Duerr and third place Swiss skier Michelle Gisin. 

“I felt really good today from the very beginning,” said Shiffrin. “I am so happy with how I felt and we did so much work for Christmas so it could not have paid off in a better way.” 

This win secured her 93rd career World Cup win and 56th career World Cup slalom win. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt also raced but did not finish the first run. The tech women will now prepare for a giant slalom and slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Jan. 6-7. 

RESULTS
Women's slalom

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin notched her 22nd career giant slalom win and 92nd career World Cup victory Thursday in Lienz, Austria. 

The Austrian crowds were in full force to cheer on their favorite women ski racers for the first of two races in the town. The snow surface was particularly firm making it a challenge for racers all around. But that didn't seem to deter Mikaela Shiffrin, who scored a dominant lead knifing every single turn to win the first run by 0.63 seconds over second place and more than a second above third place. 

“It was challenging today on a really good surface, but still challenging,” said Shiffrin. “I felt amazing on the first run but I knew I had to push still for the second run.” 

The sun came out to shine second run, but the surface and conditions remained the same. The time margins for top 10 were close with racers able to make big leaps on the second run. First up for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team crew was AJ Hurt, who was 16th after the first run. Hurt was clean and confident to fire herself into an 11th place finish, just a few places out of her career best she achieved earlier this season.

“I am really satisfied about today,” said Hurt. “I’m feeling good about my giant slalom skiing training with Paula and Mikaela. There isn't anyone better in the world to train with.”

Italian force Federica Brignone, fifth first run, blazed down the hill to win the second run and move up to second place overall. Sweden’s Sara Hector skied smoothly to land in third place. But they were no match for Shiffrin and her sizable lead from the first run. Shiffrin had a clean run to finish in first by 0.38 seconds. 

“My goal is to close the gap a little on the giant slalom standings. so I wanted to win it but I also did not want to mess it up. I am super happy,” said Shiffrin, who has now won four races in three different disciplines this season.  

Paula Moltzan also raced with a strong giant slalom, finishing just outside the top 15 in 16th place. 

The women will now focus on slalom for Friday’s race. 

RESULTS
Women's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH 

4:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, Lienz, Austria, first run – Peacock
7:00 a.m. - Women’s slalom, Lienz, Austria, second run - Peacock

Reprinted with permission from the Park Record. You can follow Tom Kelly’s Ridgelines column every Wednesday in the Park Record.

Park City’s Steven Nyman led a group of friends off Passo Pardoi, making a beeline for the village of Arraba in the heart of Italy’s Dolomites. It was mid-day on their circumnavigation of the Sella Ronda massif. But they needed a break to watch the fabled Val Gardena downhill taking place a few ridgelines away. At the base of the piste, they clicked out of their skis and clomped down Via Boè to Bar Peter, a pizzeria in the heart of town.

For the better part of the last 16 Decembers, the Dolomites have been home for Nyman. A three-time champion on the grueling Saslong, he has celebrity status in the valley and a kinship that has beckoned him back year after year.

Today, things were a little different. When he rolled into town, gone were the bags of race skis and a duffel packed for months on the road. Retiring last season, Nyman had said addio to the Saslong. But he couldn’t imagine a December without spending time in the Dolomites for himself.

“This place is just stunning – awe-inspiring, everywhere you go,” said Nyman. “Everyone I’ve taken here is like ‘Wow, no matter where we are, whatever turn we make – it’s just blowing my mind.’”

The geological structure of the Dolomites is unique. Icy grey rock spires that glow like Moab redrock in the sunshine stand as a staging backdrop above quaint villages in the valleys. The rocks have created a mountaineering culture, while the broad, sweeping slopes of pasture land are quickly covered by early winter snowfall and dotted with mountain hotels and ristorantes.

Once the scenery captures your attention, the culture comes in and envelops you. One village speaks German, the next Italian. Tying it together is the unique local tongue of Ladin. And then there’s the food.

“It’s not the same old hamburger and fries you’re getting in the States,” said Nyman. “It’s the region’s food, and they’re proud to show it off.”

Like Rifugio Emilio Comici, which sits at 7,000 feet at the base of the towering Forcella Sassolungo near the race start, where freshly caught seafood is trekked in daily from the coast and served on fine china. No cafeterias here!

As one of the race’s honored champions, Nyman was a guest of the organizing committee. But he brought a handful of VIP friends to experience the Dolomites. Thursday was a ski day, riding two dozen lifts as they traversed groomed slopes from village to village on the Sella Ronda. Somehow, they needed to squeeze in screen time to watch American Bryce Bennett, the 2021 race champion, in the first of two downhills. 

The night before the race, Nyman texted Bennett. “You’re good. You’re fantastic. You’ve won here. You know what do to. Trust in yourself. You deserve to be on that podium.”

Starting 34th, Bennett used his lanky legs and BMX background to absorb the rough and tumble course, every ripple echoing through his body as he chased race leader Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. Down through the iconic Camel Humps and into the sweeping Ciaslat, Bennett was close – but not close enough. Coming down into the finish schuss to the village of Santa Cristina, he dug deep, pushing the afterburners on his Fischer skis and beating the favorite by a mere three hundredths.

When Bennett and Nyman connected in person later that afternoon, the two embraced. Bennett thanked him for the pre-race encouragement telling Nyman, “That’s what I wrote in my journal. I just needed that confirmation from you.”

Bennett and Nyman now have five downhill victories between them on the Saslong. The connecting thread comes from Leo Mussi, the Italian serviceman for Fischer Skis, who also worked with Kristian Ghedina, who has four wins there.

But the underlying story of Nyman and Bennett's success is more than scenic slopes and fast skis. It’s one of family.

For over a decade, Mussi has been like an Italian father figure to Nyman. And down in Selva di Val Gardena at the Hotel Alpino Plan, the Demetz family has been serving up bowls of pasta to hungry U.S. Ski Team athletes for years.

“They’re passionate; they love us,” said Nyman. “They just open their arms and are so proud. And it’s motivating. There’s so much history of success here from our team. It drives you. You want to perform. You want to live up to that level that’s been set.”

Was it tough being there and not racing?

“I took my career to the max, and I’m fine with that,” said Nyman. “It’s been a lot of fun just logging kilometers and carving up groomers. And I’m fine watching and cheering – trying to bring confidence to the boys however I can.”