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Jacobellis Earns Two Third-Place Finishes at Krasnoyarsk

By Nicholas Fabula
January, 9 2022
The women's SBX race.
France's Chloe Trespeuch (2nd), Great Britain’s Charlotte Banks (1st), and Lindsey Jacobellis (3rd) (FIS - DeniShilov.com)

Lindsey Jacobellis took back-to-back third-place finishes at the World Cup Snowboardcross events in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.

Competitors faced bitterly cold conditions in the Siberian north, coming in at -24 degrees, but Jacobellis persisted and landed on the podium not once, but twice over the two-day event. These results earned Jacobellis the criteria needed to be nominated for a spot to compete at the Olympic Winter Games. This will be the 2006 Olympic silver medalist’s fifth Olympics.

After the race Jacobelllis shared how it felt to be on the podium after all the adversity she has been through with her recent injury. “It was definitely frustrating to have a setback with my elbow surgery,” she said. “All I could do was trust the team doctors. It felt great to be battling all day. I never thought about my arm once on course. It is always a win to make it into the finals and to get onto the podium is amazing.”

With these results, Jacobellis joins teammate Faye Gulini on the women’s team. On the men’s side, Nick Baumgartner and Hagen Kearney both achieved criteria to earn a nomination to compete at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Moltzan 13th to Lead Three U.S. Skiers into Points in Kranjska Gora Slalom; Shiffrin DNFs

By Courtney Harkins
January, 9 2022
Paula Moltzan Kranjska Gora
Paula Moltzan skis to 13th place in Kranjska Gora. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Stanko Gruden)

Paula Moltzan led three U.S. skiers into the points in the FIS World Cup slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, finishing 13th. Mikaela Shiffrin did not finish—her first DNF in the discipline in four years.

Dealing with more tough conditions on the Podkoren slope, Petra Vlhova of Slovakia won the race with Wendy Holdener of Switzerland in second and Anna Swenn Larsson of Sweden in third. Vlhova has won all but one slalom in the 2021-22 season—which was won by Shiffrin at the HomeLight Killington Cup in Vermont.

Moltzan skied two solid runs of slalom to finish in the top 15 for the third time this season—an impressive feat given her massive crash in Saturday’s giant slalom, on top of a fractured wrist and skiing with her pole duct-taped to her hand. “It was a very challenging day,” she said. “Conditions were less than ideal for first run, but second run was a little bit smoother. Happy to find the finish line after a huge crash yesterday, especially when I didn’t know if I would be able to race today going to bed. Also very happy to see two teammates grab some slalom points!”

Nina O’Brien and Katie Hensien also finished in the points, taking 25th and 28th. It was both O’Brien and Hensien’s best slalom finishes of the season.

Shiffrin was only .25 seconds off the pace after the first run, despite a couple of mistakes in the top section, putting her in striking distance to the win. She attacked on her second run, skiing aggressively and cleanly with splits that might have landed her on top, but straddled a gate about 15 gates to the finish. Former teammate and Olympic champion Ted Ligety said on the NBC broadcast, "This was some of the best skiing I've seen out of her. It's the best skiing I've seen out of her so far this year, she should get the video of this run and watch it...and then press control alt delete on that hairpin and just think about the skiing and just some confidence out of that and not worry about that, because slalom is a game of hundredths...so she should just think about the great skiing before that." 

It was her first DNF in a race since 2018, when she skied out at the final slalom World Cup before the PyeongChang Olympics in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. To put this rarity even more into perspective, of Shiffrin's 207 World Cup starts across six disciplines, 115 are podiums (55%), 72 of them are victories (35%), and a mere 15 (7.25%) are DNFs. It is so rare that in the last 100 starts, she's had just five DNFs.  

"I’ll be honest, I’m not feeling great about it," Shiffrin shared following the race. "Straddling is just…it’s twisting the knife when it’s stuck in your heart, except you’re the one who stuck it in and you’re also the one doing the twisting." She added, "Yes, it happens, but it shouldn’t. It’s a very slight silver lining that my skiing up to that point felt very good, but that doesn’t take away any of the frustration, especially after a challenging day yesterday too. But it happened and I can’t change it, I can just try harder next time. Congratulations to all of the women who did their job all the way to the finish today, especially my teammates, Paula, Nina, and Katie."
 

The race was littered with DNFs from top racers, including Michelle Gisin of Switzerland and Katharina Liensberger of Austria. Racers criticized the Kranjska Gora course preparation, which was given the race after the Maribor World Cup was canceled due to lack of snow.

Rounding out the U.S. athletes, Allie Resnick did not finish first run and Zoe Zimmerman did not qualify for second run. Each of these up-and-comers showed promise for the future. 

Vlhova continues to lead the slalom standings with 580 points to Shiffrin’s 340 points, but Shiffrin maintains a slight lead over Vlhova in the overall standings by 35 points.

Next up, the women head to Schladming, Austria—a race moved from Flachau, Austria due to rising COVID cases—where they will race the last slalom before the Olympics Winter Games Beijing 2022.  

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022
12:00 pm - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock
2:45 pm - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps

 

Shiffrin DNFs in Kranjska Slalom

Winters First Career Top 10 In Adelboden Slalom

By Mackenzie Moran
January, 9 2022

On the notorious terrain of Adelboden, Switerzland's classic slalom, in front of thousands of screaming Swiss fans, Luke Winters put together two fast, solid runs to land him in the top 10 for the first time in his World Cup slalom career. The 24-year-old has shown speed on the World Cup before but has struggled to break into the top 15. His best finish in a World Cup slalom had been 19th until Sunday. 

"It feels good to put two together, I haven't done that much in my career so far, especially here," said Winters. "I've qualified three out of the four times, but I've had two bad second runs both years."

Wearing bib 43, Winters came into second run sitting in 18th. He charged down the course, leading the field by three-tenths of a second in the third split, but lost a bit of time the last few gates, sliding behind proceeding athletes Loic Meillard and Alex Vinazter in third, enough to hang on to 10th overall.

"This year, before second, I just said I wanted to push it and ski hard and ski fast," reflected Winters. "I wasn't too worried about the result and I wasn't too worried about my execution out of the gate. Coming through and seeing that third place felt good."

Sunday's final podium nearly saw an Austrian sweep, with Johannes Strolz in first, and Manuel Feller in second. Germany's Linus Strasser was able to hang on to a third-place podium when Austria's Fabio Gstrien straddled early on in his second run.

Fellow U.S. athletes Jett Seymour and George Steffey did not qualify for a second run. Alex Leever did not finish the first run.

Next, the men head to Wengen on Jan. 16 for a full week of racing at a classic stop on the World Cup tour, featuring a pair of downhills, a super-G (rescheduled from Bormio), and a slalom. 

RESULTS
Men's slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022
12:00 pm - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock
2:45 pm - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Schladming, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Page Fourth, Giaccio Makes History

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 8 2022
Nick Page
Nick Page skied in the second Super Finals of his career in Saturday's World Cup, finishing in fourth place. (Sebastien Berthiaume (@stillsbyseb) / Freestyle Canada)

Nick Page led the Americans in Saturday’s FIS Moguls World Cup in Tremblant, Canada, finishing fourth. This was Page’s second Super Final appearance, a strong result heading into next week’s Deer Valley events.

“Today, I was able to come out and stick to the three things I knew I needed to do: attacking out of the gate, being narrow through the middle, and showing the bottom air off,” explained Page. “It felt good to be back in the super final; I know that's where I can ski and compete. I was so close yesterday with the seventh. Being the first person out [from Supers] makes you mad, but you can take all that and do well the next day.”

Olivia Giaccio started a new chapter in women’s mogul skiing history when she successfully landed a cork 10 in her bottom air during her first finals run and again in Supers, becoming the first woman to do so in a World Cup competition. She first attempted the trick in competition during the 2019 Almaty World Cup but did not land it. Giaccio finished the day in fifth.

“It was awesome,” said Giaccio about the feat. “It’s something that’s been on my mind ever since Kazakhstan. It was a matter of time [this season] since I trained it all summer—just a question of when. The venue was awesome today, it was perfect for it. To compete it and make history was pretty incredible. Sweet to check off that goal. I’m excited to see tons of little girls go do 10s in the future.”

"I'm proud of Olivia for stepping up and doing [the cork 10]; she's been training it for years and now owns it," said Mogul World Cup Coach Bryon Wilson. "To step up and do that big of a trick was impressive."

Giaccio and Wilson discussed the cork 10 as part of today's plan after yesterday's event and decided to train a few to see if it was in the cards. "In training, she stomped two. So it was just, 'let's go, let's do this.' It was something she's wanted to do for a long time. It's hers now. To compete it twice, land it, and ski out...well done."

Conditions were frigid, measuring negative nine degrees Fahrenheit at the opening of training. As the sun warmed the course and the snow turned sticky, it was important for athletes to carry speed to avoid getting caught up on the terrain. It was a beautiful,  slightly warmer than freezing bluebird day when finals rolled around. 

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won the men’s event, Sweden’s Walter Wallberg came in second, and Japan’s Ikuma Horishima just edged Page out to claim third. Perrine Laffont won for the women, Australia’s Jakara Anthony finished second, and Japan’s Anri Kawamura finished third. 

Elizabeth Lemley let the field know she means business in only her second World Cup start, qualifying for finals in a solid seventh position. Lemley missed Supers by just 0.09 points and finished the day in seventh. Coming off of yesterday’s third, Tess Johnson was hungry for another podium but finished ninth. Avital Carroll finished 16th and Madison Hogg 28th. 

Dylan Walczyk finished seventh, George McQuinn 18th, Cole McDonald 21st, Brad Wilson 24th, and Jesse Andringa 52nd. 

Moguls competes at Deer Valley Resort for two World Cups on Jan. 13 and 14 at the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International. These events will serve as the final two Olympic tryout events for American mogul skiers in their journey to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing in February. 

"Overall, we have some good momentum going, great skiing from our whole team," said Wilson. "We're looking forward to taking that into Deer Valley." 

“It's going to be so nice to be back home,” said Page. “Deer Valley does such a good job to make this big event so special.”

RESULTS

Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule

2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule
 

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Giaccio Makes History

Brennan, Schoonmaker, Patterson Siblings Dominate L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships

By Tom Horrocks
January, 8 2022
Men's Podium
Scott Patterson took the victory in the men's 30k freestyle at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

Rosie Brennan wrapped up her holiday break from the FIS World Cup Tour with a victory in the 20k freestyle at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow.

“It was so great to race at home and have my family and friends cheering me on the whole way,” Brennan said. “With COVID, even my Mom has been unable to watch me race for years, so it felt really special to be able to race with a hometown crowd before heading to Bejing.”

Brennan led at every interval in the 20k race, followed by Rosie Frankowski in second and Caitlin Patterson in third. However, Caitlin Patterson found the most success at the three-race championships, arguing for nomination to Team USA for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Caitlin Patterson surprised the freestyle sprint field with the victory, followed by another win in the 10k classic interval start. Katharine Ogden, who left the FIS Tour de Ski following the fifth stage to return to Utah and race, was second, followed by Mariah Bredal in third.

Caitlin’s brother Scott Patterson, who spent Period 1 of the World Cup Tour searching for form after recovering from wrist surgery this past fall, took the men’s 30k freestyle win, with David Norris in second and Hunter Wonders in third. 

JC Schoonmaker took home his first national title in the men's freestyle sprint, followed by Logan Diekman in second and Noel Keeffe in third. In the men’s 15k classic start, Adam Martin took the win, with Scott Patterson in second and Schoonmaker in third.

RESULTS
Jan. 2: Women’s freestyle sprint
Jan. 2: Men’s freestyle sprint
Jan. 4: Women’s 20k freestyle mass start
Jan. 4: Men’s 30k freestyle mass start
Jan. 6: Women’s 10k classic individual start
Jan. 6: Men’s 15k classic individual start

 

Shiffrin Seventh in Kranjska Gora Giant Slalom

By Courtney Harkins
January, 8 2022

With a strong second run, Mikaela Shiffrin took seventh place in the FIS World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. 

Conditions on the Podkoren course were rough—a venue generally used for men’s World Cups—with the course workers battling heavy snowfall earlier in the week. But Sara Hector of Sweden made it look easy, winning both runs by a total of .96 seconds over Frenchwoman Tessa Worley. It was Hector’s third career win and her second victory in the last 10 days. Marta Bassino of Italy was third with Canadian Valérie Grenier surprising everyone, skiing from bib 25 to fourth place. 

Shiffrin had crushed the two giant slaloms in Courchevel, France just before the holiday break, finishing first and second, but after contracting COVID and quarantining, she was open about feeling off her game after not training. She finished 14th first run and while she put down a much faster second run to move up to seventh place, she knows she has a long way to go.

“Four runs on my GS skis yesterday was not enough to hope or even wish that I could compete with the top women today, who showed very strong and very brave skiing,” said Shiffrin. “Still, I am disappointed to feel today that I was so far away from GS skiing that was just right there not too long ago. I’ll work to get that feeling back but for now, the job is to reset and recover the best I can for tomorrow’s slalom.”

However, the ever-positive Shiffrin looked on the bright side. “It’s really good to be back racing and I’ll take that over watching from my bed in quarantine any day,” said Shiffrin. “Big congrats to the podium, especially Sara Hector. That was incredibly strong skiing.”

With Hector’s win, she leap-frogged over Shiffrin to take the lead in the giant slalom standings. Shiffrin still maintains the lead in the overall World Cup standings, 135 points more than Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who also had a challenging day, finishing 15th in Kranjska Gora. Sofia Goggia of Italy, who did not qualify for a second run, remains in third place.

Paula Moltzan was 22nd after first run, but crashed hard in second run and did not finish. She is OK. Nicola Rountree-Williams, who was starting in her career-first FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom, did not finish first run and Nina O’Brien did not qualify for second run.  

The women next race slalom in Kranjska Gora—races that moved from Maribor, Slovenia due to a lack of snow—on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

 

Moltzan's Kranjska GS Crash

Johnson Third in Tremblant, Lemley Fourth in World Cup Debut

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 7 2022

Tess Johnson claimed her second World Cup podium of the season with a third-place finish Friday at the FIS Moguls World Cup in Tremblant, Canada. Elizabeth Lemley had quite the performance in her first World Cup appearance, finishing fourth.

“I’m feeling really happy, I just had so much fun today, and I’m really proud to land on the podium after a stressful Christmas and only two days of training,” said Johnson from the finish. “I took it one run at a time and just focused my attention toward my queues. I also want to congratulate Liz for such an incredible debut. We were only 0.01 points apart, so in a way I share this success with her. It’s always so fun to ski in a Supers with teammates.”

“This whole season, Tess has a fire going on, with her intensity and her positivity,” said Mogul World Cup Coach Bryon Wilson. “She’s approaching every competition with a very clear objective, and she’s executing. She’s been very consistent.”

Johnson shared the podium with first-place finisher Japan’s Anri Kawamura and France’s Perrine Laffont in second. 

After clearing active snow guns from the course, athletes were treated to a beautiful bluebird day. Johnson reported the course to be in prime condition with consistent pitch, minus a few tactical spots, “the top section and top air exit were big focus points for us,” explained Wilson. “More aggressive skiing on the top section set the tone for the rest of the run.”

The Americans didn’t miss a beat coming off their brief holiday break. Three men and four women qualified for finals. 

Lemley made an impressive statement in her first World Cup competition, going huge in her airs and pushing speed all day. Her super finals run earned her a score of 79.24, just 0.01 points off the podium behind Johnson. Lemley attributes her success to feeling good and having fun in the moment. “ I had a ton of fun today. All of my mental thoughts were really good. I think the course was fabulous and it’s always great to ski a nice course. Everything about [today] was fun, and I just felt really strong.”

“Liz’s performance was outstanding today,” said Wilson. “It’s not every day you have a young woman come into this field and do what she did. It’s a very competitive field out there, but she didn't let it bother her at all. She owned it and belonged. She has a bright future in the sport for sure.”

Olivia Giaccio built upon her momentum from early season and skied strong all day. Her top full to bottom cork Super Finals run earned a score of 77.04 for a sixth-place finish. Avital Carroll also had a solid day, skiing into 12th place in her first World Cup of the season.

Nick Page, Cole McDonald, and Dylan Walczyk all represented the U.S. in finals on the men's side. Page laid down a fierce run, scoring high in his airs and turns, but narrowly missed the super final round by 0.44 with his score of 79.60. Walczyk finished 11th. McDonald skied well through qualifiers and was having a good finals run, but got a little anxious on his bottom air and DNFed, to end the day in 16th. 

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won his 69th World Cup on home snow, Sweden’s Walter Wallberg finished second, and Japan’s Ikuma Hiroshima came in third. 

Madison Hogg came in 28th, Jesse Andringa came in 18th, George McQuinn in 29th, and Brad Wilson in 30th.

Friday’s competition represented the first of the last four Olympic qualifying events for American mogul skiers. On top of the added Olympic pressure, athletes are navigating an increasingly isolating experience due to tight COVID protocols. “Although it’s been stressful for everybody in trying to be as careful as we can, we were still able to have a great competition,” said Wilson. “The athletes take that adversity and handle it well. There were lots of smiles [today], and that’s always key for us – to enjoy what we do and put on a good performance.”

“I am just so thankful to Alexis (our team manager) and our staff for getting us here. It was a massive challenge,” added Johnson.

Moguls continues competition tomorrow with another World Cup on the Tremblant course.

RESULTS

Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022
2:00 p.m. EST FIS Freestyle World Cup Moguls - LIVE, Tremblant, CAN, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

2021-22 Freestyle World Cup Schedule
2021-22 Freestyle Olympic Schedule

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Enter to Win Johnson's Olympic Helmet Art Contest

By Megan Harrod
January, 6 2022
Breezy Johnson Helmet Contest

Have you ever wanted to see your artwork worn by an Olympian as she goes speeding down a slope for millions of people to see? Now is your chance! 

Artists are invited to submit a photographed image of their artwork in any still medium—pencil, ink, chalk, digital art, oil, or watercolor.

Submissions must be based on the theme "Winter in Jackson Hole" (e.g., skiing, ski racing, wildlife, Town of Jackson, Teton Village).

Artwork must be created on an 8.5x11” or 11x17” piece of paper. If artwork is chosen, the original artwork must be provided to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for a hi-res scan. If your artwork is digital, the entry must be submitted at 300 dpi. 

Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. MST on January 15, 2022. 

A Message from Breezy Johnson:
"When I was 13 years old and just getting serious about ski racing I remember avidly following along in the lead-up to the 2010 Olympic Games. Lindsey Vonn was the favorite for gold in five disciplines, Bode was crushing, Julia Mancuso was dazzling. I got serious about ski racing at its height in the US. I remember watching results to see if Alice McKennis would make her first games (she did). But when Lindsey Vonn announced her helmet competition prior to the 2010 games I was enthralled. It was an overlapping point between two major parts of who I was, artistic but also fiercely athletic. I drew helmet after helmet to design the coolest one. I wanted a cool snow leopard for some reason. While ultimately I was not chosen to be on her head I remember thinking that the winner brought so much of what it is to be American to Lindsey at that Games. 

And then she won.

Over the years since I forgot about the helmet a bit, though seeing the footage of that run from over a decade ago still brings it back. But no one ever did a contest, or even unique artwork, since then.

Last season was the first time I had any custom paint on my helmet and I thought back to the contest so many years ago. Were custom paint jobs still allowed? Would it even be possible? Was I cool enough to follow in one of my heroes footsteps and do the same?

While watching the Tokyo games, the lack of fans, friends, and family solidified my resolve. If Americans couldn't come to my Games maybe I could bring a bit of home with me. Maybe I could keep Americans involved in something in perhaps the most foreign Games to have ever taken place?

The logistics would be hard but I immediately thought of Jackson Hole, my home mountain and sponsor as the ideal collaborator. I am American and Jackson embodies so much of what I love about this country. Jackson is home. And so I wanted to partner with them, my home mountain, to do the contest.

I want something that embodies home on this helmet. I want something that allows me to take Jackson, and the whole US, with me. I will be selecting finalists based on what reminds me of home. So think of what pieces of this amazing country, and the amazing place of Jackson Hole, I might want to take with me. Something that reminds me of everyone, and everything, at home supporting me. Though if you want to submit a cool snow leopard you can do that too.

I also thought. What makes America America? And the answer to that is voting, democracy. So once the applications are complete Jackson Hole and I will be selecting a few finalists. And then everyone, artistic or not, old or young, can choose what goes on in my head. I hope you guys are excited because I sure as hell am." 

Grand Prize

  • Artwork Placed on Johnson's Olympic Helmet
  • A Half-Day of Skiing with Johnson
  • A Pair of Skis or Snowboard
  • Helmet with Art

Johnson will choose finalists, and a group of judges and the winner will be selected by public voting on Instagram at @jacksonhole and announced in January.

More Details at JacksonHole.com.

New Documentary ‘PICABO’ Tells Fascinating Life Story of Olympic Champion Picabo Street

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 6 2022
Picabo Street
Picabo Street, shown here after winning the gold medal in the super-G at the Winter Olympics on February 11, 1998, in Hakuba, Japan, has a new documentary called PICABO which will premiere on Jan. 21 and will be available to stream on Peacock in the United States and Olympics.com in the rest of the world ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. (Anychance/Getty Images-Simon Bruty)

Alpine skiing legend Lindsey Vonn is stepping behind the camera to tell the story of her childhood hero and Olympic gold medallist Picabo Street.

The new documentary called PICABO will premiere on Jan. 21 and will be available to stream on Peacock in the United States and Olympics.com in the rest of the world ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Vonn, now the most decorated female alpine skier of all time, first met Street at age nine at an autograph signing at a ski shop in Minnesota. It was that encounter that sparked her desire to become an Olympian.

“Picabo’s personality and her ability to connect with me as a child was what made me a fan,” says Vonn. “She was authentic and confident, exactly what I wanted to be.”

Now, she’s prepared to ‘finally return the favor,’ with the first career-spanning film chronicling the life of Street, an alpine skiing icon of the 1990s.

Olympic Success, Injuries and Arrest
From Street’s unorthodox childhood upbringing in rural Idaho to her Olympic successes, dramatic recoveries from ill-timed injuries, and her arrest in 2015 due to false allegations, PICABO provides an intimate look at Street’s fascinating life through an emotional interview with Vonn and unprecedented behind-the-scenes footage of Street’s life.
 

Lindsey Vonn and Picabo Street
Lindsey Vonn interviews childhood hero and fellow alpine skiing Olympic gold medallist Picabo Street.


“I’m excited for people to learn how Picabo became Picabo. Everyone knows the well-spoken, charismatic downhill skier but no one knows entirely what she went through to get to where she did,” adds Vonn in an Olympics.com exclusive interview. “She broke so many glass ceilings so that women like me could achieve our dreams.”

Then there’s the matter of Vonn’s co-director, Frank Marshall. The veteran Hollywood producer has worked on some of the biggest films in history, including the Indiana Jones, “Back to the Future,” “Jurassic Park”, and Jason Bourne franchises.

“I’ve been a big fan of Peek since I met her in 1996,” says Marshall, who was once a vice president of the U.S. Olympic Committee. “Her desire to give back, her enthusiasm and positive energy to overcome obstacles in life make her a great role model. And who better than Lindsey to tell the story with, sitting there across from her, as someone who can relate and then some. It’s a story of friendship, mentorship, and passing the baton.”

PICABO is part of the Olympic Channel’s signature Five Rings Films collection, a series of incisive and entertaining feature-length documentaries directed by some of the biggest names in film from around the world. Previous titles include “The Nagano Tapes,” “Rulon,” and “The Distance,” released ahead of Tokyo 2020. Five Rings Films is produced exclusively for the International Olympic Committee by executive producers Marshall and Mandalay Sports Media’s Mike Tollin, whose recent credits include “The Last Dance.” Greg Groggel serves as executive producer for the Olympic Channel.

“I hope viewers will see that dreams can come true, no matter where you come from,” adds Marshall. “If you have the right vision, focus, discipline, and dedication, you can overcome even the greatest obstacles, both personal and physical.”

According to Street, the motivation for participating in the film, which she describes as a “life-changing experience,” is more straightforward: her three young boys.

“I would like them to know and understand who their Mom really was!”

Starting Jan. 21, they will.

Story courtesy of Olympics.com.

Loughran 7th, Krueger 9th in Le Relais

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 5 2022
Eric Loughran
Eric Loughran led the Americans in the FIS Aerials World Cup on Jan. 5 at Le Relais, Canada (Lara Carlton - U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

Eric Loughran led the Americans in Wednesday’s FIS Aerials World Cup in Le Relais, Canada, finishing in seventh place. Park City Ski & Snowboard athlete Derek Krueger earned a career best, making his first World Cup finals to finish ninth. Quinn Dehlinger finished 16th and Karenna Elliott finished 19th. 

“[The day] went pretty well,” reflected Loughran. “Definitely got some good training in here, would have liked to have beat seventh but happy to be in the top 10. Right before I jumped I had a small feeling to step up, but it wasn’t quite enough.”

The jump site was a little flatter, which sent athletes further down the hill. Loughran struggled throughout training to hit his takeoffs, and him and World Cup Aerial Coach Eric Bergoust made a conservative speed choice for his finals Full Double-Full Full. He earned a score of 114.16, missing the super final round by less than four points. In aerial skiing, athletes and coaches have to make calculated decisions for starting positions on the in-run. It is partly a science and partly intuition and years of experience. 

"To finish ninth in finals was a big deal for me," said Krueger. "This season is my first year competing triple backflips as well as being my first full season on the World Cup tour. My results exceeded my expectations going into this competition."

"Today was a great day for me. With good conditions and great training I was able to compete two of my best jumps on snow. Being one of the newer athletes on the triple and World Cup tour, today's competition was a good learning experience for me."

Krueger executed a beautiful Full Full Full and stomped the landing for a score of 109.75. This is his first year competing on the triple. "People sometimes tend to be forward on the triple in their first year," explained Bergoust. "But Derek did a great triple takeoff when it counted. He stuck that landing."

China went 1-2 on the men’s side with Jiaxu Sun and Longxiao Yang, respectively. Switzerland’s Nicolas Gygax came in third. China’s Mengtao Xu earned first for the women, Canada’s Marion Thanualt took second and China’s Fanyu Kong finished third. 

Aerials competes next on home snow at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, for the 2022 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International Jan. 12. 

RESULTS
Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials