U.S. Snowboard Team and U.S. Freeski Team athletes are ready to compete in the final Toyota U.S. Grand Prix of the season at Mammoth Mountain, California. Halfpipe and slopestyle qualifiers and finals for skiing and snowboarding will take place from Jan. 6-8, with the preliminary Olympic team naming celebration following the final event on Saturday night. 

Top U.S. Team athletes who have already achieved criteria for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games will be among those competing. Those athletes include two-time Olympian and 2021 Halfpipe Champion Aaron Blunck, 2018 Olympic Silver medalist Alex Ferreira, and 17-year-old Hanna Faulhaber in Freeski halfpipe. The 2021 FIS slopestyle and overall Crystal Globe winner, Colby Stevenson, achieved slopestyle criteria, along with teammate Mac Forehand.

U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic Gold Medalists Jamie Anderson and Red Gerard, along with Dusty Henricksen, have achieved criteria in slopestyle thus far. Defending Olympic Gold Medalist Chloe Kim and teammate Maddie Mastro have both achieved criteria for Olympic selection, although they will not be competing this weekend. 

With points and podiums on the line, be prepared to see a heavy progression session as the international field of competitors drop into Mammoth’s Unbound halfpipe and slopestyle course. 

Snowboard 

Keep an eye on the U.S. Team vets in the men’s snowboard halfpipe, including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White, who is looking to compete in his fifth Olympics. X Games medalist Toby Miller can lean into years of experience and skill in his effort to qualify for Team USA. Young guns Joey Okesson, Lucas Foster and Tessa Maud also have high hopes for their performances this weekend as they look to secure an Olympic team spot.

In slopestyle, the stakes have never been higher. A talented field of competitors is ready to put it all on the line, including Julia Marino and Hailey Langland in the women’s field, Brock Crouch, Chris Corning, Judd Henkes, and many more in the men’s field, all gunning for points and the podium. 

“Mammoth Mountain is once again the perfect host for the riders to battle it out for those final Olympic team spots,” U.S. Snowboard Team Coach Mike Jankowski said ahead of training. “The halfpipe and slopestyle venues are in great shape and we anticipate another epic and suspenseful competition to the very end.”

Snowboard slopestyle qualifiers kick off on Thursday, Jan. 6, with halfpipe qualifiers on Friday, Jan 7. Saturday, Jan. 8, will be a big day for snowboarding, with afternoon slopestyle finals and night pipe finals.  

U.S Snowboard Halfpipe Men’s Starts
Shaun White
Lucas Foster
Chase Blackwell
Toby Miller 
Ryan Wachendorfer  
Jack Coyne
Jason Wolle
Joey Okesson

U.S Snowboard Halfpipe Women’s Starts
Tessa Maud
Alexandria Simsovits

U.S Snowboard Slopestyle Men’s Starts
Red Gerard
Dusty Henricksen
Chris Corning
Brock Crouch
Judd Henkes
Lyon Farrell
Sean Fitzsimons
Kyle Mack
Jake Canter
Luke Winkelmann
Fynn Bullock-Womble

U.S Snowboard Slopestyle Women’s Starts
Jamie Anderson
Hailey Langland
Julia Marino
Courtney Rummel

Competing Snowboard Field:

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle bib assignment
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle bib assignment
Men's Snowboard Halfpipe bib assignment
Women's Snowboard Halfpipe bib assignment

FREESKI

The level of talent on the U.S. Freeski Team is through the roof as the athletes head into their final Grand Prix of the season. It’s going to be an absolute battle to make it into the finals, let alone advance to the podium.

In halfpipe, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise is one to watch, as he looks to qualify for his third Olympic Games, as well as Olympic Bronze Medalist Brita Sigourney. A packed slate of talented U.S. athletes, including Birk Irving and Lyman Currier will also make a bid for a spot on Team USA.

In slopestyle, Alex Hall, Nick Goepper, Cody LaPlante, Caroline Claire, and Maggie Voisin are among those looking to earn their place on the team. 

“With four events already under the belt this season the team is really firing on all cylinders and looking to keep the momentum going here in Mammoth,” U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Coach, Skogen Sprang, said ahead of training. “This is a pivotal event in the qualifying process and we’re really looking forward to an exciting slopestyle contest.”

The Freeski competition kicks off with halfpipe qualifiers on Thursday, Jan. 6, followed by slopestyle qualifiers and halfpipe finals on Friday, Jan. 7. The weekend concludes with slopestyle finals on Saturday, Jan. 8.

U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Men’s Starts
Aaron Blunck
Birk Irving
David Wise
Alex Ferreira
Lyman Currier
Jaxin Hoerter
Cassidy Jarrell
Hunter Hess
Dylan Ladd
Sammy Schuiling
Tristan Feinberg

U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Women’s Starts
Brita Sigourney
Devin Logan
Hanna Faulhaber
Abigale Hansen
Svea Irving
Annalisa Drew
Riley Jacobs
Jenna “Jay” Riccomini 

U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Men’s Starts
Colby Stevenson
Mac Forehand
Alex Hall
Nick Goepper
Cody LaPlante
Hunter Henderson
Willie Borm
Konnor Ralph
Charlie Gnoza

U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Women’s Starts
Caroline Claire
Maggie Voisin
Marin Hamill
Grace Henderson
Jenna “Jay” Riccomini 
Bella Bacon

Competing Freeski Field:

Men's Freeski Halfpipe bib assignment
Women's Freeski Halfpipe bib assignment
Men's Freeski Slopestyle bib assignment
Women's Freeski Slopestyle bib assignment

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Friday, Jan. 7, 2022

9:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022

12:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

4:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

9:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, 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.

Sophia Laukli and Novie McCabe saved their best for last, finishing fifth and seventh respectively to post career-best World Cup results in the final stage of the FIS Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Tuesday. 

“It felt pretty good,” McCabe said after finishing the traditional final 3k climb up the Alpe Cermis in Cavalese. “It was tough, obviously, but I’m stoked about it.”

“It was quite a shock,” Laukli said of her fifth-place result. “After yesterday, I was extremely tired, so it was a bit of a 180. I was really looking forward to this race though, and I knew that this was my style of course, so I was really excited.”

Indeed, the Alpe Cermis certainly fits the style for Laukli and McCabe with pitches as steep as 28 percent. The course kicked off with a 2.5k loop before heading out onto the famed Marcialongo trail, which provided a fast respite for the athletes prior to the final climb. Jessie Diggins was fifth coming out of the Marcialongo, with Laukli and McCabe a bit further back in the field of 46 athletes who started the race. 

“I was right with Sophia,” McCabe said as they began the climb, “and I knew that she was going to be in a good position, so I tried to follow her.”

“I tried to stay pretty chill and ski it tactfully well,” Laukli said, “and I was able to start the climb with a lot of energy. Like Novie said. We were pretty far back, up until the climb started, so we were well-rested and able to make some moves on the climb.”

Norway’s Heidi Weng won the race, with Sweden’s Ebba Andersson in second and Delphine Claudel of France in third. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was fourth to secure the overall Tour de Ski victory. The overall win also moved her into atop the World Cup overall standings. Jessie Diggins was 15th Tuesday and finished eighth overall. Alayna Sonnesyn was 36th Tuesday. 

In the men’s 10k freestyle mass start, Norway’s Sjur Roethe took the win, with Russia’s Dennis Spitsov in second and Friedrich Moch of Germany in third. Norway’s 19 KLAEBO Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo took the overall Tour de Ski victory. For the U.S. Zak Ketterson finished 48th in Tuesday’s stage, completing his first six events on the World Cup circuit.

“That was definitely the hardest race I have ever done,” Ketter said of Tuesday’s final stage. “It just kept going and there was not a lot of rest of course because you’re only going uphill. But I’m proud to have finished because it was a long journey just to get here.”

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

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski final overall 
Men’s Tour de Ski final overall

In her first race back on the FIS World Cup after coming down with COVID-19 over the holidays, Mikaela Shiffrin put down a blazing second run to take second place in the Zagreb, Croatia night slalom. Paula Moltzan was 11th.

Conditions were tough, with warm weather providing barely enough snow to drill in the gates, and plenty of wind made obvious by the myriad of tree leaves scattered across the hill and a course hold second run to re-install the finish banner that had blown down. There were dozens of DNFs due to the tricky sugary snow, but Petra Vlhova of Slovakia put it all on the line to win the first run by .64 seconds. And she didn’t back off in the second run, taking the win at the Croatian night race for the third year in a row. Shiffrin was half a second behind Vlhova in second place with Katharina Liensberger of Austria finishing third after a big mistake on her second run, 2.11 seconds behind Vlhova.

Shiffrin missed the slalom and giant slalom races in Lienz, Austria just before New Year's due to a bout with COVID-19, but was thrilled to return to one of her favorite venues on the circuit after testing negative. She said she didn't have the ideal preparation due to quarantine, but felt normal and healthy. “I was really happy to be here today,” she said. “I think I had more fun skiing than anybody. After the last weeks, it was like ugh, come on! I just started getting this rhythm going and then totally cut down in the middle of it.”

The two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion had certainly fallen into a rhythm throughout December, having five podiums in the last six races she entered. Zagreb was also an ideal venue to make her return, having won Zagreb’s Snow Queen Trophy night slalom four times.
 

 

 

 

 

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While rival Vlhova took her third title on the hill, Shiffrin was pleased with her skiing, all things considered. “I knew it was going to be tough today after 10 days in a room and not being able to do any kind of physical exercise,” she said. “I lost some of this energy to push, but today showed me I didn’t lose too much. It’s something I can get back and I’ll do my best to get that back over the next weeks. It was quite a positive day. I love racing in Zagreb, even if I’m not winning, I just love it here. I really appreciate that I was able to come back for this race.”

Moltzan had a tough second run, dealing with gusts of wind in the start gate as well as the soft course conditions and a fractured wrist, but still scored an excellent 11th place finish—her best finish at the venue.

With her second-place finish, Shiffrin still leads the overall World Cup standings by 115 points over Vlhova, who overtook speed-specialist Sofia Goggia with her win. Vlhova continued to build on her overall slalom standings with 480 points to Shiffrin’s 340.

Katie Hensien just missed the flip, finishing 31st run in her first run by nine-hundredths of a second, so did not qualify for a second run. Lila Lapanja and Zoe Zimmerman also did not qualify for a second run and Nicola Rountree-Williams—who was racing in her career-first World Cup—did not finish first run.

The men race their night slalom in Zagreb on Wednesday. The women head to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a slalom and giant slalom.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, 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.

After missing both the slalom and giant slalom races in Lienz, Austria due to a bout with COVID-19, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin has tested negative and is set to return to the FIS Ski World Cup stage on Tuesday, Jan. 4, to compete in Zagreb's famous 'Snow Queen Trophy' night slalom. Shiffrin has been crowned 'Snow Queen' at the venue on four occasions and will look to make a strong comeback from her fourth-place finish in 2020 as she battles for the World Cup slalom title. Currently, she trails rival Petra Vlhova of Slovakia by 120 points in the slalom standings. Still, she has maintained the lead in the race for the Overall Crystal Globe over Italy's Sofia Goggia.
 

 

 

 

 

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Zagreb's night slalom could be a big night for Shiffrin in more ways than one. Her fifth-consecutive slalom win in Killington, Vermont, put her neck and neck with the legendary Ingemar Stenmark for most World Cup wins in a single discipline (46). A win in Zagreb would push her past the outstanding record, marking her 47th slalom win in her career, further establishing her dominance in the discipline.

Shiffrin won't be the only U.S. athlete making their first appearance of 2022 in Zagreb. She'll be joined by a crew of fresh faces and World Cup mainstays alike. Paula Moltzan, Katie Hensien, Zoe Zimmermann, Nicola Rountree-Williams, and Lila Lapanja are set to start in the Zagreb night slalom. Tuesday's appearance will be Rountree-Williams' career-first World Cup start. 

START LIST
Women's slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
10:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 – LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules are updated daily basis throughout the season.

**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 liability for using third-party services and apps.

On Monday, the remaining Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athletes dug deep into the pain cave to fight for another day at the FIS Tour de Ski on a world-class course in Val di Fiemme, Italy. 

Jessie Diggins, rebounding from her unfortunate race in Oberstdorf, Germany, Saturday, led the way, finishing 13th in the women’s 10k classic mass start. “I went as hard as I could and really dug deep,” Diggins said. “I gave it what I had today, and I am proud of that.”

After the penultimate stage, Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva won her second-straight stage to maintain her overall Tour de Ski lead. Norway’s Heidi Weng was second, followed by Sweden’s Krista Parmakoski in third. Katharine Ogden just missed scoring World Cup points, finishing 31st, while Novie McCabe was 36th; Sophia Laukli was 39th, and Alayna Sonnesyn was 51st.

Diggins dropped to sixth overall in the Tour de Ski standings, 1:42 back. However, she moved into second in the overall FIS World Cup standings, just five points behind Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, who took Diggins out in Saturday’s Stage 4 classic sprint. Karlsson did not start Monday’s Stage 5.

In the 15k men’s classic mass start, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo skied away from the field once again to win his fourth TdS stage. Finland’s Iivo Niskanen was second, followed by Russia’s Alexey Chervotkin in third. Gus Schumacher was 50th, and Zak Ketterson, competing in his first Tour and fifth World Cup race, was 59th.

“This is my first Tour, and probably the first time I have ever done this many races in so few days, so you kind of go into the race just seeing what would happen, and today was pretty tough,” Ketterson said. “But it’s just the nature of skiing that you have to look toward the next stage. We have another race tomorrow, and it’s a new chance.”

With five races in the past seven days and more than 8 hours of travel between venues, the athletes are brushing off fatigue to put their best ski forward. “I felt tired, for sure,” said McCabe, who is competing in her first Tour de Ski. “Not my best, but I’m proud of pushing the whole way because it was not easy.”

“Definitely feeling the multiple races in me,” said Laukli, who is also competing in her first Tour de Ski. “I’ve had better days, and I’ve had worse days.”

Tuesday’s Stage 6 finalé climbs the final three kilometers up the lower slopes of the Alpe Cermis in Cavalese. The stage offers one last opportunity for the athletes to move up in the overall standings.

“I have been looking forward to this race for a long time,” Laukli said. “I’m going into it very tired, but I’m still pretty stoked to do it.”

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

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski Overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Alex Ferreira once again earned second place, with Hanna Faulhaber taking third in the second nighttime final at the Snow Rodeo FIS Freeski halfpipe World Cup at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The U.S. Freeski Team athletes, both hailing from Aspen, Colorado, are on a streak, with Ferreira four-for-four on the podium and Faulhaber making it three in a row.

While sub-zero temps were a factor in Thursday’s nighttime pipe finals, Saturday’s night finals were affected by 40-mph gusting winds blowing across the pipe, bringing warming temps but chaotic conditions. The wind settled down in time for the third run, which is when we saw the highest scores of the night.

The ten men final included six Americans, which speaks to the depth of talent on the U.S. Team. It was a battle of young versus established skiers, notably Canada versus America. Alex Ferreira took full advantage of the conditions on his final run, throwing down two different double corks—a left dub 1260 tindy, into a right dub 1260, then going left cork 720 tail into a switch right 720 Japan, and finishing with a left 1080 tail at the bottom. And let’s not forget the signature ski pole twirl to earn second-place and a score of 90.4.

Once again, Canada’s Brendan MacKay earned the top spot on the podium with a score of 93.40, and teammate Noah Bowman landed in third with an 88.

“I’m just absolutely excited to be on the podium sharing it with some great guys—Brendan MacKay and Noah Bowman are skiing out of their mind, and I’m just super grateful and thankful to be up there with them,” said Ferreira. “The pipe was a bit of tough, especially with the wind tonight, but we all hung in there, and we got it done. We’re all healthy, and that’s all you really can ask for.”

As for his four-in-a-row podium streak, Ferreira said, “It’s kind of unbelievable to carry this momentum. I’m just super grateful. Going into the next month, I feel confident and excited and just having fun, so that's the best time to be skiing.”

The U.S. Team results were rounded out with Dylan Ladd earning a fourth-place finish, followed by Birk Irving in fifth, Sammy Schuiling in sixth, David Wise in eighth, and Cassidy Jarrell in ninth.

Hanna Faulhaber kept her podium streak going to earn third place Saturday night. This podium finish follows her second-place World Cup finish on Thursday night and her third-place finish at the Dew Tour.

Faulhaber earned her top score of 88.60 on her final run after the wind let up. Her run included a lofty straight air tail grab, into left and right side flair safety grabs, a left side 720 safety, into switch right 360 Japan, finishing with a left 900 tindy.

Faulhaber, along with the rest of the field, struggled against the wind, “It was a little terrifying—definitely felt it on a few hits – you realize on one wall you have to pop more and the other you have to pop a little less and hope for the best. But yeah, all the ladies threw down.”

As for her current podium streak, Faulhaber said, “It’s unreal, to be honest, I still can’t believe it’s happening. It’s always been a dream of mine and I’ve looked up to these ladies forever and to be competing and to be on the podium it’s just unreal.”

Eileen Gu, competing for China, once again earned the top spot with a 92.80, followed by Canada’s Rachael Karker in second with an 89.40.

Complete Results

Women’s Results

Men’s Results

Next up is the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California, Jan. 6–9, 2022.

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Friday, Jan. 7, 2022

9:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022

4:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. For more information on how to watch broadcasts and streaming, visit our full "how to watch" breakdown.

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.

Luke Winkelmann started off 2022 with a bang. The lone U.S. rider came out on the first run with enthusiasm, putting down a heater to earn a third-place finish at the FIS Snow Rodeo slopestyle and his first World Cup podium. The timing couldn’t be better for the rider hailing from North Carolina, as he chalks up valuable World Cup points in a bid to represent the United States in Beijing.

The conditions in Calgary have been frigid throughout the event, with Saturday’s temps slowly creeping up from negative-eight to a balmy zero degrees during finals. But that didn’t slow Winklemann down. He flowed through the upper rail section, adding in high-scoring technical variations, before sending it through the jump section with a frontside 1260 tail grab, into a switch backside triple cork 1440 Indy grab, into a Cab double 900 melon to earn a score of 83.2.

Winklemann said, “Today, my whole mindset was doing as much as I could and not trying to do a safety run. Not just going out there to land, just to literally do as much as I can. So that made me super happy to put that down first try. It’s a whirlwind of emotions right now. I’m just so happy.”

Winkelmann had a grueling wait to see if his score would hold with more riders to drop. He said, “Waiting for eight more riders was one of the more intimidating and nerve-wracking things I think I’ve been through just because I’ve always wanted a World Cup podium. And it’s just been a dream, but we prevailed, and that was crazy. I’m just so stoked right now, and let’s get more, baby!”

Canada’s Sebastien Toutant earned first place with a score of 86.86, followed by Norway’s Mons Roisland in second with a score of 84.50.

U.S. Slopestyle Team coach Dave Reynolds was equally as excited as Winkelmann on his performance. “Luke was really stoked to get into finals and wanted to go for the podium and put up his best run. He tried an even harder trick on run number two that he didn’t get; he was determined to do his best and came through in the clutch.”

Riders are now looking ahead to the final Olympic qualifier at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain and then the last chance at upping their points at the Laax Open.

Results

Men’s Slopestyle

Standings

World Snowboarding Points List

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022

12:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

4:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Slopestyle - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

9:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Mammoth Mountain, CA, Streaming Peacock

Jessie Diggins Tour de Ski title defense hit a bump in the road in Saturday’s Stage 4 classic sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Diggins and Sweden’s Frida Karlsson were sitting third and fourth in the opening quarterfinal headed into the final climb. Diggins was in the track, and Karlsson was double-poling just outside the track and moved in on Diggins lane. Diggins switched lanes, only to see Karlsson switch into the same lane again and take her down. Diggins hit the deck, and Karlsson was subsequently disqualified for obstruction and incurred a three-minute penalty. 

“Sometimes these things happen,” said Diggins, who dropped to third overall. “We talked after the; we’re cool, there’s no drama. But it is a bummer because that severely impacts my Tour, and mostly, I feel bad because we had amazing skis today.”

Indeed, it was another day of great skis for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team, with four athletes advancing to the heats, including Katharine Ogden, who qualified for her first World Cup sprint heats. Ben Ogden qualified just as he did in 2021, along with Luke Jager, who qualified for the heats for the second time in his career.

While everyone went out in the quarterfinals, not all was lost on the day, as Ben and Katharine gave their parents a lot to cheer about. “That was awesome to see,” Ben said of his sister qualifying for her first World Cup Sprint. “I’m sure my dad and mom are home (in Vermont) and pretty pumped to see us both in the heats.”

Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva won, followed by Sweden’s Johanna Hagstroem in second and Finland’s Johanna Matintalo in third. Diggins finished 21st, Katharine Ogden was 24th. Julia Kern did not start Stage 4.

In the men’s race, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his third stage in this year’s Tour and led a Norwegian sweep with Erik Valnes in second and Paal Goldberg in third. Ben Ogden was 22nd, and Jager was 27th. 

The Tour has a travel day Sunday, continues Monday, and concludes Tuesday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Monday’s race is a classic mass start, and Tuesday is a freestyle mass start, both of which favors skiing style.

“I’m just going to focus on moving forward and doing the best I can in these last two stages,” Diggins said. “I’m going to go as hard as I can as each day is a new day, so I just want to have the best day I can.”

RESULTS
Women’s classic sprint
Men’s classic sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall
Men’s Tour de Ski overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Monday, Jan. 3, 2022
6:40 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA,   Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
8:50 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

On a hard, fast, course, Jessie Diggins skated her way to an impressive victory in the women’s 10k freestyle mass start in Stage 3 of the FIS Tour de Ski Friday in Oberstdorf, Germany. 

“I had the best skis in the whole world today,” Diggins said after her second World Cup win this week and 13th overall career World Cup victory. “It was amazing! I’m so proud of our team, they worked so hard, and they gave me some absolute rockets.”

Indeed, she had fast skis, thanks to her tech Jason Cork and all the hard work of the entire U.S. tech team. Her skis were so fast, that at times on some of the long, fast downhills on the Oberstdorf track, it seems she was just along for the ride. In fact, coming into the finish stretch, she never used her poles, opting to remain in a low power-tuck skate, as she let her skis carry her to victory. 

“Being able to trust the draft, and trust my skis, that was the difference-maker,” she added. 

Diggins remained near the front of the field for almost the entire race. After leading out of the start, she settled into a pace among the top 10, but thanks to her fast skis, she found herself gliding into the lead numerous times. 

Heading up the final climb, Sweden’s Frida Karlsson held about a five-meter advantage with Diggins battling for the second position with Russia’s Tatiana Sorina. Down into the finish arena, Diggins took the slingshot around the outside of Karlsson and simply skated away. Karlsson held on for second, with Sorina taking third. 

Julia Kern put in a solid effort and finished 24th, while Katharine Ogden just missed the top 30 by 1.7 seconds, finishing 32nd. Sophia Laukli was 37th;  Alayna Sonnesyn 52nd; and Novie McCabe 54th. Due to a slight cold, Hailey Swirbul did not start Friday’s race.

“It was fast, furious and a lot of fun,” Kern said. “I didn’t have the best energy out there, but it was a hard fight.”

In the men's 15k, Gus Schumacher finished 25th. It was a great result for Schumacher, who was battling a cold last week. “I’m feeling better and better,” Schumacher said. “That cold was slowing me down a little bit, but every day I’m feeling a little more energy and more rested, so I’m looking forward to Val di Fiemme.”

Competing in only his third career World Cup start, Zak Ketterson continued to climb up the results ladder, just missing his first top-30 result by less than five seconds, finishing 36th. “I’m really happy with that (result),” Ketterson said. “The goal for anyone is just to be in the top 30, that is just the first stepping stone. So for me to be close to that today is kind of a dream come true, especially after a couple of rough first races of this Tour, it’s nice to get some positive feedback.” 

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo outsprinted Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov for the victory. Sjur Roethe of Russia was third. Ben Ogden was 64th; Kevin Bolger 65th; Luke Jager 70th and Logan Hanneman 75th.

Friday’s win moved Diggins back into the overall Tour de Ski lead through three of six stages.  Kerttu Niskanen of Finland, who won Tuesday’s 10k classic, is second overall, 13 seconds back. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva is third at 14 seconds back. Kern is 17th overall.

The Tour de Ski kicks off 2022 with a classic sprint in Oberstdorf Saturday, followed by a rest/travel day Sunday and the final two stages in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Monday and Tuesday.

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

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 4 Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Monday, Jan. 3, 2022
6:40 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA,   Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
8:50 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
 

U.S. Freeski Team athletes Hanna Faulhaber and Alex Ferreira both took second place in a frigid nighttime final at the FIS Snow Rodeo halfpipe World Cup. This is the first of two nighttime U.S. Olympic qualification halfpipe events at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. 

In the men’s competition, Alex Ferreira hit the gas on his second run to earn his top score of the night of 94.80 with a left dub 1260 tindy, into a right dub flat 900 safety, comboing a left cork 720 tail into a switch right 720 Japan, and finishing with a full-throttle left 1080 tail.

Ferreira, the 2018 Olympic Winter Games silver medalist, is coming off back-to-back wins at the Dew Tour and the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in the Woodward halfpipe at Copper Mountain. 

The Canadian Team earned the two other podium spots with Calgary’s own Brendan Mackay taking the win with a score of 97 and Simon d’Artois in third with a 94.4. 

Rounding out the U.S. Men’s Freeski Team, Lyman Currier took fifth place, Dylan Ladd in seventh, two-time reigning Olympic gold medalist David Wise in eighth and Cassidy Jarrell took tenth. This stacked field are all competing to earn one of the four men's halfpipe spots on the U.S. Olympic Team. 

In the women’s competition, Hanna Faulhaber, the 17-year-old from Aspen, Colorado displayed the amplitude that is fast becoming her trademark to earn second place and her first World Cup podium. Faulhaber was the second-place qualifier coming into finals and kept that momentum going despite the cold temps, putting down three solid runs. Her top-scoring run included a boosted straight air rail grab on the first hit into, left and right side flair safety grabs, an incredibly clean cork 720 safety, finishing with a switch right 360 Japan, and a left 540 mute grab. 

Faulhaber said, “It’s a crazy one for sure. I am insanely stoked to have put down a run and be able to walk away. I took a pretty decent slam yesterday during training and I’m just happy to be okay after that and be able to compete today.” As for her second consecutive podium, she has this to say: “It’s great to be able to put down consistently and I’m just happy to keep it going. I don’t really know what to say, I’m just excited for how it’s going and it’s unbelievable – I never thought that I would be here.” 

This result at the Calgary Snow Rodeo comes on the heels of her third-place finish at the Dew Tour, and a fifth-place finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain the week prior.  

Eileen Gu, competing for China, continued her winning streak, earning first place with a score of 96.8, and Canada’s Rachael Karker earned third place with a score of 90.2. 

Head Freeski Halfpipe Coach Mike Riddle is happy with today's results, "I’m always happy with the team in general, some weren’t able to get the runs they wanted in finals. The conditions here are tough." Riddle noted the challenge of maintaining a halfpipe in sub-zero conditions, "Right now the pipe is undervert, so the athletes are having trouble going large and getting back in the pipe. The deck is a real threat. No one is doing their hardest run.” 

Despite the challenges, the team is rising to the occasion says Riddle, "Hanna is skiing awesome, that amplitude is definitely something that’s hard to learn, she’s got it on lock right now and that’s going to bode well for her. And Alex is on a tear this year, he was on a tear at training camps all last season and it’s paying off. He’s skiing amazing.”

Leading U.S. Freeski athletes Brita Sigourney and Aaron Blunck both opted out of this event, looking ahead to the upcoming Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain.

Stay tuned for the second FIS World Cup halfpipe event of the Calgary Snow Rodeo, scheduled for New Year’s Day, Saturday, January 1st. Expect to see another duel between U.S. and Canada for the podium, and yes, more sub-zero temps. 

RESULTS
Women’s Results
Men’s Results 

HOW TO WATCH
*All Times EST

Saturday, Jan 1, 2022
5:00 p.m.  FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Cup- LIVE, Calgary, CAN, Streaming Peacock

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