Battling more than 19 inches of new snow and tough course conditions, River Radamus was the top American in the FIS World Cup giant slalom in Val d’Isere, France, continuing to show his strength in giant slalom with an impressive 13th place.

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland dominated again after taking two podiums at Birds of Prey last weekend, grabbing the win by nearly six-tenths over Frenchman Alexis Pinturault. Six-tenths behind Pinturault, Manuel Feller of Austria finished third. Odermatt had also won the opening GS in Soelden, Austria—becoming the first man to win the first two GS races in a season since U.S. Alpine Ski Team alumnus Ted Ligety did so in 2013.

Radamus struggled a bit first run, attacking from the start but made a few mistakes in critical sections to land himself in 23rd place. But he came into the second run with more knowledge and respect for the hill to ski the third-fastest run and push himself into 13th place.

“Overall I don’t feel like I skied my best GS today but I’m proud of the result,” said Radamus. “Knowing how much more I have to give and knowing where the result is, I can take solace in that and know I’m going in the right directions.”

Radamus has been showing that he’s one to keep an eye on throughout the Olympic season, capturing his career-best sixth place World Cup finish in Soelden. And with the tour heading next week to Alta Badia, Italy where he’s had a slew of top-20 results, he’s ready to prove himself.

“Game plan remains the same,” said Radamus. “Try to build on this and find the good and eliminate the bad and hopefully take this momentum with two solid results to start the season into my favorite race of the year in Alta Badia.”

Bridger Gile did not qualify for a second run in Val d’Isere and Brian McLaughlin and George Steffey did not finish. The men race slalom on Sunday to finish out the weekend in France.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*ALL TIMES EST.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, 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.

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
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Tess Johnson led the Americans in the Moguls FIS World Cup in snowy Idre Fjäll, Sweden, Saturday, with a fourth-place finish. 

“I’m really happy with how I skied,” said Johnson. “This was my first supers in three seasons and it feels incredible. I was just focused on my skiing all day, one run at a time. It had been snowing all day and the course was absolutely ripping. Each run was better and better. Staying the moment and focusing on the cues I know work for me gave me a ton of confidence [today] even in training runs.”

A fierce middle section combined with a top cork to bottom venom earned Johnson a score of 82.25. “When I'm focused more on the skiing and the process rather than the outcome, I can access that flow state more. A lot of athletes will know what flow state feels like, I was proud to access it each run. I think my skiing and scores reflected it. When I’m there (in that flow state) is when I have the most fun and the biggest smile on my face.” 

Johnson was among four women to qualify for Finals and the only American to ski in the super final round. “Tess threw a hell of a punch in that final,” said Head Mogul Coach Matt Gnoza. “I am so impressed with her demeanor, her approach, her middle section. She’s an awesome athletic skier and to see that showing through now in December is really exciting. She’ll have some momentum moving forward.”

Johnson credits her mental preparedness in being able to ski at the level she did, and hopes to continue to do. “This is the first international World Cup we had sport psychologist Alex Cohen here, which was such a nice addition to our already incredible staff,” she said. “I wouldn't be the skier I am today without Alex, Riley, Bryon and Matt. It’s so cool to have that whole team here with me, and that’s partly what made today really special to me.”

Japan’s Anri Kawamura won for the women, Australia’s Jakara Anthony came in second, and  France’s Perrine Laffont came in third. 

Jaelin Kauf skied the fastest run of the day for the women in the first round of finals, smoking the field at 24.22 seconds. Combined with her top mute to bottom back X she earned a score of 79.4, missing a Super Finals appearance by just 0.05 points, and finished the day in seventh. Hannah Soar skied clean and technical, throwing a top cork and bottom truck driver, finishing in eighth place. Kai Owens had two impressive airs, but had a few small mistakes in the middle section and finished 10th. 

Olivia Giaccio finished 21st, Morgan Schild finished 25th and Madison Hogg 35th. 

Brad Wilson was the only American man to qualify for finals. He came rockin’ out of the start gates in typical Brad fashion but made a little mistake in the bottom air which made the difference in Super Final appearance and finished ninth.  

Japan’s Ikuma Horishima won for the men, Sweden’s Albin Holmgren earned second and France’s Ben Cavet came in third. Noticeably absent from Super Finals and the podium was winningest mogul skier of all time Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury, who finished seventh. 

Nick Page finished 18th, Dylan Walczyk 31st and Cole McDonald 48th.

Competition continues Sunday with the first Dual Moguls World Cup of the season. Five women qualified on Friday for the round of 16: Johnson, Soar, Kauf, Owens and Giaccio. Men’s qualifications go off Sunday morning. The Americans love a good duel, and with the heightened level of competition that comes from an Olympic year, mogul fans can expect the U.S. to come out fighting.

RESULTS
Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls
Women’s Dual Moguls Qualifications

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Dual Moguls - LIVE, Idre Fjall, SWE, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

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.

Mikaela Shiffrin showed that she can still rule speed events, capturing her first FIS World Cup speed podium in nearly two years in the super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Breezy Johnson was 12th.

Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, the reigning super-G World Champion, skied a hill she knew well to the win. Sofia Goggia of Italy, who had swept the speed events at the Lake Louise World Cups last week, took second.

The course was in excellent condition, but flat light and lightly falling snow made it difficult to see the tricky undulating terrain, which played into Shiffrin’s favor. “You see that this track has so much terrain—it’s a little like every turn has a roll or compression that really throws you around,” said Shiffrin. “I could see that from the start and I decided to try to ski a good solid run and not go too crazy trying to be too aerodynamic when most of the girls were struggling to make clean turns. I was just trying to make as clean turns as I could.”

While Shiffrin is known as a strong technical skier, she is no stranger to the podium in FIS World Cup speed events, but it had been a minute. She was last on the World Cup podium in Bankso, Bulgaria in January 2020, when she won the super-G, and also took third place in the 2021 FIS World Ski Championships super-G in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. But her lack of time with speed boards on her feet this season meant she came in a little wary of her chances.

“I would say this was my sixth run of super-G in six months,” added Shiffrin. “I didn’t really trust myself enough to be the most aggressive on this hill, like I could imagine Lara and Sofia would ski. I have the potential to be competitive, but today is just 100% more practice than what I had yesterday. It was a good run, actually. Quite good.”

Shiffrin’s third-place extends her lead in the FIS overall standings to 465 points above Goggia’s 395. The race was also her 111th podium in 200 World Cup starts—meaning Shiffrin has a 56% chance of finishing in the top three of every race she enters.

U.S. downhill queen Breezy Johnson also had a banner day, capturing 12th place—her third best super-G result in her career.

Rounding out the Americans, AJ Hurt was 34th, Tricia Mangan 36th, Jackie Wiles 37th and Nina O’Brien 43rd. Isabella Wright and Kelly Cashman did not finish.

Next up, the women race another super-G on Sunday while the men ski slalom in Val d'Isere, France. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

STANDINGS
Women's World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, 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.

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

2018 Olympic Silver Medalist Alex Ferreira claimed his first win of the season at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, the second of six U.S. Olympic ski halfpipe qualifying events Friday at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

U.S. Freeski Team athlete Birk Irving landed just off the podium in fourth place, with David Wise in seventh, Lyman Currier in eighth and Aaron Blunck 10th after a frustrating finals for the top qualifier.

“It was a little bit snowy and windy, so I backed off a bit,” says Ferreira, “but I just kept my head up and never gave up. I just did my best.”

Ferreira put down his top score on his first of three final runs, where the best run counted. He dropped in switch left 1080 tail grab, into a right double 1260 mute grab, left double 1440 safety grab, switch right 1080 tail grab, finishing with a left double 1260 safety.

“It’s absolutely unbelievable, I’m still in shock,” said Ferreira as he stepped off the podium. “I’ve never done well at Copper, and to not only do well but to win is something in and of itself. I’m just so grateful.”

Ferreira most recently won gold at the 2020 Aspen X Games and finished in fourth at the Aspen 2021 FIS Freeski halfpipe World Championships.

The men’s podium was rounded out by New Zealand’s Nico Porteous in second and Canada’s Brendan McKay in third.

In the women’s field, 2018 Olympic Bronze Medalist Brita Sigourney was the top American finisher in fourth place, followed by Hanna Faulhaber in fifth.

“It’s been snowing and a windy—not exactly the conditions we want to compete in,” said Sigourney. “The pipe was still good and a lot of thanks to our wax techs for keeping our skis running fast because that was a major player today.”

This finish follows a third-place podium finish at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix—the first Olympic qualifying event.

Sigourney said, “I’m happy with where I’m sitting right now going into the Olympics. We obviously have a lot more events coming up but I’m happy to start the season off like this.”

Eileen Gu, competing for Team China took first place today, followed by Canada’s Rachael Karker, and Estonia’s Kelly Sildaru in third.

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
9:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - same-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN

Eric Loughran led the U.S. with a sixth place finish in Friday’s FIS Aerials World Cup in Ruka, Finland, his tenth career top-six World Cup result. 

"The day was sweet," reflected Loughran on his result. "I landed every single jump going into Supers, which is pretty hard to do in our sport. I was on a roll there. Going into Super Finals knowing who was competing what, Bergy (Coach Eric Bergoust) and I decided to go for a bigger trick, a Full Full Double-Full. Unfortunately I went a little too big and had a crash."

Loughran stomped his Full Double-Full Full in the first finals round for a score of 121.24, qualifying him fourth position heading into the super final round. He reported feeling good in the air of his Full Full Double-Full in the Super Final, but came in too far back and didn’t stick the landing, earning a score of 87.78 for sixth place. "I'm going to need [that big] trick this year with how our sport has been progressing. In the Full Full Double-Full you come into a blind landing. It's one of the hardest tricks to land in our sport. I went for it. I stuck it [last season] in Kazakhstan but this one I had a little too much speed and went a bit big."

Russia’s Maxim Burov continued to dominate with his third-straight Aerials World Cup win. China went 2-3 with Zongyang Kia placing second and Guangpu Qi placing third. 

It was a tough day for the Americans with only two athletes qualifying to finals. Justin Schoenefeld joined Loughran in the first finals round. He went for a Full Double-Full Full but slapped back, earning a score of 79.65, and finished the day in 11th. Chris Lillis finished 18th. 

On the women’s side, Ukraine’s Anastasiya Novosad earned her first Aerials World Cup win. China’s Mengtao Xu came in second and Ukraine’s Olga Polyuk came in third. 

Ashley Caldwell finished 20th, Dani Loeb 23rd, Karenna Elliot 26th, Winter Vinecki 30th, Megan Nick 32nd and Kaila Kuhn 34th. 

Aerials competition continues Saturday with a one-jump World Cup followed by a Team event. 

Results
Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021

3:40 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Women’s Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock

3:15 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Women's Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Ski and Snowboard Live

6:15 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Men's Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

9:30 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Mixed Team Aerials - LIVE, Ruka, FIN, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

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.

U.S. Snowboard Team riders Chase Josey, Taylor Gold, and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White are advancing in the field of 10 men to Saturday’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Finals. This is the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season, and the first chance for these riders to unleash their new tricks after a long training season leading up to this event.

2018 Winter Olympian Chase Josey was the top U.S Snowboard Team qualifier, “I was feeling really ready for today,” said Josey. “We’ve been training for so long at this point though all summer and this fall, so it felt like this week has been in our sights for so long that it was a relief to finally get to Copper. I just felt really ready to go, honestly.”

Josey went frontside double cork 1080, to switch frontside 900, into a switch backside 900, to a Cab double cork 1080, finishing with a frontside double cork 1260 on the final hit.

“I've really been trying to piece together this run for many years at this point,” said Josey. “It all takes time. And it’s finally been the season that I feel like it’s all coming together.”

The men’s field is rounded out with Team Japan, led by two-time Olympic Silver Medalist Ayumu Hirano, who came out strong earning the top four qualifying spots, along with the Swiss team.

The women’s field of eight riders includes top qualifying finishers Spain’s Queralt Castellet and China’s Cai Xuetong.

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas is looking forward to Saturday. “All three of our guys—Chase, Shaun, and Taylor—those were just their qualifying runs, they have a lot left in the tank,” said JJ, “If the weather cooperates and the snow stays fast, this final could be one of the heavier finals to date.”

One question is at the top of everyone’s mind—will we see the first triple cork in competition? Tune in to find out.

Finals Start List 

Men's Snowboard Finals 
Women's Snowboard Finals 

HOW TO WATCH SNOWBOARDING

All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

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.

HOW TO WATCH SNOWBOARDING

All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN
2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

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.

Media have access to results, photos, podium/leader interviews, news, broadcast/streaming schedules, and more in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Virtual Media Center.

If you’re not paying attention to the depth of talent and skill on the U.S. Freeski halfpipe team, the time is now. Tuesday, Dec. 8, marked the beginning of the road to Beijing, with five U.S. men earning half of the coveted slots to advance to the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix finals. 2021 Halfpipe champion Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, Lyman Currier, Birk Irving, and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise threw down in the 22-foot Woodward Copper Superpipe to punch their ticket onward.

The U.S. women also rose to the challenge, with Brita Sigourney and Hanna Faulhaber confidently landing in the top five among the field of eight, advancing into Friday’s final.

The ladies kicked off the qualification phase, the best one of two runs counting. Olympic bronze medalist Sigourney made it look easy, earning the top U.S women’s score of the day.

“The pipe is really good; Copper did an amazing job,” Sigourney said of the conditions. “I pretty much did a couple of every trick I did in finals in practice, so there weren’t any firsts, but,” she hints, “finals might be another story.”

Seventeen-year-old teammate Hanna Faulhaber blasted down the pipe, giving the crowd a look at the exciting skiing style that we’ve come to expect from her. Estonia’s Kelly Silardu qualified first, followed by Eileen Gu, competing for China.

The men’s field did not hold back. Blunck led the charge, coming into the Toyota Grand Prix off a big win last March at the Aspen Grand Prix. He dialed his first run top-to-bottom linking up left double cork 900 into a right double cork 1260 to finish.  

“This was definitely one of the heavier qualifiers, as it should be for the Olympic qualifiers.”, said Blunck. “My strategy was to just go put one down. I feel like I stress out so much during qualifiers. This morning I was like, just go have fun—it’s just another day of skiing, nothing is different. I thought that all day and I was like, perfect—let’s go. I did exactly what I set out to do, and I’m just super happy.”

Today’s results bode well for an incredible final. U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Coach Mike Riddle said, “Assuming we get good conditons, they can definitely step it up for finals. I’m just excited for Friday just to see where everyone is at in the first comp of the season, especially in an Olympic year. Every once in a while, you get a surprise.”

The Toyota Grand Prix Freeski Finals are set for Friday, Dec. 10. at Copper Mountain, Colorado. 

Start Lists:

Men's Freeski Finals 
Women's Freeski Finals

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Friday, Dec. 10, 2021

2:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

5:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021

1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

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.

For a number of young athletes on the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, their first taste of FIS World Cup Cross Country racing has been an eye-opening experience, both in terms of the racing, and of course, the extensive travel required to reach the opening events in Scandinavia from all corners of the United States.

Zanden McMullen, Novie McCabe, and Sydney Palmer Leger kicked off their World Cup careers north of the Arctic Circle in Ruka, Finland, Thanksgiving weekend, then traveled to Lillehammer, Norway, for the second race weekend of the season. Now, six races into the season, all three have experienced the highs and lows of World Cup racing, but overall they have succeeded in bringing a youthful energy to the team while learning what it takes to be a professional athlete.

“Having retired three veterans last year, Sadie (Maubet Bjornsen), Simi (Hamilton) and Sophie (Caldwell Hamilton) all over (age) 30 and replaced them in some ways with one junior, Sydney Palmer-Leger, another one who was a junior last year, Zanden McMullen and...Novie McCabe, who is also a first-year senior, the average age on our team has dropped considerably,” said Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “But the youthful energy is really amazing to have around.”

Full-time racing on the FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour is no easy task. Being away from home for an extended period of time, living out of a duffle bag, and sleeping in a different bed week after week can certainly take its toll on a young athlete. 

“It has been really tough the past two weeks of racing,” Palmer-Leger said. “Learning to race qualifiers at the World Cup is a lot different than in the States. Coming from the States where we do well, to World Cups where you are fighting to not get last is mentally challenging. But, I’m excited to be over here, and get the shot to race with the best in the world at (age) 19.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sydney Palmer-Leger (@sydneypalmerleger)

Palmer-Leger, the 2021 NCAA Champion, is used to winning. Top results are always the goal for her. But, for new athletes to World Cup racing, Whitcomb says it’s more about learning and building for the future than posting immediate results.

“The result that I look for in Period 1 with new athletes, regardless of age but just people that are new to the World Cup, is trying to nail the process. There's a little bit of extra stress that they don't feel when they're back home. You're pretty exposed over here and you have to put together nearly perfect races to challenge this competition." 
– Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb,

“What we are trying to do is make sure that we know the process and make sure that they're enjoying the daily life of a professional racer on the road,” Whitcomb continued. “So far, with three weeks behind us, it has been really fun. It's been a good balance, and these new rookies, this new youth, has been such a great addition to the team with regards to chemistry and just great energy.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Novie McCabe (@novie.mccabe)

“One of the main things I’ve learned is that reflecting on each race is great, but it’s important to move on and treat every race as a new opportunity, especially when there are so many race days,” McCabe said. “My body is feeling a bit tired for sure, but it’s been so much fun to be here and it’s made me super stoked to just keep trying to improve a bit each weekend.”

With six race starts so far this season, McCabe has made steady progress. Toss in a team relay in Lillehammer as a member of USA 2 with Palmer-Leger, and two athletes who have a bit more World Cup experience in Sophia Laukli and Katharine Ogden, and the fun factor was certainly alive.

“I am almost unconcerned with results, except for the fact that a good ski result can make them happy and it adds to the fun,” Whitcomb said. “We will start to be a bit more predictable with our results starting this coming weekend (in Davos) and moving forward now that we're settled in, we're not jet-lagged, people have had quite a bit of on-snow time, and so I think even as recently as this last week and you some more people racing well in Lillehammer than in Ruka.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Zanden McMullen (@zanden_m)

For McMullen, his intro to World Cup racing has not only been a huge eye-opening experience but rewarding as well when he posted the 29th-fastest time of the day in the 15k freestyle pursuit in Ruka.

“I’ve actually learned a lot more than I thought I would,” McMullen said. “A lot about what it takes for high-level racing at such an early point in the season; venue familiarity; course strategy; everyday life at hotels the team always stay; race tactics; and a lot more confidence throwing down with the best in the world.”

Both McCabe and Palmer-Leger traveled with the team to Davos, Switzerland for this weekend’s World Cup sprint and distance races, while McMullen traveled back to the United States for finals week at the University of Montana, and to prepare for the upcoming SuperTour and L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships next month at Soldier Hollow. 

“My body feels great, and I feel like I will soon sharpen up my body for the important races of the season,” McMullen said, adding that he looks forward to being “so much more mentally prepared for the next stage of my ski career.”

And will that career include a shot at making Team USA for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games?

“There's always a chance that an 18 or 19 or 20-year-old could make the Olympics for us, and if they do, that’s great,” Whitcomb said. “But that is something that is certainly not high on my priority list. What I would rather see happen is that we establish an environment on the World Cup where they really love this profession and they're still around in 2026 (Olympics in Val di Fiemme, Italy) and in 2030 for, who knows where that Olympics will take place. That is the real focus for these young athletes. It is very long-term.”

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team just completed their first World Cup races this season at the Secret Garden testing center in China— the home course for the 2022 Olympics Games. The SBX team enjoyed a short reprieve in Reiteralm, Austria where they had a chance to recoup and train for the upcoming FIS Weltcup race in Montafon, Austria. 

Montafon race is a great venue with a steep long course that is bound to deliver a great show for the fans at home and a fun, challenging course for all the athletes. This year the SBX team will have one day for testing and inspecting the course, followed by a training day.

In overall rankings, the U.S. SBX team stands in third place, only ten points behind Italy, with Austria currently holding the lead. For the U.S. men’s team, Nick Baumgartner is in third place after a great showing in China. A difficult semifinal run put Mick Dierdorff in sixth place with room to make a big comeback here at Montafon. Hagen Kearney and Alex Deibold are both sitting in the top 25 spots for the men’s SBX. 

The women’s team is showing up this year with five women in the top 25 overall rankings. Stacy Gaskill is in eighth place, with Faye Gulini sitting in tenth, with Livia Molodyh and Anna Miller closing in the gap and sitting in the top 25. 

The team is well-rested and ready to show the competition what they’ve got. The fun begins on Thursday, Dec. 9th with qualifications, then into finals Dec.10-11.

U.S. Snowboardcross Men's Starts
Mick Dierdorff
Nick Baumgartner
Hagen Kearney
Jake Vedder 
Alex Deibold
Senna Leith
Mike LaCroix
Tyler Hamel

U.S. Snowboardcross Women's Starts
Faye Gulini
Stacy Gaskill
Anna Miller
Livia Molodyh

Men's Start List
Women's Start List

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT
Friday, Dec. 10, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
7:00 a.m. FIS Snowboarding World Cup Mixed Team Snowboardcross - LIVE, Montafon, AUT, Streaming Peacock

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.

The U.S. Snowboard and U.S. Freeski teams are ready to throw down this week in the 22-foot Superpipe at Woodward Copper Mountain, Colorado. The team already has a day of training in the bag, and the reviews are in—this pipe is absolutely chiseled and ready to go. Take that as a sign that we should be prepared to see another heavy progression session as this international field of competitors drops in ready to unleash their newest tricks. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper is one of four U.S. Olympic halfpipe snowboard qualifying events and one of six U.S. Olympic freeski qualifying events. This competition will serve as the first 2021-22 halfpipe qualifying event, bringing the best athletes in the world to debut their latest tricks ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Snowboard Halfpipe

The field is stacked in men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe. While the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is the first Olympic halfpipe qualifying event of this season, the U.S. snowboard team has been training hard leading up to it. The team is heading into this competition fresh from a month in Saas Fee, Switzerland, followed by a ten-day training camp in Kitzsteinhorn, Austria.

U.S. Snowboard Team Halfpipe Coach JJ Thomas had this to say after the first day of training, “We’re pretty tuned up right now. The pipe here at Copper opened just in time for training, but not any earlier. That works for our team because they’re all polished up. They’re feeling pretty confident today and it shows in their snowboarding. They look great. The whole team is ripping so hard.”

“I’m feeling good,” says 2018 Olympian Taylor Gold. “We’ve had some really good training, so I feel strong and comfortable and ready to go.”

Keep an eye on the U.S. Team vets including three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Shaun White looking to compete in his fifth Olympics, X Games medalist’s Toby Miller and Taylor Gold who can lean into years of experience and skill, as well as young guns like Joey Okesson, Lucas Foster, Zoe Kalapos, Sonora Alba and Tessa Maud.

The international field includes top ranked riders including Japanese team riders Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano and Raibu Katayama, Switzerland’s Jan Sherrer in the men’s field; with China’s Xuetong Cai and Jiayu Liu, Spain’s Queralt Castellet and Japan’s Mitsuki Ono to keep an eye on.

The level is through the roof right now in halfpipe snowboarding, it’s going to be an absolute battle to make it into finals. Expect to see riders attempting to one-up the field with a whole new level of tricks. Will we see the triple cork variations unleashed in this competition?

Snowboard qualifiers kick off on Thursday, Dec. 9th with finals on Saturday, Dec. 11th here at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

U.S Snowboard Men’s Starts
Taylor Gold
Chase Josey
Chase Blackwell
Shaun White
Lucas Foster
Ryan Wachendorfer  
Toby Miller
Joey Okesson
Joshua Bowman
Jason Wolle
Levko Fedorowycz

U.S Snowboard Women’s Starts
Zoe Kalapos
Sonora Alba
Tessa Maud
Alexandria Simsovits
Summer Fenton
Kaili Shafer
Natalie Partridge
Lola Cowan
Kelly Berger

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Snowboard Qualifiers 
Women's Snowboard Qualifiers 

Freeski Halfpipe

The U.S. Freeski Team is stacked with 30 athletes slated to compete in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. The team has been putting in the work heading into this event. They completed three-weeks of training at Saas Fee, followed by a ten-day camp in Kaprun, Austria.

Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist David Wise is definitely one to watch as he looks ahead to his qualifying for his third Olympic Games. And Olympic Bronze Medalist Brita Sigourney is in a great position going into this event following her third-place podium finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen.

Halfpipe Champion Aaron Blunck comes into the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix following a first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, Colorado, also looking to qualify for his third Olympic Games. “Training was great,” says Blunck, who we caught up with after the first day of training. “Copper put some serious work in—they showed up, they put on, big shout out to all of them. It’s going to be a great week. The pipe is in great shape and I’m feeling really good, I’m just excited to be on snow and am thankful for every day I get to ski.”

The international field includes some heavy hitters to watch out for including Eileen Gu, competing for China, England’s Zoe Atkin, Canada’s Noah Bowman, New Zealand’s Nico Porteous and many more.

The freeski competition kicks off with qualifiers on Wednesday, Dec. 8th, followed by finals on Friday, Dec. 10th.

Complete Qualifiers Starts List:
Men's Freeski Qualifiers 
Women's Freeski Qualifiers 

U.S. Freeski Men’s Starts
Aaron Blunck
Birk Irving
David Wise
Alex Ferreira
Jaxin Hoerter
Cassidy Jarrell
Dylan Ladd
Samson Schuiling
Tristan Feinberg
Cameron Brodrick
Connor Ladd
Aaron Durlester
Mathew Labaugh
Chace Maytham
Eugene Morris
Nathaniel Bourgoin
Jack Ganley

U.S. Freeski Women’s Starts
Brita Sigourney
Devin Logan
Hanna Faulhaber
Carly Margulies
Abigale Hansen
Svea Irving
Annalisa Drew
Jeanee Crane-Mauzy
Riley Jacobs
Jenna “Jay” Riccomini
Lauren Bendixen
Kathryn Gray
Nikita Rubocki

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Friday, Dec. 10, 2021

2:30 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBCSN

2:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - LIVE, Copper Mountain, CO, Streaming Peacock

5:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021

1:00 p.m. FIS Freeski World Cup Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Copper Mountain, CO, Broadcast NBC

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.