Jaelin Kauf made history on day one of World Cup finals in Livigno as she became the first American to win a FIS Freestyle Crystal Globe since Hannah Kearney in 2015, cementing her legacy with a first place finish at the Olympic Test Event. Charlie Mickel finished on the podium in third place, earning his first career podium along with Tess Johnson in third, who made her 100th World Cup start. Nick Page made a huge jump in the World Cup moguls standings to finish third overall. 

“I feel like the emotions are starting to hit me, this is such a fun day, I’m stoked to have my dad, mom and step-dad here - this is incredible,” said Kauf.

The scene was picture perfect in Livigno, Italy, where the top moguls athletes in the world took the course for the World Cup finals. The event, also serving as the test event for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, is the first World Cup held in Livigno since 2000. 

In the qualification round, all four Stifel U.S. Ski Team men placed in the top 16 to advance to finals. Mickel qualified sixth, followed by Nick Page in ninth, Dylan Walczyk in 12th, and Asher Michel in 15th. On the women’s side, Kauf qualified in second, Johnson in fourth and Kasey Hogg in 10th. Kylie Kariotis just missed out on finals and finished the day 18th. 

The battle began in the round of 16. Perrine Laffont (FRA) qualified in the top spot, meaning Kauf dropped second to last in the finals. Without knowing what Laffont would put down, Kauf needed a fast, clean run to stay level with the French athlete, and she delivered, earning the fastest time score of the day to advance in the top spot. Johnson, one of the most consistent skiers this season, had a monster finals run, earning the top air score of the day with a cork 720 safety grab on the top air and her signature venom grab on the bottom air. Hogg finished the day 11th. 

Page improved upon his qualification run, landing fourth place in the finals. After qualifying sixth, Mickel put down the run of his life in the round of 16 to advance in second place, just over one point behind the king Mikael Kingsbury (CAN) and ahead of Ikuma Horishima (JPN). Walczyk finished 10th overall, followed by Michel in 12th. 

The accumulation of a season’s worth of work came to fruition in the super finals, where the results of the competition were to determine the mogul Crystal Globe winners. Johnson was the first American to drop, and put down her best run of the day scoring 74.94 and with the highest air score of the round, 15.56. Laffont was the second to last to go and executed a beautiful top to bottom, scoring 77.07. As the last athlete to ski in the super final, Kauf had the pressure of an entire season on her shoulders. Any mistake would take her off the top spot, and give away the moguls Crystal Globe. With a blazing run scoring 18.58 in time, Kauf earned a huge 81.21 to take the win and the globe, with her family screaming and ringing cowbells in the finish. 

“With this course you are so cut off from the bottom at the top, so I really didn’t know what happened with the other girl’s run’s, but it’s safe to assume that Perrine put down a really good run so I was just trying to attack the whole way and not leave anything out there,” said Kauf. 

“This is so surreal and a little emotional, I feel like every single World Cup start that I’ve had, all 100 of them, shaped who I am on and off the hill and to be on this journey with everyone here is just so special,” said Johnson.

Page and Mickel continued to fire in super finals where Page finished just off the podium in fourth place. Mickel shined bright, earning 80.14 in the super finals to land on his first career podium in third place behind legends Ikuma Horishima and Mikael Kingsbury. Page’s fourth place finish secured him a spot on the overall moguls podium in third place. 

“It feels great to get my first podium at the Olympic test event going into next year,” said Mickel. “It [2025] will be my first World Championships and I’m really excited to be competing in the event, no expectations I just hope to ski my best.” 

“I’m very excited, it was a goal coming into the last stretch of the season to really try to make an end of the season push, get a couple more points under my name and get on to this overall podium because I knew it was in striking distance,” said Page. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is excited to announce the 14 athletes representing the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team at the 2025 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships in Big White, Canada, Mar. 4-10, 2025. 

Five time world champion and nine time World Championship medalist Brenna Huckaby will headline the team alongside three time world champion Noah Elliott. Both athletes took home FIS Crystal Globes in February in Steamboat Springs. Elliott has five World Cup wins and eight podiums throughout the current 2024-25 season, winning every banked slalom event on the circuit. Paralympians Zach Miller and Mike Schultz bring years of experience to this team, including Paralympic medals, World Championship wins and ESPY Awards. 

The experienced athletes on the team are joined by many new talents, including Kate Delson of Team Utah Snowboarding, who earned her first career win this season in Lenk, Switzerland. Colby Fields is also on the rise, with multiple top-10 finishes this season and being named the men’s UL 2025 national champion. Between the world champions and newcomers, the U.S. has had a standout season, taking home both the men’s and women’s Nations Cups. 

“We are thrilled to announce the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team World Championships team,” said Anouk Patty, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport. “We have the best Para snowboard team in the world, and they have worked extremely hard this season to maintain that title. I know they will continue to grow and show the world why they are the best on the World Championships stage.”

2025 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships Team

(Hometown; Club; College; Birthdate)
* denotes first World Championships team

Women

• Kate Delson (San Diego, CA; Team Utah Snowboarding; 5/5/2005)*
• Courtney Godfrey (Mill Valley, CA; Team Utah Snowboarding; University of Arizona/Arizona State University; 12/3/1986)*
• Jackie Hamwey (Boston, MA; Team Utah Snowboarding; Northeastern University; 3/28/1989)*
• Darian Haynes (Muncie, IN; Adaptive Action Sports; 1/3/2000)
• Brenna Huckaby (Baton Rouge, LA; Team Utah Snowboarding; DeVry University; 1/22/1996)
• Rebecca Johnston (Hood River, OR; Team Utah Snowboarding; Whitman College; 8/28/1999)
• Dennae Russell (Sturgis, SD; Team Utah Snowboarding; Black Hills State University; 1/1/1996)

Men

• Steven Cantwell (Keystone, CO; Team Utah Snowboarding; Angelo State University; 3/31/1990)*
• Noah Elliott (St. Charles, MO; DeVry University; 7/12/1997)
• Colby Fields (Breckenridge, CO; Adaptive Action Sports; Colorado Mountain College; 7/26/2005)*
• Aleks Godowski (Roselle, IL; Team Utah Snowboarding; College of DuPage; 5/26/2000)*
• Zach Miller (Silverthorne, CO; Adaptive Action Sports; DeVry University; 3/10/1999)
• Joe Pleban (Fredericksburg, VA; Adaptive Action Sports; Christopher Newport University; 8/7/1990)
• Mike Schultz (Kimball, MN; 8/27/1981)

2025 FIS PARA SNOWBOARD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE

All times ET
Subject to change.

Tuesday, Mar. 4
1:30 p.m. - banked slalom training

Wednesday, Mar. 5
3:00 p.m. - banked slalom qualification

Thursday, Mar. 6
3:00 p.m. - banked slalom finals

Saturday, Mar. 8
1:30 p.m. - snowboard cross training

Sunday, Mar. 9
3:00 p.m. - snowboard cross qualification & finals

Monday, Mar. 10
3:00 p.m. - mixed snowboard cross team

###

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Ryan Odeja - Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team Press Officer
ryan.odeja@usskiandsnowboard.org 

Jaelin Kauf's incredible season is officially historic as Saturday’s win in Almaty clinches the overall and dual moguls Crystal Globes, becoming the first American to win a globe since Hannah Kearney in 2015. 

Thankfully, the fog and clouds from the moguls event left the Yuka G course for the dual moguls World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In the qualification round, all five U.S. women advanced to the round of 16. Due to a smaller competitor pool in the last two World Cups, the women started in the round of 32 and Jaelin Kauf and Tess Johnson automatically qualified for the finals, allowing them more time to prepare. On the men’s side, Nick Page and Charlie Mickel advanced to the finals. Asher Michel had an incredible close battle against Joey Dubuc (CAN), who advanced 18 to 17. Michel finished the day 18th and Dylan Walczyk in 24th. 

In the round of 16, Kauf, Johnson, Kai Owens and Kasey Hogg all won their duals. Kylie Kariotis took on number 10 ranked Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) and kept things incredibly close but ultimately lost 17 to 18, the closest a dual can be. Kariotis landed in ninth, her fourth top-10 finish of the season. Cooper Woods of Australia bested Page in the 1/8th final, while Mickel advanced to the quarterfinals. Page finished ninth. 

Kauf and Johnson continued to impress in the quarterfinals to advance, putting them in medal contention. Mickel was paired with one of the best in the world, Ikuma Horishima (JPN). Mickel doesn’t shy away from intimidating duals and chooses to embrace them to gain meaningful experience. Horishima moved on to the semis, and Mickel finished sixth, another excellent performance for the young athlete. 

Kauf went up against hometown hero Anastassiya Gorodko (KAZ) in the semifinals, and despite coming across the line tied, Kauf prevailed and moved on to the big final. Johnson took on Yanagimoto, who had been on a tear all day taking out higher-ranked opponents, and the semis were no exception. Yanagimoto advanced to the big final, and Johnson was on to the small final against Gorodko. 

In the small final, Gorodko had everything to prove to her hometown crowd, and her performance showed her intensity. She earned the third place finish, her second podium of the season. Johnson finished fourth, her eighth top-five finish of the year. 

In the big final, Kauf, the queen of speed, was ready for anything, and her pace was untouchable. Once again, her opponent could not keep up, leading Yanagimoto to ski out of the course to keep herself from going out of control. Kauf beat Yanagimoto 29 to six, earning her seventh win of the season and 15th of her career. This win cements Kauf’s position as the dual moguls and overall World Cup leader, clinching the two globes.

“That’s [clinching the globe] pretty incredible,” said Kauf. “I’ve been working at that for a long time, and I’m stoked with the win today. It was a super fun competition, I'm really excited about those titles, it's really special." 

Next week at World Cup Finals in Livigno, Kauf has the opportunity to secure the moguls globe as well. She currently leads the moguls standings by six points over Perrine Laffont (FRA). 

“I’m going to give it my all at those events [in Livigno], and it should be really fun,” said Kauf.  

Athletes ranked in the top 30 per gender per event are invited to the 2025 World Cup Finals in Livigno, Italy, which will also serve as the Olympic test event for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. Watch the event live Mar. 11-12 on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

For the first time in seven years, Tess Johnson stood atop the World Cup podium in Friday’s moguls competition in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Jaelin Kauf continued her hot streak, finishing just behind Johnson in second place.

The day started with sunshine and close-to-windless skies, the perfect combination for moguls skiing. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team women started the action on the iconic Yuka G moguls course, where all five athletes advanced to finals. Johnson qualified in the top spot, earning the highest air score of the day. Johnson’s signature venom grab on the bottom air, and new addition of a cork seven safety grab on the top air set her apart from the competition. Kauf qualified in second, followed by Kai Owens in seventh, Kasey Hogg in eighth and Kylie Kariotis in 13th. On the men’s side, Charlie Mickel continued his impressive season, qualifying in sixth alongside Nick Page in ninth. Dylan Walczyk was 21st.

“I’m super happy with the run I put down, it was a solid top to bottom,” said Johnson. “I ran first out of the gate, which I’ve only done once in my career, so that was a good way to start the day early, and I’m really looking forward to finals.” 

The beautiful overcast sunshine from qualifications quickly turned to dense clouds mixed with snow, creating extremely difficult conditions for the athletes. The women continued with the round of 16, where Johnson continued to shine, pushing the difficulty in the air mixed with quick and clean turns. Kauf put down a heater in the finals, earning the best time score of the day by almost two points. Hogg moved up four places in the finals. The men attempted to complete their finals, but unfortunately, the weather worsened, creating unsafe conditions and cutting the competition short. The women’s results came from the finals round of 16 and the men’s from qualification. 

Johnson’s final run earned her second career win and second podium this season, winning by 0.02 points over teammate Kauf. Kauf finished second, earning her 11th podium in a row, looking back all the way to December. Hogg tied her personal best World Cup result, finishing fourth to earn a new season’s best. Kariotis ended the day in 12th and Owens in 15th. Mickel’s qualification run earned him his third career top six finish, all of which have come this season. Page finished ninth. 

“I was pretty excited to get my first podium of the season last week and I’m hoping to build on that and put some good runs down,” said Johnson. “The outcome is always in the back of our minds as competitors, but I’m keeping my focus on my skiing and what I can control.”

On March 1, the athletes are back on Yuka G for dual moguls starting at 4:00 a.m. ET. Follow along on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The action in Beidahu continued with the aerials event, and Chris Lillis continued to build on his momentum from Deer Valley with a third place finish. 

The conditions in China did not disappoint with another crisp sunny day for jumping. In qualifications, Karenna Elliott led the way for the U.S. women, throwing a back full full to qualify in fifth place. Dani Loeb missed out on finals, finishing 14th. Tasia Tanner finished 18th.

Quinn Dehlinger and Chris Lillis were determined to build off their podium finishes in Deer Valley, and their quest had a strong start in qualifications. Quinn threw a back full double full full qualifying seventh. Lillis stepped up the difficulty by throwing the highest DD jump in the qualification round, a back double full full full to qualify fourth. Connor Curran finished 17th, followed by Ian Schoenwald in 28th. 

In finals, Elliott, Lillis and Dehlinger all put down great jumps to move on to super finals, where the action began to heat up. Elliott advanced in third place, Dehlinger in fifth and Lillis in sixth. In super finals, Elliott competed a back double full full for the first time, and it was only her fifth time attempting the trick on snow. Against all odds, she was able to land it beautifully, her first time ever landing the skill. This is an exciting move for Elliott to increase her degree of difficulty heading into World Championships. Her jump landed her in fourth place.

“I’m feeling very confident with this trick, considering how new it is and how well it’s going,” said Elliott. “Moving forward, I would like to clean up my form a bit and make my landings a lot sharper.” 

On the men’s side, Dehlinger decided to up the difficulty in super finals and went for a back double full full full. His jump was perfect in the air and form; however, an overrotation caused a fall on the landing. He finished the day sixth. Lillis went for “the daddy” in super finals, a back full double full full, and absolutely stomped it. He earned the highest landing score of the round to finish third, his third podium of the season. 

“It feels good to be getting some solid momentum going into World Championships at the end of the year,” said Lillis. “Each week on the World Cup presents a unique challenge, and Kazakhstan will be no different. It is one of the more difficult sites to jump on tour, but I’ve had a lot of success there in the past and am very familiar with the venue, so I’m just hoping to get there, get acclimate,d and keep putting down solid jumps when it counts.”

Next up, Elliott, Dehlinger and Lillis take on the mixed aerials team event in Beidah together on Feb. 24 alongside Loeb, Curran and Schoenwald. Tune in at 1:00 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

After an impressive day one of competition in Beidahu, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team took it up a notch, qualifying nine athletes on to the finals, where Jaelin Kauf continued her winning streak and Tess Johnson joined her on the podium in third place for the first time in almost two years. 

It was another picture-perfect day in China, with the sun peeking through the clouds and a below-freezing temperature keeping the bumps slick and fast, the perfect combination for duals. Due to the lower number of competitors at this event, the women started in the round of 32, and Kauf was able to qualify for the finals automatically. 

In the first round, Kylie Kariotis, Kasey Hogg, Olivia Giaccio and Johnson won their duals to advance to finals alongside Kauf. Kai Owens had a tough first-round dual against Hinako Tomitaka (JPN) and finished the day 17th. All four U.S. athletes advanced on the men’s side, including Dylan Walczyk, who dueled Daeyoon Jung (KOR), who has been having a breakout season. Nick Page, Asher Michel and Charlie Mickel joined him in the finals for the round of 16. 

The 1/8th finals brought some exciting matchups, including Kariotis against Maia Schwinghammer (CAN), who recently had her first World Cup win. Kariotis threw down and won the dual 21 to 14 against the Canadian. The unfortunate side of dual moguls is when two Americans have to go head to head. Giaccio and Hogg battled it out, and Giaccio advanced to the quarter finals. Hogg finished the day 12th. Mickel had one of the toughest matchups of the day in the round of 16, going up against the king, Mikael Kingsbury (CAN). Mickel has said that he has always wanted to duel Kingsbury, so the challenge was welcomed, and he put up a fight but lost the dual 15 to 20. Mickel finished 12th, Walczyk 14th and Michel 16th. 

Kauf went up against Tomitaka (JPN) in the quarter-finals, winning 24 to 11. Kariotis and Giaccio went head to head, and unfortunately, Giaccio suffered a fall that took her out of the competition. Giaccio finished in eighth place. Johnson took on the number three ranked Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) and prevailed, securing herself a spot in the semi-finals and the ability to fight for a medal position. Page also had a battle on his hands in the quarters as he took on Matt Graham (AUS), known as "the missile," for his speed. Page took the win 20 to 15 to advance to the semis. 

In the semifinals, Page was paired with Severi Vierela (FIN) who advanced and went on to earn his first career win. Page finished fourth, his fourth top five finish of the season. 

Of the four spots available in the semifinals, the U.S. women occupied three, guaranteeing at least two podium finishes. Kauf and Kariotis went head to head in semifinal one, where Kauf dominated to advance to the big final. In semifinal two, Johnson went up against Perrine Laffont (FRA) and just missed the big final, losing 15 to 20. 

The small final was an all-American affair, with Johnson and Kariotis battling it out. Kariotis was quick out of the gate, and the competitors were neck and neck the entire way down the course. Unfortunately, Kariotis blew out right before the bottom air. Johnson’s win in the small final brought her to the third spot on the podium, her first podium finish in almost two years and her first duals podium since 2021. Despite skiing out, Kariotis’ performance in the duals earned her a new personal best, finishing fourth, an incredible accomplishment. 

The big final was a familiar lineup, with Kauf dueling Laffont once again for the top spot on the podium. Kauf, known for her speed, pushed the pace the entire way down the course, and Laffont couldn’t keep up, having to ski out to save herself from a fall. This is Kauf’s 11th podium finish in a row and fifth consecutive win.

“I’m super happy with my skiing today, the duals were super fun and I’m so stoked to take the win and share the podium with my teammate Tess getting her first podium of the year,” said Kauf. 

This win further advances her lead in the overall World Cup season standings. Kauf has been second overall three times, but has never won the overall Crystal Globe. The last American to win an overall Globe was Hannah Kearney in 2015. 

Next up, the moguls athletes head to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for another set of moguls and dual moguls events Feb. 28-Mar. 1. Plus, the action in Beidahu continues with aerials on Feb. 23 and mixed aerials team on Feb. 24. Tune in at 1:00 a.m. ET both days on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Jaelin Kauf is on her way to a historic World Cup season, earning her fourth win in a row and extending her podium streak to nine in the Beidahu moguls event. This is the longest U.S. moguls winning streak since Olympic champion Hannah Kearney won 16 World Cups in a row in the 2011-12 season. Teammate Olivia Giaccio finished in third place, her sixth podium of the season. 

The sun was out and the bumps were smooth in Beidahu, Jilin, China, making it for a perfect day of moguls World Cup competition. In the women's qualification round, all six U.S. athletes advanced to the finals. Kauf was the final athlete to drop - coming off two back-to-back wins on home snow in Deer Valley just a week prior, Kauf is riding a high and today, she wanted to keep that streak going. She knew exactly what she needed to do to qualify, and she did that and more. Kauf bested the second-fastest qualification time by over 1.5 points, along with one of the day's highest turns and air scores. Kasey Hogg also advanced to finals ranked fifth, Tess Johnson sixth, Olivia Giaccio 10th, Kylie Kariotis 11th and Kai Owens 14th. 

“I feel really good about [my run], I was trying to be one of the fastest girls out there which I feel like I did, and overall, it felt really strong,” said Kauf. “There are a few things to tweak and improve on for finals but I’m stoked to take the top spot in qualies, I feel like I don’t ever do that.”

Nick Page and Charlie Mickel continued to build on their momentum from Deer Valley qualifying into finals ranked fourth and 10th, respectively. Page earned the highest air score in the qualification round, setting himself up nicely for finals. Asher Michel just missed out on the round of 16, finishing the day 19th. Dylan Walczyk was 29th. 

As the day continued, the sun began to sink behind the trees, quickly shrouding the course in shade. The bumps became icy, increasing the speed the athletes could achieve in their runs, leading to quicker times as the day progressed. 

In finals, Kauf continued her tear with the fastest time to keep her in the top spot heading into super finals. Johnson, with her signature venom grab on the bottom air, earned the largest air score of the day and qualified fourth. Giaccio also advanced in fifth. Hogg barely missed out on advancing to super finals by 0.24 points, finishing seventh overall. Kariotis earned another top 10 and Owens landed in 15th. Page finished the day seventh, followed by Mickel in 11th. 

Giaccio was the first U.S. athlete to drop in super finals, and she took every success she had throughout the day and put them together to earn her highest score of the day, finishing third with 78.43 points. 

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in China, but I’m really excited to build my way up and improve every run, so I’m excited to be on the podium,” said Giaccio. “I’m ready to build into tomorrow, I think there’s going to be some very fast runs considering how tight the course is, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can bring” 

Johnson put down another smooth and consistent run to finish fourth, her fifth top-five finish of the season. All of the pressure in the world was on Kauf’s shoulders as she stood atop the course as the last athlete to drop, but you would never know by her performance. She clocked the fastest time of the day, in classic Kauf fashion, and had some of the top turns and air scores. In her pre-finals interview, she said she would hold onto the top spot and that she did, earning her 13th career victory and taking over the overall moguls World Cup standings from Perrine Laffont of France.

“That was the game plan today, just trying to improve a little bit each run and save the best for last, and that’s what I did,” said Kauf. “It was a lot of fun skiing this course today. It’s super exciting [leading the overall], we still have a handful of competitions so I hopefully can hold that spot and keep building on today’s result.”

Next, the moguls athletes take on duals on the same course on Feb. 22 at 1:00 a.m. ET. Tune in live on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men