Due to the recently enacted European travel restrictions, and ongoing concerns in the United States regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working to bring athletes and staff currently in Europe back to the United States over the course of the next several days.

Worldwide, there remain a handful of events that are currently scheduled, however, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff who have not yet traveled, will remain in the U.S.

All athletes and staff traveling back to the U.S. will be screened upon arrival and abide by all CDC guidelines. U.S. Ski & Snowboard continues to educate athletes and staff on the importance of reporting symptoms. Standard medical protocols will be followed for any athlete or staff member who reports symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

The health and safety of athletes and staff is the primary concern of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and we are monitoring the current outbreak COVID-19 closely. We remain in close contact with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our local health authorities here in Utah for guidance and instruction. 
 

Dave McCoy, the visionary behind Mammoth Mountain, passed away at the age of 104 on Feb. 8, 2020. 

“Behind every mountain, is a story. And behind every story is a legend. One such legend was Dave McCoy.”

Because of Dave’s grit and tenacity, he built what no one imagined could be possible. Since its inception in 1953, he shared the fun and beauty of Mammoth Mountain with millions of people. Mammoth Ski Area grew from a single, homemade chairlift, to 3,500 skiable acres served by 28 lifts attracting the world’s best skiers and riders to its slopes. 

Mammoth Mountain has proved its ability to breed talent and foster a culture of athletic development that almost seems embedded in the mountain’s DNA. The resort has hosted the U.S. Grand Prix more than a dozen times and has been fortunate enough to name our Olympic athletes three times including in 1998—the first year the Olympics hosted snowboard halfpipe as an official event. Mammoth also hosted the final qualifying event before the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Winter Games. With one of the longest snow seasons in the United States, Mammoth Mountain became an invaluable training site for elite freeski, snowboard and alpine athletes. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is deeply saddened by the loss of Dave, his memory will live on the slopes of the mountain he built and loved. 
 

Mammoth Mountain is hosting a skiing and snowboarding celebration on Feb. 28. Skiing is what Dave loved most, may his memory encourage all skiers and riders to never forget the thrill of a turn. Because “As Dave would say, ‘The most fun, is having fun.’”

Hydro Flask, an award-winning leader in high-performance, insulated stainless steel flasks and soft good innovations and a Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ, NM: HELE) company, is excited to announce a multi-year sponsorship with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The brand has signed on as the official water bottle and drinkware supplier of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team.

Through the program, Hydro Flask insulated products will be used by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes, coaches and staff while traveling, training and competing across seven disciplines – including alpine, freeski, freestyle, cross country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, and snowboard. Additionally, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Hydro Flask will team up to offer consumer experiences and co-branded products.

“Our headquarters in Bend are neighbor to one of Oregon’s premier ski and snowboarding destinations, where many of our employees spend quality time outside of work. We’re excited to support an organization that aligns with our culture and hometown roots,” said Hydro Flask General Manager Scott Allan. “Our mission to inspire happier, healthier and more sustainable lives outdoors makes partnering with U.S. Ski & Snowboard the perfect fit for our brand.”

The multi-year program will support the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team through the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

“Hydro Flask is known for innovation and performance, and we’re excited to share their insulated products with our world-class athletes and fans,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Marketing Officer Andy McKeon. “This program will help support winter sports athletes by keeping them hydrated throughout training and competition, including the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. At the same time, replacing single-use containers with Hydro Flask’s reusable bottles while traveling and in everyday life will help reduce plastic consumption and waste – an effort that is important to us.”

Dedicated to uniquely refreshing experiences, innovative design and an unparalleled user experience, Hydro Flask continues to receive accolades for its insulated products. Hydro Flask has been the recipient of several Red Dot, GOOD DESIGN™ and iF Design Awards, including the coveted iF gold award. The Company has grown to become the number one overall American water bottle brand in Sporting Goods and Outdoor, according to third party data.  

Wintersteiger, official supplier to U.S. Ski & Snowboard since 2001, and exclusive tuning partner for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, set up a pop-up shop at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain this past November. 

Wintersteiger’s World Cup pedigree and support of the U.S. Ski Team make them the obvious machine tuning choice for both the U.S. Ski Team and other U.S. Ski & Snowboard club programs training at Copper Mountain. For the U.S. Ski Team, the goal was to launch a ski education platform that would allow coaches to address equipment problems quickly, visually. The idea is that properly tuned equipment makes it easier for the athlete to execute technique, and well-maintained equipment turns better and glides faster, thus, simply, increasing the athletes’ performance. 

For this event, Wintersteiger race technicians partnered with Swix and former U.S. Ski Team Serviceman, Graham Lonetto, to offer a full complement of services: ski evaluation, new ski prep, stone grinding, ceramic disc edging, and Wax Future cycling. Wintersteiger’s race technicians had a complete range of race tuning equipment, including a Scout. The Wintersteiger Scout offers the highest caliber ceramic disc finishing for precise tuning of side and base edges as well as World Cup proven grinds to ensure the smoothest, fastest base possible.

The ski tuning clinic program included in-depth training about ski tuning safety, a ski audit, ski flattening and structure, and identifying the missing piece—for instance, asking the questions: Is the binding position correct? Is the base bevel correct? Is the base structure correct? Are we using the correct side edge bevel? Is the wax correct? This initiative proved to be a significant help to the U.S. Ski Team, and development level athletes, in particular.  

“Winterstieger and Swix teamed up to provide a tuning center at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain during the month of November,” commented Land Rover U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “With its state-of-the-art equipment and well-educated service personnel, this tuning center was a game-changer for the development athletes attending Copper Mountain camps. Hundreds of skis were evaluated and, as a result, many of those skis were tuned by professional technicians onsite. It was an amazing service for our up-and-coming athletes, many of whom have not received this type of ski preparation before. Big props, specifically, to serviceman Michael Beer, who did the lion’s share of the work.”

Initially, these services were exclusive to the U.S. Ski Team but were then made available to other athletes around November 10th. The temporary shop in Copper acted as a supplement to Wintersteiger’s established partner locations in Colorado that use the same machinery and processes found in factory race rooms around the world. With the ultimate goal of minimizing equipment as a variable, it is critical that the machines your local shops utilize are as serious as you are. 

The hope is that U.S. Ski Team will take the lead internationally with projects like the “in-house” tuning shop/lab and concept center at the Center of Excellence, the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo., the spring coach’s training at Mammoth, Calif. (Level 100, 200, 300 and 400 coaching training), and sponsored regional training seminars with associated accreditation—for example, Green Mountain Valley School’s (GMVS) service center with proper machines/training techniques and wax/tools support. 

Check out the article Todd Carroll wrote for Ski Racing Media, entitled “Backshop Stonegrinding Illustrated” for more information.  

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About  Wintersteiger
With four decades of experience and more than 30,000 ski tuning machines including 1350 automated ski tuning machines sold worldwide, Wintersteiger is the global market leader in racing service solutions. The Austrian, German, and US Ski Teams, as well as ski manufacturers Atomic, Fischer, Head, Rossignol, and Salomon, rely on the highest-quality results provided by Wintersteiger ski tuning machines.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org. 

Comcast NBCUniversal today announced the launch of SportsTech, a global accelerator for sports technology startups. SportsTech will feature an unprecedented partnership of three of Comcast NBCUniversal’s sports brands – NBC Sports, Sky Sports and Golf Channel – alongside NASCAR and two US Olympic sports organizations: U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USA Swimming. Comcast Ventures, the company’s San Francisco-based venture capital arm, will round out the partnership.  Each partner will serve on an advisory committee that influences the innovation priorities of SportsTech, and each will provide startups with direct access to strategic industry relationships, mentorship, and partnership opportunities.

Early stage startups from around the world are encouraged to apply for the inaugural class, which will begin in August, at www.comcastsportstech.com. 

Based in The Battery Atlanta/SunTrust Park, where Comcast Cable’s Central Division headquarters are located, the new accelerator is designed to provide sports tech startups with the resources and relationships to succeed by giving them access to a broad international consortium of advisors, a custom sports tech curriculum shaped by industry experts, and investment capital.  Partners will have early exposure to emerging sports tech trends and technologies that cross multiple sports, gaining insight into how these technologies can potentially reshape and benefit their businesses.

SportsTech is the third accelerator created by Comcast NBCUniversal in the last three years, joining LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by TechStars, based out of the company’s global headquarters at the Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia, and The Farm, powered by Boomtown, located in Atlanta.

“We are delighted to introduce SportsTech to our suite of accelerators to help founders build sports technology and products, refine their business models, tell their stories, and benefit from the unique assets and talent of Comcast NBCUniversal,” said Sam Schwartz, Chief Business Development Officer, Comcast Cable.  “Comcast NBCUniversal has some of the most prominent sports brands and we are excited to partner with founders through SportsTech.”

“The demand for sports technology across the globe has never been greater, yet most sports startups don’t have access to the resources they need to succeed nor an ability to develop relationships with the right people inside the industry,” said Jenna Kurath, Vice President of Startup Partner Development, Comcast Cable.  “SportsTech will provide the curriculum and platform for founders to develop their ideas while obtaining mentorship from leaders in multiple sports, enabling them to further deploy their technologies to dramatically improve sports experiences for athletes and audiences alike.”

“Being nimble and pushing boundaries are key elements of our sports and familiar territory for entrepreneurs,” said Troy Taylor, Director of High Performance, U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Several months ago, we approached Comcast and Boomtown seeking their help to explore, research and validate the ways in which wearable technology and artificial intelligence could enhance our athletes’ performance. The output of this exercise helped refine technology that will be implemented to improve the training regimen of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes ahead of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. We’re thrilled with the results of our relationship and welcome continued proposals from startups seeking to help our athletes be more resourceful in their pursuit of podiums.”

Beginning in August 2020, SportsTech will offer a three-month custom-tailored program for up to 10 startups.  Initial focus areas will include technologies and products in several key categories:

• Media & Entertainment
• Fan & Player Engagement
• Athlete & Player Performance
• Team & Coach Success
• Sports Venue & Event Innovation
• Fantasy Sports & Sports Wagering
• esports
• Business of Sports

The deadline to submit an application for SportsTech is May 15.  The selected startups will reside in Atlanta for the duration of the program, operating out of SportsTech’s flagship location at The Battery at SunTrust Park, where Comcast’s The Farm accelerator is also based.  It will be directed by Boomtown Accelerators, a leading accelerator program headquartered in Boulder, CO.  Boomtown operates The Farm for Comcast NBCUniversal and has established itself as a preeminent home for early-stage startups. 

Comcast NBCUniversal has a proud history of supporting founders and startup communities, dating back to its own founder Ralph Roberts, who had the vision to see how a small cable startup in 1963 could transform into one of the most innovative global media and technology companies.  In addition to SportsTech and The Farm, run at the Central Division in Atlanta, the company also offers the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator.  Both accelerators are currently accepting applications for startups from around the world to build and refine their business. To learn about the 2020 focus areas and apply, visit www.ComcastNBCULIFT.com and www.TheFarmATL.com.

Five years ago, two promising young U.S. Ski Team athletes were killed in an avalanche, not fully realizing the dangers they faced skiing off piste in Austria. Since then, the mission of the Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Snow Safety Foundation (BRASS) has been to promote greater awareness of avalanche safety through education and advocacy initiatives.

On the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and BRASS have released a groundbreaking online Avalanche Awareness eLearning module designed to expand education to U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, coaches and local clubs nationwide. The first-of-its-kind educational tool was created by the Utah Avalanche Center.

Bryce Astle, 19, and Ronnie Berlack, 20, died January 5, 2015 in Sölden, Austria when they were caught in a massive slide in an off piste area, within the boundary of the resort but not regularly controlled for avalanche danger. BRASS was formed after the accident and has been instrumental in raising awareness globally, with a primary focus in reaching competitive athletes and coaches.

“BRASS sees a real need to reach the tens of thousands of athletes and coaches in America who are simply not aware of the dangers they face when skiing off a race course,” said BRASS Chairman Jamie Astle. “This online tool will greatly expand our reach, providing basic awareness education and encouraging athletes and coaches to also get on-snow for more expansive education.”

The online module integrates video and presentation content into both a short and longer,  90-minute program that includes online testing to validate the impact of the education. It covers a wide range of avalanche safety awareness, utilizing the basics of the popular Know Before You Go program developed by Utah Avalanche Center and now being presented in workshops nationwide. It also expands into the basics of avalanche safety science. The content includes personal messages from Olympic champions Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety.

“It’s pretty obvious that avalanches are really dangerous,” said Shiffrin in the opening video of the module. “Eventually, you’ll be lured into the backcountry.  We can learn to reduce our risks by learning about avalanches.” 

The online module is available on BRASSFoundation.org and usskiandsnowboard.org. The primary targets for the initial module are ski and snowboard coaches and local clubs. It is also available to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard members through their My.USSA.org dashboard under Courses.

“Club coaches, volunteers, administrators and officials are vital as they are the ones who have day-to-day contact with athletes,” added Astle. “They need the knowledge to expand their leadership and management of athlete safety.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard helped pioneer and fund the program and will make completion of the short course mandatory for all members beginning in May. The courses will be integrated into U.S. Ski & Snowboard sport education’s curriculum.

“Athlete safety is paramount to our organization,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “This online learning module will help all learn more about the importance of avalanche safety and awareness.”

The content was developed by Paul Diegel and Trent Meissenheimer of the Utah Avalanche Center, along with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s sport education team led by Gar Trayner and education specialist Chris Packert.

"Utah Avalanche Center was able to bring utilize its expertise to help BRASS and U.S. Ski & Snowboard to develop an avalanche eLearning program that will be used to provide avalanche awareness to coaches and athletes," said Utah Avalanche Center Executive Director Chad Brackelsberg. "This program will also help the Utah Avalanche Center achieve its goal of reaching as many people as possible with an avalanche awareness message in an effort to prevent avalanche accidents.”

The online Avalanche Awareness module initiative with U.S. Ski & Snowboard is another step in a series of programs pioneered by BRASS. The BRASS 13-minute Off-Piste video, featuring a re-creation of the accident, has now been seen by over a million worldwide. It remains a valuable tool for clubs to educate athletes and coaches. A turnkey BRASS 101 club presentation workshop has reached over a thousand individuals this season alone. And a partnership between BRASS and U.S. Ski & Snowboard has brought AIARE Level 1 (American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education) training to over a hundred national team coaches and athletes in the past three years.

BRASS will also take its message to national ski resorts, participating in the upcoming National Ski Areas Association winter workshops at Squaw Valley, Calif. and Killington, Vt.

Avalanche Awareness 101

Land Rover North America today debuted its new brand and product advertising campaign, titled “Play Harder This Winter,” highlighting the British Premium SUV brand’s partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The campaign is led by a 30-second brand film, accompanied by 30 and 15-second product spots, all of which feature several U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes showcasing how Land Rover vehicles are perfect for those who love to be outside in the winter.

The campaign debuts today with a brand commercial featuring Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team member, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin. In the 30 second spot, Mikaela enjoys overcoming heavy winter snow with ease and determination in a Range Rover Sport to make it to the mountain daily. The brand spot will appear across a mix of channels and will run during National Football League (NFL) games on CBS and FOX.

The campaign also includes 30 and 15-second spots featuring freeskiers David Wise and Maggie Voisin, snowboarder Maddie Mastro, and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team members Bryce Bennett and Steven Nyman, alongside the Range Rover Sport, Land Rover Discovery, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Velar. Each spot showcases key Land Rover vehicle features helpful for winter play, including Terrain Response Control (Range Rover Sport), Intelligent Seat Fold (Land Rover Discovery), Activity Key (Discovery Sport), and heated and massaging seats (Range Rover Velar).

“As snow has started to fall and the competitive Ski and Snowboard season has started, Land Rover is calling for people to Play Harder this season with a campaign starring U.S. Ski and Snowboard athletes enjoying their Land Rover SUVs,“ said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “As partners with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, this campaign is a first step to give increased visibility to these sensational athletes and celebrate how they work and play hard every winter.”

Land Rover was named the Official Vehicle Partner of U.S. Ski and Snowboard in the USA in September 2019. U.S. Ski & Snowboard supports nearly 200 national team athletes and represented 80 percent of Team USA’s gold medals during the PyeongChang 2018 and Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This year, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will participate in more than 200 competitions globally, including 35 events in the United States. As part of the sponsorship agreement, Land Rover will support 10 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete ambassadors including Olympic gold medalists and World Champions.

The multi-year partnership also names Land Rover as the title sponsor of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix series, and presenting sponsor of the “Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover” events, which takes place at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA on December 20-21, 2019. The Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover is part of a multi-year commitment by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring big air events to the masses in breathtaking new environments by hosting one city big air event per season leading into the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. The event will be sanctioned as a FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup and will offer elite international men’s and women’s big air competition.

The Visa Big Air will be the first event of its kind to come to Atlanta. Event organizers expect to provide a taste of mountains and Olympic winter competition to 20,000 fans for each of the two days of competition. U.S. Freeski Olympian Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.), as well as the 2018-19 FIS Snowboard Overall Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), will represent the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Land Rover offers some of the most luxurious and capable SUVs in the world. From the effortlessly elegant Range Rover to the versatile Discovery featuring available three-row seating, and the recently revealed all-new Defender, the Land Rover lineup of award-winning SUVs is built for adventure in the toughest terrain and weather conditions.

To follow the action throughout the season, follow @LandRoverUSA and @USskiteam.

Note to Editors:

Information about Land Rover North America products is available to consumers at www.landroverusa.com. Visit  www.us.media.landrover.com for news releases, high-resolution photographs and broadcast-quality video footage. Additional media updates are available on Facebook (LandRoverUSA) and Twitter (@interactivelr).

About Land Rover

Founded in 1948, Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures its vehicles in the United Kingdom. For over 70 years the brand has built a reputation for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world; whether driving through the heart of the city or traversing the countryside on- and off-road. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the Defender; Discovery and Discovery Sport; Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information, visit the official Land Rover website at www.landroverusa.com.

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.

At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class-leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2018 Jaguar Land Rover sold 592,708 vehicles in 128 countries.

We support around 260,000 people through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities and an engine manufacturing center in the UK. We also have plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia. 

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and gasoline engines.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org