On the final day of the back-to-back Stifel Birds of Prey weekend races, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Lauren Macuga again led the way with a top 15, finishing in 12th in the super-G. Teammates Keely Cashman and Breezy Johnson also scored 21st and 28th. 

“It was really good skiing, but I kept getting late so I was not sure how fast it would be when I came down, so I was excited to see that it was a pretty decent run,” said Macuga. 

The weather finally changed from the non-stop Colorado sunshine to overcast skies, wind and some light snowfall. Regardless, the best women speed skiers in the world were ready to bring it for the super-G. Macuga ran first for the U.S. squad in bib three. Coming off her career-best result in Saturday's downhill, she sent it down the course. Despite getting low and late in a few spots, she took the lead and sat smiling in the leaderboard chair for about five racers. 

“It’s nice because I know I had good skiing. I just wasn't on the line so I know if I had executed better I would have been right in there,” said Macuga. “I knew it was not a podium-contending run but I know what I have to do to get there.” 

The top group of super-G skiers put down high-speed runs with each skier outdoing the other. Ultimately, Italian skier Sofia Goggia claimed the victory, knifing her run to take the win by almost a half-second. Goggia celebrated in style with a short samba dance, reminiscent of the same dance performed by Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen the week before. Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami claimed second place with Austrian Ariane Raedler in the third spot. 

The next group of U.S. racers ran after bib 35. Each skier did their best to fight the wind and changing weather conditions to claim some World Cup points. Cashman was one skier who broke through the tough conditions with a stellar run moving from bib 44 to 21st. The fans were brought to their feet as Cashman not only started her season with a bang, but also took home a pretty penny, winning the $5,000 Stifel Bibbo Award.  

“I got pretty lucky with the light. The sun was coming in and out for me and standing in the start for a little while sort of helped me calm down and gave me time to gather my thoughts,” said Cashman. “Some sections felt good and others did not feel great, but super-G can be tricky sometimes where you need to be right on the edge to be super fast.”

Johnson also had a solid performance on Sunday, claiming 28th place. It was her first race back on the circuit in a year, and she was pleased to start off with two World Cup points-scoring results in Beaver Creek. Tricia Mangan, Jackie Wiles, Bella Wright and independent athlete Haley Cutler also raced, placing 37th, 38th, 40th and 42nd, respectively. 

The speed women will now head back to Europe to prepare for a pair of super-G races in St. Moritz, Switzerland where teammate and Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is poised to make her official World Cup race comeback. 

RESULTS
Women's super-G

Jett Seymour threw down his first point-earning performance in Val d'Isere, France on Sunday, Dec. 15, moving up through the ranks after barely squeaking into the top 30 in the second run, to finish the day in 21st. 

The weather took a turn from Saturday's snowy, dark giant slalom, clearing up for the men's third slalom World Cup of the season. Seymour, who had yet to finish in 24/25,  took full advantage of his opportunity to push out of the start gate in first position second run, and despite making a few mistakes, held it together to glide through the finish in point-scoring position for the first time in Val d'Isere in his career. 

Seven of the top 30 athletes were unable to finish their second run, which played to Seymours advantage, and proved even further how difficult it is to execute and compete on the infamously steep La Face de Bellevedre track. Fourteen athletes were not able to finish their first run, and 14 other athletes did not qualify.

His teammate, River Radamus, who finished 17th in the giant slalom the day before, did not finish his first slalom run. Benjamin (Ben) Ritchie also struggled on his first run and DNF'd. Luke Winters was able to hang on to the finish but did not qualify for a second run.

RESULTS

Men's slalom

It was a historic day for women’s alpine as they took on the Stifel Birds of Prey for the first time in history - but it was also a huge day for Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Lauren Macuga as she posted a career-best finish on home turf in fourth place. 

“I am extremely satisfied that this is my top result in the World Cup and I could not be more happy right now,” said Macuga. 

The venue was flooded with fans from around the world as they awaited the runs of the best downhill women skiers. Chants of “U.S.A.!” could be heard from the top of the course as each American took their turn at the famed course. The hill is historically a men’s downhill and the women had their first crack at the very technical and steep downhill on Saturday. Each racer proved that they can handle the same forces and technicality as the men.

The first American to go was Jacqueline Wiles with bib 20. Wiles pushed hard from top to bottom but held onto her edges just a smidge too long and landed in 29th. Macuga was next. At each split Macuga brought the fans to their feet as she skied within a half second of the winner, so close to a podium finish. She punched her hands through the finish to snag fourth place - a new career best. The crowd's roar was enormous as Macuga had the best finish reaction of the whole field. 

“Last year I thought getting 30th place in the World Cup was crushing it, so to start with a fourth is crazy,” said Macuga. 

The key to success on the women’s downhill was taking notes from each training run. Three training runs occurred throughout the week, giving the women ample time to figure out the brand-new track. This new course leveled the playing field in many ways as no one had been on the track before. 

“The first training run was definitely checking it out, second training run I felt like I was holding back a little and by the third training run I was hammering down,” said Macuga. “Today I got over my skis a little more and it worked out!”

Teammate Breezy Johnson also made a statement as she skied solid into the 13th position. Johnson had been off the circuit for a year, refocused and psyched to be back with her team.

“I thought there were sections that were really good for me; there were pieces of this course that were in and out for me today. One of those spots was not great so there are things to fix up,” said Johnson. “I feel really good about my skiing right now and I am feeling confident about the upcoming courses this season.”

Not only was it an exciting day for Macuga and Johnson but their newest teammate Lindsey Vonn, returned to the World Cup by way of fore-running. Vonn gave her course reports to the women up top and cheered them on from the sidelines. 

“I am having so much fun; it feels so amazing to be back here,” said Vonn. 

Ultimately the winner of the first downhill of the season was the previous season’s downhill FIS Crystal Globe winner, Cornelia Huetter, second place was Italian force Sofia Goggia who made her return from injury, third place went to Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Keely Cashman, Bella Wright, Tricia Mangan and independent athlete Haley Cutler also raced landing in 31st, 35th, 39th and 42nd respectively. 

The weekend continues on Sunday with the women's super-G. 

RESULTS
women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, 12/15
1:00 p.m. ET - super-G - LIVE on Outside TV

River Radamus and Tommy Ford muscled through rapidly deteriorating conditions on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the infamously difficult La Face de Bellavarde track in Val d’Isere, France to finish back to back in 17th and 18th in their return to the European World Cup circuit.

Ford's result is his first top 20 of the season after a DNF in Beaver Creek and finishing 21st in Soelden. A finish in 18th is promising forward motion, especially after skiing the seventh-fastest second run of the day, over a second faster than the day’s winner, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt. 

Granted, Ford was fortunate to have some of the last good light on the course, running earlier in the start list, given his first run finish in 25th. Nonetheless, he skied on the cleaner side despite the bumpy ride from start to finish and put together enough fast turns to move up seven positions and into 18th. 

“With the sun out, I know I didn’t take enough full advantage of the conditions; I had some strong skiing for sections, and then I would put on the brakes,” explained Ford. “In the end, I lucked out and got a decent result. It got really dark and gnarly there at the end. The snow was much grippier than expected and broke down a fair amount, making it tough for the guys in the back.”

As inclement weather rolled in, visibility began to deteriorate. Snow and dark, flat light eventually prompted the venue to turn on the stadium lights, and the event started to resemble a night race in broad “daylight.” 

Radamus got caught in the middle of the light transition, not far enough back in the start list to be fully thrown to the wolves but running late enough to have a completely different on-course experience than his teammate. Radamus finished his first run in 12th and had hoped to muscle forward to match or best his seventh-place result in the Beaver Creek giant slalom the week before, but could not put down the results he wanted to and ended the day in 17th.

“La Face de Bellevarde is always the most difficult GS track on the circuit, and it really separates good skiing from great skiing, and I didn’t quite have enough today,” reflected Radamus. “It was a bumpy, rattly, icy surface, combined with low visibility, that made it particularly difficult to execute your skiing. I didn’t execute the way I wanted to but I thought I made some pretty good recoveries and was able to scrap out two okay runs despite it all.” 

After Radamus, conditions soon became worse. The rest of the field made their way down the track, and a few of the athletes racing for a top stop came down, shaking their heads and cursing in the finish after being put in dangerous visibility circumstances against a crumbling surface. Whereas others, such as Odermatt, seemed unbothered by the challenge, noting in his interview with FIS that to him, winter is defined by dark, snowy weather, so those tough conditions are where he thrives. In the end, the second and third positions on the podium were swept by Austria’s Patrick Feurstein and Stefan Brennsteiner.

"The conditions were tough for everybody out there," added Radamus. "Certainly, some people got better light than others, and it's [already] a difficult track, especially when you can’t see the surface. The guys who got good visibility took advantage, but that’s ski racing. There are plenty of guys that had bad visibility and were able to muscle through some pretty good runs, too."

Snow is forecasted throughout the rest of the day in Val d’Isere. However, the weather forecast predicts a partly sunny day on Sunday, Dec. 14, when the men’s slalom is set to occur. Starters for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team include Luke Winters, Ben Ritchie, and Jett Seymour.

RESULTS

Men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH

4:00 a.m. ET - men's slalom, run 1, Val D'Isere, France - LIVE: skiandsnowboard.live, On Demand: skiandsnowboard.live

On the final day of men’s racing in Beaver Creek, Colorado, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus snagged his second top 10 of the weekend with a seventh in the Stifel Birds of Prey giant slalom. 

“First run I felt really good about my skiing and that’s a really good indication I was playing it too safe,” said Radamus. “Second run I knew I had to throttle down, made a couple more mistakes but I know I pushed harder.” 

The conditions could not be more perfect on Sunday as the weekend turned to tech for the first Stifel Birds of Prey giant slalom since 2019. The sun was shining bright overhead, and the surface on the giant slalom course was unmatched. The international crowd packed the stands awaiting the event to unfold.

On the first run the sun was in and out as the course, proving to be a challenge for the allotment of racers. Running at 1 minute and 20 seconds, it was a long course and racers fatigued as they crossed the finish line. Radamus skied a strong race, but did not push enough to find the top 10 first run, finishing 14th. Global Racing and U.S. skier Patrick Kenney ran bib 42 and skied a near-perfect run to shoot himself up to the 21st position. 

“I mean the snow does not get better than what he had today,” said Radamus. “The course conditions have been phenomenal so that means everyone is taking it to the next level.”

On the second run, Radamus had a plan and was ready to execute. While he was holding back a touch at the top of the run, he let it rip near the bottom, claiming the top position for a few racers. He was greeted by a roar of American fans, as he sat in the leaderboard chair. Radamus ultimately ended up seventh, jumping up seven spots from his first run. 

“It was great to sit in the leader's chair for a little bit and give the home crowd something to root for,” said Radamus. 

Thomas Tumler of Switzerland claimed his first World Cup win with Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in second place - his first podium since his return to the sport. Third place was Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec. 

Kenney unfortunately did not finish the second run. Isaiah Nelson skied solidly but did not find the top 30. Tommy Ford, Bridger Gile and Ryder Sarchett did not finish but are all ok. 

Sunday’s giant slalom marked the end of the busy weekend for the Stifel Birds of Prey. The men’s tech and speed teams all head back to Europe as they prepare for the remainder of the alpine season. The speed team will head to Val Gardena, Italy, while the tech team will head to Val d’Isere, France. 

The Stifel Birds of Prey venue will now prepare for the women in just a few days as they ski the famed downhill course for the first time ever. 

RESULTS 
Men's giant slalom

In the Stifel Birds of Prey super-G opener, hometown hero River Radamus snagged eighth place - on par with his personal best in the discipline. Teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle was close behind in 11th after he handled another very strong recovery at the top of the course. 

“The home crowd is so special. We can hear the crowd going crazy at the bottom,” said Radamus. “Everytime I come here I try to put on a show and inspire the next generation of skiers.” 

It was yet another classic sunny day in Colorado for the super-G race as the world’s best men sped their way down the famed course. The course is extremely steep and widely known as one of the more challenging super-Gs on the circuit. Not only is it a difficult hill, but the set proved to be a challenge, with six of the first 10 racers not finishing the course. But as the day progressed, the other racers got word of the troubles and made it down to the finish line. 

The winner of the day was last season’s super-G globe winner Swiss skier Marco Odermatt. Second place went to the French phenom Cyprien Sarrazin and Austrian Lukas Feurstein rounded out the podium in third. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle had a remarkable recovery in the downhill the day before and did it again in the super-G. At the very start of his run, his helmet hooked a gate which caused his goggles to fall down over his face. Cochran-Siegle tried to get his goggles back onto his helmet, losing a chunk of time. But he ripped the rest of the course, making up the second he lost up top and landed in 11th place. 

“I came in too hard on that gate, but sometimes when you make that kind of mistake it's easier to push yourself,” said Cochran-Siegle. "I did what I could and had some good skiing at the bottom."

The rest of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team squad gave it their all on the course for the hometown crowd, with four landing in the top 30. Kyle Negomir finished in 19th and Bryce Bennett in 28th. Sam Morse just missed the points in 31st and Jared Goldberg in 37th. Erik Arvidsson and Wiley Maple did not finish but are ok. 

The weekend is not over yet.  The men’s giant slalom returns to the Stifel Birds of Prey course for the first time since Tommy Ford’s maiden victory in 2019. 

RESULTS
Men's super-G
 

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, 12/8
12:00 p.m. ET - giant slalom, run 1 - LIVE on Outside TV
3:00 p.m. ET - giant slalom, run 2 - LIVE on Outside TV

It was an exciting first day of racing of a two-weekend long Stifel Birds of Prey series at Beaver Creek Resort, Colorado. Bryce Bennett was the top American in the men’s downhill, finishing in sixth place. Ryan Cochran-Siegle also punched it into the top 15, finishing 12th.

"I've been skiing really well all summer long and I had some good training runs so I felt confident on my skis," said Bennett. 

The podium was not what many had predicted. After a previous season of Odermatt vs. Sarrazin in downhill, it was the unassuming Swiss Justin Murisier who claimed the top spot and his first ever World Cup win. His teammate Marco Odermatt landed in second and Miha Hrobat of Slovenia took third for his first World Cup podium.

It was also a strong start for Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle. He had a large mistake and still managed a top-15 result - a testament to the hard work the men's speed team put in this summer. 

"Our places were good for sure," said Cochran-Siegle. "It's awesome seeing Bryce ski so well right now. He is locked in, and our team as a whole has been executing the training runs really well." 

Under classic Colorado blue skies, the day proved dramatic, seeing a number of crashes on the terrain-ladened course that caused long course holds. Sam DuPratt was one of the men who went into the net and down in a sled. His injuries are still being evaluated.

The result marked yet another top 10 for Bennett, who continues to show his strength in downhill. With four top 10s last season and two podiums—including his first career win—the 6’ 7” speed skier was pleased with the result of the season-opening downhill. It's been an exciting week for the speed skier; his wife also announced her pregnancy... and her due date: March 22, the day of the World Cup Finals downhill.

"One of my goals after last season was to keep skiing and being competitive and so it was great to have this result to reinforce that feeling," said Bennett. 

Sam Morse also found the top 30, finishing 21st. Erik Arvidsson was 34th, Jared Goldberg 39th, Kyle Negomir 45th and Wiley Maple 52nd.

Next up, the men race super-G on Saturday and a giant slalom Sunday. The women race the Stifel Birds of Prey the following weekend. 

"Beaver Creek super-G is a very challenging course so I just need to keep doing what I am doing and trying to have fun with it," said Cochran-Siegle. 

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH

Saturday, 12/7
12:30 p.m. ET - super-G - LIVE on Outside TV
5:00 p.m. ET - super-G - tape delay on NBC/Peacock

Sunday, 12/8
12:00 p.m. ET - giant slalom, run 1 - LIVE on Outside TV
3:00 p.m. ET - giant slalom, run 2 - LIVE on Outside TV

Saturday, 12/14
5:00 p.m. ET - giant slalom - tape delay on NBC/Peacock

All races available on-demand on Outside+.

Nearly 40,000 fans turned up and turned out for the Stifel Killington World Cup weekend, which closed out on Sunday, Dec. 1 with another nail-biting race that saw two Swiss and one Swede take the podium – Camille Rast in first, and Wendy Hoeldener and Anna Swenn Larsson tied for second. 

None of the Americans were able to make a play at the podium today, but there is still much to celebrate. Mikaela Shiffrin, Paula Moltzan and Elisabeth Bocock, who all received injuries in their races this weekend, did not suffer anything season-ending. Despite not qualifying for a second run in slalom, Nina O’Brien is still celebrating a career-best World Cup result in the giant slalom on Saturday. Katie Hensien continues to build on her giant slalom momentum from the beginning of the season. Mia Hunt finished her first-ever World Cup run in front of a home crowd on a difficult course. 

“The slalom course was really difficult today,” commented O’Brien. “They set a really technical, really tight course. And that, combined with a little bit of changing snow at the top that definitely had some grooves in it by the end when I ran, and a bottom that held up really well but was slick. So I found it pretty difficult, but there were still some impressive runs from the back showing that anything is possible.” 

Shiffrin is out of the hospital and on the mend after receiving a puncture wound to the right side of the abdomen and some severe muscle trauma. She is sore but still tuned in to watch the race today and is looking forward to some much-needed rest before jumping on the rehab train. Moltzan is in a similar boat, having suffered a dislocated shoulder during the first slalom run on Sunday. Her shoulder was immediately reset and is currently stable, with no current need for surgical operation. Bocock was slated to start Sunday’s slalom but chose to sit it out after warm-ups proved her wrist injury sustained in Saturday’s giant slalom made blocking gates more painful than she initially anticipated. 

Despite the injuries, the women’s alpine team is walking away from the weekend of racing in Killington, feeling positive and looking ahead to the rest of the season. Racing on home soil is always a great way to kick things off for a group that spends the majority of their winter competing in Europe, far from family, friends and the loud and proud American crowd. 

“This race is my favorite race on tour for a handful of reasons – A) it’s in Vermont, B) my family can be here, and C) the crowd is unreal,” says Moltzan, who raced at University of Vermont and currently lives in the state. “Every ski racer from bib one to bib 60 receives the biggest welcome into the finish no matter the result, and that’s pretty special because not all World Cups are like that. Getting to cross that finish line and get that big welcome home from Vermont is pretty incredible.”

With the Tremblant World Cup tech series canceled, the next time the women’s alpine team will hit the slopes will be in Beaver Creek, Colorado, at the Stifel Birds of Prey downhill and super-G, Dec. 14 and 15. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

The Stifel Killington Cup was fraught with emotion on Saturday, Nov. 30, when the U.S. women’s alpine team had not one, not two, but three athletes achieve career-best results in front of a home crowd in Vermont. Paula Moltzan led the charge, finishing fifth, her best result in giant slalom, followed by Nina O’Brien in sixth, a career-best World Cup result. 

“Crossing the line and getting the green light and hearing the crowd scream is just the best feeling ever,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had that here in Killington, so that was pretty incredible.”

Katie Hensien also had a stellar day, posting the 11th fastest speed in the second run to move her from 21st into the final position of 13th. World Cup rookie Elisabeth Bocock made a storied fight to the finish in her second run to earn her first World Cup points in 23rd.

Bocock pushed out of the start gate wearing bib 47 and drove through the course’s bumps and divots to earn eighth in the first run. In her second run, the 19-year-old never lost her ferocity and continued to push despite clipping a gate and losing one of her ski poles -- Bocock ended up skiing the second half of her run with just one pole. 

“Today, there is no one I look up to and am more inspired by than Elisabeth,” said O’Brien. “Here skiing first run was so sick and incredible, but for me, it’s even more impressive to have a first run as she did and then go and send it on the second run because that takes courage, and she skied with a lot of courage second run.” 

Shiffrin was the final racer to ski down Superstar on the second run. After winning the first run by 0.32 seconds, anticipation was high. Shiffrin was on the brink of winning her first giant slalom in Killington and her 100th World Cup. After coming over the pitch, Shiffrin took a tumble into the b-netting, a rare sight, as Shiffrin does not often take tumbles on the public stage. Despite being dragged down the slope in a sled, Shiffrin still took a moment to wave to the crowd on her way to an ambulance and asked about her splits in the interim moments during evaluation. 

“Not really too much cause for concern at this point,” Shiffrin reported to Instagram a few hours after the race while being evaluated at the hospital. “I have a pretty good abrasion, and something stabbed me? But I’m okay. I am so sorry to scare everybody, and it looks like all scans so far are clear, so thank you so much for your support and concern.” 

On The Stifel U.S. Alpine Team will compete in the slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup on Sunday, Dec. 1st. Shiffrin will not start due to injury. 

RESULTS 
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH

10:00 a.m. ET - women's slalom, run 1, Killington, Vermont - LIVE: Outside TV, On Demand: Outside