Paula Moltzan stepped onto the podium in the first race of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup season in Sölden, Austria, taking second place - her best World Cup giant slalom result to date. She led an impressive Stifel U.S. Ski Team showing, with six athletes in the top 20, including Mikaela Shiffrin just off the podium in fourth and Nina O’Brien in sixth - tying her personal best. 

"I am so happy with today," said Moltzan. "I felt like I could be on the podium today and I succeeded in that." 

For the first time in more than 30 years, the U.S. women packed six into the second run—and all six ended up in the top 20. Katie Hensien took 12th place and AJ Hurt was 13th, and in just her 15th World Cup start, Elisabeth Bocock was 19th. To further prove that the Stifel U.S. Ski Team is a force to be reckoned with, O’Brien had the fastest second run time, Moltzan’s second run was second fastest, Hurt's was third and Bocock's fifth. In total, five of the top seven fastest second run times were American skiers. 

"I'm happy to put another solid two runs down," said Hensien. "We really like it here. It looks like and it's sweet to have such a stacked, solid team." 

After finishing second in the first run, Moltzan powered to the finish to ski into the lead, even with a mistake on the pitch. She was only beaten by Austrian Julia Scheib, who was thrilled to win in front of her home country. It is Moltzan’s second giant slalom podium, having scored her first in the 2024-25 season in Kronplatz, Italy. She now has six podiums to her name and is hungry for more. Lara Gut Behrami rounded out the podium in third. 

"Scheib and I spent three days of training together and both looked at each other and said we need to do that more often," Moltzan laughed. "Our whole team skied incredibly well and I am so happy to be on this team and with this crew." 

It was also a banner day for Shiffrin, who has publicly spoken about her battle with PTSD after crashing in the giant slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup nearly one year ago. Her fourth place marked a triumphant return to top GS results after struggling in the discipline in her return to racing last season.

"I am so happy," said Shiffrin. "After how I ended last season it was a waiting game and in the end racing was the next step in the preparation phase to get the race mentality and I felt like my mind and my body were connected today - I was so nervous this whole week," said Shiffrin. "I am over the moon." 

Mary Bocock, Keely Cashman and Tricia Mangan also started the race, but did not qualify for a second run. 

The men’s giant slalom in Sölden is up next on Sunday to wrap up the first weekend of racing on the World Cup circuit. 

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine skier Liv Moritz is making her mark in the world of professional ski racing, both on the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup and Europa Cup circuit. A Colorado native and standout from Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, Moritz has been a steady rising star on the alpine team with several World Cup starts and NorAm Cup success. 

A rising threat in the technical disciplines, Moritz continues to push and build on her talent. A dual-sport athlete, Moritz competes in two sports: alpine skiing and soccer. Representing both the USA and University of Denver, Moritz is an NCAA Division 1 soccer player and ski races at the highest level of the sport. 

Moritz is the latest athlete featured in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s “On the Rise” series, presented by Zions Bank. Through community service, sponsorships and charitable donations, Zions Bank is committed to fueling economic growth and enhancing quality of life in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

We caught up with Moritz to dive into her background, reflect on a season of milestones and look ahead to her goals for 2025-26.

Q: What initially drew you to this sport?

 LIV MORITZ: I was introduced to ski racing by my parents, who also competed in the sport when they were younger. Growing up, my twin sister Kjersti and I alternated between ski racing and freeskiing, and enjoyed competing in slopestyle and halfpipe. However, I ultimately chose ski racing because most of my friends were doing it and because I found the incremental improvements during this time to be rewarding versus the subjectivity of the freeski scoring system. My favorite thing about alpine skiing now is the travel to new places and cultures. 

Q: When you were younger and getting into the sport, what were your goals? 

LM: When I was younger and first getting into the sport, my main goal was just to have fun and improve a little every day. Competing with my identical sister definitely added extra motivation. As it got more serious and I started to see some good results, I dreamed of becoming a professional skier, a soccer player and going to the Olympics. 

Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?

LM: My biggest accomplishment has been winning the slalom NorAm Cup title this past year. Some other big accomplishments that I am proud of are the two team parallel podiums at World Juniors and a couple of top five runs at World Juniors. And a fun one from earlier on, when I was a U14, my twin sister and I tied for first place at the Central/Rocky Championships in Steamboat.

Q: What is your ultimate goal? 

LM: My goal is to take skiing as far as I can and enjoy the moments of fun and accomplishment along the way. I also want to continue playing soccer at a high level, and perhaps play professionally in the future. Ultimately, I want to stay happy and loving both of my sports while pushing myself to reach my highest potential. Specifically, I would love to compete at the Olympics and be competitive on the World Cup circuit.   

Q: Who are your heroes? 

LM: Mikaela Shiffrin, Trinity Rodman, Alexia Putellas, Carissa Moore, Serena Williams and Allyson Felix  

Q: You win $5,000 in prize money: What do you do with it?

LM: If I won $5,000 in prize money I would set aside a small portion for personal spending on a fun trip that doesn’t require me to bring my skis along. I would invest the rest because investing offers the potential for higher returns over time. 

Q: Do you have a budget or follow a spending structure?

LM: Yes, I use a savings and checking account to manage my budget and finances, as well as a brokerage account for my investments. 

Q: What’s one money habit you follow?

LM: I try to shop with the intention to avoid impulse purchasing, and try to buy only what I “need.” I also try to avoid fast fashion because environmental impact is something I care a lot about. 

Follow Liv on social media.