On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete and greatest alpine skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin won her 100th World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy with teammate Paula Moltzan just behind in third place. 

“Today was just a amazing day in the middle of some really tough months, but I'm very thankful for this day,” said Shiffrin.  

It was poised to be a special day when the snowy skies turned sunny the afternoon of the slalom race. The Italian fans came out and were ready to cheer on what would eventually become a historic day. In the first run, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team showed promise with three athletes heading to run two. Shiffrin ran bib four and knifed her run to take the lead by 0.09 seconds. Moltzan, who has had an up-and-down year in slalom races, showed no signs of slowing down as she glided right into fourth place - a great spot for a potential podium leap. 

AJ Hurt also skied well to make run two. Katie Hensien and Nina O’Brien did not finish the first run but are OK. Youngster Liv Moritz started in her first slalom World Cup and skied great at the top but lost a little time down near the bottom to land outside of the 30. 

The second run was set by Shiffrin’s coach Janne Haarala and it featured a lot of tricky rhythm sections, hairpins and flushes - but it caused no trouble for the U.S. gals. Hurt absolutely nailed her run, gaining time at every split, to cross the line well over a half-second in the lead and set the pace for the women’s team. Hurt would end up 13th overall and second on the second run. 

“It's not so steep anywhere so you have to go as hard as you can and that’s what I tried to do today,” said Hurt. “I am feeling good about today and my weekend overall.” 

Young Swedish skier Cornelia Oehlund held the lead for more than 10 racers, but Moltzan attacked - wanting that top rung. While she lost a chunk of her lead down to the bottom, she saved enough to take the new lead and eventually move to third place. It was her third podium of the season and first slalom podium of the season. 

“I think there were still a lot of mistakes in the second round but I just kept trying to keep my skis down the hill,” said Moltzan. “I knew that everyone in front of me was coming behind Cornelia, so I just wanted to lay everything on the line and see how it played out.” 

Finally all eyes were on Shiffrin. She did not have a lot of time to play with, so she had to lay down a run that would give her the victory. At every turn, Shiffrin was skiing to win, gaining time at each interval to clinch her 100th victory. A look of disbelief lay on her face as the emotions set in. 

“I feel like the mountain ahead of me is steep and long,” said Shiffrin. “If I get there and when I get there it will be very sweet but for now I just have to take this day and be grateful for it. Because it's a small moment in the middle of many tough moments that makes me feel like maybe I can be good again.” 

Shiffrin was notably out of competition for 2.5 months from a brutal injury she sustained in Killington while on her way to her 100th victory in November. It has been an intense road back to victory for Shiffrin - yet on Sunday, she defied the odds and ended up on top. Shiffrin now had 63 slalom wins, 100 wins and 155 World Cup podium finishes. 

“It certainly feels like I've been fighting a lot lately and it's been hard to find the right momentum and the right flow,” said Shiffrin. “So to come back and compete with these women who are skiing so strong and so fast is amazing.” 

In the finish area her teammates and family greeted her wearing their new “MIK100” shirts to show support of her incredible accomplishment. Drenched in champagne, full of emotions and smiles, Shiffrin walked away from the Sestriere weekend with her illusive 100th win done and dusted. 

The next stop on the World Cup tech tour will be in Are, Sweden for a slalom and giant slalom March 8-9. 

RESULTS 
Women's slalom

The 2025 Phillips 66 FIS Masters Cup and Western Regional Championships at Big Sky Resort in Montana February 7-9 was a true international event. The start lists included 109 racers from 11 countries: United States, Canada, Austria, Japan, Czechia, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Thanks to the racers who traveled from near and far, the sponsor, Phillips 66, the organizer, Big Sky Ski Education Foundation, and Big Sky Resort for making it a great event. The racing was amazing, but the time spent with friends old and new is what keeps us coming back for more.

In what seems to be a predictable plot twist, there was snow in the forecast for the Friday of SG racing. On race day, there was only a few inches on the ground when it was time for the race officials and crew to head up to prep the hill. It would take some slipping, but would be manageable. While setting the course over the next hour, 3-5 more inches fell and it became an all legs on deck situation. With the guidance of the race officials and crew, the racers slipped through 3-10 times systematically moving the snow to clear the majority of the trail side to side to create a safe race venue. Even the resort ski school instructors not currently with lessons came out to help. It was after lunch when we were given the green light for racing. All the effort was well worth it. The track had been cleared to a prime surface and the course was a blast. Unfortunately, with the extra time needed in the morning to prepare the venue, there was not enough time for a second SG race. The morning slipping had kept everyone warm, but with 12 degree temps with a cool breeze gusting at times, everyone was also looking forward to heading in to warm up. The next stop was awards to rest the weary legs and recoup some of the extra calories burnt. The forecast for the remaining days was for minimal additional snow. 

What Saturday lacked in snow challenges, it made up for it with frigid temperatures. Racers, officials, crew, and volunteers donned every layer, coat, and heating device they had to be out on the hill for the whole day in the low single digit temperatures. Drained by the cold, batteries were replaced on some timing equipment and others devices had hand warmers attached to them just to be able to function. Despite the timing challenges the GS racing was fantastic. The course setters did an excellent job and the racers were going full gas. Hangmans, the race trail for the event has a variety of terrain. The trail has some easy warmup turns at the top before diving down a long pitch, veering to right, then gently rolling down to the finish. Racers gathered again that evening for awards to celebrate the GS winners and congratulate their fellow competitors.

Racers and crew alike were excited to see temperatures in the teens for SL on Sunday. The course setters again did a great job, setting 4 courses for the day. Using the new FIS Masters guidelines, Groups D(women 60+ years) and B(men 60+ years) raced on the right course and Groups C(women 30-59) and A(men 30-59) raced on the left. Racers 18-29 years, ineligible for FIS, but racing in the Western Regional Championships  raced with groups C/A. As racers charged into the finish, they were out of breath and smiling. Though awards were initially planned for outside, racers gladly reconvened in a hotel sitting room by a fireplace for the final awards. Awards wrapped with the announcement of the Western Region Age Class Champions. Women     Men

Race Results

FIS Masters Cup results on the FIS Website and usalpinemasters.org/2025/fismasters

Western Regional Championship results posted at usalpinemasters.org/2025/wr

Western Championships Class Champions:    Women     Men

Race Photos available for purchase from Big Sky Photo.

Good luck to all the competitors chasing globes this season!

The majority of the FIS Masters Cup (FMC) are held in Europe, but each year North America hosts consecutive events in Canada and the United states that draw international competitors looking for a little adventure and the opportunity to get 8-10 FMC starts in the span of a week. For North American racers, it's a key opportunity to get starts close to home so they can be a contender for the FIS Masters Cup with just 1 or 2 trips to Europe - most Masters racers do have jobs, families, and other obligations after all! The winner, of the FMC in each age class, is the racer accumulating the highest number of points taking into account their 12 best races of the season - racers must be ranked in 6 races to be eligible. For most age classes, traveling to the Finals is Europe, is essential to get the double points awarded there. 

FIS Masters Cup Standings

Thank you to our sponsor Phillips 66 for the financial support to buy fun award medals, group awards, and Western Regional Champion fleeces!

On Saturday’s downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top U.S. performer in 13th place. Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg and Sam Morse rounded out the points in 17th, 25th and 30th. 

After two strong training days for the U.S. team, the results were not quite the same as the skiers had hoped. Cochran-Siegle had a podium early on the season and has shown speed consistently on training days and in sections but has had trouble finding the same intensity on race day. 

“I’m feeling let down because I have consistently been racing the past few months at a lower level than what I’ve shown I’m capable of from training runs,” said Cochran-Siegle. “Clearly I am letting something affect me on race day that isn’t allowing me to trust myself and my ability to reach my full potential.” 

Despite the frustrations the Olympic silver medalist knows that he has the skiing to be on top - he plans to reset for the upcoming and final races of the year. 

“It’s up to me to figure out that mental block to move forward and let the better skiing happen,” said Cochran-Siegle.

It was another Swiss sweep in the downhill with youngster Franjo Von Allmen in first, Marco Odermatt in second and Alexis Monney in third. 

The men are happy to be putting four men in the 30 but know they can do more. The next downhill for the World Cup men will be in Kvitfjell, Norway March 7-8.

RESULTS 
men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. - men’s super-G, Crans Montana, SUI - skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s second giant slalom race in Sestriere, Italy. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt posted her season best result in seventh with Paula Moltzan close behind in eighth place. 

“I feel like I'm feeling more like myself from last year, I feel pretty good,” said AJ Hurt. 

The weather proved to be opposite from the day before that brought sunshine. Instead there was a deep fog that sat at the top of the hill for some time. Regardless of the difficult visibility the race went on as planned. The first run was challenging with a straight set but flat light, which meant the women had to take more risk. The top 10 stacked with less than a second from first to 10th. 

The women ended up throwing four women into the second run all very close together with their times. In the flip included up-and-coming junior athlete Elisabeth Bocock who previously scored her first points in Killington earlier this season. 

On the second run the sun started to peak out which made the light much better on the course. With the stronger visibility amongst the packed house of Italian fans, it was going to be an exciting second run. First Bocock skied fierce to land in the points and ultimately tie her season best result of 23rd. Then AJ Hurt ripped down the course to earn her season best result of seventh place. Moltzan had quite a few errors but still managed to land eighth. 

“I just feel like I was able to find more confidence here and have some good turns and finish it off well,” said Hurt. “It feels really cool to be part of the U.S. team right now. There's so many girls doing that well and I am very proud of them all.” 

The winner of the race was Italian Federica Brignone, who wowed the home crowd with her fantastic skiing; second place was Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, and in third was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson.  Stifel U.S. Ski Team skiers Nina O’Brien, Katie Hensien and Mary Bocock did not finish but are OK. 

The tech women will now switch to slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS 
women's giant slalom 

HOW TO WATCH 
3:45 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 1, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live
6:15 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 2, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live

On Friday’s first giant slalom of two, Stifel U.S. Ski Team members Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien landed sixth and eighth. AJ Hurt was not far behind in 12th. 

“I'm actually really happy with today's race,” said Moltzan. “The skiing is there and without the mistakes it'll be even better.”

It was a beautiful sunny day at the Italian resort for what would be the make-up giant slalom race from the previously canceled Mont Tremblant giant slalom series. There was an air of calmness around as the athletes returned to the regular World Cup schedule following a very busy World Championships event just one week earlier. The U.S. team was eager to get back to racing with quite a full start list. 

On the first run Moltzan started with bib one - her first time in the top seven seed and first time starting bib one. She took full advantage of the clean course and came out in third place on the first run. O’Brien and Hurt also skied strongly to place eighth and 11th on run one. 

“It is so cool to run with bin one, why can't I run bib one all the time? The snow is so awesome,” said Moltzan. 

It was notably the first giant slalom race back for Mikaela Shiffrin who had been sidelined the past few months due to a brutal injury she sustained in Killington. Shiffrin skied with courage knowing that each race back is a stepping stone to the next great result of her storied career. 

“The last days of training were pretty good but in the end, racing is different than training so it’s really positive to have this race,” said Shiffrin. “ It's kind of like the next step in the training.” “It's really nice to have Mikaela back on the start list with us. I know it wasn't her best day, but we're all super happy to have her with this again,” said O’Brien. 

On the second run, all of the women put it on the line. First up was youngster Elisabeth Bocock. Her second time getting a second run in the World Cup and she was pushing hard. Unfortunately she leaned in and did not finish the second run. Katie Hensien had a strong second run and was able to move up to 21st place. Then came Hurt and O’Brien. Both skiers pushed to the finish line. They would end up in eighth and 12th. 

“I feel really solid,” said O’Brien.  “There were some mistakes here and there on both runs, but overall I feel like I skied two pretty strong runs and it’s nice to be back in the top 10.” 

Finally it was time for Moltzan. At every interval in the green and only building her lead. Moltzan was on fire up until the final flats section where she made a large mistake losing all speed. She would end up in sixth place. Despite mistakes here and there the women’s team continues to show their dominance with five in the top 30 and six qualifying to the second run. 

“I'm so bummed for Elizabeth, because I know she's ripping, but I think it just shows what we're capable of,” said O’Brien. 

The winner of the race of Italian force Federica Brignone, in second was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson and in third Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund. 

The women feel fired up and will take this race as a stepping stone to the giant slalom race on Saturday. 

RESULTS 
women's giant slalom 

HOW TO WATCH 
5:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
8:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s, 2/15, World Championships slalom in Saalbach, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Paula Moltzan and Mikaela Shiffrin finished fourth and fifth to cap off an extraordinary run for the women’s team - where in every race but one, there was a U.S. athlete on the podium.

“To come across the line in the green light was a win for the day,” said Moltzan.  “I am very happy with fourth. It’s also my best slalom result of the season, so I feel good about it.” 

It was another great day in Austria, with the sun shining down and a slightly cooler temperature outside, which made way for a solid surface for the alpine racers. The first run was set by the Austrians and turned out to be quite tricky for the athletes. Several combinations and tight radius’s made way for a lot of women not making it across the finish line. When it came to the U.S. women to kick out of the gate, Shiffrin and Moltzan knew they had to put down their best skiing.
 

Shiffrin, off first, skied with her signature aggression and tactically and ended up third on the first run. Moltzan was not far behind, landing in fifth going into the second run. AJ Hurt also made the flip.

“Today was something that I can learn from and to fully recover well for the rest of the season,” said Shiffrin. “ It's been eight weeks since I had surgery and six weeks since I was laying in bed with a drainage tube so perspective is important.”

After a long waiting period due to a large field of athletes, including over 100 women, the top 30 locked back in for run two. The second run set was no easier than the first - with plenty of difficult combinations once again. Regardless, Hurt, Moltzan and Shiffrin dialed themselves back in, knowing that a World Championships slalom podium was on the line.

Hurt was skiing well up until the very last pitch where she made a sizable error - and ended up 19th. Next was Moltzan. Fresh off a bronze medal win in the giant slalom – her first individual World Championships medal – she knew she had to ski with tenacity to make it down the tricky and long slalom course. Boom! In the green one again for Moltzan.
 

Next all eyes were on Shiffrin. Shiffrin, who is coming off one “of the most important medals I’ve ever won”, the Team Combined gold with teammate Breezy Johnson, skied strongly, however, she fell short towards the end and landed right behind Moltzan in fifth. 

Moltzan has had an amazing run at the World Championships in Saalbach. A fourth in the team parallel followed up with a fourth in the team combined, bronze in giant slalom and fourth in slalom. 

“I was pretty low energy today so it was really important just to stick to my plan and execute as best I could,” said Moltzan. “I am so lucky to have the best teammates and staff behind me and to walk away with this fourth, my worst result of the week is just great.” 

The winner of the race was ultimately Swiss skier Camille Rast who has had an impeccable slalom season this year. In the silver position was fellow Swiss skier Wendy Holdener and in bronze Austrian Katharina Liensberger. AJ Hurt and Katie Hensien also raced in the slalom, Hurt ended up 19th and Hensien did not finish her first run. 

This slalom marked the end of the long two-week event that brought many successes to the women’s team, including a bronze in super-G, gold in downhill, gold in the team combined, and bronze in giant slalom. Overall the women’s team is on a roll and ready to close out the last month of races on a high. 

The final World Championships event will be the men’s slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS 
women's slalom 

HOW TO WATCH
Sunday, Feb. 16
3:45 a.m. - men’s slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - men’s slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live
4:00 p.m. - women and men’s slalom - NBC (tape delay)

On Thursday’s women’s giant slalom in Saalbach, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan took home the bronze medal at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships - her first career individual medal. 

“I feel happy, joyful. It's been kind of a roller coaster of a season with results and with emotions,” said Moltzan. “So for it to play out on a really big stage is really emotional.”

The day began overcast and warm, making for softer snow on the long giant slalom course set. The women’s best giant slalom skiers from around the world had an early inspection as all 110 racers would hit the track since the GS qualifier was canceled the day before. Nevertheless, the women on the U.S. team were hungry for results and came out firing. 

Moltzan ran first for the women’s squad and did not hold back, pushing all the way down the track to land in third, 1.24 seconds off of Italian phenom Federica Brignone. Next was Nina O’Brien, who was looking for her big moment, but fell short after some costly errors on a largely flat hill. Finally AJ Hurt and Katie Hensien took to the course. Both put down solid splits but struggled to generate speed out of the skis on a long and relatively flat giant slalom.

“I was talking with my husband Ryan, who's my serviceman, and he got a report from our coaches and I knew I just had to go as hard as I could,” said Moltzan. 

The women had a few hours to kill in between runs, which is a long time to fuel and focus. By the time the second run came around, the sun was hidden behind the clouds and the temperature dropped a few degrees, making it possible for the snow to firm up. Hensien, Hurt and O’Brien all dialed it in and were ready to send. Hensien landed 22nd, O’Brien 19th and Hurt made some good moves to climb to 13th place. 

“I knew that there was a big turn over that roll, so I was trying to bring direction and I got a little too late,” said Hurt. “It definitely wasn't perfect the whole way down, but I felt like I had better sections and was able to find that like energy and aggression.” 

Moltzan was ready to seek vengeance on her "wooden spoon" fourth place result from the team combined a few days earlier. Her fierce speed and determination could be seen in each turn she took on the second run. She started to lose time at the bottom, but brought it back to get the green and claim her first World Championships individual medal by only one-hundredth of a second. 

“It is so much motivation to go into the slalom race with a result like this. It feels good, plus I am finishing the season with a result like this. It's super motivating,” said Moltzan. 

To complete the extraordinary day for Moltzan, her family and friends were all in attendance to watch this historic moment in her career. Hugs, champagne showers and tears were shed for the immense team effort. It is Moltzan's second World Championship medal, having won the gold in the team event in 2023. 

The winner of the race was Brignone who skied two runs flawlessly to win by 0.90 seconds. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson was second. 

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team women have now claimed a medal in every women's specific event so far and will look to keep the momentum rolling into the final event of slalom on Saturday. It’s the first time in 40 years that three different U.S. women have won an individual medal at the World Champs. The men race GS on Friday.

RESULTS 
Women's giant slalom 

HOW TO WATCH

Friday, Feb. 14
3:45 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live

Saturday, Feb. 15
3:45 a.m. - women’s slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - women’s slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live
3:00 p.m. - women and men’s GS and team combined - NBC (tape delay) 

Sunday, Feb. 16
3:45 a.m. - men’s slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - men’s slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live
4:00 p.m. - women and men’s slalom - NBC (tape delay)

On Wednesday’s men’s Team Combined at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Ben Ritchie just missed a medal in fourth place. The duo came from behind close to making a miracle happen and upsetting the Swiss-dominated podium. 

“I was telling Ryan that to ski my best I was trying to separate the runs and think about it as my race. I did what I wanted to do and it was a solid run," said Ritchie. “That was an impressive run and super fun to watch, Ben carried our team today and it was just super cool to see.” 

The Team Combined started off with the downhill just as it had the day prior when Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson won gold. However on Wednesday the conditions were a bit different - less sun and more fog and rain. This made for a difficult downhill with many holds and varying snow conditions. Despite running the track three times earlier in the week some elements of the course needed to be analyzed and dialed in. 

The team of Bryce Bennett and Jett Seymour ran first. Bennett came into the day extremely confident and ready to go. However once his run started he knew something was off. Bennett did not put down his best skiing due to his skis running too aggressively on the snow that was beginning to turn soft. This meant his teammate, Seymour would need to send in the slalom. 

“I am such a picky guy with how the skis feel and I could tell from the first turn it was not going to be good and I felt stuck,” said Bennett. “The only thing about this event is that now that mistake puts a damper on the whole day so I feel bad for Jett but it happens.” 

There was still one more downhiller for the U.S. and that was Cochran-Siegle. He had already nailed the course two times earlier in the week and knew what line would be fast. Cochran-Siegle went into 12th place for the downhill but not too far off the margin. He was 1.26 seconds back from the winning time giving his teammate Ben Ritchie a decent shot.

“It was a challenge. I was trying to correct things from the other day, I think the visibility had something to do with it. Hopefully the time stays close,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

The course quickly shifted to slalom and the men’s slalom teams descended on the mountain. Since Bennett landed further back in the downhill, Seymour was able to start earlier after they flipped the top 30 skiers. Seymour skied solidly on a very long and turny course. While he did not go into the lead, he did move the duo up to 15th. 

“It's warm out here today and the snow was breaking up so I was just trying to send it and make it down,” said Seymour. “I was just telling everyone this is a really fun event, and it is so cool to watch in the finish with all the other downhillers. I am bummed that I did not do my part today but Jett crushed it so we are excited to come back and do better,” said Bennett. 

Then comes Ritchie. The cameras turned to Cochran-Siegle, Bennett and Seymour as they all anxiously awaited his run. Green light after green light Ritchie stepped it up and delivered. It may have been his skiing or the power of the ‘rally cap’ mentality that Cochran-Siegle manifested in the finish, but the day for the U.S. was about to get very exciting. 

Skier after skier and no one was close to the combined time of Team USA 1. Then it was down to the three remaining Swiss teams. The U.S. ultimately ended up fourth place, just  .20 hundredths away from a bronze medal and a major upset to the event where the U.S. was seen as an underdog. Nevertheless the men walked away with a group hug, a new team camaraderie experience and fire as they head into tech events this week.  

The World Championships event is far from over with the two marquee technical events on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 

RESULTS
men's team combined 

HOW TO WATCH 

Thursday, Feb. 13
3:45 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live

Friday, Feb. 14
3:45 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live

Saturday, Feb. 15
3:45 a.m. - women’s slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - women’s slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live
3:00 p.m. - women and men’s GS and team combined - NBC (tape delay) 

Sunday, Feb. 16
3:45 a.m. - men’s slalom, run one - skiandsnowboard.live
7:15 a.m. - men’s slalom, run two - skiandsnowboard.live
4:00 p.m. - women and men’s slalom - NBC (tape delay)