The third stage of the Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy, delivered an exciting day for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. On the challenging 20k skate course, Ben Ogden achieved a career-best ninth-place finish in distance racing, securing third overall in the Tour standings and Jessie Diggins, Sophia Laukli and Julia Kern all finished within the top 15. 

The men started off the day's races, with the 20k skate featuring a brand new course ahead of them. The course, starting in Toblach Stadium and stretching out toward the Tre Cime mountain range in the Dolomites, challenged the athletes with its lack of rest points - it was all out from the start. Strong gliders and powerful skiers thrived on this “working” course, which demanded consistent effort.

For the men, Ogden, Gus Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Jack Young and Zanden McMullen were representing the U.S. At the same time, the women were led by the overall leader, Diggins, then Laukli, Kern, Rosie Brennan and Alayna Sonnesyn. 

Often used as a "tourist track," this course is narrow and unrelenting. Appearing flat, it was anything but that - racers had to put the hammer down from start to finish. It was the sunniest part of the day for the men when the start gun went off. With 91 skiers on the roster and a new course in front of them, it was truly anyone's game. Through the checkpoints, Schumacher and Ogden were showing impressive splits. At the top of the climb, racers did a horseshoe to turn around and come back down, with the Tre Cime towering overhead in the distance. There, Ogden was sitting just outside the top 10, in 11th, with just the downhill. At 15.6k, the final checkpoint, Ogden was solidly in the top 10 and into the finish, he put down the hammer to cross the line in ninth - this was the best skate distance result of his World Cup career. 

"Today will absolutely go down as my best distance race ever!" said Ogden. "Really pumped with that and with the progress I've made lately."

With the men's race wrapped, Ogden was ninth, Schumacher 34th, McMullen 52nd, Schoonmaker 53rd and Young 71st. Norwegians Harald Amundsen was first, Simen Krueger second and Great Britain's Andrew Musgrave in third.  

For the women, all eyes were on Diggins, as this race not only played to her strengths but she's coming off two back-to-back wins the days previous. 

Wearing the yellow bib marking her as the overall Tour de Ski leader, Diggins started right behind teammate Kern. In their favor, this course was made easier if you had someone to work with - whether drafting, taking turns leading, or just fighting the up and downhill together. That is just what Kern and Diggins did. For Laukli, the sentiment was the same. However, she was working alongside Germany's Victoria Karl, who ended the day just off the podium tied for fourth. With the teamwork, Laukli finished the day 10th, a big step forward in her Tour de Ski results, giving her more confidence going into the final stages. Kern and Diggins skied the entire course together and crossed the line together, with Diggins in sixth and Kern in 13th. Brennan was 37th and Sonnesyn 51st, respectively. Norwegians Astrid Oeyre Slind led the podium in first, Therese Johaug in second and Kerttu Niskanen of Finland in fourth. 

"It was so hard - but it was also so cool," said Diggins. "The best part was that I got to ski with my teammate Julia, whom I trained with all summer. We had a plan that if we caught together, we would work together. On the downhill, we had amazing communication and collaboration. Without her, it would have been a really tough time for me - because you either got lucky to ski with someone or didn't. That's ski racing!"

"This is the type of race that you go through a lot of emotions!" Said Laukli. "I was in a dark hole after the past two races and didn't know if I wanted to keep going but I really want to fulfill the Tour and I want to keep going!"

With three stages completed, the Tour heads to stage four tomorrow before moving to Val di Fiemme, Italy, for the final three stages. Diggins remains the overall leader, while Ogden’s strong position in third makes the Stifel U.S. Ski Team one to watch as the Tour continues.

RESULTS 
Men
Women

On Sunday's super-G in Bormio, Italy three Stifel U.S. Ski Team men found their way into the top 30. The team was led by Kyle Negomir in 21st, Ryan Cochran-Siegle in 22nd and Jared Goldberg in 29th. 

“Bormio is tough because it's always a fight,” said Negomir. 

It was the end of a relatively heavy week and weekend at the future Olympic site. A week riddled with injuries. Most notably French ski star Cyprien Sarrazin had a bad crash on the second training run day that left him with a head injury. Over the course of the weekend three more large crashes would follow. 

The conditions were what the athletes describe as classic Bormio: “icy, dark and bumpy.” On Saturday’s downhill Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle was one to make it out of the weekend in one piece after he had a scary crash. Cochran-Siegle was leading the downhill run, poised to claim a podium spot until he caught an edge and tumbled over a gate. Luckily he would walk away with no injuries. 

On Sunday it was still dark and bumpy for the men yet they had to fight through the mental challenge and put their best foot forward. Negomir looked poised under pressure as he skied solidly to land just outside the top 20 and ahead of his teammate Cochran-Siegle. Regardless of scoring points, the men know they are capable of much more and look forward to finding that next gear in January. 

“It will be nice to go home and have a mental reset. I think some time at home will be good and then a little training block will get us some confidence and have us ready to push into the heavy month of January,” said Negomir.

RESULTS
men's super-G

Jessie Diggins added another milestone to her career today in Toblach, Italy, winning the second stage of the Tour de Ski in a thrilling and... unexpected finish. In what was her first-ever World Cup victory in classic skiing, Diggins crossed the line victorious on the same course where she secured her first-ever World Cup win 14 years ago, in the Tour de Ski, during the 5k skate. This win came over 340 World Cup starts later, cementing her place as one of the greatest cross country skiers ever, and one that can win in any distance, in either discipline. 

Meanwhile, Gus Schumacher continued his impressive performance at the Tour, crossing the line in seventh place in today’s 15k classic mass start. His consistency throughout the Tour sees him sitting seventh overall in the standings, while Ben Ogden remains fifth in the Tour de Ski standings after another strong showing.

The day dawned sunny in Toblach, with fast classic tracks and eager athletes ready to tackle the 15k mass start. Diggins lined up with 63 other competitors, taking the lead early in a tactical, fast and hilly race. Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern, Sophia Laukli, and Alayna Sonnesyn joined Diggins on the USA start list. 

Diggins led, forming a tight lead group alongside Norwegian stars Therese Johaug and Astrid Øyre Slind and Finnish standout Kerttu Niskanen. Brennan and Kern worked hard in the chase pack alongside the massive pack of skiers on the tight course. 

The stakes grew higher with each lap and Diggins refused to let up. Approaching the final climb, she dug deep, refusing to yield to her competitors. In a post-race interview, she reflected, “I never gave up. I’ve dreamed of a classic victory for so long, and today it finally happened.” Crossing the finish line with a fist pump and tears in her eyes, Diggins collapsed in Diggins fashion but did something in the process that she thought was impossible.

"Honestly, I'm really emotional," said Diggins, post-race, when asked what this meant to her. "We finally did it. I say we, because I'm looking at my coach right now too. This summer I put in so much work on my double poll and classic skiing, and to be able to sprint like that yesterday and finish like that today - that was something that I didn't know if I had in me. I had to work really hard to get here, and I got a lot of help from a lot of people. It's honestly super emotional - it's really cool." 

Diggins took home her second Tour de Ski victory in two races; Brennan was in the top 20 again in 14th, Kern in 31st, Laukli in 46th, and Sonnesyn in 50th. Second place went to Niskanen of Finland, and Slind of Norway. 

With Diggins’ victory setting the tone, the American men approached their 15k race with renewed energy. Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Zanden McMullen, and Jack Young represented the stars and stripes. The variable conditions on the course—chopped-up snow and icy patches—required strategic precision and smart skiing by the men - nothing they couldn't handle.

Ogden and Schumacher positioned themselves in the lead pack early, with McMullen and Schoonmaker not far behind. Schumacher made a decisive move on the penultimate climb as the race progressed, making a spot for himself in the top five going into the final curve. Despite losing a couple of places in the finishing stretch, Schumacher's move showed he knows what needs to be done going into Tuesday's 20k to maintain that podium position. Reflecting on his race, Schumacher said, “I knew I had to do something big. I pushed hard, got into position, and went for it. I didn’t have the legs to hold it at the end, but I’m proud of how I raced.”

Schumacher’s efforts earned him seventh place, while McMullen impressed with a 17th-place finish. Ogden ended the day in 26th, maintaining his strong overall Tour position in fifth. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo dominated once again, claiming his second consecutive Tour stage victory, followed by Erik Valnes and Håvard Moseby in second and third.

With Diggins’ historic win and the men's continued rise in the ranks, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team is making a statement in this year’s Tour de Ski. As the Tour progresses, the momentum is undeniable and the athletes are determined to deliver standout performances. Tomorrow is a rest day and then the team is back at it on Tuesday. 

RESULTS
MEN
WOMEN

OVERALL TOUR DE SKI STANDINGS
MEN
WOMEN

AJ Hurt's first weekend back on the World Cup circuit was a success. On Sunday in the Semmering slalom, she was the only American athlete to put down two runs, finishing the day in 18th.

Believe it or not, Hurt's result in Semmering is only the fourth time she's ever finished two runs of a slalom World Cup.

Hurt, who considers herself to be more of a giant slalom specialist, surprised herself in the Kranjska Gora slalom in early January last season when she earned a career-first podium and a career-best slalom, finishing third, and hasn't scored points in the discipline since.

Known for her gutsy skiing and carefree attitude, Hurt isn't one to hold back on a slalom course to make it down to the finish. In both of her runs on Sunday, Hurt made up for lost time on the last pitch, skiing the sixth fastest second run overall to move her up the ranks nine positions.

"The first run, I was definitely just trying to get back into it," reflected Hurt. "The second run felt much more like my type of skiing, where I could ski fast, so I'm happy with it. I only finished two slaloms last year, so it feels good to be already halfway on track to besting my season last year, and I'm going to keep trying my best to keep pushing and get back to where I was."

Unfortunately, teammates Paula Moltzan, Katie Hensien and Nina O'Brien did not get a second run. However, all three athletes stuck around to support Hurt in her World Cup slalom return before heading off to Toblach for a brief training block in preparation for World Cups in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, next weekend. Moltzan was pushing hard at the beginning of her first run but straddled and did not finish.

Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic led Sunday's podium. She won her first World Cup by 1.75 seconds, followed by Germany's Lena Duerr in second and Austria's Katharina Leinsberger in third. Ljutic was the first Croatian woman to win a World Cup in over 18 years.

In Kranjska Gora, the women open 2025 with a giant slalom on Saturday and a slalom on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

HOW TO WATCH

Jan. 4, 2024
3:30 a.m. ET - women's giant slalom, run 1, Kranjska Gora, SLO - live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live
6:45 a.m. ET - women's giant slalom, run 2, Kranjska Gora, SLO - live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live

Jan. 5, 2024 
4:00 a.m. ET - women's slalom, run 1, Kranjska Gora, SLO - live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live
7:00 a.m. ET - women's slalom, run 2, Kranjska Gora, SLO - live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live

The 2024-25 Tour de Ski began today in Toblach, Italy, with a strong showing from the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. Wearing the yellow bib as the current leader in the overall World Cup standings, Jessie Diggins led the Americans into the highly anticipated opening sprint stage with a win in the skate sprint. Eight U.S. athletes advanced to the sprint heats—four men and four women—highlighting the depth of the team and landing 80% of the team in the top 30 at the end of the day. 

For the men, Ben Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher and Jack Young qualified for the sprint heats. Young, in particular, made an impressive debut in his first Tour de Ski appearance. On the women's side, Diggins, Rosie Brennan and Alayna Sonnesyn joined Diggins in advancing to the heats, setting the stage for an exciting day of sprinting.

Diggins, Schumacher and Ogden stood out as the races progressed by advancing through to the semifinals. Schumacher and Ogden won their respective quarterfinal heats, setting the tone. Toblach holds a special place for Ogden, as last winter, he skied to his first career podium in the same race. Despite battling nerves and breaking a pole in the final, Ogden finished an impressive sixth on the day and is hungry for more. 

"Most proud of my confidence today," said Ogden, post race. "I was more nervous today than I've been in awhile - because I have some memories here. But I handled it well, I skied really smart. Unfortunate way to end it with all that work but what can you do? That's part of the deal." 

Meanwhile, Diggins strongly returned to the top of the podium in the skate sprint, securing her first win in this format since 2021. Her victory marked a strong start to the 2024-25 Tour de Ski, earning her the overall and sprint leader bib. "Can I wear two bibs?" she said, laughing after the race. 

"I'm excited to build through it like I’ve been able to in the past!" said Schumacher. "It’s been a while since I strung together a good full tour and I’m hoping that this is my year to get better every day."

The podium for the men was led by Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway, Lucas Chavanat of France, and Janik Riebli of Switzerland. Diggins was on top for the women, led by Jasmi Joensuu of Finland–first career podium– and Nadine Feindrich of Switzerland. For the U.S., Kern was the second American, in 14th, Sonnesyn in 19th, a career-best result, and Brennan in 29th. Sophia Laukli was 63rd. For the men, Ogden was sixth, Schumacher was 10th, Schoonmaker was 14th, Young 17th, and McMullen 36th, respectively.

"This was a huge surprise!" said Diggins. "It was so fun to be here, we had amazing fans, amazing skis! Toblach is so special, this is where I had my first podium, a long time ago during the Tour de Ski... so, this victory is an amazing surprise!"

The Tour de Ski remains one of the premier events on the FIS World Cup calendar, and this year, it attracted a strong field despite being a World Championships year. The momentum is building and the fun doesn't stop here - six more races are on deck, along with tomorrow's 15k classic mass start. The event starts at 6:30 a.m. ET for the women and 8:45 a.m. ET for the men. Watch live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

Paula Moltzan skied to match her career best on Saturday, Dec. 28, in Semmering, Austria, finishing fifth in the giant slalom.

Moltzan, who has been itching for her first World Cup giant slalom podium, finished fourth first run, just 0.56 seconds off of leader Federica Brignone after making a huge save at the last gate to save her from a potential DNF. In the end, she missed the podium by just two hundredths. Italy's Brignone clung to her lead and finished the day in first, followed by Sweden's Sara Hector in second and New Zealand's Alice Robinson in third. 

Moltzan's result is even more impressive, considering the dislocated shoulder contracted after a hard crash in the Killington slalom. The pain has not entirely ceased, but she is pushing forward despite it all. 

"I'm proud to have put down two clean, consistent runs, both times I pushed out of the start," commented Moltzan. "I'm very happy with my result overall and look forward to carrying the momentum into tomorrow on another great surface."

Nina O'Brien also fought her way out of a tenuous position, headed into the final gate of the second run, but held on to some speed and moved up the ranks from the first to second run from 17th to 15th.

AJ Hurt earned her first World Cup points of the season after taking a break from competition to tend to shoulder issues. She finished 27th, a step up from her last performance in Semmering in 2018 when she claimed she didn't even ski past the first split. Hurt's return to the World Cup was a success despite a few frustrating mistakes. She earned her first points of the season and positively impacted the overall team energy. 

"It was really nice for the team to have AJ back," said O'Brien. "We really missed her, and I'm proud of her for getting into the points her first race back; I know she has a lot more in her."

Katie Hensien also ended the day in the points, finishing 28th overall and hanging on to a strong position in the giant slalom standings. Thus far, Hensien ranks 11th in the giant slalom season standings. Moltzan ranks sixth, and O'Brien ninth.

Sisters Elisabeth and Mary Bocock also competed in Saturday's giant slalom in Semmering, both for the first time in their careers. Unfortunately, neither made the second run, but they were excited to get more World Cup start experience. 

Moltzan, O'Brien, Hurt and Hensien will compete in the fourth World Cup slalom of the season on Sunday, Dec. 29.

RESULTS
Women's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
4:30 a.m. ET - women's giant slalom, run 1, Semmering, Austria - live/on-demand on Peacock TV
7:30 a.m. ET - women's giant slalom, run 2, Semmering, Austria - live/on-demand on Peacock TV

On Monday’s Alta Badia slalom Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Jett Seymour closed out the 2024 year with a 13th place finish, his second best slalom result to date. 

“It was a battle but it was fun and a good fight and yeah that is what ski racing is all about,” said Seymour. 

It was a sunny yet frigid day in Alta Badia for the slalom skiers. The hill injected once again overnight to create a slick course. The conditions allowed skiers out of the top 30 to get in the mix of the race. 

Seymour running bib 32 took full advantage of this and skied strong to land the 13th first run. An outstanding jump compared to those around him on the start list. Fellow teammates Ben Ritchie and River Radamus also showed their slalom prowess. At first Ritchie seemed to be within reach of a second run but he skied a touch too conservative and landed in 31st. Radamus, historically a giant slalom and super-G skier, skied aggressively to find himself in 25th after run one. 

“I expected a lot from myself from the first two races and was very disappointed with those so it was nice to build some momentum in Val d’Isere and see it through to Alta Badia,” said Seymour. “I’m looking forward to the rest of the slalom year, especially January and to keep building on these performances.” 

On the second run the hill was somehow even icier than first run - a great opportunity to move up in the rankings. Seymour ran 17th on run two and was able to maintain his skiing from run one to stay in position for a top 15, ultimately landing in 13th overall. 

The Norwegian men once again proved their depth and talent as they claimed first and third with Timon Haugan on top and Atle Lie Mcgrath in third. Second place went to Swiss skier Loic Meillard. Radamus ended up in 27th position. 

The next men’s slalom race is in Madonna di Campiglio for a night race on Jan. 8. Meanwhile the men’s team is going to stay in Europe over the holidays with teammates, friends and family as they prepare for a packed January. 

RESULTS
men's slalom 

On Sunday’s giant slalom race in Alta Badia, Italy River Radamus landed in a solid 15th place position. 

“This is the most special track on the circuit. I always hold this one in high regard,” said Radamus. “I always try to put down a performance I can be proud of.”

Radamus is one of the many athletes who love the Gran Risa track for its technicality, length, views and optimal snow conditions. This year however the snow conditions proved to be a bit more difficult for the racers due to continuous injections on top of new snow. Regardless of the challenge Radamus was able to find the outside ski and put himself within contention on run one in 11th, just 1.13 seconds from first. 

“The conditions were a little tougher than usual with some variable conditions in the course and low visibility made it difficult to execute,” said Radamus. “I liked my approach and intensity and I am trusting the things I am doing in preparation but I did not quite flow with the course the way I wanted to today.” 

On the second run a second challenge was added to the slope - bad light. The sun was nowhere to be seen on Sunday and the light continued to fluctuate as snow lightly started to come down. This again added a new layer of difficulty for some racers. Radamus on run two was not able to link his turns the way he wanted and ultimately moved down to 15th place overall.  

“It’s frustrating to have to wait another year to come back here but I will be thinking about this one as I go through my training this season to next season.” 

The winner of the day was none other than Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt who claimed his 41st World Cup victory, second place went to first time podium winner Leo Anguenot of France and third place was Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy Ford did not finish the first run and Isaiah Nelson and Bridger Gile did not qualify for a second run. 

Radamus is now switching gears to slalom on Monday, a discipline he says himself and the rest of the slalom team is ready to conquer. 

RESULTS
men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Monday, 12/23
Run 1 - 4:00 a.m. ET, - slalom - LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live
Run 2 - 7:30 a.m. ET - slalom - LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live

The longer than anticipated wait for the start of the dual moguls season was worth it, as Jaelin Kauf dominated the competition today in Bakuriani to earn her ninth career win and start the season with the coveted yellow leader bib. 

The Kokhta Moguls Course - the longest course in the world - didn’t make this an easy feat, as competitors succumbed to the mounds throughout the day due to the length and depth of the bumps in Georgia. It would have been easy for something like this to get into an athlete's head, but not for Kauf. Round after round, she continued to outdo herself with faster times, cleaner turns and bigger jumps. 

“That was the play today - to get out in front and stay out in front. Anastassiya Gorodko (KAZ) definitely gave me a run for my money earlier, but I felt like I laid down really solid runs all day, and I’m super excited to end up on top of the podium,” said Kauf. “I’m going to try to hold onto that [yellow bib] this year.”

The women shined throughout today, with all five starters advancing to the round of 16. Kasey Hogg joined Kauf in the quarter-finals, where she tied her dual moguls personal best, finishing seventh after a tough dual against Canada’s Maia Schwinghammer. In the semi-finals, Kauf took on reigning Olympic gold medalist Perrine Laffont (FRA), who is back to competition after 21 months away from the sport. Despite her time away, she has already stood atop the podium twice this season. Kauf won her semi-final 20 to 15 to advance to the big final, where she met Rino Yanagimoto (JPN). Yanagimoto is known for her consistent and clean composure in the bumps, but today, nothing stopped Kauf and her speed. Kauf won the big final 24 to 11. Alli Macuga finished 13th, followed by Tess Johnson in 15th and Olivia Giaccio in 16th. 

On the men’s side, Asher Michel was the sole U.S. athlete to advance to finals. In the round of 16, he took on Ikuma Korishima (JPN) who entered today’s competition ranked second in the world in dual moguls from last season. Though he lost his dual, Michel earned a new dual moguls personal best, finishing 10th today, a massive jump from his previous best of 23rd he learned last season in Deer Valley. 

The team is returning to the States for the holidays and a training block in Utah before they head back on the road to start their North American tour in Waterville Valley, NH, Jan. 24-25. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

The FIS Freeski World Cup circuit returned to the United States this week for the first event this season on home soil. The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team went all out in the halfpipe for the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colorado with Alex Ferreira taking the win and Nick Goepper third.

The U.S. men threw down in qualifications, moving seven Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athletes to the 10-person finals. Nick Goepper and Matt Labaugh led their respective heats.

It was a heavy-hitting final on Saturday, with Ferreira continuing his podium streak to stand on the top step again after his perfect 2023-24 season. He had finished second in the last two World Cups. Ferreira is committed to perfecting every bit of his run, shown clearly by his winning 94.75 on run two and landing back-to-back double cork 1620s. It was the first time anyone has done a 16 with a tail grab. 

"One of the better feelings in my life, no doubt. I feel fantastic right now," said Ferreira. "I'm kinda speechless. Back on top - the champ is back, baby!"

Goepper continued to prove his commitment to halfpipe is no fluke, taking third place with an 89.25 on his second run. The result marks Goepper's third halfpipe podium since he came out of retirement for halfpipe last season. Canada's Brendan Mackay finished second with a 91.25. 

David Wise finished fifth, Birk Irving sixth, Hunter Hess seventh, Matt Labaugh eighth and Aaron Blunck 10th. Blunck took a massive hit on his first run and sat our the second run, but came back to put down a strong third run to the crowd's cheers.  

Svea Irving put on an impressive show, and finished just off the podium in fourth with an 85.75 on her first run. China's Eileen Gu, Great Britain's Zoe Atkin and Canada's Cassie Sharpe went 1-2-3 in one of the most competitive fields the women have seen recently.

The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix also marked Hanna Faulhaber's return to competition after a knee injury last year, but took a crash in qualifications and did not make finals. 

Next up, the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team heads to Austria for the Klagenfurt and Kreischberg big air World Cup to kick off 2025. The halfpipe squad will take some much deserved time off before they head to Aspen for X Games and the next Toyota U.S. Grand Prix.

RESULTS
Women's halfpipe
Men's halfpipe