Day four of the 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships continued on Saturday with downhill day under the sunshine featuring perfect conditions at Aspen Highlands, Colo. While Colorado native and two-time Olympian Alice McKennis Duran took her final lap, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammate Laurenne Ross won her final career downhill race. On the men’s side, World Cup Dreams Foundation’s new executive director Tommy Biesemeyer came out of retirement to share the Roch Cup victory with former teammate Jared Goldberg. 

It was yet another classic sun-splashed spring day in Aspen, and despite the warm weather, the surface set up nicely overnight and was as good as it gets for this emotional day of downhill, which featured McKennis Duran’s final lap and Ross’ career-final downhill race. 

McKennis Duran, who grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley and cut her teeth with both the Sunlight Winter Sports Club and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, kicked off the second run of the two-run downhill with a pre-race victory lap donning her Olympic gear, hugging current and former coaches and fist-bumping friends as she skied down. McKennis Duran’s husband and follow-cam extraordinaire, Pat Duran, took her final lap with her documenting it on a GoPro and sealing the footage with a kiss. As she skied through the finish, McKennis’ Duran’s father Greg and sister Kendra and family greeted her with cheers, hugs, and champagne. 

Ross’ goal coming into the final downhill race of her career was to simply have fun. The two-time national champion did just that, and after leading the first run of the two-run downhill by over three-tenths of a second, put together a solid second run to take the victory over teammate AJ Hurt by .45 seconds. It was a women’s podium full of Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes, with Lauren Macuga rounding it out in third, .89 seconds off Ross’ pace. Hurt and Macuga went 1-2 on the junior podium, with Burke Mountain Academy’s (BMA) Ava Sunshine Jemison landing in third. 

Ross, whose parents and sister Allana were in Aspen to watch and cheer her on, was overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude as she celebrated her final shared downhill race with teammate McKennis. “It feels surreal, I don’t know...it was tough today, having Alice do her last race, and just being in the start with her and knowing it was the last time we got to do that together was really emotional and kind of hard to get it together for the race, but I just wanted to have fun,” Ross said. “That was my main goal, but I’m competitive as hell, so I knew I was going to try to go fast so I didn’t really have to worry about that. I’m really happy...happy to be here with all of my friends and of course it’s really wonderful to win my last actual race.”

It was special for Ross to share the podium with two athletes that grew up watching her ski and looking up to her. “It’s really cool to see their talent...and to see their passion and drive. Also, just their compassion for others is really refreshing. I remember being their age and being around the older girls and just being a little bit scared of people, and not really having that camaraderie as much, but it’s nice to get to know them and to see them start to blossom in their careers. It’s exciting.” 

Hurt echoed Ross’ sentiments, saying, “I grew up watching Laurenne...and it’s just awesome to stand on the podium next to her for her last race.” She added that ending the season at home in the United States was a welcome surprise, “I didn’t expect to be able to ski any races in the U.S. at the beginning of the year or last year at this time...I kind of figured it was going to be a pretty stacked European season, so it’s been great to be able to be at home and then race on home turf.”  

On the men’s side, U.S. Ski Team alumnus and current executive director of World Cup Dreams Foundation, Tommy Biesemeyer, came out of retirement and threw it down right out of the gate during run one. He skied the fastest first run by nearly three-tenths of a second over Goldberg, followed by teammate Sam Morse. Biesemeyer, who came to U.S. Alpine Championships to lower the penalty with his points and support the next generation of downhillers, grabbed his career-first national title and shared it with teammate Goldberg—who each skied a solid second run. Morse rounded out the podium in third, .29 seconds back.

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Isaiah Nelson, Jack Smith, and Trent Pennington went 1-2-3 on the junior podium, with Nelson just missing that overall podium once again, landing in fourth place overall. 

After seven second-place career finishes in the U.S. Alpine Championships, Biesemeyer was stoked for a victory, but he was even happier to be able to give back to the younger guys. “To cap nationals off with a win is special, and more importantly I was here in Aspen promoting World Cup Dreams Foundation, which I recently took over as the executive director and I’m really passionate about giving back to the next generation to support that World Cup Dream—the one that I lived and I really believe in. To be here in Aspen to piggyback that with a national championship is pretty sweet.” 

With his victory on Saturday, Goldberg snagged his second-career national title but his first shared national title. “It’s been really fun to come here and race on a pretty chill venue, and I’ve been wanting to have nationals here for years—we’ve been talking about it and it’s been cool that they put it together. It’s just such a fun venue, and it’s easy for them to set up and for us you can kind of relax and have fun with it, and this time of year that’s what we need after a long World Cup season. I’m just trying to keep my energy through the end of this series, and it’s been fun. I got to go home for a break, and come back to race.” Following tomorrow’s FIS downhill, Goldberg is heading back home to Utah, and then grabbing his surfboard and jetting to his second home in Maui for vacation. “I’m going to surf and not put ski boots on for as long as possible,” he added with a laugh, “I’m tired. 

Up next is another FIS downhill for both men and women on Sunday, followed by a day off on Monday. U.S. Alpine Championships kicks off once again on Tuesday, with the women’s alpine combined—one run of super-G combined with one run of slalom. 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill
Men’s downhill

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

Two Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes announced this week they'll be making the final laps of their career at U.S. Alpine Championships in Aspen, Colo.—two-time Olympian and two-time national champion Alice McKennis Duran, and two-time Olympian and two-time national champion Laurenne Ross.

Both women were members of two of the fastest speed teams in the world, one in 2013 and the other in 2018 (downhill). They are the last of an amazing generation of U.S. women's speed team athletes that included Olympic champion and winningest female alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn, Olympic champion Julia Mancuso, and Olympians and FIS Ski World Cup podium finishers Leanne Smith and Stacey Cook, to retire. In a way, this signals the end of an era (and what an era it was!), and a passing of the torch or beginning of a new era, highlighted by downhiller Breezy Johnson and multi-event skier and two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, among many other talented women. 

The 2012-13 season was a particularly special season for the women's speed team, as each of the members of that star-studded team podiumed that season. For Cook, Smith, Ross, and McKennis, it was each of their career-first podiums. They were absolutely the Best in the World speed team and on fire that season, or as McKennis Duran said recently, "2013 was really lit 💥. Because for Stacey, Leanne, Laurenne, and I, it was all our first podiums. In the same season! Wild." 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Alice Mckennis Duran (@thealigator)

Alice McKennis Duran's Career At-A-Glance

• World Cup Starts: 121
• World Cup Podiums: 2
• World Cup Victories: 1
• 2x Olympian
  • Best result: fifth, DH, PyeongChang, 2018
• 3x National Champion
• Member of the fastest speed team in the world: 2012 (downhill), 2013, and 2018 (downhill)
• One of the most resilient, hardworking athletes we’ve ever witnessed. Alice overcame one obstacle after another and never ceased to amaze us with her unrelenting fight and grit.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Laurenne Ross (@lalalaurenne)

Laurenne Ross' Career At-A-Glance

• World Cup Starts: 153
• World Cup Podiums: 2
• World Cup Top-Fives: 13
• World Championship Teams: 6 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
  • Best result: fifth, DH, St. Moritz, 2017
• 2x Olympian
• 3x National Champion
• Member of the fastest speed team in the world: 2012 (downhill), 2013, and 2018 (downhill)
• One of the coolest gals on the circuit with the best style and most beautiful voice, musical, and writing talent - with a guitar in hand, from dreads to purple hair, bright pink lips, and beyond!

McKennis Duran will take her final lap prior to Saturday's U.S. Alpine Championship downhill, while Ross plans to ski in the downhill and take her victory lap during Tuesday's super-G. Stay tuned for more on these two incredible women, as we celebrate their careers and accomplishments throughout the week. 

On April 1, Olympic gold medalist and back-to-back FIS World Champion Chloe Kim shared her experiences with anti-Asian hate for the first time in an interview with ESPN’s Alyssa Roenigk. Kim shares heart-wrenching experiences of recent attacks and hateful social media messages that have taken a toll on her mental health. Unfortunately for Kim, these encounters are nothing new. Kim has been subject to her share of racism since she was only 13-years-old. Kim’s story is an important reminder of the power that words carry, "Even if you get thousands of supportive messages, the hateful one will hit you the most,” Kim noted.

On April 9, Kim expanded on her story, this time reflecting on why she decided to speak out. Although she was nervous to share her experiences with racism, she believes it’s more important than ever to be part of the conversation, and let others know that they are not alone. 

Read Full Stories at ESPN.com

April 1, 2021 - Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim shares her experiences with anti-Asian hate

April 9, 2021 - 'I don't feel accepted' -- Why Chloe Kim spoke out on anti-Asian hate
 

On day three of the U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen Highlands, the men came out charging, with Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete River Radamus emerging victorious in the super-G, while teammate Luke Winters grabbed the win in the alpine combined. 

With colder overnight temperatures, the conditions for the super-G were super solid and the guys were stoked to ski a flowy, fun super-G course to start off the day. Radamus won the run, with Winters—who hasn’t donned a pair of the longboards since a fall camp at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo.—.16 seconds back in second, and speed specialist Sam Morse rounding out the podium in third, .22 off Radamus’ pace. 

Up next was the slalom portion of the alpine combined, and University of Denver and Alpine Canada athlete Simon Fournier—who was fifth in the super-G portion of the combined, .53 seconds out—came out charging and went into a healthy lead over the U.S. Ski Team’s Cooper Cornelius by .59. But, Winters was coming. Winters came down into first by .27 over Fournier, and Radamus came down into third, .51 seconds back. Cornelius ended up in fourth, just off the podium. 

Wednesday’s super-G victory marks Radamus’ career-first national super-G title, while Winters is grabbing his second alpine combined national title. Both were psyched to finish off the long season with solid results. “I really took the super-G today more as a win...I haven’t skied super-G since Copper, and I went out bib one and just did what I could and had a lot of fun with it,” Winters commented. “It went well for me, so I was excited about that and then I knew I had a good chance in slalom. Made my way down, came down into first. I’m psyched—this is my second combined win at Nationals, so I’m psyched.”

Radamus, who won the 2020 giant slalom national title at the rescheduled U.S. Alpine Championships last fall at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo, was satisfied with his results on the day, and happy for his teammate Winters as well. 

“It’s really fun to come back to Nationals and wrap up the season here...little less pressure than the heart of the World Cup season, and I felt like I was able to ski a little bit freer,” reflected Radamus. “Super-G was awesome, I really enjoyed the course...it was just sort of flowy and not a lot to it. There’s a lot of really strong skiers in the super-G field, like Erik [Arvidsson] and Goldy [Jared Goldberg], who had World Cup success this year, so I didn’t have a lot of expectations on myself. I just tried to commit to my line and go as straight as I possibly could, and it flowed pretty nicely and I did well there.” 

Radamus admitted his teammate Winters is tough to catch in slalom, but he gave him a good challenge. “In slalom, I knew I was in for a battle with Luke—he’s skiing amazing in slalom right now—and I really wanted to execute and give him a good fight,” Radamus said with a giggle. “He’s really good though, so I didn’t quite do what I wanted to, but there’s no shame in losing to him right now so I’m satisfied.” 

The three fastest juniors for the day in the super-G were Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson, Team Clif’s Jack Bowers, and Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club’s Bridger Harrison. The top three juniors for the alpine combined were Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Ben Ritchie, Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s Cooper Puckett in second, and Bowers in third. 

Winters was amped for the younger guys and was talking about how much it meant to him as a young kid to ski with his World Cup heroes at Nationals, and what kind of impact that had on him. He also commented on how lucky we all are to be here in Aspen for Nationals and to have pulled off a full season of skiing. 

“We’re so lucky to be able to do this race, and also to have been able to compete at the World Cups all season long, basically without many hiccups,” Winters said. “Five years ago when I was doing my first Nationals’ races, I was looking up at the guys—[David] Chodounsky and all the older guys—waiting for my turn, and looking up to those guys. So it’s cool to be on the podiums consistently here.”

Looking back to one year ago when 2020 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships were slated to take place at Aspen, it's a miracle the event is able to happen at all this season. Despite the fact that there are no spectators and limited media at the event, there is a sense of gratitude for the ability to race at all. Fans can follow the action via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Up next in the U.S. Alpine Championships is downhill training for both men and women on Friday and Saturday. 

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen is contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committee, and Aspen Snowmass are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

RESULTS
Men's super-G
Men’s alpine combined

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Friday, April 9, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Sunday, April 11, Downhill National Championships, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:
Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

On day two of the U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen Highlands, it was an international giant slalom podium, with University of Denver's Tobias Kogler (Austria) in first, University of Utah’s Joachim Bakken Lien (Norway), and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and hometown Aspen boy, Bridger Gile, in third. 

It was another early morning for the athletes, staff, and race organizers, and the conditions were challenging. Though the temperatures were cooler than on Monday, the wind took the moisture out of the snow, causing issues for the salt to do its job and firm up the surface. Several athletes came through the finish after second run gassed, referencing the tough conditions and “dead snow.”

Giant slalom favorite River Radamus ran into trouble on the first run, getting bounced by the terrain and ending up in 16th after the first run. Gile had the fastest first run, followed by Kogler .47 seconds back, and Middlebury College’s Erik Arvidsson, .54 off Gile’s pace. With softer snow and a groove forming during the second run, athletes were challenged to push on the surface and get power out of the turn. 

It was a tight race for the podium, with Kogler taking the victory, Bakken Lien in second by a mere eight one-hundredths of a second, and Gile in third, .19 seconds off Kogler. Isaiah Nelson, who was the fastest junior on the day, moved up from sixth to land in fourth, tied with the University of New Hampshire’s Patrick Kenney, .47 seconds off Kogler’s pace. Arvidsson moved back to sixth. 

“COVID kind of prevented me from going over to Austria [for Nationals]...and I was stoked that it is here in Aspen—great hill, love that hill, skied here before—and perfect conditions,” said Kogler. Following NCAAs, Kogler kept the momentum going to U.S. Alpine Championships. "We just kept the race rhythm...we did NCAAs, never stopped training, did some FIS races, and then a week ago we got a new coach—he got us all fired up and that was the last bit of energy I needed." This was Kogler's final race of the season. 

Gile, who is just off of a long winter in Europe with his first full FIS Ski World Cup schedule, was the fastest American. Though the conditions were challenging, Gile is stoked to finish the season at home in Aspen. "The course was pretty long...I'd say I'm pretty beat from the season in general, at least it's warm weather, so that's nice and makes it easier to be outside," he said. "But, it makes the snow softer...they did their best to keep it as hard as they could, but it's pretty hot out—and I think that makes the course more tiring as well. It's fun to ski. First run was good...last run I struggled with having fast first runs, so at least this year I had fast first runs. I think I need to work on my fitness because second run I crashed and I couldn't go any faster...It's a good way to end the season knowing you need to get stronger because you work out harder in the summer."

After traveling all winter in Europe, Gile is elated to be at home in Aspen and for the ability to sleep in his own bed. "It's amazing to ski in my own bed," he added. "Honestly, skiing and racing while sleeping in my own bed feels weird...I feel uncomfortable not sleeping in a hotel room before a race. I know the town, I know good places to eat, and so it just makes coming home after a long season and a long race today...to be able to chill out in your own house is awesome." Gile will ski in the alpine combined and the downhill. 

The three fastest juniors for the day were Nelson, followed by Burke Mountain Academy's (BMA) Oliver Morgan and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Jack Smith. Following his near-podium performance, Nelson commented, "The conditions were not very good, especially on the first run. Running eight was sweet, but the snow was pretty inconsistent and I couldn't get into the flow of it, I kept pinching off the turns. So the second run I knew I had to go deep and it actually worked out because that next course was even more space so it exaggerated the need to go deep."

Nelson is working to attack both runs, and he's finding that balance. "I definitely attacked really hard...last night in our meeting we talked about the aggression of that second run mentality and skiing like you have time to make up, and I need to figure out how to do that first run because that's something I didn't do the past two days, but I really liked the way I attacked that second run," he added. "I was happy to move up and almost get on the overall podium, which would have been super cool." Nelson will ski the alpine combined and downhill to finish off his 2020-21 season. 

Looking back to one year ago when 2020 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships were slated to take place at Aspen, it's a miracle the event is able to happen at all this season. Despite the fact that there are no spectators and limited media at the event, there is a sense of gratitude for the ability to race at all. Fans can follow the action via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Up next for the men is alpine combined on Wednesday, headlined by Jared Goldberg, Arvidsson, Radamus, Nelson, among others. 

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen is contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committee, and Aspen Snowmass are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Wednesday, April 7, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Men
Friday, April 9, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Sunday, April 11, Downhill National Championships, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:
Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

Under the sunshine at Aspen Highlands, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and 2021 World Junior Slalom Champion Ben Ritchie emerged victorious at the slalom kickoff of the U.S. Alpine Championships. Middlebury College's Erik Arvidsson was second, and Garret Driller rounded out the podium in third. 

Due to the forecasted warm weather, organizers made the decision to move the program up, with an early 7:30 a.m. first run start. The decision proved to be a good move, as the sun burned through the clouds at the end of the second run, roasting the surface. The course crew did a great job with the conditions considering the temperatures, and the surface was surprisingly solid and skiable. 

"This morning we all thought that it was going to be one of the worst races of the year, but the snow is way better than I would ever expect it would have been...even with the warm weather," commented the 20-year-old Ritchie. "So, hopefully, it will stay like that through the week."

It was a tricky, offset first run set that kept the athletes on their toes and turning all the way down. It also meant there were a lot of DNFs—33 to be exact, including World Cup mainstay Jett Seymour. Aspen local Bridger Gile also went out first run, having run into trouble at the bottom of the course, straddling. After the first run, Luke Winters was in first by .45 seconds over Arvidsson, with Greece's AJ Ginnis in third, .51 off the Winters' pace. 

As the sun burned through the clouds second run, the surface started to soften slightly, and 18 more athletes DNFed, including Ginnis, as well as Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Isaiah Nelson (in sixth after first run) and Winters. Ritchie had the fastest second run time to take the victory by a nearly one-second margin (.84) over Arvidsson, with Driller 1.35 off Ritchie's pace in third. 

After a successful season over in Europe, headlined by his first Europa Cup slalom victory, a top-15 (13th place) result at World Championships, and a World Junior Championships gold medal in slalom, the national slalom title was the icing on the cake to Ritchie's season. 

"It's definitely been a really different season than I would have ever expected—had its weird moments with COVID and ups and downs with results," reflected Ritchie. "But, I think throughout the whole year I made a really solid, steady increase in my racing performance in skiing, which eventually turned out to have some good results at World Juniors, World Championships, and some good skiing here and there. I'm happy with the progress I made this year...it's nice to finish with a Nationals win—I've never won before—and I'm excited for what next year holds."

The 2016 World Junior downhill champ Arvidsson, who had a strong season in Europe, with three Europa Cup downhill top-five results including two victories and an eighth place at the FIS Ski World Cup downhill in Saalbach, Austria—his first World Cup points—will be one to watch the entire week at U.S. Alpine Championships, with his best events yet to come. 

The three fastest juniors for the day were Ritchie—who is in his final year as a junior, followed by University of Utah's Wilhelm Normannseth, and Australian Henry Heaydon. 

Looking back to one year ago when 2020 U.S. Alpine Tech Championships were slated to take place at Aspen, it's a miracle the event is able to happen at all this season. Despite the fact that there are no spectators and limited media at the event, there is a sense of gratitude for the ability to race at all. Fans can follow the action via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 

Up next for the men is giant slalom on Tuesday, headlined by Colorado native River Radamus. 

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen is contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committee, and Aspen Snowmass are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

RESULTS
Men's slalom

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Tuesday, April 6, Giant Slalom National Championships, Men
Wednesday, April 7, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Men
Friday, April 9, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Sunday, April 11, Downhill National Championships, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:

Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships will kick off on Monday with men's slalom for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team and will run through April 16th at Aspen Highlands. The event will include men’s and women’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and alpine combined.

The U.S. Alpine Championships will take place after Highlands has closed for public skiing this season and restrictions will be in place to ensure compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols. This means no spectators and limited media will be invited to the event. 

While FIS Ski World Cup mainstays like Breezy Johnson, Mikaela Shiffrin, Paula Moltzan, Jackie Wiles, Bryce Bennett, and Travis Ganong will be getting some much-needed R&R, tackling sponsor shoots, equipment testing, and/or hitting the gym in preparation for the 2021-22 Olympic season, regular World Cup point scorers such as Nina O'Brien, Bella Wright, Laurenne Ross, AJ Hurt, Ben Ritchie, Luke Winters, and Jared Goldberg will headline the event in Aspen.

Katie Hensien, Jett Seymour, Sam Morse, and Middlebury College athlete Erik Arvidsson—who had a breakout year on the World Cup highlighted by an eighth-place in downhill at the World Cup in Saalbach, Austria as well as two Europa Cup downhill victories—are also expected to compete. 

Aspen was originally set to host the 2021 NorAm Cup Finals from April 5-16, though COVID-19 and travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada forced the removal of the event from the schedule. Aspen was quick to step up, expressing interest in hosting the U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen. 

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen is contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committee, and Aspen Snowmass are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - (Revised) Event Schedule
Monday, April 5, Slalom National Championships, Men
Tuesday, April 6, Giant Slalom National Championships, Men
Wednesday, April 7, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Men
Friday, April 9, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Sunday, April 11, (Two-Run) Downhill National Championships, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media Contacts:
Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is honored to announce that due to the success of the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (JSARF) and support from the Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund, the organization will make a one-time COVID-19 hardship payment of $1300 to every named 2020-21 national team athlete. 

The JSARF was created to honor Jeff Shiffrin’s life and legacy in collaboration with the Shiffrin family and a group of generous donors (six families). The fund has contributed to U.S. Ski & Snowboard in sustaining its training and competition schedule as many funding sources were impacted due to COVID-19. This has translated into one of the most successful seasons in history, with 103 podiums, including 27 victories, across all sports which is a direct result of the consistent funding.

“The Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund was able to help us support and sustain athlete funding during the COVID downturn we experienced this year,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We are thrilled to be able to award athletes this one-time payment. Many of our athletes have faced a personal loss of income and an impeded earning power due to a reduction in events and other opportunities this season. We know this payment may not make up for every missed opportunity, but we hope that it can alleviate some of the financial hardship.”

“We are so grateful to have had the ability and opportunity to train and compete this year,” added Shaw. “Going into this winter we did not know if we were even going to have a season. Because of the support of our generous donors with initiatives such as the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, we were able to keep our athletes on snow and achieved some amazing results. All of our athletes exemplified resiliency this year and I can think of no better way to honor Jeff’s memory than by supporting our athletes in their pursuit of excellence.”

Better days are still ahead, and the thrill and challenge of athletes’ Olympic dreams are worth fighting for. 

For more information about the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, visit keeptheflamealive.org.

In an essay written for Outside Magazine on the topic of legacy, Olympic champion and winningest female alpine ski racer of all-time, Lindsey Vonn, says former teammate and Olympian Breezy Johnson is America's next great downhiller. 

Johnson, who grabbed her first FIS Ski World Cup podium in the downhill at Val d'Isere, France in December, and then went on to grab three more consecutive third-place results, had the best season of her career during the 2020-21 season, ending up ranked fourth in the downhill standings. 

In the essay, Vonn reflects on her career and the meaning of "legacy,"

When you retire from a career as a professional athlete, the most common question people ask is: What is your legacy? That’s an incredibly hard question to answer, but I will try now to find the words.

I met my idol, Picabo Street, when I was nine years old. She was signing autographs at a ski shop in Minnesota. After just two minutes with her, I knew that I wanted to become an Olympian. Little did either of us know that nine years later we would be racing together in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. 

This winter, nearly two decades later, I asked her the same question I have struggled to answer. To my surprise, she said: “You. You are my legacy.” I admit we shared a few tears as we acknowledged the impact we had on each other. 

She goes on to talk about teammate Johnson, and the bright future she has in the sport. 

There are many incredible women in the field right now, but one who I am most excited to watch grow is Breezy Johnson, a 25-year-old from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, who nabbed her first spot on a World Cup podium in December at Val d’Isère, France. 

Johnson Stats

• Career-first World Cup podium, Val d’Isere, France (Dec. 2020). From there, she scored three more consecutive third-place finishes.
• In six downhill starts, she was top five in five starts and only DNFed once
• Despite a big mistake at Cortina in DH, she ended up ninth…but was gunning for the win
• Finished the season with a career-best super-G result of 10th in Val di Fassa, Italy
• She ended up ranked fourth in the world in downhill – her best-ever ranking

Vonn closes with, "Legacy is not what you leave behind, it is how you help push others forward."

Read the full article on OutsideOnline.com

Following what was possibly the most memorable and grit-filled season of her career, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin stayed in Europe to test equipment in Austria with Atomic immediately following World Cup Finals—a vital opportunity she missed out on after the 2020 season ended abruptly. It was time to get back to work, and Shiffrin is more motivated than ever before. 

Of course, this is something her competitors should be a bit concerned about because despite the tragic year she endured compounded with COVID setbacks, and only one-third of her normal preparation heading into the season, Shiffrin still walked away with 10 podiums in 16 FIS Ski World Cup starts, including three victories, four World Championship medals and records to boot. And yet, fans and the media speculated that the Shiffrin of the past was no longer. 

Mikaela Shiffrin 2020-21 Stats:

• 10 podiums in 16 FIS Ski World Cup starts, including three victories (worst finish sixth)
• Surpassed legend Marcel Hirscher's 67 career victories and ending the season with 69 World Cup victories—third on the all-time World Cup win list behind former teammate Lindsey Vonn (82), and Swede Ingemar Stenmark (86) 
• Second in the world in the giant slalom and slalom standings, and fourth in the overall standings 
• Leader on the World Cup circuit for average World Cup points per race (67.2 points over Swiss Lara Gut's 57.1 points in second) 
• Snagged her 44th career World Cup slalom victory, breaking the women's record for most wins in a single discipline (Stenmark holds the record with 46 in giant slalom)
• Four world championships medals at Cortina 2021 (career-best world champs)
• First skier—male or female—to win four medals at the world championships in 14 years
• Tied with Sweden's Anja Paerson for the most World Championships medals by a woman in the modern era (11)
• Most decorated American alpine skier in World Championships history (11 medals)
• Most World Championship gold medals for American alpine skier (6 gold)
• First American winner of the women’s combined since Tamara McKinney won it in 1989 at the worlds in Vail
• Lara Gut-Behrami beat Mikaela Shiffrin in giant slalom by 0.02 sec, the smallest margin of victory in a giant slalom in world championship history

For anyone else, these numbers would have been an absolute dream, but Shiffrin has shown the world what it's like to be on top so consistently that her 2020-21 results were met with criticism. For Shiffrin, though, not returning to the sport she loved so much after all that occurred in the last 14 months was a very real consideration. Taking that into account, her results deserve to be applauded over and over, and over again. Shiffrin caught up with The New York Time's Bill Pennington after the season to talk shop and make sure people know that she's still very much here, and she's still doing it.

The article reads, 

“It’s true it wasn’t as good a year as I’ve had in the past,” she said, adding that many people around the world, not just ski racers, could say the same thing about the previous 12 months. “But when I look back at this season I’ll be proud. I didn’t even know if there was going to be a World Cup or if I was emotionally ready for it. Then I was injured as the racing was starting, and in bed and not training. I felt like I was playing catch-up.”

Ultimately, her 300-day layoff and atypical results have provided Shiffrin with something significant as the 2022 Beijing Olympics approach: new incentive.

“I’m motivated from what was lacking this year,” Shiffrin, 26, said. “There’s some missing pieces. That’s one of my biggest goals — to get those back.”

So, spending extra time in Europe to equipment test was a no-brainer for the more-motivated-than-ever Shiffrin, who tested both boots and dozens of pairs of skis with Atomic in Kühtai, Austria. What is perhaps most motivating for Shiffrin is the level of depth and consistency across the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. She noted that the energy throughout the Team has been better than she's ever experienced in her career. 

Shiffrin is encouraged that the focus on American Olympic ski racing prospects will be more diffuse than it was in 2018, when attention was reserved almost exclusively for her and the now-retired Vonn. Several of Shiffrin’s American teammates had breakout performances this winter, including Paula Moltzan, 26, who placed in the top 10 of the last three World Cup slalom races of the season. Moltzan’s teammate, Nina O’Brien, 23, finished 17th in the season-long giant slalom standings.

In December, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the son of the 1972 Olympic Alpine gold medalist Barbara Cochran, became the first American man to win a World Cup super-G in 15 years.

“The team has shown a level of depth and consistency,” Shiffrin said, “that I haven’t experienced in my career.”

The 2021-22 season will undoubtedly give fans a lot to get excited about, as the Team had the strongest collective result in years heading into the Olympic season. 

Read the Full New York Times Article