Stifel U.S. Ski Team Finds New Highs in 2024-25 Season
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s alpine program had pivotal moments in the 2024-25 season that included historic highs, new venues and emerging stars. In total, the alpine team brought home 13 podiums and five wins across the men’s and women’s World Cup teams, including four World Championships medals.
The season was strong, but was made even stronger by the historic 100th World Cup win for the most successful skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin. She notched her centennial win in Sestriere, Italy, after battling a severe injury she sustained earlier in the season at the Stifel Killington Cup. Shiffrin not only won her 100th World Cup, but she also achieved this milestone with teammate Paula Moltzan on the podium beside her. Shiffrin then went on to end her season with her 101st World Cup win at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals.
Looking back through the winter, the breakout star was speed skier Lauren Macuga. Park City Native Macuga catapulted herself to a World Cup threat when she won the super G in St. Anton - the first U.S. woman to win a super G at this specific venue. Macuga did not stop there – not long after her first win, she claimed another World Cup podium in Kvitfjell, Norway, where she finished second in the downhill.
This season’s marquee event was the World Championships, where the U.S. team showed up and dominated in nearly every event. With four medals being won by the women’s athletes, it was a strong testament to the depth of this team. It all started with Breezy Johnson becoming the 2025 World Champion in downhill, yet Johnson did not stop there. Just a few days later, Johnson and Shiffrin teamed up for the Team Combined event, where one athlete raced in the downhill event and one in the slalom. After two dominant runs by both, there was another World Championships gold medal to bring home - Johnson’s second and Shiffrin’s first of the week. The haul continued, with Macuga once again showing her best skiing, winning a bronze in the super-G, and Moltzan with a bronze in the giant slalom.
Following the World Championships, the team kept the momentum going and continued to find success at nearly every subsequent World Cup event. Apart from the top tier of Shiffrin, Macuga, Moltzan and Johnson, it was a massive season with the return of speed queen, Lindsey Vonn. Vonn made her official World Cup return in St. Moritz in December and immediately took control of the circuit. Vonn completed her season, qualifying for the World Cup finals in super-G, where she landed her first podium since retirement in second place and became the oldest woman to ever podium in a World Cup event. Vonn’s comeback podium marked 2,565 days since her previous World Cup podium before her retirement. A storybook ending to her comeback season.
The women also showed immense depth. On the tech team, Katie Hensien and Nina O’Brien posted great results after coming back from injury, with each athlete landing multiple top-10s in giant slalom. Young rising star Elisabeth Bocock also turned heads in giant slalom, scoring World Cup points numerous times and finishing the season as national champion as well.
The men’s World Cup season presented highs and lows. The speed team started the year on a high note with two back-to-back podiums at their team's favorite venue in Val Gardena, Italy. Longtime Stifel U.S. Ski Team member Jared Goldberg claimed his first World Cup podium just 0.01 off the win in super-G and the following day, Ryan Cochran-Siegle landed third in the downhill, his first podium in over a year.
On the men’s tech side, the slalom team was revived with the help of new staff, propelling slalom standout Benjamin Ritchie to the best results of his career. Ritchie made a name for himself in the 2024-25 season as he captured multiple top-10 finishes, finishing the slalom season within the top 20. Giant slalom force River Radamus had another consistent season, landing in the top 15 in the world for the discipline.
On the development side, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team achieved strong results both at the NorAm level and secured multiple medals at the Junior World Championships. The development side was highlighted by Elisabeth Bocock, Liv Moritz, Stanley Buzek and Hunter Salani. All four of whom walked home with medals at the Junior World Championships. Moritz and Bocock also ended the season with the slalom and giant slalom NorAm Cup titles.
In addition to the success on snow, U.S. Ski & Snowboard held two historic new domestic alpine events. This included the first ever women’s Birds of Prey races in early December, then the World Cup season ended at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals - the first time the U.S. hosted finals since 2017 and the first time ever in Sun Valley. Both events were incredibly successful and proved to the world that the U.S. can continue to host top tier alpine events.
Overall, it was a strong building year for the team across all levels. As they transition from the season to training, the athletes are gearing up to make their mark on the world for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina.