World Cup Back in Action in Bormio, Lienz

With the Christmas holiday behind us and turkey, Glühwein and sugar cookies in our stomachs, we turn our focus to the FIS Ski World Cup in Bormio, Italy for the American Downhillers and Lienz, Austria for the women’s tech team.  

The men return to Bormio after a holiday break in Livigno, Italy and Patsch, Austria—where RodelFest 2017 took place. The men’s speed team, as well as Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.), Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Nina O’ Brien (Edwards, Colo.) snagged some rodels and hit the rodel track to celebrate Christmas Eve. Prior to their break, they trained here in Bormio for two days, so this track is familiar, and they’re feeling good. Noticeably missing will be veteran and team leaders Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.), who both will sit this one out and rest, with their eyes on the prize - PyeongChang in February.

The training results are proof in the pudding that the American Downhillers are feeling comfortable here in Bormio, as Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) had the seventh fastest time from bib 53, leading six Americans into the top 24. No surprise that the Italians - Peter Fill and Christof Innerhofer - paved the way, followed by the Austrians Mathias Mayer and Hannes Reichelt on the first and only downhill training run. The World Cup has taken a bit of a hiatus from Bormio and returns to this classic Stelvio downhill slope for the first time since December 2013. Of course, it's no surprise that Attacking Viking Aksel Lund-Svindal is the reigning champ on this track. Wednesday’s downhill training run was canceled due to heavy snowfall, and the snow continues to fall, descending upon beautiful old town Bormio. Cross your fingers.

Over in Lienz, Austria, the weather is rough and the rain is falling. Mother Nature plans to transition to snow soon, which the organizers anticipated in advance and changed the schedule to run slalom on Thursday and giant slalom on Friday. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) headlines the tech crew and comes into Lienz looking to build on her already large overall World Cup lead of 291 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg.

Shiffrin is on a three-race win streak and has amassed 35 victories in her career—including four across four disciplines in this young season (slalom, downhill, giant slalom and parallel slalom). Lienz is also a bit of a second home to veteran Stiegler as it is her father’s hometown. For those of you who don’t know, her father is Austria’s legendary Pepi Stiegler, the 1964 Olympic slalom gold medalist.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will call the action in the coming days. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS (Lienz, AUT)
Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler
Nina O’Brien
Tricia Mangan

Giant Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
AJ Hurt
Tricia Mangan

MEN’S STARTERS (Bormio, ITA)
Downhill
Travis Ganong
Bryce Bennett
Jared Goldberg
Tommy Biesemeyer
Wiley Maple
Florian Szewbel*
Sam Morse
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Drew Duffy

Alpine Combined
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Jared Goldberg
Drew Duffy
Sam Morse**

*First World Cup Start
**First World Cup Start in Discipline

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Dec. 28
4:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Lienz – olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lienz –olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - downhill; Bormio – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV

8:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - slalom; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill Training 1

START LISTS
Men’s Downhill
Women’s Slalom