On Friday’s men’s giant slalom in Copper, Colorado hometown boy River Radamus landed in the top 15 in front of a buzzing U.S. crowd at the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines. 

“ I love racing here. I love the home atmosphere, and I knew that if I gave anything less than everything I had, I'd be regretting and finish,” said Radamus. 

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete was the top performer of the day and sole American to land in the second run. On the first run Radamus was strong through the top splits but held back too much to find himself in 14th place. 

As the sun was going in and out the crowds began to show up for run two. Radamus pushing out of the gate just after the first 15 racers with the plan to push his limits. In the green for the first few splits he held back just too much and bumped back a few spots. 

Radamus was able to maintain a top 15 finish as many racers after him had significant trouble with the long course and altitude. Radamus would slide into the 15th position. 

“I grew up watching the Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek. And that was sort of what inspired me to become a ski racer. I just need to put two good runs together,” said Radamus. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Isaiah Nelson, Patrick Kenney and Ryder Sarchett also raced and landed in 35th, 37th, 38th and 47th place. Bridger Gile did not finish but is ok. The winner of the race was first time World Cup winner from Austria Stefan Brennsteiner. Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen took second with Croatian Filip Zubcic in third. 

The women will take on the Copper Cup track tomorrow with a giant slalom. 

RESULTS
men's giant slalom

On day two of competition, Noah Elliott proved why he’s called the king of banked slalom, winning back-to-back banked slalom World Cups in Landgraaf. This is his eighth banked slalom World Cup win in a row. Kate Delson and Zach Miller added more podiums to their repertoire on Friday, both finishing third. 

In qualifications, Delson finished third in the women’s LL1/LL2 classification, followed by Brenna Huckaby in fifth, just missing out on finals. Dennae Russell finished ninth, along with Rebecca Johnston in 15th. In men’s LL-2, Elliott took the top spot and Mike Schultz finished sixth. Miller led the way in men’s LL-2 qualifying fourth, Keith Gabel came in seventh and Joe Pleban in eighth. 

In the finals, Delson advanced to the small final after battling with the Netherlands' Lisa Bunschoten. Miller took on reigning World Champion Emanuel Perathoner from Italy and advanced to the small final. Elliott continued his dominance, winning his heat to move into the big final. Elliott, Miller and Delson all won their final races to finish first, third and third overall respectively. 

Next up, the team is heading back to the United States for a training block before their next World Cup in Kühtai, Austria in January. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Jessie Diggins launched her final World Cup season with a statement performance in Ruka, Finland, delivering her best-ever result on the storied 10k classic course and showing strong early-season form while wearing the yellow bib. Zak Ketterson led the men to a 14th place finish, a career-best individual result. 

For the past 13 seasons, Ruka has served as the opening World Cup stop—a venue known for setting the tone of the year and testing athletes immediately. The women went out first. Diggins entered today’s event ranked as the No. 1 skier in the world after bringing home the overall FIS Crystal Globe last season—an honor she has now won three times. 

For Diggins, this race also marked the last “first start” of her career. Ruka’s opening weekend is notoriously brutal—defined by steep, punchy climbs, fast technical descents, little rest and the infamous “Ruka Climb” into the stadium. That final climb averages a 14% gradient with pitches that spike to 17%—a wall of a finish. 

At the halfway mark at 5k, Diggins sat sixth, only 16 seconds off the lead of Sweden's Frida Karlsson, posting times that kept pressure on the front of the race. In the final kilometers, Diggins began putting down some of the fastest splits in the field and held her position through the line as athletes continued to finish. She moved up to fifth place, marking a new career best for the 10k classic in Ruka. 

Karlsson was untouchable from start to finish, claiming the win with another dominant performance, her second consecutive win in the Ruka 10k classic. Norway’s Heidi Weng finished second and Karlsson’s teammate Ebba Andersson rounded out the podium in third.

Kikkan Randall, Olympic champion and longtime friend to Diggins, summed up the moment: “When you know it's your final season, and you've already done everything, she can just come in here and ski with reckless abandon.”

“My goals for the whole season are to be happy, healthy and in the present moment," said Diggins, post race. "Really soak it in, because this is the last time I get to do this, and that's really special to me. And so, I was just thinking about going out there and smashing a 10k in Ruka one last time and laying it all out. And, as usual, in a race one of my goals is to cross the finish line with nothing left and today, I did that. I was really happy with the race. There were people out there chanting ‘last one, last one,’ which was so cool because I felt the support and love from so many people from so many countries. For the actual race result, it was super exciting to have my best-ever Ruka classic 10k. My combo of kick and glide on a tricky day was great. All said and done, I am coming into the season right where I want to be.”

Seven U.S. men started the race, signaling the depth of a men’s program that enters the season as one of the strongest in U.S. history. Conditions added an extra layer of difficulty; as the race went on, the course began to ice up, making it difficult for athletes to engage their kick zones cleanly. Many athletes battled icing throughout the event, leading to significant time losses on the steeper sections.

But the conditions and tempo of the field did not stop Ketterson from delivering a standout day, earning his career-best individual World Cup result—surpassing his previous top finish of 15th at the 2022 Falun World Cup.

At the end of the day, Norway’s Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget won the day, over the second-place winner, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Austria’s Mika Vermeulen delivered a surprise performance in third.

The U.S. has 14 athletes racing today. For the men, Ben Ogden was 34th, Gus Schumacher 37th, Zanden McMullen 49th, JC Schoonmaker 62nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 64th and Luke Jager 68th. For the women, Rosie Brennan was 24th, Julia Kern 42nd, Sophia Laukli 48th, Kendall Kramer 50th, Alayna Sonnesyn 54th, and Kate Oldham 73rd. 

Saturday, the team is back for the skate sprint, with finals live on skiandsnowboard.live at 5:25 a.m. ET.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle snagged 10th place in the season opener super-G in front of a domestic crowd at the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines. River Radamus also landed in the top 30 in 22nd and Kyle Negomir was 24th. 

It was an exciting day as men's World Cup racing returned to Copper Mountain for the first time in 49 years. Cochran-Siegle kicked off the race wearing bib one. Despite flat light, he knifed his turns and pushed the limits, but on the last pitch, Cochran-Siegle fell onto his hip and lost all momentum. He somehow managed to pop up and finish for a miraculous recovery.

“I didn't get enough space entering that left footer around the bend, so then that fall away just kept pulling and I didn't get enough direction for that one right footer. But the snow was great,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

Even with the error, Cochran-Siegle still ended up in the top 10 - his best super-G result in nearly two years - and something he will be able to use heading into the speed events at the Stifel Birds of Prey. 

“I honestly didn't feel that I skied that well until I got into the flats,” said Cochran-Siegle. “To still be competitive until that last split, I think there's definitely something to take from that and I have more gas in the tank.” 

The crowd continued to buzz throughout the late morning and into the afternoon, but revved up as each American stood in the start gate. Radamus came down flying with solid splits throughout the course, but held back a little on the bottom to land safely within the top 30. Negomir was the next big moment for the American squad, fighting through illness to end up 24th. 

“We're all pushing right to the absolute limit, but there were a couple of gotcha turns down the bottom that we're taking some names for today,” said Radamus. 

It was an exciting day for young Tanner Perkins in bib 69, who chased the world's fastest skiers to the finish to take 51st place in his first ever World Cup. He smiled in the finish and took off his helmet to show off his haircut to the fans. It's been a long-standing tradition on the men's team to give a haircut to the rookie starting his first World Cup race - and the crowd loves Perkins' American flag-inspired 'do. 

“The biggest thing I feel is I just want to push harder and ski faster and risk even more every time,” said Perkins. “I did a good job remembering that this is just ski racing and it's still just a sport at the end of the day.” 

Finally, it was the great return of Norwegian Aleks Aamodt Kilde to the World Cup after nearly two seasons away from the sport after a crash in Wengen, Switzerland. The athletes and fans were on their feet to welcome the great downhiller back to the World Cup tour. It was a special moment for Kilde and the ski racing community, including his fiancée and Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin, who greeted him in the finish. 

Sam Morse, Wiley Maple, Bryce Bennett and Jared Goldberg landed in 52nd, 60th, 61st and 65th, respectively. The winner of the race was the Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt, while Austria's Vincent Kreichmayer and Raphael Haaser were second and third. 

The racing continues Friday with a men’s giant slalom. 

RESULTS
Men's super-G

The Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team kicked off their World Cup season in the fridge this morning, where Kate Delson and Noah Elliott took home wins and Zach Miller finished in third in banked slalom. 

Landgraaf, Netherlands, is a familiar kick-off point for the team, having started their seasons there for the last four years. The indoor facility offers a unique opportunity to start racing earlier in the season, and it is a stop that continuously brings excellent results for the U.S. 

In qualification, Delson took the top spot for the LL1/LL2 women and Elliott for the LL1 men. They continued this momentum into the big finals, where both held on to the top spot and took home the win. Miller finished on the podium in the men’s LL2 classification and Brenna Huckaby finished third for the LL women. Outside of finals, Mike Schultz and Keith Gabel both finished sixth in their classifications, followed by Joe Pleban and Rebecca Johnston, both taking 10th and Dennae Russel in 12th. 

"Super stoked to kick off the first competition of this season with my first banked slalom podium and win," said Delson. "I am incredibly grateful to be a part of this team. With the training opportunities we’ve had this summer, I was able to push my riding to get these results. I'm proud of the whole team, it’s only November, and we are just accelerating up from here."

Tomorrow, the team is back in the banks starting at 3:30 am ET.  

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour is coming back to the United States for two weeks and there are easy and free ways to watch every event across both the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines at Copper Mountain and Stifel Birds of Prey. The broadcast at the Stifel Birds of Prey is presented by Cloudflare.

A reminder that Outside TV is free to watch live, but replays of the race are behind a paywall. All NBC and CNBC coverage is simulcast on Peacock, but will not be available on demand.

HOW TO WATCH (all times ET)

STIFEL COPPER CUP PRESENTED BY UNITED AIRLINES

Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025

1:00 p.m. – men’s super-G – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

Friday, Nov. 28, 2025

12:00 p.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 1 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

3:00 p.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025

12:00 p.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 1 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

1:00 p.m. – men’s super-G – tape delay on NBC & Peacock

3:00 p.m. – women’s giant slalom, run 2 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025

12:00 p.m. – women’s slalom, run 1 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

1:00 p.m. – women’s giant slalom – tape delay on NBC & Peacock

2:00 p.m. – men’s giant slalom – tape delay on CNBC & Peacock

3:00 p.m. – women’s slalom, run 2 – LIVE on Outside TV (free), CNBC & Peacock

STIFEL BIRDS OF PREY – BROADCAST PRESENTED BY CLOUDFLARE

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2025

1:00 p.m. – men’s downhill – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025

12:30 p.m. – men’s super-G – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

5:00 p.m. – men’s downhill – tape delay on NBC & Peacock

Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025

12:00 p.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 1 – LIVE on Outside TV (free)

12:30 p.m. – men’s super-G – tape delay on NBC & Peacock

3:00 p.m. – men’s giant slalom, run 2 – LIVE on Outside TV (free), CNBC & Peacock

In the second slalom of the season in Gurgl, Austria, Mikaela Shiffrin delivered another commanding performance to claim her 103rd World Cup victory and 66th World Cup slalom win. Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Paula Moltzan also skied to an impressive fifth-place finish.

Conditions on the Austrian slope were brisk and unforgiving, with a tricky course set and aggressively dry snow that challenged the entire field. Shiffrin, however, attacked from the start with her trademark precision, building a 0.31-second lead after run one.

“There is some improvement to be made,” said Shiffrin. “This run I want to shoot to be more clean. But my run was very good, so we will see.”

Moltzan followed with a solid first run, shaking off a few small bobbles to land in sixth. The rest of the U.S. crew opened the day strong as well, with Nina O’Brien skiing into 20th and AJ Hurt into 29th, setting the stage for an exciting second run.

“I think my first run was chaotic,” said Moltzan. “I want to work on minimizing my mistakes with more tactics in the tricky sections. I am going to go for it.”

As the second run began, the anticipation grew amongst the lively Austrian crowd. Hurt and O’Brien were the first Americans to push out of the gate, but unfortunately, neither skier reached the finish. Both are OK.

Moltzan delivered the U.S. team’s momentum shift, charging through deep ruts and grooves to take the hot seat at the finish. She ultimately moved up one spot, but the remaining skiers had strong enough runs to keep her in fifth.

Then came Shiffrin. Unshaken and all business, she skied to her limit, gaining time at nearly every interval and winning by a remarkable 1.23 seconds. Shiffrin has yet to lose a slalom run this season, sending a clear message that she remains in peak form. Albania’s Lara Colturi finished second, and Switzerland’s Camille Rast rounded out the podium in third.

Up next, the women head back home to the United States for the Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines at Copper Mountain, Colorado, Nov. 29-30.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

After an endless supply of sunny days during training, Mother Nature showed up in force, bringing in weather that does not mix well with slopestyle skiing. Therefore, the first 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games slopestyle qualifying event and FIS Freeski World Cup for the men was canceled — women's qualifying results became final results. 

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team athlete Grace Henderson led the women, finishing sixth in qualifications, meaning Henderson's final result in the first World Cup of the season was sixth. Teammate Marin Hamill finished eighth. Hamill secured the last spot in the finals during the qualification round, which, luckily, resulted in a top-10 finish. Rookie Avery Krumme made her World Cup debut in Stubai, finishing 20th.

The men had both qualifications and finals canceled due to the storms. The Stubai podium has been kind to Americans in the past three years, with Colby Stevenson, Alex Hall and Mac Forehand all taking home Stubai hardware.

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team has no time to rest; they ship off tomorrow to Secret Garden, China, for the first big air World Cup of the year. Qualifications are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 28, with finals on Sunday, Nov. 30. Finals will be available to stream on skiandsnowboard.live. 

Halfpipe is back in action in China in early December. 

RESULTS
Women

Born and raised in Mammoth, California, Kate Gray has been skiing since before she can remember. She brought home the bronze in halfpipe at the 2024 Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, and has set her sights on the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.

Last season, Gray represented the U.S. at World Championships in all three freeski disciplines, became the first woman to land a bone roll in competition and maintained her status as the only athlete named to both the slopestyle/big air and halfpipe teams.

Gray is the latest athlete featured in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s “On the Rise” series, presented by Zions Bank. Through community service, sponsorships and charitable donations, Zions Bank is committed to fueling economic growth and enhancing quality of life in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

We caught up with Grayto dive into his background, reflect on a season of milestones, and look ahead to his goals for 2025-26.

Q: What initially drew you to the sport of freeskiing?

A: It just kind of happened. I was always following my older brothers around, and when they started riding park I followed in their footsteps. 

Q: When you were younger and getting into the sport, what were your goals? 

A: I wanted to be as good as the boys on my team growing up. I wanted to push the sport and work up the ranks to ski with the pros.

Q: What is your biggest accomplishment?

A: My biggest accomplishment so far has making both the slopestyle and halfpipe teams, and being the first woman to land a bone roll.

Q: What is your ultimate goal? 

A: I would love to go to the Olympics one day. But I would also like to be a part of progressing freeskiing in general. Eventually I would love to get into filming in the streets or the backcountry.

Q: Who are your heroes? Both in & out of the sport?

A: My heroes are definitely my parents and my brothers, I look up to all of them a lot. In skiing, I love getting to watch all my teammates. When I was younger, I looked up to Carly Marguiles a lot, as she was a Mammoth Olympian.

Q: You win $5,000 in prize money: What do you do with it?

A: I would try to save as much as possible, but probably end up spending a lot of it to help fund my travel during the season.

Q: Do you budget or follow any structure related to spending?

A: Not really, I try to be thoughtful of what I spend money on and save whenever I can.

Q: What’s one money habit you follow?

A: I track all my expenses throughout the season (equipment, travel, etc.), so next year I can make smarter money decisions in the years to come.

Follow Kate on her social media channels. 

Greetings Eastern Region! 

Temps are dropping, snow guns are blazing and natural snow is falling across the Region. WOW!
 The World Cup has begun, Eastern Region athletes are training and competing in Europe and in a few short weeks we will be racing in the Eastern USA.  Season 2025-26 is underway! 

This is just a quick reminder to go sign up and intend for December FIS racing in the Eastern USA.  All of our events are listed on SkiReg- So check it out.
Deadlines for our 1st FIS ENL SL races (Stowe (W), Sugarbush/GMVS (M) )  are November  26th, 2025- So get those entries in! 

Our EASTERN REGION WEBSITE has been cleaned up and updated. This is our information hub and you should find everything you need on there. If you cannot find an answer to your question -  please reach out anytime! 

NEW feature on the SELECTIONS  page - Men's and Women's Eastern FIS rankings. they will be updated with each new points list in the selection method formats for our various levels/classifications of Eastern FIS races. Super cool! 

Please take a minute to explore each tab on the site- 

• CALENDAR
• PROJECTS and EVENTS
• FIS RACE INTENTS
• SELECTIONS
• NEWS
• EASTERN REGION RESOURCES
• GOVERNANCE
• CONTACTS
  
  We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on the hill soon! 
  
  Sincerely,
  Martin. (Spencer, Roger, Dani) 
  
  Martin Guyer
  Eastern Regional Alpine Director