On Friday’s Val Gardena men’s super-G, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team had a strong day placing four in the top 30, highlighted by Jared Goldberg’s 10th place result. 

The race conditions were strong once again for the speed racers. The super-G set was fairly open and straight, favoring those that can glide and carry speed well. As the day went on, the light improved and the track maintained its quality, giving racers in the back a very good chance to move up. 

The day's podium was set in stone after 30 racers with Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr in the top position, his teammate Daniel Hemetsberger just two hundredths behind in second and Swiss skier Marco Odermatt in third, a mere three hundredths behind the pace. 

Goldberg ran bib 46 and immediately had quick splits. He catapulted himself into the top 10, ultimately landing a 10th place finish in a three-way tie. He shared the position with Italian Guglielmo Bosca and Canadian Jeffrey Read. 

“I feel really good because I skied how I wanted to and was really locked into the front of the boot with control,” said Goldberg. “I was in a good mindset after racing yesterday and today I was out there skiing for fun.”

The fast skiing continued with Bryce Bennett, fresh off a win the day before, running with bib 62. His fast skiing and confidence came through with his splits in the green. Bennett was on the cusp of another podium finish until he had a slight bobble toward the end slowing his speed. Bennett crossed the line in 14th place. 

“This is the most super-G I have ever skied in a prep period and what I practiced this summer was urgency. We are moving forward and we are going to keep pushing,” said Bennett. “There were some really good splits so I am happy and I am hoping to keep the momentum rolling.” 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Kyle Negomir and Sam Morse also made it into the top 30. Negomir was just shy of a career best finish in 24th place and Morse in 30th. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, River Radamus and Sam DuPratt also raced and ended up in 44th, 48th and 52nd.

“It feels good to make more turns in super-G. The course was pretty easy and you had to be extremely clean while also taking as much risk as you can,” said Negomir. 

The speed men are ready for another crack at the Val Gardena downhill Saturday, feeling positive about the chances for the squad. 

“Team vibes are good. We are supportive of each other having a lot of fun and we can see we have good speed and can win,” said Goldberg. “The target is on my back I think but it doesn't matter, you still have to execute and focus on that,” said Bennett. 

The men will start the downhill Saturday from the top of the slope, making for another exciting day of men’s alpine skiing. 

RESULTS

Men's super-G

HOW TO WATCH (Times in ET)

5:45 a.m. - Val Gardena/Gröden, men’s downhill, skiandsnowboard.live

The Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team started off strong in Trondheim with three Americans in the top-15 in the skate sprint, led by Jessie Diggins in fourth, Julia Kern in ninth and Kevin Bolger in 12th. 

In the debut skate sprint of the year, at the site of the upcoming 2025 FIS World Cross Country Ski Championships, the competition was stacked. With 57 on the startlist for the women and 77 for the men, the last sprint race of period one was set to be exciting. 

On the American side, six athletes advanced to the heats, based on landing in the top 30 in the qualification round. For the women, Kern had the fifth fastest qualification time, with Diggins and Brennan not far behind in 10th and 11th. On the men's side, JC Schoonmaker, coming fresh off his first World Cup podium in the Östersund classic sprint qualified eighth, with Bolger in 13th and Ben Ogden in 18th. 

In the men's quarterfinal heat, Bolger was the only American to advance, winning his heat. For the women, Diggins won her heat and went on to eventually win her semifinal. Kern was second in her quarterfinal, punching her ticket to the semis, but ultimately did not advance through to finals. Brennan, despite a fast quarterfinal heat, did not advance. 

"I was really happy to be out there and have one of my best sprints," said Kern, post-race. "The best part of the day was just getting out there and skiing."

In the final, Diggins was the lone American, alongside Sweden, Germany and Norway. In the finishing stretch of the technical, hilly sprint course, the eventual winner of the day, Kristine Skistad of Norway turned on the gas to out-sprint both Linn Svahn and Emma Ribom of Sweden, who filled the remaining podium positions. At the end of the day, Diggins was just off the podium in fourth, adding another top 10 to her outstanding 2023-24 resume and further solidifying her leading position in the World Cup overall standings. 

The team is back on snow for the 20k skiathlon on Saturday, where they will race 10k in classic skis, switch mid-race, then 10k on skate skis. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

In the first men’s speed race of the season, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Bryce Bennett took the win in Thursday’s downhill race in Val Gardena/Gröden, Italy. It was his second victory on the track. 

“Last season I struggled all season long and I worked as hard as I could this summer," said Bennett. "But this year I am feeling confident and I want to continue this not just today, but this whole season." 

After a few days of concerning weather, the sun was overhead and blue skies came through, making for a beautiful downhill day in the Italian Dolomites. It was the first speed race of the season, after two previous speed weekends in Zermatt-Cervinia and Beaver Creek could not go on due to weather. 

The race began from the super-G start and the times were extremely close, with less than one second separating 30th place from first. After 30 races, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway, the season’s previous downhill globe winner, held the lead, with Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt in second. 

But make way for Bryce Bennett. Bennett blazed down the track running bib 34. His top split immediately on par with the top racers and he kept getting faster and faster. The noise of the crowd was defeaning as Bennett flew over the final jump, punching it to the line with the green light flashing. Bennett roared in the finish, winning his second World Cup downhill in his career. 

“I am speechless," said Bennett. "We have been working really hard with a lot of good camps this summer and I have been showing good skiing but I just love it here. I changed the approach last year and this year and I am just so happy. I wanted a good run today and I just had to let it flow and trust myself.”

Val Gardena has been a beloved place on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team through the years, with legends such as Billy Kidd, Bode Miller, Steven Nyman, Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Bennett having wins and podiums on the Saslong track. And a lot of credit goes to the renowned Fischer serviceman Leo Messi, who now has nine wins on the track between Bennett (2), Nyman (3) and Italian Kristian Ghedina (4). 

The rest of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team squad also came back with strong results. Cochran-Siegle landed a 14th place in the downhill and Jared Goldberg took 18th. Both men skied exceptionally well and are amped for the next two races in Val Gardena.

“I am feeling like I had a good approach mentally and am focusing on the things I do well,” said Cochran-Siegle. “I think this will give me some confidence for the next few days.” 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Kyle Negomir landed just outside of the 30 in 37th, Sam Morse was 45th and Sam DuPratt made his return to the World Cup tour in 58th place. 

For DuPratt, making it to the finish line was the biggest accomplishment of his day. Three years ago on the exact same track, DuPratt had a large crash and broke both of his legs, taking him out of the sport for the next few seasons. 

“It had to be pretty poetic to have my first World Cup back be in Gardena where I went down three years ago,” said DuPratt. “I think it added to some nerves. I don’t know if I felt them but they were in the back of my head. The fear of crashing again is definitely something I thought about, but it happens and I just need to accept it and work on my skiing. I'm happy to be back and ready for the super-G.” 

The speed men will now prepare for a super-G race in Val Gardena/Gröden Friday with another downhill Saturday. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH (times in ET)
5:45 a.m. - Val Gardena/Gröden, men’s super-G, skiandsnowboard.live
5:45 a.m. - Val Gardena/Gröden, men’s downhill, skiandsnowboard.live

The world's most dominant Para snowboard team took no time showing this year's competition that they are stronger than ever. The season kicked off in Landgraaf, Netherlands, with a set of banked slalom events, where the U.S. Para Snowboard Team secured seven podiums throughout two days of competition. 

The competition was held in the “ice box,” an indoor venue that the team has grown to love, as it has become a familiar stop to start the season.  

Noah Elliott’s back-to-back wins highlighted the event in a stacked field in the LL1 classification. Elliott, a two-time Paralympic medalist, has been an integral part of the U.S. team since 2017.

“I am thrilled to have had such an incredible start to the season. All summer, I have been preparing mentally and physically for how intense the season will become,” said Elliott. “I made it a point to spend more time in my recovery and strength training in preparation to ride at my absolute best. Moving forward, I’m continuing to train hard and push myself. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my teammates on snow and at competitions.”

Due to a smaller pool of participants in the women’s LL1 and LL2 classifications, athletes will compete in combined-class events this season. Despite competing against athletes in different classifications, Brenna Huckaby showed her dominance in the women’s field by bringing home second and third-place finishes. 

On day one, Evan Strong was also on the podium in the first event in third, followed by Keith Gabel in fourth, Zach Miller in fifth, and Joe Pleban in sixth. Additional podiums on day two of the competition came from Mike Minor in second and Miller in third. Just off the podium was Gabel with another solid fourth-place finish, along with Strong in fifth and Pleban in sixth.  

The team is heading into a training block before their next World Cup event in Pyha, Finland, in February.

RESULTS
Men, Day One
Women, Day One
Men, Day Two
Women, Day Two

In what many would say is Jessie Diggins' best event, the reigning 10k skate world champion took home her 16th career victory in today's 10k in Östersund, Sweden - her second victory of the 2023-24 season and 50th career World Cup podium. Rosie Brennan and Sophia Laukli finished within the top 10 in fifth and eighth, respectively. 

It was another landmark weekend for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, with two individual podiums, over a dozen athletes in the top 30 and career bests across the board. Going into weekend four of racing, Diggins continues to lead the World Cup overall with Brennan close behind in second. Diggins also leads the distance overall; Brennan is third and Laukli is 16th. 

Sunday's 10k skate featured a technical three-lap course in snowy and cold conditions. The men started the day with the individual start format, sending an athlete off the line every 15 seconds. Coming off the energy and momentum of yesterday's historic day, the U.S. sent three into the top 30: Johnny Hagenbuch in 13th, Gus Schumacher in 21st and Zanden McMullen in 28th. Hagenbuch, who had a standout race, secured his career-best result, breaking through to the top 20; McMullen also had a career-best day, besting his 28th place from earlier this season in the Ruka World Cup 20k skate. 

"Today’s race felt great - a continuation of the form that started to come around in the relay in Gällivare," said Hagenbuch. "I executed my pacing really well, and it’s very gratifying to have a such a good result also! Hopefully I’ll be able to carry this momentum into Trondheim, U.S. Nationals and the rest of the season through NCAAs."

For the women, it was nearly a repeat of last weekend, where Diggins won the 10k skate by 23.1 seconds. This time, she won by 23 seconds -  an incredible margin for the shorter of the distance races on the circuit. Across every time check on course, Diggins was in the lead, with Brennan close behind. It was a course that played to the strength of the Americans - gradual gliding sections, technical corners and working descents. Alongside Diggins, Brennan and Laukli in the top 30 was Julia Kern, who ended the day in 29th.  

At the end of the day, Diggins credited her win "to the boys," mentioning in the post-race live interview that "she wanted to ski as fast as JC (Schoonmaker)," and that her race today was for the men's team, as well as shouting out to the wax technicians for providing the entire team with outstanding skis for the third weekend in a row. 

Next up, the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will travel to Trondheim, Norway for the final race weekend of period one before taking a break for the holidays. 

RESULTS
Women's 10k skate
Men's 10k skate

Olympic champion and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athlete Red Gerard finished on the podium in third in the FIS Style Experience Snowboard Big Air World Cup in Edmonton, Canada.

The Edmonton World Cup featured many of the world’s best snowboarders as they gathered to take on the large scaffolding jump, where runs are judged on creativity and style over "spin-to-win" tactics. 

Gerard took on the massive feature in Edmonton and ultimately clenched the third spot among the stacked field, earning himself his 10th World Cup career podium. One of the world’s top big air competitors, this type of contest and style of jump is Gerard's bread and butter. He took three runs and executed three tricks: switch back 1620 weddle, back 1620 melon and back 1800 melon.

Taiga Hasegawa of Japan nabbed the number one spot and Yiming Su of China the number two.

Gerard was the only U.S. snowboarder to make the finals in men’s and women’s competitions. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team rider Luke Winkelmann advanced to semifinals and teammates Jake Canter, Sean FitzSimons, Fynn Bullock-Womble, Brooklyn DePriest and Hailey Langland were also in Edmonton for the competition but did not advance to semifinals or finals. 

Next up, the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team slopestyle/big air athletes will travel back stateside for the Visa Big Air Presented by Toyota in Copper Mountain, Dec. 13-16. 

Results 
Women’s Big Air
Men’s Big Air

History was made in U.S. men’s cross country skiing, with JC Schoonmaker taking his first career World Cup podium in the Östersund, Sweden sprint and Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Ben Ogden just behind him in fourth place. On the women’s side, Rosie Brennan and Jessie Diggins also finished at the top in fourth and fifth place, respectively. Diggins is now first in the overall and Brennan is third.

History in the Sprints

The Östersund sprint course was longer than a typical sprint, taking athletes over three minutes to complete the track. The snow was tricky, with new snow falling, glazed-over tracks and cold temperatures. Yet, despite the tough conditions to wax for, the wax technicians team nailed the American skis and the athletes capitalized. After the qualification round, where the top 30 times advanced, three American women and two men advanced to the heats: Diggins, Brennan, Julia Kern, Schoonmaker and Ogden. 

In the men’s heats, where the top two finishers advance, Ogden handily won his quarterfinal while Schoonmaker was second. The semis was a similar story with Ogden winning and Schoonmaker scoring second. It was the first time that Ogden and Schoonmaker had advanced to the sprint final in their careers, showing that the next generation of U.S. men’s skiing is here. 

In the final, Ogden and Schoonmaker were surrounded by four Norwegians, including the ultimate winner of the race, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. It was a tight race from start to finish, with various leaders going stride for stride on the long Östersund track. In the final stretch, around the 180-degree final turn, Schoonmaker was hanging onto the lead pack and crossed the finish line in third, landing himself on a World Cup podium for the first time in his career. Ogden was only seconds behind, crossing the finish in fourth. With this result, Ogden is now third in the overall World Cup sprint standings; Schoonmaker is seventh. 

“This is the best team in the world and my heart is full knowing I get to be a part of it!” said Schoonmaker, post-race. Teammate Luke Jager added, “I tell myself nothing else in the world matters when your team is doing what they’re doing right now! I felt like I was watching the Moon Landing live today during the men’s final. And Jessie and Rosie just causally both being top three in the overall?! These people show us over and over again that if you do your best every day and you are nice to everyone, good things will happen.”
 

Simi Hamilton was the last U.S. man to stand on a World Cup podium in 2017. 

For the women, Diggins and Brennan did it again, both landing in the top five and furthering themselves from the field in the overall standings. Similar to the men’s race, Brennan and Diggins both led their quarterfinals, easily making their way into the semis. In the semifinal, Brennan finished fourth, which typically results in an end to the race day, yet, based on Brennan’s time, she advanced to the final. Diggins won her semifinal, punching herself a ticket to the final alongside Brennan. In the last race of the day, Emma Ribom of Sweden ultimately won, but Brennan and Diggins crossed the line in fourth and fifth, showcasing their ability to be podium contenders in every single race they enter. Brennan’s fourth place also marks her best-ever classic sprint result. 

When asked about post-race feelings, the focus of Diggins was solely on the men. “When a person succeeds on our team, it feels like everyone’s success,” said Diggins. “We really do celebrate that. When JC crushed the sprint today, it felt like the whole team was part of that moment.”

The momentum of the U.S. team continues to tomorrow in the 10k skate. 

RESULTS

Women’s sprint
Men’s sprint

On Saturday’s men’s giant slalom in Val d’Isére, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus secured a 10th place result in the first men’s giant slalom of the season. 

It was a difficult giant slalom race across the board with over 20 racers not finishing the first run. The course's first run set was turny and difficult to keep a rhythm. Many of the world’s best had trouble making it down the course clean. 

“Val d’Isére is the most challenging and demanding giant slalom of the circuit so it was a tough welcome back to the circuit,” said Radamus.

Radamus ran bib 16 and landed in the 10th spot after run one. The swiss skier, Marco Odermatt, continued his dominant skiing, both run one and two up over a second from the rest of the field. The second run was just as tricky for the skiers. However Radamus skied a clean line making it to the finish without hesitation. He ended up in 10th place for his first giant slalom of the season. 

“It was awesome to get one under the belt and to come away with the top ten was great,” said Radamus. “I wasn't thrilled with either of my runs and I have a lot of work to ski the way I know I can on race day but still happy with the top ten.”

Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt won the race by almost a second, Marco Schwarz of Austria took second place and Andorra’s Joan Verdu landed his first Word Cup podium in third, he also secured Andorra’s first World Cup podium in any winter Olympic sport. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team member George Steffey did not qualify for the second run. Tommy Ford, Brian McLaughlin, Isaiah Nelson and Patrick Kenney also raced but they did not finish the first run. 

The next men’s giant slalom will be in Alta Badia, Italy Dec. 17-18. The men’s slalom team will hit the Val d’Isére slope next on Sunday. 

RESULTS

giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH (Times in ET)

3:30 a.m. - Val d’Isére World Cup, men’s slalom, run 1, skiandsnowboard.live

6:30 a.m. - Val d’Isére World Cup, men’s slalom, run 2, skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s women’s downhill in St. Moritz, Stifel U.S. Ski Team member and winningest skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin notched her fourth downhill victory, 91st World Cup win and 142nd World Cup podium. Stifel U.S. Ski Team member Bella Wright also started her downhill season strong with a 12th place finish.

The day started out beautiful and sunny with a solid snow surface for the competitors. Shiffrin ran bib three and immediately took the top spot, skiing an aggressive and clean line to nail the pitch and rollers. The fiercest downhill competitor, Sofia Goggia of Italy, came just a few skiers later, also skiing an gutsy line. She came in just 0.15 behind Shiffrin, giving Shiffrin the clear lead and eventual win. Goggia ultimately took second place with Italian teammate Federica Brignone in third. 

“Today was amazing,” said Shiffrin. “I felt so good with my plan and my skiing. The biggest challenge for me was to trust that if I don’t ski the perfect line I can still dive into the turn with confidence.” 

Wright ran just after Shiffrin with bib four. She also took an aggressive approach, executing the pitch perfectly and punching it to the line with a competitive time, ending the day in 12th place. 

“Today was a big stepping stone for me,” said Wright. “I've been having some interesting training days and I’ve been trying to lay down an aggressive run so I was happy to make it to the finish with a smile on my face.”

The action continued for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team with Alice Merryweather set to make her official return to World Cup skiing running bib 33. The weather began to turn just a few racers before her run with the sun going behind the clouds, making the visibility extremely poor and dangerous for speed. The race still ran as planned for Merryweather and she made it down to the finish. 

“It was probably one of the scariest runs I’ve ever done,” said Merryweather. “It was so dark so it was not what I would have wanted as my first run back, but I am also really proud I made it down and if I can get through that hopefully I can ski almost anything."

As Merryweather crossed the finish line she was overcome with emotion as she made her return to the circuit after more than three years off the circuit. Her teammates immediately embraced her in the finish area congratulating her for making it back. 

“It has been more than three and a half years since I pushed out of a World Cup start gate and I’ve dreamed of this day for so long. There are so many emotions and so much that has helped me become who I am in the past three years,” said Merryweather. 

The race was called off right after Merryweather ran due to the extremely poor visibility making it unsafe to continue. However, the race is still considered a valid race.

Jackie Wiles, Keely Cashman, Tricia Mangan and Lauren Macuga all slated to compete did not run due to the midway cancelation. 

The women’s speed team will now switch gears to a super-G on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH (Times in ET)

4:30 a.m. - St. Moritz World Cup, women’s super-G, skiandsnowboard.live

Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athlete Jaelin Kauf secured her eighth career World Cup win and fifth dual moguls win on Saturday, Dec. 9, in Idre Fjäll, Sweden. 

Kauf is known as one of the fastest women on the World Cup moguls circuit, which was on full display today in Sweden. Early in the heats, Kauf started knocking out the best of the best, including the most dominant women’s moguls skier in the world, Jakara Anthony. 

"I’m super happy with today; I had so much fun skiing," said Kauf. "The first few events [this season] I didn't bring the skiing to competition that I wanted, but today I finally hit that skiing I’d been searching for. It felt really good to lay down some really fun skiing and just let it go."

Despite low visibility, it was a battle of the Americans today with multiple U.S. head-to-head heats. Olivia Giaccio and Alli Macuga battled in the round of 16, pushing each other to ski faster and having fun in the process. The women motivate each other on and off the snow, cheering each other on even when skiing side by side. 

The U.S. women once again packed the top 10 with Johnson just outside the small final in fifth, followed by Giaccio in sixth, Hannah Soar in seventh, Kai Owens in eighth, Liz Lemley in ninth and Alli Macuga in 13th. 

Nick Page led the men with a seventh place finish. Dylan Walczyk followed in 14th, Cole McDonald in 19th, and Dylan Marcellini in 28th. 

Next up the team is headed to Alpe d’Huez, France for another set of moguls and dual moguls events Dec. 15-16. 

RESULTS:
Women
Men