Mikaela Shiffrin stepped on the giant slalom podium for the second time in two days in Courchevel, France, taking second place and her seventh World Cup top-three of the season. With the second fastest second run, Paula Moltzan was 13th.

It was another gorgeous day in France with the race replacing a canceled GS from November in Killington, Vermont. Finishing ahead of Shiffrin was Sara Hector of Sweden, who was second in Tuesday’s GS and hadn’t won a World Cup in seven years due to injury. It was the first time a Swedish skier had won a World Cup since 2017. Marta Bassino of Italy was third.

“Sharing the podium yesterday with Michelle [Gisin] and Sara yesterday and Marta and Sara winning today—those are two really special podiums,” said Shiffrin. “Amazing athletes and amazing women—they’re some of the most positive and kind people on the World Cup circuit.”

The snow was rough and bumpy on the Emile Allais slope, named after the famous French skier, which caused a few back spasms for Shiffrin on first run. But she gritted it out to third place and did some dry needling and physical therapy for second run to put the pain at bay. And it worked—she came out swinging and put down an aggressive and fast second run to move her up to second place.

Shiffrin was open about battling fatigue throughout the race series. The beginning of her season has been packed with events—Courchevel was her 13th World Cup start this season and her third race in four days. “No more energy!” she laughed. “Even yesterday after the first run, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I have to do this three more times?’ Today was a big physical challenge and it’s also mentally tough too…I knew it was going to be like that after the last weeks, but it’s always a little bit surprising when you get to this point and you feel just totally gassed.”

But Shiffrin knew that she is stronger this season than she’s been before and that she’s skiing close to her potential. She’s had eight podiums over those 13 starts and to pull off another while being this exhausted was remarkable. “To have four runs the last two days that were a lot of really good skiing—today there was some scrappy skiing as well—but even coming close of what I’m able to do was really special,” she added.

After finishing 28th first run and only just qualifying for a second run, Moltzan threw down an unbelievable second run to move up to 13th place. Her second run was the second fastest, beating even Hector and Shiffrin by a few tenths. It was her best giant slalom finish since she first scored points in the 2020-21 season in Soelden, Austria.

AJ Hurt qualified for a second run—finishing an impressive 19th first run—but got late and crashed out of the course. Nina O’Brien did not finish first run. Both are OK. Katie Hensien did not qualify for second run.

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team leads the giant slalom and slalom FIS Nations Cups for the first time since 1983—an unbelievable feat showing a new depth on this tech team.

Shiffrin also maintains the lead of the overall World Cup of 115 points over Italian Sofia Goggia, who did not finish first run.

The women get a holiday break before returning to Lienz, Austria for a slalom and a giant slalom after Christmas.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

The Winter Park Competition Center in Winter Park Resort, Colo., played a perfect host to the 2021 U.S. Moguls Selections Presented by HomeLight. Selections provides American mogul skiers the opportunity to prove themselves on course and qualify for domestic World Cup starts. 

Eight U.S. Ski Team athletes competed: Kasey Hogg, Elizabeth Lemley, Alli Macuga, Joel Hedrick, Jesse Andringa, Alex Lewis, Landon Wendler and Dylan Marcellini. 

This year’s selections featured three events over a week of training and competition Dec. 15-21. Saturday kicked things off with the first of two moguls competitions. Avital Carroll won for the women, and was joined on the podium by Elizabeth Lemley in second and Kylie Kariotis in third. George McQuinn won for the men, Jackson Crockett came in second and Jackson Harvey came in third. 

Carroll topped the podium again on Monday, Lemley took her second second place and Hogg rounded out the women’s podium in third. McQuinn also repeated a winning performance and won Monday’s men’s event, Andringa came in second and Lewis came in third. 

Tuesday closed out competition with dual moguls. Lemley battled her way to first, Macuga earned second and Zoe Dwinelle came in third. Hedrick won the men’s event, Andringa placed second and Lewis rounded out the podium in third. 

RESULTS
Sat., Dec 18, Women’s Moguls Results
Sat., Dec 18, Men’s Mogul Results
Mon., Dec 20, Women’s Mogul Results
Mon., Dec 20, Men’s Mogul Results
Tues., Dec 21, Women’s Dual Mogul Results
Tues., Dec 21, Men’s Dual Mogul Results

Good Morning America's Amy Robach talked to U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member Kai Owens about her adoption story and hopes of representing the U.S. as part of Team USA in China in February on Tuesday's broadcast.
 

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team packed four into the points in Courchevel, France, led by Mikaela Shiffrin, who threw down two stellar giant slalom runs to take her 72nd FIS World Cup win. Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan were 15th and 16th, respectively, and AJ Hurt was 28th.

It was a bright and sunny December day in Courchevel, the home of the upcoming 2023 FIS World Championships, with the World Cup women attacking the long and demanding giant slalom. Sara Hector of Sweden—who Shiffrin has long lauded her skiing—had the fastest second run to land her in second place, .86 seconds behind Shiffrin. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland was third.

Shiffrin was the leader after the first run with a commanding .74 second advantage over the field and she continued to build on it throughout second run. She crushed the top of the exhausting course, and took a little off on the bottom to ski to her 14th giant slalom victory and sixth career win in Courchevel on the Emile Allais Slope—making her tally at Courchevel the highest at any resort. 

“It’s incredible,” said Shiffrin. “It was really quite difficult, to be honest—tiring today! Even after the first run, I wasn’t sure I could do the second run. It’s a big push and for every athlete racing, we had to dig very deep and just fight and be aggressive. I think I did that quite well. I’m certainly happy with the day.”

The win came directly after taking fifth in Val d’Isere super-G—a new stop on the World Cup tour for Shiffrin. “I feel some motivation now and feel a lot more fire after these last weeks,” said Shiffrin. “That was the first time I ever raced in Val d’Isere—years and years of wanting to go there and try it and we finally did it this year. To come here today was a big question in my mind if it was a right decision and if it was going to be too much, so to be able to ski this way today even with fatigue and less energy is very spectacular.”

The race was also one year after Shiffrin’s return to the World Cup podium after her father’s death. When asked about what Courchevel means to her, given the emotional weight of the venue on her mind, she said this year’s race was different than last year’s race. “There was just so much leading up to the victory last year,” she recalled. “It was so different from anything I knew or had experienced before. I feel like I’ve settled into my new self a little bit more at this point.”

Shiffrin’s win bumped her 35 points ahead of Sofia Goggia in the overall standings, who had overtaken Shiffrin after winning twice in Val d’Isere but did not finish second run in Courchevel.  

O’Brien and Moltzan also had excellent days, both putting down blazing second runs to take 15th and 16th place. “I’m just happy to finally put some good turns and link them top to bottom and come down in the green,” said Moltzan, who had the sixth-fastest second run. “I was really happy. As ski racers, you’re always looking for the green light and when you finally get it after not seeing it so much, it’s a good feeling. It’s definitely a really challenging GS course.”

AJ Hurt was 28th at the venue where she scored her first GS points and had her career-best finish in 2020. This was her fourth time scoring points in GS.

Keely Cashman did not qualify for a second run and Katie Hensien did not finish the first run but is OK.

Following Tuesday's giant slalom, the American women continue to lead in the nations standings. The Americans also currently lead the nations standings in slalom. The depth of this women's tech team is something this generation of women has never before experienced. 

Notably missing from the race were Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, Austrian Katharina Liensberger and New Zealand’s Alice Robinson who had all tested positive for COVID-19.

The women gear up for a second giant slalom on Wednesday before the holiday break, which was added to make up for the canceled GS at Killington Resort, Vt. in November.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Chloe Kim was tossed into the throes of fame at 17 years old when she won her first Olympic Gold medal in Pyeongchang. Her coming of age as an adult came simultaneously with a peak achievement of her career. Not unlike any other child star, Kim became acutely aware of her environment, questioning who she was as an athlete, and who she was as a person. Feeling stifled by speculation, Kim took a step back from snowboarding to explore her identity. She even thought about retiring.

Yet amid her freshman year of college, COVID-19's isolating effects, a rise of Asian hate, and weeding out trolls on social media, Kim learned more about her capacity to adapt and overcome. Her return to competition in January of 2020 came with a fresh perspective, one that will propel her into the chaos of yet another Olympic season.

“I started to get numb to it, and that’s a problem, right?” Kim told NY Times reporter, John Branch, of her negative experiences. “I’ve recently started to realize that it’s not something that I should have ever had to get used to. It shouldn’t happen.”

Read the full story on NYTimes.com.

DENVER (AP) — The jade necklace was a present. These days, it serves as a reminder, and maybe even a symbol of more good things to come.

Amy and Jonathan Owens gave that necklace to their adopted daughter, Kai, years ago. It was one of the gifts they gave every year to Kai, who they adopted when she was around 16 months old. Before that, Kai had been nurtured in an orphanage after being left by her birth parents at a town square in China.

Now 17, the U.S. moguls skier is in the mix to return to China in February, possibly to be discovered again, but this time, in a much different way.

Read Full Story on APNews.com

River Radamus showed his consistency, finding the top 10 for the second time in two days at the FIS World Cup giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, finishing 10th.

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland won the race handily, taking the victory by more than a second over local Italian hero Luca De Aliprandini, who scored his first World Cup podium in second place. German Alexander Schmid also had his first podium appearance, finishing in third. Sunday’s race winner Henrik Kristoffersen was just off the podium in fourth.

Odermatt, who has four wins under his belt so far this season in both GS and super-G, remains in first place in the overall World Cup hunt.

Radamus put down another good day, showing his strength and skill on the longest giant slalom on the circuit. He was eighth after the second run but a few minor errors cost him enough time to push him back into 10th. “I made mistakes early—cost myself my time up there,” said Radamus. “But I fought like hell. I fought really hard and just wanted to keep my skis in the fall line. I did a good job with my approach. There are some turns that I want back but I’m psyched with how I went at it today.”

With Sunday’s sixth-place result tying Radamus’ personal best finish on the World Cup and Monday’s 10th place, the world is starting to notice the Vail-bred skier and pointing out his medal potential in Beijing in February. But the measured and mature 23-year-old is thinking about the Games in a different way, allowing himself to focus on the aspects of the sport he can manage.

“It’s the shadow that’s looming over everybody; you can’t not think about it,” said Radamus. “I’ve never been to the Olympics. I think I’m in a good position to go this year, but I need to focus on my approach and focus on the things I can control. I think my skiing is going in the right direction because I’m doing that and so I’m going to keep that up and hopefully can bring the momentum into the Olympic Games. I’ll focus on the process instead of the outcome and the outcome will be there if I do that.”

Radamus is also battling some pain after crashing through the finish yesterday after his first run but is treating the issue and does not expect it to be a lingering problem throughout the season.

Brian McLaughlin and Ryan Cochran-Siegle did not qualify for the second run. George Steffey did not finish the first run.  

The giant slalom specialists and speed men now have a holiday break, while the slalom skiers stay in Italy for the Madonna di Campiglio night slalom on Wednesday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the women will race two giant slaloms in Courchevel, France.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
12:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Madonna di Campiglio, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Bella Wright crashed in the second of two FIS World Cup super-G races at St. Moritz, sustaining a broken talus bone in her right ankle. She traveled back to the States to undergo further evaluation, therefore missing the Val d’Isere (FRA) speed series. 

On Saturday, Wright provided an update via her Instagram account: 

My heart is a little shattered, but I’m going to continue to work and make sure I do everything I can to be back when the time is right. For the next 6 weeks I will be non-weight bearing so my ankle is going to be taking it easy but the rest of my body is going to work🏋🏽‍♂️

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Bella Chanel Wright❄️ (@bellswright)

Stay tuned to Wright's Instagram account for further updates, and to follow her journey to recovery.

What a day for a halfpipe contest here at the Dew Tour. Four days of competition wrapped up with snowboard halfpipe finals under sunny skies Sunday.

Defending Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim earned the day’s top score of 96 on her third and final run. After uncharacteristically not landing her first two runs, Kim settled back into her progressive trajectory on her third run landing two technical 1080s.

Chloe dropped in with a frontside 1080 tail grab, into a Cab 900, into a switch backside 540, into a Cab 1080, ending with a frontside 540.

“That was so stressful, I hate when I’m in that situation where I come to the third and final run,” said Chloe. “I’m just so grateful. I was actually thinking about backing off and not doing the Cab 1080, but I’m so happy I did it. Just putting myself in those high-stress situations especially with the Olympics coming up is pretty important. I’m so happy I was able to pull through.”

When asked if she had any tricks she was planning to pull out today that she didn’t get to, she shared: “Absolutely, I actually have three new tricks waiting for you guys. I’m just trying to figure out when I want to do them, but I think the Olympics will be the time.”  

This first-place result follows her first-place finish at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen, also an Olympic qualifier.

U.S. Snowboard Team rider Maddie Mastro, today’s first-place qualifier, came out blasting through the pipe on her first run, unfortunately taking a hard-hit midway down the pipe. Mastro finished in seventh. We’re wishing her all the best for a quick recovery.  

Spain’s Queralt Castellet took second and China’s Cai Xuetong earned third place.  

Men's Superpipe 

In the men’s field, U.S. Snowboard Team rider and 2014 Olympian Taylor Gold had a huge win today earning second place and his first podium of the season.

Taylor Gold dropped in on a mission earning his best score of 92 on his first run. Gold started off his stylish run with a McTwist Japan 540, launching into a frontside 1260 tailgrab, a double Michalchuk 1080, into a switch McTwist, finishing with a Cab 1080 with a chicken salad grab—going for maximum style points all the way down the pipe.

“I’ve been wanting to do that line for so long and honestly anytime I land that ‘Chuck 10 clean, I’ve gotta do it,” said Gold. The switch McTwist was exciting in the air—I’m really glad I landed it. Landing that run was insane, I’m so psyched.”

Gold tried to improve on that run, adding in a Cab 1260, but couldn’t bring it all together. He held onto the top spot all the way through the final round when Japan’s Yuto Totsuka unseated him. An amazing finish for Gold!

Looking ahead, Gold says, “My plan is to keep the intensity with my riding. I’d like to add a couple of tricks—I’d like to make what I’ve already done smoother and bigger. Honestly, my biggest thing is I want that switch McTwist to be as big as everything else. That would make me really happy.”

U.S. Snowboard Team rider and three-time Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White finished seventh, adding a crucial third result to boost his World Snowboard Points List standing. Shaun’s run included a frontside 1440 and back-to-back 1260s, a solid showing for his final Dew Tour.

Seventeen-year-old Joey Okesson finished in ninth and Chase Josey, who was unable to continue the competition after taking a hard landing on the final hit of his first run, earned a tenth-place finish for the U.S. Team.

Japan’s Yuto Totsuka came back from a third-place finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix to finish in first. And teammate Ruka Hirano took the third-place podium.

Japan’s Ayumu Hirano made history landing the first-ever frontside triple cork 1440 in halfpipe competition. Look for the triple cork evolution to continue unfolding at the final Olympic qualifier—the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, January 3–9, 2022.  

RESULTS
Women’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 8, 3 Runs
1. Chloe Kim (USA), 96.00
2. Queralt Castellet (ESP), 95.00
3. Cai Xuetong (CHN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Presented by Toyota

Field of 10, 3 Runs
1. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 95.50
2. Taylor Gold (USA),92.00
3. Ruko Hirano (JPN), 89.00

Men’s Snowboard Finals
Women’s Snowboard Finals

Surrounded by breathtaking Dolomite mountains in Italy, River Radamus tied his best ever FIS World Cup result in Alta Badia, taking sixth place in the giant slalom—proving that he is in the medal hunt in a critical Olympic season.

Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway won his first World Cup of the season with a near-perfect second run to elevate himself from seventh place to the victory. Marco Odermatt of Switzerland was second and Manuel Feller of Austria third. 2021 giant slalom World Champion Mathieu Faivre led the race after the first run, but had a slow second run and finished 16th.

Radamus had a strong first run, crashing into the finish to take an impressive fourth place—his best ever result in a first run. He took a little off second run, but still skied well to end up in sixth. The result tied his personal best finish earlier in the season when he was sixth in Soelden.

“Getting sixth here is huge for me,” said Radamus. “It’s a step in the right direction. Obviously after first run I would have liked more, but I’m happy to make that second run and do it decently. I take the points, take the result and I keep moving forward.”

He reflected on his second run start, in which he was sandwiched between ski racing legends like Manuel Feller and Alexis Pinturault. “That was definitely my first run amidst the scene—starting between idols of mine and titans of the sport,” said Radamus. “I don’t think it got to me too much, but it’s definitely a cool feeling. I want to get back there more often and be able to compete with those guys because I feel that I can.”

Radamus also took time to pay homage to the track that he has long dubbed his favorite on the circuit. The Gran Risa has always been the darling of the giant slalom greats—including Marcel Hirscher, Bode Miller, Alberto Tomba, and Radamus’ hero Ted Ligety. “Everyone will tell you this is the best GS hill,” said Radamus. “I treat it almost as a religious experience coming here—you have to pay tribute to the hill. I always want to come here and really execute and have a good run and really do it justice.”

Ryan Cochran-Siegle also scored points in the race, finishing 28th. Brian McLaughlin did not qualify for a second run and George Steffey did not finish first run.

The men get another crack at the Gran Risa with a giant slalom slated for Monday.  

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

Monday, Dec. 20, 2021 
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Alta Badia, ITA, Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.