Following a productive summer of training, 19 Americans are ready to kick off the FIS Cross Country World Cup season with the traditional season-opener in Ruka, Finland, featuring three races - classic sprint, classic distance, and freestyle pursuit events starting Friday.

Due to Covid restrictions in place to keep the athletes safe throughout the season, a number of the athletes departed the U.S. last week and said goodbye to their family and friends for the next four months as they embark on their World Cup journey and march toward the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. But thanks to the return of team camps this past summer, including many athletes participating in their club camps throughout the training season, the athletes enjoyed the opportunity to build a stronger bond with each other, which will pay huge dividends on the road this season.

“I'd say the number one thing is the team that we have on the road, both men's and women's teams have created a hospitable environment, an inviting environment,” noted Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “One of the tickets to success is to build a successful team. But you don't really get the full understanding of what it does until you go through some times of adversity,” which the team experienced last season Whitcomb said. “We were constantly having to deal with changes to the schedule, trying to fit in Covid tests here and there; sometimes before races, which is happening this week. It's a constant logistical mess.”

Last season the team conquered so much adversity, but many athletes posted personal bests, their first World Cup victories, or podiums, and of course Jessie Diggins won the Tour de Ski and the overall and distance World Cup Titles. So heading into this season, everyone on the team has risen to the challenge of competing under the “new” normal. “It's not one person pulling the team,” said Diggins. “Is every single person showing everyday how they can make this team better!”

For a team that competes the entire season in Europe, the athletes have adapted well to life on the road with limited opportunities, outside of FaceTime, to see their family and friends. Heading into the 2022 Olympics, every team will face the same challenges with family and friends banned from the Games in China. But American cross country athletes will have a significant advantage.

“There's no team that travels internationally better than ours,” Whitcomb said. ‘“The Europeans are clearly at a disadvantage. Beyond that, what's unique about China is that we will be in the cold, and there is, you know, a 10th of an inch of precipitation in the month of February or something like that. So we know approximately what the weather is going to be like. And fortunately, with Swix, and L.L.Bean, we've been able to dial in some very warm options for clothing, and athletes will be prepared.”

Heading into Ruka this weekend, members of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team will bring a mixed bag of expectations into the event, from reacquainting themselves with snow and skiing into race fitness to charging for the podium and World Cup points.

“Ruka has historically been a really tough course and a tough season opener,” said Hailey Swirbul, who brings a couple weeks of on-snow training into Finland, thanks to early-season snowfall in Alaska that offered her and her Alaska Pacific University Club teammates early season on-snow opportunities. “This year I'm just trying to stay positive, gain some race experience and hopefully hit the races later in (period 1) pretty hard.”

The team will have a mix of World Cup-experienced athletes and newbies this weekend, with three athletes making their World Cup debut, including Novie McCabe, Sydney Palmer-Leger and Zanden McMullen. Palmer-Leger is scheduled to start Friday’s classic sprint. McCabe will race in all events. McMulllen will compete in the men’s 15 classic Saturday, and the 15k freestyle pursuit Sunday.

One team member notable missing will be Scott Patterson, who plans to join the team next week in Lillehammer Norway. “We had Scott pull out just several days earlier because of a wrist that is healing,” Whitcomb said. 

FIS Cross Country World Cup
Ruka, Finland
Schedule/U.S. Starters

Friday, Nov. 26
Classic Sprint
Men

• Gus Schumacher
• JC Schoonmaker
• Kevin Bolger
• Logan Hanneman
• Luke Jager
• Ben Ogden

Women

• Jessie Diggins
• Rosie Brennan
• Hailey Swirbul
• Katharine Ogden
• Sydney Palmer-Leger
• Julia Kern
• Hannah Halvorsen
• Novie McCabe

Saturday, Nov. 27
Men’s 15k classic

• Gus Schumacher
• Hunter Wonders
• Zanden McMullen
• Ben Ogden
• David Norris
• Luke Jager

Women’s 10 Classic

• Jessie Diggins
• Rosie Brennan
• Hailey Swirbul
• Katharine Ogden
• Sophia Laukli
• Julia Kern
• Novie McCabe
• Caitlin Patterson

Sunday, Nov. 28
Men’s 15k freestyle pursuit

• Gus Schumacher
• Hunter Wonders
• Zanden McMullen
• Ben Ogden
• David Norris
• Luke Jager

Women’s 10k freestyle pursuit

• Jessie Diggins
• Rosie Brennan
• Hailey Swirbul
• Katharine Ogden
• Sophia Laukli
• Julia Kern
• Novie McCabe
• Caitlin Patterson

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EDT

Friday, Nov. 26
6:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint - LIVE,  Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Saturday, Nov. 27
4:15 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men’s 15k - LIVE,  Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women’s 10k - LIVE,  Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
4:20 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women’s 10k Pursuit - LIVE,  Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
6:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men’s 15k Pursuit - LIVE,  Ruka, FIN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. 

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.
 

2021-22 FIS World Cup Schedule
2022 Olympic Winter Games Schedule

Follow the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

After a year without the North American FIS Ski World Cup series due to COVID-19 setbacks, everyone and their mother is frothing at the mouth for its return. From the HomeLight Killington Cup to the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup and Lake Louise, the excitement to be back on North American soil is palpable. It’s safe to say that this year, U.S. fans, staff, and athletes are collectively thankful for the return of our domestic races. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving, indeed. 

Let’s Get Down to Business: the HomeLight Killington Cup
Let’s talk Killington first...and about the rivalry everyone is talking about. Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova vs. our very own Mikaela Shiffrin. They’re tied in first in the overall standings with 260 points after the first four races of the season. Shiffrin won the season-opening giant slalom World Cup and grabbed back-to-back second-place finishes in the Levi, Finland slaloms, despite an ongoing struggle with back pain that has interfered with her training schedule. 

Vlhova narrowly edged Shiffrin out on day one in Levi, and bested Shiffrin on day two by nearly half of a second...but Shiffrin made a heroic recovery that lost her at least that much time. It’s a rivalry for the ages, and Shiffrin—who has won all four World Cup slalom events held in Killington—will no doubt equally feed off the hometown vibes, and feel the nerves and expectation. 

Shiffrin is joined by a deep tech crew who comes into Killington leading the nation standings following the first giant slalom of the season. Nina O’Brien, Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt, and Keely Cashman round out the crew, each with top-20 finishes under their belt on the World Cup circuit. Joining them are up-and-comers Zoe Zimmermann and Allie Resnick, who stamped their tickets to the Killington World Cup based on stellar HomeLight Foundation Series NorAM results at Copper Mountain. 

Following her results in Copper Mountain, Resnick said “I am really happy with my skiing during this race series and I’m even more excited for my first slalom and GS World Cup start in Killington. After Killington, we are heading to Europe for the Europa Cup races. I hope we can carry this momentum to Killington, and through the rest of the season.” 

Coach Coley Oliver echoed her statement, saying “While [this] is a large step from the NorAm circuit, I’m very confident in their skiing and cannot wait to see how they stack up with the best in the world. They raced this past week with the knowledge of the World Cup start qualifying criteria on their shoulders in addition to the normal stress of a NorAm and both excelled under that pressure. That ability to perform under pressure will be critical for them as they race more and more Europa Cup and World Cup races.”

Shiffrin spoke of the depth of the team, saying, “I’m really looking forward to heading into Killington with such a deep and talented team, including some fresh faces like Allie and Zoe, who have proven themselves at the NorAm level and earned their spots for Killington. We are bringing the best women’s tech crew into the Olympic season that I’ve seen since I’ve been with the team...and that’s been a long time. It’s exciting to see and experience, and the team environment is so solid and positive right now.” 

On the broader international front, keep an eye out for Switzerland’s ss Lara Gut and the Italian squad in giant slalom, along with France’s Tessa Worley, Poland’s Maryna Gąsienica-Daniel (my dark horse!), and New Zealand’s young phenom Alice Robinson. In slalom, one can’t discount Austria’s Katharina Liensberger and Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson, but watch out for our neighbors to the north, as the Canadians have a great amount of depth in the discipline, led by Erin Mielzynski and former University of Vermont standout Laurence St. Germain. 

What’s Up...Up North, Eh
Up in Lake Louise, the American men have had a solid couple of days of training. The track, which boasts new terrain features that somewhat mirror Val Gardena, Italy’s Saslong track, where both Steven Nyman and Bryce Bennet have excelled and Jared Goldberg has also had solid results. 

Travis Ganong led three into the top 10 on the first day of training in third. On day two, the final day of training, Ryan Cochran-Siegle posted the fourth-fastest time. The Austrians and the Norwegians, though...and that sneaky Swiss Beat Feuz, as well as Italy’s Dominik Paris, will be strong contenders.

Ganong and Cochran-Siegle both feel relieved to be back at Lake Louise. “It’s such a beautiful location, and the track is really fun...we definitely missed it last year,” noted Ganong. “Conditions this year - there’s tons of natural snow, and they were able to build up a bunch of terrain, so it’s pretty different from what we’ve seen in the past. There’s a lot of new rolls and terrain in different places, and a few new little jumps here and there, so it’s not your typical, kind of, highway tuckfest at Lake Louise...it’s more intricate, more playful, more terrain. I like that a lot. I think it really suits my style.” As Ganong said, “Anything is possible.” 

Cochran-Siegle will enter the speed start gate for the first time since he fractured his neck on the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria last January. He will head into Lake Louise with the same cautious optimism he has had in the past. “I’m feeling good...not amazing...just, I think there’s some better skiing to be found right now...not that I’m skiing poorly, just that I know that I can be cleaner in places and just have a little more of a race mentality,” he reflected. “I think skiing in sections was good today, but there’s still some time I’m losing in other places that I definitely need to figure out and clean up so that I can give myself the best chance on race day. Definitely a good warm-up, it seems, I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself because I think that Lake Louise can be kind of a funny race and I’m not carrying too many expectations, but hopefully it’s a good weekend. It was fun to ski today.”

What’s New on the Broadcast
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety will return to NBC Sports’ alpine skiing coverage for the two upcoming domestic events, including the women’s giant slalom and slalom this Saturday and Sunday in Killington, Vt., and the Birds of Prey Super-G and downhill races in  Beaver Creek, Colo., Dec. 3-5.

“I’m excited to join NBC Sports as an alpine analyst this weekend in Killington and next weekend in Beaver Creek,” said Ligety. “I’m looking forward to feeling the race jitters, but from a new perspective, and to bring my love for skiing and all that I’ve learned as a racer to TV.”

The Inside Scoop - HomeLight Killington Cup
If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from the HomeLight Killington Cup (other than Mikaela Shiffrin being a complete boss), it’s that Herwig Demschar’s team throws an amazing party and knows how to put on an event. Case in point: the music.  All concerts are included with the purchase of HomeLight Killington Cup General Admission ticket or the premier seating option. Killington will host free concerts on the stage throughout the weekend featuring O.A.R., DJ Z-Trip, and G Love.

Even though none of the women competing at Killington will be able to meet, greet, and interact with the crowd, Ligety will be signing autographs on Saturday, November 27th after racing has concluded. WINTERSTEIGER, the global leader in ski service, has teamed up with Mr. GS to offer fans a taste of pre-Covid fanfare and fun. Hosted at Peak Performance Ski Shop, time and details to be announced on social media, the signing will run for 45 minutes. Peak Performance is just down the access road from the World Cup event at 2808 Killington Road and the signing will take place outside, so attendees should dress accordingly.

Just got your booster and looking for a night out, with a purpose? Look no further than the Pickle Barrel. On Saturday night, World Cup Dreams Foundation will be hosting a party, Saturday night after the women’s GS in Killington, WCD is partnering with the Pickle Barrel (the best Apres spot in Killington, VT) to host an Apres party in support of the World Cup Dreams grant fund, and when Slalom Tokyo Drift is involved, it’s bound to be a good time. Tickets are $11.50 and the event is 3-7 pm. Hang with U.S. Ski Team alumni like Ted Ligety, Andrew Weibrecht, Tommy Biesemeyer, and current athletes like AJ Ginnis (Greece), Alice Merryweather, and Sam DuPratt (who has a birthday on Sunday, FYI). 

Last but not least, we’re hearing there’s a post-World Cup party at none other than the Wobbly Barn. Of course there is. Would the HomeLight Killington Cup be the HomeLight Killington Cup without the Wobbly Barn?! Have a blast...and please, have a drink for me. 

Housekeeping Deets for the HomeLight Killington Cup - COVID-19 Protocol
All event attendees must have a World Cup ticket and will be required to go through a ticket/security checkpoint in front of K-1 Base Lodge to enter the festival village, K-1 Lodge and spectator areas. For families or groups who purchased tickets in one order, please plan to arrive together – only one person needs to show the QR code entry ticket. If this is not possible, one person in each arrival group must have the QR code entry ticket. Each QR code will only be valid for the number of admissions purchased.

All event attendees (except those who purchased K-1 VIP World Cup Parking Passes) will be required to park in a remote lot and use a shuttle to get to the event. Masks are REQUIRED for everyone on shuttles regardless of vaccination status.

Attendees 12 years and older will also need to show proof of vaccine or a negative Covid-19 test result (PCR or rapid antigen) that was administered by an official testing center. The test must occur no earlier than November 24, 2021. Home testing kit results will not be accepted for entry. Proof of vaccination may be shown via the actual vaccine card (or copy), a photo of the vaccine card on a phone, CLEAR Health Pass, NY Excelsior Pass, Docket, NYC Covid Safe, CommonPass, or VeriFLY.

Tune in this Thanksgiving weekend to cheer for the Americans as we kick off the bulk of our 2021-22 Olympic season World Cup action. 

WOMEN’S STARTERS - KILLINGTON
Keely Cashman
Katie Hensien
AJ Hurt 
Paula Moltzan
Nina O’Brien
Allie Resnick
Mikaela Shiffrin
Zoe Zimmermann

MEN’S STARTERS - LAKE LOUISE
Erik Arvidsson
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Sam Morse
Steven Nyman

RESULTS
Men’s downhill training run 1
Men’s downhill training run 2

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Friday, Nov. 26
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live

Saturday, Nov. 27
10:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Giant Slalom - run 1 LIVE, Killington, VT, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Giant Slalom - run 2 LIVE, Killington, VT, Streaming Peacock
2:15 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Downhill - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast Killington, VT, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
9:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Slalom - run 1- LIVE Killington, VT, Streaming Peacock
2:15 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock, Ski and Snowboard Live
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Slalom - LIVE Killington, VT, Broadcast NBC
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Slalom - run 2 LIVE Killington, VT Streaming, Peacock
5:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup HomeLight Killington Cup Women's Slalom - Same-day delayed broadcast, Killington, VT, Broadcast NBCSN

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. 

2021 Rookie of the Year Kai Owens caught up with FIS for their 10 questions Q&A series:

Continuing with our Q&A series today we bring you 10 questions with 2021 moguls Rookie of the Year Kai Owens out of USA. Enjoy! 

Q: Looking back at 2020/21 season, no doubt it was a very successful season for you. First World Cup victory, 4th place in the overall standing, impressive results at World Championships in Almaty that led to the Rookie of the Year award. What does it all mean to you? 

A: Last season meant a ton to me. It was full of adversity and there were many challenges that I faced. For me being able to find success in a difficult season is very exciting and confidence building. Overall I am very grateful for last season and the opportunities that were presented!

Q: Your first World Cup victory came in front of the home crowd in Deer Valley where you led the US podium sweep in dual. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to World Cup podium. Can you tell us something more about that day and the feeling you had once it became clear you’re the winner of the day. 

A: Deer Valley last year was very special for me for so many reasons. I’d say a lot of stars aligned and the feeling I had after my last run was indescribable. I was very excited and proud of my team! That day was also very special for my family and I because we welcomed a new puppy into our family. He is a lilac French bulldog named Mochi. I woke up that morning of the competition and had already won because I got a puppy.

Q: What is the biggest challenge for you when competing during a worldwide pandemic and how do you deal with it?

A: The biggest challenge that I faced with the pandemic going on was the stress. Typically we deal with lots of pressure and performance related stress. But last season our safety and the safety of everyone else added extra. I personally deal with the challenge of the pandemic by practicing good hygiene, following all U.S Ski Team and CDC guidelines. And just doing my best to be mindful and positive. I hope and trust that everyone stays safe and I try to take advantage of all opportunities that we get during this time. 

Q: Now looking ahead to the new season with the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing on the horizon, what are your goals for 2021/22?

A: My goals for this upcoming season is to continue to build off of last year, and keep the momentum going. I am working towards making the U.S Olympic Team. It would be my first Olympics. 

Q: The US moguls team looks like one big family. You spend a lot of time together training, traveling and competing. What is like to be part of such a successful team? Who pushes you the most and how? 

A: We definitely are like a family. I am very grateful to be apart of an incredible team full of very talented individuals. I am especially grateful for their support and also their dedication to each other. I would say the women of our team push me the most. They not only push me physically and in training, but they push me to be a good teammate. I’m very proud to be apart of it! 

Q: What is your favourite World Cup venue to compete at?

A: Honestly I don’t have a favourite one. It’s definitely tied up between Deer Valley and Tazawako, Japan. I love the culture and time I got to spend in Japan, and I love getting to compete on home soil and on  the “Champion" run . However I will have to re-evaluate after this upcoming season, I would love the opportunity to compete in China, which is my birth country. And I would also really like to compete in France. So fingers crossed that I will make it to both! 

Q: Name three things you love about skiing moguls.

A: I love the challenge of moguls, mastering turns, jumps and being fast makes me feel like I’ll never get sick of it. Secondly I love the people and culture of mogul skiing. Finally I am definitely addicted to the adrenaline rush of skiing bumps. 

Q: Single or duals? And why?

A: I honestly like both equally. They are similar in lots of ways but different enough for me to not be able to compare them. I’d say I have a different mindset for each event. I definitely get more nervous for singles, and with duals it’s easier for me to focus on the rounds. Singles is what I train for, it’s the only mogul event in the Olympics and if I had to choose it would be singles. But duals definitely wins for excitement. 

Q: What do you wish for the future of the sport?

A: I hope to see our sport grow and I hope to see athletes continue to get better and progress further. 

Q: Name three things you never travel without on the World Cup circuit?

A: Ha! Well I’m not a light packer that’s for sure. My top three is ski equipment clothes and toiletries…  I consider those extreme necessities. But I have countless things I bring on World Cup that I wont travel without ie nutition, recovery, shoes, etc.

Original article on FIS-Ski.com

The U.S. Mogul Freestyle Ski Team is back to bumpin’ after wrapping up competition at the FIS Open in IdreFjäll, Sweden, Nov. 20-21. D Team up and comers put their mark on the international field to lead the U.S. contingent.

The FIS Open marks the end of the final pre-season training block for the mogul skiing community. With limited mogul venues around the world at this time of year, many teams opt for several weeks of training in Sweden and finish off the prep period with this first competition opportunity. Athletes are able to put to snow what they’ve been working on all summer and get back into the competition mindset. 

“It’s always so fun to finally put the bibs on and compete after such a long prep,” said World Cup Mogul Coach Riley Campbell. ”We prep from May until November, that’s a really long time to train without competing. So it’s always exciting when it’s time to compete again.”

Cole McDonald posted the best results for the U.S. men on both days. On Saturday he placed seventh and bested that to first on Sunday. "It feels great to finally prove to myself that I am able to compete with the people I have idolized my whole life," said McDonald of his performances.

“Cole skied incredibly well,” said Campbell. “He was just so fast and clean with a really dominant bottom air. On that second day, he proved he was up there with those veteran-level skiers.”

Saturday’s podium was topped by Japan’s Ikuma Horishima, followed by Sweden’s Walter Wallberg in second and Canada’s Elliot Vaillancourt in third. Jesse Andringa, in his first competition since injury, finished sixth, Landon Wendler 15th, Alex Lewis 24th, and Joel Hedrick 26th. McDonald shared the podium on Sunday with Japan’s Ikuma Horishima in second and Sweden’s Walter Wallberg in third. 

Elizabeth Lemley led the women on Saturday, finishing in third place. “Liz skied great,” said Riley. “She threw the highest-scoring highest DD trick in the women’s field, a cork grab. She proved she’s an up and comer to watch.” Kasey Hogg finished 43rd and Alli Macuga did not finish. Lemley shared the podium with Japan’s Rino Yanagimoto in first and Karuka Nakao in second. 

On Sunday, Hogg posted the best U.S. Team result with seventh place. Alli Macuga finished 28th and Lemley finished 58th. Japan’s Yanagimoto won again on Sunday, Kazakhstan’s Anastassiya Gorodko finished second and Japan’s Yuki Kajiwara finished third. 

Results
Nov. 20, Women’s Moguls
Nov. 20, Men’s Moguls
Nov. 21, Women’s Moguls
Nov. 21, Men’s Moguls

Sophie Laukli went into 15th place on Saturday's 10-kilometer classic during the season opener at Beitostølen and put several of the Norwegian national team runners in place on their own home track. 

Cross-country skiing.com met the 21-year-old after the opening distance at Beitostølen on Saturday afternoon. 

"It is very fun to do so well in such a company, and very fun also because my path into cross-country skiing is quite different than for most other elite runners," says the American national team member.  

Laukli is originally from Maine in the far north of the American east coast, and it was only a couple of years ago that she started to focus seriously on cross-country skiing. Until then, she had practiced versatility with a number of different sports, and bet for a long time, including a long time on football.  Cross-country skiing was more of a hobby I did in the winter. And in Maine, the winter conditions were not always very good, so it was not always tempting. But then I lived in Switzerland for a year, and that was when I started investing in cross-country skiing, Laukli says. 

Read the Full Story at Langren.com

It was déjà vu over at the second of two FIS Ski World Cup slalom races in Levi Finland, with Saturday’s podium repeating itself. Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin once again finished in second place, while Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in first, and Germany’s Lena Duerr in third. American Paula Moltzan also finished in the points, landing in 24th.

Battling some jetlag and ongoing back stiffness, Shiffrin came out firing on a course set by coach Jeff Lackie that was pretty straight with some room but with rhythm on the pitch. Before the first run, Lackie commented that the weather and the snow surface at the Finnish Lapland venue were the best he has seen on that pitch, where Shiffrin has won four times and has podiumed nine times. Shiffrin had a solid first run, even with a slight bobble in the hairpin heading on to the pitch, trailing Vlhova by a fine of margin once again—18 hundredths of a second. Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin was .36 seconds off the pace in third. 

The second run was an Austrian-set course with more swing but not much tempo—a stark contrast to the American-set first run. Moltzan, who straddled in the second run and did not finish on Saturday, threw down a solid time to earn her first World Cup points of the Olympic season in 24th. Swiss Wendy Holdener, who recently returned from some time off due to a double wrist injury sustained while training in the gym, made things exciting with a fast run that would eventually land her just off the podium in fourth place. Duerr took home another third place, grabbing two World Cup podiums in a row and ending Germany’s eight-year drought in the discipline. 

It was down to Shiffrin and Vlhova, in an ongoing rivalry, and today was more of the same between the two. Shiffrin skied a blazing fast top section but got in the backseat and ran into trouble on the pitch, making an acrobatic recovery. She generated speed to the bottom and came down .31 seconds ahead of Duerr. Vlhova had a flawless second run, though, and finished .47 seconds ahead of Shiffrin to take her second win of the weekend and her fourth-straight victory at the venue. 

When asked if she was disappointed following the race, Shiffrin replied, “To be honest, I’m not disappointed with anything...I was pushing, I made a mistake, and we don’t know what would have happened without the mistake, but after that, I pushed even harder.” She continued, “And, I haven’t really done that in a long time. I mean, if I made a mistake like that last season, I would have just—I don’t know—skied to the finish. I skied the pitch the second run really, really strong in with a course that didn’t have a lot of tempo, and some tracks. I’m really excited about it, actually.” 

The second-place finish marks Shiffrin’s 109th career podium in 195 World Cup starts—an astounding 66% podium percentage. In her last 54 World Cup slalom starts, Shiffrin has finished on the podium 50 times (36 wins). In a sport with a plethora of variables, Shiffrin has been able to maintain a mind-blowing level of consistency, bringing podium-level performances to every start gate she enters. 

When asked if she had gained more confidence heading into the HomeLight Killington Cup next weekend, Shiffrin paused to think and replied, “I have a little bit more confidence after feeling that I could push my skiing. It was maybe not a perfect run, but knowing I could still push it harder after a mistake, that’s a really big step. So, maybe a little more confidence headed into Killington, but it’s also a home race, and I want to do well. I have a good record there, so there’s some expectation and pressure there as well. But, it’s also really exciting to race in Killington, so I’m looking forward to it.” 

AJ Hurt narrowly missed qualifying for the second run, while teammate Nina O’Brien got low and late in a combination and did not finish. Lila Lapanja also started but did not qualify for the second run. 

Up next for the women is a giant slalom and slalom in Killington, Vt., where Shiffrin has won four-straight slalom races, and the entire team has seen some solid results—Moltzan and O’Brien included. The men head to their first speed series in Lake Louise, Canada, featuring a pair of downhills and a super-G. 

RESULTS 
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
You can watch all replays both on Peacock TV and at skiandsnowboard.live. 

FOLLOW
Instagram - @usskiteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
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Twitter - @usskiteam

Watching World Cup Racing in the U.S. just got a lot easier! Click to see the full writeup of the latest changes!

You can watch live and on demand World Cup Racing through the NBC Peacock Premium tv and Ski and Snowboard Live.

When/where to watch NBC Sports via NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel:
Where to Watch on U.S. Ski & Snowboard Website

Other online services offer access packages to many of the NBC Sports channels:
Hulu w/Live TV, AT&T TV Now, SlingTV, YouTube TV

See full schedule and there's a link you can use to add the events to your digital calendar:
FIS Website Calendar

Printable PDF calendars of schedules:
Official FIS PDF Schedules MEN WOMEN
Schedule Also Listing Times of Events once they are available (can be printed as PDF with link at bottom of page)

After more than a decade of skiracereg.com (SRR) and even longer with some division websites, some transitions are in process this season. We would like to thank Doug Briggs for his service to the masters maintaining and adapting the registration system that has been a tremendous asset for our masters divisions for the last decade. Doug streamlined our registration not just within division, but across divisions. He continually added and adapted functionality all on a volunteer basis. We are truly lucky to have had his support and help improving and streamlining the racer experience. We are excited that this transition will allow Doug to get out, travel, and play more as all retirees should! 

Many divisions are still with SRR this season as we phase in the transition. See below for details about registration for each division. New England Masters and Mid-Atlantic Masters are the first to move forward in the transition. You can see their new websites and mamasters.org and nemsracing.org (also a new domain for NEMs.) The new registration website is masters.adminskiracing.com. Part of the transition will include development of a central hub for all masters divisions that better combines division sites with registration, results, and archives - we look forward to tackling more pieces of this project next summer. In the meantime, if you use any of the new sites, feedback is welcome to make these sites they best they can be!

Far West, PNSA, Intermountain/Northern, Rocky, Central Members
Renew your membership with your division and register for events same as last year through skiracereg.com . If you are new click "sign up" and create an account. If you plan to attend National Speed Series or other events in the New England or Mid-Atlantic race series you will need to create an account at masters.adminskiracing.com and details will be released later for how to do that as a visiting racer.

New England and Mid-Atlantic Members
For the 2021-2022 season, the New England Masters and Mid-Atlantic Masters are starting the process of moving the Masters to a new registration platform. All membership renewal and registration for New England Masters and Mid-Atlantic Masters events will take place at masters.adminskiracing.com. 

For FIS Masters Cup, Nationals, or registration for races with the other divisions still on skiracereg.com you will need to renew your account on SRR to register. Just log in with your previous username and password to update your credit card information on file and register same as you have in the past.  If you have not previously had a SRR account, click "sign up" and select skiracereg.com as your home series. In either case, renewing your SRR account or creating a new one, no membership fees will be assessed through SRR.

Alaska, New York, and Southern Members
Continue to register as you have at the series specific websites. See usskiandsnowboard.org/masters/masters-regions for links and contacts.

We are excited to announce the dates, locations, and information for several of the major events for the 2022 season! Be sure to book your lodging as soon as possible - after last season theres a lot of people booking early to make up for lost trips last year. See the Masters Events and Schedules Page of click on the event programs for full details for each event! We'll post information for the Eastern Regional Championships as soon as it becomes available!

We're excited to check out a new venue for the FIS Masters Cup. The Rocky Division has been racing there for many years and can't wait to share this awesome venue and race crew with you! Nationals will be back at Sun Valley - a favorite venue who last hosted the National Championships in 2015. Then we'll be off to Ski Cooper for the National Downhill - a master friendly course great for all abilities but a tricky one to master with bumps and rollers throughout.

Event Program  Registration (opens 12/1) 

  Mar. 21     GS/SL training
  Mar. 22     GS/SL training
  Mar. 23     Super G A/B Groups, Alpine Combined*  C/D Groups
  Mar. 24     Super G C/D Groups, Alpine Combined* A/B Groups
  Mar. 25     A/B Slalom, C/D Giant Slalom
  Mar. 26     A/B Giant Slalom, C/D Slalom

*Alpine Combined is 1-run SG followed by 1-run SL.

Event Program  Registration 

  Mar. 31  DH Camp
  Apr. 1     2DH Training Runs
  Apr. 2     2DH Training Runs
  Apr. 3     2DH Races (both count for National Speed Series)
                      DH1 National Championship DH
                      DH2 Rocky Division DH

Beaver Creek, CO is excited to host the 2022 Phillips 66 FIS Masters Cup/Western Regional Championships! The racing and the free-skiing are fantastic! 

Event Program  Registration (opens 12/1) 

  Feb. 3     SG training tentative (9am-12pm)/venue open to public in afternoon
                 Check-in 4-6PM at the Avon Comfort Inn (also on race morning 7-8AM)
  Feb. 4     2SG
  Feb. 5     2 one-run GS
  Feb. 6     SL

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Hunter Henderson came into Saturday’s finals with the top qualifying score at the season-opening 2021/22 FIS Freeski slopestyle World Cup at Stubai Zoo. He put down two solid runs in the finals, but with the rest of the field firing on all cylinders, he was unable to break into the top three, earning a fourth-place finish. 

The sun was out, spirits were high and course conditions were all-time as Henderson earned his highest score of 83.74 on his first run. He led with a switch left side double cork 1620 tailgrab into a right double 1440 reverse tailgrab on the second jump. He put together a combination of technical tricks on the lower rail features including a high-scoring wallride 450 to pretzel 270 out. 

"All the U.S. athletes in finals were one small mistake away from being on the podium,” said U.S. Freeski Team Head Coach Skogen Sprang. “Everyone skied great and we’re proud of the runs they were going for. This was one of the most technical rail sections we’ve ever seen in a World Cup and look forward to continuing to work hard and push the level of the sport in the next event.”

Defending FIS Big Air Crystal Globe Winner Birk Ruud from Norway earned the top spot in the end, with a score of 87.60, followed by Max Moffatt of Canada in second place with a 86.26, and Ferdinand Dahl of Norway in third with a 86.06. 

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member and seven-time X Games medalist Maggie Voisin earned a fifth-place finish with a score of 63.03, with Kelly Sildaru of Estonia earning first with a 88.68, Sarah Hoefflin of Switzerland in second with a 80.30, and Johanne Killi of Norway finished third with a score of 78.32. 

Elite level freeski competition will continue Dec.  2–4 , 2021 at the VISA Big Air presented by Toyota in Steamboat, Colo. 

RESULTS
Men’s Freeski Slopestyle
Women’s Freeski Slopestyle

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