U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 35 athletes to the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard World Championship Teams.

American freeskiers and riders are ready to throw down on home soil at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, featuring the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover, at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo. March 10-16. This is the first time that a nation has hosted consecutive FIS World Championships following the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships held in Utah.

“It’s great to be able to host back-to-back World Championships on home soil,” said U.S. Snowboard & Freeski Director Jeremy Forster. “The depth and talent across slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air for both sports is second to none and should make for an exciting event for those tuning in all over the globe. The 2020-21 competition season has had no shortage of challenges, so we are beyond grateful to Aspen Snowmass, FIS, and the greater Aspen community for the opportunity to host the world’s top riders at an iconic venue.”

The snowboarders will field 18 riders, 14 of whom have World Championship experience. Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim will be defending her title from 2019. Kim hasn’t skipped a beat following her hiatus from competition during the 2019-20 season to pursue an education at Princeton University. She’s taken home the gold at both events she has entered this season, including the Laax Open World Cup and X Games Aspen 2021. Seven-time Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning will also be defending his title in slopestyle from 2019.

The U.S. Snowboard World Championship Team also includes 2018 Olympic slopestyle gold medalists Red Gerard and Jamie Anderson. Anderson has been on a tear this season winning the Laax Open and two gold medals at X Games Aspen. Fellow X Games Aspen 2021 double-gold medalist Dusty Henricksen will make his World Championship debut as he looks to add to his rapidly growing list of accolades. 

“I’m so stoked to be heading back out to Aspen for more competitions,” said Henricksen. “I have never ridden at such a crazy fun venue and I can’t wait to get back. I am extremely stoked to be competing in my first world championships and I’m super excited to see what goes down.”

The freeskiers will make their way to Aspen with no shortage of talent. The team includes 17 athletes, 13 of whom have World Championships experience. Back-to-back FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck will be aiming for the three-peat supported by an impressive cast including two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper, double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise, and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney. We also can’t forget hometown favorite and two-time X Games gold medalist Alex Ferreira, who has historically performed very well in the Buttermilk superpipe.

A friendly face will also return to the competition scene in Aspen. Maggie Voisin will rejoin her fellow Americans for the first time this season following her second ACL surgery in two years. Voisin is familiar with returning to competition at Buttermilk. Last season, Voisin displayed incredible resilience earning bronze in X Games Aspen slopestyle in her first competition back from surgery.

2021 U.S. Snowboard and Freeski World Championship Teams
(Name, Hometown, Club, USASA Series, Birthdate, World Champs Teams)

SNOWBOARD
Halfpipe
Men

• Taylor Gold - (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/17/93; 2011, 2013)
• Chase Josey - (Hailey, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; Big Mountain West Series; 3/31/95; 2015, 2019)
• Chase Blackwell- (Longmont, Colo.; Jim Smith Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2/27/99; 2017, 2019)
• Toby Miller - (Truckee, Calif; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; North Tahoe Series; 2/14/00; 2017, 2019)**
• Joey Okesson - (Southbury, Conn.; Okemo Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/23/02)*

Women

• Chloe Kim - (Torrance, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/23/00; 2019)
• Maddie Mastro - (Wrightwood, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/22/00; 2017, 2019)
• Tessa Maud - (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 10/10/03; 2019)
• Zoe Kalapos (Avon, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/17/97; 2017)
• Alexandria Simsovits - (Calabasas, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 9/30/04)*

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Chris Corning - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/7/99; 2017, 2019)
• Red Gerard - (Silverthorne, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 6/29/00; 2019)
• Dusty Henricksen - (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2/2/03)*
• Judd Henkes - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2017, 2019)
• Lyon Farrell - (La Jolla, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 4/3/01; 2015, 2017, 2019)

Women

• Jamie Anderson - (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.; South Tahoe Series; 9/13/90; 2019)
• Julia Marino - (Westport, Conn.; Southern Vermont Series; 9/11/97; 2015, 2019)
• Hailey Langland - (San Clemente, Calif.; Tahoe Select Snowboard Team; Tahoe Series; 8/2/00; 2019)
• Ty Schnorrbusch - (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tru Snowboarding, Rocky Mountain Series 5/15/02)*

FREESKI
Halfpipe
Men

• Aaron Blunck - (Crested Butte, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/12/96; 2013, 2017, 2019)
• Birk Irving - (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 7/26/99; 2017, 2019)
• David Wise - (Reno, Nev.; 6/30/90; 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019)
• Lyman Currier - (Boulder, Colo.; Winter Park Freeski Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 8/28/94)*
• Alex Ferreira - (Aspen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen/Snowmass Series; 8/14/94; 2019)

Women

• Brita Sigourney - (Carmel, Calif.; Intermountain Series; 1/17/90; 2011, 2017, 2019)
• Devin Logan - (West Dover, Vt.; Mount Snow Academy; Southern Vermont Series; 2/17/93; 2011, 2017)
• Abigale Hansen - (June Lake, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Freeski Team; Unbound Series; 5/26/98; 2019)
• Hanna Faulhaber - (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 9/04/04)*

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men

• Mac Forehand - (Winhall, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 8/4/01; 2019)
• Colby Stevenson - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 10/3/97; 2015)
• Nick Goepper - (Lawrenceburg, Ind.; Cork Technologies and Consulting; Rocky Mountain Series; 3/14/94; 2013, 2019)
• Alex Hall - (Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 9/21/98; 2017, 2019)

Women

• Caroline Claire - (Manchester Center, Vt.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2/2/00; 2019)**
• Marin Hamill - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 4/5/01)*
• Rell Harwood - (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 6/1/01)*
• Maggie Voisin - (Whitefish, Mont.; Park City Ski and Snowboard; Big Mountain West Series; 12/14/98; 2017, 2019)
• Darian Stevens - (Missoula, Mont.; Missoula Freestyle Ski Team; 10/29/96; 2017)

*Denotes first World Championships team
**Sidelined with injury, but met team criteria

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, March 12
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock 

Saturday, March 13   
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Streaming Peacock
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC
1:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - same-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 14
12:00 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC

Tuesday, March 16
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock
1:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - delayed broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
3:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, April 11
2:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Event Recap, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Gauthier
Marketing & Communications Director | Freeski & Snowboard Press Officer
andrew.gauthier@usskiandsnowboard.org 

MEDIA ACCREDITATION
 

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Sporting relay socks and facepaint, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen and Rosie Brennan sprinted for fifth place in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships freestyle team sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany.

The day started out icy with the semifinals, but the finals were warm, sunny, and sloppy, keeping all skiers on their toes. Maubet Bjornsen and Brennan kept it close in the finals, staying in the lead pack throughout the race and maintaining fourth place going into the final leg. But Maubet Bjornsen was stepped on by a competitor the second-to-last climb, causing her to go down for a second and got her out of the draft. “I didn’t quite find the gear to come back to it, which is a bummer because my skis are incredible,” said Maubet Bjornsen, who won a medal in the 2017 World Championships team sprint. “If I would have been with those girls at the top of the climb, it could have been a medal day, but like Rosie said, you can’t count on that.”

The two women were still ecstatic about the result and having the opportunity to race together. They both call Alaska home, training in Anchorage with Alaska Pacific University, and have been friends for a long time. “It’s been quite literally a career-long dream to do a team sprint with Sadie,” said Brennan. “She’s been a best friend and training partner for the entire of my professional career, so I was just so happy and excited to even get this opportunity. I know we are capable of more on any given day, but that’s ski racing. You go out there and give it your all and some days you win and some days you don’t. It was honestly a really special day for me and I’m really happy to be here right now.”

Maubet Bjornsen reiterated Brennan’s statement. “I think it’s pretty cool that my No. 1 training buddy and I were in a fight for a medal,” she said. “If you had asked us that when we were 14 years old beating on each other, we would have laughed at you. If we brought our 14-year-old selves here, we’d be pretty darn proud.”

Sweden took the gold medal in the women’s team sprint, with Switzerland second and Slovenia third.

Simi Hamilton and Gus Schumacher made up the men’s team and were skiing fast in the sprint semifinals, but missed an exchange and did not qualify for the finals. And while they were disappointed in the overall result, there was something more special at play: a seasoned veteran in his last World Championships passing the torch to a talented rookie.

“We’re clicking—not just Gus and me—but the whole men’s team, in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever seen this men’s team click before,” said Hamilton. “All that contributes to feeling prepared and psyched for a race like this. We did everything we could.”

Hamilton has been on the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for 10 years, making his World Cup debut in 2010. He has raced in three Olympics, five World Championships and has podiumed in multiple World Cups. With young talented athletes like Schumacher, JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, and others coming up on the team and nailing results, Simi says he wants to let these men shine and help to mentor them into winning medals in the future.

“Obviously I wanted to ski with Gus in that final and possibly win that elusive medal at World Champs,” continued Hamilton. “But it’s just as important for me to feel like what I did today to get on to this team and being able to race with Gus is going to contribute to him being able to win medals in the future with this group of guys coming up. To me, that’s just as important as me potentially winning a medal. I’m still so grateful and humbled to be part of this team and be able to race with Gus and train with him, as well as the other guys.”

In his first career World Championships, 20-year-old Schumacher was equally honored to race with Hamilton. "It was amazing to ski with Simi," he said. "I felt a lot of pressure because it’s his last World Champs and his last team sprint and we knew that we had a lot of potential. I was really proud to have this start and give it my all."

Norway won the men’s team sprint, with Finland in second and the Russian Ski Federation taking the bronze.

The women next race the 10k skate on Tuesday at the World Championships, with the men racing the 15k skate on Wednesday.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships team sprint
Men’s World Championships team sprint

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Feb. 28
10:30 a.m. FIS World Nordic Championships Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Tuesday, March 2
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, March 3
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 15k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:15 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Women’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, March 4
7:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 10k - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x7.5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, March 6
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 team sprint - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 2x7.5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s Team HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Under the sunshine on a perfectly-prepared track at Val di Fassa, Italy, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson had a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, landing in 10th. 

After struggling throughout the season, Italy’s Federica Brignone—the 2020 World Cup Overall winner—skied like she had nothing to lose, winning her first World Cup of the season by a whopping .59 second margin. Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who had won all four super-G World Cup races as well as the World Championships super-G coming into Sunday, finished second. Swiss teammate Corinne Suter was third, .72 seconds off Brignone’s pace. 

Johnson, whose previous best super-G result was 16th in Lake Louise, Canada in 2016, was thrilled with the top-10 result and her progression in the discipline. “I have been working really hard in super-G...it’s the event I want to improve at a lot, it’s the event I respect the most, but I also think it’s the hardest event,” Johnson said. “I’m starting to feel it click since Garmisch, basically, and it’s been getting better and better—that kind of race feeling in the racecourses, which is hard because when you train it’s not quite the same as the racecourses.”  

Johnson, in part, credits the Land Rover U.S. Ski Team’s time spent training on the slope at San Pellegrino for her success. “Actually being able to train in San Pellegrino during the years - even last year, too - was so nice because it’s a much better training hill, and it lets you prepare a little more. I’m feeling better, and obviously running 2, I was pretty nervous because honestly in super-G bib 1 and 2 are kind of the forerunners A and B real-time. I wasn’t sure how everything was going to run, but I wanted to commit to my plan and arc things clean, even if I was a little bit rounder in some places. I think I did that pretty well, and I was happy.” 

Sunday’s race was unfortunately rife with several long course holds due to horrific crashes, particularly by Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Austria’s Rosina Schneeberger, who were both airlifted by helicopter from the mountain. U.S. Ski and Snowboard extend our thoughts and best wishes to both. “I hope everyone who crashed today is OK, and things aren’t as bad as they seem,” Johnson commented. “I hope I can race super-G one more time at the Finals because it would be fun to get one more in.”

With her second-place result, Gut locked in the super-G Crystal Globe with 445 points. Gut also extended her lead on Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in the race to the overall title, with 1,147 points to Vlhova’s 1040 points. Heading into next weekend’s tech series in Jasna, Slovakia, Gut is the favorite in giant slalom, having won the giant slalom world title in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and placing fourth and second, respectively, in the last two World Cup giant slaloms. Vlhova’s giant slalom results have been off the mark by her standards, with 10th- and 12th-place finishes in the previous two World Cup races, and 12th at World Championships. Of course, Vlhova has four opportunities left on the calendar in slalom, but Gut has ample opportunities in giant slalom, super-G, and downhill to hold her own. It will be a race right to the finish, and it will certainly keep fans on the edge of their seats. 

Bella Wright and Tricia Mangan also started for the Americans, but both DNFed. They are thankfully OK. 

Up next for the women is a tech series at Jasna, Slovakia, with a giant slalom on Saturday, March 6th, followed by slalom on Sunday, March 7th. 

STANDINGS
Overall 
Super-G

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Feb. 28
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Gyda Westvold Hansen led a Norwegian sweep in the debut of women’s nordic combined at the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships Saturday in Oberstdorf. Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, Vt.) was fifth, skiing the fastest 5k cross country leg but unable to overcome a large deficit from the jump earlier in the day.

Three other Americans joined Geraghty-Moats in the historic debut including Annika Malacinski 23rd, Alexa Brabec 26th, and Tess Arnone 28th (all Steamboat Springs, Colo.).

The event, which was televised around the world, marked the first time women had competed at the World Championships. It was a vital stepping stone towards hopeful future Olympic inclusion. At the women’s debut World Cup event in December, Geraghty-Moats picked up the victory.

Norway put on a strong showing in the morning jumping round on the HS106m hill with Mari Leinan Lund soaring 107.0 meters to take the lead. Westvold Hansen was second in the jump but passed her teammate early in the 5k cross country and never faltered over the two 2.5k laps in an empty stadium at Oberstdorf.

Geraghty-Moats jumped only 85.0 meters, putting her 18th – two minutes, 13 seconds behind the leader going into the cross country finale. Geraghty-Moats charged out of the start and immediately started passing, closing the gap and moving up to fifth at the finish. In just a 13 minute race she closed the gap by over a full minute, but still not enough to challenge for medals.

“I came in fifth place in the world today,” said Geraghty-Moats.  “Maybe it wasn’t my best day but there’s no way I can’t be happy about that. It was the first-ever World Championships for women and many more chances to fight for the medals.”

Westvold Hansen, who has been one of the top challengers to Geraghty-Moats the past few seasons on the Continental Cup, was proud of her victory. “It’s been an exciting day and I’m happy with my performance. It’s a dream come true!”

Much as the USA’s women’s ski jumpers were a part of forging the history of gender equality in that sport, the four U.S. women who competed in Oberstdorf carried a special pride with them in Saturday’s nordic combined race.

“It feels so cool to be a part of history,” said Malacinski. “I just can’t wait until 50 years from now and I get to tell these stories over again.”

Malacinski felt it was one of her best races of the season and will bring positive reflections in the future. “The memories I’ve made with my teammates and just the whole venue – it’s so amazing how well put together it is.”

Brabec was also happy with her race and being a part of history.  “The race went really for me today – I’m really pumped,” she said. “I tried to ignore the pressure and get into my own vibe and just went for it. It’s amazing and it’s been really fun to be a part of history.”

Arnone, too, took a lot away from the historical moment. “It makes me feel really proud that I’m a part of it. I’ve been a part of a lot of firsts the last few years and that’s pretty cool.”

Much of the burden over the past few seasons had been placed on Geraghty-Moats’ shoulders as the veteran leader of the sport who had dominated its early days in the Continental Cup and was a vocal proponent of moving the sport forward.

“I definitely didn’t do it singlehandedly,” she said. “I’m just really honored to be here. I hope that the legacy I leave in the sport will help the sport continue to grow. It’s amazing what a lot of people can do if we work together to move sport and gender equality forward.”

Scott Patterson was 14th and Jessie Diggins 15th to lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the skiathlon, the second event of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, Saturday.

It was an exciting race with Therese Johaug of Norway taking her fifth World Championship title in the event by a 30-second margin, even with a fall early on in the classic portion of the race. Frida Karlsson and Ebba Andersson of Sweden took silver and bronze. It was a sprint to the finish for the men, with Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Ski Federation winning his first World Championships gold medal and Norwegians Simen Hegstead Krueger and Hans Christer Holund taking silver and bronze.

With cloudy weather cooling down the summer-like temperatures in Germany, Diggins put together a solid effort in both the classic and skate portions to finish 15th—her best skiathlon result at a World Championships. Young Sophia Laukli, a member of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Development Team and the Middlebury College NCAA ski team, raced her first World Championships to 25th place. Laukli won a Junior World Championships medal in the relay in 2020 and just made her World Cup debut in Lahti, Finland, in January.

“I definitely felt like the energy was there,” said Laukli. “It was a fun course for me—lots of hills and climbing. I was a little dreading some of the bigger climbs, but it definitely worked to my advantage. I felt pretty good, so that was awesome.”

Katharine Ogden finished 32nd and Hailey Swirbul 37th.

On the men’s side, Patterson looked strong and fast to nail a top-15 finish—his best individual World Champs finish in his career. “I’m psyched with that,” he said. “It’s the first race of World Champs—I haven’t raced in a month. I felt good. I’m looking forward to some more racing. Without a pack, the 15k skate next could be better. I felt strong out there. I’m really excited for this week coming up.”

Right behind Patterson was David Norris, who put up a good chase in the skate portion of the race to snag 17th place. “The first 3k of the skate I was still suffering from the final effort in the classic and then all of a sudden my legs got under me and I felt pretty free,” he said. “It was the best I felt all season skating. That was awesome.”

Rounding out the U.S. men, Hunter Wonders was 31st and Ben Ogden was 45th.

Next up, the U.S. will contend for medals in the team sprint on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships skiathlon
Men’s World Championships skiathlon

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Saturday, Feb. 27
9:00 p.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Women’s HS106 and 5k - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Olympic Channel

Sunday, Feb. 28
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS106 team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men and Women’s Team Sprint Finals - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
8:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS106 team event - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Olympic Channel
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 4x5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 4x5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:30 a.m. FIS World Nordic Championships Men's and Women's Team Sprint Finals - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
10:00 p.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Mixed Team HS106 - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel

Tuesday, March 2
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
1:00 p.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 10k freestyle - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, March 3
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 15k freestyle - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:15 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Women’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Thursday, March 4
7:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 4x5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:15 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 10k - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Friday, March 5
7:15 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 4x7.5k relay - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, March 6
4:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s HS137 team sprint - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Women’s 30k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
9:00 a.m. FIS World Nordic Combined Championships Men’s 2x7.5k team event - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS World Ski Jumping Championships Men’s Team HS137 - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 7
7:00 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Peacock

River Radamus led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, finishing in a FIS Ski World Cup career-best 14th—and fourth-fastest second run—in Saturday’s giant slalom at Bansko, Bulgaria. 

It was another fight for the podium in this deep men’s giant slalom field, with Croatia’s Filip Zubcic grabbing the victory, the recently crowned GS world champion France’s Mathieu Faivre in second, four-tenths of a second back, and Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner in third, .93 seconds off the pace, to earn his career-first podium. 

Radamus, who is missing his teammates after Tommy Ford and Ryan Cochran-Siegle each had season-ending injuries, and two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety recently retired, recently finished 11th as the lone American in the World Championships giant slalom at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Radamus has shown a purposeful progression throughout the season. The 23-year-old, who has a decorated past as a two-time World Juniors champion and three-time Youth Olympic Games gold medal winner, has had a solid 2020-21 season, nailing top-20 and points-scoring results throughout the year, including an eighth place in the parallel and sixth place in team parallel at World Championships. This is his fifth points-scoring result in World Cup competition. 

“I had a great time battling in Bansko today,” Radamus commented. “The hill is steep and technical, and they did a great job with the hill prep. I felt I didn’t quite execute on run 1, so I was hungry to make a move on the second. I really pushed the line and took some chances on run 2 and I'm proud of the effort. I'm still looking to put together two runs as well as I can, but I'm enjoying the progression, and psyched with another top 15.”

Bridger Gile and Andrew Miller—who was making his World Cup debut and also represents Dartmouth College—also started for the Americans, but did not qualify for the second run. Gile finished just outside the flip, in 36th, the first run. Even still, teammate Radamus feels there were some good takeaways from Saturday’s giant slalom. 

“I think Bridger and Andrew did really well today too,” he added. “Bridge being 36th stings, but I think he had some great skiing today and can take confidence in being so close. He's knocking on the door and due for a breakout. Andrew handled his WC debut with a lot of composure and has the right headspace to put it all together. I’m psyched to get another go at it tomorrow with the boys!”

Radamus is currently ranked 26th in the giant slalom standings, with two giant slaloms left to move into the top-25 and qualify for World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

The men will wrap their weekend in Bansko, Bulgaria with another giant slalom on Sunday. 

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom 

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 27
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 28
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

On another beautiful downhill day at Val di Fassa, Italy, Bella Wright led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team scoring yet another career-best, skiing with confidence into her career-first FIS Ski World Cup top-15, in 14th.

Switzerland’s Lara Gut and Corinne Suter once again impressed, going 1-2 in Saturday’s downhill, with Gut absolutely slaying and skiing with confidence, an impressive .32 seconds ahead of teammate Suter. Germany’s Kira Weidle was third, .68 off Gut’s pace. It’s been an impressive run for Gut, who swept the downhill series at Val di Fassa, and is the favorite for Sunday’s super-G, having won the last four World Cup super-Gs and the world title in the discipline. 

Wright, who is in her first full World Cup season, has scored points in eight World Cups this season—four super-Gs and four downhills. After a disappointing 31st place finish on Friday, Wright was aiming to ski more free, aggressive, and playful on Saturday. She nailed it, earning herself her first top-15. 

“I’m much happier with today’s skiing, I felt like it was more like myself,” Wright reflected following her run. “Yesterday I was very timid and kind of on the inside ski quite a bit. So, today felt way more aggressive and playful, which was my goal, and I felt a little more free, which was nice. The slope was grippier than other days, I thought it was bumpier in the same turns and darker today, I thought it was great snow, great surface, and the course was super fun. I’m really happy with the day, it’s exciting.”

Wright, who hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up ripping around the Wasatch with Snowbird Sports Education Foundation, is a strong technical skier and feels more comfortable in super-G. “I feel very good about super-G tomorrow, I consider myself more of a super-G skier,” she said, “so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully am going to ski as free as I did today.” 

Unfortunately, Breezy Johnson, who was tied with Suter and ranked second in the downhill standings, leaned in after the third split and crashed through the nets. She did get up and ski down and was OK. However, after Saturday’s downhill, Suter is now within striking distance of the Crystal Globe, with one downhill remaining, 410 points to Sofia Goggia’s 480. Gut has moved ahead of Johnson in third, with 383 points. Johnson is currently ranked fourth, with 330 points. 

Johnson had blazing fast with incredible consistency all season, having been top-five in all six World Cup downhills coming into Saturday, including four podiums. With one downhill remaining, Johnson will not have the chance to climb the standings ahead of Goggia, but she can still move up and look for her first World Cup victory at World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide. Having finished the 2020 season ranked 20th, Johnson has shown during the 2021 season that she belongs at the top and is among the best in the world. 

Laurenne Ross also started for the Americans but crashed and DNFed. She is also thankfully OK. 

The women will wrap their weekend with a super-G on Sunday—the final speed race prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 27
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 28
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named eight athletes to the U.S. Alpine Snowboard World Championships Team. American riders are set to compete in Rogla, Slovenia March 1-2  in FIS World Championship parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom competition.

Following the cancellation of the 2021 FIS Snowboard & Freeski World Championships, originally scheduled to take place in Zhangjiakou, China, Feb. 18-28, the organizing committee in Rogla as well as the Ski Association of Slovenia stepped up to host this critical event. 

“The Organizing Committee in Rogla, as well as the Ski Association of Slovenia, are putting in an enormous amount of effort to host this major event on this short notice," FIS said in a statement. "However all parties involved feel supremely confident that this experienced World Cup organizer will be able to step up to hold a successful World Championships."

2021 U.S. Alpine Snowboard World Championship Team
(Name, Hometown, Club, USASA Series, Birthdate, World Champs Teams)

 Men

• Robert Burns - (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 11/11/90; 2017, 2019)                
• Cody Winters - (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/20/00; 2019)                  
• Aaron Muss - (Rumson, N.J.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 12/15/94; 2013, 2017, 2019)                          
• Ryan Rosencranz - (Weston, Mass.; Rocky Mountain Series; 4/23/94; 2019)

 Women

• Iris Pflum - (Minneapolis, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 7/13/03)*
• Lily Janousek - (Greenwood, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 7/24/03 )*
• Kaiya Kizuka - (Sinking Spring, Penn.; Ski Roundtop Racing Club; Mid Atlantic Series; 5/26/99; 2019)
• Rose Bransford - (Minneapolis, Minn.; G Team; Upper Midwest Snow Series; 12/08/02)*           

*Denotes first World Championships team

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Monday, March 1
8:00 a.m. - FIS Snowboard Alpine World Championships Parallel Giant Slalom - LIVE, Rogla, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock

Tuesday, March 2
8:45 a.m. - FIS Snowboard Alpine World Championships Parallel Slalom - LIVE, Rogla, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
 

Hi everyone…

I’ve been reflecting on the past few weeks and the 2021 World Championships in Cortina. First, I want to say huge congrats to Cortina for pulling off a World Championship event during such a challenging time, in the midst of a pandemic. Mother Nature wasn’t kind the first few days, but from then on, the event was incredible and it was blue skies and sunshine every day. One thing the world knows though is that Cortina is unparalleled in its ability to prepare a race hill for a race. 

Cortina felt like a great choice for a big event like World Champs or Olympics because of the beautiful and relatively stable weather, but sooner or later every ski resort is bound to get snow. Yet, no matter how much snow is thrown at Cortina, the hill crew always seems to work miracles to transform the surface into something safe and good for racing. THANK YOU to everyone involved in the hill prep, in any way, from slipping to watering, to grooming, for the high standard you always set at world-class races. It’s hard to beat the beauty of Cortina when the weather is the usual gorgeous, sunny, relaxing, alpine atmosphere. 

One year ago we weren’t sure this event would even happen. And, even still, we had our concerns with the pandemic and how it would play out. I felt safe, considering the required negative Covid test to enter the event, and the mandatory testing every third day for anyone who set foot in Cortina, it was like being in one big Covid-negative community. We were impressed by Cortina’s rules for and enforcement of the strict measures we know help prevent the spread of Covid (should someone have ended up positive). With staff around everywhere to enforce the required mask-wearing, people mostly distancing, and hand sanitizer everywhere we turned, Cortina took the measures needed to keep us safe and pull off the World Championship event. It seems that there were no Covid cases coming out of this race series which is impressive for the magnitude of this event. KUDOS to Cortina for being a model of how to execute a large-scale sports event the right way during a time of the pandemic. 

I have received so many messages from friends, family, and followers saying how grateful they have been to have sports and specifically alpine skiing to watch and cheer for during otherwise very difficult times. Being able to watch the sports you love can be such a good thing for mental health so THANK YOU Cortina for giving our ski fans this mental escape and a chance to see your beautiful views and unforgettable moments. 

Finally, I wanted to share my thoughts on my skiing at Worlds, the thought process that went into deciding which events I entered, my emotional state, and also give a bit of hope to those of you struggling through this difficult time. 

A little over a year ago, I actually wasn’t sure I would ever race again after my world had been turned upside down from my dad’s unexpected accident and passing. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t sleep or eat, and I couldn’t stop crying for months until I literally had no more tears to shed. I was scared to death about so many unknowns in the future and had no idea how to go about tackling it all. Through that time, as much as I wanted to lie in bed and never get up again, I had no choice but to drag myself out of bed and try to set emotions aside. 

Through a fog of grief and the shock of losing part of my heart, someone I adored beyond words, I had to somewhat robotically learn how to take over all of the business my life entails these days- the business my dad always took care of for me so that I could focus on my job. I didn’t have a choice but to find a way to piece things back together, one 15-hour day at a time with my brother and my mom by side doing the same. 

I abandoned half of my 2020 ski season and most of my 2020-21 prep-period to spend all day, every day during the summertime at my desk. With the massive help and oversight of our family office, Aspen Grove, and the enormous support and love of friends, family (and just about everyone in our Valley), my mom and I got to the point of thinking that I might actually be able to race this season. As a result of all the long days of crash-course learning all that makes up life and the “business” of my ski career, and the insistence of our support system that I would be ok (they would see to it that I would be ok), I was able to “set sail” for Soelden in September to start the season “on time”. Unfortunately, I injured my back within days of arrival which was not only another setback but was the first injury I’ve had that actually posed some threat to my career as a ski racer and left me reeling mentally and emotionally all over again. All of this on top of the cloud of fear, stress, and frustration (that I’m sure anybody reading this is very familiar with...) from a pandemic that has been unlike anything the world has ever really seen before. The mere thought of leaving home to go get groceries seemed a potentially life-threatening ordeal, but the thought of flying to Europe and trying to navigate our way through a World Cup season felt like a journey into a black hole. All of these things just kept piling up and for quite some time I’ve felt like I’m in an all-out sprint just trying to catch up, with my coaches and serviceman doing everything they possibly can (like they always do) to get me there, but still feeling challenged every step of the way just to simply not feel like we’re still falling behind. 

Truth be told, my feeling about my skiing and my confidence at races before Cortina was not great...it was up and down and kind of reflected my year as a whole. But, I started feeling some happiness and exhilaration when we broke out the super-G skis again just prior to World Champs. It was the first time I had done any speed since I won last year in Bansko and it felt SO wonderful that my team and I really started to consider the option of doing more events than just Giant Slalom and Slalom at Worlds. I felt that if I focused on only GS and SL – having shown some solid skiing in both at times this season on the World Cup – I had a reasonable chance for “success” in both events. But with the skiing I was doing in super-G, we felt that I actually might have had a shot for a medal in four events...and how cool would that be to step outside my usual comfort zone to take a bit of a different journey in Cortina?

Those of you who have been following my journey know that I don’t often pay attention to the records, and I certainly don’t focus on them. However, often titles do come into play when we are planning my racing schedule, especially at a big event. As a team, we created a strategy for this World Champs based on the following: being the youngest Olympic SL gold medalist in history and having Olympic gold in GS, four World Championship golds in SL, six SL globes, and a GS globe, and then diving headfirst into this past year which just wreaked havoc on every single thing I ever considered normal or comfortable, it seemed quite in keeping with the direction my life has taken to do this World Champs differently because, well why not, right? I know that if I only skied GS and SL and won the gold in SL again, people/the press would ask why I didn’t do more events. I also knew that if I took a chance on more events, I would be pushing the limit on my chances/ability to win gold in any of them and if I missed gold in slalom, I would likely be criticized for that too. 

It’s hard to see from the outside, but in my experience, it is about two times more challenging mentally, physically, and emotionally to compete in two times more events. And it is exponentially more challenging to spend the necessary time preparing for those events when they end up being unforeseeably postponed, forcing you to then use up your other essential training days for when the races are rescheduled. (I think it’s important to note here that I was not the only athlete facing those schedule challenges. Honestly, I wasn’t even the only athlete who had a reasonable shot at four medals. Quite a few athletes went into World Champs with the hope and possibility of winning multiple medals and were left wanting. For those who attempted to race in the beginning and had to deal with the weather postponements, I think the extra challenge those schedule changes created should not be overlooked by anyone on the outside who may feel the need to pass judgments on which athletes did or did not win a medal and whose performances qualify as a success or failure.)

Anyway, back to the point– I need to thank my coaches for supporting whichever direction I chose to go. We all decided to go for more medals, knowing there was always the possibility that I could walk away with nothing. I don’t regret that decision in the slightest. As it was, I showed the skiing I was doing in training and the speed it would have taken to win the super-G before my mistake on the very bottom, I was only a hair from winning the GS at .02 seconds behind in very tricky conditions, and we DID win gold in the AC, which I am really proud of. As far as slalom goes, truthfully, I was disappointed with my skiing as I don’t think it was reflective of either my current skiing or my team's efforts to provide the absolute best and most efficient preparation to give me a shot at the slalom gold. BUT, I said it after the super-G and I’ll say it again now, I don’t want to play the “shoulda, woulda, coulda” game. What happened is what happened and I can only learn from it and try to do better in the future. AND in fairness, Katharina and Petra skied really well and on Saturday my skiing was just not up to par. So, I ended up with a bronze, but more importantly, I found reasons to smile and had some moments of joy during the day, and if I learned anything over the last year I learned just how important those things truly are.

The journey we had in Cortina and the prep leading up to it is a reflection on the resilience of my whole team who have stood by me and helped me rise up out of the “ashes of despair” and take a chance on possibilities. I am so appreciative and proud of the people around me for supporting me to the point where we could win the most medals at a World Championships in the modern era. I am thrilled with my overall performance BUT I am also thrilled with the skiing from our entire men’s and women’s team. (i.e. our slalom boys cooking it into the top 15 after the decision to only flip 15 instead of the usual 30 was made the night before their race; Paula being just off the podium in the parallel event after her podium earlier this season in PGS; Nina holding the green light to the very last split in the second run of the GS, nearly winning a medal which very well might have been gold; Breezy putting down such a spectacular DH run after a bobble at the top that would have shaken even the most unshakeable of DH veterans; River with a top-10 in parallel and stepping up as the lone American in the GS with 11th; many of our athletes posting personal bests and no matter what always showing a great attitude and support for each other; the list goes on…) The USA brought excitement and speed in every event and it was sooooo cool seeing our young guns right in the mix, showing sooo much speed and potential for the future. 

So, in the end, Cortina was the start of a new beginning and exploring a different strategic approach with some risk-taking for me and I think the USA showed it’s the beginning of a whole new era of young skiers where the world could very well be their oyster.

Thank you so much for your support. 

Love, 
Mikaela 

Under the sunshine in Val di Fassa, Italy—where the Americans had a successful showing at the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships—Breezy Johnson led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, in fifth place. 

Fresh off a successful two weeks at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy highlighted by world titles in giant slalom and super-G and a bronze in the downhill, Switzerland’s Lara Gut carried the momentum to Val di Fassa to grab the victory by a mere two one-hundredths of a second ahead of Austria’s Ramona Siebenhofer. Swiss Corinne Suter rounded out the podium in third, .26 seconds back. 

Boldly starting bib one, Johnson was sendy from the start but ran into a little trouble in the top section of the course. She crossed the finish line with a time of 1:24.29, which looked promising for a moment, seeing as though her winning training run yesterday—the fastest time of the two training runs—was 1:24.77. She finished just .10 seconds off of the podium, as Germany’s Kira Weidle snuck into fourth .03 ahead of Johnson. Even so, Johnson took the positives away from the day and will carry them into tomorrow’s second downhill. 

“I felt like my run today was alright, there were just a couple of spots where I kind of messed up...and they ended up being pretty big mistakes,” Johnson reflected after the race. “I obviously got a little bit late coming into that pitch, and even though I won that split it was not the best today. Fifth place is still a really great result, it’s still something I’m very proud of. I’m just going to keep fighting and working and cleaning things up for tomorrow.”

It’s worth noting that Johnson has never chosen bib one before. The top-10 ranked athletes get to pick their start number, based on a random draw, for odd numbers one through 19. It’s an advantage to run a bit later to be able to see how the course is running for the first few athletes, so Johnson would typically pick five, seven, or nine. Not today. With an 11:45 a.m. CET start—a later than usual start for downhill—Johnson knew the light could affect her if she went later. “We looked at video at 11:45 and at 12 noon, and it ain’t gonna get any sunnier, or any faster,” she shared Thursday evening. “I might as well send it No. 1. I’ve never done it before, but I don’t think it will change my approach.”

On Saturday, the start time will be the normal 11:00 a.m., and Johnson will look to bring the heat into the second of two downhills in the weekend’s speed series. “We’ll run at 11 tomorrow, so hopefully things will be a little better conditions-wise and a little fairer through the whole race, and we’ll see what happens,” she added. 

After Friday’s downhill, Johnson and Suter are now tied for second in the overall downhill standings with 330 points behind Italy’s Sofia Goggia (480)—who is unfortunately sidelined for the rest of the season with an injury. Johnson, who hasn’t finished a downhill out of the top-five this season, knows she’ll need to fire on all cylinders on Saturday in order to stay in the running for the title—something only two other Americans have done. Of course, former teammate Lindsey Vonn (a record eight times), and Picabo Street—whose ability to send it reminds many fans of Johnson. Johnson is confident and knows she can win, and the race to the Crystal Globe will be a thrilling one to watch, right until the end at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

Laurenne Ross, who has been steadily progressing throughout the season after returning from injury, skied the best she has this season, finishing in the points in 23rd. Bella Wright also started for the Americans, and ended up just outside of the points in 31st, as there was a tie for 29th. Teammate Jackie Wiles unfortunately returned back to the States to get surgery, following a minor knee injury sustained prior to the FIS Ski World Championship downhill at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. 

Up next for the women is the second of two downhills on Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday. 

STANDINGS
Overall 
Downhill 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Friday, Feb. 26
7:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 27
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 28
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Bansko, BUL, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, Val di Fassa, ITA, Broadcast NBCSN