Every winter ushers in new athletes, challenges and triumphs, and the 2019-20 competition season was no exception. The men and women of the U.S. Freeski Team found success across World Cup, Youth Olympic, and elite-level competition, once again solidifying the U.S. as a serious contender at the highest level of slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air freeskiing. The U.S. Freeski Team earned 20 FIS World Cup podiums, 12 podiums at X Games and Dew Tour, as well as five Youth Olympic Games medals. 

Although 17 different athletes collected top-three finishes this season on the professional circuit, a few names rise to the top with consistently strong performances throughout the winter.

Following an impressive 2018-19 season, pro team member Alex Hall picked up right where he left off, immediately stringing together three-consecutive wins in big air at X Games Norway 2019; the Modena, Italy World Cup; and perhaps his pinnacle win of the season at the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover in Atlanta, Ga. Alex executed a walk-off switch left double 1800 Buick to win the event and leave his legacy at SunTrust Park. He finished second overall in the FIS Big Air Cup Standings. 
 

Alex was able to top three big air podiums before the New Year, prior to setting his sights on the slopestyle course. He went on to earn three more podiums at the debut of Dew Tour at Copper Mountain Colo. (slopestyle) as well as X Games Norway 2020 (knuckle huck and slopestyle) at Hafjell Resort. In addition, Alex also found the spotlight as the focal point of multiple film projects including Magma (filmed with teammate Hunter Hess) and Faction’s feature-length film The Collective. His well-rounded approach to freeskiing earned him the prestigious title of the 2020 Newschoolers Skier of the Year. Alex capitalized on every element of his craft including big air, slopestyle, rail-jams, film, and even the new X Games knuckle huck event. 

Also excelling from the U.S. Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Team was Colby Stevenson, who gained a new level of confidence in 2020, which materialized into numerous podiums. Colby collected top-three finishes across three different World Cup slopestyle events including Seiser Alm, Italy; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. With the final World Cup slopestyle of the season in Silvaplana, Switzerland canceled due to Covid-19 precautions, Colby ended his season in second-place overall, but the top American, in the FIS Slopestyle Cup Standings. Teammates Deven Fagan, Cody LaPlante, and Nick Goepper all joined Colby in the top-10 finishing second, seventh, ninth, and 10th respectively. 
 

Outside of World Cup competition, Colby made history at X Games Aspen 2020 by becoming the first X Games rookie to win gold in freeski slopestyle. Not only did Colby earn gold as his first X Games medal, but he doubled up by winning the inaugural ski knuckle huck event to complete his rock star X Games debut. 

Other notable performances from the men of the U.S. Freeski Slopestyle and Big Air Team included rookie team athletes Deven Fagan and Cody LaPlante, each earning their first-ever World Cup podiums. Deven took third-place on home soil at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. stomping a 1440 with authority on the last jump. Cody thrived in Europe rounding out the podium in third-place in Font Romeu, France, where he beat out a slew of Olympians and World Champions. Not only did Cody hold his own against an incredibly strong field, but he also did it in his first slopestyle competition back from ACL and meniscus surgery.

Speaking of comebacks, Cody wasn’t the only one to work his way back from rehab. No one did it better than Whitefish, Mont. local Maggie Voisin. Maggie decided to make her comeback from ACL surgery at the biggest event of the year: X Games Aspen. As Maggie’s fan’s and teammates watched her drop into the slopestyle course at Buttermilk Mountain, any lingering doubt that she had fully recovered quickly dissipated and her streak began. She gradually improved in every X Games competition for the remainder of the season earning bronze in Aspen slopestyle, silver in Norway’s big air, and gold in Norway’s slopestyle. However, Maggie’s post-recovery accomplishments were not limited to X Games. She also collected podiums at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix and Dew Tour. Her success was a direct result of her work ethic and drive to be back at the top of the sport. To close out the season in Norway, Maggie stomped a beautiful double cork 1260 safety as the perfect cherry on top of an amazing comeback contest season.
 

Also representing the women of the U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Team was Caroline Claire, who won the Seiser Alm, Italy, World Cup slopestyle. She stomped a switch double cork 900 and took home her third podium in three years at Seiser Alm. Caroline also earned the Newschoolers Breakthrough Award. The all-female segment in The Collective was named the "Ladies Choice Best Female Edit," in which Caroline had a significant part. In addition, although she did not reach the World Cup podium, rookie team member Marin Hamill finished second overall in the FIS Cup Standings, a remarkable accomplishment for the 18-year-old. 

U.S. Freeski athletes continued to display their grit in the halfpipe with multiple athletes rebounding from injury. Both Olympic medalists David Wise and Brita Sigourney wasted no time finding their way back to the podium, each earning second-place at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo. David was returning from a broken femur and Brita from a tibia and fibula spiral fracture. Although on a different recovery timeline, Lyman Currier found the podium again for the first time following an ACL injury in 2014. He earned two third-place finishes at the Secret Garden, China, and Mammoth Grand Prix World Cups. 

However, throughout the entire season, it was veteran Aaron Blunck who took the reins. Aaron finished in the top-three at five of the seven events he entered, displaying pure dominance and poise. Although his season was full of highlights, none compared to his winning performance at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., where all three of his runs would have won the event. Head freeski judge Steele Spence described Aaron's runs as, “three of the best pipe runs of all time. They were the hardest runs and he executed them perfectly.” Aaron’s consistency would earn him the FIS Halfpipe Crystal Globe and his second X Games Aspen medal. 

Alex Ferreira would earn X Games Aspen gold and became the first Aspen local to ever win back-to-back gold medals in any X Games discipline. In addition, fellow Colorado local Birk Irving also continued to prove himself as a contender, claiming podiums at the first and last halfpipe World Cups of the season. To kick off the season, Birk won the Winter Games NZ landing a never-been-done double-cork-720 that defied gravity. Birk closed out the season at the Calgary Rodeo World Cup in Canada with a third-place. 
 

Although the 2019-20 season was cut short, fans around the world had the chance to experience the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 in Switzerland, where young American freeskiers thrived and made their presence known. Combined, U.S. Freeski athletes earned five medals (two bronze, two silver, one gold). U.S. Rookie Team members Hunter Carey and Hanna Faulhaber earned second and third respectively in the halfpipe. Teammate Hunter Henderson took third in slopestyle, while pro team member Kiernan took home a gold in slopestyle and a silver in big air. 

After strong performances by the rookies at the Youth Olympic Games, it’s no surprise that they also topped the NorAm Cup Standings. Hunter Henderson and Rell Harwood claimed the NorAm slopestyle and big air titles, while Hanna took home the halfpipe title. 

The 2019-20 professional freeski competition season resulted in success at every level across all disciplines for U.S. athletes. There is no question as to the depth and breadth of the U.S. Freeski Team moving into the first of two Olympic selection years. The U.S. Freeski Team is primed and on track to set the tone as we take one step closer to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic season.

Relive all the top moments of the year with the videos below!
 

Feel free to make fun of Simi Hamilton for becoming the old man who refused to hang it up. He won’t mind, as he did the same when he was younger. Of course, there is a drive behind the Aspen Olympian’s desire to keep going that is worth noting.

“I’m turning into one of those people I always kind of made fun of a little bit,” Hamilton joked. “I felt like I learned a lot of things about my body and my mind this year where I can kind of tweak a lot of things this coming training season and put in a really good next year. I’m psyched about giving it one more shot.”

Hamilton, 32, is an Aspen native and longtime fixture on the U.S. cross-country ski team. After time at Middlebury College in Vermont, Hamilton went on to compete in three Winter Olympic Games (2010, 2014, 2018) and every world championship since 2011.

Read the Full Story at AspenTimes.com

The United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) is currently hosting the 2020 USASA National Championships Relief Auction through April 8 to help bridge the financial gap created by the loss of this year's event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The USASA National Championships traditionally serve as a key revenue source that has driven the mission and vision of the USASA for over 30 years. With the longevity and future of USASA in jeopardy, the organization is asking for community support in their time of need.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA have been working together to support freeskiing and snowboarding for more than 20 years, creating opportunities for athletes, coaches, and judges. USASA produces more than 500 events at 120 resorts through its 32 unique series that engages the culture and community of both sports. In addition to the hosting of events, USASA also provides an education structure for the development of coaches, officials and judges in the U.S. hosted through in-person clinics and social outreach. Moreover, the USASA National Championships are part of a robust pipeline that carries athletes from USASA regional events all the way up to Olympic level competition. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard relies on organizations like USASA to connect the freeski and snowboard grassroots pipeline to the elite level, thereby increasing interest, participation, and securing the future of the sports we love. The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative impacts globally on the well-being of individuals and businesses across the world. USASA is no exception to the challenging environment we all must confront in light of this unprecedented time. To view products and learn more about the auction, visit the link below. 

Visit The 2020 USASA National Championships Relief Auction
 

After missing more than a month of competition due to the tragic passing of her father, Olympic and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin made the decision on March 5th to return to Europe for the final FIS Ski World Cup races of the season.

On the morning of March 11th, she announced she would be stepping into the start gate in Åre, Sweden—in what would be the final three races of the 2019-20 season. Later that day, FIS announced that the Åre, Sweden race series had been cancelled, therefore ending the season. At that point, Mikaela was still in the running for the overall, giant slalom, and slalom globes...though it would have been a challenge to win all three, it was possible. But, it wasn't about globes. Or winning. For Mikaela, just getting on a plane and heading over to Europe was a victory after all she had been through. 

Originally, the New York Times had planned to travel to Åre to cover Mikaela's quest for her fourth-straight overall title, but when reporter Karen Crouse boarded her flight to head to Europe, she had different goals. Her plan would be to cover Mikaela's potential return to the start gate, and the recent coronavirus outbreak. As it turns out, the coronavirus outbreak would lead to the abrupt end to the season, but Karen felt strongly about her message: that Mikaela had already won, without even stepping into the start gate. In her piece, entitled "For Mikaela Shiffrin, a Week Without Races Is a Resounding Success," Karen focused on what that return was like for Mikaela.  

Without stepping in the start gate, Shiffrin had accomplished what she had traveled more than 4,000 miles to do. So she accepted with equanimity the news, on Wednesday — less than 22 hours before the start of Thursday’s parallel slalom — that the competition had been canceled in the cascading fallout from the deadly spread of the coronavirus.

As Mikaela said in the article, 

If nothing else, I’m grateful that we came this far, even with the races canceled. So I got to get out there for that training session with full intentions of preparing for a race and skied with that intensity. I accomplished that, and that was all I had set out to do. It was maybe in the long term even better that I didn’t step into the start gate and have to deal with the mental challenges of knowing that the overall title was still in the cards, because the competitor in me probably would have come out and said, ‘I care about the results,’ even though that was never my focus.

One of the hardest steps in mourning is the "first one that takes you out of the house and out to face the world again. So whatever Shiffrin lost by not being able to race three times this week, she recognized that she gained infinitely more," wrote Karen. 

Mikaela's 2019-20 Season In Numbers
Though many—including Mikaela herself—believed this season to be disappointing compared to last year, it was what most athletes would consider a dream season. Nothing can live up to the historic 2018-19 season Mikaela had, with 17 World Cup victories, three World Championship medals, and record-smashing performances week in and week out. Vreni Schneider's 14 victories in a season was a record that stood for 30 years. Mikaela's 17 victories in a season will be hard for anyone to break...ever. Again, not impossible. But it will be extremely difficult. 

This season, Mikaela won six World cup races across four disciplines. She podiumed in 13 of 19 races. In Levi, she became the winningest slalom skier of all time, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark (40 victories) with 41 slalom victories. She finished the season with two more victories, bringing her career-win total to 43 slalom victories—tied for most discipline wins among women (Lindsey Vonn has 43 downhill victories, while Swede Ingemar Stenmark leads for the men with 46 giant slalom victories).  

With her massive 1.36-second margin giant slalom win in Lienz, Austria on December 28, 2019, Mikaela made history yet again as she earned 63rd World Cup victory, surpassing Austrian Annemarie Moser-Pröll into fourth on the all-time win list behind Marcel Hirscher (67), Lindsey Vonn (82) and Ingemar Stenmark (86). Across men and women, she tied Slovakia's Petra Vlhova and France's Alexis Pinturault for most World Cup victories, with six wins. 

In a near-perfect weekend in late January, with her mother and father there to witness her brilliance, Mikaela was first, fourth and first in two downhills and a super-G on a speed track she had never been down before, in Bansko, Bulgaria - amassing 250 points on the weekend. Her win tally? Career victory number 66, just one shy of Marcel Hirscher's 67 victories. Despite missing nine races due to her father's passing, Mikaela ended up second in the overall standings, second in the slalom standings (by just 20 points), third in the giant slalom standings, fifth in the downhill standings, and seventh in super-G standings. For the fourth-straight season, (again, despite missing nine races), Mikaela was the top earner in prize money on the World Cup circuit, among the men and women.

Buckle up and get excited, the 2020-21 season will be one for the ages. 

Read the full article on nytimes.com. 

Team USA is returning from 2020 World Junior/ U23 Championships with 10 sparkling medals in tow and our first-ever individual Junior World Champion to boot. Absolutely insane and impressive, no doubt!! These successful results have been a dream for the US to achieve since I was just beginning skiing. But I’m worried, honestly, that our ski nation will see these medals and set increasingly high standards, and that the little victories will get overlooked.

I began my World Junior Championships racing career in 2015 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I got 41st or 40th or something like that in my races and I left that trip feeling STOKEDDD! But as I’m looking back, I wasn’t all that motivated by results that trip. Of course, I hoped to ski well and earn a good finishing place…But when I think about that trip, I think about putting glitter on Bryan Fish’s face before the relay; I think about the lady I came across on a jog who was literally taking a poo on the sidewalk; I think about whether or not I consumed horse meat unknowingly at the hotel buffet. Those moments and memories fueled me through the next summer of training as I longed to experience more of this new lifestyle. What I didn’t fully recognize was that having low pressure for results allowed me to enjoy the trip beyond the race trails and genuinely have fun.

The following year went differently for me. I found myself worrying about qualifying for the World Juniors trip months in advance. I had new expectations and internal pressure to continue my upward trend and improve my results upon the previous year and qualify for the trip in a higher ranked position. But I didn’t even qualify. And I was devastated—embarrassed, even. I couldn’t believe I had to stand as the second alternate in front of hundreds of people who had seen me qualify for this event the year before.

Read the Full Story at NationalNordicFoundayion.org

Olympic champions Mikaela Shiffrin and Jessie Diggins have joined forces with professional tennis player Madison Keys to give back to their local communities in the face of the coronavirus outbreak with the "Kindness Wins #KindnessInCrisis" Initiative. 

Kindness Wins, a nonprofit that rallies athletes and acts as a collaborative engine for kindness, is organizing an online auction for professional athletes to support relief needs in their community. The initiative matches athletes who want to help those most in need of relief during this challenging and uncertain time, with 100% of the proceeds of the auction going to the organization(s) of the athletes' choice. 

Following their Instagram Live last week, Mikaela asked Jessie to get involved with the auction, in which Mikaela has decided to donate the proceeds to the Colorado Covid Relief Fund and Food Bank of the Rockies. Funds raised for the Colorado Covid Relief Fund will be used to support the needs of communities impacted by COVID-19 in both response and recovery. The fund will support work in three categories: prevention, impact, and recovery efforts. Funds raised for the Food Bank of the Rockies will be used to support anyone experiencing food insecurity due to COVID-19. The fund will support families thrive by efficiently procuring and distributing food and essentials to the hungry through our programs and partner agencies. Every $1 you give helps provide four meals.

 

 

 

 

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Hey hey! I’m auctioning off some really cool autographed gear for #KindnessInCrisis (*including 2 of my @adidas x @barilla custom podium hats, a pair of my signature @oakley goggles, and the race suit I used to race in Lienz this past season!) 100% of the proceeds go to COVID-19 relief organizations. The proceeds for my items will go to 2 specific organizations— the CO Covid Relief Fund and Food Bank of the Rockies. You can help me, help those who are really in need. The link is in my bio and stories❤️ #KindnessWins! @KindnessWinsFoundation (PS there are some pretty sweet items from other athletes like @jessiediggins and @madisonkeys as well!)

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Mar 23, 2020 at 10:08am PDT

Jessie will donate all proceeds of her auctioned items to The Sheridan Story. Funds raised will directly support the increase in food inventory and provide meals to hundreds of thousands of children increasingly facing food insecurity in the Twin Cities area and beyond. Every $100 makes it possible for 25 children to receive meals.

 

 

 

 

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In times of crisis...spread a little extra kindness! I’m joining @mikaelashiffrin and @madisonkeys in donating items to the #KindnessInCrisis auction. Check out the link in my bio to bid on items signed by me (including a training jacket, pullover, signed copy of #BraveEnough and signed World Cup race bib) to help people in need. 100% of the proceeds go towards COVID-19 relief organizations, and my items specifically go towards the Sheridan Story Minnesota based food program to feed kids when school lunches aren’t available. #KindnessWins! Thank you for your help ❤️ @kindnesswinsfoundation

A post shared by Jessie Diggins (@jessiediggins) on Mar 23, 2020 at 11:45am PDT

Stay tuned throughout the next 14 days, as current athletes add more auction items, and more athletes join the mix. 

Check out the auction and bid now!

There would have been no sense in letting a beautiful day go to waste. Though Tuesday’s World Cup cross-country ski races were canceled last week, Jessie Diggins showed up at Theodore Wirth Park anyway, with silver glitter on her cheeks and a smile on her face.

Were it not for the coronavirus pandemic, the Olympic gold medalist from Afton would have been facing her global rivals in a freestyle sprint. As many as 20,000 spectators were expected to line the course, clanging cowbells to welcome World Cup cross-country racing back to America after a 19-year absence. Instead, Diggins zipped around the snowy loop with a group of high school girls, to a soundtrack of clanks and bangs as workers disassembled the grandstand.

It wasn’t how she envisioned a day she had worked toward for two years. But it wasn’t a total loss, either.

Read the Full Story at StarTribune.com.

After four weeks on the road competing back-to-back World Cups the U.S. Aerial Ski Team capped off their season at Bristol Mountain, N.Y. at the 2020 U.S. Freestyle Aerials National Championships. 

Several athletes on the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team got their start at Bristol Mountain, including Jon and Chris Lillis. The Lillis family was instrumental in creating Mikey’s Jump, the newest American aerials site, in honor of their late youngest brother, Mikey. The event was a special homecoming for the Lillis brothers and a meaningful way to end the Team’s season. 

An unseasonably warm East Coast winter made it impossible to build the triple kicker. But event organizers were still able to provide elite-level competition using just the double and single kickers. Bristol will also be the site of the 2021 Aerials Championships and the mountain looks forward to another chance to showcase its venue. 

Coming off of her first podium of the World Cup season at the last aerials’ stop, Ashley Caldwell earned her fourth U.S. Nationals Championship title. “It’s really nice to come back to the States after a long season,” she said. “And this is a nice cherry on top of a medium, good season [for me]. It’s kind of tiring and exhausting to be on the road for that long, especially the places that we go. But this mountain was so excited to host this event and despite some of the odds we were facing, they hosted a good event and I'm excited to come back next year.” Ashley shared the podium with Kaila Kuhn, who came in second with her first U.S. Ski Team podium, and Megan Nick, in third. 

On the men’s side Eric Loughran took the win, his first U.S. Nationals title. “It feels really good to earn this title at the end of the season,” he said. “And it’s pretty sweet to have done it on the East Coast where I’m originally from, my mom was here and that was super special. We had some warm conditions, it was a little tricky. But the resort crushed it, and I’m super excited to come back next year.” Quinn Dehlinger claimed second, his first podium appearance of his U.S. Ski Team career, and Jon Lillis came in third. 

Athletes of the U.S. Aerials Team look forward to some much earned R&R and getting back to training. After all, there is no true off season in elite sports and as Ashley knows, “It’s game on until the Olympics.”

RESULTS
Women’s aerials
Men’s aerials

In support of efforts to minimize the transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), U.S. Ski & Snowboard in conjunction with the local organizing committee at the Auburn Ski Club Training Center and Division Team Leaders, have made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the 2020 U.S. Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships.

In keeping with updated information from the State of California Department of Health and the recent recommendations from the Governor of California that non-essential gatherings of more than 250 people should be postponed, we are prioritizing the health and safety of our athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers, and spectators involved in these events. We are devastated to announce this cancelation, however, COVID-19 is a fast-evolving situation globally and we know this decision is in the best interest of our broader sport community with regards to handling the situation we are all facing.

We are grateful to the significant amount of work invested by the Organizing Committee – a volunteer group assembled with the Auburn Ski Club Training Center – who were excited to host a full week of events to the nation’s best skiers.

Due to the recently enacted European travel restrictions, and ongoing concerns in the United States and Canada regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), U.S. Ski & Snowboard is cancelling all remaining U.S. domestic events, and working to return all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes back to the United States. In addition, Alpine Canada, and Nordiq Canada have cancelled events to coincide with U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is also cancelling all sanctioned and scheduled events beginning Monday, March 16. This includes all club-level events for all disciplines and any unnecessary gatherings, including banquets, awards and end of season presentations, etc. Expect further updates on future events, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress.

At this time, U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned events through Monday, March 16, will continue as scheduled, or as determined by local organizing committees, or local health and government officials that such events should be cancelled.

Individual participants of each event will be contacted by either the local organizing committees, clubs, or U.S. Ski & Snowboard regarding refunds of event entry fees.

The following major U.S. and Canadian events have been cancelled:

• Coop FIS Cross Country World Cup, Minneapolis, Minn.; March 17

• Moguls U.S. Freestyle National Championships, Squaw Valley, Calif.; March 19-22 

• Alpine Masters National Championships, Steamboat Springs, Colo.; March 17-20

• NASTAR National Championships, Snowmass, Colo.; March 24-28

• U.S. Alpine Tech Championships, Aspen Highlands, Colo.;  Mar. 28-31

• SuperTour Finals, at Sovereign Lake Nordic Ski Club in Vernon, B.C.; March 25-April 2

• NorAm Alpine Finals, Panorama, B.C.; March 17-24

In addition, the following events are currently taking place, and will continue as scheduled pending local health and government officials:

• U.S. Junior Moguls Nationals, Winter Park, Colo.; March 11-16

• U.S. Freestyle Aerial Championships, Bristol Mountain, NY; March 14

• U.S. Junior Cross Country Championships, Auburn, Calif.; through March 14

The health and safety of athletes and staff is the primary concern of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and we are monitoring the current outbreak COVID-19 closely. We remain in close contact with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as our local health authorities here in Utah for guidance and instruction.

For the latest updates, please CLICK HERE, this page will be updated as new information becomes available.