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Ganong Fifth to Lead Five Americans into the Top 30

By Megan Harrod
February, 1 2020

Travis Ganong landed in a season-best fifth-place in Saturday's downhill, to lead five Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers into the top 30 on the Kandahar track in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. 

In a race where the top 20 were separated by a mere 1.01 seconds, hometown hero Thomas Dressen emerged victorious in Saturday’s downhill over Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt-Kilde in second, .16 seconds back and France’s Johan Clarey, .17 off the pace. Travis missed the podium by one-tenth of a second. On almost any other downhill day, that performance would have landed him in the top three. 

Though he was slow out of the gate, Travis made up a significant amount of time in the middle section and bottom of the Kandahar track. “It’s kind of frustrating to be .45 of a second out on the first 13 seconds and then coming into the finish .27 out, so for sure I left a lot of time on the hill,” he reflected. “But, I’m really happy with how I skied and it’s always good to have a good result here. There’s always this mystique around Garmisch of being dark and bumpy and gnarly...for my style of skiing, it really works here. I like it a lot.” 

In 2017, Travis won first of two downhills in Garmisch—a rescheduled downhill from Wengen. On that same day, teammate Steven Nyman was having the fastest run of the day before he hit the net, injured his knee and was airlifted off the track. Steven ran 11th that day and Travis was 12th. He stood in the start shack for about 20 minutes as they airlifted his teammate, with little idea what was going on, attempting to maintain focus on his run. He came down into first that day. “A bittersweet day for sure,” as he said in our second edition of “Cellar Talks” prior to Saturday’s downhill. The following season, Travis injured his knee. He’s been steadily progressing since his return, with solid results last season and continued strength in the 2019-20 season.  

“The last time I raced here was the year I won, because the next year I blew out my knee, and the next year was cancelled...I have really good feelings on this hill, it just really makes sense to me,” Travis reflected. “The really fast sections into one big turn where you have to nail the timing and carry speed to the next section...yeah, I had good feelings today. The season’s almost coming to an end now, we have two more downhills before finals, and it’s really good to just have a nice solid result, score a bunch of points, and put myself in a good position for the end of the season and next year, too. I’m really happy with my race, and I guess I like this hill a lot.” 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle skied a super solid run, landing in 12th, followed by Jared Goldberg in 20th—his best result so far this season, Bryce Bennett in 23rd, and Steven Nyman in 29th. Ryan is currently sitting in 12th in the downhill standings, with Travis in 14th, Steven in 18th and Bryce in 19th. The level of competition in men’s downhill at the moment is high, with a lot of guys who have the ability to reach the podium. “Even with the shortened race, it was still almost a full-length downhill at 1:40, and it’s amazing how tight the race was,” Travis said.

“I think the conditions ended up being really good today, and everyone was pushing," he continued. "The level is really high in downhill right now, there are different guys on the podium and winning every week, so it’s really competitive. I’m not sure how tight it is behind me, but it’s always nice to be that close to a podium...it’s amazing how competitive it is. The amount of guys that are skiing really really well and pushing is at an amazing level right now, so it’s always good to have a good result when the level is that high.”

Sam Dupratt also started for the Americans—his career-first World Cup downhill—finishing in 47th. 

Up next for the men is a giant slalom on Sunday, in which Olympic champion Ted Ligety and this year’s Birds of Prey GS victor Tommy Ford will lead the charge for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Ted’s last career podium was a third place in Garmisch prior to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. 

WATCH: Take a pause and watch our second edition of Cellar Talks, with the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers.

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill

STANDINGS
Downhill
Overall

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
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Twitter
Official event hashtags: #worldcupgap, #worldcupsochi

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 2
12:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*
2:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
4:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel*
7:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow
 

World Cup Downhill in Rosa Khutor Canceled For Second-Straight Year

By Megan Harrod
February, 1 2020
Rosa Khutor Downhill Canceled
For the second-straight year, the women's downhill at the 2014 Olympic venue in Rosa Khutor (Sochi), Russia has been canceled due to weather. (Dimitar Dilkoff - AFP via Getty Images)

For the second-straight year, weather in Rosa Khutor (Sochi), Russia has provided a challenge for race organizers and the FIS Ski World Cup, forcing them to cancel the women's downhill scheduled for Saturday. 

Heavy amounts of snow and rain pounded the site of the 2014 Olympics site during the week, affecting the surface and making it impossible to get a downhill training run scheduled. Downhill training runs were canceled on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday before a plan was made to have a downhill training run on Saturday morning prior to Saturday's race. Snow fell throughout the night, stopping at 3:00 a.m., and though organizers tried hard to prep the surface, the track was not safe for the athletes to ski on Saturday morning. FIS, together with the Jury, made the call to cancel the downhill and shift their focus to prepping the track for Sunday's super-G. 

Current overall, super-G and slalom World Cup standings leader Mikaela Shiffrin, who is competing in all six disciplines, has wisely opted to sit out Rosa Khutor and instead rest and recover prior to the next block of races. Mikaela also is currently sitting in second in the downhill and giant slalom standings. Mikaela, who was leading in the super-G standings last year heading into the speed series in Rosa Khutor, received a hefty amount of disgruntlement from fans and media who did not understand the decision to sit out. Mother Nature was on Mikaela's side then, as well as in Val d'Isere, France earlier this season, and now today as well. 

The organizers are optimistic they can prepare the surface for the super-G on Sunday. The organizers are watering the super-G track on Saturday afternoon and hoping temperatures drop considerably so it will set up appropriately. 

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 1
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 2
12:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*
2:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
4:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel*
7:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.comNBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

 

Five Americans Podium at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix

By Andrew Gauthier
January, 31 2020
colby and deven
Colby Stevenson (left), Andri Ragettli (center), and Deven Fagan (right) on the freeski slopestyle podium at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. (U.S. Ski & Snowboard - Sarah Brunson)

Five Americans podiumed in freeski slopestyle and snowboard halfpipe today at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix FIS World Cup on a beautiful day at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. Colby Stevenson led the U.S. Freeski Team with a second-place finish. This is Colby’s second consecutive World Cup slopestyle podium and fourth consecutive podium in three events. 

“I came out feeling healthy today and that is probably the biggest factor playing into my recent success,” said Colby. “I tried to come into finals today with the right mindset trying to have fun. The weather cooperated which made for a great day of skiing and it definitely boosted my confidence having a sunny day with hardly any wind. I’m just trying to keep the ball rolling.”

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Deven Fagan finished in third place right behind Colby. This is Deven’s first-ever World Cup podium. 

“This is crazy,” said Deven. “My brother (Kiernan Fagan) and I pretty much swapped positions from last year at this contest. My goal was to podium today and I’m really happy with the run I put down. I definitely improved from qualifiers by doing a 1440 on my last jump. I also changed up my rails a little bit.”

Colby and Deven plan to head to Southern California to get some surfing in ahead of their next competition to unwind and regroup. Andri Ragettli, the winningest freeskier in World Cup history, topped the podium for his sixth World Cup win. 

For the women, U.S. Freeski Team member Maggie Voisin earned her second consecutive third-place finish following her return from ACL surgery. 

“I’m super happy to get back on the podium here in Mammoth,” said Maggie. ‘I’m also really grateful that Mammoth and mother nature brought us sunshine and no wind for finals today. I can’t believe I went back-to-back with podiums at X Games and the Grand Prix.”

U.S. Rookie Team members Marin Hamill finished fifth and Rell Harwood finished seventh, each landing solid runs from top to bottom. Swiss freeskier Sarah Hoefflin topped the podium following a double X Games medal performance last week. Isabel Atkin of Great Britain finished second. 

Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix competition continued with men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe where U.S. Snowboard Team members Taylor Gold and Maddie Mastro each earned second place. Maddie landed her double crippler for the first time in competition since her win at the 2019 U.S. Open. Coming off of a challenging X Games, Maddie was elated to put it down.

“I couldn’t be more stoked,” said Maddie. “I have been working so hard this season and I have tried the double crippler in multiple different contests this year. It’s nice to show everyone what I already know, which is I can stomp that trick when I want to. I am as happy as I could be right now.” 

Taylor also landed his signature trick with a double Michalchuck 1080 on his third run. However, it was his first run which held down second-place throughout the entirety of the competition and resulted in his second consecutive World Cup podium.

“I feel really good,” said Taylor. “To be honest, I didn’t expect my first run to hold up in podium position all the way through the competition, but I felt really good to put it down. I was really excited to land my new trick on my third run, but just couldn’t make it all the way down the pipe. It was a super fun event and amazing to have nice weather here.”

At X Games, teammate Chase Josey coined Taylor’s double Michaelchuck 1080 the “Chuck Taylor” and it seems to be sticking. 

“You know, I’m not going to fight it,” he said jokingly. “I really like it to be honest. I think it has a nice ring to it.”

Competition continues on Saturday at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix with snowboard slopestyle and freeski halfpipe finals at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. Tune in on the Olympic Channel and NBC Sports to catch all of the action live. 

RESULTS
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s freeski slopestyle 
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe

START LISTS
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s freeski halfpipe
Men’s freeski halfpipe


HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 31

12:30 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold.

Saturday, Feb. 1
6:35 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross, Megeve, FRA - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 31

4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN**

Sunday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app, Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
 

Men Take on the Deceiving Kandahar, While Women Attempt for Speed in Sochi

By Megan Harrod
January, 31 2020
Men's Speed Team at Military Base
The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men's speed team poses with friends and families of the U.S. Army servicemen and servicewomen in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (Max Hall)

The FIS Ski World Cup men’s tour will take on the mighty and deceiving Kandahar track in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, while the women attempt to get races off in 2014 Olympic venue in Rosa Khutor, Sochi, Russia. 

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers and giant slalom skiers head to Garmisch to take on a downhill and giant slalom on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Though warm weather has plagued the World Cup classic downhill and erased the first downhill training run on Thursday, the organizers salted the track and the downhillers were able to get in a training run⁠—albeit with soft snow and less-than-ideal conditions⁠—on Friday. In Friday’s first and only downhill training run, Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the way with the fifth-fastest time, .48 seconds off France’s Johan Clarey’s time, while 2017 Garmisch winner Travis Ganong was just a tenth back, tied for seventh. 

It's a dark, bumpy ride down the Kandahar in Garmisch, and after the noise of Wengen's Lauberhorn and Kitzbuehel's Hahnenkamm, it can be quite deceiving. The downhillers have talked about how many have let their guard down in Garmisch, and how it has come back to bite them. The classic track is challenging and has claimed its fair share of victims in the past—including, and especially, in 2017 when 11 athletes DNFed and two (including Steven Nyman) were airlifted from the track with season-ending injuries. 

The giant slalom crew will return to action on Sunday, led by Olympic champion Ted Ligety and this year’s Beaver Creek victor, Tommy Ford. Though the giant slalom crew has had a break since Adelboden, they’ve gotten a solid training block at the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team’s European official training base in Alpe Cimbra ski area – Folgaria, Lavarone in Italy. Keep an eye on both Ted and Tommy, and remember—Ted’s last podium was in 2018 in Garmisch on this track, prior to the PyeongChang Olympics. 

Steven, Travis, Ryan, Bryce Bennett, Sam Morse, Sam Dupratt and Jared Goldberg enjoyed their annual visit to the U.S. Army base in Garmisch on Wednesday evening, signing autographs for families of servicemen and servicewomen in Garmisch. This is a tradition the Team has enjoyed for the last 20+ years, and it’s a hearty American welcome that makes the athletes feel at home in Garmisch. 

The women’s speed team traveled to Rosa Khutor, in Sochi, Russia for a downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday, but heavy snowfall has severely affected the schedule, with cancelled downhill training runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Snow continues to fall at Rosa Khutor, though organizers are optimistic they’ll be able to nail down an aggressive schedule on Saturday that includes a downhill training run at 8:00 a.m. CET followed by a race at 10:30 a.m. CET. The speed series in 2019 was cancelled entirely due to heavy snowfall. 

Current overall, super-G and slalom World Cup standings leader Mikaela Shiffrin, who is competing in all six disciplines, has wisely opted to sit out Rosa Khutor and instead rest and recover prior to the next block of races. Mikaela also is currently sitting in second in the downhill and giant slalom standings. If the weather subsides and the races happen, keep an eye on Breezy Johnson—who scored a pair of top-10 results in her second and third World Cup races back from injury last weekend in Bansko, Bulgaria. 

WATCH: Take a pause and watch our second edition of Cellar Talks, with the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team downhillers.

Check out how and who to watch below. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Sam Dupratt
Tommy Ford
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Ted Ligety
Brian McLaughlin
Steven Nyman
River Radamus 

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Breezy Johnson
Alice McKennis
Alice Merryweather
Jackie Wiles

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill Training Run 1

START LISTS
Women’s Downhill Training Run
Men’s Downhill

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
Official event hashtags: #worldcupgap, #worldcupsochi

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 1
3:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 2
12:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*
2:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
4:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Rosa Khutor, RUS - Olympic Channel*
7:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

Moguls Back in MST at Calgary World Cup

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 31 2020
Brad Wilson
Brad Wilson qualified 16th during the FIS World Cup in Calgary, Canada on Friday. Finals are set for Saturday, Feb. 1 (Mike Page - ID One USA)

The U.S. Moguls Team is back on Mountain Standard Time for World Cup competition in Calgary, Canada. With limited available daylight on the Calgary course, qualifications are split over two days: the men qualified Friday and the women will qualify Saturday, with finals for both taking place on Saturday. 

Dylan Walczyk led the American men, qualifying in 13. Brad Wilson snuck in at 16, riding the bubble for most of the round. The men had a quick training window, with only one full day under their belts before qualifiers. Head Coach Matt Gnoza noted that this actually may have worked in Brad’s favor. “He had a real veteran presence in training [Thursday]. He was really focused, he never over or under does it and is able to lean on his experience.”

The Team is in good spirits as the Calgary event is one of the favored stops on the tour. Being close to the downtown area and only 20 minutes from the airport is a welcome change from hours-long bus rides. 

The Calgary course is steep, a “skiers’ course” as Matt likes to call it, with nice long landing pads so athletes can really push it in their jumps. This will favor the U.S. women, as all come from a heavy skiing background.

Leading the American women is Jaelin Kauf who brought her new trick, a cork 7, to competition last week in Tremblant. She’s been working hard to progress her run, watch for her to bring it all together this week. Hannah Soar, who had a career-best finish in singles with a sixth place in Tremblant has been skiing well in training. She will look to continue to build on the momentum she’s created for herself this season. Matt notes that Tess Johnson “is looking good, skiing really well. We’re focusing on her skiing this week rather than jumping. She seems excited about that, she’ll get to showcase her stuff on this skiers’ course.” Kai Owens is coming off of her first World Cup start with an 11th place finish. “Now she realizes where she is and what she’s here to do,” said Matt. “Training and continuing to be smart as a rookie will be key here for Kai.”

“I had some struggles [Thursday] morning, I’m starting to figure it out,” Kai reflected about her training. “It’s part of my process in learning the course and getting used to it - making some mistakes and learning from them. I’m feeling more excited and less nervous for this [World Cup]. I’m still trying to keep a good approach, keep calm and just do my skiing.”

Finals are set for Saturday, Feb. 1 for the last competition before the Team returns to home snow at the 2020 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International FIS Ski World Cup at Deer Valley Resort Feb. 6-8.

U.S. Women Starters
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Kai Owens
Hannah Soar

Results
Men’s Moguls Qualifications

HOW TO WATCH 

All times EST

FREESTYLE

Saturday, Feb. 1
3:20 p.m. - Men’s and women’s moguls, Calgary, CAN - OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold
9:00 p.m. - Men’s and women’s moguls, Calgary, CAN - Olympic Channel*


 

Shiffrin, Stevenson Finalists for Best of January Team USA Awards

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 31 2020
Mikaela Shiffrin
Mikaela Shiffrin competes during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Super G on January 26, 2020 in Bansko Bulgaria. (Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards, Best of January, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Two U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are nominated: Mikaela Shiffrin and Colby Stevenson.

Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Tuesday, Feb. 4.  

Male Athlete of the Month

Colby Stevenson, Freestyle Skiing
Captured gold in slopestyle at his first Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, and additionally took bronze in slopestyle at the world cup in Seiser Alm, Italy, marking his fourth podium finish on the world cup level. 

Female Athlete of the Month

Mikaela Shiffrin, Alpine Skiing
Earned four world cup podium spots in January, taking home gold in super-G and downhill at the world cup in Bansko, Bulgaria, along with bronze in slalom at the world cup in Flachau, Austria, and bronze in giant slalom at the world cup in Sestriere, Italy.

Selection Process
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per sport discipline. An internal nominating committee selects finalists to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50% of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.

VOTE NOW

Lifestyle Brand Volcom Honored With Doc DesRoches Industry Award

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
January, 30 2020
Volcom

DENVER – SnowSports Industries America and U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognized Volcom, a modern lifestyle brand rooted in board sports, with its annual Doc DesRoches Award for its support of U.S. Snowboard Team athletes. The award was presented during the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show Thursday (Jan. 30) in Denver.

The brand has been an innovative leader in the sport developing technology systems such as Zip Tech ® and TDS ®  (Thermal Defense System) to advance product offerings for snowboard enthusiasts and elite athletes alike.

Volcom, a leading snow sports brand for over 20 years, announced its partnership with the U.S. Snowboard Team this fall through an engaging video piece that featured Volcom snow athletes and numerous celebrities. Volcom also created a line of co-branded merchandise to help promote the U.S. Snowboard Team. 

To support the partnership, the brand has activated at Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover in Atlanta and at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix events at Copper Mountain, Colo., and Mammoth Mountain, Calif. This partnership strengthens the brands connection to snow with an increasing wide roster of athletes that includes Hailey Langland, Marcus Kleveland, Arthur Longo, and Elena Hight to name a few. 

“Our team suppliers are important partners and Volcom took its new role very seriously this past season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Not only did it provide strong products technically for our athletes, but it has engaged as a strong lifestyle partner for our team’s march towards the 2022 Olympics in Beijing.”

The award has been presented each year since 2004 by SIA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard to recognize a national team supplier for its work in supporting the Team and its athletes. It is named in honor of Doc DesRoches, a long time industry leader who helped form SIA and led it for two decades. During that tenure he was instrumental in the development of the U.S. Ski Team's fundraising efforts, including the formation of the original New York Ski Ball, now the Gold Medal Gala, which has raised millions to support team athletes.

“This award is important to showcase lifestyle brands like Volcom who are innovative within our industry and truly engaged with helping support our top athletes,” said SIA President and CEO Nick Sargent. “It’s also very meaningful to us at SIA for helping preserve the legacy of our founder Doc DesRoches.”

“Volcom truly values its new relationship with the U.S. Snowboard Team,” said Volcom CEO Todd Hymel. “We have enjoyed working with the athletes and helping them on their journey. Their accomplishments this season at the Grand Prix and X-Games is a testament to the importance of performance and innovation, which are important principles for us at Volcom and for the U.S. Snowboard Team.”

Volcom CEO Todd Haymel and CMO Ryan Immegart accepted the award from SIA President and CEO Nick Sargent and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor at the Volcom booth at the Outdoor Retailer Snow in Denver on Thursday, January 30.

Doc DesRoches Award Winners

  • 2004 - Rossignol
  • 2005 - Atomic
  • 2006 - All U.S. Ski Team suppliers
  • 2007 - Spyder Active Sports
  • 2008 - Volkl, Marker, Tecnica
  • 2009 - SmartWool
  • 2010 - Under Armour
  • 2011 - Head Skis
  • 2012 - High Sierra
  • 2013 - POC Sports USA
  • 2014 - The North Face
  • 2015 - GoPro
  • 2016 - Atomic
  • 2017 - Stöckli
  • 2018 - Burton
  • 2019 - Spyder Active Sports
  • 2020 - Volcom

About SIA

Snowsports Industries America is the non-profit, member-owned trade association representing snow sports suppliers with constituents in the retail, rep and resort communities. We're helping our members succeed by providing insightful research, innovative education, and growing participation. Learn more at www.snowsports.org

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2020, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

About Volcom:

Inspired by creative spirit, Volcom was founded as a clothing company rooted in skateboarding, surfing, and snowboarding. Building upon the foundation of sport culture, Volcom also supports initiatives in music and the arts and lives by the mantra ‘True To This’ as a rallying cry for persistent rebels and creatives that follow their passions. Volcom creates meaningful products for men, women and kids across a variety of categories including outdoorsnow, swim, skate, denim, accessories, fashion and more. Volcom has more than 100 direct-to-consumer retail outposts globally and has distribution in hundreds of specialty retail and department store locations. To learn more about Volcom’s deep product assortment visit www.volcom.com and follow @Volcom on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.


 

Four Americans Top Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix Qualifications

By Andrew Gauthier
January, 30 2020
Dusty Hero
Dusty Henricksen airborne during the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix snowboard slopestyle qualifiers at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. (FIS Snowboard - Buchholz)

Day Two of competition is in the books at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. and 18 U.S. athletes qualified through to finals in men’s freeski halfpipe, women’s freeski slopestyle, and men’s and women’s snowboard slopestyle. 

In men’s freeski halfpipe, the U.S. Freeski Team went five for five in heat one, led by defending Mammoth Grand Prix champion Birk Irving. 

“I feel good,” said Birk. “The pipe was a bit scary today. It was pretty vert and icy because it got so warm yesterday, but it was fast and we managed. Mammoth did a great job of painting it and made it easy to see in the flat light. I ended up putting a run down and getting into the top spot. For finals, I have a couple of more difficult runs I want to try, so we will see what happens.”

Taylor Seaton, Aaron Blunck, Jaxin Hoerter, and Hunter Hess followed suit in heat one to make their way to finals. In heat two, Lyman Currier took the top spot and David Wise qualified fifth. 

In men’s snowboard slopestyle, U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member and Mammoth local Dusty Henricksen qualified first in his heat. 

“I didn’t have the highest expectation in qualifications today,” said Dusty. “ I know that I’m competing against the best of the best and I’m super hyped to have put down a run and make finals. The course was super fun and flowy, conditions weren’t ideal with the lighting, but other than that we got super lucky with the weather. I might try and bump up the difficulty a little bit for finals if conditions allow.”

Dusty is coming fresh off of a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 and will be looking for his first World Cup podium. Joining Dusty in finals are U.S. Snowboard Pro Team athletes Luke Winkelmann and Judd Henkes, as well as Americans Storm Rowe and Dave Retzlaff. 

Coming in off of her sixth X Games Gold medal, Jamie Anderson qualified first overall in women’s snowboard slopestyle. Also qualifying through to finals is U.S. Rookie Team member Jade Thurgood and American Isabella Gomez. This will be Jade’s first-ever World Cup final.

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Maggie Voisin led the U.S. in slopestyle qualifiers finishing second overall. 

“I think we really lucked out with weather today,” said Maggie. “It’s a more mellow course, but when the wind comes out, it can definitely be variable. None of that Mammoth wind came into play and the sun came out for a while. I’m super happy to qualify into finals and it’s time to step it up.” 

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team members Marin Hamill and Rell Harwood will join Maggie in finals. 


RESULTS
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard slopestyle 

START LISTS
Friday, Jan. 31

Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women’s freeski slopestyle
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s Snowboard halfpipe

Saturday, Feb. 1
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski halfpipe
Men’s snowboard slopestyle 
Women’s snowboard slopestyle
 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 31

12:30 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold.

Saturday, Feb. 1
6:35 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross, Megeve, FRA - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 31

4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN**

Sunday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app, Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
 

Hall, Goepper, Josey Lead Grand Prix Qualifications

By Andrew Gauthier
January, 29 2020
Nick
Nick Goepper in action during the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle qualifiers at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. (FIS Snowboard - Buchholz)

Competition has begun at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. and 14 U.S. athletes qualified through to finals in snowboard halfpipe, men’s freeski slopestyle, and women’s freeski halfpipe. U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Pro Team members Alex Hall and Nick Goepper each qualified first in their heat. 

“I’m feeling really good,” said Nick. “I was a little frustrated with my X Game performance, and I came into this week with a chip on my shoulder. For finals, my plan is to build on the run I was able to put down today and hopefully find my way into the top three.” 

Also qualifying through for the men are U.S. Freeski Team members Deven Fagan, Kiernan Fagan, Colby Stevenson, and Cody LaPlante. 

In men’s snowboard halfpipe, Chase Josey qualified first overall alongside teammates Taylor Gold, Chase Blackwell, Ryan Wachendorfer, and Jason Wolle. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Maddie Mastro qualified 4th overall for the women.

The first day of qualifications came to a close with 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney qualifying third, and rookie team member Hanna Faulhaber qualifying sixth in women's freeski halfpipe. 

FIS World Cup competition will continue on Thursday at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix with snowboard slopestyle, men's freeski halfpipe, and women's freeski slopestyle qualifications. 

RESULTS
Men’s freeski slopestyle
Women’s freeski halfpipe
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s snowboard halfpipe

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 31

12:30 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold.

Saturday, Feb. 1
6:35 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross, Megeve, FRA - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 31

4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN**

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app, Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
 

Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix Kicks Off at Mammoth

By Andrew Gauthier
January, 29 2020
Dusty Rainbow Rail
Dusty Henricksen at training during the 2020 Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Calif. (FIS Snowboard - Buchholz)

Freeskiers and snowboarders from across the globe have arrived at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in California’s Eastern Sierra for slopestyle and halfpipe competition at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix. Holding home-court advantage, 39 freeskiers and 37 snowboarders will represent the United States in FIS World Cup competition. 

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Kiernan Fagan is psyched to compete after earning third-place at last year’s event.

“I’m hyped to be heading back to Mammoth this year,” he said. “It definitely would be sick to get another podium at this event and hopefully improve on my result from last year. I’m looking forward to the competition."

Joining Kiernan from the U.S. Freeski Slopestyle Pro Team is Willie Borm, Nick Goepper, Kiernan Fagan, Alex Hall, and Colby Stevenson. Colby had a dominant performance last week to become the first X Games rookie to win gold in freeski slopestyle at X Games Aspen. This was Colby’s second gold medal of the week after winning the inaugural ski knuckle huck event. 

For the women, U.S. Freeski Pro Slopestyle Team’s own Caroline Claire, Devin Logan, and Maggie Voisin will compete. Maggie’s had a long road to recovery following ACL surgery last year. However, in her first competition back from injury at X Games Aspen, she proved she was back in prime form competing in big air and earning the bronze medal in slopestyle. 

In halfpipe, double-Olympic gold medalist David Wise, Lyman Currier, Taylor Seaton, Hunter Hess, Birk Irving, and Aaron Blunck will lead the way for the U.S. Freeski Pro Team. Aaron is coming off a silver medal performance at X Games Aspen and will be looking to carry that momentum into the Mammoth pipe. 

Members of the women’s U.S. Freeski Pro Halfpipe Team set to compete include Devin Logan and Brita Sigourney. Brita will be looking for her second Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix podium of the season after earning second-place in Copper. Also. U.S. Rookie Team athlete Hanna Faulhaber is set to drop in following a bronze medal performance in her last competition at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, less than two weeks ago. 

The U.S. Snowboard Slopestyle Team is also bringing an all-star roster to the table including Olympic silver medalist Kyle Mack, Ryan Stassel, Luke Winkelmann, Lyon Farrell, and Judd Henkes. Judd will be looking to ride his way into the top-three after earning second place at the 2019 Mammoth Grand Prix.

For the women, pro team members Julia Marino, Hailey Langland, and Jamie Anderson are ready to compete. Jamie remained podium perfect at X Games last week with a gold medal in snowboard slopestyle. Jamie has gone 15 for 15 winning medals at every slopestyle competition she has entered at X Games. Jamie heads into Thursday’s qualifier as the favorite in the field. 

In halfpipe, the U.S. Snowboard Pro Team’s own Chase Blackwell, Chase Josey, Toby Miller, Jake Pates, Ryan Wachendorfer and Taylor Gold will take to the pipe. Taylor has added a double Michalchuk 1080 to his arsenal, but he’s only landed it once in World Cup competition at the 2020 Laax Open to take third place. If he can put it down at Mammoth, there’s no doubt he will be a podium contender. 

For the women, U.S. Team riders and Mammoth locals Maddie Mastro and Tessa Maud will be looking to put on a show in front of their hometown crowd. 

“I am so excited to be returning to my home mountain for this next contest,” said Tessa. “I love riding in Mammoth. The vibes are always so positive here. The Mammoth Grand Prix is special to me because I grew up watching this event and I am happy to be competing at home. My goals for this contest are to place top-ten and also put a great run down.”

The Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth always boasts an incredible slopestyle course and halfpipe thanks to the famed Unbound Terrain Park crew. There is a stacked international field ready to drop in, so don’t miss your chance to catch it live at Mammoth or tune in to catch all the action. 

COURSE DETAILS
Slopestyle

First feature: Gap to down rail, 40’ down rail
Second feature: Flat down 8” rail, down flat down 8” rail
Third feature: 40’ rainbow rail, 15’ lift tower pole jam
Fourth feature: Two 45’ transitions jumps. 15’ tall, cut using 22’ Zaugg
Fifth feature: 54’ jump
Sixth feature: 64’ jump

Halfpipe
600 ft. in length
18 Degree Inclination

U.S. ATHLETES
FREESKI

Men’s Freeski Slopestyle
Colby Stevenson - Pro
Alex Hall - Pro
Kiernan Fagan - Pro
Nick Goepper - Pro
Willie Borm - Pro
Deven Fagan - Rookie
Cody LaPlante - Rookie
Hunter Henderson - Rookie
Tim Ryan - American
Peter Raich - American
Ryan McElmon - American
Ryan Stevenson - American

Women’s Freeski Slopestyle
Maggie Voisin - Pro
Devin Logan - Pro
Caroline Claire Pro
Grace Henderson - Rookie
Rell Harwood - Rookie
Marin Hamill - Rookie

Men’s Freeski Halfpipe
Aaron Blunck - Pro
David Wise - Pro
Birk Irving - Pro
Taylor Seaton - Pro
Lyman Currier - Pro
Hunter Hess - Pro
Jaxin Hoerter - Rookie
Cassidy Jarrell - Rookie
Sammy Schuiling - Rookie
Connor Ladd - Rookie
Hunter Carey - Rookie
Dylan Ladd - Rookie
Lennon Vaughan - American
Cameron Brodrick - American
Aaron Durlester - American
Tristan Feinberg - American 

Women’s Freeski Halfpipe
Brita Sigourney - Pro
Devin Logan - Pro
Hanna Faulhaber - Rookie
Abigale Hansen - Rookie
Riley Jacobs - American
Jeanee Crane-Mauzy - American

SNOWBOARD
Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle

Ryan Stassel - Pro
Kyle Mack - Pro
Luke Winkelmann - Pro
Sean FitzSimons - Pro
Lyon Farrell - Pro
Judd Henkes - Pro
Jake Canter - Rookie
Dusty Henricksen - Rookie
Will Healy - American
Storm Rowe - American
Dave Retzlaff - American

Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle
Jamie Anderson - Pro
Hailey Langland - Pro
Julia Marino - Pro
Courtney Rummel - Rookie
Ty Schnorrbusch - Rookie
Jade Thurgood - Rookie
Makayla Kellogg - American
Isabella Gomez - American

Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe
Taylor Gold - Pro
Chase Josey - Pro
Toby Miller - Pro
Jake Pates - Pro
Ryan Wachendorfer - Pro
Chase Blackwell - Pro
Jason Wolle - Rookie
Jack Coyne - Rookie
Lucas Foster - Rookie
Kolman Lecroy - American
Joshua Bowman - American

Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe
Maddie Mastro - Pro
Tessa Maud - Rookie
Kaili Shafer - American
Athena Comeau - American
Alexandria Simsovits - American
Kinsley White - American
Zoe Kalapos - American

EVENT SCHEDULE
FREESKI

Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Slopestyle Qualifiers
Thursday, Jan. 30 - Halfpipe Qualifiers 
Friday,  Jan. 31 - Slopestyle Finals
Saturday, Feb. 1 - Halfpipe Finals

SNOWBOARD
Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Halfpipe Qualifiers
Thursday, Jan. 30 - Slopestyle Qualifiers 
Friday,  Jan. 31 - Halfpipe Finals
Saturday, Feb. 1 - Slopestyle Finals


HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same-day delayed broadcast
** Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 31

12:30 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold.

Saturday, Feb. 1
4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 31

4:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s slopestyle, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBC**
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth, Calif. - NBCSN**

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app, Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.