U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rookie Team athletes excelled at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, for the second of three NorAm sanctioned Rev Tour ELITE events of the season. The event featured two slopestyle competitions for both snowboard and freeski, providing athletes with plenty of repetitions and opportunities to reach the podium and progress.

In the first snowboarding competition, U.S. Rookie Team member Jake Canter (Silverthorne, Colo.) took the victory. After struggling at previous Rev Tour competitions, Canter was ecstatic with his performance.

“It feels insane to win a Rev Tour Competition,” said Canter. “I have never made finals ever before at a Rev Tour and today I somehow ended up winning. I just want to keep having fun and hopefully go to the Olympics one day, and of course, keep riding pow! “

Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.) who took the women’s victory. Not only did she win the event, but she improved on last year’s results. “After getting a second place last year, it feels amazing to bump it up this year with the win,” said Gardner. “Not to mention, just riding with all my friends is a great feeling.”

In the second snowboard competition, it was U.S. Rookie Team member Luke Winkelmann claiming the top spot on the podium. Winkelmann struggled in the first competition, so he used his second chance to find redemption.

“It feels great to take the win after yesterday not going my way,” said Winkelmann. “My goals for snowboarding are to make a full part for a movie, obviously the Olympics would be a dream, and I also would love to compete in X Games.”

For the women, Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.) added another win to the collection for the U.S. Rookie Snowboard Team. Rummel has her sights set on a bright future and her win at the Rev Tour is certainly a step in the right direction.

“It feels amazing and it’s so nice to win first place,” said Rummel. “I want to make to make a name for myself within the sport and also go to the Olympics one day.”

On the freeski side, Deven Fagan (Frisco, Colo.) took the top spot in the first of two competitions. Fagan’s comments following his victory mimicked that of the snowboarders staying on the theme of progression.

“It feels awesome to win today, I am super stoked,” he said. “My ultimate goals in freeskiing are to win the X Games and the Olympics.”

U.S. Rookie Team member Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah) took the win in the women’s event. Hamill struggled throughout practice but managed to put it all together when it mattered.

“It feels pretty good to win today, especially because practice didn’t go all that well for me,” said Hamill. My goals are to keep having fun and get as good as I can be in the sport.

In the final freeski competition of the week, Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H) earned the victory. “It’s amazing,” Henderson said. “Words can’t describe how happy I am. It’s a great competition and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Canadian Skye Clark who took the final freeski event for the women. However, third-place finisher and U.S. Rookie Team member Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) reached the podium with a third-place finish.

“It feels really good to be on the podium today,” said Harwood. “I had a lot of fun on the snow at Waterville and plan on continuing to compete and having fun this season.”

One commons theme throughout the winning Rev Tour athletes comments is the fact that everyone simply wants to continue having fun while skiing and riding for the love it. The passion amongst the Rev Tour athletes is undeniable. Competition can be stressful, but these athletes clearly have the right mindset. With the improved athlete pipeline throughout the Rev Tour Series, athletes have a chance to compete at the correct level of competition against their peers, continue to improve and climb the competition ladder in an enjoyable atmosphere. The future of snowboarding and freeskiing seems bright with all winning athletes having goals to reach the Olympics, X Games and continuing to progress.

The third and final Rev Tour Elite event will be held at Mammoth Mountain, California, Mar. 12-17 with snowboard and freeski slopestyle, halfpipe and big air competitions. In addition, there are also two FIS sanctioned Rev Tour events just around the corner as well. The first at Copper Mountain Feb. 10-14 featuring both halfpipe and slopestyle competitions. The second event will be hosted in Seven Springs, Penn. for another slopestyle and halfpipe competition Feb. 25 - March 1.

RESULTS
SNOWBOARD
Men’s slopestyle #1
Men’s slopestyle #2
Women’s slopestyle #1
Women’s slopestyle #2

FREESKI
Men’s slopestyle #1
Men’s slopestyle #2
Women’s slopestyle #1
Women’s slopestyle #2
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 18 athletes to the U.S. Cross Country Team that will compete in the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships next month in Seefeld, Austria. The biennial World Championships brings together the best athletes in the sport for the Feb. 20 - March 3 event which will be live streamed in its entirely on NBCsports.com.

“This team has the experience and the tenacity to bring medals home from Seefeld,” said U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Chris Grover. “Both Sophie and Jessie know how to win on these courses, and they’ll be supported by a veteran group. Our staff has been making some great skis this season and brings many years of Championship know-how to Seefeld. We are excited to see what everyone can do.”

The team includes two medalists from past championships including Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.). At the 2017 World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Diggins won the silver in the freestyle sprint and teamed up with Bjornsen in the classic team sprint to take the bronze. Only five Americans have won a cross country medal at World Championships.

“It’s always an honor to be named to a Championship team, and I’m excited to join such a strong team as we head into Seefeld 2019,” said Diggins. “Although there’s always pressure coming into big events like this, I’m going to be focused on executing my race plan and peaking for the events I’ve targeted at the World Championships in the next few weeks. I’ve enjoyed racing and training on the trails in Seefeld and they have a great atmosphere there, so it should be a really fun and exciting set of races.”

Competition opens on Thursday, February 21, with the freestyle sprint, followed by the skiathlon before heading into the distance races.  The Championships conclude on March 2-3 with a 30k women’s and 50k men’s freestyle mass start.

2019 U.S. Cross Country World Championship Team
(name, hometown, ski club, birthdate)

Men
Simi Hamilton, Aspen, Co., (SMST2) 5/14/1987
Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/15/1991
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, Vt., (SMST2) 11/30/1983
Kevin Bolger, Sun Valley, Idaho, (SVSEF) 04/11/1993
Logan Hanneman, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 6/2/1993
Kyle Bratrud, Eden Prairie, Minn., (SMST2) 2/9/1993
David Norris, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/12/1990
Ben Lustgarten, Burlington, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 4/17/1992
Adam Martin, Wausau, Wis., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 10/26/1994
Scott Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 01/28/1998

Women
Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 11/21/1989
Sophie Caldwell, Stratton Mountain, Vt., (SMST2) 3/22/1990
Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minn., (SMST2) 8/26/1991
Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/2/1988
Ida Sargent, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/25/1988
Julia Kern, Waltham, Mass., ( SMST2) 09/12/1997
Caitlin Patterson, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/30/1990
Rosie Frankowski, Minneapolis, Minn., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/30/1991

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Wednesday, Feb. 20
6:30 a.m. - Women's 5k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:00 am. - Men's 10k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
3:00 p.m. - Men's 10k and women's 5k - NBCSN*

Thursday, Feb. 21
6:00 a.m. - Men and women's sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - NBCSN*​​​​​​

Saturday, Feb. 23
7:30 a.m. - Women's 15k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men's 30k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com

Sunday, Feb. 24
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
10:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - NBCSN*​​​​​​

Tuesday, Feb. 26
7:30 a.m. - Women's 10k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
1:00 p.m. - Women's 10k - NBCSN*

Wednesday, Feb. 27
8:00 a.m. - Men's 15k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com

Thursday, Feb. 28
7:00 a.m. - Women's 4x5k relay - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com

Friday, March 1
7:00 a.m. - Men's 4x10k relay - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com

Saturday, March 2
7:00 a.m. - Women's 30k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com

Sunday, March 3
7:00 a.m. - Men's 50k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
 

An impressive field of 30 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be taking to the slopestyle, big air and superpipe competition at the 2019 Winter X Games at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. for the 23rd edition of the annual winter sports competition this week.

Top U.S. Snowboard Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), and Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.). Notable U.S. Freeski Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah), David Wise (Reno, Nev.), and Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) With multiple defending X Games champions and U.S. podium sweeps from 2018, the world’s best will be gunning for the U.S.

The U.S. Freeski Team will be sending numerous podium contenders to compete in every discipline. In big air, Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) will represent the women, while Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.) will represent the men. In slopestyle, defending X Games gold medalist Voisin will also represent the ladies, while Olympic medalists Christensen, Kenworthy and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) will represent for the U.S. men. In addition, Willie Borm (Chaska, Minn.), Alex Hall (Park City, Utah), Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) and defending slopestyle FIS World Champion McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) are all on the start list for slopestyle.

In the superpipe, the U.S. Freeski Team currently hosts both defending champions in Bowman and Wise. Joining Bowman for the ladies is Annalisa Drew (Andover, Mass.), Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.). Dropping in with Wise is the second-place finisher from last years men’s superpipe U.S. podium sweep and Aspen local Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo,) as well as Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.), Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), and Kenworthy.

The U.S. Snowboard Team has also assembled an A Team looking for success at X Games. In Big Air, defending bronze medalist Jamie Anderson will be looking to improve on her performance in 2018 alongside teammates Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) and Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.). For the men, Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) is vying for his first X Games big air gold medal after a third-place in 2018’s Norway X Games. With a quad cork in his arsenal, Corning is sure to be firing on all cylinders on the enormous and well crafted big air jump built by Snow Park Technologies. Joining Corning is teammate and Olympic big air silver medalist Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.). In slopestyle, Anderson, the most decorated slopestyle rider in X Games history will lead the way with five gold medals to her name accompanied by Langland and Marino. The men’s roster consists a young talented group that has yet to earn any X Games slopestyle medals including Olympic gold medalist Gerard, Mack, Nikolas Baden (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), and Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.).

In superpipe, the U.S. ladies have their work cut out for them as they try to defend their all-American podium sweep. Kim, Arielle Gold ( Steamboat Springs, Calif.) and Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) are all coming back to defend their position on the podium. For the men Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho), X Games bronze medalist from Oslo, will be on site with Olympian Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) and Toby MIller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.). This is Miller’s first competition back from an ankle injury at Dew Tour. He has been on fire this season and looking for his first ever X Games podium. In addition, Americans Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) and snowboarding icon Danny Davis (Highland, Mich.) will also compete.

X Games is a special event as it mixes veteran athletes and legends with young athletes getting their first shot on the big stage. Not only are some of the athletes new to X Games, but so are the events. On the snowboard side, X Games will celebrate the style and creativity inherent in snowboarding with the first-ever knuckle competition. Instead of hitting the Big Air jump as they traditionally would, riders instead take off the knuckle (rollover) of the jump and huck their most unique trick, finishing in the same landing area. Since riders do not get as much height, the tricks must instead rely on technicality and creativity. Knuckle Huck will feature eight athletes in a jam style format throwing as many tricks as possible within the allotted time.

Lastly, as is tradition, X Games Aspen 2019 continues to provide something for all the spectators to enjoy beyond athletic competition. From Jan. 24-27, Buttermilk Mountain will host a variety of entertainment and activities suited for the whole family throughout X Fest. The festival will feature sponsor activations, interactive courses, an awards stage emceed by Chicago-based band, The Flavor Savers, athlete meet and greets, giveaways and the brand new X Trials Obstacle Course. Furthermore, musical acts throughout the week include Lil Wayne, Louis the Child, The Chainsmokers and Kygo.

For more details on the athletes, schedule and more visit www.xgames.com.

2018 X GAMES RESULTS

Maddie Bowman, Superpipe gold
Brita Sigourney, Superpipe silver
David Wise, Superpipe gold
Alex Ferreira, Superpipe silver
Torin Yater-Wallace, Superpipe bronze
Jamie Anderson, Slopestyle gold, Big Air bronze
Julia Marino, Slopestyle silver
Maggie Voisin, Slopestyle gold
Jamie Anderson, Big AIr bronze
Chloe Kim, Superpipe gold
Arielle Gold, Superpipe silver
Maddie Mastro, Superpipe bronze

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:30 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
12:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN*

Saturday, Jan 26.
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27.
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2

SNOWBOARD
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s snowboard Big Air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan 26.
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27.
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
 

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) led the U.S. Cross Country Team with a 13th-place finish in the FIS Cross Country World Cup classic 10k individual start in Otepaa, Estonia, Sunday.

“I was really happy with my kick and I know I lost a lot of time on the flats, but I was happy with how I raced today,” said Diggins. “I was in the zone, pushing as hard as I possibly could and skiing technically better than years past. I’m still carrying some fatigue from the Tour (de Ski) so I need to rest a little more in the next few weeks, but I’m happy with where I’m sitting right now.”

Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) was 27th and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) in 29th.

“I was pleased to wake up to new snow as I love slow, tough races, however, I really struggled to find skis that worked well on the uphills and were still fast on the downhills,” said Brennan. “I made the choice I thought was best, but it wasn't quite what I needed to be competitive today. I am happy to be back racing and my shape feels good so I am hopeful that things will improve from here.”

The women’s race was won in dominant fashion by Therese Johaug of Norway, with Ebba Andersson of Sweden in second and Russian Natalia Nepryaeva in third.

The men’s race was won by Finland’s Iivo Niskanen with Alexander Bolshunov of Russia in second and Didrik Toenseth of Norway completing the podium. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash) was the top U.S. finisher in 30th in the men’s 15k.

RESULTS
Men’s 15k
Women’s 10k

HOW TO WATCH
*Same-day delayed broadcast
​​​​​​​
Sunday, Jan. 20
1:30 p.m. - Women’s 10k interval - Otepaa, EST - Olympic Channel-TV*

January 20 marks “World Snow Day,” a day to celebrate new snow experiences for children across the world. World Snow Day was created by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as part of their “Bring Children to the Snow” campaign to promote skiing and snowboarding to global youth audiences.

World Snow Day brings together children and families around the world, in over 469 events and actions taking place in 45 countries across five continents.

A key role of FIS is to organise international ski and snowboard competitions up through the highest levels, and the FIS is also committed to the global promotion and development of recreational skiing and snowboarding. As the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s mission is to lead, encourage and support athletes in achieving excellence by empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans.

Atomic, the official ski of World Snow day and partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, is giving away a family set of skis to celebrate World Snow Day. Enter to win by:

1. Taking your best family ski photo
2. Post it to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter
3. Add the hashtag #atomicsnowday
4. Then check world-snow-day.com on 20th January 2019 to see if you have won!

Many of the world’s elite ski and snowboard athletes would not be the snowsports heros they are if it were not for their first experience with snow.
“I love the snow, I love skiing. I remember my first day on snow, I was four, and I’ve been hooked ever since.” - 2018 Olympian, moguls, Morgan Schild

On a perfect sun-splashed course in the Italian Alps, Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) trusted her instincts and equipment and came away with another FIS Ski World Cup victory in super-G Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Starting 17th with the red World Cup leader’s bib, Shiffrin, who also leads the World Cup super-G standings, watched a few competitors before her, including teammate Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), struggle on the Olympia delle Tofane course.

“I watched a couple girls going and I was thinking, ‘Ok..there are maybe two or three points on the course you really need to be on the right direction, and otherwise, it’s just to be aggressive,’” Shiffrin said. “I was comfortable with my skis and really, really comfortable with my setup, so I feel like I can do whatever I want if the surface is good, and today the surface was really nice.”

After inspecting the course, Shiffrin admitted she was a bit nervous, but all that disappeared once she was in the start.

“I was just kind of thinking ‘oh, the course looks tricky and a little bit more difficult than I thought from my inspection,’” she said.”But at the end when I started, I was just trying to trust my line and be aggressive. And yeah, I’m a little bit lucky...it’s super tight, but I’m happy to be on that side of the green light.”

Unlike most athletes who raced in Sunday's super-G, Shiffrin did not ski either of the downhill training runs or the downhills at the venue, which can be a more challenging way to head into a super-G race. But for Shiffrin - who had a solid day of super-G training in Sarntal, Italy prior to arriving to Cortina - it was no problem.

Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was second, followed by Tamara Tippler of Austria in third. Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) was 23rd. Vonn and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) were among the 22 athletes who did not finish, but both skied away and are OK. Vonn was making up time as she skied down the track but got pulled pretty low and couldn't make the next left footer, crossing her arms in front of her and skiing through the panel. 

“I haven’t quite processed everything yet,” an emotional Vonn said after her DNF. “I can’t seem to stop crying. It’s been a lot of great memories here in Cortina. I tried to really ski my best, I tried to come through the finish and make a good result for the fans here, but I didn’t quite do that.

“It’s just hard. I thought it would be easier honestly. But it’s not,” she continued while mentioning the support she has received from other athletes, including Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who is also working to come back from an injury and came out to support Vonn in her final race at Cortina, meant a lot to her. “It’s more than ski racing. It’s a respect for each other, sportsmanship, and what skiing is all about. And I’m lucky that I’m able to experience all of that. I feel really thankful that I’ve been able to do it as long as I have.”

Shiffrin acknowledged that it must have been a week full of emotions at a place that was so special to Vonn - a place Vonn has had so much career success. “For Lindsey, I can imagine it’s really emotional,” noted Shiffrin. “She had so many amazing races here...for it to be the last time she’s in Cortina racing, I imagine she must be going through so many memories and it’s a reflection of her entire career. The fans are coming out here to cheer for her - they don’t care if she wins, they just want to see her again. So, in that way, it’s also happy memories.”

With the victory, Shiffrin extended her overall World Cup lead to 596 points over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who did not race Sunday. Shiffrin also leads the World Cup super-G, giant slalom, and slalom standings. Shiffrin is now tied with legendary Austrian skier Hermann Maier with 54 victories, sitting sixth place all-time among men and women. She needs just two more victories in order to equal Vreni Schneider (55) in fifth place.

Up next, the women’s World Cup tour moves on to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany for downhill and super-G races Jan. 24-25.

“I’m planning to take a little time off and get some training,” Shiffrin said. “It will be the first time this season that I’ve had a chance to really take a break. My team as well. My coaches have been going non-stop since the beginning, so we’re going to take a short break, get back on the skis, get back on the slalom skis, get ready for Maribor (Slovenia, Feb. 1-2) and the World Championships.”

As for Vonn, her comeback to the World Cup circuit this weekend in Cortina, where she has won 12 races (six downhill and six super-G) over her 18-year career, hasn’t been what she expected, despite 15th and ninth-place results in Friday and Saturday’s downhills, respectively.

“I’m not sure if I’m going to Garmisch,” Vonn said. “I’m not sure...I’m not sure if I can keep going. I have to really think things through the next few days and make some hard decisions.”

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Sunday, Jan. 20
8:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN**
9:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN*

Friday, Jan.  25
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Jan. 26
4:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 27
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
9:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

Monday, Jan. 28
4:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill and super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**

Tuesday, Jan. 29
11:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Madison Varmette (Stafford, Va.) led the U.S. Aerials Team with a fifth-place finish in the first FIS Freestyle World Cup event of the season at the USANA Lake Placid Freestyle Cup Saturday.

“This first competition was awesome,” said Varmette, who posted a career-best result. “To get fifth in the qualification round and then first in the first final, going into super finals, that was really cool. And then getting fifth, I’m just taking it one step at a time before World Champs. It really filled me with confidence to believe that I continue to do better and continue to do aerials year after year.”

Fans bundled up and braved the cold night, with temperatures around zero degrees Fahrenheit and light snowfall, to support aerial skiers from across the globe. Three American women and one American man qualified for finals and spectators were treated to some serious displays of athleticism as 57 aerial skiers from 10 nations took to the night sky at the Olympic Jumping Complex.

“Madi leading into the super finals was huge for her,” said U.S. Aerials Head Coach Todd Ossian. “She did some great jumps today.”

Finishing right behind Varmette was Winter Vinecki (Gaylord, Mich.), in sixth, a career best for her as well. China swept the podium with Mengtao Xu first, Qi Shao second and Nuo Xu in third.

On the men’s side, Russia’s Maxim Burov took the victory, followed by China’s Xindi Wang in second and Stanislav Nikitin of Russia in third. Chris Lillis (Rochester, N.Y.) was the top American, coming in seventh.

“There was a lot I liked about this event. It’s been good from the development side, all of our athletes are jumping well and getting to where we need to be for World Championships. Next week we’ll have a lot more training on an amazing site here in Lake Placid before U.S. Nationals on January 26,” said Ossian.

Ossian’s biggest take away from this event: Eric Loughran (Pelham, N.H.). “Eric jumped an incredible run in training, the best run he ever did. It’s capable of winning World Cups,” he said.

The men of the U.S. Team are definitely ramping up to show what they have this season. “Pat did first full double full full in training and stuck it. I don’t know many people that stuck their first one,” said Ossian of Patrick O’Flynn (Rochester, N.Y.).

Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) competed in his first World Cup jumping only triples. “It was his first time cold starting on the triple. He’s never warmed up on the triple before. And this is his first year of triples. It’s crazy good,” said Ossian.

Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) made her return to the triple in Lake Placid. “It was a huge step for Ashley to jump the triple today. She’s coming back from shoulder surgery and getting ready for Worlds, so to have that under her belt is awesome,” said World Cup Coach Emily Cook. C. Lillis and Vinecki made their return to the World Cup circuit from injury as well.

RESULTS
Men’s aerials
Women’s aerials

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
**Next-day broadcast

Sunday, Jan. 20
5:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Lake Placid, N.Y. - NBC**

Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) took the victory in Laax, Switzerland at the FIS Snowboard World Cup Laax Open halfpipe as teammates Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) each claimed third, completing a stellar showing for the U.S. Snowboard Team.

“I think I was a little nervous about the night final,” said Kim. “But it turned out really well. The pipe was sick, the ladies were killing it, and it was a really fun contest to be a part of.”

Pates also shared his excitement about the event. “I had such a blast,” he said. “The night finals were crazy. So many people showed up to support and everyone was riding at an insane level. Laax knows how to put on an event for sure.”

It was a perfect night in Laax with the sun setting over the Swiss Alps and a capacity crowd on the walls of the superpipe. The energy was definitely contagious with all the riders putting on a spectacular show. With perfect walls and a slightly longer runway for the athletes, the scene was set for snowboarding excellence and that’s exactly what went down.

Kim did not disappoint as she earned her second victory at the Laax Open, adding to her win in 2017. This is Kim’s sixth-consecutive halfpipe victory since the U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth in January of 2018. Her first run was full of amplitude and style, but only featured one 1080. She followed up her first run with a huge second run score of 95.75, this time incorporating back to back 1080’s that the Swiss crowd unanimously approved. Kim, striving for perfection, commented, “Yea, I definitely wish I grabbed the cab 1080, but other than that I’m happy I put it down,” she said.

Arielle Gold landed a strong first run that would hold for a podium finish. Gold was all smiles in the finish after her run. She has been battling a difficult college schedule at the University of Colorado at Boulder, while also sticking to a demanding competition schedule. Gold is now in top form moving into X Games.

“I was really happy to get my first podium of the season, especially against a really talented field of girls,” said Gold. “I was excited about my riding and am just hoping to build off of that going into X Games next week.”

Maddie Mastro finished in fifth place after landing her second run, but was unable to break into the podium. Spain’s Queralt Castellet finished in second between Kim and Gold. Cai Xuetong finished fourth and maintained her lead in the World Cup halfpipe standings, while Kim jumped from fourth to second. Gold also made a significant leap in the standings from 11th to seventh.

For the men, Pates came out of the gate on fire, landing a solid first run and finished it with a huge double Michalchuk that lit up the crowd. This is Pates first World Cup podium, but definitely not his first rodeo considering he represented the U.S. at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics. On the other hand, Josey struggled on his first run, taking a double crippler to the deck, but stomping it and showing serious strength. Josey did not finish his full second run and would settle for 10th place. Australia's Scotty James claimed the top spot and now is the halfpipe World Cup leader. Pates also jumped into the top 10 of the standings moving into sixth place. Also, Josey is currently eighth, and Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) is in 10th.

The U.S. Snowboard Team will head to X Games for slopestyle, big air and halfpipe competition Jan. 24-27 at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. Following X Games athletes will head to Park CIty, Utah, the home of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, for 10 days of world class competition at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. Stay tuned for the U.S. SKi & Snowboard World Championships Team Announcement and tune into NBC to catch all the action.

RESULTS
Men’s Halfpipe
Women’s Halfpipe

WORLD CUP STANDINGS
Men’s Halfpipe
Women’s Halfpipe

HOW TO WATCH - X GAMES
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Thursday, Jan 24. 
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:30 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
12:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN*

Saturday, Jan 26. 
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27. 
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2

SNOWBOARD
Thursday, Jan 24. 
1:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s snowboard Big Air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan 26. 
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27. 
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) led the U.S. Cross Country Team on Saturday in Otepaa, Estonia, with a 12th-place finish in the FIS Cross Country World Cup classic sprint. The race saw several falls and crashes that shook up the final results and most notably took out several of the strong Swedes.

“Today was a lot of fun, and I was really happy with how I skied,” said Diggins. “I ran out of gas a little in the second half of my semifinal, but given how stacked the semifinal one was, I’m taking a lot of confidence from today and in my classic sprinting. The steep herringbone technique on the big climb has always been a challenge for me, and I still have some work to do.”

The U.S. qualified five athletes for the finals, in part due to some fast skis from the wax techs. In addition to Diggins, the qualifiers included Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Ida Sargent (Craftsbury, Vt.), Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.).

“A bittersweet ‘day one’ of the classic weekend,” said Bjornsen. “After a qualifier that seemed a bit off, I went into the heats excited to find a better place and tried to hang in a smart position through the whole heat. As I came into the final corner, the tails of my skis got a little clicked by the Slovenian, which caused me to lose balance and find myself on the ground...not the way I had expected it.”

World Cup overall sprint leader Stina Nilsson of Sweden did not start the finals due to a potential injury opening the door for race winner Maiken Caspersen Falla of Norway. Russian Natalia Nepryaeva was second with third going to Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist.

In the men’s race, neither Bjornsen or Newell advanced past the quarterfinals. The men’s race was dominated by the Norwegians who held five of the six start positions in the finals. World Cup overall leader Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway took the victory, followed by Alexander Bolshunov of Russia in second, and Norway’s Paal Golberg in third.

RESULTS
Men’s Sprint Finals
Women’s Sprint Finals

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast

Saturday, Jan. 19
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s sprint - Otepaa, EST - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Jan. 20
3:30 a.m. - Women’s 10k interval - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Men’s 15k interval - Otepaa, EST - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:30 p.m. - Women’s 10k interval - Otepaa, EST - Olympic Channel-TV*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Under the sunshine in front of 40,000 fans, Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) grabbed his third-straight FIS Ski World Cup downhill top five on the classic Lauberhorn track in Wengen, Switzerland.

The Americans haven’t had a solid finish in Wengen on the 2.7 miles (4.4 km) Lauberhorn downhill - the longest downhill on tour - since the Daron Rahlves-Bode Miller era. In fact, the last time an American landed in the top five in Wengen was Bode Miller in 2014, with a fifth place. Bennett showed that today was the day for that to change.

Bennett, who ran bib 18, watched teammate Steven Nyman’s DNF on TV before he ventured to the start gate. “I didn’t see much of it,” he said. “I just saw him flipping upside down in the fastest part of the course (the Haneggschuss) and I was like, ‘Ooooh, huh...don’t do that.’” Nyman did indeed DNF, as he caught his inside edge and crashed, but got up right away and was thankfully OK, skiing down to the finish.

Running third, the Attacking Viking Aksel Lund Svindal laid down a fast run taking a unique line in the Hundschopf section of the course, and as he went through the Jungfrau tunnel, a train passed overhead. It is said that if the train is going by as a downhiller passes through the tunnel, it is a good omen. Unfortunately for Svindal, the omen didn’t hold true, as the Swiss with red bib Beat Feuz came down nearly four tenths ahead of Svindal - eventually landing in second, then Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr came down blazing fast, to steal the Lauberhorn victory from the homeboy Feuz. Finally, Svindal’s teammate Aleksander Aamodt Kilde came down in third, pushing Svindal from the podium.

Bennett, who has snagged personal best venue results at each World Cup this season with 12-9-4-4-5, respectively, continues to show consistency and prove that he’s not a one trick venue pony - establishing a home for himself among the greats on a stacked men’s tour. He led three Americans into the points, with teammate Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.) finishing 24th and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) landing in 30th.

“Feels good to be in the top five here in Wengen,” reflected Bennett. “I did pretty well here last year - I think I was 17th - and I knew there were some sections I needed to clean up. Luckily this year we had the opportunity to go from the top again. It was perfect weather, cold conditions...couldn’t have been a better Lauberhorn.”

Bennett, channeling his inner Bode Miller, made up time in the bottom half of the course after not meeting his expectations in the vital top section. “I knew I needed to make time up in the upper sections of the course, and that first left-foot turn is so important to carry speed, otherwise you can’t get it back. And, I didn’t ski it well,” he laughed. “I went out there and it was kind of soft, and the ski didn’t react quite the way I was anticipating it to, and I tried to hold on as best I could. I thought I skied the bottom half of the course well. I won in one section, and through the super-G turns I was really committed to going straight - I was trying to remember Bode’s line. I’m happy. Another top five - that’s far beyond my expectations of the season, so I just have to keep focusing on the skiing aspect and not get too caught up on trying to win. But one of these days it’s going to come.”

Many of the top skiers - including Nyman and Austrians Max Franz and Matthias Mayer - DNFed, as the conditions were bulletproof and the snow was really reactive underfoot, which allowed for athletes to really go for it and risk a lot. Up next for the men is slalom in Wengen before the athletes head to the biggest classic of them all: the legendary Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

“Generally, I haven’t quite figured out Kitzbuehel yet,” Bennett said. “I have some learning to do, so hopefully this year I can maybe put a run together.”

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

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

Sunday, Jan. 20
4:15 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Wengen, SUI - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:00 a.m. - Women’s super-G - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Wengen, SUI - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill - Wengen, SUI - NBCSN**
8:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN**
9:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.