U.S. Snowboard Team athletes will compete in the third FIS World Cup big air event of the season this week in Beijing, China, the Beijing Snowboard Air + Style Big Air World Cup. This is only the second year that the Air + Style big air competition has doubled as a FIS World Cup. In an interview with FIS Race Director Roberto Moresi in 2017, Moresi says, “Air + Style is one of the most historical snowboard events ever with a very strong reputation. Every snowboarder wants to be part of it sooner or later.”

The FIS World Cup Air + Style big is indeed a sought after event for snowboarders with an incredibly high level of competition. Only two U.S Snowboard athletes are on the start list including defending World Cup Slopestyle Champion Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) who already has two podium results in big air competition this season. Corning won the inaugural competition of the season in Cardrona, NZ and followed it up with a second place finish in Modena, Italy. Joining Corning is U.S Pro Team member Lyon Farrell (Haiku, Hawaii). With one World Cup podium under his belt from Seiseralm, Italy last season, expect Farrell to come in firing looking for his second World Cup victory.

“I’m honored to get the invite to Air + Style Beijing,” Farrell. “Getting to compete against some of the top riders in the world at such a unique event is a truly special opportunity.”

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Nov. 24
6:00 a.m. - World Cup big air + style, Beijing, CHN - NBC Sports Gold*
6:30 a.m. - World Cup big air + style, Beijing, CHN - Olympic Channel
 

The U.S. Cross Country Team begins their FIS World Cup Season this coming weekend north of the Arctic Circle in Ruka, Finland, with a classic sprint on Saturday, followed by classic distance events on Sunday.  

“I’m excited and ready to get this season rolling!” said Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn) following a recent training session on the Ruka course.  “I’m purposefully not putting any pressure on myself because of how last year went but taking it one race weekend at a time. And after training so hard all spring, summer, and fall, I’m ready to get back to business!”

Despite a lack of natural snow, the Ruka World Cup course is covered and ready for a weekend of racing. However, Sunday's classic event has been shortened slightly due to snow conditions for the women, as they will race three laps on a 3.3k course, while the men will complete four laps on a 3.75k course.

“Having now arrived in Ruka, we’re a rested group that is eager to get on whiter snow to put our summer training to test,” said U.S. Cross Country Coach Matt Whitcomb. “With the exception of a small stomach bug that took down a couple athletes, the team has weathered the first week in Europe well. Training has been conservative as we adjusted to European time over the last week, and we’re now ready for a hard session to prime us for the weekend.”

Last season Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash) notched a second place in the Ruka classic sprint, and she is feeling ready coming off some great training and ski testing in Beitostolen, Norway.

Tentative U.S. starters
Saturday classic sprint
Women:

• Jessie Diggins
• Sadie Bjornsen
• Sophie Caldwell
• Ida Sargent
• Rosie Brennan
• Kelsey Phinney
• Kaitlynn Miller – SuperTour Leader

Men:

• Simi Hamilton
• Erik Bjornsen
• Kevin Bolger
• Ben Saxton
• David Norris – SuperTour Leader

Sunday classic 10/15 km:
Women:

• Jessie Diggins
• Sadie Bjornsen
• Sophie Caldwell
• Ida Sargent
• Rosie Brennan
• Caitlin Patterson
• Kaitlynn Miller – SuperTour Leader

Men:

• Simi Hamilton
• Erik Bjornsen
• Kevin Bolger
• Scott Patterson
• Paddy Caldwell
• David Norris – SuperTour Leader
• Alternate: Adam Martin

U.S Freeski athletes will compete in the first FIS World Cup slopestyle event of the season this week in Stubai, Austria, from Nov 22-23. This is the second year of the Stubai World Cup following its debut in 2017. Among the athletes competing is the second place finisher from the recent Modena FIS World Cup big air Alex Hall (Park City, Utah) as well as last year’s Stubai Slopestyle World Cup men’s and women’s third place finishers Colby Stevenson (Park City,  Utah) and Caroline Claire (Manchester Center, Vt.).

Really excited to be heading back to the Stubai World Cup to kick off the season in such a beautiful place,” said Stevenson. “I was third last year, can’t wait to show my stuff and have some fun this year.”

For the women, additional U.S. athletes set to compete include U.S. Freeski Pro Team members Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.), Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.) as well as U.S. Freeski Rookie Team members Eileen Gu (San Francisco, Calif.), Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah), Rell Harwood (Park CIty, Utah) and American Taylor Lundquist (Park City, Utah).

For the men, additional U.S. athletes set to compete include Sochi Olympic Gold medalist Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah) as well as U.S Rookie Team members Willie Borm (Chaska, Minn.), Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.). In addition, Americans Quinn Wolferman (Missoula, Mont.) and Peter Raich (Park City, Utah) will also join the competitive field.

Although Stevenson and Claire reached the podium in last year’s competition, expect U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes to look to better this performance this time around in Austria. This is the last chance for athletes to dial in their runs in a competitive environment before heading to Dew Tour Dec. 13-16. In addition to have seemingly endless ski season, Stubai is also known for their phenomenal slopestyle courses. The 2018 Stubai FIS Slopestyle World Cup should be no exception.

According to FIS, the competition was initially scheduled for Saturday, which has now been rescheduled due to a significant snowstorm in the forecast for the weekend. Following the jury decision after the first team captain’s meeting on Tuesday, the qualifications are now scheduled for Thursday, with the finals tentatively slated to take place on Friday.

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

FREESKI
Friday, Nov. 23
6:00 a.m. - World Cup Slopestyle, Stubai, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
 

Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) enters the 2018-19 competition season with high expectations and eyes firmly on retaining her World Championship title in Park City, Utah this February. Caldwell, who underwent shoulder surgery in June following a crash sustained at the 2018 Winter Olympics, is looking for redemption from those Games, and to stamp her dominant mark on her sport.

Caldwell is no stranger to pressure, you might even say she thrives on it. A three-time Olympian and 2017 World Champion, Caldwell is the first U.S. woman to land both a full, full, full and “The Daddy” - a full, double full, full. A crash during 2018 Olympic training in PyeongChang left her out of finals and unable to compete for a medal. Caldwell pushes the boundaries of her sport to be recognized as an athlete - not distinguished by male or female status, but by what athletes in her sport can achieve.

Her strategy this competition season is to compete with her triples and compete with them smartly. In order to do that, she needs to be healthy. Caldwell elected to have surgery on her shoulder in June to correct the AC joint sprain she sustained in PyeongChang. “My shoulder was too unstable to jump with. The surgery wasn’t life or death but will make me a stronger competitor this season,” Caldwell explains. She is hopeful that she will be back 100 percent by the 2019 World Championships to defend her title as the reigning female aerialist in the world.

Leading up to the competition season, which kicks off at the Lake Placid World Cup event on January 19, 2019, you can find Caldwell at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Center of Excellence facility, training in the gym and on the trampolines. With the cooperation of Mother Nature's low temperatures, Caldwell and her teammates will start training on snow at the UOP by late November.

The 2019 World Championships, to be held in Park City from February 1 - 10, provides a unique opportunity for Caldwell and her fellow aerialists. When the U.S. Aerials Team competes at Deer Valley Resort at the 2019 World Championships February 6 & 7 under the lights on White Owl ski run, they will do so on home soil - at a team-favorite venue no less.

“It’s a huge advantage, having the crowd, volunteers and course workers all speaking your language and rooting for you. I always feel like a rock star at Deer Valley and expect with this being World Champs, that energy will be that much more intense. Deer Valley’s crowd is our best crowd, the most excited crowd on the circuit. I’m looking forward to showing the world all of the hard work my teammates and I all put into this sport. It’s much easier to show our domestic fans here than when we’re abroad.”
    - Ashley Caldwell

For Caldwell, the 2019 World Championships mean a chance to compete her best on the international stage once more. “Nothing can take away the sting [of PyeongChang]. But in some ways a domestic World Championship win can be more gratifying than the Olympics,” she says.

New for the 2019 World Championships is the addition of the Team Aerials event, which will be a 2022 Winter Olympic event. Team Aerials turns a traditionally individual sport into a collaborative one. “It’ll be a whole different vibe that day. It’s really exciting knowing it’s a medal event and will make for some great competition,” says Caldwell.

Caldwell’s quest to defend her World Championship title has her laser-focused on her program. She looks forward to the opportunity of her home field advantage in February, but beyond that just wants to compete her best on any given competition-day during the circuit.

Olympic champion and winningest female alpine ski racer, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), crashed while training super-G Monday at the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colorado. She was immediately transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. 

“Yesterday I crashed training Super-G and hurt my knee. The good news; I do NOT need surgery. The bad news; I won’t be able to race in Lake Louise. Lake Louise has always been my favorite stop on the World Cup tour and I am devastated to not be coming this year. Don’t worry though, I am down but I am NOT out!! #nevergiveup"

Vonn has won so many times—18 to be exact—at the Canadian venue that they've nicknamed it "Lake Lindsey." She is also attempting to break the Swede Ingemar Stenmark's once-elusive record of 86 World Cup victories before she retires at the end of the 2018-19 season. With 82 World Cup victories to her name, Vonn announced in mid-October this would be her final season whether or not she breaks Stenmark's record. 

"If I get it [the record] that would be a dream come true," Vonn said during a small business event in New York in October. "If I don't, I think I've had an incredibly successful career no matter what. I'm still the all-time winningest female skier." 

When healthy, Vonn has averaged about seven victories per season. Last season, Vonn grabbed five World Cup victories, despite the fact that she struggled to find her timing again after an early season crash on one of her favorite tracks in Lake Louise. 

More information will be forthcoming. Make sure to stay tuned to Vonn's Instagram for further details. 

Professional halfpipe freeskiers and snowboarders live lifestyles some would consider crazy. Whether it’s traveling the world year-round chasing snow, finding new and exciting ways to soar off of 22-foot walls of ice for a chance at victory, or maybe earning an education in a non-traditional way, it becomes difficult to find familiar territory and a sense of community.

In the 10 years that Copper Mountain and U.S. Ski & Snowboard have collaborated to host multiple events, including the Paul Mitchell Progression Sessions, FIS World Cups, and Olympic Qualifiers, one thing has remained constant and that is a clear sense of community. It’s undoubtedly contagious throughout the resort and the competition venues. This sense of belonging manifests itself in a variety of ways. Whether through the whole field of international athletes cheering each other on during training, joking around in the finish corral, or supporting each other’s progression throughout the week, everyone is simply happy to be where they are at that given moment. If you follow freeskiing and snowboarding, you will notice elements of this communal vibe throughout the season, but there is something different and special about the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain.

“The Copper Grand Prix is different because it’s the first event of the season and everyone is getting acclimated to being on snow again,” said PyeongChang Olympic bronze medalist Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.). “It’s always that much more exciting to be part of, primarily because it’s usually the first time people in the industry are getting to see each other since last season. It’s especially fun seeing my international friends who I don’t often see during the summer, I love getting the chance to catch up with them.”

Sochi Olympic gold medalist Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) also is looking forward to spending time at Copper Mountain this December.

“It’s great to catch up with everyone and see all the excitement for the season,” says Bowman. “Copper feels like home so it makes it easier to get back into the flow of things.”

This unique sense of community creates a platform for world-class competition come game time. It may be smiles and high fives throughout arrival and training, but from the drop in to the finish corral, it’s all business. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain will kick off the 23rd year of the Grand Prix with four back-to-back days of international freeski and snowboard competition in the resort’s 22-foot superpipe Dec. 5-8. Don’t miss your chance to see the excitement unfold with some of U.S. Ski & Snowboards biggest stars. See how to be part of the action as it unfolds below.

TOYOTA U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN
Event Schedule
*subject to change

Dec. 6: Freeski Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 7: Snowboard Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 8: Freeski Halfpipe Finals
Dec. 9: Snowboard Halfpipe Finals

HOW TO WATCH
*All Times EST

FREESKI
December 7, 2018
1:00 p.m. - U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC Sports - Live

December 8
4:30 p.m. - U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC - Next-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
December 8, 2018
1:00 p.m. - U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC Sports - Live

December 9
12:30 p.m. - U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC - Next-day broadcast
 

There are two things that former U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, Olympian, and Dartmouth graduate Libby Ludlow has always loved: skiing and writing. Ludlow's passions have merged as she has written her first book. She says that the greatest gift her parents gave her was her lifelong love for skiing, “I was able to endure the rigors of being a professional athlete simply because I adored my sport.”

With her passion for skiing still strong ten years after retiring from the U.S. Ski Team, Ludlow is the first to point out that her love for skiing started way back on the bunny hill when she was two years old. “Skiing is such a special sport, the mountain is a like a gigantic playground. I want the next generation of skiers to fall in love with skiing as much as I did.”

On November 13th, Ludlow launched A-B-Skis, a children’s alphabet book about the magical world of skiing. “I couldn’t be more excited to make A-B-Skis available to the skiing community. Adults will treasure sharing it with the kids in their life, and kids won’t be able to wait for their next trip to the ski hill.”

Designed to instill a lifelong love for skiing, A-B-Skis is a glimpse into everything that’s at the heart of the sport—from hot chocolate breaks to ripping runs with friends. The colorful illustrations by PSIA ski instructor Nathan Jarvis pique kid’s curiosity for the winter wonderland that awaits them on the slopes, while playful rhymes guide kids through everything they can expect on a typical ski day.

“I’ve always been an avid writer,” says Ludlow, “A-B-Skis is the perfect intersection of my passion for skiing, my love of writing, and my interest as a mom to share memorable experiences with my toddler. By using Kickstarter to launch A-B-Skis, Ludlow is collecting the orders needed to finalize her self-publishing push. She says that while her primary motivation for writing A-B-Skis is to help kids fall in love with the magic of skiing, the added benefit comes in the improved expectations and life-lessons that kids glean from the book.

“To me, an adult’s primary job when it comes to introducing kids to a new sport is to make sure they love it for life. A-B-Skis makes it easier for adults to share the stoke of skiing with their little ones.”

The funds from the Kickstarter campaign will help Ludlow pay for the cost to publish the book. Purchase by December 13th on Kickstarter. It is expected to be on shelves in the fall of 2019. To view or donate to the campaign, visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/abskis/a-b-skis.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) opened her quest for her sixth career FIS Ski World Cup slalom crystal globe with another dominating victory in the season-opening slalom under the lights in Levi, Finland on Saturday.

“I felt good, I was even surprised at how good the course felt with the warm conditions,” said Shiffrin, who now has 44 career World Cup victories, including three slalom wins in Levi—which equals Germany Maria Höfl-Riesch's record win count on the Levi Black slope. “I had a little bit of a scary moment on the pitch, but I fought through it and it was fun!”

The start of the first run was delayed an hour and moved further down the mountain due to windy conditions. Due to the wind, the gondola was also inoperable, so athletes were shuttled on buses to the start for inspection. But despite the warm temperatures, the course remained hard and fast. Shiffrin started first in the opening run and never looked back, taking a 0.14 second lead over Sweden’s Friday Hansdotter, who eventually settled for fourth.

Slovakia’s Petra Vhlova skied a solid second run to finish second, 0.58 seconds back of Shiffrin’s winning time, and Austria’s Bernadette Schild was third, 0.79 seconds back. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), who was racing for the first time since sustaining a knee injury at the Olympic slalom in PyeongChang, and Nina O’Brien (Denver, Colo.), also started for the U.S. but did not qualify for the second run.

Saturday’s victory also moves Shiffrin into the overall World Cup lead, following her third-place finish in the giant slalom at Soelden, Austria, last month. With 160 points, Shiffrin leads the standings over France's Tessa Worley (100 points) followed by Switzerland's Wendy Holdener (81 points). 

The women’s World Cup circuit moves on to Vermont’s Killington Resort for the Killington Cup, Nov. 24-25 with giant slalom and slalom events. Shiffrin has won the slalom the past two years at Killington and finished fifth in the giant slalom in 2016, and second in 2017.

Shiffrin’s reindeer herd also expanded with her third slalom victory in Levi. She named her newest addition Mr. Gru (from the movie Despicable Me). Mr. Gru joins Sven, won in 2016, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer won in 2013.

Following the cancellation of the giant slalom in Soelden, the men’s World Cup season kicks off Sunday at Levi with slalom. American men's starters will be Mark Engel (Truckee, Calif.), Hig Roberts (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) Robby Kelley (Starksboro, Vt.), River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.) and Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.). 

RESULTS
Women’s Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

ALPINE
Sunday, Nov. 18
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, first run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - The Olympic Channel
12:00-1:30 p.m. - World Cup slalom weekend recap, Levi, FIN - NBCSN

*NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product “Snow Pass” provides fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019.

The Snow Pass provides access to every second of race action throughout the season. Whoever you support, their races will be broadcast on the Snow Pass. NBC will also email you prior to each event to remind you of live broadcast times on Snow Pass, and if you can’t watch live, the entire event will be available to replay, all for under 20 cents per day.

In Finnish Lapland, the FIS Ski World Cup slalom kickoff is a bit more magical than most stops. Santa attends the races, the prize is a reindeer, the Northern Lights are alive, and you can't escape the sparkles and the holiday vibes. 

After a solid training block for the women in Copper Mountain, Colorado with an injected surface, and some time to acclimate to the time difference, the ladies are ready to rock up in the Northland. The slalom crew will be led by Olympic gold medalist, World Champion, two-time overall winner and five-time slalom titleholder Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.), who already has two reindeer to her name. In 2013 and 2016, Shiffrin grabbed the Levi win and named her reindeer Rudolph and Sven, respectively. 

Last season, Shiffrin was second to Slovakia's Petra Vlhova, but she's feeling prepared, confident and strong heading into Saturday's slalom kickoff. It's not easy to travel across the world for the slalom kickoff, and the ladies were able to get some good time ahead of the weekend's race to get over jet lag, get some training under their belt on Levi soil, and they're looking forward to crushing. Nina O'Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.) both got some great training in while in Colorado and were able to see where they stacked up against the best in the world in training with teammate Shiffrin. 

On the men's side, new coach Martin Andersen touched base with us earlier this week and said that although it's been a warm, wet week of training in Levi, the guys were able to get some great training in at both Kvitfjell, Norway, and Levi. The weather forecast for men's race day is looking good and the guys are feeling ready. With Sölden, Austria's giant slalom canceled due to weather, this will be Luke Winters' (Gresham, Ore.) debut World Cup start. Keep an eye on both he and teammate River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.), who are fresh faces on the World Cup circuit, but will make it more of a home this season. 

See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

• Nina O’Brien
• Mikaela Shiffrin
• Resi Stiegler

MEN’S STARTERS

• Mark Engel
• Hig Roberts
• Robby Kelley
• River Radamus
• Luke Winters*

*Denotes first World Cup Start

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.
ALPINE

Saturday, Nov. 17
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s SL, first run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - The Olympic Channel

Sunday, Nov. 18
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, first run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s SL, second run, Levi, FIN - The Olympic Channel
12:00-1:30 p.m. - World Cup slalom weekend recap, Levi, FIN - NBCSN

* NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product “Snow Pass” provides fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019.

The Snow Pass provides access to every second of race action throughout the season. Whoever you support, their races will be broadcast on the Snow Pass. NBC will also email you prior to each event to remind you of live broadcast times on Snow Pass, and if you can’t watch live, the entire event will be available to replay, all for under 20 cents per day. ​​​​

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today an exciting new partnership with Bulletproof 360, a leading science-based food and beverage company, focusing on their widely popular Bulletproof Coffee beverage. Bulletproof’s iconic coffee beverage is not your average latte; it is made with Brain Octane oil® and grass-fed butter to provide a quick and reliable energy source throughout the day. As U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s official coffee supplier, Bulletproof 360 will help keep the world’s top ski and snowboard athletes fueled, focused and achieving optimum performance levels on and off the slopes.

The partnership will kick off on November 23 at the Killington Cup in Killington, Vermont. Spectators and fans at home will watch female national and international alpine ski superstars debut the Bulletproof branded race bib during the Giant Slalom event. This is the only domestic stop for the women of the alpine ski team, including two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin who will seek a third consecutive top finish at the venue. Bulletproof will also support athletes at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Copper Mountain Freeski and Snowboard event in December, among other domestic U.S. Ski & Snowboard events throughout the season.

“Bulletproof’s belief that all people have the ability to achieve super-human goals falls directly in line with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s mission of creating the best ski and snowboard athletes in the world,” said Dan Barnett, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Bulletproof’s coffee products boost energy and brain function and will help athletes on their journey to the podium. We are excited to offer these products to our athletes as they train and compete this season.”

“We’re thrilled to support some of the most elite athletes in the world and help them achieve peak performance levels with Bulletproof Coffee,” said Karen Huh, VP of Brand and Product Strategy of Bulletproof 360. “We offer products that enable anyone to perform at the top of their game. These are competitions where athletes are looking to optimize their control, speed, and focus, and Bulletproof Coffee offers just that.”