Eva Twardokens, Heidi Voelker, Kristi Terzian and I have been together on mountain tops hundreds of times, as teammates during our years together on the U.S. Ski Team and beyond; but it had been years since we’d actually felt this nervous about a run.

The sole purpose of our reunion was to get Eva skiing for the first time since surviving a plane crash in her single-engine Citabria barely two years earlier. From the start, Eva was excited but apprehensive. Her recovery has been a complex interplay of setting audacious goals and managing expectations. Skiing isn’t the most audacious of things she had already conquered (surfing gets that honor), but it might be the most meaningful. No single activity is more connected to her identity as “Eva T, World-Class Athlete”.

Starting out as a young freestyle star, Eva turned into a World Cup and Olympic ski racer, and then World Technical Ski Champion. With dental hygienist training in her pocket for financial security, she excelled at windsurfing, then surfing, became a CrossFit pioneer, National Masters weightlifting champion, personal trainer, and pilot.

Two years after falling from the sky, the body Eva spent a lifetime training now carries mechanical and neurological uncertainties: the shattered left ankle; the lagging right leg; the double vision; the balance issues. She had good reason to be nervous, as did we. If this didn’t work, it would be our fault. She’d entrusted us with her safety, and her hope. 

Our morning thus far hadn’t exactly put her at ease. It started brilliantly, with a stop at Cole Sport, where they outfitted Eva with skis that would be just right for the occasion—comfy with spunk. From there, the road got bumpy. It involved booting up COVID-style, which is to say, standing on one foot in a dimly lit garage to put on cold boots, then marching in them for an eternity.

En route, Eva reiterated everything she feared, while we assured her of what we truly believed, namely, “You’ve got this!” This sport she had been doing since age two was embedded in her bones. It would all come back to her. But, what if skiing was another task—like walking, speaking and so many other things—that had to be painstakingly relearned? What if it wasn’t automatic? By the time we made it to the snow, our confidence, too, was shaky.

Then again, Eva didn’t earn the nickname “Bulldog” for backing away from a challenge. After two tentative runs on the bunny slope, she agrees it’s time to take on a big run, and here we stand.

Heidi, Deer Valley’s Ambassador of Skiing for the past 20+ years, leads the way, her hot pink pants setting the course, while Kristi and l deploy as Eva’s wing women, ready to take out anyone who intrudes her space.

Eva pushes off alone, a metaphor for this sport. Cole Sport could make sure she had perfectly tuned gear. We could get her onto the snow safely. Deer Valley could take care of the immaculate grooming. But nobody gets in the starting gate with you.

From behind, I capture her first turns on video. She’s standing on her skis, perfectly centered, planting her pole, doing short swing turns that would have made her parents Georg and Halina, both ski instructors, proud. As she gains speed, the skis engage and reward her embedded skill and muscle memory with rhythm and rebound. 

By the time Eva stops, partway down the aptly named “Success” run, she’s no longer talking about what feels wrong or different. She is smiling the big Eva smile, unmarred by worry or fear or anything but pure joy. At each break, the smile grows. “I thought I’d never do this. I thought I might fall on my face!” We’re crying. We’re hugging. It’s…awesome.

What came before and after was not all unicorns and rainbows. It was a huge step in a non-linear recovery, punctuated with frustration and tension, but also humor, relief, and mostly, that sweet taste of victory—a true team victory. 

Kristi and Heidi made this moment happen, but throughout Eva’s entire recovery, her ski team has been by her side. During her intensive work at the High Fives Foundation and the Brain Health Restoration Clinic, scores of teammates from near and far—some she’d competed with, others she had inspired, and quite a few she had dated—rallied to provide care and support.

As Eva’s baseline recalibrates, so too does her ambition. Her recovery milestones, still hard-won, are progressively satisfying and visible: swimming in the ocean, riding a bike, surfing, skiing, getting a driver’s license, traveling solo.

Over the next few days, as her confidence grew, so did her on-snow tribe. They included Stella Robinson, the oldest daughter of our teammate Tori Pillinger Robinson; Doug Lewis, fellow 1985 bronze medalist; and Kristi’s husband John Cumming, a stalwart U.S. Ski Team supporter and an even bigger Eva supporter. Erik Schlopy came for an apres-ski visit, while teammates, coaches, and friends tuned in by phone and on social media, to share this victory lap.

On the final day, as Eva cruised down Birdseye, the run we’d trained on during the Park City World Cups, a conspicuously hot ski racer interrupted his photoshoot to ski over. Steve Nyman introduced himself, said he was watching, and that he was impressed. Once again, the ski tribe had spoken. Eva summed it up well: “Skiing through this…this is my Olympic medal.”

Just a few of the many US Ski & Snowboard alumni who have been part of Eva’s recovery: 
Anouk Patty
Kristi Terzian
Heidi Voelker
Edie Thys
Barry Thys
Polly Reiss
Juli Furtado
Tamara McKinney
Hilary Lindh
Ernst Hager
All kinds of Standteiners
Kirsten and Andreas Rickenbach
Amy Livran
Daron Rahlves
Bill Hudson
John and Lynda Walsh
Doug Lewis
Erik Schlopy
Steve Nyman

Recently, on Instagram Live, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin caught up with Polish professional tennis player and 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek. The two, who are 2021 Laureus Sport Award nominees—Swiatek for Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year and Shiffrin for Laureus World Comeback of the Year—talked about everything from psychology to pressure and the topic of legacy. 

Back in February, 19-year-old Swiatek had told Tennis Channel that Shiffrin was a role model for her in terms of competitive resilience, so this interview proved an opportunity to learn even more from the 26-year-old. Since then, the two have been in touch on social media. The IG Live conversation turned the heads of many in the sport world, including the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). 

The article shared, 

Shiffrin has also experienced the unique feeling of being a teenage champion. The American remains the youngest slalom champion in Olympic alpine skiing history, having won gold in the discipline at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics when she was 18 years old. She was thus in the perfect position to dole out wise words as Swiatek's Roland Garros title defence approaches.

"I don't know how I'm going to react," Swiatek said. "I've never been in a situation like that, even at a normal tournament, so I think we're going to be prepared for anything and we're just going to adjust. Everybody's going to have expectations so you just have to be in your own world."

Shiffrin's advice was to focus on the positives.

"The way people talk about it is like almost as if it's some negative thing," she said. "That it's like a big thunderstorm that's coming and it's going to be so difficult to handle. I said, I don't know, why don't we just be happy about it? Because it's a really great position to be in. Any question you get, if it's positive, then just go with it. But if it's ever trying to put pressure on you... change it in your mind, just to think what a cool position I'm in to be a defending champion already in my career."
 

 

 

 

 

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Laureus World Sports Award winners will be announced on May 6th. A specialist panel of over 1,000 sports journalists is invited to select Laureus nominees each year, with the winners selected by the legendary Members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Read the full article on WTATennis.com. 

There is no such thing as a "Points Freeze." Points will either go down (through performance) or they will go up (through performance, inactivity, or injury). Applying for injury protection limits the amount your points will go up, but they do not freeze.

Athletes must maintain appropriate U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS memberships to maintain points.

For FIS, any application that is submitted to FIS after April 30 will not be considered, there are no exceptions to this rule. I have the date for submittal to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as April 15 to give time to apply, review and finalize applications.

FIS uses an online application. To begin the process, send an email to Jeff Weinman (jeff.weinman@usskiandsnowboard.org) and include the following information.

- Athlete name
- Email address for athlete
- FIS ID
- Date of injury
- Time of injury (approximate time of day)

You will then need a letter from the athlete's doctor that includes their name, a description of the injury, and the actual date of injury, to complete the process. The date of injury should match between the letter and the form. The only exception to this would be if you had an original date of injury that you tried to work through and later causedremoval from competition - include both those dates if this is the case.

If you are injured for more than one year in a row, you must apply for injury protection each year - the protection does not carry over.

NATIONAL RULES (from the Competition Guide):

Single Penalization Situations

(sickness, injury, other obligations)

Competitors who are unable to compete in sufficient scored events to maintain their seed points because of injury or illness, studies, military obligations, or church commitments may protect their points through single penalization. Single penalization cannot be requested for lack of calendar opportunities.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS membership must be renewed every year to maintain points, even when an athlete has single penalty protection. FIS membership must be renewed by June 15 to appear on the first FIS list and maintain FIS points.

Application forms and medical certificates must be submitted by the dates listed earlier in this book under Alpine Important Dates - there are no exceptions to the deadlines.

Injury or Illness

Single penalization is determined at the end of the season. Documentation of injury with inability to compete information should be submitted immediately to U.S. Ski & Snowboard Competition Services staff.

For a competitor to obtain a single penalty, he or she must submit the FIS and/or the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Single Penalty Request forms, which include:

1. Name, FIS or national ID, and address of the athlete,

2. Time/Date and place of the accident,

3. Type of injury,

4. Athletes signature with date.

A separate Medical Certificate from the athlete’s physician detailing the injury and length of inability to compete is also required. This letter must include the date of the injury.

Inability to compete for more than one year, due to injury or illness, will result in a single penalty each year if requested by the athlete. Single penalization will be in addition to any general zeroing adders or other adjustments to the total list.

Professional, Educational, Military, or Religious Obligations

Applications for single penalization due to professional obligations must be submitted prior to the beginning of the period indicated. Later applications will not be considered.

Approval of Single Penalty Requests - national points

Single penalty applications are not automatically approved. Approval depends on the timing of injury or illness, duration of inability to compete, and the number of starts and/or results made (three starts or two finishes in DH or SG, or five starts in SL or GS normally disqualify single penalty requests).

Consideration and approval of national single penalty requests and forwarding of FIS requests is the responsibility of the Competition Services staff, whose decisions are subject to appeal in writing to the chairman of the Alpine Classification Working Group.

There is no such thing as a "Points Freeze". Points will either go down (through performance) or they will go up (through performance, inactivity, or injury). Applying for injury protection limits the amount your points will go up, but they do not freeze.

Athletes must maintain appropriate U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS memberships to maintain points.

For FIS, any application that is submitted to FIS after April 30 will not be considered, there are no exceptions to this rule. I have the date for submittal to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as April 15 to give time to apply, review and finalize applications.

FIS uses an online application - see the tab FIS Process. A letter from the athlete's doctor that includes their name, a description of the injury, and the actual date of injury, must be included. The date of injury should match between the letter and the form. The only exception to this would be if say you had an original date of injury that caused you tried to work through and later cause removal from competition - include both those dates if this is the case.

If you are injured for more than one year in a row, you must apply for injury protection each year - the protection does not carry over.

FIS RULES (from the FIS Rules of the Points book)

4.6Injury Status

4.6.1Registration

When a competitor injures himself and applies for the single penalty, the National Ski Association must apply to the FIS as soon as possible or latest 30th April for the approval using the official form and submitting a medical certificate. This official form and medical certificate are only valid for one season. (World Cup: see World Cup Rules art 21.2)

4.6.1.1Conditions

- At least 8 months must have been passed between the time of the injury and the competitors 1st start.

- Competitors must remain registered as active with the FIS to maintain injury protection.

- A competitor has not started more than five (5) times (FIS and COC level competitions) + four (4) times (World Cup competitions) in one event and/or more than fifteen (15) times (FIS and COC level competitions + eight (8) times (World Cup competitions) across all events during the valid season.

4.6.1.2WCSL Top 30

Athletes who are ranked in the top 30 of the WCSL at the time of their injury and who will be ranked outside top 30 of the WCSL after applying the single penalty according to art. 21.4 of the World Cup rules, will get the better of their normally calculated FIS points for the BL or the points of the rank in the BL FIS point list which equates to their rank in the WCSL.

Notes on the above section

Once you are over the start limit count in one discipline, you are ineligible for protection in all disciplines.

Point Calculations

4.2FIS Points

4.2.1Base FIS Points list (BL) (*)

The Base FIS Points List (BL) will be published middle of June.

4.2.1.1The average of the best two results in each event during the past season will be used for the calculation of the BL list.

4.2.1.2For a competitor who has obtained only one result in any of the alpine events (Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G or Alpine Combined), during the past season period, 20% (+) of his result will be added to the result.

4.2.1.3For a competitor who has not obtained results in any of the alpine events (Downhill, Slalom, Giant Slalom, Super G or Alpine Combined), during the past season period, a 50% (>) will be added to his previous BL points. These competitors must remain registered as active with the FIS.

4.2.1.4If the status as injured is approved, and a competitor has not started more than five (5) times (FIS and COC level competitions) plus four (4) times (World Cup competitions) in one event and/or more than fifteen (15) times (FIS and COC level competitions) plus eight (8) times (World Cup competitions) across all events during the valid season 10% (#) will be added to the competitor’s BL if the current points are not better than the protected points.

For U.S. Ski Team alumna and three-time Olympian Resi Stiegler, Friday’s slalom victory at U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen Highlands, Colo. was the cherry on top of a storied 19-year career. Team X Alpine and University of Utah’s Madi Hoffman was second, .30 seconds back, and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team and University of Denver athlete Katie Hensien rounded out the podium in third. 

After almost two weeks of sun-splashed days at Aspen Highlands, a late-season snowstorm dumped about eight inches of snow on the track for the final day of racing at the 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships. Organizers, athletes, and coaches descended upon the track early Friday morning to slip the excess snow down to a surface they could race on, then organizers poured water and salt on the track in an effort to salvage the surface. It wasn’t pretty, but the hard work paid off, and athletes and staff alike were stoked to pull off the final day of racing successfully with the slalom after a long season, challenged by COVID-19. 

Hoffman, who was in 14th-place after the first run, 1.2 seconds out, took advantage of a solid start spot and put the foot on the gas to cruise to the fastest second run, .68 seconds ahead of Stiegler’s second-fastest second run. Hensien, who was sitting in 10th after the first run, skyrocketed to third place, with the third-fastest second run time, to claim her spot on the podium. Canada's Stefanie Fleckenstein was sitting in second after first run but did not finish the second run, and Klomhaus straddled just before the finish and was disqualified. Hoffman was the top junior on the day, followed by Canada’s Sarah Bennett in second, and Kiara “Kiki” Alexander in third. 

When Stiegler realized she had won (her first national title since 2017 in Sugarloaf, ME), her current and former teammates and competitors Hoffman, Hensien, Allie Resnick, Emma Resnick, Tricia Mangan, AJ Hurt, and more, rushed to her to congratulate her and give her hugs. No one does a finish area celebration like Stiegler, and she will be remembered for her absolute pure love—which is unmatched and palpable even through a TV screen—for the sport of skiing. 

Stiegler was overjoyed to cap her career with a victory on home soil. “It feels so good...this was the absolute best way to go out,” Stiegler beamed. To be honest, I kind of had to stay focused to the very end, because I’m a fighter and I’ve always wanted to win everything. I know in these days you want to celebrate everything and be ready to retire, but for me, I wanted to win so badly and go out with the fight I’ve always had and the best skiing I’ve always had.” 

With her brother Seppi coaching her, and her best friend and U.S. Ski Team alumna Sarah Schleper there to cheer her on, Stiegler felt supported and loved for her final show, and was stoked for it to happen on home turf. “So I just had to stay super focused, and today I was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been, but I had my brother (Seppi) here on the hill and my best friend (Sarah Schleper) went up on the hill and got me fired up...so that always helps a little bit,” she giggled. “And obviously racing in Aspen again, it’s like our home hill, we race World Cups here, it’s close to Jackson, and it’s in the U.S. They put on a great show for the last race of the season for all of us.” 

Resi Stiegler’s Career At-A-Glance

• World Cup Starts: 178
• World Cup Podiums: 1
  • SL, 2nd, Ofterschwang, GER, 2012
• World Cup Top-Fives: 7
• World Cup Top-10s: 25
• World Championship Teams: 8 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017)
  • Best result: sixth, SL, Santa Caterina, ITA, 2005
• 3x Olympian
• 4x National Champion 
• 1 set of tiger ears that stood the test of time and the biggest heart and passion one could drum up 

Stiegler rounded up all of the athletes for a little pep talk following her victory, in which she congratulated them for making it through what was such a challenging season for everyone due to the pandemic. Athletes clapped, cheered for her, and even shed some tears as Stiegler encouraged everyone to keep believing in themselves and thanked everyone for being there for her final last race…“as Resi Stiegler anyway,” she laughed. Of course, Stiegler will be marrying German fiance David Ketterer, so the comment was a nod to potentially racing with a new last name. 

 

 

 

 

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In the final Tom Garner Regions’ Cup results, Rocky/Central prevailed, with 2,045 points, followed by West with 1,713 points, and East with 1,384 points. 

Friday’s slalom caps the two-week-long U.S. Alpine Championships series at Aspen Highlands, and the long 2020-21 season, which has felt like an eternity to many. U.S. Ski & Snowboard would like to thank Aspen on behalf of all of the athletes and coaches for working tirelessly to make the event a reality. 

Until next year, cheers! 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

Media:
Virtual Media Hub
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced that Per Lundstam has rejoined the organization as Director of Alpine Sport Science. 

Lundstam rejoins the organization after an 11-year stint with Red Bull, where he served as the High Performance Manager. Prior to Red Bull, Lundstam worked with U.S. Ski & Snowboard from 1994 to 2010 as Head Strength Coach, working with the likes of Olympic champions Tommy Moe, Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, and Julia Mancuso. 

High Performance Director Troy Taylor is eager to bring Lundstam back into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard fold heading into the 2021-22 season, highlighted by the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. "There are very few (if any) people in the world that can match Per’s knowledge and experience of alpine sport science support, from being a former; World Cup level athlete, coach and sport science manager at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and most recently the Director of Athlete Performance at Red Bull," commented Taylor. "Per’s re-hiring clearly demonstrates U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s continued commitment to providing “Best in the World” support to our athletes and I’m excited for the role that Per will play in driving us forward as we help athletes to fulfill their dreams”.

Lundstam echoes Taylor's sentiments and is ready to hit the ground running. "I am thrilled to join the U.S. Ski & Snowboard organization again," exclaimed Lundstam. "I have always felt the pull to return to alpine skiing with a focus on high performance. I'm very honored to be a part of such a great and driven organization with clear goals and actions in place to achieve those goals. It will be inspiring to learn from all my new colleagues and the athletes as to where the sport has developed over the last 10 years and where the sport is going forward. I'm very excited to jump in with the team and work with all the stakeholders to push the energy and momentum further."

Lundstam is already at work with athletes at the Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, effective April 12.

For the second time in as many days, Lila Lapanja stood on the top of the podium at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen Highlands, Colo.—this time in giant slalom—with a blazing-fast second run. Team X Alpine’s Storm Klomhaus (+.04) and Tricia Mangan (+.20) went 2-3 on the podium that saw a mere .20 second spread from first place to third place.

With U.S. Alpine Championships happening three weeks later than normal, athletes have had to maintain their patience and energy for an abnormally long time after an already challenging season, compounded by COVID-19 and travel restrictions. While top FIS Ski World Cup athletes like two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, and World Cup mainstays and top-10 finishers such as Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien taking are taking a much-deserved break, many athletes have seized the opportunity to snag some results on home soil to close the season. 

Team X Alpine/University of Utah athlete Madi Hoffman (Australia) came out charging first run, taking the lead by a massive .90 margin over Klomhaus on the lengthy 1:17.23 second course. Taking into consideration that a standard giant slalom course length is about one minute, this course presented a challenge in length after an already lengthy season. Athletes crossed the finish line breathing heavily and out of gas. 20-year-old Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt, who is coming off a full season on the World Cup, bouncing between speed and tech, was fourth after the first run, 1.2 seconds off the pace. Teammate, and World Cup slalom skier, Katie Hensien was sitting in eighth after the first run, but had a pretty hard crash second run and DNFed. She is thankfully OK. 

While they didn’t fully reset the second run, organizers did “redress” the course and move the gates out to find a clean track, adding seconds on an already long track. The fastest second run time, clocked by Lapanja, was 1:24.37—over seven seconds longer than the first run. To put it simply, it was exhausting, and despite the warm weather, the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC) and Aspen Highlands course crew once again made lemonade out of lemons. 

“Today was definitely a tactical day, it paid to just have good skiing...it was not easy,” reflected Lapanja in the finish. It was probably the longest course that I’ve ever raced, and I think the slip and race crew did a phenomenal job keeping the conditions really good. We had a really hard surface in the morning, and the salt took pretty well for the second run.” 

Heading into second run, Lapanja simplified her approach and made a goal to find the flow of the mountain and go with it, rather than fight it. “When I was inspecting second run, I just thought, ‘Ok, just ski smart, focus on some really simple technical things, and don’t panic...don’t try to fight the length of the course, don’t try to fight the conditions, because it’s going to win today if you do,’” she added. “It was just that long and that tough of a course.”

Hurt was looking to move up the second run, but ran into some trouble and made a really big mistake at the bottom of the first pitch, nearly skiing out. Hoffman, whose first run lead seemed untouchable, also made a mistake in that section, losing precious time and moving back to sixth overall. Canada’s Britt Richardson, who was in third after the first run, moved back to fifth overall, but as a 2003 birth year, she was the fastest among juniors. Rounding out the junior podium was Hoffman in second, followed by Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Emma Resnick in third. 

Up next, the women will take on the final day of the two-week-long 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen Highlands, with slalom on Friday. U.S. Ski Team alumna and World Cup veteran and slalom podium finisher Resi Stiegler will celebrate her final career race. 

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

The calendar was uncertain coming into the 2020-21 winter competition season as the pandemic took its toll. Athletes trained in unique ways with backyard set-ups and home gyms. Their approach was different but effective. The U.S. Snowboard Team collected 15 podiums across six elite-level park and pipe events. Snowboardcross athletes took home eight podiums across five events and earned the FIS Snowboardross Nations Cup. Their creativity and resilience paid off. 

Chloe Kim led the way for the U.S. Snowboard Team after returning to competition from a 22-month hiatus while she attended Princeton University. Kim put together a podium perfect season, winning every contest she entered including the 2021 Laax Open in Switzerland, X Games Aspen 2021, the Aspen Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix Olympic tryout event, and the Aspen 2021 World Championships.
 

What’s particularly impressive is Kim won each event without pulling out her most difficult tricks, including the famed back-to-back 1080s or the frontside double cork 1080 she landed while training in Saas Fee’s Stomping Grounds Park in Switzerland. Despite not throwing her most difficult tricks, Kim worked on her variety, mixing up the arrangement of her run and adding new tricks like the crowd favorite switch method. 

Right on Kim’s heels was teammate Maddie Mastro who graced the X Games Aspen and World Championship podiums earning silver medals at each. Mastro, who has historically struggled to land her signature double crippler in the Buttermilk superpipe in Aspen, Colo., found redemption at the World Championships in the same pipe, stomping it alongside a beautiful frontside 900 to secure her podium position. Mastro and Kim are the two of the best women’s snowboard halfpipe athletes in the world right now and should be  forces to be reckoned with come the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. 

 

 

 

 

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For the halfpipe men, highlights included three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White making his return to the competition scene for the first time since the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, finishing fourth as the top American at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix. U.S. Snowboard Teammates Chase Blackwell, Taylor Gold, and Lucas Foster all put together a solid string of results, each finishing in the top ten of the FIS Cup Standings. 

In slopestyle, Jamie Anderson continued her reign as the queen of competitive snowboarding. Anderson earned her fifth Laax Open title, her 18th and 19th X Games medals (both gold), as well as a World Championships silver medal in slopestyle. Langland joined Anderson’s podium party at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix Olympic tryout event taking second-place and putting her in a good position moving into the rest of the qualifying process. 

For the men, 18-year-old Dusty Henricksen was on a mission to prove that his breakthrough season last year was no fluke. He did so in classic “Dusty” fashion with a T-shirt, baggy jeans reminiscent of the ’90s, and a huge smile on his face. Dusty started his tear at X Games Aspen 2021 where, as a rookie, he won knucklehuck gold and broke a 12-year American men’s slopestyle X Games gold medal drought during the final day of competition. The last time an American man won the event was Shaun White in 2009. 
 

2018 Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard and seven-time Crystal Globe winner Chris Corning each finished their seasons strong. Gerard secured a silver medal at the Aspen U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle Olympic tryout event and Corning earned third-place at the World Cup slopestyle finals in Silvaplana, Switzerland. Henricksen, Gerard, Corning, and Brock Crouch finished fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth respectively in the FIS Slopestyle Cup Standings. 

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team displayed incredible depth, consistency, and comradery earning eight podiums and the Nations Cup. Four U.S. Team athletes claimed top-three finishes including Faye Gulini, who finished her season third in the FIS Cup Standings. She earned back-to-back second-place finishes at the season-opening double race program in Valmalenco, Italy and claimed third-place in Bakuriani, Georgia. Also collecting podiums for the women was the winningest snowboardcross rider of all time, Lindsey Jacobellis. She earned her 54th and 55th World Cup podiums and had her 100th World Cup start at the finals in Veysonnaz, Switzerland. 
 

For the men, 2019 Double World Champion Mick Dierdorff and Olympian Hagen Kearney found their way to the podium. Kearney earned third place on the season opener in Valmalenco and second place in Veysonnaz to cap off the season. Mick found his success at the heart of the season in Retieralm, Austria, where he took third. 

U.S. Snowboardcross Head coach Peter Foley summed up this season-best in an interview following the World Cup Finals, “This team thrived through adversity, and I’m especially proud that they were able to win the Nations Cup during such a tough year”
 

Relive all the top moments of the year below!

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The women were looking forward to the slalom portion of the U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined on Tuesday after the weather forecast forced a schedule change in Aspen, Colo. Lila Lapanja skied the fifth-fastest super-G run and the second-fastest slalom run to walk away with her career-first national title. 

The U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined consists of one run of super-G—raced on Tuesday—with one run of slalom, which was set for Wednesday. Typically both runs are made in one day, but the weather forecast originally called for rain, which was concerning to the organizers. The weather was once again warm, and though immense efforts to salt the surface were made by both Aspen Highlands’ and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club’s (AVSC) teams, the surface was bumpy, challenging and—as many athletes put it—the snow was “dead” (a.k.a. unresponsive).

Rounding out the overall podium for the alpine combined was Team X Alpine’s Storm Klomhaus, a mere one-hundredth of a second off Lapanja, followed by Canada’s Kiara “Kiki” Alexander, 57 seconds back. For the junior podium, it was Alexander, followed by Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Zoe Zimmermann in second, and Jackson Hole Ski & Snowboard Club’s (JHSSC) Sophia Tozzi in third. 

Lapanja has stood on the U.S. Alpine Championships podium seven times before, but this was the first time she’s stood atop the podium, earning a national title. “I was super excited about the super-G because I wasn’t expecting that and I wanted to be within striking distance for slalom, and so to come down with that result yesterday was really exciting for me,” she reflected. “That was my best super-G result at U.S. Nationals as well. Then, I just tried to do what I know how to do in slalom, and keep it really simple.” 

Coming back to Aspen Highlands, where Lapanja has previously had success, was the icing on the cake. “It’s always fun to race here at Highlands—I’ve had a couple of successful days here at Highlands, so there’s good energy on this hill for me. It’s really strange racing U.S. Nationals so late in the season, usually, at this point, we’re wrapping up, and to maintain the mental focus needed to go this long into the season after spending five months in Europe, required some patience on my part and some rest...lots of rest. I’m happy.” Lapanja will be skiing in both the giant slalom on Thursday as well as the slalom on Friday. 

O’Brien, who won her eighth career national title in the super-G on Tuesday, was set up for her ninth national title before she got hung up in the soft, bumpy snow and straddled, DNFing. O’Brien’s teammate AJ Hurt, who was victorious in the FIS super-G on Tuesday, did not finish the slalom portion of the alpine combined on Wednesday. Klomhaus won the FIS alpine combined, with Canada’s Britt Richardson in second place, and Burke Mountain Academy’s (BMA) Ava Sunshine Jemison in third. 

Up next for the women is the giant slalom on Thursday, followed by the slalom on Friday to wrap up the two-week series. 

RESULTS
Women’s alpine combined

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

Despite the fact that weather pushed the slalom portion of the U.S. Alpine Championships alpine combined to Wednesday, organizers were able to get off a successful super-G and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien walked away with the win, and her career-eighth national title on Tuesday.

Fresh off her career-best FIS Ski World Cup season, featuring five top-10 results in giant slalom and slalom, highlighted by a career-best ninth-place finish in a World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, and a top-10 result (and the second-fastest first run) in the giant slalom at World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, O’Brien was a clear favorite across disciplines and kicked off her U.S. Alpine Championships week with a win in Tuesday’s super-G. This wasn’t the first national title she’s won in 2020-21 though, as she snagged the giant slalom national title in Solda, Italy in November. 

Soft snow and warm temperatures made for challenging conditions once again, but the women made the best of it. Rounding out the overall podium was Westminster Ski Team and Norway’s Hannah Saethereng, nearly one second back (.99), with Team X Alpine’s Storm Klomhaus rounding out the podium in third, 1.13 seconds off O’Brien’s pace. On the junior podium, a pair of Canadians—Sarah Bennett and Kiara “Kiki” Aleksander—went 1-2, with Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Emma Resnick in third.

With a full World Cup tech season during 2020-21, O’Brien hasn’t been on her super-G boards since the last time she won the super-G national title—which was in 2019 at the U.S. Alpine Championships in Sugarloaf, Maine. Despite her super-G success in the U.S. Alpine Championships and her love for the discipline, she laughed when asked if she will be skiing more super-G in the future, perhaps even on the World Cup. “My (tech) coaches aren’t going to like that,” she giggled. “We’ll see...we’re building, step-by-step, working on tech first.” 

She was smiling ear-to-ear as she talked about kicking off the week by winning her eighth national title. “I haven’t skied much super-G in the past...I guess since the last U.S. Nationals super-G that I raced,” she laughed. “I really haven’t trained much, so I didn’t have many expectations going into today other than I wanted to remind myself that I want to go fast in speed and not be afraid of the speed. So I was pretty happy to do that on my run. It was a little bit soft and sugary, but I felt super comfortable in the course and I could go for it and attack it...and it was pretty fun. It was nice to ski super-G again.” 

In regards to being able to pull off this U.S. Alpine Championship event so late in the season amidst a season full of unknowns due to COVID-19, O’Brien reiterated the sentiments of gratitude that many of her teammates have shared. “It’s really nice to be able to pull off the event...I feel like all season everything was uncertain, and so to finish the World Cup season,” she said. “I was so glad we got that done, but to come home and race with everyone in the U.S. is also really special. So, thanks to Aspen for hosting us.” 

O’Brien’s teammate AJ Hurt, who was also a favorite for the super-G, unfortunately, did not finish the U.S. Alpine Championship super-G but was victorious in the FIS super-G that followed. 

Two-time Olympian and super-G World Cup podium finisher Laurenne Ross, who is fresh off her third national title with her downhill victory on Saturday, capped a storied 13-year career with one final victory lap prior to Tuesday’s super-G. Dressed in a black Spyder onesie with a blue sparkly tutu and a rainbow unicorn horn, Ross made her way down the track, stopping to hug and give coaches high-fives, followed by her teammate and friend Alice Merryweather with a GoPro to capture it all. At the bottom, Ross was greeted by recently retired teammate Alice McKennis, partner and teammate Tommy Ford, and her father Rob, with hugs. There was even a magical unicorn there in the finish who greeted her with flowers. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as she popped the champagne to celebrate her last lap. 

Up next is the slalom portion of the alpine combined on Wednesday. Tuesday’s U.S. Alpine Championship super-G run will be paired with Wednesday’s U.S. Alpine Championship slalom run for the alpine combined national title. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Wednesday, April 14, Alpine Combined National Championships (Slalom), Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

Day four of the 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships continued on Saturday with downhill day under the sunshine featuring perfect conditions at Aspen Highlands, Colo. While Colorado native and two-time Olympian Alice McKennis Duran took her final lap, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammate Laurenne Ross won her final career downhill race. On the men’s side, World Cup Dreams Foundation’s new executive director Tommy Biesemeyer came out of retirement to share the Roch Cup victory with former teammate Jared Goldberg. 

It was yet another classic sun-splashed spring day in Aspen, and despite the warm weather, the surface set up nicely overnight and was as good as it gets for this emotional day of downhill, which featured McKennis Duran’s final lap and Ross’ career-final downhill race. 

McKennis Duran, who grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley and cut her teeth with both the Sunlight Winter Sports Club and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club, kicked off the second run of the two-run downhill with a pre-race victory lap donning her Olympic gear, hugging current and former coaches and fist-bumping friends as she skied down. McKennis Duran’s husband and follow-cam extraordinaire, Pat Duran, took her final lap with her documenting it on a GoPro and sealing the footage with a kiss. As she skied through the finish, McKennis’ Duran’s father Greg and sister Kendra and family greeted her with cheers, hugs, and champagne. 

Ross’ goal coming into the final downhill race of her career was to simply have fun. The two-time national champion did just that, and after leading the first run of the two-run downhill by over three-tenths of a second, put together a solid second run to take the victory over teammate AJ Hurt by .45 seconds. It was a women’s podium full of Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes, with Lauren Macuga rounding it out in third, .89 seconds off Ross’ pace. Hurt and Macuga went 1-2 on the junior podium, with Burke Mountain Academy’s (BMA) Ava Sunshine Jemison landing in third. 

Ross, whose parents and sister Allana were in Aspen to watch and cheer her on, was overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude as she celebrated her final shared downhill race with teammate McKennis. “It feels surreal, I don’t know...it was tough today, having Alice do her last race, and just being in the start with her and knowing it was the last time we got to do that together was really emotional and kind of hard to get it together for the race, but I just wanted to have fun,” Ross said. “That was my main goal, but I’m competitive as hell, so I knew I was going to try to go fast so I didn’t really have to worry about that. I’m really happy...happy to be here with all of my friends and of course it’s really wonderful to win my last actual race.”

It was special for Ross to share the podium with two athletes that grew up watching her ski and looking up to her. “It’s really cool to see their talent...and to see their passion and drive. Also, just their compassion for others is really refreshing. I remember being their age and being around the older girls and just being a little bit scared of people, and not really having that camaraderie as much, but it’s nice to get to know them and to see them start to blossom in their careers. It’s exciting.” 

Hurt echoed Ross’ sentiments, saying, “I grew up watching Laurenne...and it’s just awesome to stand on the podium next to her for her last race.” She added that ending the season at home in the United States was a welcome surprise, “I didn’t expect to be able to ski any races in the U.S. at the beginning of the year or last year at this time...I kind of figured it was going to be a pretty stacked European season, so it’s been great to be able to be at home and then race on home turf.”  

On the men’s side, U.S. Ski Team alumnus and current executive director of World Cup Dreams Foundation, Tommy Biesemeyer, came out of retirement and threw it down right out of the gate during run one. He skied the fastest first run by nearly three-tenths of a second over Goldberg, followed by teammate Sam Morse. Biesemeyer, who came to U.S. Alpine Championships to lower the penalty with his points and support the next generation of downhillers, grabbed his career-first national title and shared it with teammate Goldberg—who each skied a solid second run. Morse rounded out the podium in third, .29 seconds back.

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Isaiah Nelson, Jack Smith, and Trent Pennington went 1-2-3 on the junior podium, with Nelson just missing that overall podium once again, landing in fourth place overall. 

After seven second-place career finishes in the U.S. Alpine Championships, Biesemeyer was stoked for a victory, but he was even happier to be able to give back to the younger guys. “To cap nationals off with a win is special, and more importantly I was here in Aspen promoting World Cup Dreams Foundation, which I recently took over as the executive director and I’m really passionate about giving back to the next generation to support that World Cup Dream—the one that I lived and I really believe in. To be here in Aspen to piggyback that with a national championship is pretty sweet.” 

With his victory on Saturday, Goldberg snagged his second-career national title but his first shared national title. “It’s been really fun to come here and race on a pretty chill venue, and I’ve been wanting to have nationals here for years—we’ve been talking about it and it’s been cool that they put it together. It’s just such a fun venue, and it’s easy for them to set up and for us you can kind of relax and have fun with it, and this time of year that’s what we need after a long World Cup season. I’m just trying to keep my energy through the end of this series, and it’s been fun. I got to go home for a break, and come back to race.” Following tomorrow’s FIS downhill, Goldberg is heading back home to Utah, and then grabbing his surfboard and jetting to his second home in Maui for vacation. “I’m going to surf and not put ski boots on for as long as possible,” he added with a laugh, “I’m tired. 

Up next is another FIS downhill for both men and women on Sunday, followed by a day off on Monday. U.S. Alpine Championships kicks off once again on Tuesday, with the women’s alpine combined—one run of super-G combined with one run of slalom. 

RESULTS
Women’s downhill
Men’s downhill

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media:
Virtual Media Hub

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org