Jessie Diggins will wear the FIS World Cup Cross Country yellow leader’s bib into the final races of the season this weekend in the beautiful Engadin Valley in Switzerland. But most importantly, she’ll take that yellow bib home next week along with the Crystal Globe as the first American woman, and second American, to win the overall title.

“To be able to do anything and be mentioned in the same sentence as Bill Koch (the first American to win the overall World Cup title in 1982) is really incredible. I’ve been looking up to him for a very long time,” said Diggins, who has experienced one of her best seasons ever, which included the overall victory in the 2021 FIS Tour de Ski - the first American to win the event. In addition, she earned nine podium finishes on the World Cup Tour this season - including four victories. “The overall World Cup Globe is the biggest thing that I can ever achieve!”

Diggins will lead 13 Davis U.S. Cross Country teammates into Saturday’s classic mass start and Sunday’s freestyle pursuit, including Rosie Brennan, who sits third in the overall World Cup standings and is tied for third in the overall World Cup distance standings. Solid results this weekend from Brennan could place two Americans in the top three overall and distance standing for the first time in history. Diggins, who mathematically has wrapped up both the overall and distance titles, will be presented with the World Cup Crystal Globes following Sunday’s race.

Johnny Hagenbuch, who won the American Birkebeiner race last week, will start his first World Cup this weekend. He’ll be joined by Gus Schumacher, Scott Patterson, David Noris, Ben Ogden, Kevin Bolger, and Hunter Wonders in Saturday’s 15k classic mass start, and Sunday’s 50k freestyle pursuit that follows mainly along the profile of the prestigious “Engadin Skimarathon” course. 

Joining Diggins and Brennan this weekend in the women’s 10k classic mass start and Sunday’s 30k freestyle pursuit are Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul, Sophia Laukli, and Katharine Ogden.

Unfortunately, Sophie Caldwell Hamilton and Simi Hamilton will not be able to join their teammates this weekend. Sophie tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning following the conclusion of the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. She is asymptomatic and entered quarantine upon learning of the results when she arrived in Switzerland. Simi and the rest of the staff and athletes on the U.S. Team have all tested negative. However, as a close contact, Simi was quarantined upon arrival in Switzerland as well. Both have tested negative twice since their arrival in Switzerland. However, under the Swiss COVID-19 Protocol, both athletes will be required to quarantine through the weekend.

“This weekend I was planning to race my final races as a professional skier, but it looks like my final race was really two weeks ago,” Sophie wrote on Instagram in announcing her retirement from the sport Thursday evening. “When I think about the last nine years, it’s impossible to fit all the memories on a page, but I do know that I want to say thank you. Thank you to my family, my coaches, my teammates, my partners, and my friends.”

“After 11 incredible years on the World Cup, it’s time to officially say goodbye,” Simi wrote on his Instagram page Thursday evening. “I was hoping that I could use this post to say that this weekend’s World Cup Finals would be my last as a professional ski racer, but that would have been too smooth-sailing for 2021. Instead, I’ll be watching my friends race their last races of the season while in isolation in my room just a few km’s from the race trails.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard looks forward to bringing Sophie and Simi back to the U.S. upon completing their mandatory quarantine periods.

NBC’s Peacock Streaming Platform will provide live coverage of this weekend’s races.

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup Overall
Men’s World Cup Overall
Women’s World Cup Distance
Men’s World Cup Distance
Women’s World Cup Sprint
Men’s World Cup Sprint

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday times are Eastern Standard Time
Saturday, March 13   
5:40 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men’s 15km Mass Start, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Women’s 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 14
Sunday times are Eastern Daylight Time
3:15 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Women’s 30 km Pursuit - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:35 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men’s 50km Pursuit - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
 

Jessie Diggins will wear the FIS World Cup Cross Country yellow leader’s bib into the final races of the season this weekend in the beautiful Engadin Valley in Switzerland. But most importantly, she’ll take that yellow bib home next week along with the Crystal Globe as the first American woman, and second American, to win the overall title.

“To be able to do anything and be mentioned in the same sentence as Bill Koch (the first American to win the overall World Cup title in 1982) is really incredible. I’ve been looking up to him for a very long time,” said Diggins, who has experienced one of her best seasons ever, which included the overall victory in the 2021 FIS Tour de Ski - the first American to win the event. In addition, she earned nine podium finishes on the World Cup Tour this season - including four victories. “The overall World Cup Globe is the biggest thing that I can ever achieve!”

Diggins will lead 13 Davis U.S. Cross Country teammates into Saturday’s classic mass start and Sunday’s freestyle pursuit, including Rosie Brennan, who sits third in the overall World Cup standings and is tied for third in the overall World Cup distance standings. Solid results this week from Brennan could place two Americans in the top three overall and distance standing for the first time in history. Diggins, who mathematically has wrapped up both the overall and distance titles, will be presented with the World Cup Crystal Globes following Sunday’s race.

Johnny Hagenbuch, who won the American Birkebeiner race last week, will start his first World Cup this weekend. He’ll be joined by Gus Schumacher, Scott Patterson, David Noris, Ben Ogden, Kevin Bolger, and Hunter Wonders in Saturday’s 15k classic mass start, and Sunday’s 50k freestyle pursuit that follows mainly along the profile of the prestigious “Engadin Skimarathon” course. 

Joining Diggins and Brennan this weekend in the women’s 10k classic mass start and Sunday’s 30k freestyle pursuit are Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul, Sophia Laukli, and Katharine Ogden.

Unfortunately, Sophie Caldwell Hamilton and Simi Hamilton will not be able to join their teammates this weekend. Sophie tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning following the conclusion of the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships. She is asymptomatic and entered quarantine upon learning of the results when she arrived in Switzerland. Simi and the rest of the staff and athletes on the U.S. Team have all tested negative. However, as a close contact, Simi was quarantined upon arrival in Switzerland as well. Both have tested negative twice since their arrival in Switzerland. However, under the Swiss COVID Protocol, both athletes will be required to quarantine through the weekend.

“This weekend I was planning to race my final races as a professional skier, but it looks like my final race was really two weeks ago,” Sophie wrote on Instagram in announcing her retirement from the sport Thursday evening. “When I think about the last nine years, it’s impossible to fit all the memories on a page, but I do know that I want to say thank you. Thank you to my family, my coaches, my teammates, my partners, and my friends.”

“After 11 incredible years on the World Cup, it’s time to officially say goodbye,” Simi wrote on his Instagram page Thursday evening. “I was hoping that I could use this post to say that this weekend’s World Cup Finals would be my last as a professional ski racer, but that would have been too smooth-sailing for 2021. Instead, I’ll be watching my friends race their last races of the season while in isolation in my room just a few km’s from the race trails.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard looks forward to bringing Sophie and Simi back to the U.S. upon completing their mandatory quarantine periods.

NBC’s Peacock Streaming Platform will provide live coverage of this weekend’s races.

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup Overall
Men’s World Cup Overall
Women’s World Cup Distance
Men’s World Cup Distance
Women’s World Cup Sprint
Men’s World Cup Sprint

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday times are Eastern Standard Time
Saturday, March 13   
5:40 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men’s 15km Mass Start, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Women’s 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 14
Sunday times are Eastern Daylight Time
3:15 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Women’s 30 km Pursuit - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:35 a.m. FIS Cross-Country World Cup Men’s 50km Pursuit - LIVE, Engadin, SUI, Streaming Peacock
 

On Thursday, March 11, Chris Lillis, Eric Loughran, and Ashley Caldwell represented the United States in the final event of the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan – mixed team aerials. Together, the trio earned one last World Champs medal for their team, taking bronze behind gold medalist Russia and silver medalist Switzerland.

“Now we know what kind of adjustments we have to make for next year for the Olympics,” said Head Coach Vlad Lebedev. “That was great practice and great training, and now we know where we stand, and we know what we have to do to be on the top next year.”

Making its Olympic debut at Beijing 2022, mixed team aerials pits nation versus nation, where teams of three with no more than two athletes per gender compete as a whole in hopes of a podium finish. The four teams with the highest total score in the first final, advance to the super final to compete for the opportunity to earn a medal.

As finals kicked off, Caldwell had the first jump for the U.S., performing a back lay full full. A little too much air on her jump resulted in a tough landing, but Loughran nailed his back full double full full, followed by Lillis with a clean back double full full, which pushed the Americans cleanly into the super final, where scores are wiped clean and each athlete has the chance to start again. 

Caldwell came back in the super final, performing the triple that earned her a silver medal the day before, and put it to her feet, putting up big points for her team. Loughran came into his second jump with a back full double full full, but had a heavy landing after getting a little too much speed on rotation. Thankfully, the United States’ top competitor, Russia, also had a mistake on their second jump. That meant the pressure was on for Lillis, as the U.S. led the standings going into his final jump. 

Lillis went for his quint again, a trick he landed in historic fashion the day before, in hopes of securing gold. When Lillis landed the back double full full double full on Wednesday to earn silver, it was the first time the trick had been thrown by an American in a competition since the Olympics in 2010. Unfortunately, Lillis wasn’t quite able to put it to his feet. Even with mistakes, the team was still able to end the day on the podium – a positive sign headed into an Olympic year.

“I’m excited to be on the podium, especially with Eric and Chris,” said Caldwell. “We didn’t perform our best today and we still got there. So we know there’s a lot of potential is still out there, and we know we can win this event.”

“I threw that quint again in that final round and unfortunately wasn’t able to put it quite to my feet the way I did yesterday, so a little bit upset with that,” commented Lillis. “Definitely have a few things I’d like to tighten up going forward but altogether a good World Championships for our team.” 

Looking ahead to the conclusion of events in Almaty over the weekend, the team hopes to bring their best one last time during World Finals. 

“I’m looking to stomp one down, put up a big score, and win one of these things,” exclaimed Loughran. 

RESULTS
Aerials Team
 

Olympian and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Alice Merryweather shared in early December that she has been struggling with an eating disorder and she had opted to sit the season out to recover. Recently, she opened up about her treatment, status, and next steps with Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post. 

During National Eating Disorder Awareness Week in late February, Merryweather shared an update that caught the attention of Svrluga, who was touched by her post. Along with a portrait that was taken shortly before she went to treatment and a couple of more recent images, Merryweather shared, "It’s National Eating Disorder Awareness Week! When I first entered treatment in November, I didn’t know what the reality ED recovery would look like. Now, months into the process and eight weeks out of intensive treatment, I can feel myself progressing and taking new steps each week. Still, it’s slower work than I expected. While I won’t step into a start gate this season, I’ve been rediscovering joy in many other aspects of my life."

 

 

 

 

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When COVID hit in March and the world came to a screeching halt, there wasn't much that could be controlled. Elite-level athletes, who are accustomed to having a plan and goals, and working tirelessly to achieve those goals, started talking more openly about mental health and how the pandemic had affected their lives. Merryweather opened up about that struggle and lack of control, 

Merryweather, who has been recovering back in Park City, Utah with partner and teammate Sam DuPratt after his horrible crash earlier this season at Val Gardena, Italy, said her time away from the sport has helped her to fall back in love with ski racing. She has free skied. She has found joy in the sport once again. She is feeling better, eating better, and learning to believe in herself again.

In the piece with the Post, Svrluga wrote, 

On Tuesday, Merryweather was thinking about our wide-ranging conversation from last week. She texted me something she needed to add: “I want people everywhere, especially female athletes, to remember how incredible their bodies are, that they allow us to live day in and day out, and to do some pretty incredible stuff. I’ve been practicing a lot of gratitude for my body and what it does for me, and that’s been a big step along my path toward self-acceptance.”

A year ago, she couldn’t have typed that. A year from now, she hopes to be celebrating both her body and what it allows her to accomplish.

“There’s nothing stopping me from qualifying for the Games and hopefully contending for a medal,” Merryweather said. “That would be my goal.”

Read the full article on WashingtonPost.com.

It’s officially on at the Aspen 2021 FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships, featuring the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover. 

U.S. skiers and riders alongside a stellar international field will compete in seven days of consecutive slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air competition at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colo., followed by another week of World Cup competition at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix. 

This is the first time that a nation has hosted consecutive FIS World Championships following the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships held in Utah and that has not been missed by the athletes. Back-to-Back FIS World Champion Aaron Blunck is grateful for the opportunity to compete on home soil once again. 

“It’s a special feeling to be from Colorado and to have the chance to compete in World Championships in my home country, nevermind my home state,” said Blunck. “It’s definitely nice to get the home state vibe. The travel was minimal compared to other World Championships, and generally, it’s really nice to be out here in Aspen. Aspen Snowmass does an amazing job of hosting events and Aspen is just a legendary mountain town.  The last time I competed here in the springtime was the Aspen Snowmass Open when I was a kid, so this place also brings back a ton of great memories for me.”

There is also a certain prestige that comes with the World Championships. Despite an impressive career, two-time Olympic medalist and four-time X Games gold medalist Nick Goepper has yet to achieve the title of World Champion. 

“It would be great to be able to call myself a World Champion," said Goepper. “We have a lot of events in our sport, but this is the only one that allows any athlete to claim that title. It would be great to add this one to the list and it’s definitely a goal of mine.”

Both the World Championships and the Grand Prix are an integral part of the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Olympic Team selection process. Each competition’s results will apply to the respective sports rankings lists and factor into the selection process. As a veteran, Goepper also had some thoughts on how to handle the pressure.

“I think having done this a couple of times now, I’m not thinking about the Olympics,” he said. “I’m thinking about what I’m going to do on the course over the next two weeks. I’m going to think about the here and the now. After a lot of experience, you learn that future tripping is never too productive.”

While there are valuable Olympic selection points on the line, many athletes are just grateful to compete. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member and Olympian Maddie Mastro shared her thoughts on what has been an unconventional season. 

“This past season has been full of unknowns,” said Mastro. “We usually are in a routine of contest after contest, but with fewer opportunities this season, having a chance to compete in Aspen for World Champs has been incredibly motivating. It’s also going to be nice to have a sense of normalcy being surrounded by the snowboard community.”

Competition kicks off on Wednesday, March 10 with snowboard slopestyle and freeski halfpipe qualifications. Be sure to tune in and follow @USFreeskiTeam and @USSnowboardTeam on Instagram, as well as @USSkiandSnowboard on Facebook to action all the action. 
 

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, March 12
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock 

Saturday, March 13   
11:30 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Streaming Peacock
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Slopestyle - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC
1:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - same-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, March 14
12:00 a.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Halfpipe - next-day broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBC

Tuesday, March 16
12:00 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock
1:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Freeski Slopestyle - delayed broadcast, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN
3:30 p.m. FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Championships - Snowboard Big Air - LIVE, Aspen, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, April 11
2:00 p.m. World Freestyle Championships Event Recap, Aspen, Colorado, Broadcast NBCSN

Other News:

• Event Announcement: Aspen Snowmass to Host World Championships, Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix
• Team Announcement: 2021 U.S. Snowboard and Freeski World Championship Teams Announced
• Opening Press Conference: Freeski - Blunck, Goepper, Hoefflin | Snowboard - McMorris, Gerard, and Mastro

MEDIA ACCREDITATION
 

FOLLOW
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Instagram - @usfreeskiteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
 

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Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt won slalom bronze at FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships in Bansko, Bulgaria on Wednesday, becoming the first American woman to podium in slalom since teammate Paula Moltzan won in 2015 in Hafjell, Norway. 

Italy’s Sophie Mathiou won gold, Sweden’s Moa Bostroem Mussener grabbed silver, .20 back, and Hurt rounded out the podium with bronze, .21—just one one-hundredth out of second place. Teammate Zoe Zimmermann was a solid sixth-place at her first World Championships, .51 off Mathiou’s pace. This was Zimmermann’s debut World Junior Championship start. 

Zimmermann, who hails from Gilford, N.H. and Burke Mountain Academy, and comes from skiing heritage—her grandfather, Egon Zimmermann was on the Austrian National Ski Team in the late 1950s and competed in the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. Her grandmother, Penny Pitou, was on the U.S. Ski Team during that time and won two silver medals at the Squaw Valley Olympics. "I was really looking forward to the slalom race this year since it was canceled last year due to COVID," said Zimmermann. "I definitely felt a bit of pressure only starting one event in Bansko, but I perform better when I’m nervous, so it worked out in my favor. Today you really had to attack to be fast. I’m super happy with my performance and even happier to share a great day with my teammate AJ."

Hurt, who won silver in the team event at 2019 World Junior Ski Championships in Val di Fassa, Italy, and has scored World Cup points in four disciplines this season (slalom, parallel, giant slalom, and super-G), was a favorite in the super-G and giant slalom, but not necessarily the slalom. As a 20-year-old, the slalom was Hurt’s last career World Junior Championships start. “At the beginning of World Juniors I expected more from the super-G and GS, but wasn’t able to ski the way I would have liked,” said Hurt after her slalom podium. “I came into today with lower expectations and just wanted to enjoy my last ever race at World Juniors. I think taking that pressure off of myself allowed me to ski more like myself and I was able to finally pull through with a medal.” 

With her bronze medal, Hurt became the first American woman to podium in World Juniors slalom since teammate Paula Moltzan won in 2015 in Hafjell, Norway. Prior to that, another teammate, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed bronze in Crans Montana, Switzerland in 2011, and Olympian Resi Stiegler won bronze in Montgenevre, France in 2003. All four women will be competing together in the upcoming weekend's slalom FIS Ski World Cup series at Are, Sweden. 

Also starting for the Americans were Nicola Rountree-Williams, who did not finish first run, and Allie Resnick, who did not finish second run. The Americans ended up tied for sixth with Germany in the Marc Hodler Trophy standings—an award recognizing overall team performance throughout the Junior World Championships. Austria, who had six medals in six events (including two gold), won the Marc Hodler Trophy, followed by Italy in second, and Sweden in third. 

The women’s slalom concludes competition at World Juniors in Bansko, Bulgaria. Up next, Hurt will travel to Are, Sweden for the final FIS Ski World Cup slalom doubleheader prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

WATCH THE SLALOM REPLAY
Women’s slalom run 1
Women’s slalom run 2
Awards Ceremony

FOLLOW THE LAND ROVER U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM
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Twitter - @usskiteam

Wednesday, March 10, FIS World Freestyle Championships marked a significant day for the men’s and women’s aerials team. Both Chris Lillis and Ashley Caldwell gave the competition everything they had and ended the day with two silver medals for the United States in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The World Championship “best of” format resembles that of the Olympics, yet slightly differs from the standard World Cup competition. In total, 12 athletes advance to the final from qualifications, with the opportunity to perform a second trick, as long as it does not repeat their first. Their best scores are used to narrow down the athletes to a top-six for the super final round, and the best score of that group walks away with the gold.

Caldwell, a three-time Olympian, knew she could land the most difficult trick in women’s aerial skiing – a back full full full. In the end, gold came down to the cleanest landing, as Australia’s Laura Peel also threw a triple. Caldwell came up short of gold by only a few points behind Peel, but was just as excited, having not thrown a triple in competition in years, and missing the landing in her last competition at the Deer Valley World Cup. Russia’s Liubov Nikitina rounded out the podium in third.

“I’m ecstatic,” relayed Caldwell. “I gave it all out there. My all. It’s a great site in Kazakhstan but there are always challenges. I am just glad I hung together and put down an awesome jump and got on the podium.”

Headed into the super final, 20-year-old Megan Smallhouse was barely nudged out, after landing two clean back lay fulls in her World Championship debut. Smallhouse ended the day in seventh overall, a solid showing after two well-executed jumps at the highest degree of difficulty in her repertoire. 

Prior to finals, Lillis chose to not partake in the first jump, having felt less than one hundred percent in the morning. But Jump Two was all he needed to land himself a spot in the super final, stomping the landing of a back double full full. 

After a bad crash in Yaroslavl, Russia earlier this season, the 22-year-old had been working to make a comeback, practicing a quint twisting triple backflip all summer. Lillis knew that if he made it into the super final at World Championships, that would be the trick he would throw. And that’s exactly what he did. Amongst a podium of quint triples, Lillis’ stellar performance was enough to earn him a silver medal, behind Russia’s Maxim Burov and ahead of Russia’s Pavel Krotov. In addition, he became the first American to land a quint in the competition since the late Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist.

“I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out,” exclaimed Lillis. “It’s been a tough and really trying time for our team and we were able to put some jumps together. Ashley Caldwell coming in second place and me being able to throw that quint for the first time and put it to my feet. Man for a second I thought I had it but I couldn’t be happier with how things turned out.” 

“Out of all events, this is exactly what we were targeting all year,” added Lillis. “To be able to do [the quint], land it, and put it down at my feet makes me feel like I’m moving in the right direction and I hope to do a similar thing at the Olympics next year.”

Teammate Eric Loughran hard backslapped for his first jump, and chose to take a back full full double full in his second jump, a trick he hadn’t practiced in weeks, and only landed a handful of times in his life. Nailing the trick was big for Loughran, but not enough to earn him a spot in the super finals with Lillis. Loughran finished the day in seventh, his career-best at a World Championship competition.

Teammates Justin Schoenefeld finished the day in 17th overall, while Dani Loeb finished the day in 21st overall. This marked both's first World Championships appearance. 

March 11 the United States' Aerials team will be back at it, competing in the FIS World Freestyle Championship Mixed Team event at 4:00 AM EST.

RESULTS
Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.

Thursday, March 11
4:00 a.m. FIS World Freestyle Championships Mixed Team Aerials Finals - LIVE, Almaty, KAZ, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
 

March 12, 2021, 7 a.m. MST
In accordance with FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the local health authority's protocols, only two aerials athletes will be competing in the 2021 FIS Freestyle World Cup Finals in Almaty, Kazakhstan, due to positive COVID-19 cases and associated quarantine for close contacts. The athletes competing are exempt from the quarantine process. 

The aerials athletes are safely in quarantine and testing of U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes and staff is ongoing. While we are disappointed to end the season this way, the health and safety of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff remain our highest priority. We look forward to bringing all athletes back to the U.S. upon completing mandatory quarantine periods.

March 11, 2021 1:30 p.m. MST

Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athletes Sophie Caldwell Hamilton and Simi Hamilton have announced that they will not participate in this weekend’s FIS Cross Country World Cup events this weekend in Engadin, Switzerland.

Sophie tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday morning following the conclusion of the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships and entered quarantine upon learning of the results when she arrived in Switzerland and is asymptomatic. Simi and the rest of the staff and athletes on the U.S. Team have all tested negative. However, as a close contact, Simi was quarantined upon arrival in Switzerland as well. Both Simi and Sophie have tested negative twice since their arrival in Switzerland. Under the Swiss COVID Protocol, both athletes will be required to quarantine through next week.

Ongoing testing of Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athletes and staff who traveled and shared accommodation with Sophie and Simi has resulted in no other positive cases. The health and safety of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff remain our highest priority. We look forward to bringing Sophie and Simi back to the U.S. upon completing their mandatory quarantine periods.

 

 

 

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March 9, 2021 8:30 p.m. MST

In accordance with FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and the local government’s COVID-19 protocols, multiple U.S. aerials athletes will not be participating in the 2021 FIS Freestyle Ski World Championships in Almaty. Athletes in the COVID-19 protocols are safely in quarantine and ongoing testing of U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes and staff who are on site have resulted in no others entering the protocol. The health and safety of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff remain our highest priority.

Jan. 18, 2021, 8:00 a.m. MST

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes Kyle Mack and Lyon Farrell announced Monday that they have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unable to participate in this week’s 2021 Laax Open held in Laax, Switzerland. 

 

 

 

 

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In accordance with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS COVID-19 protocols, Mack and Farrell have been tested multiple times per week since arriving in Europe. All of their tests had produced negative results through the Kreischberg, Austria World Cup. Fortunately, Mack and Farrell are asymptomatic and have been self-isolating since the positive test. 

Ongoing testing of U.S. Snowboard Team athletes who traveled and shared accommodation with Mack and Farrell has resulted in no other positive cases. However, in accordance with FIS and Austrian COVID-19 policies and protocols, these athletes are unable to compete in the 2021 Laax Open and will be under mandatory quarantine in Austria.

The health and safety of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff remain our highest priority. We wish all athletes safe travel back to the U.S. upon completing mandatory quarantine periods.  

 

 

 

 

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Jan. 15, 2021, 8:00 a.m. MST

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete Paula Moltzan announced Friday that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be unable to participate in this weekend’s giant slalom events in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. 

 

 

 

 

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In accordance with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and FIS COVID-19 protocols, Moltzan has been tested multiple times per week since arriving in Europe. All of Moltzan’s tests produced negative results prior to travel between Flachau and Kranjska Gora. Fortunately, Moltzan is asymptomatic and otherwise well. She has been self-isolating since the positive test. 

Ongoing testing of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff has resulted in no other positive cases. The health and safety of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff remain our highest priority. We wish Moltzan an easy recovery and look forward to seeing her back on course when it is safe for her to do so.
 

Tuesday’s dual moguls competition at the FIS Freestyle World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan started out as a promising day for the Americans coming out of qualifiers. Four American women and two American men moved into the finals ready to compete for a chance to appear on the podium in their last competition prior to World Finals this weekend. 

Jaelin Kauf and Kai Owens were eliminated in the round of eight after close duals, as were Brad Wilson and Nick Page. Hannah Soar and Tess Johnson were able to move on to the quarter-finals. Despite throwing air packages equal to their competition, a few minuscule mistakes prevented the athletes from advancing into the big or small finals as they had hoped.

“Everybody set themselves up beautifully,” commented Head Coach Matt Gnoza. “Going into the finals we had some great skiing in the qualifiers by the entire team. But duals took over at that point. Dual moguls is competitor versus competitor, and it came down to cleanliness today. We made some small mistakes exiting our jumps or some little baubles going into jumps, and it was the little things that added up to the victories today that just wasn’t in the cards for us.” 

At the end of the day, Anastasiia Smirnova and Viktoriia Lazarenko of Russia walked away gold and silver for the women. Anastasslya Gorodko finished with the bronze on home soil. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury conquered Australia’s Matt Graham in the men’s big final to take gold, while Japan’s Ikuma Horishima beat out Canada’s Brenden Kelly in the small final for bronze. 

Johnson had the best result of the day finishing fifth overall, followed by Soar in sixth, Owens in 10th, and Kauf in 12th. Wilson had the best result for the men, finishing in ninth, followed by Page in 10th, Dylan Walczyk in 18th, and Alex Lewis in 31st.

“These past two days have been pretty disappointing results-wise, but when I take a step back and look at the skiing I did, I’m actually really proud of myself,” said Johnson. “This sport can be tough sometimes; it can be hard to separate results from performance, but at the end of the day, I put down some really good runs and that’s worth celebrating!”

Gnoza acknowledged that experiencing some tough competition was important for the team headed into 2022. For athletes like Soar, Owens, Page, and Alex Lewis (eliminated in the round of 32), the opportunity to experience their first World Championships alongside veteran teammates like Wilson, Kauf, and Johnson is a priceless experience headed into an Olympic year, he said.

“The team is definitely looking forward to finishing strong in the World Cup finals,” added Gnoza. “We’ll take a couple of days off here in Kazahkstan and then return to training on Friday and Saturday and try and bring it again on Sunday. We know we’re in the game. We know the athletes are capable of getting out there and getting the job done. And they’ll rise to the occasion here, that’s for sure.”

RESULTS

Women’s Dual Moguls

Men’s Dual Moguls

Monday, March 8 marked the first day of competition at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with Kai Owens leading the standings for the U.S. moguls crew. The 16-year-old landed in 6th position coming into the super final and decided to give it all she had to make a big impression during her first World Championships. 

“Making super finals feels really cool, it boosts my confidence for sure,” said Owens. “When I started up on World Cup, I tried hard not to compare myself to the other women. I want to see what I can do, results are kind of an afterthought and back up my plan and reassure me that I'm improving as an athlete. It is nice to have results and hang with everybody but I’m still just trying to go out there and be the best skier I can be.”

In the super final, Owens went a little too big off of the top air, which caused her some issues in the middle section of the course. She skied out, which guaranteed her a 6th place finish overall. Knowing this, Owens kept at it and chose to throw a cork 7 mute grab off the bottom air. Had she not DNF’d, it would have marked the first time a woman has thrown that trick in elite-level competition. 

“I was tired and bummed, but another rep is always good practice,” reflected Owens. “Judges are still looking and watching. I also was like ‘if I’m throwing, I’m throwing it no matter what’, so I decided to still go for it.”

Her teammates Jaelin Kauf, Hannah Soar, and Tess Johnson qualified in solid positions coming into the small final, but the competition came to play. Kauf suffered a series of small mistakes out of the top air that cost her. Soar skied fast and went big, but landed left and positioned herself right in front of a mogul, resulting in a large deduction. Johnson skied clean but juxtaposed to the rest of the field, her run was not enough to pull through to the super final. The trio ended the day 8th, 10th, and 11th respectively.

A similar story of small mistakes and tough competition rang true on the men’s side. Young gun Nick Page had a solid showing in qualifications, but a big mistake at the bottom air during finals led to a crash in his first-ever World Championships. Veterans Bradley Wilson and Dylan Walczyk were able to keep the nerves calm and qualify for the first final, but had trouble exiting the jumps and couldn’t quite qualify for the super final. Walczyk finished the day in 10th, followed by Wilson in 13th, Page in 18th, and Alex Lewis in 35th. Lewis did not qualify for finals in his first World Championship appearance.

Head coach Matt Gnoza noted that the team came into qualifying with a solid game plan, but given the performance from the rest of the field on Monday, their effort just was not enough in comparison. Competition like podium finishers, Canada's Mikael Kingsbury in first, France's Benjamin Cavet in second, and Kazakhstan's Pavel Kolmakov on the men’s side, and France's Perrine Laffont in first, Kazakhstan's Yuliya Galysheva in second, and Russia's Anastasiia Smirnova in third on the women’s showed the team what they’re up against headed into an Olympic year.

“We are really starting to see what we can expect in 2022,” said Gnoza. “World Championships right before an Olympic year is always a great event to gauge where you are as an athlete and a team. We know we’ve got the players that can get the medals. We can learn from our experiences and move forward.” 

The competition continues on Tuesday, March 9, with men’s and women’s dual moguls, another shot for the athletes to compete for World Championship medals.

“Looking to tomorrow’s duals, this team usually bounces back from adversity pretty well,” commented Gnoza. “We’ve seen this before from this group. We will regroup tonight and get back up there tomorrow.”

RESULTS:

Women's Moguls

Men's Moguls

HOW TO WATCH:

All times EST

Tuesday, March 9th - 4:00 AM - Dual Moguls, Almaty, Kazakhstan - Olympic Channel, OC 24/7 Livestreaming, Peacock TV