On the final day of the Stifel Aspen Winternational presented by United, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Jett Seymour and Ben Ritchie skied to 25th and 27th place, respectively. 

“It was a challenging course and I had a pretty big mistake, but I am proud of my skiing today,” said Seymour. 

It snowed 18 inches overnight and the course workers were up before dawn to help get the race off. They were able to push all the snow off to get back the ice from the day before for the world’s best slalom skiers. The Stifel U.S. Ski Team squad had three skiers - Seymour, Ritchie and Luke Winters - punch it into the top 30 after the first run, a positive step for the team. 

On the second run, the slalom course was anyone’s for the taking. Seymour was knifing his second run until he had a huge bobble at the bottom. With an incredibly athletic recovery, he still made it to the finish to earn World Cup points. Ritchie also skied solidly with a few bobbles to land another top 30 finish. Winters skied out and did not finish.

“It can be tough to fight through the pressure of home races, but when you ski through it can be really rewarding,” said Seymour. 

It was quite a day for Great Britain’s Laurie Taylor who won the Stifel Bibbo Award, going from bib 49 to eighth place, a career-best finish for the Brit. However it was ultimately the best weekend for Loic Meillard of Switzerland who followed up his two second place finishes in giant slalom with a slalom win. Germany’s Linus Strasser took second place and Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen claimed third place. 

The final men’s technical World Cup season will end in Slovenia next weekend. 

RESULTS
Men's slalom

For the fifth time in the 2023-24 season, Lauren Macuga earned a personal best finish, this time, breaking into the top five on an impossibly foggy day in Kvitfjell, Norway. 

After multiple course holds, and debate whether or not the race would be officially contested, Macuga held onto a fifth place finish, 0.11 seconds off her first podium. With her finish, she solidified her spot in the super-G at World Cup Finals, and unlocked a new a goal, earning her first podium. 

“When I started this season, my goals were to earn a top 20 in downhill, and a top 30 in super-G,” explained Macuga. “Never did I imagine that I would sitting in the hot seat for as long as I did, let alone in the top five.”

In Saturday’s super-G, Macuga finished seventh after starting in the top 20 girls for the first time in her young career. Despite worsening conditions, the 21-year-old was able to best herself on Sunday, March 3, with her fifth place finish. 

"It was win or lose today with how much fog we got during our run," said Macuga. "I definitely had a little bit, and it was hard to see. I hit a few gates with my head on the way down. But either way I was charging, and I carried speed through the bottom, and that kept me in the game until the end."

Her teammate, Tricia Mangan, was sent down the course during the lowest visibility of the day in bib 40, and miracously managed to break into the top 30, finishing 24th by jumping 16 places, and earning her first Stifel Bibbo Award. 

"In the course, I was just yelling at myself to stay focused, and stay in it," said Mangan. "I couldn't see a thing but I didn't want to finish my last World Cup of the season without giving it everything I had, no matter what."

Looking ahead, the Stifel U.S. Alpine women will either head home for U.S. Nationals, or stick around Europe to compete in World Cup Finals if they qualified in the top 25 of their respective disciplines. Finals can be streamed live on skiandsnowboard.live, beginning March 16, in Saalbach, Austria. 

The Sierra Nevada World Cup double header wrapped up Sunday morning with another wild day of racing. Olympian Stacy Gaskill led the way for the American women, winning the small final to secure her best result of the season with a fifth place finish.

“The race today was really exciting! It was a beautiful day. The wind didn’t affect us nearly as much as it did yesterday and the track was running smooth” said Gaskill. “Almost the whole team qualified through preheats this morning and we all raced really well. I’m personally really proud of my riding this weekend and it feels good to be in the top five. Today was a good day but I definitely have more to give so I’m excited for another chance next weekend.”

Racing alongside Gaskill for the women was teammate and Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Jacobellis, who finished her day in ninth after a hard collision with Austrian Belle Brockhoff and Czech Eva Adamczyková took her out in the quarterfinals.

Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner was the top finisher for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team men, taking third in the small final to take seventh overall.

“I absolutely love racing here in Spain,” said Baumgartner. “The fans come out and bring insane energy and even though these short courses aren’t my strength, I kept fighting and had an amazing day. I have to give it up to my coaches and our trainers for keeping us going. The wax techs absolutely crushed it today and were testing between heats just to make sure that I had the best chance at success. It takes a village and the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team is one amazing village. I'm so thankful for this entire team. 

Teammates Cody Winters and Senna Leith improved on their results from Saturday with top 15 finishes. Olympian Hagen Kearney took 27th and teammate Tyler Hamel finished 28th, while Jake Vedder, who took third in Saturday’s final, ended his day of racing in 31st. Connor Schlegel was 46th.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Cross Team continues their European campaign in Cortina with another round of World Cup racing next weekend, March 8-9. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of the Stifel Aspen Winternational presented by United, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy Ford led the way for the U.S. squad, finishing 16th place and taking the third fastest time on second run. 

“I knew it was fast and it felt fast in the bottom section especially,” said Ford. 

The conditions Saturday resembled more of an ice rink as the watering and injection from the week prior set extra well the night before. The world’s best were not phased by the icy conditions, putting on a show for the Aspen crowd. River Radamus kicked things off first for the team running third, but got inside at the third gate, leaning in and barely making the next few gates. He squeaked it into the top 30 for a second run. Ford skied solidly with some mistakes to finish 26th first run. Lastly, Isaiah Nelson skied speedily to tie Radamus in 30th, his first time making a second run on the World Cup tour. 

While it was not the first run the team was hoping for, they prepared mentally to attack the second run. Radamus ran first and immediately went into the lead and ended up 22nd. Nelson was on fire, knifing every turn and posting fast split. But he unfortunately bobbled right before the finish and did not finish. 

Ford saw his opportunity and seized it, skiing the best run of his season going into the lead. He ended up moving up 10 spots to 16th place and notched the third fastest second run. 

“Consistency was key today and not doing too much between runs,” said Ford. “It’s hard to be patient up there but I was able to do it and it felt good. I am going to focus on what I’m doing.”

The winner of the race was none other than Marco Odermatt of Switzerland. Despite a major mistake on his second run, no one can seemingly unseat the giant slalom king, who is now 9-0 in the last nine giant slaloms. Second place went to teammate Loic Meillard and third place was Norway’s Timon Haugan. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Brian McLaughlin, George Steffey and independent athlete Patrick Kenney also raced but did not qualify for second run. 

There is one more giant slalom in the regular World Cup season next week in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. The final day of racing in Aspen will be a slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH (all times in ET)
March 3
11:00 a.m. - run 1, men's giant slalom - LIVE: CNBC, Peacock, Outside
2:00 p.m. - (delayed coverage) men’s slalom, Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup - NBC
1:30 p.m. - run 2, men’s slalom - NBC coverage begins
2:00 p.m. - run 2, men's giant slalom - LIVE: NBC, Peacock, Outside

Olympian Jake Vedder battled through challenging conditions on Saturday morning, March 2, to take home third place at the first of two finals at the Sierra Nevada World Cup doubleheader.

A short sprint course and low visibility made for an exciting morning of racing in Sierra Nevada, Spain with frequent course holds and video reviews required due to weather conditions, but Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Cross Team’s own Jake Vedder persevered and advanced through four rounds of racing to secure a spot on the podium. Vedder’s third place marks his second podium of the season, having scored third place with teammate Lindsey Jacobellis in the Les Deux Alpes team event in December, and first individual podium for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Cross Team in the 2023-24 season.

“I am very stoked to get back on the podium today. It was tough conditions with the weather but I knew my wax techs had me on the fastest boards possible and it was just up to me to handle the racing,” said Vedder. “Another race tomorrow and hungry for more! Proud of my coaches and wax techs- a lot of effort went into this race!”

Vedder was joined by five teammates in the knockout rounds, with Senna Leith taking 17th, Connor Schlegel 18th, Cody Winters 19th, Olympian Hagen Kearney 27th and Olympic gold medalist Nick Baumgartner rounding out the top 30.

Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Jacobellis and Olympian Stacy Gaskill represented the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team on the women’s side, taking 11th and 14th, respectively.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team has another shot at the Sierra Nevada track on Sunday, March 3rd at 5:30 a.m. ET. Watch them race LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Lauren Macuga clocked yet another personal best result in the 2023-24 season, this time in the Kvitfjell, Norway super-G that replaced the scheduled initial downhill on Saturday, March 2. Macuga finished seventh overall, her second top-10 result in a World Cup, besting her result in the Zauchensee super-G earlier in the season.

She started in bib 4, another first for the 21-year-old; as in the past, she's only ever skied closer to the back of the pack, never higher than bib 20. When Macuga came to the finish, she was ecstatic. 

"Skiing in the top 10 is where it's at," she exclaimed. "Oh my god, it was so fun. You don't realize how much of a game-changer a clean course is. I'm used to running in the back of the pack, and it's so nice to run a full, clean course where you can go. You don't get to watch as many racers. So you have to trust your plan and put everything out there."

Macuga was 1.01 seconds off of the day's winner, Lara Gut-Behrami, who currently leads the super-G and overall World Cup standings. Austria's Cornelia Huetter finished second, followed by her teammate Mirjam Puchner in third. 

Having gone much earlier than she was used to, Macuga initially hoped to hang on to a top 15 finish to support further her mission to qualify for the World Cup Finals in Saalbach at the end of the season, where only the top 25 athletes in each discipline qualify.

Seventh makes a strong argument for Macuga, who now sits comfortably in 17th overall. If she remains high enough in the rankings by the end of the day on Sunday, she will be heading to her first World Cup finals. 

On Sunday, she and her teammates will get another chance at the super-G in Kvitfjell, this time with a better plan to attack the course sections where mistakes were made. Bella Wright made a mistake in the same section of the course as Macuga but had a later bib number and couldn't quite make up the time she lost. She ended the day in 18th. 

"You have to charge in this course," said Macuga. "You absolutely have to be on it and give it everything you got out there. Never let up, otherwise you'll lose your speed coming into the flats and then you're out."

The second super-G of the weekend in Kvitfjell, and the last speed race in the regular World Cup before the World Cup Finals, begins at 5:00 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

5:00 a.m. - women's super-G - LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live

STARTERS (3/3)

Lauren Macuga (2)

Bella Wright (22)

Tricia Mangan (40)

Jackie Wiles (41)

Keely Cashman (42)

When you think about racing in Lahti, Finland, the first thing that comes to mind is challenging waxing conditions and hard courses, but that did not stop the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team from finding success at the first set of races back in Europe. In today's 20k classic individual start, Rosie Brennan led the team, finishing the day in ninth place - her 13th World Cup top 10 of the season - with fellow Alaskan Zanden McMullen in 23rd, tying his career-best result in the process. 

Lahti has historically been a difficult race and today was no exception. With a 20k classic interval start on deck, the temperatures were high, the clouds were low and klister was the only option for the skis. With today's conditions, even the best skiers would feel challenged, both physically and mentally. Would the klister hold? Will there be as many crashes as there were in yesterday's sprint? Would the glide be enough? Patience was the main theme of the day, mixed with a healthy amount of perseverance and grit.

Lahti's 20k is the second race back since the unforgettable weekend of racing at the Stifel Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, which saw historic results from the U.S. team among top-tier skiing from the world's best. With a long plane ride separating Minneapolis and Lahti, the rest of the cross country elite is back to their normalcy - racing in Europe. 

The women kicked things off with three Americans on the start: Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan and Sophia Laukli. With the interval start format, Laukli was off first, followed by Brennan, then Diggins. 

The eventual leaders of the race were indicated early on through the splits on the course. At the five-kilometer time check, Brennan was within seconds of the leaders, sitting in a comfortable position within the top 10, even having battled illness for the last few weeks. 

"The conditions were wet and soft but honestly not that bad by Lahti standards," said Brennan, post-race. "This place has some of the toughest waxing on the circuit. The course demands a lot technically and physically so I felt that focusing solely on good skiing was my best chance to put together a decent race. Going in to today, I had no expectations, knowing that my body is far from it's best. But I love klister skiing, so i felt like that if I just focused on good skiing, I might be able to have an ok race." 

Five kilometers into the race, Brennan was still positioned well within the top 10, with Diggins and Laukli in the top 30. With kick and glide becoming a real challenge, made evident by athletes utilizing the herringbone technique on the uphills rather than staying in the classic tracks, the battle continued with everything, and everyone, being tested. Brennan ultimately crossing the finish line in ninth. 

"Today was a challenge," said Diggins. "We had some variable wax conditions within the team, for sure. Without fluoros and in conditions like this, if the glide isn't where you want it to be and it blows up your race. So that was challenging, but the thing was, everyone tried as hard as they could. The service team did their best, I went out there and did my best and I am really proud of how I skied. I never gave up, I worked every inch of that course and pushed as hard as I could for all of it!"

Diggins finished 21st and continues to lead the overall World Cup standings, ahead of Sweden's Linn Svahn. The result also helps her continue to lead the distance standings ahead of Germany's Victoria Karl. Brennan is fifth in the overall World Cup standings.

At the end of the women's race, the excitement was for Finland, as Krista Parmakoski, a long-time great of the sport who has skied competitively on the World Cup for over 15 years, finally felt the taste of victory once again after a six-year drought. With today's win, Paramkoski was back on top of the podium, met with hugs and congratulations from Brennan and Diggins post-race. 

Germany's Karl was just .5 seconds behind in second place and Kerttu Niskanen gave the home crowd what they deserved - another Fearless Fin on the podium in third. Laukli finished 26th. 

For the men, McMullen stole the show in 23rd, another top result for the young Alaskan. On the start list alongside four other Americans, including Michael Earnhart, Scott Patterson, Luke Jager and Peter Wolter. Gus Schumacher and Zak Ketterson did not start today's race. 

In the early stages, the scene was already being set, with Norway's Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, Paal Goldberg and Finland's own Livo Niskanen setting the bar. Four laps around Lahti's crowded course, it was still anyone's race. 

At the halfway mark, McMullen was a top 25 contender, skiing a consistent and strong pace. Dropping back to 27th at 13.4k, McMullen stepped on the gas to move up to 23rd across the finish line, tieing his career-best World Cup result; his previous best was in Canmore, Alberta just a few weeks ago, where he was 23rd in the 15k. McMullen is having a breakout season, consistently skiing in the top 30 in the world, and is having fun in the process.

"I felt pretty strong today," said McMullen. "The skiing was very tough, and I historically have struggled A LOT in warm wet slushy conditions. It was definitely a mental battle out there and felt so nice to cross the finish line. Also proud that I had a good race in a Scandinavian-stacked classic race!"

Klaebo took home the victory, with Finland's hometown hero, Niskanen in second, marking quite the comeback campaign after missing the majority of the season, and gracing the podium only hours earlier in Friday's team sprint. Norway's Nyenget rounded out the men's podium in third. For the U.S. men, Patterson was 34th, Earnhart 48th, Jager 55th and Wolter 57th. 

Tomorrow, the athletes wrap up the Lahti Ski Games with a skate sprint, slated to begin at 3:15 a.m. ET for qualifications, with rounds kicking off at 5:45 a.m. ET, live on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

On Friday, March 1 in the first of two giant slaloms at the Stifel Aspen Winternational presented by United, River Radamus skied to an 11th place position. 

“I felt like I executed well today,” said Radamus. “Second run the approach was much better with a better touch on the snow.” 

The weather could not be more perfect with beautiful sunny skies and a fired-up Colorado crowd, but it was a bit of an unusual giant slalom on the results sheet with more than 25 skiers not making it to the bottom of the course. The hill was more aggressive and icy than many expected, coupled with a very tricky course set. Radamus was cooking the top splits on his first run until he got extremely late before the flat section, losing all his speed. He made another large mistake toward the middle, bumping him to a 15th place first run. 

“Today was a learning curve for everyone. It was icy up top and on those crucial turns they got pretty polished,” said Radamus. “I made some more mistakes in the second run but I was pushing really hard so I am happy with the second run for sure.” 

On the second run, the snow was still very aggressive and Radamus chose to switch up his equipment. He skied well the whole run, with the exception of a few mistakes, ultimately moving up four places to 11th overall for the day. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes George Steffey, Brian McLaughlin, Tommy Ford and Isaiah Nelson were all in top 30 contention on the first run but, like many of their competitors, got late and low, blowing out in the middle of the run. Patrick Kenney finished the first run in 37th, not good enough for a second run. 

“Our whole team has the speed right now. I think they wanted to put something down special and laid everything on the line and sometimes you go out. But they can do it,” said Radamus. 

The winner of the race was none other than Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt. He has won every single giant slalom of the season, with the Stifel Aspen Winternational presented by United being his eighth win in a row. Just last week Odermatt also clinched the overall Crystal Globe. Second place went to Swiss teammate Loic Meillard and third place was Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath. 

The men have another chance at the Aspen giant slalom Saturday followed up with a slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH (all times in ET)
March 2
12:00 p.m. - run 1, men's giant slalom - LIVE: CNBC, Peacock, Outside
2:00 p.m. - (delayed coverage) men’s slalom, Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup - NBC
3:00 p.m. - run 2, men's giant slalom - LIVE: NBC, Peacock, Outside

March 3
11:00 a.m. - run 1, men's giant slalom - LIVE: CNBC, Peacock, Outside
2:00 p.m. - (delayed coverage) men’s slalom, Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup - NBC
1:30 p.m. - run 2, men’s slalom - NBC coverage begins
2:00 p.m. - run 2, men's giant slalom - LIVE: NBC, Peacock, Outside

We had another great long weekend of racing at Beaver Creek, CO February 21-25 for the 2024 Denver Sports Lab FIS Masters Cup and Western Regional Championships! For the third year in a row, racers competing for FIS Masters Cup Globes and Western Regional Champion Jackets convened at Beaver Creek for the US stop on the FIS Masters Cup Tour. The event hosted 127 racers from 12 countries. The weather was fantastic - clear, sunny, and warm. The race hill was in great shape and the professional race crew at Beaver Creek always knocks it out of the park!  Many thanks to the organizers and sponsors who made this event possible, and congratulations to all the competitors.  Many USA and international racers continued on the Kimberley after the event for the 2024 FIS Masters World Criterium.

Full Race Results

FIS Masters Cup results on the FIS Website and usalpinemasters.org/2024/fismasters

Western Region Championship results posted at usalpinemasters.org/2024

Race Photos

Many thanks to Erika Krainz for shooting all 3 days of racing - all photos are free to download! She has posted photo galleries on her Schneehexe Photography site at https://erikakrainz.smugmug.com/Alpine-Ski-Racing/2024-Masters-Cup-Western-Regional-Championships-at-BC.

We also made an album of google photos from the Beaver Creek FMC race!

We Have Many People to Thank

Thank you to the Beaver Creek Race Department for providing a great race venue and racer experience!

Thank you to all the officials, course setters, and volunteers that helped to make it all possible! 

Thank you to our event sponsor Denver Sports Lab in Golden, CO for the financial support! Call them up and get your skis properly cared for and stored for summer!

Thank you to Phillips 66 for the financial support to have indoor space to put on boots and get ready in the morning!

Thank you to our Race Sponsors!
Feb 23 - SG1 - Harold Wescott Memorial sponsored by Bob Benson, Charlie Hauser, Lee Kaufman and Knute Reistad
Feb 23 - SG2 - JENSCO Cup sponsored by Jeanette Saylor
Feb 24 - GS1 - Minnesota Connection sponsored by Lilla Andrews, Bob Benson, Charlie Hauser, Tom Patterson and Jerry Sorensen
Feb 24 - GS2 - sponsored by Donald Shaffer 
Feb 25 - SL - Carol Rymer Davis Memorial SLsponsored by John Davis

Steve Zuckerman, the medical director of the Birds of Prey World Cup race in Beaver Creek, passed away on Friday, February 23 while on a backcountry rescue operation in the Vail area..

Steve, or “Zman,” was a dedicated paramedic, ski patroller and champion of medical safety. He has been an integral part of the Birds of Prey race for more than 20 years, as well as the head of the Beaver Creek Ski Patrol and member of the Eagle County Paramedic Services. Steve’s dedication to excellence in mountain safety was recognized internationally as he was invited to work with several host nations to establish their on-snow response protocols for World Championships and Olympic Games.  

Apart from the work he did with the World Cup in Beaver Creek, Steve also helped to shape on-hill care for our athletes as part of the required Medical Emergencies in Skiing and Snowboarding course for all U.S. Ski & Snowboard volunteer physicians, which teaches doctors to apply their medical knowledge in the mountain environment. Through this course, Steve led a group of Beaver Creek patrollers in teaching more than 70 physicians how to successfully manage trauma on hill. Steve recently supported U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Sports Medicine Team in bringing the course to Park City, Utah in expectation of the upcoming 2034 Olympic Winter Games.   

U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s hearts go out to his two children, many friends and family. He will be missed.