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
 

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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

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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
 

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

On a beautifully prepared slope in Jasna, Slovakia, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed her 102nd FIS Ski World Cup podium, finishing third to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 25. 

On her home hill, Slovakian Petra Vlhova put on a good show for her country, winning the race by sixteen-hundredths of a second over New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, who showed the strong skiing she’s capable of after moving up from seventh first run. Shiffrin rounded out the podium in third, .37 second off Vlhova’s pace. 

After snagging her 69th World Cup victory in Saturday’s slalom, Shiffrin came out first run with her game face on and ready to go Vlhova’s home hill. Both women skied incredible runs, with Shiffrin leading after the first run by a mere .16 seconds. Poland’s Maryna Gasienica-Daniel skied a beautiful first run, landing in third, .44 seconds off the pace. Nina O’Brien, who was second in the first giant slalom run at World Championships, showed her speed once again, landing in fourth from bib 19, .49 off the lead. 

Americans Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt also put down solid first runs, in 17th and 29th, respectively. Heading into the second run, the Americans had a very tangible opportunity to double podium—the last time that happened was on March 11, 1984, in Waterville Valley, N.H., when Tamara McKinney won and Christin Cooper was third. With four Americans in the second run, the stoke levels were high and the possibilities were exciting. 

Hurt, who has scored points in four disciplines (slalom, parallel, giant slalom, and super-G) this season and will be heading to Bansko, Bulgaria next for FIS Ski World Junior Championships, started off the second run by laying down a solid time. She had a few minutes in the leaderboard and moved up to 22nd on the day. Moltzan also skied solidly to cap off a weekend of two top-20 results, landing in 19th. O’Brien left the start gate charging, was skiing blazing-fast through the first interval until she leaned in and DNFed. She was disappointed, but is OK and is happy with her skiing. 

Vlhova broke a gate in the bottom section of the course, causing an unfortunate course hold for Shiffrin, who was in the start gate and ready to kick out. Clearly rattled from the start, Shiffrin skied clean from top to bottom, but couldn’t find the fire to grab the victory. Following the race, Shiffrin articulated her disappointment with the way the broken gate was handled, and how lengthy the course hold was. 

Standing in the start gate, athletes are able to see the countdown clock from the start (the interval timer counts down from two minutes). Shiffrin heard the course crew and Vlhova's team celebrating when she crossed the finish line, so said she knew Vlhova had come down in the lead. "Then we have a 25-second countdown when the ref closes the start wand, so I clicked my poles together and put them in place, and rather than hearing the 'beeps' to signal 'go', I heard someone behind me say 'start stop' and for a second I thought he said ‘start’, so I almost went," Shiffrin explained.

Shiffrin knew the hold wasn't because Vlhova fell, because she heard the cheering. "It took nearly a minute to hear what the course hold was for, so I was standing there trying to just stay focused, but I felt there was something else going on because we normally get info quicker than that especially for a gate-fix. And then it took another minute for them to say the course was clear. The next countdown for my start was a half-interval, so it took another minute before I was able to go. It just doesn't take that long to fix a gate, but even more so, it doesn't take that long for them to tell you that was what the course hold was for...and it felt like stalling. I had said it was eight minutes, which is obviously not true, but as an athlete standing in the start gate, it feels like an eternity even if it's not. Life isn’t fair and ski racing is certainly not always fair, so it really was more frustration about the hold and communication being unprofessional, rather than unfair.”

Shiffrin noted that even though it felt "unprofessional," it may not have changed the outcome had it not happened. "It might not have changed the results. I could still be third, and Petra deserved to win...she’s skiing amazing, so that’s a separate thing...but life isn’t fair and ski racing isn't always fair, but at least it can be professional.”

All in all, Shiffrin is happy with her skiing and the progression she has made this season, after having some difficulty in giant slalom prior to World Championships. “I felt pretty good with my skiing...it was really good conditions, and super fun to ski GS on that slope, so I was pretty happy about that,” she reflected. “It’s incredible at this time in the season and getting back on the podium in both slalom and giant slalom, after World Champs it was a really big push, and then we went back into training and came prepared for these races. It’s always really incredible when it works out to get not just one but two podiums and have some really good skiing to show.” 

The rivalry between Shiffrin and Vlhova on the snow has been thrilling for fans to watch. They have elevated the sport to another level, and continue to do so. Shiffrin shared her thoughts on the rivalry as well, “Petra’s skiing really strong in every event, so I always know it’s going to be a big fight. If I’m second and pushing to climb another step or if I’m in first and I have to defend it, it’s always a really good fight,” she added. “She skied really great today and was able to get the victory. She can be proud of how she skied.”

 

 

 

 

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With her fourth place in Sunday’s giant slalom, Italy’s Marta Bassino wrapped up the race for the giant slalom globe, with 510 points over France’s Tessa Worley (362 points). With her victory on Sunday, Vlhova closed the gap to current World Cup overall leader, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami to just 36 points heading into a double slalom World Cup in Are, Sweden. Qualifying for Finals in giant slalom for the United States include Shiffrin, ranked fourth and O'Brien in 20th. Moltzan just missed qualifying, ending up ranked 27th. 

Katie Hensien also started for the Americans but did not finish the first run. She is OK. 

Up next for the women is a double slalom in Are, Sweden—the final races series for the women before heading to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST. 

11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Scott Patterson led the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team in the last race of the 2021 FIS Nordic Ski World Championships, taking 10th place in the 50k classic.

The results were contentious, with Norwegian Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo through the lights as the original winner, but was disqualified for obstruction after a clash with Alexander Bolshunov of the Russian Ski Federation right before the finish line. Emil Iversen of Norway took the eventual gold medal with Bolshunov second and Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway third.

Patterson skied a solid race, staying in the lead pack until the fifth lap when he changed skis. “I had to put in a pretty strong surge after that to try and get back in on the leaders,” he said. “I paid for it in the end, but I’m pretty happy. I wish I could have gotten a few more. I was hurting that last lap up that big hill. But it was a good race. I’m pretty psyched with it.”

Patterson said he had been building toward this result all season long, and while it was his career-best individual World Champs result and met his goal of making the top 10, he knows he can do more leading up to Beijing next season. “I’m fit; I’m feeling pretty good,” he said. “I can pull out top 10s and if you’re in the top 10, it’s not that much to get a little further up. I’m psyched. I’m looking forward to a few more races this season and try and see what we can do next year and build into the Olympics.”

David Norris also had a stellar race, skiing into 16th place, despite a slow transition and sticky skis for a few kilometers after the ski exchange. “I picked off some spots in the last 10k, but that gap has already formed,” he said. “It’s a little disappointing to know I could have been fighting for a top 10, but I kind of got stuck with a top 20 battle.”

But Norris was still OK with his result, knowing that it’s been a strange and abnormal year. “Earlier in the year, I didn’t even think I’d race this winter,” he said. “I’m grateful to be here and happy I’m in good shape. I really can’t complain, but I have big goals so I’ll be hard on myself a little bit.”

Gus Schumacher also cracked the top 30, taking 29th place in his first 50k attempt. “This year has been a really big learning year,” reflected Gus. “A lot of it is patience. A lot of it is seeing how everyone does it. I would have loved to do better this week, but I think this morning I was happy to feel like I released a little pressure from myself. I came in today and was ready to absorb it and focus on the future to be at the top in a year.”

Rounding out the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, Hunter Wonders finished 37th.

The 50k capped off a fantastic two weeks of racing in Oberstdorf, Germany, with strong American results across the board. Next up, the team heads to Engadin, Switzerland for a 10/15k classic and a 30/50k skate race.

RESULTS
Men’s World Championships 50k classic

HOW TO WATCH
Tuesday, March 9
12:30 a.m. FIS World Cross Country Championships Men’s 50k classic mass start - same-day broadcast, Oberstdorf, GER, NBCSN

Under the sunshine at Saalbach, Austria, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Bryce Bennett grabbed a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, finishing in ninth-place to lead all four American starters into the points. 

In a nail-biting race with four guys from outside the 30 throwing it into the top 10, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt had a beautiful run to take the victory over the surprise second-place finisher Matthieu Bailet by .62 seconds. Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr rounded out the podium in third, .81 seconds off the pace. 

Bennett, whose previous best super-G result was 20th in Santa Caterina, Italy back in December 2016, skied a clean run, hitting the two tactical sections well. The rest of the course was pretty straight-forward, assistant coach Chris Beckmann shared, and the sun was popping on the track, which gave the higher bibs a bit of an advantage. Rather than going home for a break following World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Bennett opted to stay in Europe and train with the Austrians at Saalbach to work through some ongoing equipment issues. 

“It’s been a pretty tough season...but with that, in the last month and a half, Leo - my technician - and I, along with my whole team at Fischer, have gotten on the same page and started working in a good direction together,” commented Bennett. “We’ve been testing a lot of stuff, and we’re trying to advance the product, which has been difficult...but we’ve been making steps in the right direction. Coming to Saalbach for training was good, to test it out. Hopefully, we don’t make the same mistake twice, but it’s ski racing and in ski racing, you’re probably going to make that mistake 50 more times, so we’ll see.”

Bryce’s height, along with the fact that the prep period was limited due to COVID, affecting equipment testing, both have played a factor in his equipment challenges this year. “The canting of the boots—if it’s off by literally .1 of a degree, the skiing is totally different with my long shins and long legs...if it’s off by a little bit at the bottom, it’s huge at the top of the leg, so it’s super difficult to figure out. Just takes some time.”

Both Bennett and head coach Randy Pelkey shared that the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men’s speed crew’s vibe is great and the team is progressing well as a whole. Bennett, who grew up skiing at Squaw Valley, Calif. with Erik Arvidsson, specifically called out Arvidsson’s performance on Saturday with his top-10 and how stoked he is for him. 

“The whole team is going in a good direction,” said Bennett. “There was some good skiing that happened yesterday...and Erik skied so well. I mean, he is an incredible skier. There’s no denying that. He’s really good, he works so hard. It’s cool to see him so motivated and focused...I haven’t seen that in him in a very long time, and I’ve been around him for a long time. He wants to race World Cup and he wants to be successful at it, and all season long he’s been a sponge—he’s just been learning and learning and learning. He executed perfectly yesterday, skied so well top to bottom, and it just shows his capabilities. It’s cool to have him around too, pushing us. He has serious focus, and it paid off for him. I’m psyched for our whole team and the results the team is collectively putting down.”

Jared Goldberg also started for the Americans, and grabbed points, landing in 25th. Travis Ganong ran into some trouble, making an awesome inside ski recovery, landing in 28th. Middlebury College’s Arvidsson grabbed his first World Cup super-G top-30, landing in 30th to cap off what was a brilliant weekend for the 2016 World Junior downhill champion.

Kriechmayr leads the super-G standings with 401 points over Odermatt, with 318 points. In the overall standings, Odermatt (969 points) further closed the gap that France’s Alexis Pinturault (1,050) has to just 81 points. For the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Cochran-Siegle ended up ranked 10th in downhill, followed by Ganong in 16th.

Up next for the men is a tech series in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, with a giant slalom and slalom. The men’s speed team will now have a break and a training block prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, where Ganong, Bennett, and Goldberg will be starting.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST. 

Sunday, March 7
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN