Mikaela Shiffrin and Nina O’Brien had another solid day in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, matching Saturday’s results to finish sixth and 13th, respectively.

Italian Marta Bassino snagged her second win in two days of back-to-back giant slaloms on the same hill—her fourth FIS Ski World Cup GS win this season—while Michelle Gisin of Switzerland moved up to second place. Slovenian Meta Hrovat was third.

Shiffrin sat in the lead after first run by .30 seconds—a run she said was fun and fluid—but overskied the second run to drop back to sixth place. However, she left the venue feeling mentally strong and ready to keep working. “Today I just wanted to ski,” said Mikaela. “I changed my mindset and my attitude coming into today and just wanted the feeling of a few good turns again. I felt that first run today and that’s something positive to take away from the weekend.”

It was another great day for Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien, who matched her personal best giant slalom result from Saturday with another 13th place on the icy Slovenian track. She had the 10th-fastest second run, showing that she’s right on the brink of breaking into the elusive World Cup top 10. “The first and last run of the weekend was great skiing,” said Magnus Andersson, the women’s tech team head coach. “It’s step by step—I know she can ski fast. It’s good.”

AJ Hurt was having a strong run first run, showing sixth-fastest splits at the top, but lost her outside ski and DNFed. “AJ is in the run,” said Magnus. “She’s going to get there. She’s fast—as fast as Nina for sure. It was tough snow this weekend and she will learn.”

The women’s speed team moves to Crans-Montana, Switzerland for two downhills and a super-G next weekend, while the tech team has a break until a giant slalom in Kronplatz, Italy at the end of January.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Jan. 16-18, 2021 

Monday, Jan. 18
11:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - next-day broadcast, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast NBCSN

Ashley Caldwell led the Americans at the Jan. 16 FIS Aerials World Cup in Yaroslavl, Russia, with her first podium of the 2020-21 season, a second-place finish, marking her 16th career World Cup podium. Caldwell consistently stomped all of her jumps to her feet under the lights on the brand-new Yaroslavl course and fought through wind chills of up to negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit to perform a high flying and scoring full double full in the super final round. World Cup leader Australia’s Laura Peel claimed her second victory of the season and Russia’s Nikitina Liubov rounded out the women's podium in third.

"To be able to get on the podium is very gratifying," said Caldwell. "My body did well today. To get through a long day of training and put down some nice jumps is a testament to a lot of experience and our PT, Peter Toohey. I couldn't have done a better jump today."

The final rounds kicked off with a display of traditional Russian dance and fireworks to set the stage for an exciting night of competition. Three American women qualified to finals: Caldwell, Winter Vinecki and Kaila Kuhn. Kuhn performed a beautiful full full in the first finals round but was edged out of the super final by just one place and ended the night in seventh. Vinecki pulled out her new double full full for the super final round, and stomped it to her feet. Head Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev was celebrating from the knoll as Vinecki was all smiles in the finish area. She ended the night in fourth. Keep an eye out as Vinecki continues to improve that jump!

"It felt amazing to land my double-in in super finals!" said Vinecki. "I just missed the podium but am super excited to be right up there with the best in the world, including my teammate Ashley. I’m really looking forward to getting more chances to do this trick in the competitions to come to get on that podium!"

"I am extremely proud of Winter, she was just off the podium," said Caldwell of Vinecki's performance. "She's due for a podium. I look forward to that!"

Rounding out the U.S. women, Megan Nick was 13th, Megan Smallhouse 20th, and Dani Loeb 21st. 

Eric Loughran and Justin Schoenefeld represented the U.S. in the finals. Loughran looked good in the air during his full double full full but didn’t quite stick the landing and placed eighth overall. Schoenefeld was the sole American to appear in the super final round and his double full full full landed him in fourth place.

"This site is challenging," commented Vlad. "The weather was super crazy, very windy and snowy. And SO cold. The team handled all of those challenges and competed well. I'm proud of Winter for landing her double in and it was amazing to have Ashley on the podium again. We have a long day ahead tomorrow but the team is excited to get back out there."

Russia continued its dominance of men’s aerials with Maxim Burov and Pavel Krotov taking first and second, respectively, on home snow. Switzerland’s Noe Roth came in third. 

Quinn Dehlinger finished 14th. 

"I'm going to continue to be safe, I always have big goals of big tricks and triples," said Caldwell on her mindset for the next competition and beyond. "Sometimes you have to assess the situation with your body and the site and make the best choices. I plan to continue to make the best choices. I really want to make the team event, it would be really fun to represent the USA. I would like to do well tomorrow for that first jump and hopefully compete with some of our men."

Up next athletes will take on the Mixed Team event on Sunday, Jan. 17. Mixed Team Aerials will make its Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022 and Sunday’s event is the first of this FIS World Cup season. 

RESULTS
Women’s Aerials
Men’s Aerials

HOW TO WATCH
10:00 a.m. FIS Freestyle World Cup Men and Women's Aerials - LIVE, Yaroslavl, RUS, Streaming Peacock
 

Battling a brutally icy giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Mikaela Shiffrin was the top Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, finishing in sixth place. Nina O’Brien snagged a career-best giant slalom finish in 13th.

In the race that was originally scheduled for Maribor, Slovenia but moved due to a lack of snow, Marta Bassino of Italy took the win by .80 seconds and storied Golden Fox Trophy. Tessa Worley of France was second and Michelle Gisin of Switzerland stood on her first FIS World Cup giant slalom podium in third.

After a stellar first run for both Shiffrin and O'Brien, who sat in fourth and seventh respectively, both struggled a bit on the boilerplate track in second run. But the Burke Mountain Academy graduates held on—linking recoveries and hammering down the hill to score solid results.

“It was definitely very challenging—the surface especially. It was super icy,” said O'Brien. “First run, I felt super happy with my run because I felt like I didn’t do anything special. It wasn’t some skiing I’ve never done before—it was just how I skied in training. To see that the speed was good enough and stacked up well in a race was cool. Second run was a total rodeo mess, but I’m glad I hung on and made it. Not so bad if it’s another personal best.”

Prior to Kranjska Gora, Nina’s best giant slalom result was 15th, which she notched in Soelden in October, and she’s been consistently in the hunt in tech events throughout the 2020-21 season—finishing 19th in the Courchevel GS and ninth in the Semmering slalom. The 23 year old knows that more top 10s are in her future and even a podium isn’t out of the question.

Though Shiffrin was bummed, she said she's "super happy for Nina...her first run was especially motivational." 

AJ Hurt was having a fast first run, but went down on her hip and just missed the flip.

O'Brien and Hurt's coach, Magnus Andersson was happy with the day, despite the fact that Hurt just missed the flip. "Good day!" he said. "Step-by-step...and nice to experience the heat of starting next to some of the world's best GS skiers second run!"

Next up, the women race giant slalom in Kranjska Gora again on Sunday. “I’m excited to do it again,” said Nina. “I know a little bit of what to expect, so it should be fun.”

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Jan. 16-18, 2021 

Saturday, Jan. 16
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
8:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
8:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 17
3:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
7:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Monday, Jan. 18
11:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - next-day broadcast, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast NBCSN
 

No U.S. men qualified for a second run in the first Flachau slalom on Saturday.

On a snowy day in Austria, Austrian Manuel Feller took his first FIS World Cup win on home turf ahead of Frenchman Clement Noel. Marco Schwarz made it an Austrian sandwich in third place.

Jett Seymour led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men, just missing the flip by three-hundredths of a second. Alex Leever—in his first World Cup start—and Ben Ritchie also did not qualify. Luke Winters did not finish first run.

Normally a women’s stop on the tour, this was the first time Flachau had hosted a men’s slalom in nine years. Originally scheduled for Wengen, the Lauberhorn races were canceled after an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The slalom was then rescheduled for Kitzbuehel, prior to next weekend's Hahnenkamm downhill, super-G and slalom, but the Wengen slalom and Kitzbuehel slalom were moved again to Flachau to allow for more time for testing in Kitzbuehel.

The men race another slalom in Flachau on Sunday with the U.S. men excited for another go on the track.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

At just 20 years of age, U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Hailey Langland has accomplished more than most snowboarders in a lifetime. Sponsored at age six, followed by competition wins at age 14, Langland is what you might call “an old soul” on the slopes. With a classic rock upbringing and an appreciation for the snowboarding that came before her, Langland became a multi-discipline threat by age 16 and has no shortage of impressive competition finishes to her name. But all of that pales in comparison to Langland’s style, which she puts first and foremost. 
 

With no NorAm racing on the horizon until spring, the Women’s and Men’s NorAm Teams have packed up and flown to Europe for the next month.  A select few National Development Group athletes have been invited to join the group, with the goal of gaining critical international competitive exposure before the World Junior Championships in Bansko, BUL in March.  Given the ongoing pandemic, the scope of this development project is relatively small and U.S. Ski Team COVID policies are being strictly followed to keep the athletes and staff as safe as possible during their travels.

Early highlights include Isaiah Nelson (BHSC) winning a SL in Jenner/Goetschen, GER, Cooper Cornelius (AVSC), and Isaiah Nelson finishing 1-2 in a GS race in St. Lambrecht, AUT, and Zoe Zimmermann (BMA) earning her first World Cup start in Flachau, AUT, where Mikaela Shiffrin (BMA/SSCV) won her first SL in almost a year and Paula Moltzan (BHSC/UVM) earned her first SL top-10!

Women’s USST Athletes:

• Ainsley Proffit ‘01 - SBSTA
• Allie Resnick ‘01 - SSCV
• Lauren Macuga ‘02 - PCSS
• Nicola Rountree-Williams ‘02 - LSC
• Zoe Zimmermann ‘02 - BMA
• Emma Resnick ‘03 - SSCV

Women’s NDG Athletes:

• Ava Jemison ‘02 - BMA
• Mary Bocock ‘03 - RMK
• Sophia Tozzi ‘03 - JHSC
• Tatum Grosdidier ‘04 - SSWSC
• Kjersti Moritz ‘04 - SSCV
• Liv Moritz ‘04 - SSCV

Men’s USST Athletes:

• Cooper Cornelius ‘99 - AVSC
• Jacob Dilling ‘99 - SSCV
• Bradshaw Underhill ‘00 - KMS
• Kellen Kinsella ‘01 - SSCV
• Isaiah Nelson ’01 - BHSC
• Jack Smith ‘01 - SVSEF
• Trent Pennington ‘02 - SSCV

Men’s NDG Athletes:

• Jeremy Mathers ‘01 - SBSEF
• Luke Kearing ‘02 - HOLD
• Oliver Parazette ‘02 - JHSC
• Ryder Sarchett ‘03 - SVSEF

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named deep and experienced teams to represent the United States at the 2021 U23 and Junior FIS Cross Country World Championships Feb. 8-14 in Vuokatti, Finland.

Gus Schumacher, Hailey Swirbul, and Hannah Halvorsen lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team and the 22 named athletes, and eight alternates, for the upcoming U23 and Junior World Championships. Swirbul earned her first FIS Cross Country World Cup podium in Davos, Switzerland, in the 10k freestyle on Dec. 13, and recently finished 18th overall in her first FIS Tour de Ski. Halvorsen returned to racing this season and scored her first career World Cup points, finishing 23rd in the sprint in Dresden, Germany.

Schumacher, a 2020 Junior World Champion who is racing his first season on the World Cup tour, posted the best-ever American men’s result at the FIS Tour de Ski, finishing 18th overall. In addition, he posted a career-best World Cup result in Stage 6, a 15k classic, finishing eighth, just 11 seconds back of race winner Alexander Bolshunov of Russia.

Last year U.S. athletes earned 10 World Championships medals, including the Junior men who successfully defended their team relay gold medal, while the Junior women won the team relay silver medal. Three members of the men’s team move up to the U23 ranks, including Schumacher, Ben Ogden, and Luke Jager. The fourth member, Johnny Hagenbuch, will compete as a junior for the final time this season. Sophia Laukli, a member of the junior women’s relay team moves up the U23 ranks this year, while Kendall Kramer, Sydney Palmer-Leger, and Novie McCabe will all compete as juniors this season - all of whom are considered medal contenders.

“The current strength and depth of our ski nation are represented in this team of athletes,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Development Coach Kate Barton. “I am most excited to see an experienced group of U23 athletes leading this team into a championship event, supported by an equally strong, determined, and capable group of junior athletes.”

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented some challenges in selecting this year’s teams. In September, the cross country community decided to cancel all national-level competitions in favor of a more regionally focused competition calendar. This decision allowed athletes the individual choice to travel, or not, based on individual circumstances. Thus, U.S. Ski & Snowboard maintained the written objective selection criteria such as top 30 World Cup, and sub-50 FIS performances for men and sub-60 FIS performances for women. For the remaining nominations, U.S. Ski & Snowboard committed to a discretion-based system where both historical and current seasonal performances through January 3, 2021, would be included in the selection evaluation.  

"Programs and coaches across the nation are doing a great job continuing to support and progress their developing athletes in this unique year. And despite all of the adversity, I'm inspired by the dedication the athletes have put forth toward their own improvement,” Barton added. “I miss head-to-head racing and national-level events, but I am more grateful than ever for the opportunity to come together as one team to compete with this group of athletes and staff against the best competition in the world.”

"Thank you to our member clubs that continue to elevate our athletes as well as the National Nordic Foundation for their ongoing support of Cross Country Development projects like the Junior and U23 World Ski Championships," noted U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Sport Coordinator Byran Fish. "Our goal continues to be to provide experience and critical opportunities for the future of our sport. Thanks to NNF's financial support to allow these projects to be well-staffed for international success and yet still be financially feasible for our athletes.”

The following athletes have been selected to represent the United State at the upcoming FIS U23 and Junior World Nordic Championships.

U23 World Championship Team

Women:

• Hailey Swirbul (APU Nordic Ski Center/El Jebel, Colo.)
• Sophia Laukli (Middlebury College/Yarmouth, Maine)
• Alex Lawson (Middlebury College/West Burke, Vt.)
• Hannah Halvorsen (APU/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Renae Anderson (Loppet Nordic Racing/Golden Valley, Minn.)
• Alternate 1: Leah Lange (University of Utah/Park City, Utah)
• Alternate 2 Annika Landis (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Hailey, Idaho)

Men:

• JC Schoonmaker (Auburn Ski Club/Tahoe City, Calif.)
• Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Hunter Wonders (APU Nordic Ski Center/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Benjamin Ogden (University of Vermont/Landgrove, Vt.)
• Luke Jager (University of Utah/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Alternate 1: Peter Wolter (Middlebury College/Hailey, Idaho)
• Alternate 2: Kai Meyers APU Nordic Ski Center/Anchorage, Alaska)

Junior World Championship Team

Women:

• Novie McCabe (University of Utah/Winthrop, Wash.)
• Sydney Palmer-Leger (University of Utah/Park City, Utah)
• Kendall Kramer (University of Alaska Fairbanks/Fairbanks, Alaska)
• Ava Thurston (Mansfield Nordic/Waterbury, Vt.)
• Nina Seemann (Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club/Craftsbury, Vt.)
• Haley Brewster (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail/Avon, Colo.)
• Alternate 1: Waverly Gebhardt (University of Vermont/Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
• Alternate 2: Garvie Tobin (Dartmouth College/Anchorage, Alaska)

Men:

• Johnny Hagenbuch (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/Ketchum, Idaho)
• Zanden McMullen (Montana State University/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Will Koch (University of Colorado/Peru, Vt.)
• Wally Magill (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
• Finn Sweet (Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club/Waterbury, Vt.)
• Michael Earnhart (APU Nordic Ski Center/Eagle River, Alaska)
• Alternate 1: Brian Bushey (Green Mountain Valley School/Waitsfield, Vt.)
• Alternate 2: Walker Hall (Methow Valley Nordic Ski Educations Foundation/Winthrop, Wash.)

From Champaign to sparkles, to puking on the course, Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Julia Kern takes us behind the scenes of the 15th Tour de Ski.

For more on Julia, follow her @JuliaKernSki

The U.S. Aerials Freestyle Ski Team is back on tour with three weeks of back-to-back FIS World Cup competition slated for January. This weekend is a double feature in Yaroslavl, Russia, with Aerials Jan. 16 and Mixed Team Aerials Jan. 17. Mixed Team Aerials will make its Olympic debut in Beijing 2022 and it is the first team World Cup of the season. Jan. 23 the crew will compete in the classic Moscow city Aerials World Cup and Jan. 30 sees the team in Raubichi, Minsk, a venue the team has seen success at before. 

Following their World Cup Opener in Ruka, the team spent several productive weeks at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park (UOP) and rang in the New Year with three competitions to cap off the training block. 

“After returning home from Ruka, we identified the weaknesses we needed to work on at the UOP before this next leg of competition,” said Head Aerials Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. “The goal for us is to compete as much as possible, and we did that with the January NorAms and National Championships. We’re prepared well for these next few weeks.”

Consistent access to a world-class site such as the UOP is invaluable when training to compete on the world’s highest stage, especially this season with COVID-19 affecting schedules. “We had a really awesome training camp at the UOP, it’s been some of the most quality jumping I’ve done in my career,” said Chris Lillis ahead of departing for Russia. “We were on a nice site, had great weather, it was just awesome training at home before we headed out. I’m trying to use it as a stepping stone onto bigger things [this season].”

“We’ve done so much to get our team ready for these events, dealing with all of the COVID protocols and staying healthy,” added Ashley Caldell. “I think we’re definitely ready to take on the challenge that is traveling the world doing aerials.”

Four aerials events in three weeks is not a light undertaking when taking into consideration jump count and impact, managing mental health and travel stress, and trying to fuel properly. Compound that with a monster travel day including 13 hours in the air, four hours spent in Russian immigration and a five hour bus ride to the actual venue. Add COVID-19 protocols to top it all off and one can only imagine the mental gymnastics required to be successful in the air these next few weeks. “It will be a challenge for us,” said Vlad. “We will obviously continue to manage our COVID protocols and bubbles. Staying healthy and safe is our top priority. As long as the team performs at the same level they have been training we will be set up well for competition.” 

U.S. Starters
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Kaila Kuhn
Dani Loeb
Megan Nick
Megan Smallhouse
Winter Vinecki

Men
Chris Lillis
Eric Loughran
Justin Schoenefeld
Quinn Dehlinger

ASPEN SNOWMASS, Colo. – Jan. 13, 2021 – Aspen Snowmass, in collaboration with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC), will host the 2021 NorAm Finals April 5-16 at Aspen Highlands. The event will include men’s and women’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and a parallel event. The event will take place after Highlands has closed for public skiing this season and restrictions will be in place to ensure compliance with COVID health and safety protocols.

“The Aspen Snowmass community has been a strong supporter of alpine ski racing for over 60 years hosting events at all levels,” says Eric Webster, Director of Events, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team. “We are excited to partner with Aspen Snowmass and AVSC this spring to host a series of extremely important NorAm level events. Thank you to Aspen Skiing Company, AVSC, and the Aspen community for making these races possible.”

“Ski racing is deeply engrained in Aspen’s heritage and our mountains have seen incredible triumphs from many of the greats”, says John Rigney, senior vice president, Aspen Snowmass. “We are honored to continue celebrating athletic achievement in this most unique year, and look forward to providing a great venue and the best possible races for the U.S. Ski Team athletes.”

The last time Aspen Snowmass hosted NorAm Finals was five years ago in 2016 in preparation for the 2017 World Cup Finals. AVSC racer and Aspen local, Wiley Maple, won the NorAm downhill and season-long title at that event earning coveted World Cup starts the following season. Ski racing runs deep in the Roaring Fork Valley, as the resort not only hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950 but has been a continuous stop on the World Cup circuit for both the men and women. Aspen is scheduled to host the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships in 2022.

“The Stapleton Training Center at Aspen Highlands continues to be an incredible resource for our Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club athletes,” says Mark Godomsky, Executive Director AVSC. “In a season where many clubs have struggled to secure consistent and quality training space, we feel incredibly lucky to work with Aspen Snowmass to provide safe, productive training on this world-class venue. We are excited to welcome others to Aspen Highlands and the Stapleton Training Center this spring for NorAm Finals and are grateful for the opportunity to host races, especially a series of this caliber, this season.”

2021 NorAm Finals Event Schedule
Monday, April 5, NorAm Downhill Training, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 6, NorAm Downhill Training, Men/Women
Wednesday, April 7, NorAm Downhill #1, Men/Women
Thursday, April 8, NorAm Downhill #2, Men/Women
Friday, April 9, NorAm Super-G, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, NorAm Super-G/Alpine Combined Women
Sunday, April 11, NorAm Super-G/Alpine Combined Men
Monday, April 12, NorAm Slalom Women, Giant Slalom Men
Tuesday, April 13, NorAm Slalom Women, Giant Slalom Men
Wednesday, April 14, NorAm Giant Slalom Women, Slalom Men
Thursday, April 15, NorAm Giant Slalom Women, Slalom Men
Friday, April 16, NorAm Parallel Event, Men/Women

Media Note
For a selection of ski racing images at Aspen Snowmass, click here: https://aspensnowmass.imagerelay.com/sb/1378dc55-52e6-40d2-8e86-4d24ed047fbd/ski-racing-at-aspen-snowmass

Photo credit goes to the photographer listed.

Media Contacts:

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

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

About Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Snowmass, based in Aspen, Colo., operates the four mountains in the Aspen Snowmass area - Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. In addition, Aspen Snowmass owns and operates the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen Snowmass, a collection of rental and retail shops titled Four Mountain Sports and a hospitality division that includes the five-star, five-diamond property, The Little Nell and three contemporary Limelight Hotels, one based in the core of Aspen, one at the base of Snowmass Mountain, and the other in Ketchum, Idaho. In its current form, Aspen Snowmass is a values-driven company that is grounded within the core values of: Live Passionately, Awaken the Spirit, Elevate Community and Honor Place. Aspen Snowmass is accessible by one of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (3 miles from Aspen). For more information about Aspen Snowmass, visit www.aspensnowmass.com or call (800) 525-6200. Follow Aspen Snowmass @aspensnowmass on Twitter and Instagram or at www.facebook.com/aspensnowmass.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

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Release courtesy of Aspen Snowmass.