U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today a new multi-year partnership with INTENSE, making the lauded brand the Official Mountain Bike and Bike Supplier of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboard Team and U.S. Freeski Team, in an agreement that will extend through 2023.

Common on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Tour, INTENSE will bring its trusted technology to U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s elite athletes and passionate fans. U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are known for their skills on snow and many incorporate cycling into their cross-training programs, finding the speed and endurance work a near-perfect foil to their sport-specific routines.

“INTENSE has a proven track record with elite athletes on the Mountain Bike World Cup Tour, so it’s exciting to introduce this brand to our World Cup skiers and riders, and their fans” said Michael O’Conor, Chief Revenue Officer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “INTENSE shares our passion for playing and competing in the mountains and fostering a love of sport no matter if you’re a World Cup athlete or weekend warrior.”

As part of the agreement, INTENSE will provide U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes with bikes, available for use from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence, in Park City, Utah, which has immediate access to over 400 miles of mountain bike trails throughout Park City. Fans may expect to see INTENSE at domestic ski and snowboard competition this season, pending availability.

”INTENSE was born racing in the mountains. We are super excited to support the ski and snowboard athletes and enthusiasts that not only use mountain bikes as a training platform, but more importantly engage in the active mountain lifestyle during the summer months,” said Jeff Steber, Founder and CEO of INTENSE. “I have always been a skier and my first “corporate job” was for Steamboat Springs ski resort. It’s so cool to see this come full circle and bridge two sports so near and dear to me! It’s an honor for INTENSE to support such an active and engaged group.”

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ABOUT INTENSE
Founded in Lake Elsinore, CA in 1993 and crafted with over 25-years of racing heritage, INTENSE mountain bikes inspire confidence to ride and a striking design. From World Cup downhill races to your first trail ride, experience the INTENSE difference.

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 in 2020, 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.

Don’t delay! The early-bird registration deadline is just two weeks away. Beat the rush and renew your membership today!

IS YOUR MEMBERSHIP PENDING? 
Is your membership reflecting a pending status and you're not certain why? Check out the Pending Members tool to see which requirements you need to complete to activate your membership and FIS license (where applicable.) 

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS REMINDER

• Ages 0-17: No requirements to activate membership 
• Ages 15-17 Alpine and Cross Country Junior Coaches: Introduction to Avalanches, SafeSport training and Coaching Fundamentals. 
• Ages 17 turning 18 during the season: Introduction to Avalanches Course to activate membership. Complete SafeSport training prior to turning 18. Register for background screening, and receive a green-light screening determination within 45 of your 18th birthday.
• Ages 18-99: Annual SafeSport training and Introduction to Avalanches. Background screening every 2 seasons. Coaching Fundamentals for non-certified coaches every 2 seasons. 

BACKGROUND SCREENING
Please remember, background screening turnaround time may be delayed due to Covid-19 court closures. Adult members, and those turning 18, should plan ahead and register now if participating in activities within the next 6 weeks or if you’re an athlete requiring FIS activation for the next list. 

MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Gear up for the season and get a jump on the holidays using your Member Discounts. Just login to your account and start shopping great brands for your favorite outdoor enthusiasts…or just for you! Only available to current members. If you have renewed your membership and are unable to access your discounts, please contact Membership at membership@usskiandsnowboard.org or 435.647.2666.

The 2020-2021 Alpine Masters Preliminary Schedules have been announced. More events will be added in the coming weeks as resorts announce decisions from their event departments. It will be a different year for sure, but Masters will be racing! 

When you renew your U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership, be sure to add Alpine Master to your cart so you are ready to go for race day! Athletes 18+ can add Masters to the higher priced coach or competitor membership for no additional charge or pay the difference to add Masters to a lower cost membership. Athletes 18-24 may also use the non-scored athlete membership to race in Masters regular season events. If you have already renewed, you can contact member services to add the Alpine Masters Membership to your account. 

First days on snow are not far away! Here is a list of fall race camps - see usskiandsnowboard.org/masters/masters-training for more opportunities as well as links to the training page for each division. See a training opportunity missing? Contact us    or your division leadership and let them know!

Be sure to research travel restrictions for both your home location and the camp location. Some have mandatory quarantine periods, testing requirements, and other COVID-19 related restrictions.  

Lisa Ballard Race Camps

  Big Sky, MT Thanksgiving Masters Camp - benefits BSSEF
  Big Sky, MT November 21-25, 2020

  6th Annual Dust-the-Rust-Off Masters Race Camp + Race - benefits SRSEF
  Red Lodge Mountain, MT December 7-10, 2020
  The last day is a GS race!

Midwest Masters Fall Copper Camp
Copper, CO November 29 - December 2, 2020

Tichy Racing Camps
Copper Mountain, CO October 25 - November 1, November 1-8, November 8-15, November 15-22, 2020

GTI Sports
Copper Mountain, CO October 24 - October 31, 2020
Location TBD November 29 - December 5, 2020
Mt. Bachelor, OR December 13-18, 2020

Peak Performance Ski Camp
Copper Mountain, CO November 16-23, 2020 (Adult camp)and various options November 23 - December 7, 2020 (Ages 9- Adult)

WILLSKI LLC and Lakers Alpine Race Team Camp (coached by Will Nourse)
Winter Park, CO
November 10-14,  November 17-21, November 24-28, December 1-5, 2020 

With nearly perfect conditions on the Soelden glacier to kick off the 2020-21 season, Tommy Ford was the top Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete in the men’s opening FIS World Cup on Sunday, finishing 22nd.

While the boisterous Austrian crowd was absent from the annual giant slalom this year due to COVID-19, 20-year-old Lucas Braathen of Norway made fans smile from home as he emotionally took home his first World Cup win. Swiss teammates Marco Odermatt and Gino Caviezel rounded out the podium in second and third. 

Tommy, who finished fourth in Soelden last year and had two GS podiums in the 2019-20 season, has been battling both a shoulder and back injury during the offseason and was happy about his performance. “I feel like I skied pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been struggling with my body, so it’s nice just to be on snow and have two decent runs. We have some testing to do, but otherwise, I think I was solid mentally, and with my skiing, and this is a good place to move from. I’m psyched to be racing again.”

It was a disappointing day for Ted Ligety, who has won Soelden a record four times and been in the top-five nine times. He was on his way to another stellar result after taking 10th first run, but lost his ski early in his second run and did not finish.

Sporting a mullet, River Radamus ran bullet second run and skied a smart, safe run to finish 27th and start his season strong with his second giant slalom World Cup points. “I skied smooth. I skied powerful. But I skied too round and left speed on the table,” said River. “I feel happy with where my skiing is at and now I just need to make sure I’m taking it for all it’s worth and pushing the pace, pushing the line and taking more chances out there.”

River said he worked hard throughout the offseason both physically and mentally – “I worked my a** off this summer!” – and while he’s pleased with the points score, he’s hunting for more. Look out for him to make some big moves this season.

Both Ryan Cochran-Siegle and George Steffey did not finish first run. Bridger Gile did not qualify for a second run.

Now that the first World Cup weekend has wrapped, the U.S. men and women have some training time before heading to Lech, Austria, for parallel events in November.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

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Paula Moltzan kicked off the 2020-21 season with a bang in Soelden, Austria on Saturday, skiing from bib 62 to take 10th place—her best FIS Ski World Cup finish ever. Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammate Nina O’Brien snagged her best-ever giant slalom result, finishing 15th.

Marta Bassino of Italy battled her teammate Federica Brignone for the victory to take the first World Cup win of the season. Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova was third.

As per the 2020 trend, the season started off strangely, with no crowds at the usually raucous World Cup opening event on the Soelden glacier. But social distancing, masks, and significantly less training time than previous years didn’t seem to cause a hiccup for Paula, who attacked from the back first run to ski into 17th place. And she kept that momentum going through second run, crushing Soelden’s famed sustained steep pitch to finish 10th—her career-best World Cup result.

Normally known as a "slalom specialist" with seven points-scoring slalom finishes throughout her years on the World Cup, this was only Paula’s second World Cup giant slalom and her first time making a second run in giant slalom.

“I’m a bit shocked! I knew I was skiing well through training and I had a lot of people tell me it was there, but for it to actually come to fruition in the race is mind-boggling,” said Paula. “But I’m really happy with how I skied and happy that both Nina and I today got into the top 15. I think it's really a strong statement for the U.S. to come into our first race this strong."

While on-snow training time was shortened due to the pandemic, the former University of Vermont skier and NCAA slalom champion, Paula credits her result to her time in the gym during the extended offseason. “Starting April 1 until September when we came to Europe, I just worked out every day twice a day for a long time with not a lot of breaks,” said Paula. “I think that really played into how my skiing has improved. I guess you should listen to your trainers, right?!”

Nina’s 15th place was also a banner result for her, her best finish in either giant slalom or slalom, which she attributes to the strong prep period the U.S. women had in Hintertux, Austria, Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and some indoor skiing training leading up to Soelden. “We’ve been having fun, but are trying to be really focused and getting stuff done on the hill,” said Nina. “It’s pretty cool when it shows up on race day.”

Notably missing from Saturday’s World Cup opener was two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who is recovering after tweaking her back in training. But she was on the mind of her teammates, who said she been a huge help in preparing the women for the race she’s podiumed at five times. “Mikaela is a great supporter of all the girls that raced today,” said Paula. “I know it was a hard decision for her to not race, but she’s been really helpful. She sat down with us and talked about the race hill. I was texting her all week and she’s been super supportive, which is really nice.”

Kelly Cashman and AJ Hurt also started the giant slalom, but did not make second run.

The women will cheer on their male teammates Sunday at Soelden with Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Tommy Ford, Bridger Gile, Ted Ligety, River Radamus and George Steffey starting for the Americans. After Soelden, the U.S. women have a break before heading to Lech, Austria for parallel races November 13.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: https://live.oesv.tv/ (link will activate prior to race)
Sunday, Oct. 18, Men’s GS: Run 1 - 4:00 AM ET / Run 2 - 7:15 AM ET

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Official event hashtag: #worldcupsoelden

UPDATE - Oct. 16: The FIS Ski World Cup kickoff is now available to view LIVE in the United States AND Canada! Tune in this Saturday and Sunday as we kick off the season at the Rettenbach glacier in Soelden, Austria with women’s and men’s giant slalom races. 

CLICK HERE TO WATCH: https://live.oesv.tv/ (link will activate prior to race)
Saturday, Oct. 17, Women’s GS: Run 1 - 4:00 AM EDT / Run 2 - 7:00 AM EDT
Sunday, Oct. 18, Men’s GS: Run 1 - 4:00 AM EDT / Run 2 - 7:15 AM EDT

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The much anticipated return to competition will kick off this weekend on the Rettenbach glacier in Soelden, Austria. Though a familiar face—two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin— will be missing this weekend due to the fact that she tweaked her back in training last week, 2019 Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup victor Tommy Ford, two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety, and seven-time national champion Nina O'Brien will be leading the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

In what is always considered a bit of an outlier race of the season because no one knows what to expect after the long offseason, the FIS Ski World Cup will kick off on Saturday, Oct. 17 with the women’s giant slalom, while the men will step into the start gate on Sunday, Oct. 18. The 2019-20 season came to an abrupt end when COVID-19 struck last March, and though the North American races have been cancelled, athletes and staff are full of gratitude for the opportunity to have a season at all. 

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team skied less this summer than past years due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19, which meant athletes tried to squeeze in as much training domestically as possible, between official training sites Copper Mountain, Colo. and Timberline Lodge and Ski Area in Mt. Hood, Ore., as well as Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Ore. 

Not only is the “White Circus” dealing with unknowns associated with COVID-19, but the World Cup season also was pushed to one week earlier than originally scheduled. We caught up with Tommy, who had his career-best season in 2019-20, finishing the season with two podiums, including his .80 second win on home turf at Birds of Prey, and ranked fifth in the world in giant slalom. Last year, he finished fourth in the Soelden World Cup opener. 

“The offseason was an odd one,” he reflected. “It allowed for a slower progression of strength training which was nice until I hurt my shoulder. We had an awesome camp at Mt. Bachelor in June and then I separated my AC joint while mountain biking. While recovering from that my Dad, Uncle and I started building a shed. Spending more time at home than I have in recent history was nice, but strange. Like with a race approaching, staying anchored and present was tough throughout the lockdown, the social unrest and the wildfires. I think everyone got a taste of what added tension does to our psyche. Love one another. For now, it's nice to be on snow and able to feel that free flowing feeling. Looks like a race could even happen this weekend.”

Now veteran of the Team, Ted has had his fair share of success at the venue, including four victories, seven podiums, nine top-five finishes, and 11 top-10 finishes. Last year, Ted finished in fifth place, behind teammate Tommy Ford (who finished fourth), and ahead of Ryan Cochran Siegle’s 11th place finish—a career best giant slalom finish for him. The young guns, Bridger Gile, George Steffey, and River Radamus, will round out the start list for the men. This will be 2020 NorAm overall, giant slalom and alpine combined winner Bridger’s (who just had a birthday on Oct. 15) first World Cup start, and George’s first World Cup start at Soelden. 

Typically known as a slalom specialist, 2017 NCAA Slalom Champion (University of Vermont Cats), Paula Moltzan, will be starting in just her second World Cup giant slalom start, but don’t let that number fool you. Keep an eye on Paula, as she’s been skiing fast in training and she’s very likely to be the dark horse from the back of the pack. “This is going to be my first time racing Soelden, and I’m a little nervous and a little excited to see what all the hype is about,” said Paula on Thursday after training at Schnalstal, Italy. “I’ve heard some horror stories and glory stories, so I’m excited to see how it pans out for me.” 

Nina O’Brien, who finished in the top-30 in four out of six giant slalom starts last season, will lead the women’s tech team. She had her career-best World Cup giant slalom finish at Soelden last year, landing in 21st place. Keep an eye out for up-and-comers, two-time national champion AJ Hurt and 2020 NorAm overall winner + World Juniors bronze medalist Keely Cashman, this weekend as well. 

Follow along via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as we will work to keep you as up-to-date as possible on the weekend with exclusive content and interviews. 

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Keely Cashman
AJ Hurt
Paula Moltzan**
Nina O’Brien

MEN’S STARTERS
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Tommy Ford
Bridger Gile*
Ted Ligety
River Radamus
George Steffey**

*Denotes first World Cup Start
*Denotes first World Cup start at venue

SPYDER UNIFORM UNVEIL 
Check out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women's and men's uniform unveiling below and get HYPED: 

 

 

 

 

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Introducing: this year’s @landroverusa U.S. Alpine Ski Team look, courtesy of @spyderactive...and the awesome tech duo of @nina_obrien and @paulamoltzan. We can’t wait to get this party started. 🔥🔥🔥#spyderactive

A post shared by U.S. Ski Team (@usskiteam) on Oct 15, 2020 at 3:52am PDT

 

 

 

 

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So psyched to unveil the @landroverusa U.S. Alpine (men’s) Ski Team @spyderactive kit for 20-21!! @riverradamus and @bridger_gile getting our stoke levels rising from @soelden.official for the @fisalpine World Cup opener. 📶 More to come with the full uniform unveil in November. 👌🥳 #spyderactive

A post shared by U.S. Ski Team (@usskiteam) on Oct 15, 2020 at 7:18am PDT

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Official event hashtag: #worldcupsoelden
 

The aerial skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team took their last flights off of the water ramps on October 3, marking the end of their domestic training period. 

Each summer the Spence Eccles Freestyle Pool at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park (UOP) becomes the aerial athletes’ second home, and this summer was no exception. Thanks to the efforts of the UOP and U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff, athletes had consistent access to world-class training even during a worldwide pandemic. 

“Four months ago, summer 2020 was a big question mark,” said Head Aerials Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. “Fortunately we were able to run an almost-full summer program. Overall the team did really well, everyone had a lot of success.”

After several months of national and local lockdowns earlier this spring, athletes had a renewed appreciation for access to training opportunities. With COVID-19 protocols in place, athletes were able to get back to work.

Three-time Olympian and World Champion Ashley Caldwell had one of her most successful summer training periods in recent years. Ashley is known for pushing the boundaries of sport, being the only American woman currently to compete the triple - a historically male-dominated jump. Ashley did not compete triples during the 2019-2020 season, but was back training them this summer, which is all part of her plan as she prepares for her fourth Olympics in 2022. 
 

 

 

 

 

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Fun fact: Aerialist cut holes in their skis for summer training to help decrease the impact of the water. @idoneusa @usskiteam

A post shared by Ashley Caldwell (@ashleyskis93) on Aug 18, 2020 at 7:05pm PDT

“I’ve gone into comp season without training on water multiple times,” said Ashley. “It’s not very fun, it’s actually quite scary. Being able to train triples this summer increases my confidence dramatically going into the winter season. Taking a year off competing triples was hard for me, so I am excited to get back to it and live up to the athlete I have tried to be my entire career.” 

World Cup winner Chris Lillis added a quintuple twisting triple backflip to his repertoire, ending the summer as the athlete with the team’s most difficult trick. “Chris actually learned two quints,” explained Vlad. “But we decided to focus on the double full full double full because he felt more confident on that one.” 

“There is a very big difference between training quints than my quad twists,” said Chris. “It’s an upgrade in skill and focus. The trick is extremely hard, there are very few people who do it on snow. I’m mentally preparing to join that group. No American has competed a quint on snow since Speedy in the 2010 Olympics. I have a lot of work to do before I throw it in season. The biggest thing I did to get prepared is that I did 100 on water. I worked every day.

“With COVID-19 this season [and the world being so uncertain] I’m not exactly sure where I’m going to throw it,” he added. “It will be whenever I am ready. My goal is to train it on snow and get it to the point where I am ready to compete and win events with it.”

 

 

 

 

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Wrapping up the Last camp of the season! Been a great summer of training at the @utaholympicpark can’t wait to hit the snow! #teamlillis #teamlillis2022 @usskiteam @get.sendy @pit_viper

A post shared by Chris Lillis (@chrislillis1) on Sep 22, 2020 at 9:13am PDT

Many athletes also took the summer prep period as an opportunity to add new tricks to their arsenals. Current top-ranked American woman Megan Nick added two new tricks to her bag: a full double dull and a double full full, also known as the two Millers. Winter Vinecki also learned a double full full. Eric Loughran brought a full full double full into his repertoire. Justin Schoenefeld trained quints this summer but decided to focus on his quads for the 2020-2021 season. He brought a full full double full into his program, which he will bring to snow this November. 

“Considering we have World Champs this year, [having three quads] puts me at advantage,” explained Justin. “This will only be my third winter doing triples and didn't seem like it was going to happen for me to get five twists on snow this year, especially the way it was going on water. Vlad and I weren’t  sure if it was the right quint twist for me, so I will experiment next summer some more.” 

 

 

 

 

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Flips and twist. 📷: @mitchell_michelle @perfectnorth @usskiteam #parkcity #utah #aerialskiing #usskiteam🇺🇸

A post shared by Justin Schoenefeld (@jrschoenefeld) on Jun 29, 2020 at 7:32am PDT

Quinn Dehlinger, who made his U.S. Ski Team debut last season, started jumping off of the triple. “Quinn had a great summer,” said Vlad. “He got in a lot of numbers, upped his DD and the quality overall of his jumps looks really nice. He did qualify some triples to bring to snow, so he may compete those later this year, but it isn’t necessary at this early stage of his career. The gap between doubles and triples is large and usually two or three years.”

Megan Smallhouse and Kaila Kuhn, who also made their U.S. Ski Team debuts last season, focused on their doubles, and worked hard all summer on the ramps and tramps to prepare for 2020-2021. “Despite facing some challenges due to COVID-19, our team was still able to have a great summer of training,” said Kaila. “I, along with my teammates, have been working on perfecting our jumps for snow while staying diligent about the COVID-19 protocols in order to maintain a safe training environment. I’m very happy with the improvements I’ve made in my jumping this summer and I’m excited to take my jumps to snow!”

Madison Varmette had another successful summer and used her spring quarantine to focus on her at-home fitness. This summer marked Dani Loeb’s first with the Team after being nominated this spring. 

Although athletes are no longer hucking themselves into the pool, they are hard at work on dry land for the month of October focusing on strength and conditioning. The team will then set off for Finland to train on snow ahead of their scheduled World Cup opener in Ruka. This will be the first time in recent memory that Aerials has traveled out of the country to train on snow. 

“With the world the way it is right now and all of the unknowns there’s stress but I’m excited to jump [on snow],” said Justin. “I haven’t done any traveling for training in my career, so I'm excited to do that.” 

“I’m looking forward to getting back out on the competition circuit,” added Chris. “The whole team in general proved we have a lot of hungry dogs that want to podium, that want medals, that want to win. I’m looking forward to competing for those spots. Hopefully this season we’ll be taking home more medals than ever before.”

Follow the U.S. Aerials Freestyle Ski Team on social media

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Cooler morning temperatures and the appearance of dry suits on the water ramps signaled the final domestic training period in Park City, Utah for The U.S. Moguls Freestyle Team. 

The final camp, which ran from September 19 - October 2, provided athletes an upgraded Snowflex surface on the moguls-specific jump at the Spence Eccles Freestyle Pool at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park (UOP). Head Coach Matt Gnoza noted that all of the athletes said it allowed them to have a more realistic stance and takeoff. “This camp was all about taking skills to the steeper inrun, with quicker transitioning,” he explained. “It’s a more realistic mogul jump. Jumps on snow are steeper and quicker than the single [at the UOP]. With the addition of the Snowflex surface, it’s even more realistic as to what an athlete would expect in competition. It is a really good improvement to our training facilities.”

 

 

 

 

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Last ramp block ✔️ Looking forward to getting on snow! In other news, I found out that I’m trash at frolf 😂 ... help wanted #utah #jumps #frolf

A post shared by Alex Lewis (@bigal2018) on Oct 2, 2020 at 5:22pm PDT

The last 12 days of water ramping capped off an atypical, yet productive, summer for the athletes of the U.S. Moguls Team. Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Moguls shifted their programming to focus on domestic training opportunities, and spent longer periods of time at the UOP than usual. “We worked through 12 days of ramping per camp as opposed to eight,” noted Matt. “In the end it allowed the athletes a little bit more time to fine tune some of their skills. In the past our prep structure moved quicker for progressions to get ready for snow.”

Tess Johnson, the youngest American to medal at a Freestyle World Championships, took this summer as an opportunity to shift her mindset and noted that it was her best and most fun training period ever. “The UOP’s new mogul jump made our training variable and realistic, and I think I was smiling after every jump despite the freezing water in early October. I focused on finally moving away from my stock 360, backflip run, and am stoked to say that I have four new tricks ready for snow and competition. It was the first summer I made substantial progress on my cork 7 and I even made up a new trick that no one else does and is my personal favorite (you’ll have to tune in this year to see it)! In years past I’ve always thought of water ramping as a weak point of mine, and so it was never very fun. This year I actively changed my attitude and approach, and it really paid off.” 

Training provided consistency during a time when the world is anything but. Jesse Andringa, who returned to snow following shoulder surgery this spring, reflected on the mental aspect of his prep period. “This summer was difficult for me with several setbacks to training -  with my shoulder surgery rehab, and also bruised lungs from a crash where I was spitting up blood, to COVID-19 and all of the other issues in the world - but my coaches and sports psych helped me stay focused and I ended up having a hoot of a time.” 

 

 

 

 

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@idoneusa @usskiteam

A post shared by Jesse Andringa (@jesse_bare) on Sep 25, 2020 at 8:41am PDT

Moguls has the month of October “off,” during which they will spend time with their families at home while training remotely before heading over to Europe to begin their World Cup season. “The month break is one, because the UOP will close the pool, but also, we found out because of the imposed local and state quarantines earlier this summer and travel restrictions, that our group is intrinsically motivated,” explained Matt. Athletes remained hungry and focused even without access to gyms or face-to-face time with coaches. “If they had to lift sandbags, they lifted sandbags. Brad [Wilson] made his own weight equipment out of cement and pipes. That attitude will carry forward. We’ll watch the leaves fall and when winter comes, we’ll be ready.”

The team is set to depart for Scandinavia in early November, which will mean a considerable learning curve in getting back up to World Cup skiing snuff. “We’ll be able to build into our season as the Scandinavian resorts build into their winter,” said Matt. “As they start making snow, we’ll ski flat trails. By the time we’re ready for a single jump, they’ll be able to make one. Then they’ll focus on prepping their courses and we’ll be focused on getting ready to ski top to bottoms.”

One thing is for certain, there will be snow to ski on, as many Scandinavian resorts practice snow storage. The moguls skiers of the U.S. Ski Team haven’t seen snow since July during their only summer on-snow training camp and the anticipation is at an all-time high. 

“[This summer] I was mainly focused on challenging my jumps to be ready for every circumstance that I would face on snow,” said Kai Owens, who made her World Cup debut last season. “I am super excited to see my tricks progress, and test the consistency of them on snow!”

Follow the U.S. Moguls Freestyle Ski Team on social media:

Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

To support the U.S. Moguls Freestyle Ski Team, please click here for more information. 

It's been eight months since two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin has stepped in the FIS Ski World Cup start gate. The World Cup opener at Soelden, Austria on Oct. 17th was set to be her return to competition, but on Friday Mikaela announced on social media that she will sit the season opener out due to a tweaked back.

 

 

 

 

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As most of you probably know (if you don’t then mark your calendars now!) the @fisalpine World Cup opener at Soelden is just over one week from today 🥳🥳... but much to my disappointment, I will not be able to start this year🤦‍♀️. After tweaking my back skiing last week, I have been advised to sit Soelden out to let my back heal so I can race the rest of the season. Having started in Soelden for the last eight years straight, this feels...really frustrating and strange (for lack of better words). Luckily, this injury will heal and I will be back in the start soon... (and I can’t wait😏). While this is a bummer to not be racing myself, I am super psyched to watch my teammates compete. They are looking strong, fast, and fired up 🤟🤟. I’ll be cheering as loud as I can for our US women and men next weekend and I hope you will be too! I want to thank everyone, from my sponsors to the media, to the fans, the U.S. Ski Team staff and my teammates, and especially my hometown community, family and friends, for your support in this whole process and for helping me get back out there doing the sport I love. YA’LL... this is HAPPENING. With all the uncertainty throughout this year, we are only ONE WEEK (and a day) away from the start of the World Cup season and that is something to be really excited about🥳🥳. Okay, maybe my countdown has been delayed, but the big countdown is ON and I can’t wait for it to start. I’m wishing the best to everyone racing in Soelden, and I’ll see you all soon👍👍. (📸: Dad🤍)

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Oct 9, 2020 at 4:58am PDT

Next up, Mikaela will plan to head back to the States to rest and recover, and her return to competition is TBD, but as she says "Luckily, this injury will heal and I will be back in the start soon... (and I can't wait.)." 

The International Ski Federation (FIS) confirmed the 2020-21 World Cup Calendars across all disciplines during the FIS Autumn Meetings, which took place online September 23 - October 9. The 2020-21 alpine, cross country, freestyle, freeski, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping calendars are live and available online at fis-ski.com. 

Freestyle, freeski, and snowboard World Cup competition are set to return to the United States for the 2020-21 season. Three American venues are scheduled to host 22 starts between genders, with freeski and snowboard competitions at Copper Mountain, Colo., and Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Calif., and freestyle competitions at Deer Valley Resort, Utah. Previously announced, the FIS Alpine World Cup tour will remain in Europe this season. 

The 2020-21 competition season will look different than in years past due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is working closely with its resort partners and local health authorities to provide competition environments that adhere to required guidelines. 

“The impacts of COVID-19 have been felt across the global sports world, and after having our 2019-20 season cut short, we are especially fortunate to have the opportunity to host events on home snow this season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We are grateful to our resort partners in their commitment to providing world-class freestyle, freeski and snowboard competition, and highlighting the talents of our amazing athletes. We have seen success in other sports resuming and are learning from them. COVID-19 has challenged us to be more nimble in our planning, and while we can definitely say what we are doing one week from now, we understand circumstances may change months from now. We are working closely with FIS, our resort partners and local health authorities to plan what these events will look like, and look forward to sharing that information when available.”

The 2020-21 Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix is expected to celebrate its 25th anniversary this year with snowboard and freeski slopestyle and halfpipe competition returning to Copper Mountain, Colo., in December and Mammoth Mountain, Calif., in February.

As is tradition, the first halfpipe World Cup is scheduled from Dec. 16-19 at Copper Mountain, Colo. pending local and state approvals. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the halfpipe competitions at Copper Mountain this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties. 

The second annual Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover is also planned for Copper Mountain the weekend of Dec.17-19, pending local and state approvals, and is scheduled to feature both freeski and snowboard World Cup big air competition. The 2020 edition of the Visa Big Air will benefit from natural snow conditions and Woodward Copper’s jump building expertise. Copper Mountain has proved itself as a world-class big air venue and even hosted an Olympic qualifier in the lead up to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the big air competitions at Copper Mountain this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties.

From Feb. 3-6, the Grand Prix is positioned to return to the park and pipe mecca that is Mammoth Mountain, Calif. and the famed Unbound Terrain Parks for slopestyle and halfpipe competition, pending local and state approvals. U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro, Judd Henkes, Toby Miller, Dusty Henricksen, Sonora Alba, and Carly Margulies all call Mammoth Mountain home and year after year look forward to competing on home snow. 

The FIS Freestyle World Cup is set to return for its 23rd year at Deer Valley Resort on the storied White Owl and Champion courses, pending local and state approvals. The 2021 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International is planned for February 4-6, with moguls Feb. 4, aerials Feb. 5, and dual moguls Feb. 6. Competitions will take place during the day, a notable change from what are historically night events under the lights. To encourage social distancing, there will not be spectator zones for the freestyle competitions at Deer Valley this season and fans are encouraged to tune in to watch or stream on NBC properties. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes that COVID-19 has impacted different parts of the country in different ways and with different timing, and therefore specific event information will be forthcoming as each local organizing committee works through its specific protocols. All events are contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, local organizing committees, and host venues are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

2020-21 FIS World Cup Calendars

• Alpine

• Cross Country

• Freestyle

• Freeski

• Snowboard

• Nordic Combined

• Ski Jumping

Helpful Resources

• U.S. Ski & Snowboard COVID-19 Information

• FIS COVID-19 Information