Some days you have it, some days you don’t, and some days you just chalk it up as quality training and a good learning opportunity. Such was the theme of the day for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team as the FIS Cross Country World Cup continued with a skiathlon race in Oberstdorf, Germany, Saturday.

In the women’s 15k race, Rosie Brennan led the Team, finishing 17th. “It was pretty good,” Rosie said. “Not my best, not my worst, just somewhere in the middle.” She added that the narrow width of the course, part of which will be used for the 2021 FIS Cross Country World Championships next year, was a bit too narrow in places due to lack of snow. 

“I was just having a hard time trying to figure out how to move through people, and get into the right positions at the right times,” Rosie added. “Tactically, I could have done better, but feeling wise, I felt quite good.”

With the World Championships next season, organizers debuted a new cross country stadium, and a new course, which featured numerous climbs and fast descents, as compared to previous Oberstdorf courses. The U.S. Team spent the entire week training in Oberstdorf, including a couple of days previewing the new track. 

“I think I did a little bit too much this week,” said Jessie Diggins, who finished 22nd in Saturday’s race. “It’s tough to try and find the balance with training in the weeks immediately following the Tour (de Ski).” 

Even with a challenging race day, Jessie was able to dig deep, knowing that it’s money in the bank for next year’s World Championships. “Even when it was not going well, and I was feeling like I was about to puke on every downhill, I still kept pushing and looking for every second, and never gave up,” she said. “I was using every opportunity to learn this course and to really take it all in and practice the things I could do well.”

Caitlin Patterson put down a solid effort, finishing 34th, and Alayna Sonnensyn continued her World Cup education, finishing 51st.

“It was a fun, hard and tough day,” Alayna said. “I got some sparkles from Jessie, which definitely made me feel good. But unfortunately, I sort of started towards the back of the pack and I was trying not to ski too frantically in the first lap. But by the time I could start moving around people, it was already too late. I was bummed not to be able to make that up. I tried my best throughout the next few laps, but it’s just another learning experience and trying to figure out the type of racing over here with this type of competition.”

In the men’s 30k race, David Norris, who has consistently been moving up in the World Cup results list this season, was well on his way to a career-best result - moving into 21st position midway through the opening 15k classic. However, his skis iced up and he found himself over the tips and onto the snow after cresting a climb. He quickly got up, but not before 10 guys past him. 

“I went out steady, and I actually kind of liked that because everyone got strung out, so I was able to slowly work my way up through the field,” said David, who battled back and finished 28th. “And with the exception of that one fall, I think it went really well.”

Up next, a hilly, challenging classic sprint is on tap for Sunday. 

“Going into tomorrow, anything can happen, and I’m going for it,” Jessie said. “It’s only 1.2k-ish. So I’m really going to send it tomorrow. I know the fitness is there, I know the technique is there, I know the strategy is there. So I’m just looking to fine-tune things a bit.”

Joining Jessie on the starting line will be Caitlin, Rosie, Alayna, Sophie Cladwell, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen (who won a classic sprint in Oberstdorf in 2016), Simi Hamilton, Andy Newell, Tyler Kornfield, and Noel Keeffe, who is making his World Cup debut. 

RESULTS
Women’s 15k skiathlon
Men’s 30 skiathlon

STANDINGS
World Cup overall women
World Cup overall men
World Cup distance women
World Cup distance men

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Sunday, Jan. 26
5:30 a.m. - Men and women’s classic sprint, Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Mikaela Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Bulgaria, finishing just off the podium in fourth and fifth place, respectively, in the Bansko downhill.

For the fourth time ever, the Italians swept the FIS Ski World Cup podium, with Elena Curtoni skiing to her first World Cup win, Marta Bassino second and Federica Brignone third. All three finished within .14 seconds of each other.

Mikaela, who had won the downhill on Friday, was thrilled to be back in the top-five in another speed event. “With a win yesterday and holding onto a fourth today—that’s pretty incredible here,” she said. “I was so excited to come to Bansko and get on this track and try everything. I didn’t expect much, so this is beyond what I dreamed about it.”

But the story of the day was about 24-year-old Breezy Johnson, who was racing in only her third race back from a knee injury she sustained in June. She had a banner day on Friday in the bumpy and technical downhill, finishing 10th, and she attacked Saturday’s course with confidence and aggression to take fifth place—her second-best World Cup result.

“I’m very thrilled,” said Breezy. “To do it on a course like this is kinda crazy. I told my therapist yesterday that I was so glad that I could come to a place like this—it’s bumpy, it’s tough and you really have to stand on your outside ski—and have zero thoughts about not trusting [my knee] at all. I’m just so grateful to have my body and feel like my body is in-line with my goals right now.”

Mikaela was ecstatic and inspired to see her hard-charging teammate only .12 seconds behind her in the standings so quickly after an injury.

“Oh my gosh, I am so happy for her,” said Mikaela. “She’s had such a tough comeback. All the girls on my team have had such a tough time the last couple of years. For me, it’s so inspiring to see how they’re every single day charging, aggressive and staying positive, pushing for it and staying motivated… For Breezy, to come here especially, this is her third race back and every single race she’s having better and better results. It’s just incredible and her attitude has been so good. On a track like this, that’s bumpy, really challenging and super technical, for her to lay down like that and just stay so mentally aggressive, my mind is blown. I’m so so excited for her. Also, pretty inspired too.”

Breezy’s result also spoke to the closeness of the women on the World Cup and the compassionate and encouraging community that has been built. “Everybody has been so supportive with the comeback,” said Breezy. “I definitely want to give a shout out to the girls that are injured right now and are coming back because I’ve gotten some amazing messages from girls on the World Cup and other people. That’s been really incredible to have… I feel like I’m out here a little bit for everybody who has ever had obstacles and is trying to come back, just to be like, you don’t have to do anything crazy—just believe in your body and do your thing.”

Alice Merryweather also finished in the points, taking 26th. Alice Mckennis was 37th, Isabella Wright 41st, and Jackie Wiles 43rd.

With her fourth-place finish, Mikaela retains her overall lead over Saturday’s third-place finisher Federica Brignone with 1,125 points to Federica’s 855. Mikaela also sits in second in the downhill standings, only 16 points behind Corinne Suter of Switzerland.

The women finish out their weekend in Bansko on Sunday with a super-G.

RESULTS
Women’s Downhill

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Sunday, Jan. 26
12:30 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app

Travis Ganong landed another top result, finishing in 10th in the super-G in Kitzbuehel, Austria—the most famously challenging super-G on the FIS World Cup circuit.

It was a fantastic day for the Norwegian ‘Attacking Vikings,’ who went 1-2 in front of the rowdy Austrian crowd. Kjetil Jansrud showed that he’s still the most successful man in the discipline, taking his 13th FIS World Cup super-G victory. Only his retired teammate Aksel Lund Svindal, who was cheering in the Hahnenkamm finish, and Hermann Maier of Austria have won more World Cup super-G races than Kjetil. Showing incredible consistency, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished second. He has secured a result in the top eight in each of the last 10 World Cup super-Gs. Matthias Mayer of Austria tied Aleksander for second place—his fifth Kitzbuehel super-G podium.

Travis was happy to put down another good finish after finishing eighth in the Bormio downhill in December. “I think I’m skiing pretty well,” he said. “I’ve been building up again since the break over Christmas… I always love coming back to Kitzbuehel. It’s a really fun hill because you don’t have to worry about all these little funky sections. You just ski fast and well and push on the ski. It’s really enjoyable to ski. I have a good feeling on my skis and it’s nice to come down in the top 10.”

Unlike most years where the Kitzbuehel track looks more like a mirror and coaches have to bring crampons to stand on the course, this year’s snow is significantly more aggressive and forgiving. “Of all my years, it’s probably the easiest snow I’ve skied on (at Kitzbuehel),” said Travis, who has been racing the Hahnenkamm for nine years. “You can really charge and push on the ski and take some more risk. It’s less of a tactical race and more of a normal ski race. It’s fun!”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Steven Nyman also skied into the points, but had major mistakes, taking 26th and 30th, respectively. Jared Goldberg was 40th and Sam Dupratt 42nd.

Now that the super-G has finished, all eyes turn to the big event: Saturday’s downhill on the Streif. “It’s always good having one race under your belt leading into the downhill—especially the downhill here,” said Travis. “The super-G is kind of like a warmup. If you can make it down and have a solid run in super-G, it’s nice to take that momentum into the next day. We’ll see what happens.”

RESULTS
Men’s Super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 25
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Jan. 26
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1, Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2, Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Monday, Jan. 27
1:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill & super-G, Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**
3:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Why isn’t Kitzbuehel available live on NBCSN or Olympic Channel?
The reason Kitzbuehel is available via Gold Pass rather than NBCSN or Olympic Channel is that World Cup events held in Austria are not part of the TV agreement that NBC Sports has with FIS. They are controlled and sold by a different rights holder and were purchased by NBC Sports Gold for exclusive use within “Snow Pass.” If you have any further questions, please reach out to NBC Sports Gold's help desk at support@nbcsports.com. 

Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Colby Stevenson won gold in the inaugural ski knuckle event on the first night of X Games Aspen 2020 in a winner-take-all competition. 

Colby landed a 540 nose butter into a 720 out to kick off the event and set the tone for the evening. Colby held the top spot for the entirety of the competition. The X Games rookie was at a loss for words as he received his first X Games medal. 

“This feels unreal,” said Colby. “I have been dreaming of this since I was a kid... obviously. To be out here with all my best buds sending it off a knuckle is crazy. How is this even an X Games event? It’s this sickest competition. My favorite part was the vibe at the top, everyone was so relaxed and stoked. What a great event to start my X Games career,  doing knuckle tricks is one of my favorite things to do!”

U.S. Freeski Team Alumnus Tom Wallisch was not only competing, but also offering live commentary throughout the evening. Tom provided some context on what makes knuckle huck so unique. 

“What I think is really cool about X Games Knuckle Huck is the combination of big air and slopestyle skiers, like Henrik Harlaut, mixing with urban skiers like Magnus (Graner) and Par (Hagglund),” said Tom. “We want athletes that are playful, creative, and really experimental on their skis instead of the next guy just doing the biggest spin or flip. This event is about creativity, hand drags, butters, and being unique. It’s not the scariest and most unapproachable tricks and every park has knuckle, so any kid can go out and try these tricks or a version of them. That’s what makes this so fun and cool to watch.” 

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Torin Yater-Wallace was also competing in his first competition back from a shattering both his heels at Dew Tour in December of 2018. Torin put on a great show full of classic Yater-Wallace style only minutes after getting off of a plane from Japan. He set himself apart from the field using his edges and carving into his knuckle tricks. 

X Games competition continues through Sunday, Jan. 26. See the full broadcast schedule below. 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 24
2:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski Slopestyle Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski Big Air Finals- Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski SuperPipe Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s Ski Big Air Finals- Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
10:35 p.m. - Women’s Ski Big Air Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 25
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Ski Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Women’s Ski SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:00 p.m. - Women’s Ski Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2
8:30 p.m. - Men’s Ski Superpipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 24
2:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Big Air Elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Snowboard SuperPipe Session - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan. 25
1:00 p.m. - Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
10:00 p.m. - Men’s Snowboard Big Air Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
10:00 p.m. - Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe Finals - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:00 p.m. - Snowboard Rail Jam - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2
8:30 p.m. - Snowboard Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
 

Mikaela Shiffrin picked up her first FIS World Cup downhill win of the 2019-20 season in Bansko, Bulgaria. And in only her second race back after injury, Breezy Johnson finished in 10th.

Federica Brignone of Italy took second place and Joana Haehlen of Switzerland stepped on her first World Cup podium in third.

Mikaela was all smiles at the bottom of the course when she came down with a lead, even though she was worried that she hadn’t had enough time on her downhill boards this season. “I feel really good,” she said. “I felt so much more confident with my skiing today. The training yesterday was my first run on my downhill skis since Lake Louise, so I was just trying to ski down the hill and be clean if I could. Today I felt better with my line, better with my attitude on my skis and better with my technique. So all of those things ended up piecing the track together really well.”

Mikaela won her first downhill two seasons ago in Lake Louise and was second in the Lake Louise downhill this season, but with only 11 World Cup downhills under her belt, she’s still building her confidence. “I wasn’t confident—I was maybe even a little bit scared,” she said. “But I was like, let’s do it. It’s time to go now—let’s just try. So it was pretty exciting to come to the finish and see that it was fast.”

With her victory in Bansko, Mikaela’s win record brings her to a total of 65—only behind Lindsey Vonn (82) in the all-time women’s list. She also sits comfortably in the lead in the overall hunt with 1,075 points—280 points ahead of Federica Brignone of Italy. Her win also brought her to second place in the downhill standings behind Corinne Suter of Switzerland.

Breezy was stoked to land another top 10 in Bansko after battling back from a knee injury she sustained in June, proving her worries false about skiing on such a technical downhill. “This course in Bansko has been really tough,” she said. “I showed up here and it’s really steep, it’s unforgiving, there’s virtually no flat on it. It’s really easy as a speed skier who’s never even raced a World Cup GS to count yourself out… It’s very reassuring as a speed skier that I can do well on such a technical track. Hopefully I can carry that momentum into the next places we’re going to go.”

Breezy also reminded fans to watch out for the rest of the team, who are skiing fast. “It was really awesome to see Mikaela do well—I’m super happy for her,” she said. “We’ve been training in San Pellegrino and the rest of these girls are definitely slaying in training. It’s just a matter of time before all these things come together. Can’t wait to see that happen for the rest of the team.”

Isabella Wright finished just out of the points in 31st place. Alice Merryweather, Alice Mckennis and Jackie Wiles did not finish, but are thankfully OK.

The women race another downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women’s Downhill

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 25
3:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
9:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Bansko, BUL - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 26
3:15 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
3:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel*
12:30 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

After a six-week break in their World Cup schedule, the mogul skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team return to the world stage on Saturday in Tremblant, Canada. This is the first of two Canadian World Cups before the Team competes on home snow at the 2020 Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley Resort Feb. 6-8.

After a grueling six weeks on the road last November and December, the holiday break was a much welcome opportunity for athletes to spend quality time with friends and family. Many skied home mountains to reignite their passion for sliding on snow. A productive training camp in Steamboat and participating in U.S. Selections means these athletes are primed and ready to strike this Saturday.

Returning to competition this weekend are Brad Wilson and Tom Rowley. Brad opted not to compete in the first World Cups of the season to spend more time preparing. Tom missed the first few World Cups due to a back injury. U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza noted that every day he trained in January, not only did he say he felt better, but it showed in his skiing. “I feel pretty excited to get back in the gate,” said Tom. “The course here is pretty flat so I’m looking to ski a clean run with minimal mistakes, and hopefully that’s enough to get in the final and then anything can happen from there.”

Kai Owens will be making her World Cup debut in Tremblant. This is Kai’s first year on the U.S. Ski Team and she is the youngest U.S. woman to compete at the World Cup level at 15 years 5 months and 10 days old. “‌When‌ ‌Kai is ‌on,‌ ‌she’s‌ ‌dangerous‌ ‌enough‌ ‌to‌ ‌throw‌ ‌big‌ ‌jumps,” noted Matt. “She has a ‌big‌ ‌back‌ ‌X ‌on‌ ‌top‌, ‌and‌ ‌her‌ ‌cork‌ ‌is‌ ‌probably‌ ‌one of the‌ ‌better‌ ‌ones‌ ‌we‌ will ‌see‌ ‌on‌ ‌the World Cup ‌tour‌ ‌these‌ ‌next‌ ‌few‌ ‌weeks.‌” Putting young female skiers on the World Cup tour is a relatively new phenomenon Coach Gnoza noted. But it’s important for athletes to get World Cup experience to succeed on tour. Kai beats out teammates Tess Johnson (15 years, 7 months, 16 days), Kenzie Radway (15 years 6 months 27 days) and Olivia Giaccio (15 yrs, 5 mos, 20 days) who also made their World Cup debuts at a young age. 

“I’m feeling super excited coming into this weekend,” said Kai. “Definitely a bit nervous, but so far I’ve just been having fun and exploring Tremblant. What’s driven me to this point so far is my passion for competing and training to get better every day. Training earlier [this week] was super cool, I enjoyed getting to know the course and hitting some jumps. Skiing definitely relieved some of my nerves, and I’m really looking forward to competing!”

Leading the Americans is Jaelin Kauf, who after securing her first podium with a second-place in duals in Thaiwoo, China, will be looking to add World Cup hardware to her arsenal. Tess Johnson has been putting in the work to bring a 360 mute grab to competition, Tremblant may be where she pulls the trigger on it at the World Cup level. Hannah Soar is coming off of her first career World Cup podium with a third place in duals in Thaiwoo and has been training different trick packages this January, Gnoza suspects we’ll see a cork 7 to a backflip grab in Tremblant - it’s her most consistent highest scoring run. 

On the men’s side Jesse Andringa is still riding the high of an outstanding dual against Mikael Kingsbury in Thaiwoo. He is skiing with a high level of confidence and fun, and he has been working on a few different trick packages during the midseason prep period. Alex Lewis is skiing very solid technically, his last run on Day 2 of U.S. Selections was phenomenal according to Matt. Watch for him to make a push into finals in these North American World Cups. Another American due for a World Cup final is Nick Page, whose podium at U.S. Selections has given the young skier a level of confidence in his skiing.

Athletes will train a final day on Friday before getting in the gates on Saturday, Jan. 25 for the first moguls World Cup of the new decade. 

STARTERS

Women
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Kai Owens
Hannah Soar

Men
Jesse Andringa
Alex Lewis 
Nick Page
Tom Rowley
Brad Wilson
Dylan Walczyk
Kalman Heims

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

FREESTYLE
Saturday, Jan. 25
1:30 p.m. - Men’s and women’s moguls, Tremblant, CAN - Olympic Channel, OlympicChannel.com, NBC Sports Gold

FIS Ski World Cup action continues at the revered Hahnenkamm in its 80th anniversary in the scenic mountain town of Kitzbühel, Austria, for the men, while the women head eastward to Bansko, Bulgaria, for a speed series. 

The men will take on the Streif: arguably the most famously challenging super-G and downhill, along with a slalom on Sunday. Austrian fans come out in droves to watch their sport gods, and those who emerge victorious on the Streif in Saturday’s downhill, specifically, become etched in history—both figuratively, and literally on the sides of the gondolas on the Hahnenkammbahn. Soon enough, the magical Kitzbühel fairies will be hard at work cleaning the streets up after the 70,000 glühwein and beer-imbibing Austrian superfans have overtaken the town. Speaking of legends of the Streif, Italy’s Dominik Paris has done won four times on this track (three times in downhill, and once in super-G), though he, unfortunately, was injured in a training session prior to the downhill training runs this week. That makes Switzerland’s Beat Feuz a clear favorite...but don’t count the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team boys out...they’ve been skiing fast and committed in downhill training runs. 

After laying down the fourth-fastest time in Thursday’s second and final downhill training, veteran Steven Nyman—whose best Hahnenkamm finish was fifth in 2015—felt positive going into the race weekend. “The snow is super positive coming into carousel turn, I kind of relaxed—but there’s no point on this course where you can just relax...on the Steilhang or in the carousel, or off the Mausefalle or any of the technical parts,” he explained. “You have to just continually drive and I got that reminder right in the beginning. I can make up a lot of time up there. I felt comfortable...wasn’t fully committed down here through the Hausberg, but I have a plan and I executed that little thing that I’m trying—don’t want to reveal too much. I feel a lot more comfortable on my skis...willing to drive, willing to commit to turns better...so I’m happy. It’s a work in progress, and with that feeling and that confidence I’ll start pushing more and be willing to charge more on race day.”

Bryce Bennett, who had a career-best venue result of 14th in last year’s downhill, is feeling like the experience he’s gained with age is allowing him to fully commit to it. “It was fun,” he said, “Everyone is skiing pretty well. The five guys we have in the top 30 now are solid...I think we’re all just skiing well and it’s clicking.” Travis Ganong echoed sentiments that teammate Bryce had said in the finish...that the course was really “fun” this year. The snow is probably the most consistent and “easiest it’s been in three years,” he added. It’s smooth all the way down. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who has had the best and most consistent season of his career, laid down two solid training runs and is feeling good about the weekend. “There is a nice flow to the hill, so having fun with it is important,” he said. “You get into the start gate and it’s intimidating, and you don’t really know how it’s going to go...you think it’s just going to be kind of chaos and there’s a little bit of chaos, but I think also within yourself and a controlled ability. So, trusting that going into the races, is important. I feel like the track is a little more on the fun side and a little less on the fear side. It is a challenging downhill and there’s a lot going on, so you have to respect the mountain and respect the challenges that it throws at you.”

Jared Goldberg has been struggling with a bit of the flu, but after some good rest and Netflix time, he was able to bounce back and ski the second-fastest training run on day one, just four hundredths behind Attacking Viking Kjetil Jansrud. 

On “Slalom Sunday” all eyes will be on the young Luke Winters...because, well, #WintersIsComing after all. Luke has scored consistently and has had flashes of brilliance all season. The guys have had some great training in Folgaria - Alpe Cimbra at our European training base in the Trentino region of Italy, and they’ll be ready to take on both Kitzbühel and Schladming. 

The women return to Bansko, Bulgaria, for two downhills and super-G, including a rescheduled downhill from Val d’Isere, France. Bansko’s track is a bit more technical, which will play to the favor of skiers like current World Cup overall and slalom leader Mikaela Shiffrin, who was the third-fastest in Thursday’s first and only downhill training run, and Italy’s Federica Brignone, who was the second-fastest. Though Thursday was the first time Mikaela put on downhill skis since Lake Louise, she felt positive coming out of the downhill training run. “I like this track a lot. It’s definitely one of the more technical tracks on the speed circuit, which plays into my favor a little bit more because I obviously do a lot more technical skiing than speed skiing. So I was really excited coming here, and was looking forward to this first training run and getting on the track.”

Mikaela knows what she needs to do in order to find the speed podium, and she and teammates—including Alice McKennis, Breezy Johnson and Jackie Wiles, will get three chances to show what they’ve got. “I had some trouble in a couple of spots, like dragging my turn long enough and making long enough turns, but it's super fun,” she commented. “The surface is a little rattly and bumpy in some spots, but just rock solid and it’s such a good surface to push on the ski and really lay the ski over, so it was really fun to ski today. It’s also a new-ish track, some of the girls have been here before, but there haven’t been many races here, so everybody is sort of learning it, and in that sense, we’re all in the same boat learning a new track. I had so much fun today, and I feel like there are some spots I can clean up a little bit and, for sure, will be better just knowing how it feels to ski down and how it feels to be back on my downhill skis, and how the speeds feel in the course, too, so all in all - it’s awesome.” 

Mikaela will head into the weekend with a 249-point lead in the overall standings over Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova, and a 260-point lead over Federica, who sits in third in the standings. 

Check out how and who to watch below. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Sam Dupratt
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
AJ Ginnis
Sam Morse
Kyle Negomir
Steven Nyman
Ben Ritchie
Luke Winters

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Alice McKennis
Alice Merryweather
Mikaela Shiffrin
Jackie Wiles
Alix Wilkinson
Isabella Wright

RESULTS
Women’s Downhill Training Run
Men’s Downhill Training Run 1
Men’s Downhill Training Run 2

START LISTS
Women’s Downhill
Men’s Super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Friday, Jan. 24
3:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Jan. 25
3:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
9:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill, Bansko, BUL - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 26
3:15 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
3:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - Olympic Channel*
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
12:30 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Bansko, BUL - NBCSN*

Monday, Jan. 27
1:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill & super-G, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBCSN**
3:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom, Kitzbühel, AUT - NBCSN**

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow. 

Why isn’t Kitzbühel available live on NBCSN or Olympic Channel?
The reason Kitzbühel is available via Gold Pass rather than NBCSN or Olympic Channel is that World Cup events held in Austria are not part of the TV agreement that NBC Sports has with FIS. They are controlled and sold by a different rights holder and were purchased by NBC Sports Gold for exclusive use within “Snow Pass.” If you have any further questions, please reach out to NBC Sports Gold's help desk at support@nbcsports.com. 

Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

The FIS Cross Country World Cup season continues this weekend in Oberstdorf, Germany - site of the 2021 FIS World Nordic Championships - with 13 U.S. athletes participating in skiathlon Saturday, and a classic sprint Sunday.

Starting for the Davis U.S. Cross Cross Country Ski Team is Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern, Rosie Brennan and Caitlin Patterson in both the skiathlon and classic sprint. Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Simi Hamilton and Noel Keeffe - making his World Cup debut - will also start in Sunday’s classic sprint. Sophie won her first World Cup race, a classic sprint in Oberstdorf in 2016, which was a stage of the Tour de Ski.

In addition to the Davis U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes, a number of U.S. athletes who have qualified for World Cup starts will participate this weekend, including SuperTour leader’s Ian Torchia (distance leader) and Alayna Sonnesyn (women’s overall leader).

“I’m trying to go into this weekend with no expectations,” said Ian, who made his World Cup debut last weekend in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic. “But the goal is always a top 30. But overall I’d like to have better races than I did in Nove Mesto last weekend where I didn’t have the “bop!” My college roommates call it that because when I’m feeling good I “bop” around. I’m feeling good, and I’m excited to race this weekend.”

Ian will be competing in Saturday’s 30k skiathlon, which combines 15k of classic technique, followed by a quick transition to skate skis for the second 15k leg. He’ll be joined by David Norris, who has posted two top-30 World Cup results this season, including a 27th-place result in the 15k freestyle in Nove Mesto last weekend.

Alayna, who scored three podium results at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championship earlier this month, will start both the Skiathlon and the classic sprint. Four-time Olympian and three-time World Cup sprint podium finisher Andy Newell will be participating in his first World Cup of the season in Sunday’s classic sprint. Joining him will be 2018 Olympion Tyler Kornfield, who will also be starting his first World Cup of the season Sunday.

U.S. Starters for Oberstdorf, Germany
Skiathlon
Jessie Diggins
Rosie Brennan
Julia Kern
Caitlin Patterson
Alayna Sonnesyn
David Norris
Ian Torchia

Classic sprint
Jessie Diggins
Sophie Caldwell
Sadie Maubet Bjornsen
Rosie Brennan
Julia Kern
Caitlin Patterson
Alayna Sonnesyn
Simi Hamilton
Andy Newell
Noel Keeffe
Tyler Kornfield

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 25
4:00 a.m. - Women’s skiathlon, Oberstdorf, GER  - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
6:00 a.m. - Men’s skiathlon, Oberstdorf, GER  - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - Women’s skiathlon, Oberstdorf, GER  - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Jan. 26
5:30 a.m. - Men and women’s classic sprint, Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Kiernan Fagan earned his second medal of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 with a silver medal in big air. 

"It definitely was an awesome day," said Kiernan. "I'm really stoked to back up my slopestyle gold with another medal in big air! I was super hyped to throw down one of my biggest tricks (triple cork 1440 mute). The energy was really high today and it was amazing to see everyone send it."

Kiernan landed two very technical tricks including a switch double cork 1440 blunt and triple cork 1440 mute. Teammate Hunter Henderson, who joined Kiernan on the podium in slopestyle, just missed the podium, finishing fourth overall. Matej Svancer of the Czech Republic won the event and Orest Kovalenko of Ukraine earned the bronze.

For the women, American Jenna Riccomini, who was selected as Team USA’s flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony, finished in a respectable fifth place ahead of teammate Riley Jacobs in eighth. Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu Ailing edged ahead of Kirst Muir of Great Britain for the gold and Sweden’s Jennie-Lee Burmansson finished in third place.

In snowboard big air, Americans earned three top-ten finishes. U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team members Dusty Henricksen and Ty Schnorrbusch landed in fourth and fifth place respectively. In addition, American Will Healy finished in sixth-place. 

For the men, Japanese riders Kimata Ryoma and teammate Kawakami Aoto won gold and silver respectively. The bronze went to Canada’s Liam Brearley, his third medal of the Games. For the women, Japanese rider Hinari Asanuma won the event, Annika Morgan of Germany earned the silver medal, and Melissa Peperkamp of the Netherlands completed the podium with the bronze. 

Combined, U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team athletes earned a total of six medals in slopestyle, halfpipe, and big air competition at the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020. See a complete list of podium results below. 

RESULTS
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air

FREESKI & SNOWBOARD MEDALS
Kiernan Fagan: Men’s freeski slopestyle - Gold | Men’s freeski big air - Silver
Hunter Henderson - Men’s freeski slopestyle - Bronze
Hanna Faulhaber - Women’s freeski halfpipe - Bronze
Hunter Carey - Men’s freeski halfpipe - Silver
Dusty Henricksen - Men’s snowboard slopestyle - Gold
 

Fourteen American riders are headed to Big White, Canada, for the third of five FIS Snowboardcross World Cups of the season. The U.S. Snowboardcross Team is still searching for their first podium of the season, but athletes and coaches have high hopes coming out of a very successful training camp in the Canadian Rockies at Sunshine Village in Banff, Alberta.

Our training camp at Sunshine was amazing,” said Snowboardcross Head Coach Peter Foley. “Dave Riley, the COO, has been a long-time, consistent supporter of the U.S. Snowboard Team and he put together a World Cup level course for us to train on. We partnered with the Canadian Team and invited some of the other best teams in the world to come train with us, including the Austrians and the Swiss. We were able to put together practice races and train at a great intensity in preparation for the World Cup at Big White.”

Lindsey Jacobellis, U.S. Snowboardross veteran and the most decorated athlete in snowboardcross history, shared Peter’s thoughts on Sunshine Village Camp. 

“Sunshine camp was a blast,” said Lindsey. “The course was world-class and so were all of the employees that supported the camp. I’m excited to go back next year. We are in good shape and prepared going into the Big White World Cup.”

Joining Lindsey in Big White are U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team riders Faye Gulini and Rosie Mancari as well as development group riders Stacy Gaskill and Livia Molodyh. For the men, U.S. Snowboardcross Pro Team riders Nick Baumgartner, Alex Deibold, Hagen Kearney, Senna Lieth, Jake Vedder and 2019 double FIS World Champion Mick Dierdorff. In addition, Americans Jonathan Cheever, Cole Johnson, and Paul Kimisky are set to compete. 

Although U.S. riders have yet to find the podium this season, they have been riding very well. Hagen, Jake, and Nick are all ranked in the top-20 of the FIS Cup Standings and Faye and Lindsey are both in the top-10. 

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Jan. 25
3:00 p.m. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup - Big White, British Columbia, Canada - Olympic Channel-TV and NBC Sports Gold.

Sunday, Jan. 26
2:30 pm. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup - Big White, British Columbia, Canada - Olympic Channel-TV and NBC Sports Gold.

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.