It’s the final weekend of the FIS Ski World Cup season with Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) leading the women’s U.S. Alpine Team back to where it all started in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic. Shiffrin made her first career World Cup start in Špindlerův Mlýn eight years ago, finishing 32nd in the slalom and 43rd in the giant slalom.

Shiffrin is shooting for World Cup victory number 58 in Friday’s giant slalom, and again in Saturday’s slalom. She is currently tied with Vreni Schneider’s World Cup season win record of 14, and could very likely surpass that record this weekend. Both races will be streamed live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold, and the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA - will broadcast the second run both days. Also starting in the slalom at Špindlerův Mlýn is veteran Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.).

 

 

 

 

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Ahoj! How do you correctly pronounce “Špindlerův Mlýn”?! Let’s try (Shhpindleroov Mleeeen) // How’d I do, @esterledecka?! Third time’s a charm?? 😂🙊🥴😊😅🤪Looking forward to Špindlerův Mlýn this weekend!! It was my very first @fisalpine World Cup in 2011, so it’s a special place for me with good memories. The Czech fans have always been wonderful and I can’t wait to go back to @skiworldcupspindl at @skiareal.cz. 🇨🇿 Check out the full video in my IGTV. Děkuji!! #weareskiing #sheskis

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Mar 5, 2019 at 2:02am PST

On the men’s side, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, hosts giant slalom and slalom events Saturday and Sunday. Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) and Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) will be leading the charge along with newly crowned giant slalom Junior World Champion River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.) on Saturday. Other U.S. Starters in the giant slalom include Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.), Brian McLaughlin (Waitsfield, Vt.), Nick Krause (Northboro, Mass.). Sandy Vietze (Warren, Vt.) will make his World Cup debut in Sunday’s slalom.

The World Cup Finals are scheduled for Soldeu, Andorra, March 11-17.

More than 50 members of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard freeski and snowboard teams are at California’s Mammoth Mountain Ski Area for the final Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, which also serves as a FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup, this week. The current schedule has snowboard slopestyle and freeski halfpipe finals taking place Friday, snowboard halfpipe finals on Saturday and freeski slopestyle finals Sunday. However, another big storm rolling through central California this week and has already rearranged the qualifying schedule.

The networks of NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold, and NBCSN will provide live, and same-day coverage from Mammoth both Friday and Saturday.

Fresh off her fourth-place finish at the FIS World Nordic Championships 30k freestyle last week, Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) leads the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team into Oslo, Norway, as the FIS World Cup circuit resumes with a men’s 50k classic mass start Saturday, and a women’s 30k classic mass start on Sunday.

Other U.S. starters are: Kaitlynn Miller (Elmore, Vt.), Sadie Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska), Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah), Rosie Frankowski (Minneapolis, Minn.), Kyle Bratrud (Eden Prairie, Min.), David Norris (Fairbanks, Alaska), Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska), Adam Martin (Wausau, wis.), Ben Lustgarten (Burlington, Vt.). Both races will be broadcast on the Olympic Channel and streamed live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

ALPINE
Friday, March 8
4:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 1 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
12:00 p.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - NBCSN*

Saturday, March 9
3:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:00 p.m. - Women's slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - NBCSN*

Sunday, March 10
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

FREESKIING
Friday, March 8
4:00 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s slopestyle - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, March 9
12:30 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, March 10
12:30 a.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSN**

CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, March 9
4:00 a.m. - Men’s 50k mass start - Oslo, NOR - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, March 10
6:45 a.m. - Women’s 30k mass start - Oslo, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s 30k mass start - Oslo, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV*

SKI JUMPING
Friday, March 8
1:30 p.m. - Raw Air Tournament, men’s qualifying - Holmenkollen, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, March 9
8:30 a.m. - Raw Air Tournament, men’s team - Holmenkollen, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
3:00 p.m. - Raw Air Tournament, men’s team - Holmenkollen, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, March 10
5:00 a.m. - Raw Air Tournament, women’s individual - Holmenkollen, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:30 a.m. - Raw Air Tournament, men’s individual - Holmenkollen, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
3:00 p.m. - Raw Air Tournament, women’s individual - Holmenkollen, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV*
4:30 p.m. - Raw Air Tournament, men’s individual - Holmenkollen, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV*

NORDIC COMBINED
Saturday, March 9
3:00 a.m. - Men’s HS134 - Oslo, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s 10k - Oslo, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

SNOWBOARD
Friday, March 8
12:30 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s slopestyle - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, March 9
7:30 a.m. - Men and women’s parallel giant slalom - Scuol, SWI - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:30 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSN*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

The Supergirl Snow Pro series comes to California’s Bear Mountain Resort for two days of the world’s only all-female snowboarding competition and lifestyle series event March 9-10.

The event is designed to not only showcase the best female snowboarders on the planet competing in snowboardcross and big air, but also to also serve as a developmental contest to help locate, nurture, mentor, and encourage the next generation of aspiring snowboarding pros.

The U.S. Snowboard Team’s own 10-time X Games gold medalist and six-time FIS World Champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) serves as the event host and inspirational leader.

"I started this event when I was inspired after attending the Supergirl Surf event,” said Jacobellis. “It was such an amazing event to be involved in and it had a huge support system for the growth of women in sports. After that weekend I told ASA Entertainment that I needed to bring this to snowboarding and more importantly to snowboardcross. I wanted to help the development of snowboardcross with the younger generation of girls coming up in the sport and create an environment that they could thrive in, while also making lifelong friendships with girls all over the world."

Rick Bratman, the CEO of ASA Entertainment and executive producer of the Supergirl Pro Series, also shared his excitement for the event.

“The Supergirl Snow Pro is one of the most gratifying events we are involved in given its long history of creating a strong platform for women and the unique format where pros and amateurs interact and compete together as teammates,” said Bratman. “Having the event rooted in mentorship and watching the top pros supporting the next generation of female riders is truly inspirational. Knowing that it's the only all-female snowboarding competition in the world adds another layer to its importance and aligns well with the Supergirl Pro Series’ mission of both empowering and providing opportunity for women in sports, entertainment, popular culture, media, education and business.”

The Supergirl Snow Pro is truly unique and offers opportunities for young women from all over the world to develop their skills, network and learn from some of the best riders in the world. The event has clearly left an impression with last year’s amatuer competitors.

“It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” said 2018 Amatuer champion Kayci Deitsch. “Being able to compete out of my country allowed me to meet new competition and create new friendships I never thought that I would in my lifetime. It’s incredible to be able to snowboard alongside my biggest role models in this sport. For the rest of my life I will be thankful for the opportunity that I had at my very first Supergirl Snow Pro. Also, It’s an honor to compete again at the competition in 2019. Coming back will be cool to see all the riders, whether  they are from the previous year or if they are new. I will approach this year with excitement and optimism. I am excited to share my experience with the new comers and just have fun.”

Although the Supergirl series is in it’s 13th year and Supergirl Pro Snow in it’s 9th, 2019 is setting up to be something special. The event’s Festival Village includes live concerts, female DJ’s, speakers, and other female-driven entertainment. The music lineup includes Samantha Ronson’s band Ocean Park Standoff and Disney star Meg Donnelly. If the entertainment isn’t enough, feast your eyes on the competitions to watch more than 30 female pros compete including U.S. Snowboard Team members and Olympians, as well as 60 top amateurs. Last but not least, it is all for a good cause as the event supports Boarding for Breast Cancer and the SoCal Mountains Foundation.The event is free to attend for all patrons so head up to Big Bear or tune in live to catch all the action.

For general event athlete information, visit http://Supergirlsnowpro.com. For pros or amateurs that wish to register to compete and be part of the mentorship program, they can register at https://supergirlsnowpro.com/events/2019-registration/.

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, March 9.
7:00 a.m. - Women’s boardercross - Big Bear, Cali. - supergirlsnowpro.com

Sunday, March 10.
7:00 a.m. - Women’s big air - Big Bear, Cali. - supergirlsnowpro.com

SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram and Twitter - @supergirlpro
Facebook - facebook.com/supergirlpro
 

David Norris (Fairbanks, Alaska) skied a personal best in the 50k freestyle on the final day of the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championship in Seefeld, Austria. Norris skied the entire first lap of the six-lap race between third and fourth place, and was consistently in the main pack the entire race, eventually finishing 20th.

“I felt good and my skis were working really well,” said Norris. “It almost seemed easier to position myself in the top 15 as best as possible and just try to stay out of trouble. Then I came into 700 meters in medal contention but at that point I had no more juice left and just tried to survive.”

Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska) was 23rd on the day, Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.) was 34th with Adam Martin (Wausau, Wis.) in 45th.

“I was in for the hunt, but I felt like I wasn’t skiing the downhills well and I missed the move on that last lap,” Patterson said. “I was thinking I need to go, need to go, but it was too late. I felt like if I had made that split, I could have fought with guys.”

“David was in the mix from the beginning,” said U.S. Cross Country World Cup Coach Matt Whitcomb.  “On the last climb at 49.5k he was still charging with the Bronze within reach, and for him to be in that pack is just next level. He led a very strong performance for the team today with Scotty finishing 23rd and in the mix all the way for 98-percent of the race, super proud of all the guys today. It’s fun when coaches in the feed zones are saying hey, the American’s are having a good day today. We are proud and leaving Seefeld with our heads high.”

The U.S. Cross Country Team team now heads to Oslo, Norway, for a women’s 30k and men’s 50k March 9-10.

RESULTS

Men’s 50k freestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Saturday, March 9
4:00 a.m. - Men’s 50k mass start - Oslo, NOR - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, March 10
6:45 a.m. - Women’s 30k mass start - Oslo, NOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s 30k mass start - Oslo, NOR - Olympic Channel-TV*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

Due to weather, the FIS Freestyle World Cup dual moguls scheduled for Sunday were canceled. The American athletes were able to train on schedule, but the fog never lifted, and the organizers, unfortunately, had to call the event.

The U.S. team will finish second overall for the Nations’ Cup and will also claim the second-ranked female moguls skier in the world: Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.).

“This has been my best season to date and the most consistent I’ve ever been,” said Kauf. “I said at the beginning of the year that I wanted to make every super final and I did. I’m so proud of myself for that. I know I made mistakes and have a lot to improve for next year, I can still clean up and improve both my jumps and my skiing. It’s been a competitive season and there’s been a lot of really impressive skiing. I am truly honored to finish second in the world among such a strong field of women.”

Although the U.S. did not earn the Nations’ Cup, the Americans did close the season with the number one women’s team. “Overall, I am very pleased with how the team performed this winter,” reflects U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “Unfortunately, we came up just short of our team goal of winning the Nations’ Cup, but we did have the number one women’s team to finish the season.  I am extremely proud of all the athletes. Every one of them improved as we progressed through the season and we became a better team each week.”

Although Kazakhstan didn’t provide a second podium opportunity, the course was excellent on Saturday with blue skies and temperatures around 40 degrees Fahrenheit – perfect for March moguls skiing. “The Kazakhstanis were very supportive and helpful; the people here are very proud of their country and we're excited to share it with us,” said Gnoza. “We look forward to returning to Kazakhstan for future World Cups and hope that this becomes an annual stop on the tour. 

Even with no podiums this weekend, the Americans still managed to put on the wow factor. A definite highlight was Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.) throwing the first cork-1080 in moguls competition for women. During the super final Giaccio had a hiccup in her first air, causing her to stop. Instead of earning a DNF, Giaccio gathered herself to finish out the run and threw the trick to wild excitement from the fans.

“I was pretty pumped up after the whole thing!” said Giaccio. “When I blew out after my full up top, I knew my run was over. But I wanted to use the rest of the run as an opportunity to try out the trick I had started working on this summer. I didn’t think — I went for it in more of a spur of the moment fashion, which was really fun. It was one of my goals this season to be the first woman to compete the trick, so going for that was pretty fun. It’s definitely in my plan to make it a part of my run, for sure!”

While their World Cup tour is over, the U.S. Moguls Team has one more competition this season: U.S. National Championships in Waterville Valley on March 16 & 17. Winning Nationals is always on every athlete’s bucket list of achievements, there is something special about being named U.S. National Champion. “The entire team is eager to get to Waterville and ski their best, we always have some great battles amongst team members as they vie for the title,” said Gnoza. “They are equally as excited to get back to the USA and ski with their friends from their home programs and regions in competing for a national championship.”

Looking forward to 2019-2020, Gnoza sees a bright future. “This past World Cup season we became a team. I look forward to watching this team grow into champions. Our outstanding and dedicated staff combined with the talent and passion of the athletes is the makings of something pretty special.”

The U.S. Aerials Ski Team closed out their 2019 Freestyle World Cup season with a double event on Sunday. The day began with a one-jump World Cup individual event in the morning and finished with a team event in the afternoon.

Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) led the Americans and earned her second podium of the weekend, and the season, finishing second in the morning event. “It was really exciting to get back to back podiums here in China,” said Caldwell of her success this weekend. She added, “I have never competed in a World Cup before 9 a.m. in the morning.”

Caldwell shared the podium with China’s Xu Mengtao and Xu Sicun, in first and third respectively.

For the second day in a row, the women were up before the sun. Sunday’s event started with a 4:45 a.m. breakfast for a 5:15 hour-long bus ride to the jump site to be ready for speed checks by 7:25 a.m. Five American women placed in the top 10 in the morning event: Madison Varmette (Stafford, Va.) finished fourth, Morgan Northrop (Haymarket, Va.) finished sixth, Megan Nick (Shelburne, Vt.) finished seventh and Kaila Kuhn (Park City Ski & Snowboard) finished eighth.

“Despite waking up at four in the morning, our team did incredible on the women’s side,” said Caldwell. "We were laughing and having a good time even though we were tired. After the long World Cup season this was an incredible result and I’m really proud of all of our teammates.”

On the men’s side, Nicholas Novak (Stafford, Va.) was the top American, finishing sixth. “Nick was one of the great stories about today, to come back from his crash yesterday and be our top man,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Aerials Coach Todd Ossian. Eric Loughran (Pelham, N.H.) came in ninth and Justin Schoenefeld (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) finished 10th. China’s Jiaxu Sun took the win, Switzerland's Noe Roth finished second, and Belarus’s Anton Kushnir finished third.

Originally the U.S. was slated to put forth three teams for the afternoon team event; however, they ended up fielding two teams. USA 1 was represented by Jonathon Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.), Christopher Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Caldwell. USA 2 was represented by Loughran, Schoenefeld and Winter Vinecki (Salem, Ore.). Schoenefeld, who’s making quite an impression on his first World Cup tour, stomped out a beautiful full-full-full (triple twisting, triple backflip) during the first round of competition, earning a score of 117. “He was deserving of every point of that score,” said Ossian. USA 2 was the top American team, finishing fourth overall, just missing the podium by less than two points.

At the close of the season, the U.S. Aerials Team finishes with four women and three men in the top 10 of the FIS Freestyle Grand Prix and finished second overall for the Nations’ Cup. For the first year of the new quad going into the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games, the Aerials Team is set up for success.

“We knew this was going to be a building season,” said U.S. World Cup Aerials Coach Emily Cook. “Going into next season people know what they need to work on and they have the foundation to do that. We’ve been super happy with the last couple of weeks. It’s good to have that foundation moving into the next quad.”

Chris Lillis, who ends this season ranked eighth in the world reflects, “I’m definitely happy that I finished ranked in the top ten in the world. That was a big goal of mine coming into the season. I see a lot of things I can improve on for next year, like coming home with more medals, but I had some really consistent results this year so really excited about that.”

RESULTS
Men’s aerials
Women’s aerials
Team aerials
 

It was a snowy day in Kvitfjell, Norway, but that didn't stop Travis Ganong (Squaw, Calif.) from grabbing the second best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result of his career, landing in fifth to lead three Americans into the points.

For the second-straight day, Italy’s Dominik Paris took the victory, piping the bottom section of the course, finishing with a time of 1:29.20 - .43 seconds ahead of Attacking Viking and hometown boy Kjetil Jansrud and .60 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Beat Feuz. Paris moved from third in the super-G standings behind Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Matthias Mayer to lead the standings heading into World Cup Finals in Soldeu, Andorra, with 330 points - a 44-point advantage on Kriechmayr.

Ganong skied a clean and fast run to lead the Americans and snag his best result of the season, and second-best career super-G result (his best is a fourth place at Lake Louise, Canada in 2015. After sustaining a knee injury in Bormio, Italy that sidelined Ganong prior to the Olympics, he has been fighting to find his way back into the top group.

“I’m feeling better,” Ganong said after his run. “The whole season I’ve kind of been struggling mentally to find my race gear and to be comfortable pushing and taking risks. I’ve been really skiing within myself. These last two days - especially yesterday - I decided to push and take some risks, and it didn’t quite pan out yesterday in the downhill, but it was nice to get that monkey off my back and take some risks and not crash and have good splits. Obviously, in the downhill I had huge mistakes, but today - another chance - I pushed hard again, took some risks, and it worked.”

Ranked 16th in the standings, Ganong will take that confidence into the World Cup Finals and next season. “Just a really good stepping stone in my recovery and my comeback, and sets me up really well for next season,” he said. “I’m super happy to have a fifth place today.” Teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) - who is tied for 21st in the super-G standings with France’s Alexis Pinturault - will also represent the United States at World Cup Finals in the discipline.

Teammate Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) was skiing super fast in the middle section of the course, back by just .17 seconds at one split when he made a couple of costly errors that pushed him to 15th place. Nyman has been skiing the best super-G he’s skied in years, and is back in the 30, though he narrowly missed making it to World Cup Finals in the discipline - as he’s sitting in 26th by just one point. For the second-straight day, Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) finished in the points. Today was the first time Goldberg has finished in the top 30 this season super-G. 

Other Americans to compete in Sunday’s super-G included Thomas Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.), in 33rd, Cochran-Siegle in 34th, Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, Maine) in 42nd, Sam Dupratt (Park City, Utah) in 48th and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) in 49th.

Up next for the men is a giant slalom and slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia on March 9-10.

Women's Super-G Canceled in Sochi; Shiffrin With Super-G Lead into Finals

For the fifth-straight day, weather wiped out the women's FIS Ski World Cup in Sochi, Russia.

As a result of Sunday's cancelation, Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) will maintain her super-G standings lead heading into the final super-G race in Soldeu, Andorra at World Cup Finals on March 14. Shiffrin has won every super-G she’s participated in this season, including Lake Louise, Canada, St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She will go into World Cup Finals with 300 points, and a 32-point lead over the reigning super-G title holder,  Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather, Up next for the women is a giant slalom and slalom in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic. Shiffrin is the current leader in the giant slalom standings, with an 81-point lead over France’s Tessa Worley.

RESULTS
Men's super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Sunday, March 3
4:00 p.m. - Men’s super-G  - Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN*

Friday, March 8
4:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 1 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
12:00 p.m. - Women’s giant slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - NBCSN*

Saturday, March 9
3:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 1 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:30 a.m. - Women’s slalom run 2 - Spindleruv Mlyn, CZE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, March 10
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Kranjska Gora, SLO  - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.

A field of six Olympians took to the halfpipe at Vail Mountain Resort in Colorado for the final day of the 37th Annual Burton U.S. Open with women's halfpipe finals. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) not only earned her first-ever U.S. Open victory and her first ever top-level international win but also made history landing the first ever double crippler in women’s halfpipe competition.

“I can't even express how happy I am,” said Mastro. “I am speechless and overwhelmed. I have been going to bed and dreaming about doing that trick. I didn’t do any in practice at all but decided if I could visualize it, its on. I was able to and I decided not to think, but to just do. I am fully overwhelmed and could not be any more filled with happiness. This is the first contest I have won and for it to be at the U.S. Open is an incredible feeling. I can’t put it into words to describe how good I feel right now. The double crippler has been a shadow just following me around so it’s really nice to show everyone what I got.”

The work Mastro has put in perfecting the double crippler in the spring and fall of 2018 paid off in a big way. After not practicing the trick at all throughout the week, Mastro’s mental toughness proved dividends as she put it down for the first time ever in competition. Also, her breakthrough performance disrupts the flawless season of Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.). Expect the battle for the top spot on the halfpipe podium to continue at the 2019 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area next week as both Mastro and Kim return to their home turf.

Kim would finish in second place behind Mastro and just ahead of Cai Xuetong of China in third. Kim’s highest scoring run contained a frontside 1080, cab 900 and a cab 1080, which is a different run than what she’s done previously this season. U.S. Pro Team member Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) also rode very well landing all three of her runs and increasing difficulty as the competition went on. Gold may have had the fan favorite hit boosting a huge frontside 1080 tail to start of her runs that lit up the crowd. She would finish in fourth just outside the podium. The top three riders all were in one point of each other illustrating the high level of riding for the women.

For the men, American Danny Davis (Truckee, Calif.) finished just outside the podium in fourth. Davis Kicked off the men’s competition with a massive amplitude which undeniably energized the rest of the field. U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member and Olympian Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) would have challenged the podium on his third and final run, but on his last hit, he slipped out in the flat bottom. Pates put on a great show for the Vail crowd, but could not reach the podium.

Australia's Scotty James added yet another win to his collection as he remains perfect and undefeated in the 2018/19 season. Japan’s Raibu Katayama finished in second-place and Yuto Totsuka in third. Katayama summarized the 2019 Burton Open best by simply stating, "we go higher and higher,“ highlighting the endless progression that took place in the halfpipe on Saturday.

U.S. Snowboard Team members will continue halfpipe and slopestyle competition at the 2019 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area March 6-9. Tune in on NBC To catch all the action.

RESULTS
Men and women’s halfpipe finals

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Friday, March 8
12:30 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s slopestyle - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, March 9
4:00 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSports.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:30 p.m. - Toyota U.S. Grand Prix men and women’s halfpipe - Mammoth Mountain, Calif. - NBCSN*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.
 

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) skied a gritty race on Saturday to finish fourth in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship 30k freestyle in Seefeld, Austria.  

Diggins was pushing the pace from the second position to pressure eventual winner Therese Johaug (Norway) to peel off the front during the second of four laps.

“That was really fun and we had some of the best skis out there,” said Diggins. “I went to the front to take the lead as I could see that the chase group was starting to make time. I started working there and was steadily pinning it at the max I could sustain. I was working with Ingvild which was fun, but she started to go, and my body said nope, as I was struggling a bit with cramping.”

Working together, second-place finisher Ingvild Flugstad Ostberg and third-place finisher 19-year-old Frida Karlsson of Norway pushed the pace late in the second lap.

“When Ingvild started to go, my body said nope, as I was struggling a bit with cramping, continued Diggins. “I was trying to ski as technically well as I could at about 2k to go and put all my energy into the snow. I was thinking I have got to make it to the finish line.  When I crossed the finish line it was such a good feeling because I know I couldn’t have given it anything else.”

“It was really exciting to see Jessie be so competitive and it was interesting at the beginning of the race as she was trying to cover Johaug’s move,” said U.S. Cross Country Head Coach Chris Grover. “Jessie was skiing in second for much of the race and never further back than that lead group until the split came. The wax techs made some incredible skis today allowed us to be really competitive all day”.

Grover continued, “Sadie and Rosie have been skiing rock solid and we’re in the mix today. All four or out starters executed the race really well, no missed feeds, no broken poles and made the smart choices about ski exchanges. That veteran experience goes into creating really good races.”

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) finished 15th, Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) finished 16th and, Caitlin Patterson (Craftsbury, Vt.) finished 34th.

“It was a day for toughness out there,” said Brennan. “We started out at a very fast clip and with some fatigue from a week of racing, I was not feeling like I could sustain that pace for 30k. I settled back and found a good group of girls to race with and things slowly turned around. We were able to pick up a few people that faded from the group in front and I was able to have a strong sprint finish. I am really proud of my finish, but wish I had it in me to stick with the group in front.”

The Championships continue Sunday with the final race of the event, the Men’s 50k freestyle.  Starters will be Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska), David Norris (Fairbanks Alaska), Adam Martin (Wausau, Wis.), and Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Co.).

RESULTS
Women’s 30k

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Sunday, March 3
5:30 a.m. - FIS World Cross Country Skiing Championships men’s 50k - Seefeld, AUT - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) landed her fourth individual FIS World Cup snowboardcross podium of the season in Baqueira Beret, Spain on Saturday.

"I am very happy to have another podium, and I loved being in Spain again," said Jacobellis. "Right now I am focused on all things production for Supergirl Snow Pro. When I arrive back in Europe I can focus on the course and doing my best to hopefully win a globe. Every year this sport becomes more competitive, especially on the women’s side. I have enjoyed watching the sport develop and I am very happy that I am still winning after all of these years."

Jacobellis has climbed from third to the top spot is the FIS Cup Standings tied with Czech Republic’s Eva Samkova. With only one World Cup left on the schedule, the race for the crystal globe is coming down to the wire. U.S. Snowboardcross Teammate Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City, Utah) also raced well finishing seventh overall, making it to the small final.

Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic took the victory and Chloe Trespeuch of France finished second.

For the men, 2019 double FIS World Champion Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished in fourth making it to the big final. U.S. Snowboardcross Teammate Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, Mass.) finished in eighth, Alex Deibold (Manchester, Vt.) 12th, Jake Vedder (Pickney, Mich.) 15th, Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.) 17th and Hagen Kearney (Norwood, Colo.) finished in 19th. Vedder is currently seventh is the Cup Standings and will need a strong performance in Veysonnaz to challenge standings leader Noel Martin from Germany.

Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria topped the podium in first-place followed up Adam Lambert of Austria in second, and Kevin Hill of Canada in third.

The last FIS World Cup snowboardcross of the season will take place on March 16 in Veysonnaz, Switzerland. Watch Jacobellis fight for the coveted FIS Crystal Globe overall title to cap off what has been a strong season for the U.S. Snowboardcross Team.

FIS CUP STANDINGS
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross

RESULTS
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross
 

For the third straight year, Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) has secured the FIS Ski World Cup overall title, and she secured it while taking time off from the World Cup circuit, to rest, recharge and train in both Italy and the Czech Republic - rather than traveling to Sochi, Russia, which has struggled with cancellations the last four days.

It’s been a historical year of record-breaking for Shiffrin, who - in an IGTV post on Saturday - called it a “pretty crazy” to secure the overall, as she sat on her bed in a hotel room in the Italy, not racing. “It’s strange because, I feel like right here right now, I didn’t do something this morning…” Shiffrin laughed. “...And I’m like ‘Oh, here you go - you woke up today, here’s an overall globe!’ But, at the same time, this entire season has been spectacular...a bit push. Every race has been a fight, but it’s been incredible.

Shiffrin won her first overall globe in Aspen on home soil in 2017, and followed that up - along with the slalom title and two Olympic medals, in the 2018 season to hoist up her second-straight overall globe in Åre, Sweden. The one big goal of Shiffrin’s has been the giant slalom title, and though it was within reach in 2018, she ended up third behind Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg and France’s Tessa Worley. She was also fifth in the downhill standings in 2018. But this season...this season has been one for the books.

Shiffrin currently - and depending on what happens with Sunday’s super-G in Sochi, Russia - will likely enter her next World Cup competition (in Špindlerův Mlýn) with the overall and slalom titles secured, as well as lead in giant slalom and super-G. Last season, she finished with 1,773 points in the overall standings. This season, with at least four - if not five starts left for Shiffrin - she already has 1,794 points. Is she going for the overall points record? Nope. But, just like every record she’s broken or matched this season, she’ll probably get close. Her secret?! Not focusing on the result, but rather focusing on the process.

A combination of things led to Shiffrin securing the overall title as she actually took time away from the World Cup tour. With a 719-point advantage over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, Vlhova not traveling to Sochi as well, and Saturday’s super-G being canceled, it was clear that Shiffrin had clinched it. “Races are canceled, certain people are not at those races, so the points get all wound up in different ways, so all of a sudden - there ya have it,” she said.

“The overall globe has been one of the biggest dreams of mine since I was a little girl,” noted Shiffrin. “This year it’s even something, maybe even more special, because a fair portion of my wins have come in super-G...and I always felt like the overall globe can mean ‘Best in the World’ but I wanted to be able to earn it in all events. I’m still working on getting to the point where I can earn it in slalom, GS, super-G AND downhill...but I felt like this season was a really big step. It’s been a little grueling, but also insanely gratifying.”

Shiffrin has broken so many records this season, it’s getting hard to keep track. But, yes - I have kept track, of course. It is my job, after all.

So, here goes…

2018-19 Season Accolades

• First super-G win in Lake Louise, making ski racing history by becoming the first-ever athlete – male or female – to win in all six currently contested FIS Ski World Cup alpine disciplines.

• She’s won every super-G she’s entered this season – three World Cup victories (Lake Louise, St. Moritz and Cortina), and one World Championship victory (Are)

• First ski racer – male or female – to win 15 World Cup races in a calendar year (2018)

• Women's slalom World Cup win record (38 – second only to Ingemar Stenmark with 40 – and could match Stenmark, as she has two slalom starts left on the season)

• Fifth on the all-time World Cup win list (57 – Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell is fourth, with 62 victories)

• 14 World Cup victories on the season (so far) – tied with Vreni Schneider’s record for wins in a single season (she has at least four more chances this season)

• 2019 Super-G World Champion

• 2019 Slalom World Champion – first athlete – male or female – to win four successive world titles in a discipline (quite a heroic win, as she did it while she was ill with a chest infection)

• 2019 giant slalom bronze medalist

• Locked in the slalom title already for the season, with her last victory at the City Event in Stockholm - 2019 slalom title holder (sixth in seven years – only year missing was 2016, when she was injured - and she was still fourth in the standings)

• Current overall, super-G, and giant slalom standings leader

• This is something that’s pretty impressive…

• Worlds – Gold Medal Count

  • Norway 2

  • Switzerland 2

  • Mikaela 2

  • Austria 1

• This is Mikaela’s winning and podium percentage on the season:

  • 24 races, with 20 podiums (including 2019 World Champs giant slalom bronze), 16 of which were wins (including 2019 World Champs super-G and slalom victories). There’s an 83% chance Mikaela will podium a race she enters this season, and a 67% chance she’ll win. Across six disciplines: slalom, parallel slalom, giant slalom, alpine combined, super-G and downhill.

Shiffrin’s main goal has been conquering the challenging giant slalom discipline. In the seven World Cup giant slalom races she’s participated in this season (including World Championships), her worst finish has been fifth. She’s podiumed five times and won three times. She currently leads friend Worley by 81 points in the giant slalom standings, and Vlhova by 137 points. “The final goal of mine for this year was the giant slalom globe,” Shiffrin said on Saturday. “I guess we’ll see in the next couple of races how that goes…” Keep in mind, she’s leading the super-G standings and it’s not even on her radar at this point. What an amazing season Shiffrin has had!

“Most dominant” are words that have been thrown around by numerous notable journalists and publications, from the Washington Post to USA Today, as Shiffrin blazes her own path and has broken into mainstream media discussion this season. And yet still, she remains down to earth, congratulatory to her competitors and gracious both in victory and in defeat, and focused on the process - not the result.

While in Cortina after her second third super-G win of the season, she and I had a conversation about how her former teammate - and legend of the sport - Bode Miller approached his craft. If he won but did not ski his best, he was bummed. If he was second but he skied his best, he was happy. She identifies with that. So, for Shiffrin - who breaks records every time she hits the mountain - her focus will remain on skiing her best...and with this strategy and the way it’s been going so far, the success is bound to follow. What will she do to celebrate? A happy dance, perhaps?

"I could go jump around and do a little happy dance and that," she said. "I feel like nobody really needs to see that. It's just, it's pretty crazy."