U.S. Ski & Snowboard wishes to extend our heartfelt wishes to U.S. Ski Team alumna Eva Twardokens for a speedy recovery from the injuries sustained in a plane crash in Watsonville, California on Saturday, Feb. 9. 

A two-time Olympian, and 1985 World Championship giant slalom bronze medalist, Twardokens is in the ICU and faces a long road to recovery, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help Eva with her recovery.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Eva. She was an extraordinary ski racer and we know her strength will help her through this,” said Tiger Shaw, U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO.

Another U.S. Ski Team alumna, Edie Thys Morgan, shared the following notes about Twardokens:

"You probably know about her long World Cup skiing career, her World Champs bronze medal at age 19, her two Olympics, first seed in three events, three podium and 34 top 10 finishes.  

Her parents both came to the states from Poland. Her father George was an Olympic fencer who defected while competing in the states. Her mother, Halina, came over later and they settled in Reno, where George was a professor and PhD in Kinesiology.  Eva started as a freestyle skier and was quite successful as a junior. I first heard of her when she was featured in SKI magazine at age 9, for her freestyle skiing. She switched to alpine shortly thereafter, joined the Squaw Valley Ski Team, and the rest is history. Known by her teammates as 'The Bulldog' for her ferocity and tenacity, Eva finished second in her first Europa Cup, from a bib number in the 80s. 

Eva also became an expert windsurfer in the sport's early days, which drew her to Santa Cruz, where she settled. After ski racing, Eva became one of the pioneers of CrossFit and then the Paleo diet. She also got her pilots' license and a few years ago bought 'Buttercup' a two seat Citabria airplane, in which she stared doing aerobatic competitions."

Friends and family are asking for two strong families - the ski and CrossFit communities - to spread the word and rally around Twardokens in this challenging time.

Friend and fellow CrossFitter Annie Sakamoto set up the GoFundMe, and also posted this on Instagram:

We are asking for your support of a beloved member within our community—Eva Twardokens—who was badly injured in a plane crash last Saturday. Eva is one of the original “Nasty Girls” in CrossFit, and is also the namesake of the benchmark workout "Eva." Her injuries have placed her in the ICU, currently battling a long road to recovery.

Aside from her accomplishments in CrossFit, Eva is a two-time Olympic alpine skier and an avid surfer, someone who positively impacts the lives of everyone she meets.

This Saturday, Feb. 16, please sweat with us in support of her recovery by completing the workout "Eva" in her honor at your local affiliate. A GoFundMe account has also been created to help with her overwhelming medical and recovery expenses. Any contribution would be greatly appreciated.

Sending love, strength and prayers to Eva.

Please use the hashtag #evaforeva

HOW TO HELP

• Visit her GoFundMe page
• Visit Eva's caring community, which has daily updates and ways to help
• Check out the CrossFit WOD fundraiser in her honor, with the hashtag #EvaforEva

Sometimes you ski like the wind, other times you ski straight into it. Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) experienced both scenarios in Thursday’s FIS World Alpine Ski Championships giant slalom in Are, Sweden, on her way to winning a bronze medal, her second medal of the 2019 Championships.

“Everyone was dealing with wind, and it was kind of a strange race with tough conditions,” said Shiffrin. “It’s an outdoor sport - weather is one of the many variables you can’t control. The wind was challenging, but the surface was also soft. It kind of reminded me of the Semmering (Austria) GS. I was thinking in between runs how bummed I was after Semmering, where I ended up fifth. It was a terrible race for me...so I wanted to fight for it. So today it was like redemption for that, in a way. As far as the weather goes, it is what it is.”

But it wasn’t just Shiffrin who had to battle the stiff, swirling winds that were blowing straight up the mountain. France’s Tessa Worley faced a full-on gust in her second run that was so strong it blew over a volunteer who was trying to hold onto one of the sponsor banners. Race officials also removed the overhead finish line banners for the second run due to the wind.

Starting bib 3, Shiffrin finished fourth in the opening run, .44-seconds off the pace set by Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg. In the second run, she displayed her usual hard-charging finishing form to take the lead with three racers remaining as the swirling wind continued. Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel was first, but she couldn’t knock Shiffrin out of the lead and eventually finished fourth. Up next, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova laid down an ace to knock Shiffrin back to second and put the pressure on Rebensburg. However, the German lost a considerable amount of time in the last split and came up 0.14-second short and settled for the silver medal. The gold for Vlhova was her first career World Championship victory, adding to the silver medal she won in the alpine combined last week in Are.

Having a bronze is quite exciting,” said Shiffrin, after earning her sixth World Championships medal dating back to 2013. “At times, for me, if it’s not gold it feels disappointing, but bronze doesn’t feel like that for me today. Sometimes a bronze medal feels as sweet as gold.”

Nina O'Brien (San Francisco, Calif.), competing in her first World Championships, finished 28th. 

Shiffrin has one more opportunity for a medal at the 2019 Championship when she goes for a record-fourth-straight gold in Saturday’s slalom.

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Friday, Feb. 15
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 16
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom - Are, SWE - NBC*

Sunday, Feb. 17
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN 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.
 

The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships return to the forefront this week as Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.), already with one gold medal in her pocket from last week’s super-G, competes in giant slalom Thursday, and slalom Saturday.

Shiffrin will aim for a record fourth-straight slalom World Championship title Saturday, while she’ll take on giant slalom on Valentine’s Day - which she was a silver medalist in at the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Shiffrin’s super-G win was her fourth world title, equalling Bode Miller in second-place among Americans. Only Ted Ligety (5) has won more World Championships titles. Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, Minn.) and Nina O’Brien (San Francisco, Calif.) - who is making her World Championships debut - will join Shiffrin in the tech events.

Meanwhile, Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.), who has been posting numerous career-best results this season, will take on the giant slalom on Friday along with Olympic and World Champion Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Brian McLaughlin (Waitsfield, Vt.), and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.). Cochran-Siegle was 11th in the super-G and 12th in the downhill last week, and his 1972 Olympic gold medal-winning mother, Barbara Ann Cochran, was here to watch him ski the second-fastest run in the downhill portion of Monday’s alpine combined.

NBC will offer live coverage of the World Championships Thursday through Sunday on four television and streaming platforms, including the NBC Sports Network, the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA - OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.

Fresh off the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, where U.S. athletes won 14 medals - five of them gold - the U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Teams head to Calgary, Alberta, for World Cup halfpipe competition. Qualifying takes place Wednesday and Thursday, with the snowboard finals Friday night, followed by freeski finals Saturday night. NBC will broadcast both finals live on the Olympic Channel and offer live streaming on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.

FIS Freestyle World Cup aerials return to Moscow for a city event Saturday night. U.S. athletes have performed well in the Russian capital the past with Kiley McKinnon winning last year. Jon Lillis (Park City, Utah) was fourth in Moscow in 2017, and second in 2016.

Live streaming of the Moscow event will kick off at 11:30 a.m. Saturday on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold. A one-hour recap show will air on the Olympic Channel Saturday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

This weekend is the final FIS Cross Country World Cup in Cogne, Italy, before the 2019 FIS Cross Country World Championships kick off next week (Feb. 20-March 3.) in Seefeld, Austria. The U.S. Cross Country Team will be represented by 12 athletes, including Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.), Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) and Erik Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska) in Saturday’s freestyle sprint, and Sunday’s 15k classic for the men and 10k classic for women.

The Olympic Channel will broadcast Saturday’s sprint, while live streaming will be offered on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold. Sunday’s classic races will stream live on OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold, while a one-hour recap show will air on the Olympic Channel Sunday at 2:00 p.m. EST.

World Cup start positions will be on the line in Minneapolis, Minn., this weekend with stop No. 5 of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard SuperTour, featuring freestyle sprint Friday, classic mass start Saturday, and freestyle interval start Sunday. All events are taking place in Wirth Park, site of the 2020 FIS Cross Country World Cup, and will be streamed live through U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s partnership with Central Cross Country.

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

ALPINE
Thursday, Feb. 14
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s giant slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:30 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s giant slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Feb. 15
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 16
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom - Are, SWE - NBC*

Sunday, Feb. 17
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

FREESKI
Saturday, Feb. 16
5:30 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross - Feldberg, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Calgary, Alberta, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 17
5:30 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross - Feldberg, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

FREESTYLE
Saturday, Feb. 16
11:30 a.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Moscow, RUS - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Moscow, RUS - Olympic Channel-TV*

CROSS COUNTRY
Friday, Feb. 15
10:45 a.m. - Men and women’s SuperTour freestyle sprint qualification - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
1:15 p.m. - Men and women’s SuperTour freestyle sprint finals - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

Saturday, Feb. 16
6:30 a.m. Men and women’s freestyle sprint - Cogne, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:45 a.m. - Men’s SuperTour classic mass start - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
11:50 a.m. - Women’s SuperTour classic mass start - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming

Sunday, Feb. 17
3:45 a.m. - Women’s classic 10k - Cogne, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s classic 15k - Cogne, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:15 a.m. - Women’s SuperTour freestyle interval start - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
11:00 a.m. - Men’s SuperTour freestyle interval start - Minneapolis, Minn. - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Streaming
2:00 p.m. - Women’s classic 10k - Cogne, ITA - Olympic Channel-TV*

SKI JUMPING
Friday, Feb. 15
9:45 a.m. - Men’s team event - Willingen, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 p.m. - Men’s team event - Willingen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*

Saturday, Feb. 16
7:00 a.m. - Women’s individual - Oberstdorf, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
9:15 a.m. - Men’s individual - Willingen, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:00 a.m. - Women’s individual - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*
6:30 p.m. - Men’s individual - Willingen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*

Sunday, Feb. 17
7:00 a.m. - Women’s individual - Oberstdorf, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Men’s individual - Willingen, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Women’s individual - Oberstdorf, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*
7:00 p.m. - Men’s individual - Willingen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV*

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Feb. 15
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Calgary, Alberta, CAN - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
12:00 a.m. - Men and women’s parallel giant slalom - PyeongChang, KOR - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 16
12:00 a.m. - Men and women’s parallel giant slalom - PyeongChang, KOR - 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.

U.S. Athletes led the medal count at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Utah with 14 medals, including five gold. Relive some of the top moments from an amazing 10 days of world-class ski and snowboard competition below.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) earned his first-ever top-level international competition victory - and it was a big one - winning the snowboardcross title at the 2019 FIS Snowboard World Championship.
• Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) and Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) earned the gold for U.S. Ski & Snowboard in the inaugural mixed-team snowboardcross at the 2019 FIS Snowboard World Championship.
• Julia Krass (Hanover, N.H.) won the freeski big air silver medal in front of a capacity crowd in the Canyons Village at Park City Mountain, Utah.
• Robert Burns (Mount Shasta, Calif.) battled snowy conditions and raced his way into finals at the 2019 FIS Alpine Snowboard World Championships at Park City Mountain, Utah.
• Two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) added a second World Championship medal to his collection, grabbing the slopestyle bronze medal.
• Reigning Aerials World Champion, Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) led the U.S. Aerial Ski Team with a fifth-place finish.
• U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) finished the night’s competition in sixth, the highest position of U.S. athletes on the first night of moguls competition at Deer Valley.
• Chloe Kim (Torrence, Calif.) took home the halfpipe gold as U.S. Snowboard teammate Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) grabbed the bronze. For the men, Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) finished in fourth.
• Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) defended the FIS World Freeski Championship halfpipe title he won in 2017 in Sierra Nevada, Spain. Also, U.S. Ski & Snowboard teammate Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.) added to the U.S. team’s victorious day, earning the bronze medal in a competition stacked with amplitude and progressive skiing.
• America stomped it out on home snow at Deer Valley at Saturday’s FIS Dual Moguls World Championships. The crowd was electric as Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) claimed silver, Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.) skied to bronze and Bradley Wilson (Butte, Mont.) took his second consecutive silver World Championships dual moguls medal. Kauf added her to her World Championships hardware as well, as she took bronze in duals in 2017.

PHOTO AND VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS BELOW
 

Fresh off the 2019 Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships presented by Toyota, 16 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will battle the frigid temperatures of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, in the FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup halfpipe competition Wednesday through Saturday.

“I'm excited to go to Calgary for the World Cup,” said U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Abigale Hansen (June Lake, Calif.). “I have been to Calgary before so I know it's a different venue than we are used to for a World cup event, but it should be super fun!”

Hansen recently had her tooth wired back into place after a fall at the World Championships. Being a true competitor, she plans to compete at Canada Olympic Park. Also, U.S. Freeski teammate Hunter Hess (Bend, Ore.) is happy to be back competing in Calgary.

“I’m really stoked to be skiing in the Calgary World Cup,” said Hess. “I have been coming to Calgary for the past few years and it’s one of my favorite places to compete. The people here really enjoy skiing and support it no matter what the temperatures are outside. Looking forward to see what type of show we can put on."

For the men, U.S. Freeskiers set to compete include Hess, Olympic gold medalist David Wise (Reno, Nev.), U.S. Pro Team member Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) as well as U.S. Rookie Team members Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, Colo.) and Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.). In addition, Americans Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.), Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.), Lennon Vaughn (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Cameron Broderick (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) are set to compete.

For the women, U.S. Freeskiers ready to drop in include Hansen, 2019 World Championships bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.), U.S. Pro Team member Annalisa Drew (Andover, Mass.) and U.S. Rookie Team member Svea Irving (Park CIty, Utah).

Snowboarders representing the U.S. in Calgary include U.S. Pro Team member and fast rising star Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) and Jason Wolle (Winter Park, Colo.).

The Canada Olympic Park is known for its world class halfpipe and cold temperatures. Freeski qualifying takes place Thursday, with the finals slated for Saturday night. On the snowboard side, qualifications are scheduled for Wednesday, with the finals on tap Friday night.

With many athletes coming hot off amazing halfpipe competitions at the FIS World Championships in Park City, Utah, skiers and riders are in top form and ready to throw down. Competition will be televised and streamed on the networks of NBC. Tune in live to catch all the action.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

FREESKI
Saturday, Feb 16.
9:00 p.m. - men’s and women’s halfpipe - Calgary, Canada FIS World Cup - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold.  

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Feb 15.
9:00 p.m. - men’s and women’s halfpipe - Calgary, Canada FIS World Cup - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold.
 

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) wrapped up her illustrious 18-year career as the most successful female ski racer in history Sunday with a bronze medal in the downhill at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championship in Are, Sweden.

Vonn left everything on the hill Sunday as she competed in her final event in typical Vonn - all or nothing - fashion that over her 18-year career brought her 82 World Cup victories; eight World Championship medals, including two gold in downhill and super-G at the 2009 World Champs in Val d’Isere, France; and three Olympic medals, including the downhill gold at the 2010 Games in Whistler, Canada.

“I risked it all today as always. I was so nervous...I wanted more than anything to finish strong. I didn't want to end up like I did on Tuesday (in the super-G) in the fence,” said Vonn, who has won a medal in six different World Championship events - another woman's record. “I was weighing in my mind the risk of putting it all out there, crashing and being injured again, as opposed to finishing where I wanted to. It was an internal battle, but in the end, I went with my emotions and stayed calm, and I was able to execute my plan.”

With sunshine and fast, grippy snow, Vonn - starting bib 3 - charged from the lower reserved downhill start house after race organizers shortened the course due to wind at the summit. Despite a slow start, once she found her groove, she reached for the podium.

“For some reason, I’m always slow on top here, but on the bottom, I know how to carry my speed, and once I got into the rhythm of things, I was able to execute and hang on for one last podium,” she said.

After being sidelined with a knee injury last season, Slovenia’s Ilka Stuhec successfully defended her downhill World Championship title Sunday. Switzerland’s Corinne Suter took home the silver. Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.), the 2017 Junior World Downhill Champion, was 22nd.

Vonn stood on the podium one final time to accept the bronze medal in a joyous awards ceremony as Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark, who holds the all-time World Cup win record of 86 victories, presented the awards to Vonn, Stuhec, and Suter.

In victory, defeat, battling back from crashes and injuries, Vonn will be remembered as a vicious competitor, who brought the sport of alpine ski racing the mainstream of American sports.

“I always risk everything all the time,” she said. “That’s the reason I was able to win so much. Also, the reason why I crashed so much and had so many injuries.”

With another World Championships medal, Vonn is comfortable with her decision to retire and hold her head high as she moves on to the next chapter of life.

“I’m in a position where my body isn’t allowing me to ski the way that I know that I can...and that’s why I’m retiring,” she said. “My body isn’t letting me do what I need to do to win races. That’s the best I could have done today. There's not another gear. I’m very, very happy and thankful for bronze today.”

RESULTS
Women’s World Championships downhill

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

Sunday, Feb. 10
3:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBC*
10:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
 

America stomped it out on home snow at Deer Valley at Saturday’s FIS Dual Moguls World Championships. The crowd was electric as Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) claimed silver, Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.) skied to bronze and Bradley Wilson (Butte, Mont.) took his second consecutive silver World Championships dual moguls medal. Kauf added her to her World Championships hardware as well, as she took bronze in duals in 2017.

“Tonight was incredible,” said Kauf. “I mean I am so exhausted from this week but I skied as hard as I could tonight and I’m really proud of my skiing and myself. I’m stoked to be on the podium with both Brad and Tess tonight, it’s incredible”

France’s Perrine Laffont was crowned women’s dual moguls World Champion. On the men’s side, Mikael Kingsbury won his second World Championships gold of the 2019 events and Japan’s Daichi Hara claimed bronze.

A highlight of the night was the women’s American semi-final when Kauf and Johnson dueled together. “To have Tess and Jaelin face off for spots in the small final and the big final was so much fun,” said U.S. Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. “They are such supportive teammates of each other.”

Kauf beat out her friend and teammate Johnson, and moved on to the big final, taking on Laffont, Friday night’s bronze medalist in the single event. It was a showdown to the end. Although Kauf beat Laffont to the finish line, Laffont had the scoring edge with cleaner airs and turns overall.

In the small final, Johnson took on the newly crowned women’s moguls World Champion, Kazakhstan's Yulia Galysheva, and skied a faster, cleaner run to win her the bronze snowflake medal. This was Johnson’s first ever World Championships appearance, in a 2018-19 season which has been a breakout year for the rising star with two other podiums so far. It is clear Johnson will be a force to be reckoned with as the eighteen-year-old continues to come into her own.

“It feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before, standing on the podium here tonight,” said Johnson in front of the massive Deer Valley crowd. “I’m on cloud nine and I don’t think I’m ever going to come down. I just had the most fun tonight and skiing against my best friend and teammate Jaelin was more than I could ever have dreamed of. To end up on the podium, I’m just so grateful. I’m having the time of my life!”

Deer Valley’s own Bradley Wilson dueled against Daichi Hara of Japan in the semi-final in which Hara threw one of the most astonishing sights ever seen in moguls skiing, an unexpected double-backflip, a monster trick the Japanese star almost landed. Dual moguls are renowned for its pure sporting and entertainment value, sometimes bringing out the crazy in the athletes, and the crowd went wild after Hara recovered.

The “duals animal,” as Matt Gnoza calls Bradley Wilson, gave it his all in the big final, where he challenged Kingsbury and just beat the Canadian over the finish line. Dual moguls is a judged event, so even though two skiers seem to be racing, form and execution count. Kingsbury had the cleaner run and therefore was awarded the first place.

“Kingsbury and I have had some really good duels in the past, but he’s won the majority of them,” said Wilson. “Every time he’s just able to throw down his best run when he’s with me. It’s frustrating. You know I need him to make just a little bit of a mistake, but of course, I couldn’t expect it. He’s just an incredible skier and an incredible dude.”

The Americans kept Kingsbury on his toes all night. Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) fought with Mikael in the quarter-final, and managed to stay in front of him the whole run down. “Skiing against Kingsbury is just the most fun thing ever, especially this late in the day,” said Andringa. “You’ve got nothing to lose, the dude’s the best that’s ever been so I knew I was going to give him my all and leave everything out there and I feel confident that I did that. Tell you what Mick, next time I’m going to land that bottom air and kick your butt!” Andringa, in his first World Championships appearance, finished fifth overall.

The U.S. Moguls Team will be celebrating their three medals on Saturday night and after a few days off, head next to Tazawako, Japan, for another double event where they will compete in both moguls and dual moguls World Cup events.

RESULTS
Women’s dual moguls
Men’s dual moguls

Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) and Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.) qualified first and third respectively for the men Saturday in snowboard slopestyle at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships presented by Toyota at Park City Mountain, Utah.

“I’m stoked to make it to finals,” said Henkes, who was among the 10 men to advance to Sunday’s finals.” It’s cool having the World Championships here in Park City. I look forward to closing out the week of World Championship competition tomorrow with slopestyle finals.”

For the women, double-Olympic gold, and five-time X Games gold medalist Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) qualified third and will be looking for her first-ever World Championship podium.

“I’m excited to ride here in Park City,” said Anderson. “It’s a new course, new energy, and lots of new snow! It should be a really fun final.”

Corning currently leads the FIS snowboard slopestyle World Cup standings and is looking to improve on his bronze medal from the 2017 World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain. Henkes is seeking his first top-level international competition result of his career.

The final round competition gets underway Sunday, and the networks of NBC will provide live broadcast and streaming coverage of all the action. NBC will also broadcast a one-hour recap on the men and women’s slopestyle finals at 4:30 p.m. EST.

START LISTS
Men’s snowboard slopestyle
Women’s snowboard slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Sunday, Feb. 10
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s slopestyle - Park City Mountain, Utah - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:30 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s slopestyle - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC*

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.
 

Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) defended the FIS World Freeski Championship halfpipe title he won in 2017 in Sierra Nevada, Spain, at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, at Park City Mountain, Utah. U.S. Ski & Snowboard teammate Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.) added to the U.S. team’s victorious day, earning the bronze medal in a competition stacked with amplitude and progressive skiing.

“Feeling so good man, I’m definitely on cloud nine right now,” said Blunck straight after this title-winning run. “X Games didn’t really go my way so I just wanted to come out here and redeem myself. It just so happens that we got to ski quite a bit of pow before the competition and I think that was the recipe for success. I was happy, I was having fun the whole time. I came out here for finals today and it was game on and I was ready to go. The Park City crowd is so good. I consider the World Champs one of the biggest events of the year, so having everyone come out definitely made the event a great experience. I want to say thanks to everyone for coming out, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you guys.”

Sigourney earned herself a spot on the World Championship podium with consistent amplitude and the smooth style which has put her on the podium throughout her career.

“I feel so good,” said Sigourney. “I was happy I was able to put down two solid runs. I wasn’t loving the pipe at the beginning of the week, but it was really good today and running super fast. I was happy I was able to show my strong suits and go as big as possible. It was just fun out there. It’s always good to see everyone else pushing themselves and also pushing me. Some of my tricks felt pretty lofty and I was happy to keep trying to scare myself more and more!”

Topping off the podium for the women was Estonian phenom Kelly Sildaru. On her third and final run, she put it all together to claim the gold medal by completing a world’s first in women’s competitive halfpipe skiing - landing a switch-1080 on her last hit. This is the first ever World Championship medal in snowboard, freestyle or freeski for Estonia.

“I wasn’t sure if I should do it because it was my first switch 1080 in competition,” said Sildaru. “I was considering doing the same run I did on my second run, but do it better and go higher. Then I thought to myself, why don’t I just try? I did it somehow and l’m still shaking. It feels unbelieve to be the World Champion.”

Cassie Sharpe of Canada finished second for the women with a strong performance. For the men, Kevin Rolland of France finished second and Noah Bowman of Canada closed out the podium in third.

“I feel great,” said Rolland. “This is the best pipe ever in Park City. Every year we come here and it is the best pipe of the season. When we have a good shape in the pipe, the crowd will see the best quality competition.“

An amazing halfpipe and a very supportive crowd filling Park City Mountain, the 2019 FIS Freeski Halfpipe World Championships was a competition to remember.

RESULTS
Men’s Freeski Halfpipe
Women’s Freeski Halfpipe
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 14 ambitious athletes to the 2019 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships Team to represent the U.S. in Val di Fassa, Italy, in six events Feb. 18-27.

The 2019 squad derives from U.S. Ski Team B, C, D teams, and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard National Development Group, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club program athletes from across the nation. Headlining the team are River Radamus (Vail, Colo.), who will be joined fellow 2016 Youth Olympic Games participant Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.), and frequent Alpine FIS Ski World Cup participants AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.) and Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.).

Last year at Junior Worlds in Davos, Switzerland, Radamus was second in super-G, while Hensien was fourth in slalom, Hurt was seventh in downhill and Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo.) was seventh in super-G. This season, Radamus scored his first FIS Ski World Cup points in giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, in just his fifth World Cup start. Radamus, Negomir, Hurt and Cashman have all scored Europa Cup points this season, while Radamus, Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, Vt.), Hensien and Cashman have each won NorAm races.

“We are excited to bring this accomplished group of 14 athletes to the 2019 World Junior Ski Championships,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “Through the selection period, they have all performed at the top of the NorAm Cup, four have scored Europa Cup points, and one has scored World Cup points. We are also returning one medalist and three other athletes with top-10 results from Davos last year. Going into these Championships, we believe everyone has the potential to win medals and earn top-10 results for the team.”

The 2019 Junior Worlds will include men and women’s downhill, super-G, alpine combined, slalom, giant slalom and a mixed team event. Live timing will be provided by FIS.

2019 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
Name, Hometown; Team Affiliation; Club (Birthdate)

Women

• Keely Cashman, Strawberry, Calif; Squaw Valley Ski Team (4/4/1999)
• Katie Hensien, Redmond, Wash.; Rowmark Ski Academy and University of Denver (12/1/1999)
• AJ Hurt, Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (12/5/2000)
• Nellie-Rose Talbot, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (8/24/1999)
• Claire Thomas, Salt Lake City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard and Dartmouth College (3/11/1998)
• Alix Wilkinson, Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team (8/2/2000)

Men

• Cooper Cornelius, Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski Club (2/20/1999)
• Jacob Dilling, Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/19/1999)
• Bridger Gile, Aspen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski Club and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/15/1999)
• Jimmy Krupka, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School and Dartmouth College (7/15/1998)
• Kyle Negomir, Littleton, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (10/03/1998)
• River Radamus, Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (2/12/1998)
• Ben Ritchie, Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School (9/5/2000)
• Jett Seymour, Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and University of Denver (11/5/1998)

COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Feb. 18 – Men’s downhill training
Feb. 19  – Women’s giant slalom and men’s downhill training
Feb. 20  – Women’s slalom and men’s downhill
Feb. 21  – Men’s super-G
Feb. 22  – Men’s and women’s team event and women’s super-G
Feb. 23  – Men’s alpine combined
Feb. 24  – Women’s alpine combined
Feb. 25  – Men’s giant slalom and women’s downhill training
Feb. 26  – Men’s slalom and women’s downhill training
Feb. 27  – Women’s downhill

MORE INFORMATION
Val di Fassa 2019