It was a huge day for the USA as Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.), Hunter Carey (Winter Park, Colo.) and Aaron Durlester (Mammoth, Calif.) swept the halfpipe podium at the FIS Freeski and Snowboard Junior World Championships in Leysin, Switzerland, Saturday.

“Beyond stoked to take the win today and can’t wait for the next event,” said Ladd, who improved upon his sixth-place finish from the 2018 Junior World Championships in Cardrona, New Zealand. “It was a great event and everyone crushed it. Congrats to all the other U.S. athletes that also killed it.”

Carey improved upon his fifth-place result and Durlester from his ninth-place finish at the 2018 World Championships. In the women’s event, Riley Jacobs (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was the top American in fifth place.

In the snowboard halfpipe finals, Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) won the silver medal, her second Junior World Championships silver medal after finishing second in 2018 in New Zealand.

“I was really happy to be out here in Switzerland,” Maud said. “I had the best time competing with everyone and the team. I was pretty pleased with how I ended up. It was a blast!”

In the men’s event, Jack Coyne (Edwards, Colo.) just missed the podium, finishing fourth, but improved on his 13th-place finish from the 2018 World Championships.

RESULTS
Junior men’s freeski halfpipe
Junior women’s freeski halfpipe
Junior men’s snowboard halfpipe
Junior women’s snowboard halfpipe

Six U.S. athletes qualified for finals in Saturday’s FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls event in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec. Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) was the only American to advance to the super final, finishing in fifth.

Perrine Laffont of France topped the podium for the women, followed by Australia’s Jakara Anthony in second, and Canada’s Justine Dufour-Lapointe in third. For the men, Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury skied to a home-town victory, followed by Japan’s Ikuma Horishima in second and Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Reikherd in third.

The American women had a strong showing, with five qualifying for finals. Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.), Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.) and Hannah Soar (Somers, Conn.) were all a stone’s throw away from skiing in the finals, finishing in seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively. Soar had a career-best, with her first World Cup top-10 finish.

“To see Hannah come up to the top 10 was sweet. She started putting her run together yesterday in training and it’s awesome to see her ski up to her potential,” commented Head U.S. Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza.

Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) lead the men, qualifying in ninth and finishing in 14th overall. Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) finished 18th but jumped well.

“We didn’t have the results we hoped for today by it was good progress leading into World Championships,” said Gnoza.

The moguls' team heads back to home snow for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, taking place at Deer Valley Resort, Utah, Feb. 1-10. Teams will be announced on January 29.

RESULTS
Men’s moguls
Women’s moguls

U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Lyon Farrell (Haiku, Hawaii) landed himself on the podium Saturday at the FIS Snowboard World Cup slopestyle in Seiser Alm, Italy.

“I had an epic day of riding with my friends and am so stoked to end up on the podium,” said Farrell. “I’m proud of my riding and the good vibes everyone shared with me today. I’m already excited for next year’s competition.”

Farrell’s excitement for next year’s Seiser Alm World Cup is for good reason as he’s building quite the resume. He earned his first ever World Cup podium in 2018 with a third place finish to join the winner and teammate Chris Corning (SIlverthorne, Colo.) in the top three. Not only is this Farrell’s second consecutive podium at Seiser Alm, but it’s his second career World Cup podium. Norway’s Marcus Olimstad and Stian Kleivdal finished off the podium in first and third respectively.

U.S. Pro Team member Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska) finished just off the podium in fourth and U.S. Rookie Team member Sean Fitzsimons (Hood River, Ore.) finished in seventh. After competition in Seiser Alm, Farrell jumps from ninth to the second in the FIS World Cup slopestyle standings behind Corning in the top spot. Ryan Stassel also made his way from 12th to fourth. Lastly, Fitzsimons climbed from 18th to 14th.

The U.S. Freeski athletes will take to the slopestyle course in Seiser Alm on Saturday for the final round of competition. The U.S. Snowboard Team now focuses on the 2019 FIS World Championships in Park City, Utah Feb. 1-10 with slopestyle, big air and halfpipe competition. Tune into NBC to catch all the action.

Please note: An initial set of results was released by FIS  that incorrectly listed Kleivdal in second, with Farrell in third. However, after an inquiry by his coach, a video review of Farrell’s best run revealed that a scoring error had been made on his cab double cork 1260, and judges amended his score in accordance to a jury decision. The results now available are the correct, official results.

RESULTS
Men’s slopestyle

STANDINGS
Men’s slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH

FREESKIING
Sunday, Jan. 27
6:30 a.m. - Men’s and women’s slopestyle - Seiser Alm, Italy - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - Men’s and women’s slopestyle - Seiser Alm, Italy - Olympic Channel-TV*
 

The U.S. Men’s Junior Worlds Team took gold on Saturday in the 4x5k relay, the final event of the FIS Junior World Cross Country Championship in Lathi, Finland. The team of Luke Jager (APU/Anchorage, Alaska), Ben Ogden (UVM/Landgrove, Vt.), Johnny Hagenbuch (Sun Valley SEF/Sun Valley, Idaho) and Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars/Anchorage, Alaska) edged-out the second-place Russia by 3.8 seconds, and third-place Germany by 6.3 seconds.

This is the best Junior World Championship result of a U.S. Men’s Team, surpassing the silver medal won in Goms, Switzerland, in 2018.

Jager was the lead skier who skied very confidently with the font pack, injecting some of his own pace to start dropping teams and handed off to Ogden in a good position. Ogden pushed the pace stringing out the front group to just three. Hagenbuch skied a strong let putting Schumacher in a good position.

“I started a couple seconds behind Germany and Norway and caught them pretty quickly, which was nice, and just kind of tucked in with them,” said Schumacher.  “It was a six-person group about halfway through, then the German pushed the pace and started to break open the field and I just hung onto him and put in a surge around 3k. I cruised into first on the second to last downhill and then went super hard up the last hill, got a bit of a gap and held that to the finish. Overall every leg was so good and I couldn’t really imagine a better way of this going.”

The women’s team of Mara McCollor (Minneapolis Ski Club/ Plymouth, Minn.), Kendall Kramer (NSCF-FXC/ Fairbanks, Alaska), Sydney Palmer-Leger (Sun Valley SEF/Park City, Utah) and Novie McCabe (Methow Valley Nordic/Winthrop, Wash.) also had a strong result finishing fourth.  The race was won by Norway 1, followed by Russia 1 in second and Sweden in third.

RESULTS
Men’s 4x5k Relay
Women’s 4x3.3k Relay

Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) earned her fourth X Games medal on Friday with a third-place finish in the women’s slopestyle competition in Aspen, Colo.

“We could not have asked for a more perfect day,” said Voisin. “We have had great training all week, but the weather wasn’t quite there yet. We woke up this morning with sunshine, a soft and fast course, it was just amazing. I’m really happy to have landed the double cork today as well. I tried it in Stubai, but wasn’t able to put together a full run there. Moving into the World Championships next week, I would like to improve my grabs and work on locking them in a bit better. I feel like that’s what got me today. The World Champs should be a lot of fun.”

With a stacked field, beautiful weather, and a perfect course, fans watched as the sport of women’s slopestyle freeskiing progressed before their eyes. There were multiple double corks, including Voisin’s left side double cork 1260, numerous complete runs, and incredibly technical rail skiing. Voisin shared the podium with Estonian Kelly Sildaru, who took the victory with a score of 99.00 on her final run. Sarah Hoefflin of Switzerland finished second.

The women continued their day of competition with freeski big air under the lights in Aspen. After findings success earlier in the day, Voisin took to the course, but was unable to reach the podium. Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud took home the gold, Norway’s Johanne Killi took silver, and Sildaru earned her third medal of the event with a bronze. Only two other athletes have medaled in three disciplines at the same X Games winter event (Joe Parsons in 2013 and Jennie Waara in 1997).

In men’s snowboard big air, U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member and Olympian Chris Corning started out the jam session strong, but after falling on his attempt of the quad cork 1800, which won him the gold at the 2018 Cardrona, Zew Zealand World Cup in big air, he was unable to move into podium contention. 17-year-old Takeru Otsuka of Japan earned his second consecutive gold medal in X Games snowboard big air, while Canada’s Mark McMorris finished second and Sweden’s Sven Thorgren finished third.

Competition continues Saturday with the women’s snowboard slopestyle final featuring U.S. Pro Team members and Olympians Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.) and Julia Marino (Westport. Conn.).

The men’s snowboard slopestyle final will follow with U.S. Pro Team members Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.) and Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.). Although Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) qualified into finals in third place, he will sit out the final round of competition to rest for the FIS World Championships Feb. 1-10 after a fall during big air finals. The freeskiers will also take to the big air course with the loan American Alex Hall (Park City, Utah), representing U.S. Ski and Snowboard.

Day three of X Games will conclude with the women’s snowboard superpipe final with Olympic gold medalist and defending X Games champion Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.), Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.). The U.S. ladies will be looking to defend their sweep of the podium from 2018. Stay tuned for an exciting day of competition.

HIGHLIGHTS
Maggie Voisin bronze medal run

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

HOW TO WATCH

FREESKI
Saturday, Jan 26
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Jan 26
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
 

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was the top American in Sunday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup 10k in Ulricehamn, Sweden, finishing fourth. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) was 15th and Caitlin Petterson (Craftsbury, Vt.) was 23rd.

Norway’s Therese Johaug, followed by fellow countryman Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen in second and Ebba Andersson of Sweden in third.

“The atmosphere here is unreal,” said Diggins. “I have never had the chance to race in front of 50,000 fans lining every inch of the course before, and it was just incredible energy out there! But the biggest boost of all came right before the race when we watched the World Junior Championship relays and cheered on the girls and guys teams. Seeing the guys win, skiing so well and so gutsy, gave me happy tears! I couldn’t be more stoked for them and it got me really fired up to go as hard as I possibly could out there today.”

When asked about her pre-race plan, Diggins continued, “I had been feeling really tired last week, so with some careful rest around the training this week I was really happy to be back to snappier form this weekend! It was nice to be feeling good and I had some great skis today.”

“I went out hot and did my best to hold it. I felt really good and powerful out there,” said Bjornsen. “On my second lap, heading up the second climb, my legs absolutely flooded to the gill, and unfortunately I bled some valuable time. I tried to bring myself together for the final kilometers of the race, and was excited to ski the last kilometer with Astrid (who was 3rd today).”

The men’s race was won by Frenchman Maurice Manificat, followed Simen Hegstad Krueger of Norway with Didrik Toenseth completing the podium.

The weekend concludes Sunday with relays. The women’s 4x5k team will include Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah), Patterson and Diggins. The men’s 4x7.5k will include Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska), David Norris (Fairbanks, Alaska) and Ben Lustgarten (Burlington, Vt.).

RESULTS
Men’s 15K
Women’s 10k

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST|
Preliminary schedule subject to change

Sunday, Jan. 27
5:15 a.m. - Women’s relay - Ulricehamn, SWE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
8:15 a.m. - Men’s relay - Ulricehamn, SWE - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:00 p.m. - Women’s relay - Ulricehamn, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV*
10:00 a.m. -Men’s and women’s distance -  Lake Placid, NY Super Tour- Live Stream

In their final World Cup event before the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, the U.S. Moguls Team will compete in Tremblant, Quebec, Saturday in their sixth competition of the season.

“I am psyched for the last World Cup here in Mont Tremblant before World Championships. It’s one last shot to try and get that World Champs spot and prove ourselves before the big show!” said Casey Andringa (Boulder, Colo.)

Coming off of a successful home-snow World Cup in Lake Placid, New York, last week, the internal battle for World Championships Team spots comes down to the wire - results from Tremblant will determine several spots. “Despite the jockeying for World Champs, the team remains strong. The athletes are very supportive of each other and remain close, even with what’s at stake each run on Saturday,” said Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza. World Championships Teams will be announced Tuesday.

The biggest challenge this week will be weather. The first day of training was cancelled due to rain and freezing temperatures, so athletes will only have access to the course one day before qualifications. Saturday’s projected to be below freezing, “so this could be more of a skating contest,” comments Gnoza.

The Tremblant course has a few pitch changes, which will require athletes to make adjustments throughout their run to stay on top of their body position and balance. Skiers like Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) and Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, N.Y.) that have all mountain ski skills with have an advantage. “This is not a common challenge on most moguls venues so it will be interesting to see who handles it well. The pitch changes will provide enough of a challenge to spate out the field,” explains Gnoza.

The bottom air is where skiers will have an opportunity to really shine - it’s big and has a long step landing pad, which will allow athletes to push their limits. “We had a few athletes training cork 1080s (a spin that rotates left or right and up/down 1080 degrees) after Lake Placid so we are looking forward to taking advantage of Tremblant. Watch for Casey Andringa, Hunter Bailey, and Olivia Giaccio.”

Women to watch this week include the number two ranked Kauf, who continues to battle Perrine Laffont (France) for the yellow bib. Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.), currently ranked fifth, will look to build off of her success in Lake Placid, where she skied into third. Hannah Soar (Somers, Conn.), in her second World Cup back from injury will look to earn her spot in the finals. The stage is set for Giaccio (Redding, Conn.), Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H.), Alex Jenson (Park City Ski & Snowboard) and Morgan Schild (Pittsford, N.Y.), to claim World Championships Team spots.

On the men’s side Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) and C. Andringa are currently ranked eighth and ninth. They have been cutting their bib numbers down all season and will look to ski into the top-5 with a podium finish. Returning from injury this week are Emerson Smith (Dover, Vt.) and Tom Rowley (Long Beach, N.Y.). It’s a close call among Hunter Bailey (Vail, Colo.), Jesse Andringa (Boulder, Colo.) and Walczyk for who will compete at Deer Valley during Worlds. Spots will come right down to who beats who in Tremblant.

Starters
Women
Jaelin Kauf
Tess Johnson
Nessa Dziemian
Olivia Giaccio
Hannah Soar
Alex Jenson

Men
Brad Wilson
Casey Andringa
Hunter Bailey
Jesse Andringa
Dylan Walczyk
George McQuinn

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change

FREESTYLE
Saturday, Jan. 26
1:30 p.m. - Men and women’s moguls, Mont Tremblant, Quebec - Olympic Channel-TV,OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
 

Aspen local, 2018 PyeongChang Olympic silver medalist, and U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) made his childhood dreams come true on Thursday with a performance of a lifetime.

“I feel phenomenal, I can’t believe what just happened,” Ferreira said after winning the X Games superpipe with a run that included four double corks and an extremely stylish switch cork 720 japan grab all with significant amplitude. “I am the happiest person in the world right now and this is the best day of my life. I would change literally nothing about this night. “

Ferreira now sets his sights on the 2019 FIS World Championships in Park City, Utah, Feb. 1-10.

“I’m looking forward to World Championships,” he said. I’ve never been there before, I’ve never been invited so I’m really excited to just be a part of it.”

David Wise (Reno, Nev.) was second and Nico Porteous of New Zealand was third.

“I had to dig deep tonight for sure,” said Wise. “I didn’t land a single run in practice and I fell twice in the first two runs, but I have been there before. I gave it everything I had and put one down to end up on the podium. “I am especially stoked for Alex! It’s always great to share the podium with Alex and Nico.”

Wise also shared his excitement about the World Championships right around the corner.

“I love the concept of having the World Championships on American soil,” he said. “I could not be more excited. I have always had an affinity for the Park City halfpipe. It’s on a steep pitch, that means athletes are going to be going big. Plus, I left something to be desired tonight, I didn’t get my switch right double cork in tonight and that’s something I look forward to for World Champs.”

For the ladies, top U.S. results in the superpipe included Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.) in fourth and Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) in fifth.

“I’m happy I put down my runs,” said Sigourney. “I was definitely a little nervous after not having great training the last two days. I’m glad I landed my runs, but I know I can do better. I’m looking forward to World Championships and I’m planning on getting some time in the pipe before then. It’s always good to have my family here, it’s social a social event and it feels great to have their support behind me no matter what the result”

To close out the first day of X Games competition, Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif) earned a second consecutive bronze medal in X Games snowboard big air. She suffered a hard crash, which left her shaken up, but her previous runs kept her on the podium to close out the competition.

HIGHLIGHTS
Alex Ferreira gold medal run
David Wise silver medal run

RESULTS
Men’s ski superpipe
Women’s ski superpipe
Women’s snowboard big air

HOW TO WATCH

FREESKI
Friday, Jan. 25
12:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
12:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan 26
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Jan. 25
12:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s snowboard big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Saturday, Jan 26
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN

Sunday, Jan. 27
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
 

Kelly Clark, the most accomplished snowboarder in history with more wins than any other rider male or female, announced her retirement from competitive snowboarding on Friday. Clark’s illustrious career spanned 18 years as a member of the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Clark was the first American ever to win Olympic gold in snowboarding at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games. Her victory put her on top of the young sport as she continued to raise the bar with halfpipe bronze medals at both the 2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

“Since 2000 when Kelly first made the U.S. Snowboard Team, she has been leading the sport, not just in the USA but worldwide, and she leaves an astonishing legacy as her competitive career comes to a close,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Director – Snowboard, Freeski and Freestyle Jeremy Forster. “From Olympic medals, multiple X Games victories, World Cup U.S. Open, and Grand Prix titles her competitive record speaks for itself. As importantly Kelly has also, throughout her career, served as a leader and an inspiration to her teammates and future generations of snowboarders. She is, justifiably, known worldwide as one of the greatest ambassadors in the sport. As Kelly moves to the next stage of her career everyone at U.S. Ski & Snowboard joins me in thanking Kelly for her commitment to her sport and wishes her the best of luck in her future endeavors. Kelly is a true legend, it’s as simple as that.”

Clark’s snowboarding legacy does not only come in the form of countless World Cup, U.S. Open and X Games victories but rather an everlasting footprint of progression within the sport as a whole. With the passion, drive, and excitement that Clark has displayed throughout over two decades of competitive snowboarding, it’s hard to imagine where the sport would be today without her efforts. Throughout all her success, Clark remained humble, supportive of her fellow athletes, and always kept the good interest of the sport as her main priority.

A five-time Olympian - the most of any competitive snowboarder - her long-standing career includes 13 FIS Snowboard World Cup halfpipe victories and 21 consecutive SuperPipe appearances at X Games Aspen where she finished on the podium 14 times. Clark was the first woman to land a 1080 in competition, a trick that is still done in the halfpipe today. She has won more than 70 career events and will now look to continue that success beyond snowboarding competition.

“Kelly has become the greatest female halfpipe rider of all time from two decades of steadfast commitment towards progression,” said U.S. Snowboard Head Pro Team Halfpipe Coach Rick Bower. “Kelly constantly evaluates then re-evaluates her personal best with the goal of moving her level of riding one step closer to perfection. I am so grateful for what I have learned from my nearly 15 years of working with Kelly. Kelly is the greatest role model for our current generation of female riders. Kelly displayed a relentless work ethic and desire to be the best version of herself every time she stepped on the snow.”

Clark plans to continue to give back to the sport through the Kelly Clark Foundation, which she founded in 2010. The Kelly Clark Foundation is an organization which provides youth with resources and opportunities to achieve their highest potential through snowboarding, and has helped support three current U.S. Snowboard Team members. Clark’s love for snowboarding is undeniable and although she won’t be competing, fans can expect her connection to and presence within the snowboarding community to remain strong.

KEY LINKS
Burton - Rise: 20 Years of Kelly Clark
X Games - Being: Kelly Clark
Kelly Clark Foundation
 

Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) crossed that fine line between surviving and competing on the Streif in Friday’s FIS Ski World Cup downhill in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

“I crossed the finish line today and I was like ‘that's doable,’’ Bennett said of his potential to win Kitzbuehel someday, after leading the U.S. Ski Team in 14th place on Friday. “I think it's totally possible to be one of the competitive guys here, and I’m looking forward to the future.”

On arguably the world’s most challenging - and historic - downhill track where racers go from zero to 60 mph in less than five seconds, Bennett, who has posted some impressive results this season with four top-10 World Cup downhill finishes, walked away from Friday’s race not only relieved, but also knowing what it finally takes to win in Kitzbuehel. He came into the finish, sighed, and the first words out of his mouth were, "That was FUN!"

“The past years I've just been managing, and managing making it down this track,” said Bennett, who finished 41st in his debut on the Streif in 2017, and 28th last year. “Now I feel like I’m in a position to actually make turns down it, and it was quite an emotional rollercoaster of being a very scared, and having fun. I think I was able to do what I wanted to do, and I'm happy about that.”

Bennett has had a banner season, snagging personal best results at every World Cup venue this season with 12-9-4-4-5 and now 14th, as he continues to show consistency and prove that he’s not a one trick venue pony - establishing a home for himself among the greats on a stacked men’s tour. 

Bennett was just 1.45 seconds off the winning time of Italy’s Dominik Paris, who won for the third time on the Streif. Switzerland’s Beat Feuz was second, while Austria’s Otmar Striedinger came out of the 27th start position with some more visibility as the sun came out, to whip the crowd into a frenzy with a third-place finish - his first career World Cup downhill podium.

“I had a plan. I committed to that plan, which I’m happy about,” Bennett said. “I think this week was super good for me to learn - it was a huge learning experience.” The big guy lost some time through the middle of the course in the "Seidlalm" section, with a little bobble on the flats, which is a disadvantage with his 6'7" height since he has a harder time being aerodynamic than anyone else on the mountain. "It's tough to be aerodynamic there," he said. "A lot of people are standing up, and when I stand up it's pretty slow."

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.) was 19th; Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.) was flagged off course for the second-straight week and finished 38th on his second attempt; and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) was 43rd.

Up next, the men compete in slalom Saturday in Kitzbuehel, followed by super-G Sunday.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Saturday, Jan. 26
3:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
4:00 a.m. - Women’s super-G - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Women’s super-g - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

Sunday, Jan. 27
5:30 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
9:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*

Monday, Jan. 28
4:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill and super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**

Tuesday, Jan. 29
11:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**

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.