Two-time defending World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) opened the season on an emotional note with her 63rd podium appearance, finishing third on a very difficult giant slalom course on the Rettenbach Glacier in Sölden, Austria, Saturday.

"It’s always nice to come back to Sölden,” said Shiffrin, who won in Sölden in 2014 and now has four podium finishes in the traditional season opener. “There are always emotions like nerves, and excitement and uncertainty about how I’m going to perform for the race.”

Coming off a summer of media, sponsor obligations and on and off snow training, the defending World Cup champion also carried expectations that as the best ski racer in the world, she would charge out of the gate and win.

"There are still expectations, but I’m trying not to pay so much attention to like ‘why should I feel so, so disappointed,'" she said. "Especially because I had a podium today. Of course, I want to win, but there are many girls out there who want to win. I was able to start the season with a podium and it's a great thing. It’s not enough, but it’s OK for now and it's a good place to start."

"I’m trying to be a little bit more open to saying ‘yeah, OK, that’s what we have,'" she added. "I know what lessons I learned and I'll just fight for the next races."

After finishing third in the first run, Tessa Worley of France charged down the bumpy track to hold on for her first career victory at the venue in Sölden. First run leader Federica Brignone of Italy made a few mistakes in the mid-section of the course on her second run, but found speed through the lower portion to hold off Shiffrin for the second podium spot.

"It was a huge fight, the slope was very bumpy, very difficult, we couldn't see much," Worley said. "I knew it was going to be a fight with the slope, and all the other girls, so I just wanted to charge and have no regrets at the end."

Snow, sleet, and wind forced race organizers to move the race eight gates down to the reserve start, and conditions varied dramatically from the top of the course to the finish, providing an inconsistent, unforgiving surface.

Three other starters for the U.S. Ski Team finished the first run but didn’t make the top 30 to qualify for the second run. Nina O’Brien (Denver, Colo.) was 52nd, Tricia Mangen (Buffalo N.Y.) 63rd, and AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.) 64th.

The women’s FIS Ski World Cup continues Nov. 17 with a slalom event in Levi, Finland. The opening men’s World Cup giant slalom of the season is scheduled for Sunday on the Rettenbach Glacier.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

ALPINE
SATURDAY, OCT. 28
World Cup women’s GS, Sölden, AUT - full event replay available on NBC Sports Gold*

SUNDAY, OCT. 28
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s GS, first run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s GS, second run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*

* The NBC Sports Gold ‘Snow Pass’ provides access to every second of race action throughout the season. Whoever you support, their races will be broadcast on the Snow Pass. NBC will also email you prior to each event to remind you of live broadcast times on Snow Pass, and if you can’t watch live, the entire event will be available to replay, all for under 20 cents per day.

Almost $2 million was raised at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s 52nd annual New York Gold Medal Gala, the social highlight of snowsports in the USA. Thanks to the generous donations of everyone who took part in the glittering event in New York, and via the online auction which offered many incredible money-can’t-buy items, the athletes of U.S. Ski & Snowboard will directly benefit from the nearly $2 million raised, helping them achieve their shared vision of being Best In The World.

Joining the 650 guests at the star-studded event were U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.), Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.), Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and David Wise (Reno, Nev.), along with 19 of their fellow U.S. Ski & Snowboard stars.

“On behalf of all our athletes, staff and everyone involved with U.S. Ski & Snowboard I would like to offer my most sincere thanks and gratitude for the incredible generosity of everyone who supported our 52nd New York Gold Medal Gala,” said Tiger Shaw, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Every year this storied event grows in stature and in funds raised to support our athletes, and that is thanks to the hard work of a dedicated team who work tirelessly to stage this incredible event. Our athletes have a very exciting season ahead, but we are already looking forward to the 53rd New York Gold Medal Gala next year!”

“The 2018 U.S. Ski & Snowboard New York Gold Medal Gala was our best year yet,” said Trisha Worthington, Chief Development Officer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This was the 52nd year of our annual fundraising event in New York and, on behalf of all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, and the whole team, I want to say thank you to each and every person who contributed so much tonight to help raise the incredible sum of almost $2 million for our athletes. Having so many of our team at the event was incredible and their presence made the night truly special. For me, a particular highlight was seeing Jessie Diggins speak so passionately about Kikkan Randall, and about how the whole cross country team celebrated that historic gold medal in PyeongChang as a team achievement. That sums up what U.S. Ski & Snowboard is – a team in the truest sense of the word. Now we look ahead to what promises to be an amazing winter season, and we are already looking forward to the 53rd New York Gold Medal Gala!”

PARK CITY, Utah ­– Ahead of the season-opening FIS Alpine World Cup event in Soelden, Austria, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing for ski and snowboard sports in the USA, has announced its new broadcast deal with Infront, a leading full-service sports marketing company based in Zug, Switzerland.

The new agreement takes the existing partnership between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Infront, which first began in 1998, through to the 2025-26 season and includes the global broadcast rights, ex USA, for all of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s domestic Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping (including Ski Flying), Nordic Combined, Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Cup events. The portfolio of events includes the upcoming Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Killington, Vt. (November 24-25) featuring global superstar and double Olympic Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) and the Beaver Creek Xfinity Birds of Prey, Audi FIS Ski World Cup (November 30 - December 2), featuring double Olympic Gold Medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah). The global broadcast viewership for these events last season was approximately 91 million and 122 million respectively. Both Shiffrin and Ligety will be racing in the season-opening Audi FIS Ski World Cup event in Soelden, Austria October 27-28.

“We are delighted to lock in this rights deal with Infront,” said Dan Barnett, Chief Marketing Officer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Infront is an incredibly important partner of our organization – without them, we would not be able to showcase the extraordinary feats of our marquee athletes to the hundreds of millions of ski and snowboard fans around the world.”

Adding to Barnett’s thoughts is Bruno Marty, Infront Senior Vice President Winter Sports, who said, “U.S. Ski & Snowboard is a highly valued partner and everyone at Infront is delighted to have prolonged our long-term partnership. Our global audience has many heroes to cheer for and this renewed agreement means that they will have even more access to watch their favorite stars and U.S. events for years to come.”

Twas a couple of days before the FIS Ski Alpine World Cup opener in Sölden, Austria and all through the Ötztal Valley there were lots of athletes, coaches, servicemen, media and ski-crazed fans stirring...anxiously glued to weather apps tracking the impending storm. Of course, everyone is crossing their fingers and holding their thumbs—as they say in Europe—for the weather to hold off, the clouds to part, and the sun to shine through.

If Ullr, the Snow God, (for those of you who may not be familiar) decides to hold off for just a couple more days, Olympic giant slalom gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) and Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) will lead a group of 11 women and men in the giant slalom season opener this weekend - Saturday for the women and Sunday for the men..

Let’s talk shop, shall we?! Yes, indeed...let’s start this off with a trivia question. What athlete has won at Sölden more than anyone else? Nope, not Austria’s Marcel Hirscher. Nope. Good guess and nice try. The answer is U.S. Ski Team’s own legendary giant slalom skier, Ligety. He holds the record for most wins at the season opener, having won on the Rettenbach glacier four times. That’s right...they don’t call him “Mr. GS” for nothing! With a solid, injury-free prep period, Ligety will look to capitalize on the momentum he had going last season when he made his return to the podium in Garmisch, with a third-place finish just before the Olympics.

Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) steadily climbed the giant slalom ranks during the 2018 season in what is an incredibly deep men’s giant slalom field, and both are strong and confident heading into the 2019 season. Last season, Ford grabbed three World Cup top-10 finishes, while Cochran-Siegle had two top-15 finishes at the Olympics in PyeongChang, and then the cherry on top of the season was a pair of U.S. Alpine Championship titles.

A pair of young up-and-comers—Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) and River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.)—join the men’s World Cup crew. The two are getting settled in their new home, and so far so good. In fact, it’s great. They’re training alongside their idols and they’re soaking it all in.

“It's been awesome training up with the World Cup guys. I think the best part is probably that they have so much knowledge and experience to pass down because they're so old. Haha. Seriously though, a lot of these guys were idols of mine when I was a kid. I've got posters of them on my walls. Getting to train alongside them, and getting to know them, I've come to learn that they are better even than my idolized versions of them. It's just an awesome group of guys who only want each other succeed, and hold each other accountable to what we think we’re capable of.”
    - River Radamus

Sunday will be Winters’ inaugural World Cup start. “There is obviously a lot of excitement leading up to the race knowing that I have been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time,” said Winters. “Not only is this my first World Cup to push out of the start gate, but this is also my first World Cup I have been to. It's a big step in my career and I am excited to make it a reality. At the same time, I have been racing my whole life and this is just another step on my way up.”

The roster rounds out with two Massachusetts boys, including recent Dartmouth graduate and NCAA giant slalom champion Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, Mass.) and Nick Krause (Northboro, Mass.) —who will make his return to World Cup action after a string of injuries.

On the women’s side, Shiffrin is looking for redemption here in Sölden. Though she won her first giant slalom World Cup victory at the opener back in 2014, she hasn’t stood on top since. And she wants it. Though she had a summer full of media and sponsor obligations and on and off-snow training, Shiffrin was able to sneak in a vacation with her boyfriend, French National Team skier Mathieu Faivre, as well. She’s stronger than ever, and she’s as happy, determined, confident and humble.

Seventeen-year-old AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.) hails from Squaw Valley and is Californian cruisy-cool to the core. She’ll be one of the youngest athletes on the Rettenbach glacier, but you’d never know it if you watched her because she’s calm and collected.

Finally, Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y.) and Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) will take on Sölden for the first time. As Dartmouth students and travel buddies off the hill, they’ve spent a lot of time with each other and look forward to the challenge.

In case you missed it, Radamus had an epic Instagram story takeover earlier this week. It's definitely worth a watch to see what antics they were up to, and to get an understanding of what a day in the life of a World Cup athlete is like. 

See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

• AJ Hurt
• Tricia Mangan
• Nina O’Brien
• Mikaela Shiffrin

MEN’S STARTERS

• Ryan Cochran-Siegle
• Tommy Ford
• Nick Krause
• Ted Ligety
• Brian McLaughlin
• River Radamus
• Luke Winters*

*Denotes first World Cup Start

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

ALPINE
SATURDAY, OCT. 27
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s GS, first run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s GS, second run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*

SUNDAY, OCT. 28
4:00-5:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s GS, first run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*
7:00-8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s GS, second run, Sölden, AUT - NBC Sports Gold*

* NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product, launched “Snow Pass” today, giving fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019.

NBC launched the “Snow Pass” earlier this week, and holds the exclusive rights to all FIS events held in Austria and will stream the first FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup races of the 2018-19 season from Sölden, Austria, on “Snow Pass” on Oct. 27-28.

NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions. Click here for more information.
 

With 100 days to go, the countdown begins in earnest for the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships presented by Toyota, taking place at Utah's Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain, and Solitude Mountain Resort February 1-10, 2019.

Hosted by the International Ski Federation (FIS) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard and in partnership with the Utah Sports Commission, the event will attract more than 1,300 athletes from around the world to Utah for the biggest winter sports event to take place in the state since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
 

"Hosting one of the biggest winter events in the world will continue to showcase our expertise in hosting major international sporting events as we welcome the world back to Utah and to several of our world-class winter venues. The significant economic impact and worldwide exposure from this event will highlight to audiences around the globe that Utah's Olympic and sport legacy is alive and well, proving a tremendous benefit to Utah and our partners."
      - President and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission Jeff Robbins.

Among the world-famous athletes expected to take part will be Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.), 2018 Winter Olympic gold medalist; David Wise (Reno, Nev.), two-time Olympic gold medalist and 2018 ESPY winner; Mikaël Kingsbury (Canada), the winningest mogul skier of all time; and crowd favorite Henrik Harlaut (Sweden), six-time X Games winner.
 

Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort are no strangers to hosting world-class events, as both resorts hosted freestyle and snowboard events during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, and have hosted a numerous FIS World Cup and U.S. Grand Prix competitions over the past 20 years.

Deer Valley Resort hosted the FIS Freestyle World Championships in 2003 and 2011, but 2019 will be the first time a U.S-based World Championship will include all events across the snowboard, freestyle and freeski disciplines. Freeski competitions were introduced to the World Championships in 2005: the freestyle and freeski competitions were held in Ruka, Finland, while snowboard events were held in Whistler, Canada. This model of separate world championships venues carried on for 10 years until 2015 in Kreischberg, Austria, where all FIS snowboard, freestyle, and freeski competitions took place at one location. The 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Utah will feature 15 events including slopestyle, halfpipe, big air, parallel giant slalom, parallel slalom, moguls, aerials, dual moguls, snowboardcross, and skicross. In addition, team events, which have been added to the 2022 Olympics Winter Games in Beijing, will make their World Championships debut at the 2019 World Champs, including team aerials and team snowboardcross.

While Solitude Mountain Resort may not have the history and tenure of events that Park City and Deer Valley have, it has quickly become clear it is a great addition to the World Championship program. In its first year of hosting a snowboardcross World Cup in 2017, Solitude was voted a favorite site by participating athletes. Furthermore, the terrain and facilities are perfectly suited to elite skicross and snowboardcross competition. Solitude is truly a showcase of the beauty and variation of skiing and riding in Utah, and will prove to be an amazing venue for this world-class competition.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes have a strong history of performing at their very best at recent World Championships. At the 2017 World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes collected six gold medals, three silver medals, and four bronze medals across all disciplines. U.S. athletes old and new to World Championship competition will be looking to continue that level of success in 2019 in front of their home crowds.
 

“I am thrilled to have World Champs on home soil this year. Coming in as reigning World Champion definitely adds to the pressure and excitement. I can’t wait to have my friends, family, and supporters out there with me!”
    - Defending aerials World Champion Ashley Caldwell.

Freeski and snowboard athletes have plenty of time on snow throughout early season competition to prepare and get in the competitive mindset. Competitions include the World Cup snowboard and freeski big air in Modena, Italy, Nov 3-4, World Cup freeski slopestyle in Stubai, Austria, Nov 22-24, and the World Cup snowboard air & style big air in Beijing, Nov 23-24. Also, domestic competitions include the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo., with World Cup freeski and snowboard halfpipe Dec 6-8; plus X Games and Dew Tour events leading into the 2019 Worlds.

“The World Championships are a big event, but it’s not what I’m thinking of right now as it’s still very far away in my mind,” said defending snowboardcross world champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.). “Right now I’m focusing on what I should be doing to prepare for the season. We are training, getting our wax technicians and equipment dialed, there is a lot that happens before now and the world champs. We just had a very successful camp and I’m taking that positive energy and moving into the next task at hand.“

Freestyle athletes will be globetrotting to hit major stops on their World Cup circuits leading into the 2019 Worlds and are sure to be ready for competition come February. The U.S. Moguls Team’s FIS World Cup circuit kicks off December 7, in Ruka, Finland, and the athletes will compete in China, Canada, and New York before skiing for World Championship glory on home soil. The aerials team will have plenty of on-snow training at the Utah Olympic Park before their competition season starts with a FIS World Cup event in Lake Placid, New York, January 19, 2019.

For defending halfpipe World Champion Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.), the world championships are very much a focal point moving into the competition season.

“With the stress of the Olympics gone, our team’s focus is definitely back on the World Championships,” said Blunck. “Alongside X Games, it is the biggest event of the 2019 competition season, so it is definitely on the top of our minds and it’s so rad it’s being held on our home turf!”
 

How to Watch the 2019 World Championships

NBC Sports will showcase more than 25 hours of 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championship programming, including more than 10 hours of live coverage, on NBC and the NBC Sports networks.

Additional coverage will also be available on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product – and the Olympic Channel digital platforms. A full broadcast schedule will be available on both USSkiandSnowboard.org  and  2019WorldChamps.com.
 

Be Part of the World Championships Team

Volunteers are a key element to providing the athletes with best-possible competition experience at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. More than 600 volunteers will fill positions, including on-course crew, guest services, hospitality, media, and timing, to provide athletes and spectators with a world-class experience. Many other volunteer roles are available, but with demand already high, prospective applicants are encouraged to go to  https://2019worldchamps.com/volunteer-application/  for more details and to register their interest to join the team and participate in this unique opportunity.
 

PARK CITY, Utah - Clarity of avalanche warnings as well as lack of snow safety education and knowledge of the local ski environment by athletes and coaches were primary issues cited in a report detailing the 2015 avalanche deaths of two U.S. Ski Team athletes. The skiers had not seen avalanche warning reports so were unaware of the danger and unfamiliar with the nature of off-piste skiing at the European resort.

A comprehensive accident report was released Monday (Oct. 22) to the public and the avalanche education community by the Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Snow Safety Foundation (BRASS). The report will be used as a tool by BRASS to advocate for changes in snow safety warning systems as well as expansion of education to prevent future accidents.

The report was produced for the BRASS Foundation by noted avalanche safety expert Bruce Tremper, the retired director of the Utah Avalanche Center, and contains official reports of the Austrian agencies responsible for management of the accident.

Bryce Astle (Sandy, Utah) and Ronnie Berlack (Franconia, N.H.) were killed January 5, 2015. They were among a group of six athletes skiing on the Rote Karl run off the Gaislachkogel lift in Sölden. The athletes were in the resort west of Innsbruck attending an on-snow training camp. The morning of the accident, they were free skiing on the mountain after heavy snow forced cancelation of planned training sessions. The report outlines the fact that the athletes did not know they were skiing in an uncontrolled area of the resort and there was no English language signage.

“The accident was a great tragedy for our families and our sport,” said Steve Berlack, father of Ronnie and a ski coach himself. “But we are committed to using this accident as a platform for change so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”

The report outlines precise details of the morning, citing a variety of situations that led to the accident. With new snow, avalanche warning conditions were at Level 3 that morning, on a scale of five, indicating danger was ‘considerable.’ The report cited that the skiers and coaches did not have a distinct understanding of the danger level and that signage at the lift was not clear. 

“Our initiative from the accident is to improve snow safety culture,” said BRASS Foundation Board Chairman Jamie Astle, father of Bryce. “It’s a two-pronged approach for us. First, we will look at ways we can influence the avalanche safety community to improve warning systems. Second, we will advocate for greater avalanche education, especially for ski racing athletes and coaches.”

Since its formation in 2016, BRASS has been active in the avalanche education community. Last Spring, BRASS helped fund a series of three-day on-snow avalanche education sessions for U.S. Ski Team athletes and coaches at Snowbird, Utah, certified by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). 

Earlier this month, Cindy Berlack, mother of Ronnie, lobbied avalanche safety officials at the International Snow Safety Workshop in Innsbruck, Austria. Over 1,000 snow scientists and safety managers were in attendance. Berlack was seeking an evolution of the warning scale used by resorts as well as universal multilingual signage standards.

In Sölden this week, officials will unveil new English-language signage across the resort as well as dedicating a memorial to the two athletes along the road leading to the Rettenbach Glacier race course where the Audi FIS Ski World Cup opens Oct. 27-28.

“The entire Sölden community has rallied around our sons and taken aggressive steps to make their mountain safer for all,” said Steve Berlack. “Cindy found a welcome reception by the avalanche community at the ISSW workshop. We already feel we’re having a positive impact.” 

BRASS and Sölden will hold a reception on Wednesday, Oct. 24 to announce the changes leading up to the weekend World Cup opener.

The snow safety foundation will continue its work in America this winter, notably on the educational front. A BRASS-produced film Off Piste, featuring a recreation of the accident as well as comments from noted athletes Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, and Ted Ligety, will be released to the public in November. BRASS will also prioritize its efforts to bring more educational programs to skiers.

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product, launched “Snow Pass” today, giving fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019. “Snow Pass” will feature an unprecedented 700+ hours – including nearly 100 exclusive hours – of coverage of FIS alpine skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, biathlon, and snowboarding events. The 2018-19 “Snow Pass” is available for purchase now for $69.99 by visiting NBCSportsGold.com.

“Coming off the success of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, the appetite for winter sports coverage has never been greater,” said Portia Archer, Vice President, Direct-to-Consumer Services, NBC Sports Group. “Whether it’s the thrill of the downhill, the endurance of cross-country, or the majesty of the ski jump, we’re excited to give fans more content than ever before.”

A complement to the hundreds of hours of Olympic winter sport programming airing across NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and their respective digital platforms [hyperlink], “Snow Pass” includes every remaining stop of the World Cup season for each of the seven sports, including exclusive live and on-demand coverage of many alpine skiing events, beginning Oct. 27. The pass also features live and on-demand coverage of the FIS World Championships, which take place every other year, from February–March 2019.

NBC Sports Gold holds the exclusive rights to all FIS events held in Austria and will stream the first FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup races of the 2018-19 season from Soelden, Austria, on “Snow Pass” on Oct. 27-28.

NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions. Click here for more information.

Following is the schedule for NBC Sports Gold’s 2018-19 “Snow Pass” (organized by sport):

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GOLD

NBC Sports Gold is NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that provides sports fans with access to exclusive premium sports events and content, live and on-demand, at an affordable price. Launched in 2016 with a single cycling product, NBC Sports Gold currently offers 11 individual sports “passes” – eight national (Premier League, Cycling, Track & Field, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Rugby, Pro Motocross -- also available internationally, and Snow, which consists of seven Winter Olympic sports); two regional (Blazers and Philly); and two international (Notre Dame Football & Pro Motocross). In 2019, NBC Sports Gold will add PGA TOUR LIVE and INDYCAR. More sports are expected to be added soon. Among the premium events and content offered by NBC Sports Gold are 150 Premier League matches; the Tour de France and many more prominent cycling races around the world; USA Track & Field and IAAF Diamond League events; domestic and international figure skating competitions; every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match; the entire 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; 700+ hours of seven Winter Olympic sports; and all Notre Dame Football home games for international fans.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes travel all over the globe to train and race at premier mountain resorts, but do they ever get the chance to venture beyond the slopes? To visit uncharted territory in the form of cityscapes? Explore culture in small alleyways with cobblestone streets, or hop on a bike and take it all in? Pop into cafes to grab a flaky, buttery croissant with a latte while tracing the movement of the city with their eyes?

Two up-and-coming tech athletes from the alpine B and C Teams, and fellow Dartmouth College students—Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Tricia Mangan (Derby, N.Y.)—recently took advantage of being overseas while at a prep period camp. The traveling duo, otherwise known as “Trish O’Brien” (make sure to check out their Ski Racing column), left their bulky ski bags with their coaches and headed to Amsterdam and Berlin for a week and a half of adventure.

“A big part of the challenge is that when we’re on a ski trip, we’re there to ski and perform our best,” reflects O’Brien, “not only does that mean traveling with tons of ski bags and gear, but we also have to be rested and energized on the hill.”

This was the first time both O’Brien and Mangan had enough time between camps to squeeze in some sightseeing. The two had been training in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and at the indoor slope at Ski & Snowboard Centre Snow Valley in Peer, Belgium with an unusual—and very welcomed—break between prep period camps. They were able to temporarily hop off their skis and hop on a two-hour train to Amsterdam, as well as a quick flight to Berlin. “Trish and I have been talking about doing a sightseeing trip for years, but this fall was the first time everything fell into place,” says O’Brien.

O’Brien and Mangan made the perfect pair for this adventure. They have both been interested in seeing Berlin since their German 1 course at Dartmouth. And they loved the idea of being able to see Amsterdam, with sticking to a tight budget and quenching their desire to see as much as possible in the little time they had. With O’Brien’s knack for finding great food and Mangan’s stellar navigation skills, the two were able to see, and experience, a lot.  

It’s no surprise these two remained active while sightseeing. In order to see as much as possible, O’Brien and Mangan biked everywhere. According to O’Brien, they managed to bike 40 miles in the two days they were in Amsterdam. Biking was their main mode of transportation, which is reflective of the European lifestyle. “I absolutely loved that everyone rode bikes and was fit and friendly and it was beautiful,” reflected Mangan. Matcha ice cream on the daily, picnics in the parks, dancing wherever they went, and an overall feeling of gratitude for the experience was common on Trish O’Brien’s adventures.

O’Brien felt the same gratitude towards the quick trip, noting that it was a chance to take a small break between intense training camps. “I love the small European mountain towns that we visit in the winter,” says O’Brien, “but it felt refreshing and invigorating to bike the canals of Amsterdam, check out a Banksy exhibit, walk the East Side Gallery in Berlin, and see some more hidden gems in each city.”

The two athletes are currently back on the snow for intense training prior to the World Cup kickoff in Soelden, Austria Oct. 27, but they are glad to have a chance to experience something new.

“I would 100 percent recommend traveling even for a couple of days after a training camp,” says Mangan. Not only did she and O’Brien get the chance to experience something outside of mountain life, gifting them a rare sense of freedom in the life of a professional ski racer, but they were able to do it together. “We both agreed that traveling together made the experience SO much more fun. We make a pretty good team,” stated O’Brien.

With healthier minds and rejuvenated souls, “Trish O'Brien” is ready to take on the season, and hopefully, experience some new cultures along the way!

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports will showcase 150-plus hours of 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup programming, including nearly 90 hours of coverage on the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and more than 70 hours spanning NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and the Olympic Channel app.

Additional FIS Alpine Skiing coverage will also be available on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product – and the Olympic Channel digital platforms. Among the events exclusive to NBC Sports Gold are the season-opening races in Soelden, Austria on October 27-28. Further details will be announced Monday, Oct. 22.

U.S. Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and Ted Ligety, as well as Steven Nyman, Travis Ganong, Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Tommy Ford headline the U.S. Ski Team in 2018-19. Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, is four wins away from tying Ingemar Stenmark’s World Cup record of 86 victories, which has stood for nearly three decades. The 34-year-old recently announced that she plans to retire following the season, whether she breaks Stenmark’s record or not. Shiffrin, who won gold in giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and has three Olympic medals to her name, is the two-time defending overall World Cup champion.

NBC Sports’ 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup schedule also includes events in Lake Louise, Alberta (Nov. 24 – 25, Nov. 30 – Dec. 2); Killington, Vt. (Nov. 24 – 25); Beaver Creek, Colo. (Nov. 30 – Dec. 2); St. Moritz, Switzerland (Dec. 8 – 9); Wengen, Switzerland (Jan. 18 – 20); and the FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships in Åre, Sweden (Feb. 2 – 17).

The season culminates with more than 15 hours of coverage of the 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals in Soldeu, Andorra, beginning March 13.

STREAMING COVERAGE OF FIS ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide streaming coverage of the 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup events airing on NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

All linear coverage on NBCSN will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. All linear coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will stream on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app, in addition to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Follow the latest Alpine Updates for broadcast and streaming schedules.

The U.S. Moguls Ski Team wrapped a very successful annual training camp in Zermatt, Switzerland, on October 16. The idyllic resort town provided a home away from home for athletes and staff on their journey to podiums this competition season.

While it has been a busy summer of training on the water ramps at the Utah Olympic Park, and at three on-snow camps at Mount Hood, Ore, Zermatt was the real kick-off to the season, providing the first opportunity for athletes to ski a full mogul course (220-260 meters with a top and bottom jump). Additionally, the Zermatt course also met the International Ski Federation (FIS) competition standards and provided an opportunity for athletes to work on their whole performance.

“Zermatt is one of my favorite places to get back on snow after a long summer of training. It’s arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world, and it also has a training site that offers a ton of different challenges each day. From various snow conditions to white-out blizzards, it forces you to mentally prepare yourself for anything the season may throw at you.” - Casey Andringa, U.S. Moguls A Team.
 

Why Zermatt? “From late September through October, Zermatt is the place to be as it is one of the only mogul courses open for training,” explained U.S. Ski & Snowboard Moguls World Cup Coach Caleb Martin. “Zermatt provides dry, winter snow, similar to what athletes will ski on during the competition circuit. This is different from our summer camps in Squaw or Mount Hood, where we’re skiing in ‘corn’ or slushy conditions.”

Considered a high altitude training site at 12,000 feet above sea level (more typical for competitions is around 7,000-8,000 feet), the course at Zermatt offers great training as the contours of the slope change. The top half of the course is an easy-moderate pitch of 22-25 degrees, while the bottom half rolls over to 28-30 degrees. This translates into an easier top jump scenario with a more difficult bottom air approach.

“Because of the change in slope and different jump scenarios, athletes are challenged to use different techniques and tactics, helping to make them well-rounded skiers,” Martin explains.
 

(Tess Johnson/Instagram)

Training camp is broken into four-day blocks: three days of training followed by an “off” day. During the first two blocks, athletes work on skills in the flats, moguls in sections and increase the degree of difficulty in their jumps. Throughout the camp, the number of top-to-bottom runs steadily increases as fundamental training in sections decreases. By the last days of training, athletes are skiing at least six top-to-bottom runs: what they would expect to perform on a competition day.

“In World Cup competition athletes can ski up to four runs during a mogul competition and up to six runs during a dual mogul competition (not including the two to three warm-up runs they take before the competition starts),” U.S. Ski & Snowboard Head Moguls Coach Matt Gnoza explained. “By skiing top to bottom runs in training, the athletes can put together the skills they’ve worked on in specific areas like jumps and turns, and combine them to work on their entire run package.”

Athletes look forward to this particular camp each year as they get to put together all of their summer training into actual ski runs.

"I started performing a new trick: a back full twist. I just started doing this trick on snow this summer, so it felt really good to put in in a top to bottom run on a difficult course," Tess Johnson, U.S. Moguls A Team. 

It takes a village to create champions, which is why a full complement of staff travels with the team to Europe. On site at Zermatt was head coach Matt Gnoza; strength coach Josh Bullock; mogul coach Caleb Martin; aerial coach Vladamir Lebedev; physical therapist Chuck Williams; and nutritionist Allen Tran. It is this crew’s job to prepare and inspect the training course and landings each day, provide on-snow coaching, leads morning warm-ups, and after-ski strength and conditioning care, provide physical therapy care and review video and training plans each evening with the athletes.

A typical training day starts at 7:30 a.m. for Gnoza, Martin and Lebedev when they meet at the base of the lift to load for course prep. Athletes load by 8:30 a.m. and begin their warm-up routines by 9 a.m. with coach Bullock. After some flat ski work and a course inspection, athletes begin on-course training by 10:15 a.m and ski until about 1:15 p.m., averaging between 12 and 20 jumps and 10 runs a day. Coaches will stay until 2 p.m. when the glacier closes to prepare the slope for the next day. Athletes have a short break to eat and change before working with Williams in physical therapy sessions, and or strength and conditioning workouts with coach Bullock, which start at 2:30 p.m. and run until about 5 p.m., when athletes and coaches review video from the day.
 

“Zermatt is by far my favorite training camp. The course is always really tough, which I enjoy and think really helps us prepare best for the upcoming season. Zermatt is such a crucial camp for our team because it’s the first look at a World Cup level course for the season. We kind of get to see how we’re looking against every other country.” - Jaelin Kauf, U.S. Moguls A Team.

Training in Zermatt is a clash of opposites: the scenery is spectacular, and the challenges are even more so. To get on snow from town, staff and athletes take a gondola and two aerial trams to get to the top - commute times can sometimes run as long as two hours. And because Zermatt is one of the only mogul courses open at this time of year, there can be 200-plus athletes from across the globe all vying for practice time. All of those skis on the same snow causes erosion on the course to the point that the glacial ice starts coming through between bumps and jump landings, which get packed out rapidly.
 

(Tess Johnson/Instagram)

While these extraneous factors can cause the impact of training on athletes’ bodies to be that much more intense, the opportunity to be back skiing full runs is priceless.

“Zermatt is an important time in the prep period to combine skill-based training from earlier this summer with strength and endurance work done in the gym to start to see the end product develop in top to bottom runs,” Gnoza said. “Once athletes get up to speed in their top to bottom training, we can try different trick combinations and tactics. We eventually come up with a ‘run package’ that they can perform any time and any place that has the potential to put them on the podium.”

"I have a few new tricks up my sleeve as well as improved skiing technique that I was able to integrate into my competition runs on a consistent basis. I feel as though I'm coming away from a productive three weeks more prepared than I've ever been for the competition season ahead." - Olivia Giaccio, U.S. Moguls A Team

So what is next for the Moguls Team? After their jetlag wears off they will be back training in Park City, Utah at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Center of Excellence. Then it is off to Kaprun, Austria, for their next training project. The U.S. Moguls Team competition season kicks off December 7, 2018, in Ruka, Finland, with their season-opening World Cup event.

Keep up with the U.S. Moguls Ski Team on Facebook and on Instagram.