VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 16, 2017) – Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) is back to her winning ways, taking her 78th FIS Ski World Cup victory in super-G in Val d’Isere, France, Saturday. Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who much like Vonn has struggled with early-season results, finally landed on the podium in second. Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel scored her first World Cup podium in third.

“I guess I’m not a washed-up old hag,” Vonn said following Saturday’s victory and responding to numerous social media comments this week regarding her form as she prepares for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. “I think I proved myself, and karma definitely comes back around. I’ve got some good karma coming my way.”

Indeed, good karma played a key roll in Saturday’s victory as she edged one win closer to the all-time World Cup victory mark of 86 wins held by the great Ingemar Stenmark.

“I almost went down there before the finish, but thankfully I was able to hold on to it and pull it out,” Vonn said following her victory on the slow, soft track.

With snow, fog, and wind wiping out downhill training this week, the women tackled an abbreviated soft and bumpy super-G course - a make-up race from last week’s canceled event in St. Moritz. And despite a few course holds due to fog and light snow, four American women scored World Cup points, including Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.), who took a huge step toward returning to top form following last season’s knee injury.

“The track is in a lot better shape than I thought it would be based off how much it has snowed over the past couple of days,” said Ross, who finished eighth. “It is a little bumpy, but it’s still totally rip-able and the snow is responsive enough to feel your skis.

“Today was definitely a big step,” she added. “I feel really good to be back, and be back in race mode.”

Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.) was 22nd and 2016 World Juniors Downhill Champion Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) scored her first World Cup points, finishing 24th. Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, Calif.) continued her comeback from injury, finishing her first World Cup race in more than two and a half years, in 45th position.

"It was really a bit of a challenge today with the flat light and the snow, but I stuck to my plan and skied really solid, and I’m really happy with how it went," Merryweather said. "I have a little bit of confidence now and I’ll take it into tomorrow and charge even more.”

With downhill training canceled this week in Val d’Isere due to weather, the women race super-G again on Sunday. On Monday the tech women head to Courchevel, France, for a giant slalom and a parallel slalom under the lights. Current overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin, as well as Lindsey Vonn and Resi Stiegler will headline the tech women. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

WOMEN’S SUPER-G (after 2 races; 3 races remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at start of Olympics will have automatic start right in event. Up to four may be entered in Olympic event.

Top Three Finish
Lindsey Vonn (1)

Top Five Finish
Mikaela Shiffrin (1)

Top 10 Finish
Laurenne Ross (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking
9. Lindsey Vonn (107)
17. Mikaela Shiffrin (56)
21. Laurenne Ross (33)
35. Alice McKennis (11)
37. Breezy Johnson (8)
39. Alice Merryweather (7)

SECRET GARDEN, China (Dec. 16, 2017) – World Champion Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) led four U.S. aerialists into finals on day one of competition at Secret Garden Resort, finishing third and landing one of two podium spots needed to objectively qualify for the 2018 Olympic team.

Caldwell struggled to put down clean landings throughout Saturday’s competition, but her high degree of difficulty jumps help propel her to her first podium of the season. She performed a triple twisting triple flip, a full-full-full, in the super final, scoring a 68.04. Belarus’ Hanna Huskova took the win followed by China’s Mengtao Xu in second. Kiley McKinnon (Madison, Conn.) also advanced to finals for the U.S., but was unable to land cleanly on her double twisting double, a full-full, and finished 12th.

World Champion Jon Lillis (Rochester, N.Y.) was the top U.S. men’s finisher in sixth. China’s Zongyang Jia took the win with a quadruple twisting triple flip, a full-double full-full, and a score of 127.88. Belarus’ Maxim Gustik was second and Canada’s Louis Irving third. Mac Bohonnon (Madison, Conn.) just missed making the super final, landing in seventh.

Competition continues on Sunday, Dec. 17 in the aerials team event, where the individual qualification results will count as a World Cup finish.

RESULTS
Men’s Aerials
Women’s Aerials

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 17
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s team aerials – Olympic Channel TV

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (Dec. 15, 2017)  – Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) rebounded from a disappointing finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix last weekend at Copper Mountain to grab his first halfpipe victory of the season at the Dew Tour, the second Olympic qualifying event of the season. Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) was second. In the women’s halfpipe finals, Maddie Bowman (Salt Lake City) was third.

“I can’t believe what just happened,” Ferreira said after his victory. “Today I just skied for me. I tried not to put the pressure on me, and just went out there and skied.”

“Super stoked right now,” Blunck said of his second-place result after coming into the finals as the top qualifier. “The level of riding today was absolutely insane.”

Just the fact that Breckenridge was able to pull off the Dew Tour event following an unusually warm start to the winter in Summit County had Blunck fired up.

“We had such a crazy hot spell this year … and with the warm weather and not being able to make much snow ... shouts out to Breckenridge - they just killed it!” he said. “SPT (Snow Park Technologies) build a great pipe that just kept getting better and better.”

Olympic qualification competitions continue after the New Year with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Snowmass, Colorado Jan. 7-14, 2018.

RESULTS
Men’s and women’s halfpipe

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (Dec. 15, 2017)  – The U.S. riders continued to demonstrate their dominance in the second Olympic qualifying event of the season at Dew Tour. Chloe Kim (Torrence, Calif.) led another USA sweep of the podium with teammates Kelly Clark (Mammoth, Calif.) and Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) in second and third. Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) put his name on the board with a big victory, and Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) landed his second podium in the same number of Olympic qualifying events, finishing third.

After a win at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper last weekend, Kim confirmed her nomination to the U.S. Olympic snowboard team, posting a 93.00 on her first run of the day that would carry her through to victory. After a gnarly crash on her second run, veteran Kelly Clark pulled out a solid, clean final run to finish second. Arielle Gold landed her first podium finish of the Olympic qualifying season, finishing third.

“I am speechless right now, it hasn’t really set in,” said Kim. “I just looked at my parents and was like, ‘I just made the Olympic team!’ I’m still processing it, but I am so excited.”

The U.S. women stacked riders into the top spots in the final with Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) finishing fourth, Hannah Teter (Lake Tahoe, Calif.) fifth and Elena Hight eighth.

Pates pulled out the biggest surprise of the day, landing a killer last run that included a back double 12 tail grab to score a 97.33, besting Australia’s Scotty James and fellow U.S. Snowboard Team rider Ferguson who both also posted scores above 90. It was Pates’ first major event win, propelling the 19-year-old into the mix for the coveted Olympic team spots.

"I feel insane, I’m super stoked," said Pates. "I had an awesome day. It was super fun out here and everybody was shredding and pushing each other - good vibes flying around everywhere."

Danny Davis (Highland, Mich.), Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho), Gabe Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) rounded out top finishes for the U.S., finishing sixth through ninth respectively.

Olympic qualification competitions continue after the New Year with the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Snowmass, Colorado Jan. 7-14, 2018.

RESULTS
Men’s and women’s halfpipe

The World Cup tour heads to Toblach in northern Italy for a weekend of racing before the holiday break with a bit of an unusual format. Saturday’s 15k men’s freestyle and 10k women’s will be another Olympic qualifier.

In a bit of a change from the norm, it’s a two-day pursuit weekend with the freestyle portion first – 15k/10k skate on Saturday, followed by same distances in classic on Sunday. With the distance at the Olympics being freestyle, most teams are using it as an Olympic qualifier so the skate portion was put first. It’s another opportunity for a U.S. skier to collect a top-eight finish and a likely berth on the Olympic team. 

With Toblach elevation half that of Davos last weekend, and close to that of the Olympic course, look for potentially stronger performances. The Toblach course has been changed with a massive climb and resultant screaming downhill – terrain the American skiers love. It’s been fast and icy all week in Toblach, but heavy snow Friday softened the track. No snow is forecast for Saturday.
 
Starters for the USA include, Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Paddy Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.), Noah Hoffman (Aspen, Colo.) and Scott Patterson (Anchorage, Alaska) for the men. The women will see Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah), Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Chelsea Holmes (Anchorage, Alaska),  and Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, Vt.). Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) will sit out the weekend to rest a sore foot and be ready for the Tour de Ski starting after Christmas.
 
Some of the team’s sprinters are in St. Ulrich, Austria for Alpen Cup races starting with a sprint on Friday including Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.), Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.), Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.), Julia Kern (Truckee, Calif.) and Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.).

In Friday’s opening Alpen Cup skate sprint, Hamilton took the win over Newell. Caldwell won for the women with Sargent third. Distance racing is up over the weekend.

Coverage of all events this weekend from Toblach can be found on OlympicChannel.com. 

VAL GARDENA, Italy (Dec. 15, 2017) – Weather continues to wreak havoc on both the men and women’s FIS Ski World Cup European circuit. On Friday, the men’s super-G in Val Gardena, Italy, was cut off due to snow and fog after 38 racers took to the start, leaving 42 racers no opportunity to tackle the Saslong course.

Germany’s Josef Ferstl officially took the victory after FIS officials cut off the remaining portion of the race due to fog and light snow. Austria’s Max Franz was second, followed by countryman Matthias Meyer in third. Ferstl started second before light snow began to fall, and with a clear track, was able to grab his first World Cup victory.

As the race progressed, snow continued to fall and course conditions changed dramatically, with grippy snow accumulating on the track hardened by a couple days of rain earlier in the week.

“With this snowfall, the snow is really slow and sticky compared to yesterday,” said Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), the top American finisher in 17th. Ganong ran 18th as snow fell and fog rolled in on the middle section of the course.  “Hopefully it will be better tomorrow,” he added.

Tommy Biesemeyer finished 18th and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) was 28th.  Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.), who finished second in Wednesday’s downhill training run; Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) were among the 42 athletes that did not start after the race was cancelled due to weather conditions.

Up next, the men are scheduled to race downhill on the Saslong track Saturday. Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) is expected to make his return to the World Cup circuit on the track where he has claimed all three of his World Cup downhill victories.

Ganong, who admits he’s off to a slow start this season, finishing 35th in Wednesday’s downhill training, and not finishing Thursday training run, hopes to continue to build confidence with two months remaining before the 2018 Olympic Winter Olympics in Saturday’s downhill.

“It was kind of a rough start to the season, so I’m just trying to build some confidence from race to race and find the speed and find the race gear,” Ganong said. “When it’s going well, it’s super easy. When it's not going well it’s really hard and you’re questioning everything.

“Ski racing is such a simple sport, but the margins are so small, a half a second separates you from a really good day to a really bad day,” he continued. “I’m taking it day-by-day and hopefully I’ll be building into the Olympics - that’s the goal.”

Weather Scrubs Women’s Val d’Isere Downhill

For the second-straight day, snow and wind have combined to cancel downhill training on the women’s FIS Ski World Cup circuit in Val d'Isere, France. FIS Officials have canceled Saturday’s scheduled downhill and replaced it with super-G, which is re-scheduled from last week’s canceled race in St. Moritz. The women will also race super-G Sunday in Val d’Isere.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
4:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup “White Circus” speeds on to the second leg of its tour this weekend in Val d’Isere, France for the women and Val Gardena, Italy for the men. Though weather has presented a challenge on both sides, let’s hope things calm a bit for the weekend so the athletes can show what they’ve been working on all prep period. Now’s the time. We’re on the #RoadToPyeongChang after all.

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) arrived in Val d’Isere feeling and looking like an entirely new woman after suffering from a back injury during the super-G at St. Moritz, Switzerland last weekend. In an interview with NBCSN, she said, “I know my skiing is solid and I'm looking forward to putting it all together on race day.” She’s not thinking about the pain, but rather noted she just needs to keep her back loose and prepare for race day. Along with Vonn, Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) looks to progress in her return from a knee injury at the end of last season and find the confidence to “send it” this weekend in Val d’Isere. She’ll be doing it in front of her father, who came to watch her race. Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, also came to cheer on his daughter.

The women’s speed squad is deep and on any given day, any of these women are podium potential athletes. Watch them do something special this weekend—that is, if the weather gods are watching over them. Cross your fingers and hope these athletes can win a Val d'Isere cow and some local Beaufort cheese.

From volleyball to dance shenanigans, and shopping to the annual White Elephant gift exchange—a tradition started long ago by head coach and resident Santa Claus Chip White—​​​​​​​the week has been full of holiday cheer and good vibes. And on Thursday, Vonn took time to wish one of her biggest fans, named Hedda, a very happy birthday. Hedda has been battling cancer for the past few years and is one of the biggest fighters the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team has ever encountered. We hope you join us in wishing Hedda a happy 15th birthday. 

Over in Italy, the men are enjoying the most white and wintry Saslong classic downhill in years. It’s a vision of angelic epic proportions in the Dolomites at the moments. And even that seems to be an understatement. With the Saslong towering over the track, it offers some of the most surreal views on tour…and the American Downhillers simply love it.

​​​​​​Earlier in the week, the American Downhillers attended a cooking class at the team hotel on their day off, learning the secrets to their lasagna. It must have helped, seeing as though the first training run saw Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) setting the pace, followed by Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.) in second and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) in ninth. The second training run wasn’t much different, with Maple in 10th and Bennett in 13th. They’re feeling good and ready to rock.

Much of that confidence comes from the man at the helm, John “Johno” McBride, who also hails from Aspen and was a longtime coach of the U.S. Ski Team in the Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves era. No doubt his renegade style has made a difference with the team this season. Is he surprised about the downhill training results? Nope.

“I think we’re good,” he said on Thursday. “It was kind of a funky day today. But I think everyone is in a good place. Conditions on the track are good—fog was in and out today, which made for a long day of training. But overall, the track is good.” The boys are ready. And the American Downhillers will be led by veteran and three-time Olympian Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah). For the first time since he blew his knee last January, he’ll be racing. He’s been missed, and no doubt his leadership will lift the rest of the crew. He has that special kind of effect. It also helps that Nyman has snagged his three World Cup victories on the Saslong, earning him the much-deserved title of “King of the Saslong.” Welcome back, Steven. #BelieveInSteven, right?!

From there, Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) will lead the tech men into battle at Alta Badia, where Ligety has won twice and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) and Tim Jitloff (Reno, Nev.) have also grabbed some of their best results. 

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumni Steve Porino and Doug Lewis will call the action in the coming days. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

Val d’Isere (downhill and super-G)
Stacey Cook
Julia Mancuso
Alice McKennis
Alice Merryweather
Breezy Johnson
Laurenne Ross
Lindsey Vonn
Jackie Wiles

MEN’S STARTERS

Val Gardena (downhill and super-G)
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman
Andrew Weibrecht

Alta Badia (giant slalom)
David Chodounsky
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Tommy Ford
Tim Jitloff
Ted Ligety
Hig Roberts

HOW TO WATCH (times ET)

Friday, December 15
6:00 a.m. – Men’s super-G; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV

Saturday, December 16
4:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV
5:00 p.m. – Women’s downhill; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

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

START LISTS
Men’s Super-G

Education is a cornerstone of athletic success. To help further the education of athletic coaches, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has launched a new online Learning Management System (LMS). The new platform will create a channel to deliver education when and where members choose.

The new learning system is debuting this year with an online component of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Level 100 Coach Certification program across all sports. Additional programming for coach education, officials training, club development, athlete education and parent engagement are in the works, as is internal training for staff.

“The introduction of an online learning system will greatly enhance our ability to provide consistent education on more topics to more U.S. Ski & Snowboard members,” said Sport Development Director Jon Casson. 

The LMS is available through the organization’s new website at education.ussa.org. The system is run using the popular Moodle platform, a widely used LMS with a base of 95,000 individual sites and 125 million users. The system is open to any U.S. Ski & Snowboard member alpine coach seeking to complete their Level 100 certification. Other sports will be coming online later this season.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is also supporting the efforts of its partner organization United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) at education.usasa.org.

The system is being managed by U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s new Coach Education Manager Chris Packert. A lifelong skier and ski instructor, Packert brings a wealth of education background to the organization. Prior to joining the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team, Packert managed online learning programs for NASA, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marine Corps, American Public University and the Western Governors University.

“I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge working in online education programs for some of America’s most noted governmental agencies,” said Packert. “I’m anxious to bring that experience into the sport that I truly love.”

The new Alpine Ski Level 100 Coach Certification program available now is a blended learning program incorporating several courses that participants complete prior to attending an on-snow clinic with a trained clinic leader.  After passing an on-snow assessment of skill demonstration, coaching ability and movement analysis, the participants return to the online platform to complete a final exam. Throughout the process, participants also complete a portfolio where they describe in detail how they will utilize their learning in their daily coaching practice.

The online modules are designed to give coaches a solid foundation in the fundamentals of effective coaching and a base of understanding in the specific components of the sport.  Based on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems, the online modules in the L100 course are divided into two sections: Coaching Core Competencies and Sport Specific Topics.

Coaching Cord Competencies
•    Coaching Roles and Responsibilities
•    Coach Ethics and Philosophy
•    Coach Pedagogy
•    Long Term Athlete Development
•    Training Environments
•    Athlete Mental Skill Development (under development)
•    Physical Literacy and Physical Fitness (under development)

Sport Specific Modules
•    Fundamental Technical Skills
•    Tactical Applications
•    Equipment Selection and Preparation
•    Competition Rules and Pathways

Following the launch of the Alpine Ski L100 program in November, sport-specific online learning modules will come online soon including snowboarding, freeski, cross country and nordic combined. Cost for the Alpine Level 100 program is $160.00.
 

Noted national and international ski racing official Bruce Crane passed away peacefully December 9 at his home in Park City. A devoted husband and father, he served his passion as a sport leader for nearly a half century with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Crane passed after a long battle with cancer, his loving wife of 38 years, Anita, and other family members at his side at their Old Town home in Park City, Utah.

"Bruce embodied the great passion that is emblematic of our sport professionals and volunteers," said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "His contributions as a staff leader, volunteer and technical delegate were exemplary. His work will live on and continue to benefit the sport for years to come."

The son of Emily Townsend and Henry D. Crane, Jr., he was born Nov. 18, 1947 in Cambridge, Mass. His parents, both doctors, moved the family to Plymouth, N.H. where Bruce grew up with a passion for skiing. His mother Emily played a key role in the sport as a longtime race secretary and administrator. He graduated cum laude from Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H. before earning his bachelor's degree from Williams College in Williamstown, Mass.

He served as an educator and a coach at Tilton School in New Hampshire after college, where he began his work as both a coach and competition official in alpine ski racing. He was certified as a national ski competition official by the then U.S. Ski Association in 1972. In 1976 he achieved his FIS Technical Delegate license - the highest level of competition officiating. Two years later he was recognized with the Burckett-Dodge Award for his service to officiation in New England. He also served for many years as head of the New Hampshire Alpine Racing Association.

Early in his career he also worked as a race manager and coach at Waterville Valley, Great Gorge Resort, Pat's Peak and Squaw Valley.

Crane went on to serve as national alpine competition director for the U.S. Ski Association for 16 years in both Colorado Springs and Park City where he played a key role in establishing and maintaining management protocols for the sport, including race scoring and athlete ranking systems.

He put his vast sport skills to work serving in a high-level capacity at two Olympic Winter Games. Leading up to the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, he served as a consultant to the Canadian Ski Association as well as head referee for alpine skiing at the Games. During the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City he served as assistant manager for ski jumping and nordic combined. 

During his tenure in the sport he served on many national and international committees including service as chair of U.S. alpine courses and rules committees. He also served as secretary of the FIS Alpine NorAm Subcommittee from 1982 to 1997 before being named as an honorary member.

He was honored many times for his service including the Westhaven Award for service as a technical delegate in 1997 as well as the Bud and Mary Little Award for his work with FIS and the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2002.

Colleagues in the ski world will remember him for his great attention to detail and organizational skills that allowed him to play such a key role in the sport during its rapid growth period from the 1970s through 1990s. He was world acclaimed for his work in race timing and scoring, athlete ranking systems and race course homologation. Much of the infrastructure he pioneered during that time is still in place today.

While maintaining his role in alpine ski racing, he also worked in various management roles in Park City for the Park City Mountain Resort, Mountainlands Housing Trust and Destination VIP.

He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Anita Crane, along with his son Jeremy Crane and grandchildren Sydney, 12, and Marley, 9 of Boston, Mass., four stepchildren, Ellen Marie Ramsey of Pinedale, Wyo., Donald Dean McPherson of Roseville, Calif., Ronald Lee McPherson of Pontotoc, Miss., and Robert Donald McPherson of Roseville, Calif. and his five sisters Suzanne Gilman of Bridgewater, N.H., Charlotte Crane of Chicago, Ill., Cynthia Fisher of Bridgewater, N.H., Dr. Margaret Mumford of Plymouth, N.H., and Dr. Joan Barthold of Lyme, N.H. 

A memorial service is being planned in Park City after New Year, with a celebration of life next summer in New Hampshire.

The Park City memorial service will be held Saturday, January 13 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary's of the Assumption church located on state route 224 at White Pine Canyon Road. A social gathering with refreshments will be held after the service.

SECRET GARDEN, China (Dec. 14, 2017) – The U.S. Ski Team aerials athletes will compete at a new site this week when the FIS Freestyle aerials World Cup tour opens at Secret Garden Resort. Athletes will compete in an individual event on Dec. 16 followed by a team event on Dec. 17. Results from Saturday’s World Cup and the individual qualification results from Sunday’s team event will be taken into consideration when nominating the team for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

After two productive on snow camps this fall, the U.S. team is ready to kick off the Olympic season with some top results. Nine athletes are expected to compete, including reigning World Champions Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) and Jon Lillis (Rochester, N.Y.) as well as 2015 World Cup champions Mac Bohonnon (Madison, Conn.) and Kiley McKinnon (Madison, Conn.). McKinnon achieved one of two top-3 finishes required to meet minimum objective criteria with a second place finish in last season’s selection event at Deer Valley Resort, Utah. Secret Garden, which is also the site for the 2022 Games, will include two of six selection events taking place in 2017-18.

Read on to see who to watch and where to watch all the action from Secret Garden.

MEN’S STARTERS
Mac Bohonnon
Alex Bowen
Chris Lillis
Jon Lillis
Eric Loughran

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Ashley Caldwell
Kiley McKinnon
Morgan Northrop
Madison Olsen

HOW TO WATCH (times EST)
Dec. 16
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s aerials – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 17
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s team aerials – Olympic Channel TV