In the last women’s race of the 2023 World Championships in Planica, Slovenia the 30km classic track was set for one of the most grueling races of the event. With the sun and heat making an appearance after days of rain, sleet, snow and generally unfavorable weather, the 46 women athletes lined up for the mass start race. American Rosie Brennan led the day for the team - in one of her gutsiest races yet. To put this course into perspective, 30km is 18.3 miles total and the athletes would climb over 3,000ft as they crossed the finish line. 

It all started at the noon hour. Along with Brennan on the U.S. roster was Julia Kern, Hailey Swirbul and Sydney Palmer-Leger. All having a few races under their belt in the days leading up, the women were feeling confident going into the last race of an already successful championships. With the length of the course, the athletes and their technicians had to make a solid game plan - would you change skis in the middle of the race to click into a fresh pair with more kick wax? Or would you stick with the planks you had on the start line and ski the entire 18+ miles on the same pair? That was the question for the entire field, with the rapid warming of temperatures throughout the 1.5 hours of racing.

With the sound of the gun launching the athletes onto the course, the women had 30km in front of them, on a hilly and very technical course. Featuring sharp corners that led to broken skis, bindings and poles in the earlier races, to long uphills and fast downhills, this course was simply just challenging. That did not stop the athletes from charging, though. Brennan started the race in the lead pack and never let up until she toed the finish line. With Ebba Andersson of Sweden leading the race, a group of five chased her, one of them Brennan.

As the racers spread out as more kilometers were skied, Brennan was still in the lead pack and Kern and Swirbul were only 60 seconds back, navigating the course and the conditions with several other countries. On the second lap through the stadium, Palmer Leger pulled out of the race.

Coming through the stadium after 12-13km, the women changed skis, snapping on a fresh pair of planks to take them to the end. By doing this, the majority of the field had new wax and better odds at cleanly climbing the hills without slipping on the skied out classic tracks. By changing skis, Andersson of Sweden gained a stronger lead but Brennan continued to be right on her heels along with four other racers.

“This one of the best classic races I have ever seen Rosie ski,” said Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “And by far one of the most entertaining classic races I’ve ever watched.”

Going into the last lap, Swirbul was gaining on the athletes ahead of her and was charging up the uphills. As she crested the highest point of the course, she was in perfect position to land herself in the top-20, and that she did. As she crossed the finish line, she was 18th overall, her best-ever individual result at World Championships.

For Brennan, she was having one of the best races of her year. In the sprint to the finish, she crossed the line in fifth, a major result for her but also keeping her hungry for more, knowing that the podium was a second away.

“I skied with my heart today and gave it my all,” said Brennan. “That was a fight. You have to take a chance and put yourself in it, and I fought until the end and gave it all I had.”

At the end of the day, Brennan was fifth, only 16.39 seconds out of first, Swirbul was 18th and Kern was 27th. For the podium, Andersson won the day, Anne Kjersti Kalvaa of Norway was second and Sweden's Frida Karlsson was third. 

Now, the team will be out on course cheering the men as they ski the 50km tomorrow, March 5, then will pack up and head to Norway for period four of World Cup ski racing.

RESULTS

Alex Ferreira laced together the run he’s been hoping to put down all season to claim bronze at the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships!

For Ferreira, the end of the competition season has been a whirlwind. Last weekend, Ferreira competed in Dew Tour where he walked away with an impressive fourth place finish. The next day, Ferreira hopped on a plane to Georgia. He arrived in Tbilisi in the wee hours of the morning, drove four hours to Bakuriani, and went straight to the venue for the first day of halfpipe practice. 

When qualifications rolled around, Ferreira was ready—as was the rest of the men’s freeski halfpipe team. Ferreira wasted no time and put down a solid first run with a score that ultimately qualified him for finals. His teammates David Wise, Dylan Ladd and Tristan Feinberg all also qualified for finals, resulting in the U.S. claiming four of the ten finalist spots.

When finals day rolled around, Ferreira had his eye on landing the run he’d been working towards all season, which included both ways 1620s. While Ferreira put down a clean run on both his first and second run, it was his third and final run that clinched the bronze medal. Ferreira threw a switch left 900 Japan grab, switch right double cork 1080 Japan grab, left double cork 1260 safety grab, and stomped both the right double cork 1620 safety grab, and the left double cork 1620 safety grab. When asked how it felt to finally nail both 16s in competition, Ferreira said, “Both 16s in one run has been a long time coming for me, so I’m just happy to actually do it and to do it in great conditions, a great pipe, and skiing alongside some of my best friends.”

But even after Ferreira nailed his third run, he wasn’t in the clear. The men’s halfpipe final was a heavy one with everyone throwing their best tricks in an effort to be named the new World Champion. Ferreira anxiously watched the four remaining skiers complete their final runs to see if his score would hold. When the last skier dropped, Ferreira was able to breathe again and soak in what he had just accomplished.

While Ferreira has a long list of halfpipe accolades, including two Olympic medals, 10 World Cup podiums, and six X Games podiums, a World Championships medal has eluded him—until now. “I’ve never done well at World Champs,” Ferreira explains. “To do well at the last contest of the season—I’m so grateful. It was not an easy one! Everyone threw some really great runs and I’m just happy to be up there on the podium.”

Alongside Ferreira on the podium was Brendan MacKay of Canada in first and Jon Sallinen of Finland in second. The rest of the U.S. athletes were unfortunately unable to put down their best runs. Dylan Ladd finished in sixth, Tristan Feinberg in eighth, and David Wise in ninth.

The 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships marks the end of the competition season for the U.S. Freeski Halfpipe team. The athletes will now head back to the States and gear up for their spring training camps.
 

RESULTS

Men

On a windy Saturday in Kvitfjell, Norway, the speed women had a great day in the downhill, placing four in the top 30. Mikaela Shiffrin led the way in fifth place to clinch her fifth overall FIS Crystal Globe—which goes to the best skier across disciplines for the season and is widely regarded as ski racing's biggest prize.

“It is wild, the overall title is always strange to explain how it feels, but this whole season the work has been amazing,” said Shiffrin. “It’s quite special before the final races to have this secured and I can focus on the rest of the races.”

Shiffrin has dominated the season with 14 podiums and 11 victories in 25 races. She still has six races left in the season, where she can hunt for her record-tying 86th and record-breaking 87th win. 

Only two athletes have won more Crystal Globes than Shiffrin: Austrians Annemarie Moser-Proell with six and Marcel Hirscher with eight.

Breezy Johnson was close behind Shiffrin in eighth place and Isabella Wright was 12th. Keely Cashman snagged a 29th place to grab World Cup points.

"It was pretty windy today so that had its own challenges. The surface was amazing and it’s getting more buff every day and you can really do anything you want on this snow," said Isabella Wright. 

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Lauren Macuga was just out of top 30 in 32nd and Tricia Mangan landed in 38th place.

"Today was a great team day. Super stoked to have 4 in the top 30 and to have Lauren Macuga be so close in 32nd. Really great to see that, especially on a brand new track," said Wright. "Really excited for the SG tomorrow. This hill is so fun and the SG a couple days ago was full on and you had to get after it, so looking forward to another go at it tomorrow!"

Hometown favorite Kajsa Vickhoff Lie became the first Norwegian woman to win a World Cup downhill in history. Sofia Goggia of Italy was second and clinched the downhill crystal globe. Corinne Suter of Switzerland was third.

The women have another super-G race on Sunday.

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
*time in ET 

4:30 a.m. - women's super-G, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live

Troy Podmilsak made history today when he landed the world’s first triple 2160 and won gold in big air at his first ever World Championships—all at just eighteen years old.

The big air events at World Championships got off to a bit of a bumpy start when men’s qualifications were delayed three hours due to heavy winds. However, Podmilsak didn’t let the delay or the wind hinder his performance. He stayed focused and was able to put down two clean runs to qualify into finals. Unfortunately, Podmilsak’s teammates Cody LaPlante and Hunter Henderson weren’t able to nail the tricks they were hoping for and did not advance to finals.

The weather in Bakuriani continued to pose a challenge, and big air finals were bumped up by a day in an effort to evade inclement weather coming into the region. Fortunately, the plan was successful and finals were able to go off with no wind and just a bit of light snow.  Podmilsak was the first to drop in finals and wasted no time getting the show going. He stomped a switch double bio 19 safety grab and called it, "the best he’s ever done." But Podmilsak was just getting started.

In big air, the athletes' best two jumps out of three count, so TPod knew he needed another exceptional run, and boy, did he deliver. On his second run, Podmilsak stomped the world’s first triple 2160 mute grab to put him into first place. Not only was this the first time the triple 2160 had ever been, but it was also the first time Podmilsak had ever attempted that trick on snow. Podmilsak explained, "That was the first time I've ever done [the triple 2160]. I did it on the air bag a few times and didn't really land it. That was the first time I've ever really landed it." Needless to say, it was a day of firsts. However, despite Podmilsak's epic second run, there was still one more run to go, and in big air, it’s not over until it’s over. 

Podmilsak dropped last on run three, so he anxiously watched his fellow competitors do everything in their power to usurp first place from him, but their efforts were to no avail. When it was finally TPod’s turn to drop, he had already secured the gold medal and was able to take a victory lap amidst the cheers of his fellow competitors and the fans.

When asked how he was feeling after taking first place at his very first World Champs, Podmilsak said, “I can’t even really believe it. It almost feels like a dream to me. I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of my team. We worked really hard for this.” 

Big air was the final event in Georgia and Podmilsak’s win was the perfect way to wrap up the 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships. Next up, the U.S. Freeski Team's slopestyle team will travel to Tignes, France for their second to last World Cup of the season. 

RESULTS
Men's big air

At only 18 years old, Hanna Faulhaber became the women’s freeski halfpipe 2023 World Champion. Faulhaber claimed the gold after landing the run she's been working on all season for the very first time.

This is only Faulhaber’s second World Championships appearance, her first being in 2021, when she was just 16 years old and claimed an impressive fourth place finish. This year though, Faulhaber came out swinging and put down a clean first run in qualifications to easily make it through to finals. 

After two rest days due to weather and the condition of the halfpipe, Faulhaber was more than ready to throw down when finals day rolled around. While no one knew quite what to expect of the weather, the wind and clouds held off for most of the finals, allowing the event to go off smoothly. 

Faulhaber put down a clean run right off the bat in finals and was sitting in second after her first run. On her second run, Faulhaber nailed her grabs, which bumped up her score by nearly four points. Faulhaber said, “Honestly, I got to the bottom and said I don’t think I can do much better than that.” But anyone who knows Faulhaber, knows she’s not one to throw in the towel early.

Dropping in second to last on her third and final run, Faulhaber gave it everything she had and managed to put down an even cleaner run. When her score of 95.75 came in and bumped her into first place, Faulhaber’s face of disbelief and excitement said it all. “It’s unbelievable," she said. "I’m really at a loss of words right now. I shed a couple tears, and wow. That is really the only word I can use to describe it right now—wow.”

“Wow” is the word of the day for the athletes, fans and coaches who witnessed the women’s freeski halfpipe final. Faulhaber’s halfpipe teammate Alex Ferreira, who took third at the 2023 World Champs, said, “I am extremely elated for Hanna Faulhaber...She just absolutely crushed it, and now she’s a World Champion.” Standing alongside Faulhaber on the podium was Zoe Atkin of Great Britain in second and Rachel Karker of Canada in third.

The conclusion of the 2023 World Championship halfpipe finals marks the end of the competition season for the U.S. Freeski Halfpipe Team. The Team will now head back to the states for some rest and recovery before spring camps begin. 

RESULTS
Women's halfpipe

On Friday, the Stifel America’s Downhill was canceled due to unfavorable weather after 24 racers crossed the line. Stifel U.S. Alpine Team’s own Ryan Cochran-Siegle ran bib five, he put down an excellent run that had him sitting on the podium in third place.

"I was happy with my run, I felt like I was skiing with good intensity," said Cochran-Siegle. "I felt like I executed how I want to do with a touch of over skiing, so that'd be the one thing I will look back on and fix."

Unfortunately, around bib 10 the weather turned to wind and snowy conditions. The times severely dropped off, with some of the top downhill skiers coming in two to four seconds behind the pace, which is not common. At around 12:45 p.m. MT, the race was called.

"I think conditions have changed a lot, so I think it's a very different race now with changing wind and light. I think as skiers you want a fair race and I don't know if that's really the case at this point," said Cochran-Siegle. 

Travis Ganong did not finish his run and Jared Goldberg was in the top 20 before the race was called off.

There will be another downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday.

HOW TO WATCH
1:00 p.m. ET - men's downhill, Aspen - LIVE on NBC and Peacock, and on Outside+

Ben Ogden, Hunter Wonders, Scott Patterson and Gus Schumacher finished seventh in the men’s 4x10km relay today at the 2023 World Championships.

The day started with snow, then turned to rain, then the sun peaked out for a few minutes before the rain came back, making the conditions for the men’s 4x10km team relay anything but easy. With the wax techs from around the World scrambling to find the right wax for both skate and classic skies, 15 teams were at the start line for the third to last race of the championship.

Right off the gun, Ogden was in the mix with the lead pack. With Norway taking the immediate lead, which they never let up until the end, Ogden maintained the speed and led the chase pack through the first 10km of the race. Coming into the stadium, Ogden tagged off teammate Wonders in the fifth position. Also classic skiing, Wonders skied a consistent leg. Taking two laps around the same 5km course the women raced the day prior, Wonders glided up the hills despite the difficult wax conditions and worked the downhills. Into the stadium to tag off the first skate skier of the race, Wonders was in 11th place. Patterson was up next. With Norway now significantly ahead of the entire field, Patterson was chasing the chase pack that included Germany, France, Finland, Sweden and Canada.

"It felt good, it felt really good! The goal is to ski smart - chill in the beginning and ski hard at the end, and we all executed that and I'm stoked. It was a fun one for the whole team." said Ogden. 

With coaches surrounding the entire course and teammate Jessie Diggins on the highest part of the course, Patterson pushed it and made up significant time while fighting for position. As he skied into the stadium before the tag zone, Patterson made up nearly 40 seconds, putting Schumacher in good position to ski the last leg of the relay. With Schumacher anchoring the team, Patterson had a clean tag and Schumacher gave it his all for the last 10km of the cumulative 40km race.

Norway won the day by 46 seconds ahead of Finland who finished the day second. Germany and France fought until the last chance with Germany narrowing out the French team by one second as they crossed the line. The young USA team crossed the line in seventh place and Schumacher was greeted by his teammates as he crossed the line. As all the men congratulated everyone in the finish pen, they were all smiles as they reflected on their race. At the Olympics, the men’s 4x10km relay finished eighth, at World Championships they were seventh, and as all the men said, “it can only go up from here.”

Next up are the longer distance races of World Championships, with the women racing 30km tomorrow, March 4, and the men 50km on March 5.

RESULTS

It was a very stacked super-G race Friday in Kvitfjell, Norway with Shiffrin landing just 0.16 seconds off the pace and a mere four hundredths off the podium.

“It is so fun to ski; this track is amazing,” said Shiffrin. “I felt pretty lucky with my bib draw. I felt like I could push everywhere I wanted to."

Shiffrin will now have time to look at video to see where she lost time before the next super-G race on Sunday. 

“I am going to look at video later to see where I can make up time," said Shiffrin. "The course will be different but I will see where I can adjust a little bit."

The winner of the race was Austrian Cornelia Huetter, second place went to Italian skier Elena Curtoni and third place went to Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami. Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson also finished in 28th place. Tricia Mangan landed in 40th. Keely Cashman and Isabella Wright did not finish.

Tomorrow, March 4, is a downhill for the women and Shiffrin, Johnson, Wright, Cashman, Mangan and Lauren Macuga will race for the U.S.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*times ET 

March 4
5:00 a.m. - women's downhill, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live

March 5
4:30 a.m. - women's super-G, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live

Chase Josey stood alone at the top of the pipe at the Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard, and Freeski World Championships. Amidst a stacked field, he was the sole American to advance to the finals after teammates Joey Okesson, Chase Blackwell and Lucas Foster struggled to lace it together during the qualifying round. After an intense 3-run final, Josey walked away with an 8th place finish. This is Josey’s fourth World Championships appearance, having previously competed on the World Champs stage in 2015, 2019, and 2021.

“Today was good,” said U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Pro Team coach Maddy Schaffrick. “We didn’t know what the weather was going to bring, but the pipe was in good shape. The snow consistency was a little strange just because it was soft but cold. But Chase rode really well. He’s a seasoned veteran, so he knows how to stay in his zone.”

The day was marked by heavy winds in the morning and intermittent clouds and sun causing the flat bottom of the pipe to soften slightly, which tripped up many competitors throughout training and competition. Ultimately, 16-year-old Chaeun Lee of South Korea landed on top of the podium in his first World Championships appearance, followed by Valentino Guseli of Australia and Jan Scherrer of Switzerland.

Still, Josey was happy with his performance, putting together a combination of tricks that he’s only ever competed with at the Olympic Games. “I went front dub 10, cab 12, switch back 10, double chuk, front 12,” said Josey. “It’s a combo I’ve been working on for years, and it’s been good to land it in qualifiers and then land it again today. It’s just a tech combo that nobody’s really doing, so I’m just proud I landed it. It didn’t really get fully hooked up today but I’ll take eighth. Today was my third time ever doing it in competition so I’m just stoked on that.”

Over on the women’s side, both Zoe Kalapos and Kinsley White fought hard, but failed to advance to finals. They finished 12th and 13th, respectively, each of them earning career best Worlds Championships finishes. Xuetong Cai (CHN) took gold, Elizabeth Hosking (CAN) silver, and Mitsuki Ono (JPN) the bronze.

The 2023 World Championships have wrapped up for the U.S. Snowboard Team, and there’s still more to come this season. Keep up with all the athletes of the U.S. Snowboard team on skiandsnowboard.live and Peacock!

RESULTS

Men

Women

Chase Josey stood alone at the top of the pipe at the Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard, and Freeski World Championships. Amidst a stacked field, he was the sole American to advance to the finals after teammates Joey Okesson, Chase Blackwell and Lucas Foster struggled to lace it together during the qualifying round. After an intense 3-run final, Josey walked away with an 8th place finish. This is Josey’s fourth World Championships appearance, having previously competed on the World Champs stage in 2015, 2019, and 2021.

“Today was good,” said U.S. Snowboard Halfpipe Pro Team coach Maddy Schaffrick. “We didn’t know what the weather was going to bring, but the pipe was in good shape. The snow consistency was a little strange just because it was soft but cold. But Chase rode really well. He’s a seasoned veteran, so he knows how to stay in his zone.”

The day was marked by heavy winds in the morning and intermittent clouds and sun causing the flat bottom of the pipe to soften slightly, which tripped up many competitors throughout training and competition. Ultimately, 16-year-old Chaeun Lee of South Korea landed on top of the podium in his first World Championships appearance, followed by Valentino Guseli of Australia and Jan Scherrer of Switzerland.

Still, Josey was happy with his performance, putting together a combination of tricks that he’s only ever competed with at the Olympic Games. “I went front dub 10, cab 12, switch back 10, double chuk, front 12,” said Josey. “It’s a combo I’ve been working on for years, and it’s been good to land it in qualifiers and then land it again today. It’s just a tech combo that nobody’s really doing, so I’m just proud I landed it. It didn’t really get fully hooked up today but I’ll take eighth. Today was my third time ever doing it in competition so I’m just stoked on that.”

Over on the women’s side, both Zoe Kalapos and Kinsley White fought hard, but failed to advance to finals. They finished 12th and 13th, respectively, each of them earning career best Worlds Championships finishes. Xuetong Cai (CHN) took gold, Elizabeth Hosking (CAN) silver, and Mitsuki Ono (JPN) the bronze.

The 2023 World Championships have wrapped up for the U.S. Snowboard Team, and there’s still more to come this season. Keep up with all the athletes of the U.S. Snowboard team on skiandsnowboard.live and Peacock!

RESULTS

Men

Women