The action in Beidahu continued with the aerials event, and Chris Lillis continued to build on his momentum from Deer Valley with a third place finish. 

The conditions in China did not disappoint with another crisp sunny day for jumping. In qualifications, Karenna Elliott led the way for the U.S. women, throwing a back full full to qualify in fifth place. Dani Loeb missed out on finals, finishing 14th. Tasia Tanner finished 18th.

Quinn Dehlinger and Chris Lillis were determined to build off their podium finishes in Deer Valley, and their quest had a strong start in qualifications. Quinn threw a back full double full full qualifying seventh. Lillis stepped up the difficulty by throwing the highest DD jump in the qualification round, a back double full full full to qualify fourth. Connor Curran finished 17th, followed by Ian Schoenwald in 28th. 

In finals, Elliott, Lillis and Dehlinger all put down great jumps to move on to super finals, where the action began to heat up. Elliott advanced in third place, Dehlinger in fifth and Lillis in sixth. In super finals, Elliott competed a back double full full for the first time, and it was only her fifth time attempting the trick on snow. Against all odds, she was able to land it beautifully, her first time ever landing the skill. This is an exciting move for Elliott to increase her degree of difficulty heading into World Championships. Her jump landed her in fourth place.

“I’m feeling very confident with this trick, considering how new it is and how well it’s going,” said Elliott. “Moving forward, I would like to clean up my form a bit and make my landings a lot sharper.” 

On the men’s side, Dehlinger decided to up the difficulty in super finals and went for a back double full full full. His jump was perfect in the air and form; however, an overrotation caused a fall on the landing. He finished the day sixth. Lillis went for “the daddy” in super finals, a back full double full full, and absolutely stomped it. He earned the highest landing score of the round to finish third, his third podium of the season. 

“It feels good to be getting some solid momentum going into World Championships at the end of the year,” said Lillis. “Each week on the World Cup presents a unique challenge, and Kazakhstan will be no different. It is one of the more difficult sites to jump on tour, but I’ve had a lot of success there in the past and am very familiar with the venue, so I’m just hoping to get there, get acclimate,d and keep putting down solid jumps when it counts.”

Next up, Elliott, Dehlinger and Lillis take on the mixed aerials team event in Beidah together on Feb. 24 alongside Loeb, Curran and Schoenwald. Tune in at 1:00 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Sestriere, ITA (Feb. 23, 2025)— Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated alpine skier of all time, achieved another historic milestone on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025—winning her 100th World Cup in Sestriere, Italy. Achieving this feat just two and a half months after she was injured and on the heels of yet another gold medal from the Saalbach World Championships, Shiffrin further solidified her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time. 

Shiffrin’s 100th historic win in Sestriere was her second World Cup slalom race back after a violent crash at the Stifel Killington Cup in November. En route to what would have been her 100th victory in Vermont, Shiffrin caught an edge and fell just above the finish line, resulting in a seven-centimeter puncture wound in her abdomen that tore into her external and internal oblique muscles. Rising above the lingering mental and physical trauma, Shiffrin didn’t miss a beat to secure her 100th World Cup win in Italy—once again resetting the sport.

Shiffrin has been building upon her success since she claimed her first World Cup win at just 16 years old in the 2012 Åre World Cup in slalom. Now aged 29, Shiffrin’s list of accolades has surpassed all expectations as she redefines the standard of greatness in her sport time and time again. 

In March 2023, her 87th World Cup victory overtook Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark’s World Cup win record set in 1986, making her the winningest alpine skier in history. She is the only skier to win in each of the World Cup’s six disciplines – slalom (63), giant slalom (22), super-G (5), downhill (4), combined (1) and parallel (5). She has won 16 Crystal Globes, five of which are overalls, alpine’s most esteemed achievement. She has also earned three Olympic medals (two gold) and 15 World Championship medals (eight gold) – tied for the most in ski racing history. Statistically, Shiffrin wins 36% of the races she starts and podiums in 56%. Outside of competition, Shiffrin was listed as one of TIME 100’s Most Influential People in 2023, the same year she was awarded an ESPY for “Best Athlete - Women’s Sports.” 

“Mikaela Shiffrin is truly one of a kind,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Not only does she reset record after record within her sport, but she does it with a sense of humility and grace. We are so lucky to have watched the greatest of all time make this centennial mark on the sport, further etching her name in history books.” 

In celebration of her milestone 100th World Cup victory, Shiffrin has partnered with Share Winter Foundation to raise $100,000 in support of its learn-to-ski and snowboard programs, which offers access to youth historically denied access to snowsports. 

“I know that not everyone is blessed with the good fortune I have come across; in fact, very few are, and over the years, the lack of accessibility for a diverse group of people in winter sports has funneled us into a very not diverse community,” reflected Shiffrin. “I see this 100 victory conversation as an opportunity to bring more eyes and, ideally, more passion to the sport. It’s incredible, of course, but I’d like to turn the spotlight to something bigger than me.” 

“Helping Share Winter bring more kids to the mountain is really meaningful. It’s far bigger than me winning 100 races. This will make that 100th victory one of the most meaningful to me,” said Shiffrin.

Constance Beverley, CEO of Share Winter Foundation, highlights the significance of this moment Shiffrin is marking in history as much more than a milestone and an opportunity to celebrate skiing and pay it forward for the next generation. “The willingness to take this moment and transform it into a movement, to share this win in an effort to create opportunity, that’s what makes Mikaela Shiffrin the greatest of all time,” reflected Beverley. “It’s not the win that makes her the best; it’s her understanding of what the win could mean—a chance to reset what’s possible for everyone in our sport.” 

Shiffrin looks forward to building upon her athletic and philanthropic legacy throughout the remainder of the 2024-25 season, with the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics on the horizon. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

ASSETS FOR MEDIA
Media Kit

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Courtney Harkins
Director of Marketing & Communications, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
courtney.harkins@usskiandsnowboard.org 

FOR MIKAELA SHIFFRIN MEDIA INQUIRIES 
Megan Harrod
Mikaela Shiffrin, Publicist
megan.harrod@usskiandsnowboard.org 

###

Sixteen year old rookie Oliver Martin earned his first World Cup victory, and subsequent first World Cup podium, and veteran teammate Red Gearard finished just behind him in second place at Saturday’s slopestyle competition at the the Calgary Snow Rodeo.

The Hydro Flask U.S Snowboard Team put seven riders through to finals on the men's side of competition and the squad came out swinging. After two solid top-to-bottom pulls from Judd Henkes and Sean FitzSimons, rookie Ollie Martin looked to continue the American momentum and delivered. Martin kicked off the rail section with a back 450 boardslide to fakie, a half cab back boardslide 270 and a back boardslide cord 630 weddle before sending a switch back double cork 1260 melon and a back double cork 1440 gorilla on the first two jumps. His third and final jump was the true show stopper- a front double cork 1440 indy off the shark fin feature that had the Canadian crowd on their feet. Cool, calm and collected as ever was Martin as he received his first run score from the judges- a massive 80.60 that put him in the top spot heading into run two. Teammate Red Gerard was the only rider to get in striking distance of Martin’s score, showing veteran composure under pressure to post a second place worthy 78.63 on his first drop after a string of mistakes attributed to the slushy conditions from the warming temperature plagued the second wave of riders

Despite stringing together a solid second pull, Martin was not able to best his first run score on his final attempt and was left anxiously waiting in the finish area with nine riders left who could ruin his chances of a podium result. The rookie watched as teammates Fynn Bullock, Judd Henkes, Sean Fitzsimons, Jake Canter and Dusty Henricksen all aimed for the top spot, but none of the Americans were able to shake up the top-three. Martin and Gerard’s first run scores stood in the top two spots for the entirety of the second run and ultimately earned the teammates a spot next to each other on the podium. Martin’s win in Calgary checks two major milestones off the list for the young sixteen year old rookie- his first World Cup podium and first World Cup victory.

“It feels amazing, I couldn’t be more happy," said Martin. "I didn’t think I was going to do this well today in such a stacked field, but I’m so happy and proud of my riding. Waiting for the other riders to drop was super stressful, especially because of how good everyone is, so I’m just stoked to be on the podium and it makes it even better that it’s a win. So cool being up there with Red, too.”

Martin’s previous best result was a fourth place finish in the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota last month in Aspen. Gerard’s second place finish marks his second time on the podium this season after taking the runner up spot in January’s Laax Open. This was his first podium appearance in Calgary.

Dusty Henricksen, the top American qualifier heading into the final, took fifth overal, Jake Canter seventh, Judd Henkes eighth, Fynn Bullock 12th and Sean Fitzsimons, coming off a third place finish at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen, 15th. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team's Rebecca Flynn was the lone American woman to qualify through to the main event and put down a first run heater to earn her fifth overall on the day. 

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team sits in fifth overall in the Nations Cup standings and Gerard moes up to second place in the men’s snowboard slopestyle overall standings. 

The slopestyle squad has a few weeks off from World Cup competition before heading to Austria’s Absolut Park Flachauwinkl in mid-march for the final slopestyle competition of the 2024/25 FIS Snowboard World Cup season.

Results
Women
Men

Rell Harwood of the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team made it back-to-back slopestyle podiums, capturing third in Stoneham, Quebec, Canada for the final North American World Cup of the season. 

The weather has been tricky all week, with high winds impacting the way athletes structured their runs. In qualifications earlier in the week, five Americans progressed to finals: Harwood, Alex Hall, Konnor Ralph, Mac Forehand and Cody LaPlante. Harwood was the sole woman to progress to finals, while Ralph and Hall were the top qualifiers in their respective heats.

Harwood put down a clean second run and scored a 74.11, bumping her into the third spot. Harwood toned down some of her usual style to cater to the challenging conditions, but still executed cleanly. Harwood was stoked to be on the podium, saying, "I had so much fun skiing today! The weather conditions were challenging, so I was just happy to put a run down that I was stoked on!". Harwood also added a new trick to her repertoire recently, a switch on front 450, that she got to use in her run today.

Harwood was joined on the podium by Italy's Flora Tabanelli in first and China's Ruyi Yang in second. This is Harwood's second consecutive slopestyle podium, having podiumed at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Aspen - and just her second slopestyle podium ever. 

On the men's side, Ralph was one of the only athletes in the field to put down a clean first run. It unfortunately didn't keep him in the top spot, but he came back on run two to secure a fourth place finish. Forehand also had a great second run, landing him in fifth for the day. Hall finished the day in 12th, with LaPlante 14th.

The men's side was won by Austria's Matej Svancer, with New Zealand's Luca Harrington and Ben Barclay in second and third, respectively. 

The race for the Crystal Globe is still on, with one more slopestyle and big air competition to come in Tignes, France. The race is tight and three American men are vying for the Globe. Harwood currently sits in fourth overall for the women, and looks to bump up her standings by the end of the season.

RESULTS
Women
Men

The 2025 Phillips 66 FIS Masters Cup and Western Regional Championships at Big Sky Resort in Montana February 7-9 was a true international event. The start lists included 109 racers from 11 countries: United States, Canada, Austria, Japan, Czechia, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Thanks to the racers who traveled from near and far, the sponsor, Phillips 66, the organizer, Big Sky Ski Education Foundation, and Big Sky Resort for making it a great event. The racing was amazing, but the time spent with friends old and new is what keeps us coming back for more.

In what seems to be a predictable plot twist, there was snow in the forecast for the Friday of SG racing. On race day, there was only a few inches on the ground when it was time for the race officials and crew to head up to prep the hill. It would take some slipping, but would be manageable. While setting the course over the next hour, 3-5 more inches fell and it became an all legs on deck situation. With the guidance of the race officials and crew, the racers slipped through 3-10 times systematically moving the snow to clear the majority of the trail side to side to create a safe race venue. Even the resort ski school instructors not currently with lessons came out to help. It was after lunch when we were given the green light for racing. All the effort was well worth it. The track had been cleared to a prime surface and the course was a blast. Unfortunately, with the extra time needed in the morning to prepare the venue, there was not enough time for a second SG race. The morning slipping had kept everyone warm, but with 12 degree temps with a cool breeze gusting at times, everyone was also looking forward to heading in to warm up. The next stop was awards to rest the weary legs and recoup some of the extra calories burnt. The forecast for the remaining days was for minimal additional snow. 

What Saturday lacked in snow challenges, it made up for it with frigid temperatures. Racers, officials, crew, and volunteers donned every layer, coat, and heating device they had to be out on the hill for the whole day in the low single digit temperatures. Drained by the cold, batteries were replaced on some timing equipment and others devices had hand warmers attached to them just to be able to function. Despite the timing challenges the GS racing was fantastic. The course setters did an excellent job and the racers were going full gas. Hangmans, the race trail for the event has a variety of terrain. The trail has some easy warmup turns at the top before diving down a long pitch, veering to right, then gently rolling down to the finish. Racers gathered again that evening for awards to celebrate the GS winners and congratulate their fellow competitors.

Racers and crew alike were excited to see temperatures in the teens for SL on Sunday. The course setters again did a great job, setting 4 courses for the day. Using the new FIS Masters guidelines, Groups D(women 60+ years) and B(men 60+ years) raced on the right course and Groups C(women 30-59) and A(men 30-59) raced on the left. Racers 18-29 years, ineligible for FIS, but racing in the Western Regional Championships  raced with groups C/A. As racers charged into the finish, they were out of breath and smiling. Though awards were initially planned for outside, racers gladly reconvened in a hotel sitting room by a fireplace for the final awards. Awards wrapped with the announcement of the Western Region Age Class Champions. Women     Men

Race Results

FIS Masters Cup results on the FIS Website and usalpinemasters.org/2025/fismasters

Western Regional Championship results posted at usalpinemasters.org/2025/wr

Western Championships Class Champions:    Women     Men

Race Photos available for purchase from Big Sky Photo.

Good luck to all the competitors chasing globes this season!

The majority of the FIS Masters Cup (FMC) are held in Europe, but each year North America hosts consecutive events in Canada and the United states that draw international competitors looking for a little adventure and the opportunity to get 8-10 FMC starts in the span of a week. For North American racers, it's a key opportunity to get starts close to home so they can be a contender for the FIS Masters Cup with just 1 or 2 trips to Europe - most Masters racers do have jobs, families, and other obligations after all! The winner, of the FMC in each age class, is the racer accumulating the highest number of points taking into account their 12 best races of the season - racers must be ranked in 6 races to be eligible. For most age classes, traveling to the Finals is Europe, is essential to get the double points awarded there. 

FIS Masters Cup Standings

Thank you to our sponsor Phillips 66 for the financial support to buy fun award medals, group awards, and Western Regional Champion fleeces!

After an impressive day one of competition in Beidahu, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team took it up a notch, qualifying nine athletes on to the finals, where Jaelin Kauf continued her winning streak and Tess Johnson joined her on the podium in third place for the first time in almost two years. 

It was another picture-perfect day in China, with the sun peeking through the clouds and a below-freezing temperature keeping the bumps slick and fast, the perfect combination for duals. Due to the lower number of competitors at this event, the women started in the round of 32, and Kauf was able to qualify for the finals automatically. 

In the first round, Kylie Kariotis, Kasey Hogg, Olivia Giaccio and Johnson won their duals to advance to finals alongside Kauf. Kai Owens had a tough first-round dual against Hinako Tomitaka (JPN) and finished the day 17th. All four U.S. athletes advanced on the men’s side, including Dylan Walczyk, who dueled Daeyoon Jung (KOR), who has been having a breakout season. Nick Page, Asher Michel and Charlie Mickel joined him in the finals for the round of 16. 

The 1/8th finals brought some exciting matchups, including Kariotis against Maia Schwinghammer (CAN), who recently had her first World Cup win. Kariotis threw down and won the dual 21 to 14 against the Canadian. The unfortunate side of dual moguls is when two Americans have to go head to head. Giaccio and Hogg battled it out, and Giaccio advanced to the quarter finals. Hogg finished the day 12th. Mickel had one of the toughest matchups of the day in the round of 16, going up against the king, Mikael Kingsbury (CAN). Mickel has said that he has always wanted to duel Kingsbury, so the challenge was welcomed, and he put up a fight but lost the dual 15 to 20. Mickel finished 12th, Walczyk 14th and Michel 16th. 

Kauf went up against Tomitaka (JPN) in the quarter-finals, winning 24 to 11. Kariotis and Giaccio went head to head, and unfortunately, Giaccio suffered a fall that took her out of the competition. Giaccio finished in eighth place. Johnson took on the number three ranked Rino Yanagimoto (JPN) and prevailed, securing herself a spot in the semi-finals and the ability to fight for a medal position. Page also had a battle on his hands in the quarters as he took on Matt Graham (AUS), known as "the missile," for his speed. Page took the win 20 to 15 to advance to the semis. 

In the semifinals, Page was paired with Severi Vierela (FIN) who advanced and went on to earn his first career win. Page finished fourth, his fourth top five finish of the season. 

Of the four spots available in the semifinals, the U.S. women occupied three, guaranteeing at least two podium finishes. Kauf and Kariotis went head to head in semifinal one, where Kauf dominated to advance to the big final. In semifinal two, Johnson went up against Perrine Laffont (FRA) and just missed the big final, losing 15 to 20. 

The small final was an all-American affair, with Johnson and Kariotis battling it out. Kariotis was quick out of the gate, and the competitors were neck and neck the entire way down the course. Unfortunately, Kariotis blew out right before the bottom air. Johnson’s win in the small final brought her to the third spot on the podium, her first podium finish in almost two years and her first duals podium since 2021. Despite skiing out, Kariotis’ performance in the duals earned her a new personal best, finishing fourth, an incredible accomplishment. 

The big final was a familiar lineup, with Kauf dueling Laffont once again for the top spot on the podium. Kauf, known for her speed, pushed the pace the entire way down the course, and Laffont couldn’t keep up, having to ski out to save herself from a fall. This is Kauf’s 11th podium finish in a row and fifth consecutive win.

“I’m super happy with my skiing today, the duals were super fun and I’m so stoked to take the win and share the podium with my teammate Tess getting her first podium of the year,” said Kauf. 

This win further advances her lead in the overall World Cup season standings. Kauf has been second overall three times, but has never won the overall Crystal Globe. The last American to win an overall Globe was Hannah Kearney in 2015. 

Next up, the moguls athletes head to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for another set of moguls and dual moguls events Feb. 28-Mar. 1. Plus, the action in Beidahu continues with aerials on Feb. 23 and mixed aerials team on Feb. 24. Tune in at 1:00 a.m. ET both days on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Maddie Mastro secured the coveted FIS World Cup Crystal Globe with a second place finish and Alessandro Barbieri earned his first career World Cup podium at the FIS snowboard halfpipe World Cup finale in Calgary.

Dawning the FIS World Cup leader bib, two-time Olympian Mastro came out of the gates swinging and put down a solid first run score of 83.25 that kept her in the top spot for most of Friday's competition. After falling on her second drop, Mastro took it up a notch and laced together a run the judges deemed worthy of 85.25 to separate herself from the rest of the women's field. Holding the top spot with only one rider left to drop, Mastro watched as Japan's Sena Tomita dropped in the ditch for the final time and anxiously awaited as the judges debated the Japanese rider's score. Tomita's final run ultimately earned her the top spot on the podium, marking her first World Cup victory of her career, and cemented Mastro's spot in second place. Supportive as ever, Mastro joined competitors Tomita and Canada's own Elizabeth Hosking on the stack of hay bales for the final FIS halfpipe World Cup podium of the season. Sonny Alba, the only other American woman to make the final, earned eighth place overall.

Mastro was immediately called back up to the hay bales for the overall FIS women's halfpipe Crystal Globe presentation and this time took the top spot, earning the overall victory on the season by a landslide 60 point margin. The 2024-25 season will go down as historic for Mastro, who earned three never-been-dones and clocked her first individual World Cup victory in route to standing atop the FIS snowboard halfpipe World Cup standings. With her second place finish in Calgary, Mastro is the only female competitor to crack the 300 point mark on the season. Her victory comes after earning the second overall spot last season and third overall in the season prior, proving Mastro continues to trend in only one direction: up.

"I’ve been slowly building and I'm grateful for the people and the support system around me that have helped support me in this process," said Mastro. "I've put a lot of work in and I'm really proud to have achieved this goal. I couldn't have done it without all of the help from the people around me. I'm just really really grateful."

But the celebration didn't stop there. Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team's Alessandro Barbieri earned his first World Cup podium of his young career. The 16 year old threw down the run of his life to earn a massive 83.25, besting New Zealand's Campbell Melville Ives's run by a fourth of a point. Pulling out his signature black ace card, Barbieri celebrated with teammate Lucas Foster, who joined him in finals and walked away with a respectable fifth place finish in a stacked men's field. American Jason Wolle finished ninth.

Mastro, Barbieri and Foster will head back to Aspen, Colorado for team legend Shaun White's inaugural Snow League event, Mar. 7-8, before heading back to Europe for the FIS World Championships, Mar. 17-30.

Results
Women
Men

On Saturday’s downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top U.S. performer in 13th place. Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg and Sam Morse rounded out the points in 17th, 25th and 30th. 

After two strong training days for the U.S. team, the results were not quite the same as the skiers had hoped. Cochran-Siegle had a podium early on the season and has shown speed consistently on training days and in sections but has had trouble finding the same intensity on race day. 

“I’m feeling let down because I have consistently been racing the past few months at a lower level than what I’ve shown I’m capable of from training runs,” said Cochran-Siegle. “Clearly I am letting something affect me on race day that isn’t allowing me to trust myself and my ability to reach my full potential.” 

Despite the frustrations the Olympic silver medalist knows that he has the skiing to be on top - he plans to reset for the upcoming and final races of the year. 

“It’s up to me to figure out that mental block to move forward and let the better skiing happen,” said Cochran-Siegle.

It was another Swiss sweep in the downhill with youngster Franjo Von Allmen in first, Marco Odermatt in second and Alexis Monney in third. 

The men are happy to be putting four men in the 30 but know they can do more. The next downhill for the World Cup men will be in Kvitfjell, Norway March 7-8.

RESULTS 
men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. - men’s super-G, Crans Montana, SUI - skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s second giant slalom race in Sestriere, Italy. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt posted her season best result in seventh with Paula Moltzan close behind in eighth place. 

“I feel like I'm feeling more like myself from last year, I feel pretty good,” said AJ Hurt. 

The weather proved to be opposite from the day before that brought sunshine. Instead there was a deep fog that sat at the top of the hill for some time. Regardless of the difficult visibility the race went on as planned. The first run was challenging with a straight set but flat light, which meant the women had to take more risk. The top 10 stacked with less than a second from first to 10th. 

The women ended up throwing four women into the second run all very close together with their times. In the flip included up-and-coming junior athlete Elisabeth Bocock who previously scored her first points in Killington earlier this season. 

On the second run the sun started to peak out which made the light much better on the course. With the stronger visibility amongst the packed house of Italian fans, it was going to be an exciting second run. First Bocock skied fierce to land in the points and ultimately tie her season best result of 23rd. Then AJ Hurt ripped down the course to earn her season best result of seventh place. Moltzan had quite a few errors but still managed to land eighth. 

“I just feel like I was able to find more confidence here and have some good turns and finish it off well,” said Hurt. “It feels really cool to be part of the U.S. team right now. There's so many girls doing that well and I am very proud of them all.” 

The winner of the race was Italian Federica Brignone, who wowed the home crowd with her fantastic skiing; second place was Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, and in third was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson.  Stifel U.S. Ski Team skiers Nina O’Brien, Katie Hensien and Mary Bocock did not finish but are OK. 

The tech women will now switch to slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS 
women's giant slalom 

HOW TO WATCH 
3:45 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 1, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live
6:15 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 2, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Jaelin Kauf is on her way to a historic World Cup season, earning her fourth win in a row and extending her podium streak to nine in the Beidahu moguls event. This is the longest U.S. moguls winning streak since Olympic champion Hannah Kearney won 16 World Cups in a row in the 2011-12 season. Teammate Olivia Giaccio finished in third place, her sixth podium of the season. 

The sun was out and the bumps were smooth in Beidahu, Jilin, China, making it for a perfect day of moguls World Cup competition. In the women's qualification round, all six U.S. athletes advanced to the finals. Kauf was the final athlete to drop - coming off two back-to-back wins on home snow in Deer Valley just a week prior, Kauf is riding a high and today, she wanted to keep that streak going. She knew exactly what she needed to do to qualify, and she did that and more. Kauf bested the second-fastest qualification time by over 1.5 points, along with one of the day's highest turns and air scores. Kasey Hogg also advanced to finals ranked fifth, Tess Johnson sixth, Olivia Giaccio 10th, Kylie Kariotis 11th and Kai Owens 14th. 

“I feel really good about [my run], I was trying to be one of the fastest girls out there which I feel like I did, and overall, it felt really strong,” said Kauf. “There are a few things to tweak and improve on for finals but I’m stoked to take the top spot in qualies, I feel like I don’t ever do that.”

Nick Page and Charlie Mickel continued to build on their momentum from Deer Valley qualifying into finals ranked fourth and 10th, respectively. Page earned the highest air score in the qualification round, setting himself up nicely for finals. Asher Michel just missed out on the round of 16, finishing the day 19th. Dylan Walczyk was 29th. 

As the day continued, the sun began to sink behind the trees, quickly shrouding the course in shade. The bumps became icy, increasing the speed the athletes could achieve in their runs, leading to quicker times as the day progressed. 

In finals, Kauf continued her tear with the fastest time to keep her in the top spot heading into super finals. Johnson, with her signature venom grab on the bottom air, earned the largest air score of the day and qualified fourth. Giaccio also advanced in fifth. Hogg barely missed out on advancing to super finals by 0.24 points, finishing seventh overall. Kariotis earned another top 10 and Owens landed in 15th. Page finished the day seventh, followed by Mickel in 11th. 

Giaccio was the first U.S. athlete to drop in super finals, and she took every success she had throughout the day and put them together to earn her highest score of the day, finishing third with 78.43 points. 

“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in China, but I’m really excited to build my way up and improve every run, so I’m excited to be on the podium,” said Giaccio. “I’m ready to build into tomorrow, I think there’s going to be some very fast runs considering how tight the course is, so I’m looking forward to seeing what I can bring” 

Johnson put down another smooth and consistent run to finish fourth, her fifth top-five finish of the season. All of the pressure in the world was on Kauf’s shoulders as she stood atop the course as the last athlete to drop, but you would never know by her performance. She clocked the fastest time of the day, in classic Kauf fashion, and had some of the top turns and air scores. In her pre-finals interview, she said she would hold onto the top spot and that she did, earning her 13th career victory and taking over the overall moguls World Cup standings from Perrine Laffont of France.

“That was the game plan today, just trying to improve a little bit each run and save the best for last, and that’s what I did,” said Kauf. “It was a lot of fun skiing this course today. It’s super exciting [leading the overall], we still have a handful of competitions so I hopefully can hold that spot and keep building on today’s result.”

Next, the moguls athletes take on duals on the same course on Feb. 22 at 1:00 a.m. ET. Tune in live on skiandsnowboard.live. 

RESULTS
Women
Men