Andy Wise Sr, an esteemed leader and advocate for the freestyle community, passed away on March 30, 2024, in Denver, Colorado. 

For over 35 years, Wise has been involved in freestyle skiing across all levels, from championing the next generation to working alongside the top athletes in the world, all while serving on countless boards and committees to advance the sport of freestyle skiing. 

In his career, Andy served as the Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Freestyle Division from 1990-1996. Then, in 1999, he became a Sports Committee Chairman and an esteemed member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors, which he held until 2010. He continued his committee work with U.S. Ski & Snowboard on the Freestyle Sports Executive Committee until 2020. Throughout his career, Andy was dedicated to advancing athlete safety, and event logistics. He always strived to create an environment where athletes had the necessary tools to reach their full potential, on and off the snow. 

It is clear that Andy assumed any role and took on any responsibilities that were asked of him to move the sport of freestyle skiing forward. Over the years, he has received his technical delegate, chief of competition, and chief of start FIS licenses. He served as an FIS Technical Delegate at 21 World Cups, 34 FIS events, and two Junior World Championships across moguls, aerials, halfpipe, and ski cross. A person widely recognized for his accomplishments and service to freestyle skiing, taking on FIS assignments in the U.S. and worldwide, serving on the Freestyle Chairman’s Advisory Group and more, no job was too big or small. Through it all, it was clear that with Andy on the team, the job would get done. 

During his tenure, Andy received many awards for his dedicated work. In 2005, he received the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Westhaven Award, given annually to celebrate outstanding work as a technical delegate. Then, last year, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freestyle Sports Committee nominated Andy for the Julius Blegan Award, the highest-level award at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, honoring a member who has contributed service to our sports over a sustained amount of time. 

Andy’s efforts and leadership will be felt for generations to come, and the impact he made and will continue to have across all snow sports will last forever. U.S. Ski & Snowboard extends its sincere condolences to his friends, family, and loved ones. 

Jaelin Kauf and Charlie Mickel took home the dual moguls National Championship titles at the Toyota U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort. 

After receiving upwards of 30 inches of snow in the last 24 hours, putting on a dual moguls event seemed daunting. However, with only an hour's delay, the incredible Waterville staff and volunteers were able to clear the powder and run the event. 

Kauf, the queen of Lower Bobbies run at Waterville Valley Resort, secured her seventh National Championship title, sweeping the podium alongside Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team members Elizabeth Lemley and Alli Macuga. Lemley finished just behind Kauf in second, followed by Macuga in third. This is Lemley’s second and Macuga’s first national championship podium.  

Mickel earned his second national championship title, but first in dual moguls. Gavin Tobey of Wasatch Freestyle joined Mickel on the podium in second and Jackson Crockett of Park City Ski and Snowboard in third. 

Jaelin Kauf earned her third moguls National Championship title today on the infamous Lower Bobbies run at the Toyota U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships at Waterville Valley Resort. 

The East Coast endured a ferocious winter storm that dropped over 10 inches on the resort overnight. To ensure a fair and consistent event, the format was modified to one qualification run instead of two for the 59 athletes. However, the conditions did not damper the day for the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team women’s moguls athletes, sweeping the top six in each round of today’s competition. Wearing bib 1, Kauf held on to the top position throughout the day, never losing her lead. This is Kauf’s sixth National Championship win across moguls and dual moguls, five of which came from Waterville.

Just behind Kauf was Kasey Hogg, a Connecticut native who put down consistently strong runs throughout the day. She finished just 0.33 points off the top box. Tess Johnson rounded out the podium, finishing third, earning her sixth career national championship podium. 

The junior podium was led by Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team member Elizabeth Lemley, who finished fourth overall. The podium was completed by Reese Chapdelaine of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail in second and Olivia Maurais from the Winter Park Competition Center in third. 

The Toyota U.S. Freestyle Moguls Championships at Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire kicked off today with men’s moguls, where Ryan Tam took the top box alongside Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes Nick Page and Charlie Mickel. 

Tam put down the fastest run of the day in super finals, finishing in an impressive 23.81 seconds, earning a huge 84.23 points overall. His speed, accompanied by pristine turns and big airs, helped him beat Page by just 0.11 points. This was Page’s first national championships podium since 2021. Mickel was not far behind in third place with 83.98 points, earning his third career national championship podium. The top four finishers were separated by just 0.39 seconds. Last year’s national champion in both moguls and dual moguls, Cole McDonald, finished fourth. 

The women’s moguls event is tomorrow, March 23, followed by men’s and women’s dual moguls on March 24. You can watch all of the events live on Twitch. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced the 14 athletes who will represent the United States at the 2024 FIS Freestyle Junior World Ski Championships at Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy, April 3-6, 2024. 

This year’s team is comprised of Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team members and top U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes from clubs across the country. Like the national team, the U.S. has a strong history of excellent results at the Junior World Championships across freestyle disciplines. 

This year, moguls and aerials will take place at the same time at the same venue, unlike last year, when the events were completely separate. At the 2023 FIS Aerials Junior Ski World Championships in Obertauern, Austria, Connor Curran, Amelia Glogowski and Ian Schoenwald took second place in the mixed aerials team competition. Glogowski took third in the women’s aerials event and Catherine McEneany also made finals, finishing sixth overall. On the men’s side, Connor Curran finished third overall. 

The moguls athletes are very familiar with Chiesa in Valmalenco, as it is the most common location for Junior Worlds, including last year’s competition. In 2023, the U.S. moguls athletes put on their usual confident performances, including a sweep of the women’s dual mogul podium by Alli Macuga, Skylar Slettene and Kylie Kariotis. Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team members Alli Macuga and Asher Michel took home the gold in the mixed team dual moguls event and Michel finished third in the men’s mogul event. In 2022, the U.S. brought home five Junior World Championships gold medals across moguls and aerials, and six additional podiums. 

Many of the qualified athletes already had successful seasons across all levels. For the moguls athletes, Asher Michel and Charlie Mickel earned new personal bests this season on the World Cup circuit. Porter Huff made his World Cup debut in Deer Valley following his Youth Olympic Winter Games gold medal in team dual moguls.

On the aerials side, Connor Curran earned his first career World Cup podium, finishing second in Deer Valley. Kyra Dossa made her World Cup debut in Deer Valley, finishing in an impressive eighth place. 

The 2024 Freestyle Junior Worlds includes mixed team events for aerials and dual moguls, along with moguls, dual moguls and aerials events for both men and women. 

2024 FIS FREESTYLE JUNIOR SKI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

MOGULS 

Women

• Reese Chapdelaine (Snowmass Village, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/3/2005)
• Zoe Dwinell (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard Club; 12/29/2004)
• Kylie Kariotis (Novato, CA; Telluride Freestyle Team; 7/14/2004)
• Olivia Maurais (Winter Park, CO; Winter Park Competition Center; 9/10/2005)

Men

• Porter Huff (Longmont, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 4/2/2008)
• Camden Lewis (Bedford, ME; Gould Academy; 9/27/2008)
• Asher Michel (Winter Park, CO; Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team/Winter Park Competition Center; 12/09/2005)
• Charlie Mickel (Durango, CO; Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team/Wasatch Freestyle; 7/4/2004)

AERIALS 

Women

• Kyra Dossa (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 1/24/2004)
• Amelia Glogowski (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 1/26/2005)*
• Catherine McEneany (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 11/14/2006)

Men

• Connor Curran (Cincinnati, OH; Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team/Park City Ski & Snowboard; 9/23/2004)
• Ashton Salwan (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 6/23/2004)
• Ian Schoenwald (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 6/18/2004)

* qualified but cannot compete due to injury. 

STAFF

Deb Newson - U.S. Freestyle Development Manager
Joshua Kober - Moguls Discipline Head
Stanislav Kravchuk - Aerials Discipline Head
Sean Ennis - Moguls Development Coach
John Dowling - Moguls Development Coach
Trevor Reilly - Moguls Development Coach
Jack Boyczuk - Aerials Development Coach
Maddie Boyczuk - Aerials Development Coach

CHIESA IN VALMALENCO 2024 COMPETITION SCHEDULE

April 3 - Men’s and women’s moguls
April 4 - Men’s and women’s aerials
April 5 - Mixed aerials team
April 5 - Mixed dual moguls team
April 6 - Men’s and women’s dual moguls

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes have been putting on a show worldwide all season, and today’s dual moguls World Cup finals were no exception. Jaelin Kauf, Elizabeth Lemley and Nick Page stood on the podium, and 10 U.S. athletes finished in the top 10. 

The conditions could not have been better for the final World Cup of the season, with bluebird skies and just below freezing temperatures creating a perfect competition surface. 

Despite a few difficult matchups, the team started the day strong in their qualification duals. All 12 U.S. athletes advanced to the finals round of 16. 

The U.S. men put on one of their best performances of the season. Nick Page came back from a difficult season to finish things off on the podium, finishing third. Rounding out the top five was Dylan Walczyk, a veteran on the team who earned a season’s best result, finishing in fifth place. Newcomer Dylan Marcellini also made the quarterfinals, taking place, and Cole McDonald earned another top 10 result in 10th. Landon Wendler faced off against the greatest moguls skier of all time, Mikael Kingsbury, in the round of 16 to take 16th. 

On the women’s side, the results were nothing short of spectacular. The women avoided dueling each other in qualification, allowing all seven to advance to the finals. The first USA battle was Kasey Hogg vs. Hannah Soar in the round of 16, where Hannah Soar advanced and Kasey Hogg finished 12th. 

It was an all-American affair in the quarterfinals as only two athletes from other countries (Anthony Jakara of Australia and Maia Schwinghammer of Canada advanced. Tess Johnson took on the overall World Cup leader, Jakara, and finished eighth on the day. U.S. athletes Soar and Lemley went head to head, and Lemley advanced by a small margin; Soar finished sixth. Alli Macuga and Olivia Giaccio also dueled in the quarters. Giaccio displayed her technical perfection to advance into the semis; Macuga finished seventh and Giaccio went on to finish just off the podium in fourth place. Lemley, returning from a hiatus from the circuit after winning gold at the Youth Olympic Games, finished third alongside Jaelin Kauf, who finished second. 

As the World Cup season concluded, awards for the overall moguls and dual moguls standings were presented. Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio went second and third, respectively, in both the duals and overall moguls season standings, showcasing their incredible strength and consistency throughout the season. Six U.S. women ranked in the top 10, and Nick Page finished the season fifth in both dual moguls and overall. 

"I think the biggest factor in our success this year was a team culture built around shared success and an attitude of continually striving to do one’s best. The focus wasn’t on results but on consistent quality performances," said Bryon Wilson, head coach of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls team. "I’m blessed to coach such an amazing group of people. We have the best team in the world athletically, which is amazing, but what I love most is the great human beings they are all. As we finish this season and start thinking about next year's prep, I think we will focus a lot on attention to detail. There are a few little things that if we can consistently execute better, I think we can achieve even more success. This season was a blast and I look forward to seeing what everyone is capable of moving forward."

The entire team is now headed back stateside to finish out the season at U.S. Freestyle Championships in Waterville, New Hampshire, March 22-23. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Chris Lillis capped off the 2023-24 aerials World Cup circuit third on the podium on the day and third in the overall season standings. 

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes took on the final World Cup of the season today in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Things took an unexpected turn as intense fog rolled in, causing results to be based on the qualification round. 

All five U.S. women and two men were set to compete in today’s finals, with Chris Lillis and Tasia Tanner leading the way in third and fifth, respectively. Lillis completed an excellent back full double full full, besting some of the greats, including overall silver medalist Pirmin Werner of Switzerland. Connor Curran landed just outside the top five in sixth. Derek Krueger finished 22nd.

Tanner executed a technically proficient back lay full on the women’s side to put herself in fifth place. Karenna Elliott was not far behind in seventh, followed by Kaila Kuhn in eighth, Winter Vinecki in 10th and Megan Smallhouse in 11th. 

In a typical competition, many athletes save their higher-difficulty tricks for later rounds to secure themselves a spot in finals by perfecting their easier skills early on. This choice had a big impact in today’s competition due to the cancelation of finals. Athletes who chose to perform harder skills in qualifying, such as Marion Thenault of Canada, were automatically in a better position in today’s scenario. 

The most significant impact of today’s format change was regarding the overall aerials Crystal Globe. Heading into the final competition, Winter Vinecki led the standings by just 12 points ahead of Australia's Danielle Scott. Vinecki qualified in 10th, while Scott was in second place, allowing Scott to take over the Crystal Globe. Although Vinecki did not finish on top, this was still a breakthrough season for her as one of the only women competing triples and consistently in contention for the top box in any competition. 

This season was also a breakthrough for Tasia Tanner, who was awarded the coveted FIS Rookie of the Year award. Her consistent performances and beautiful execution made her the obvious choice for this year's award. Tanner's results, along with every member of the team’s results, led the U.S. to win the overall aerials Nations Cup for the 2023-24 season. The award is an accumulation of the entire team’s results across the season compared to those of other nations. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes wrapped up their time in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with today’s dual moguls event, where Landon Wendler earned his first World Cup podium alongside teammates Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio. 

At only 216 meters long, today’s course was one of the shortest the athletes raced this season. The short course led to athletes taking more risks in an attempt to take out their opponents, leading a few to lose their composure and ski outside of the control gates. 

The U.S. athletes started their show right off the bat in qualification, where all 12 Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes advanced to the finals. The team avoided dueling against each other in the early rounds, leading to their success. 

Landon Wendler led the way for the U.S. men, taking out impressive opponents, including Matt Graham of Australia and Julien Viel of Canada. Wendler faced off with the greatest mogul skier of all time, Mikael Kingsbury of Canada, in the semifinals. He kept his composure and advancing to the small final, where he finished third, his first career World Cup podium. Wendler’s previous personal best in duals was seventh, which he earned in Almaty this time last year. 

“It means the world to finally stand on the box with people who I have looked up to my whole career,” said Wendler. “As well as all of the hard work and dedication to finally make my dreams come true. I couldn’t have made that dream come true without my parents coaches and friends.” 

Nick Page also advanced to the quarterfinals, finishing eighth, followed by Dylan Walczyk in 10th, Cole McDonald in 12th, and Dylan Marcellini in 16th. 

On the women’s side, we witnessed the familiar sight of Jaelin Kauf and Olivia Giaccio side-by-side on the podium as they finished second and third overall. Kauf took on overall moguls World Cup Crystal Globe winner Jakara Anthony in the big final. The results were as close as you can get, with Anthony winning 18-17. In the small final, Giaccio went head to head with teammate Tess Johnson in another close win of 18-17. The U.S. women swept second-sixth place, with Johnson in fourth, Hannah Soar in fifth and Alli Macuga sixth. Advancing to the round of 16 included Kasey Hogg, finishing 14th, and Elizabeth Lemley in 15th. 

Next up, the team heads to their final World Cup of the season in Chiesa in Valmalenco, Italy for dual moguls World Cup finals Mar. 16.

RESULTS
Women
Men

After a month-long hiatus from World Cup competition, the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes shined in sunny Almaty, Kazakhstan in today’s single moguls World Cup finals. Alli Macuga earned her first career moguls podium in second place and Hannah Soar was third. 

It was a picture-perfect day in Almaty, known as a hub for freestyle skiing in Central Asia. At over 9,000 feet of elevation at the start, this is the highest start of any World Cup moguls event on the circuit. 

The U.S. had a great showing in the qualification round, where all seven women and four men advanced to finals. In finals, Jaelin Kauf, Alli Macuga, Olivia Giaccio and Hannah Soar put down solid runs to move on to the super final round of six. Right on the bubble was Kasey Hogg who is coming off her recent NorAm Cup overall win, finishing eighth, followed by Liz Lemley in ninth and Tess Johnson in 14th. 

On the men’s side, Landon Wendler and Cole McDonald skied well but did not have enough to move on to the super finals against tough competition, finishing seventh and ninth, respectively. Dylan Walczyk finished 14th and Nick Page finished 15th after gaining too much speed in the mid-section and skiing out. Dylan Marcellini finished 24th outside of finals. 

It was a tight competition in the women’s super finals where three U.S. athletes held on to podium positions until the final athlete, World Cup overall moguls Crystal Globe winner Jakara Anthony. With her win today, Anthony broke U.S. moguls legend Hannah Kearney’s record for most World Cup wins in a single season, earning victory number 13.

Macuga set a new personal best by finishing second, earning her first World Cup individual moguls podium. Macuga, the 2022-23 season FIS Rookie of the Year, has had an incredible 2023-24, earning her first career podium earlier this season in the Alpe d’Huez dual moguls. Right behind Macuga was Soar in third, her third podium of the season. Just off the podium was Kauf in fourth followed by Giaccio in sixth. 

"I’ve been working a lot on pushing myself on all aspects of mogul skiing and especially with my jumps and skiing out of them. I’ve been trying to put everything together this season and I still have lots to learn, but I’ve been pushing myself a lot and trying new things with my skiing," said Macuga. "I’m beyond ecstatic to get my first singles World Cup podium, let alone a second place! Especially alongside my teammate Hannah. [Moving forward] I want to keep the momentum going for the rest of the season and, as always, just have fun!"

The team competes Saturday in one of two remaining dual moguls events of the season. Watch the action live on March 8 at 3:30 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women
Men

On the second day of competition in Lac-Beauport, Québec, Canada, Winter Vinecki led the way for the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes, earning her third individual win of the season. 

It was another moody weather day on course with intermittent rain and persistent clouds, leading many athletes to adjust their typical game plans. The weather didn’t appear to significantly impact the U.S. team, however, as they put on a show in the qualification round, advancing five women and two men into the finals. Included in this group was Winter Vinecki, who missed out on yesterday’s finals but qualified in the second position today. She was looking to regain the yellow bib, signifying the overall World Cup leader. Karenna Elliott, yesterday’s winner, ran into trouble in qualification, finishing in 13th place just outside of finals. Derek Krueger also finished outside of finals, landing in 17th, followed by Ashton Salwan in 22nd and Ian Schoenwald in 31st.  

In finals, Vinecki almost lost her balance on her landing, but her score of 76.05 was just enough to put her in the sixth position to advance into the super finals. Chris Lillis fell hard in finals, landing on the knoll, but he skied away unharmed. Just outside super finals was Megan Smallhouse, finishing eighth along with Tasia Tanner in 10th and Kyra Dossa in 11th. It was a close fight in finals for the men, with Connor Curran narrowly missing super finals, finishing in seventh place. Chris Lillis finished 12th. 

Ultimately, Kaila Kuhn and Winter Vinecki represented the United States in the final round of six. Here, Vinecki pulled out all the stops to get in the top spot by competing a back lay-full-full as the only woman attempting a triple in today’s competition. Her efforts paid off, as she earned her third individual and fourth overall win of the season, completed by regaining the well-earned yellow leader's bib. Kuhn toned down her difficulty in super finals but was technically perfect in her back lay-full. Kuhn sat in podium position in third place until the final competitor, current World Cup leader Danielle Scott, bumped her into fourth place. 

The team is headed into a well-deserved rest and training period before they travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan, for their final World Cup of the season on Mar. 10. 

RESULTS
Women
Men