A partnership with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard became official last May: the Omini brand will kit all sports for the next 10 years. 

Release courtesy of Kappa.

Torino, 29 November 2022 – After the announcement on May 10th of a 10-year partnership between Italian brand Kappa® and U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the first winter collection produced by Kappa®’s R&D center is now available online at Kappa.com and inside the main retail stores.

The first Kappa® US SKI & SNOWBOARD offer – activewear version of the racing clothes worn by the athletes on the U.S. team – includes: ski jacket and pants, fleece sweater, ultra-light down jacket, heat-sealed windproof, waterproof down jacket, cotton T-shirt, tracksuit (hoodie + pants), visor hat and a wool hat in dark navy blue with U.S. Ski & Snowboard team logos. There will also be, for a few exclusive items, in white and red, designed to represent colors of the Stars and Stripes.

Six young athletes from U.S. Ski & Snowboard are protagonist of the advertising campaign shot in Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) last October, including alpine skier Bella Wright, freestyle moguls skier Kai Owens, freeskier Jay Riccomini, cross country skier Luke Jager and up-and-coming athletes Izzy Worthington and Bo Giddings.

It is the first time that a single outerwear and racing suit brand appears on the uniforms of all the winter sports teams of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard: alpine ski, snowboard, freestyle, freeski and cross country.

The new Kappa® 4CENTO 400 KOMBAT SL 2022 US uniforms immediately conquered the first two podiums in the FIS Ski World Cup 2022-23 season with a double victory by Mikaela Shiffrin in Levi, Finland, on 19 and 20 November.

ABOUT KAPPA®

Kappa® is one of the brands owned by BasicNet SpA, an Italian company that also owns Robe di Kappa®, Jesus Jeans®, K-Way®, Superga®, Sabelt®, Briko® and Sebago®, leading clothing, footwear and accessories brands for sport and leisure. BasicNet operates worldwide through a network of entrepreneurs who, under license, produce or distribute products with the Group’s trademarks. BasicNet provides these companies with research and development, product industrialization and global marketing services. All business processes take place solely via the internet, which makes BasicNet a “fully web integrated company”. BasicNet, based in Turin, has been listed on the Italian Stock.

ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to fully funding the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

PARK CITY, Utah - U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced Brandon Gayle as its newest Board Director. Gayle’s experience includes positions across several industries including Facebook, Instagram, Groupon and Bain & Company. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E), the parent company of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. Gayle also has notable board experience, including serving as a board member for the customer experience giant Zendesk and as Vice Chair of the private-public nonprofit greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership. 

As COO of SS&E, Gayle currently leads the teams responsible for the organization’s operations across ticketing, premium seating, global partnerships, brand marketing, content and distribution, merchandising, as well as business communications. In addition to the NBA’s Spurs, the company’s portfolio includes the NBA G League Austin Spurs, the United Soccer League’s San Antonio FC, AT&T Center and Toyota Field. 

Prior to joining SS&E, Brandon spent more than six years in multiple roles with Facebook. As Director of Global Sports Partnerships & Solutions, his team was responsible for helping athletes and sports properties in North America create interactive content, including Instagram, Messenger and Oculus. Prior to this role, Brandon led global sports partnerships at Instagram, where his work ultimately led to Sports Business Journal naming him to their Forty Under 40 Class of 2018, as well as his selection to the Leaders Under 40 Awards Class of 2017 by Leaders and Aspire Academy. 

“We are very excited to have Brandon join our Board,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors Chair Kipp Nelson. “His experience across multiple companies will be invaluable. As we look to take our organization to the next stage, we will really benefit from his relevant knowledge in various areas.”

Gayle also served as Director of Strategic Partnerships at Groupon, as a consultant for Bain & Company and in a strategy and finance role with the New York Jets. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Harvard College.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the board and to be a part of a dynamic organization that is known for supporting their athletes and fans at the highest level,” said Gayle. “U.S. Ski & Snowboard has incredible commercial momentum and a strong brand identity. I can’t wait to get to work supporting the board, CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, her leadership team and the organization's talented athletes.” 

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ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

The stacked domestic World Cup schedule begins this week with the infamous Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel in Killington, Vt., on Nov. 26-27, with the women returning to the start gate in front of a massive crowd over Thanksgiving weekend. Through a new partnership, Outside, a new broadcast partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard will be broadcasting live and on-demand every domestic event with new commentators calling the action straight from the venue to you at home. 

For the 2022-23 season, Outside welcomes familiar voices who have called U.S. Ski & Snowboard events for years. Jonathan “DC” Oetken, Chris “Uncle E” Ernst and Jimmy Coleman  are back behind the mic doing the play-by-play, along with new talent that includes veteran broadcasters, alumni athletes and Olympians, providing a fresh sound to World Cups across the country. 

Meet the Announcers 

Play-By-Play

• Jonathan “DC” Oetken: DC has been in the game for many years, calling Toyota U.S. Grand Prixs, Dew Tours, X Games, World Cups, Olympics and more across all U.S. Ski & Snowboard sports. 
• Jimmy Coleman: Jimmy, who will focus on play-by-play this season, is known for his tv personality when he’s hosting numerous action sports events. Jimmy has been with the X Games broadcasting team for over 18 years, specifically with the BMX events and has worked in the announcing industry for over 20 years. 
• Chris “Uncle E” Ernst: A legend on the microphone and in the ski industry, Uncle E is an announcer that knows the ins and outs of all the athletes, competition and history. Often in the crowd commentating during event live shows, you will also find Uncle E behind the mic this season providing entertaining play-by-play from the Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley.

Color

• Marco Sullivan: Marco Sullivan is not only a Stifel U.S. Alpine Team alum, but also a three-time Olympian and has four World Cup podiums and a World Cup victory. In the past, he has primarily done venue work but will shift his focus to being an analyst this season. 
• Resi Stiegler: Three-time Olympian and Stifel U.S. Alpine Team alum Resi Steigler is diving into the broadcast announcing world and will start the season by calling the Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel, an event she raced three times during her career.
• Tricia Byrnes: With 15 World Cup halfpipe victories and a sixth place finish in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, U.S. Snowboard Team alum Tricia Byrnes comes with various announcing experience and will be an analyst in all of the domestic snowboarding events.
• Pete Arneson: A pioneer of freeskiing and over a decade of experience judging various slopestyle events like the X Games, Dew Tour, World Cups and the Olympics, Pete Arneson comes to his announcing role with a unique perspective of our sports and its athletes. 

Breaking it Down - Who is Announcing Each Event?

Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel at Killington, Nov. 26-27, 2022

• Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
• Resi Steigler – Color

Xfinity Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, Dec. 2-4, 2022

• Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
• Marco Sullivan – Color

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix & Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Copper Mountain, Dec. 14-17, 2022  

• Snowboard (Qualifiers & Finals)
  • Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
  • Tricia Byrnes – Color
• Freeski (Qualifiers) 
  • Jimmy Coleman – Play-by-Play
  • Pete Arneson – Color
• Freeski (Finals)
  • Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
  • Pete Arneson – Color

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, Feb 1-4, 2023

• Snowboard (Qualifiers & Finals)
  • Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
  • Tricia Byrnes – Color
• Freeski (Qualifiers) 
  • Jimmy Coleman – Play-by-Play
  • Pete Arneson – Color
• Freeski (Finals)
  • Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play

Pete Arneson – Color

Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International at Deer Valley, Feb. 2-4

• Chris Ernst “Uncle E”– Play-by-Play
• TBD – Color

Palisades Tahoe World Cup, Feb. 25-26, 2023

• Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
• TBD – Color

Aspen World Cup, March 2-5, 2023

• Jonathan “DC” Oetken – Play-by-Play
• TBD – Color

Find the full schedule of events and how to watch them on Outside here. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announces the launch of the Heroic Initiative—a movement celebrating and empowering women in skiing and snowboarding. The multi-faceted program will be brought to life at the newly renamed 2022 Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel, the world’s most attended women’s FIS World Cup, as a space to discuss, honor and lead innovation in women in skiing and snowboarding. Stifel is the first partner of an activation as part of the Heroic program. 

The initiative is designed to celebrate the power of women while also investing in their future success. In the 2022-23 debut season of Heroic, the first focus will be coaching, launching at Killington. While the participation of women in skiing and snowboarding continues to grow, only 25% of skiing and snowboarding coaches are women with even less representation at the elite level. Heroic Coaching aims to increase the number of women coaches at all levels of our sports.

“The Heroic Initiative was created because U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to providing more leadership, opportunities and mentorship for women to achieve further greatness in our sports,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “This multi-faceted and purpose-driven initiative aims to empower, inspire and lead women in their fields on and off the snow and we could not be more excited to kick it off at the 2022 Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel.”

The Heroic initiative is building on a program spearheaded by leading women at the organization, including U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Director of High Performance Gillian Bower, DPT, Director of Sport Science Tschana Schiller, Director of Sports Medicine Jaron Santelli, MD and Clinical Specialist Torey Anderson, DPT. The system includes health and wellness programs to help female athletes track their hormone levels and menstrual cycles to gain knowledge about their personal physiology, know how to better fuel their bodies and make better-informed decisions on their training schedules and intensity levels. The team has also engaged two additional female sports psychologists in 2022 to provide more opportunities for women athletes to connect and develop a relationship with a woman provider.

Additionally, U.S. Ski & Snowboard plans to work with women leaders in other industries to provide fellowships for athletes and women in the industry, as well as long-term goals to develop grants to address core challenges. These objectives include programs like flex funds to allow a woman coach to step in for another woman coach when one has responsibilities outside of her sport, a childcare fund to support coaches of all genders bringing their children on the road or need childcare while working, studies to learn about the barriers preventing women from rising as coaches, and mentorship programs to allow female coaches to learn elite coaching strategies on the national team. 

“Hosting the best female alpine skiers in the world each year is just one thing that’s made Killington the premier destination for women’s alpine skiing and its fans,” says Killington Director of Brand Marketing and Events Amy Laramie. “Our commitment to empowering women lasts long after the Killington Cup is over. The Beast has produced Olympians such as Donna Weinbrecht and Hannah Soar and we’ve consistently hosted women’s camps and clinics for years, just a few of the reasons we’re proud to be an epicenter of women’s skiing.”

The first-ever Heroic Summit will take place at the annual Heroic Killington Cup presented by Stifel and will feature speaker panels and meet and greets, all centered around the common goal of advancing women in winter sports. 

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ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

(PARK CITY, UTAH)  — Pacifico® extends contract as the official beer of U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the 2022-23 season. Pacifico has been a premier corporate partner since January 2019 and will continue to serve our fans and athletes in the upcoming year.

Pacifico Clara®, a golden lager with a crisp, refreshing flavor, was first brewed in the small Mexican port town of Mazatlán in 1900, then rediscovered in Baja by California surfers. Excited by their find, the surfers loaded up a few cases of the rich golden lager into their van and returned north, becoming the first “importers” of Pacifico. With support from the surfing community, Pacifico has grown to be the beer for independent spirits who followed their own path. The brand has been a steadfast supporter of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team for years.

“We are very excited to extend our partnership with Pacifico as the official beer of U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” says Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “For years, Pacifico has been a loyal, creative partner and we look forward to having their great product on hand for our fans to enjoy at every domestic World Cup around the U.S.”

With the extension, Pacifico remains a partner throughout the 2022-23 season at hospitality events, après parties, vendor villages and within the competition spectating areas at each domestic World Cup event, including:

Freeski and Snowboard

• Dec. 16-17: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, Colorado; men and women’s halfpipe
• Dec. 16-17: Visa Big Air presented by Toyota, Copper Mountain, Colorado; men and women’s big air
• Feb. 2-4: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Mammoth Mountain, California; men and women’s halfpipe/slopestyle

Freestyle

• Feb. 2-4: Intermountain Healthcare Freestyle International, Deer Valley, Utah; men and women’s aerials, moguls, dual moguls

Alpine

• Nov. 26-27: Killington Cup, Vermont; women’s slalom/giant slalom
• Dec. 2-4: Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill/downhill
• Feb. 25-26: Palisades Tahoe, California; men’s slalom/giant slalom
• March 3-5: Aspen World Cup, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill

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About Pacifico®

Pacifico Clara® is a golden lager with a crisp, refreshing, flavor. Founded in Mazatlán, Mexico in 1900, Pacifico was originally “imported” to the U.S. by Californian surfers who visited Baja, loved the beer and brought it back to the U.S. to share with other like-minded individuals. Those surfers epitomized the essence of Pacifico – independent spirits who followed their own path – and their spirit is carried on by the brand to this day. Explore the story that’s inspired countless others to Live Life Anchors Up by visiting discoverpacifico.com and instagram.com/pacificobeer. 

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

For More Information, Please Contact:

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Courtney Harkins, Director, Marketing and Communications

courtney.harkins@usskiandsnowboard.org

978.314.1019

Pacifico

Stephanie McGuane

stephanie.mcguane@cbrands.com

312.805.2906

Known as the "Oscars" of sports awards, the AAU James E. Sullivan Award honors an outstanding athlete in the United States and has been recognizing the nation's best since 1930. This year, U.S. Ski & Snowboard's very own Chloe Kim is nominated among 19 other incredible nominees and she needs your help to bring home another win! 

Chloe is the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal at just 17 years old. Her storied career on the U.S. Snowboard Team started in 2015 and includes countless victories, most notably two Olympic gold medals in halfpipe at the 2018 and 2022 Olympic Winter Games, two World Championship victories and several X Games medals. Off the snow, Chloe was recognized at the ESPYs as the Best Female Action Sports Athlete, Best Female Athlete and Best Female Olympian. 

Voting is open to the public and closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. You can vote once per day up until voting closes. 

VOTE NOW!