PARK CITY, Utah ­– Ahead of the season-opening FIS Alpine World Cup event in Soelden, Austria, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing for ski and snowboard sports in the USA, has announced its new broadcast deal with Infront, a leading full-service sports marketing company based in Zug, Switzerland.

The new agreement takes the existing partnership between U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Infront, which first began in 1998, through to the 2025-26 season and includes the global broadcast rights, ex USA, for all of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s domestic Alpine Skiing, Ski Jumping (including Ski Flying), Nordic Combined, Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Cup events. The portfolio of events includes the upcoming Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Killington, Vt. (November 24-25) featuring global superstar and double Olympic Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) and the Beaver Creek Xfinity Birds of Prey, Audi FIS Ski World Cup (November 30 - December 2), featuring double Olympic Gold Medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah). The global broadcast viewership for these events last season was approximately 91 million and 122 million respectively. Both Shiffrin and Ligety will be racing in the season-opening Audi FIS Ski World Cup event in Soelden, Austria October 27-28.

“We are delighted to lock in this rights deal with Infront,” said Dan Barnett, Chief Marketing Officer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Infront is an incredibly important partner of our organization – without them, we would not be able to showcase the extraordinary feats of our marquee athletes to the hundreds of millions of ski and snowboard fans around the world.”

Adding to Barnett’s thoughts is Bruno Marty, Infront Senior Vice President Winter Sports, who said, “U.S. Ski & Snowboard is a highly valued partner and everyone at Infront is delighted to have prolonged our long-term partnership. Our global audience has many heroes to cheer for and this renewed agreement means that they will have even more access to watch their favorite stars and U.S. events for years to come.”

PARK CITY, Utah - Clarity of avalanche warnings as well as lack of snow safety education and knowledge of the local ski environment by athletes and coaches were primary issues cited in a report detailing the 2015 avalanche deaths of two U.S. Ski Team athletes. The skiers had not seen avalanche warning reports so were unaware of the danger and unfamiliar with the nature of off-piste skiing at the European resort.

A comprehensive accident report was released Monday (Oct. 22) to the public and the avalanche education community by the Bryce and Ronnie Athlete Snow Safety Foundation (BRASS). The report will be used as a tool by BRASS to advocate for changes in snow safety warning systems as well as expansion of education to prevent future accidents.

The report was produced for the BRASS Foundation by noted avalanche safety expert Bruce Tremper, the retired director of the Utah Avalanche Center, and contains official reports of the Austrian agencies responsible for management of the accident.

Bryce Astle (Sandy, Utah) and Ronnie Berlack (Franconia, N.H.) were killed January 5, 2015. They were among a group of six athletes skiing on the Rote Karl run off the Gaislachkogel lift in Sölden. The athletes were in the resort west of Innsbruck attending an on-snow training camp. The morning of the accident, they were free skiing on the mountain after heavy snow forced cancelation of planned training sessions. The report outlines the fact that the athletes did not know they were skiing in an uncontrolled area of the resort and there was no English language signage.

“The accident was a great tragedy for our families and our sport,” said Steve Berlack, father of Ronnie and a ski coach himself. “But we are committed to using this accident as a platform for change so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”

The report outlines precise details of the morning, citing a variety of situations that led to the accident. With new snow, avalanche warning conditions were at Level 3 that morning, on a scale of five, indicating danger was ‘considerable.’ The report cited that the skiers and coaches did not have a distinct understanding of the danger level and that signage at the lift was not clear. 

“Our initiative from the accident is to improve snow safety culture,” said BRASS Foundation Board Chairman Jamie Astle, father of Bryce. “It’s a two-pronged approach for us. First, we will look at ways we can influence the avalanche safety community to improve warning systems. Second, we will advocate for greater avalanche education, especially for ski racing athletes and coaches.”

Since its formation in 2016, BRASS has been active in the avalanche education community. Last Spring, BRASS helped fund a series of three-day on-snow avalanche education sessions for U.S. Ski Team athletes and coaches at Snowbird, Utah, certified by the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE). 

Earlier this month, Cindy Berlack, mother of Ronnie, lobbied avalanche safety officials at the International Snow Safety Workshop in Innsbruck, Austria. Over 1,000 snow scientists and safety managers were in attendance. Berlack was seeking an evolution of the warning scale used by resorts as well as universal multilingual signage standards.

In Sölden this week, officials will unveil new English-language signage across the resort as well as dedicating a memorial to the two athletes along the road leading to the Rettenbach Glacier race course where the Audi FIS Ski World Cup opens Oct. 27-28.

“The entire Sölden community has rallied around our sons and taken aggressive steps to make their mountain safer for all,” said Steve Berlack. “Cindy found a welcome reception by the avalanche community at the ISSW workshop. We already feel we’re having a positive impact.” 

BRASS and Sölden will hold a reception on Wednesday, Oct. 24 to announce the changes leading up to the weekend World Cup opener.

The snow safety foundation will continue its work in America this winter, notably on the educational front. A BRASS-produced film Off Piste, featuring a recreation of the accident as well as comments from noted athletes Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller, and Ted Ligety, will be released to the public in November. BRASS will also prioritize its efforts to bring more educational programs to skiers.

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product, launched “Snow Pass” today, giving fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019. “Snow Pass” will feature an unprecedented 700+ hours – including nearly 100 exclusive hours – of coverage of FIS alpine skiing, nordic combined, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, biathlon, and snowboarding events. The 2018-19 “Snow Pass” is available for purchase now for $69.99 by visiting NBCSportsGold.com.

“Coming off the success of the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, the appetite for winter sports coverage has never been greater,” said Portia Archer, Vice President, Direct-to-Consumer Services, NBC Sports Group. “Whether it’s the thrill of the downhill, the endurance of cross-country, or the majesty of the ski jump, we’re excited to give fans more content than ever before.”

A complement to the hundreds of hours of Olympic winter sport programming airing across NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and their respective digital platforms [hyperlink], “Snow Pass” includes every remaining stop of the World Cup season for each of the seven sports, including exclusive live and on-demand coverage of many alpine skiing events, beginning Oct. 27. The pass also features live and on-demand coverage of the FIS World Championships, which take place every other year, from February–March 2019.

NBC Sports Gold holds the exclusive rights to all FIS events held in Austria and will stream the first FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup races of the 2018-19 season from Soelden, Austria, on “Snow Pass” on Oct. 27-28.

NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and online at NBCSportsGold.com. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions. Click here for more information.

Following is the schedule for NBC Sports Gold’s 2018-19 “Snow Pass” (organized by sport):

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GOLD

NBC Sports Gold is NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that provides sports fans with access to exclusive premium sports events and content, live and on-demand, at an affordable price. Launched in 2016 with a single cycling product, NBC Sports Gold currently offers 11 individual sports “passes” – eight national (Premier League, Cycling, Track & Field, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Rugby, Pro Motocross -- also available internationally, and Snow, which consists of seven Winter Olympic sports); two regional (Blazers and Philly); and two international (Notre Dame Football & Pro Motocross). In 2019, NBC Sports Gold will add PGA TOUR LIVE and INDYCAR. More sports are expected to be added soon. Among the premium events and content offered by NBC Sports Gold are 150 Premier League matches; the Tour de France and many more prominent cycling races around the world; USA Track & Field and IAAF Diamond League events; domestic and international figure skating competitions; every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match; the entire 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; 700+ hours of seven Winter Olympic sports; and all Notre Dame Football home games for international fans.

STAMFORD, Conn. – NBC Sports will showcase 150-plus hours of 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup programming, including nearly 90 hours of coverage on the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and more than 70 hours spanning NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and the Olympic Channel app.

Additional FIS Alpine Skiing coverage will also be available on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product – and the Olympic Channel digital platforms. Among the events exclusive to NBC Sports Gold are the season-opening races in Soelden, Austria on October 27-28. Further details will be announced Monday, Oct. 22.

U.S. Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, and Ted Ligety, as well as Steven Nyman, Travis Ganong, Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Tommy Ford headline the U.S. Ski Team in 2018-19. Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, is four wins away from tying Ingemar Stenmark’s World Cup record of 86 victories, which has stood for nearly three decades. The 34-year-old recently announced that she plans to retire following the season, whether she breaks Stenmark’s record or not. Shiffrin, who won gold in giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and has three Olympic medals to her name, is the two-time defending overall World Cup champion.

NBC Sports’ 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup schedule also includes events in Lake Louise, Alberta (Nov. 24 – 25, Nov. 30 – Dec. 2); Killington, Vt. (Nov. 24 – 25); Beaver Creek, Colo. (Nov. 30 – Dec. 2); St. Moritz, Switzerland (Dec. 8 – 9); Wengen, Switzerland (Jan. 18 – 20); and the FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships in Åre, Sweden (Feb. 2 – 17).

The season culminates with more than 15 hours of coverage of the 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals in Soldeu, Andorra, beginning March 13.

STREAMING COVERAGE OF FIS ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide streaming coverage of the 2018-19 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup events airing on NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

All linear coverage on NBCSN will stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. All linear coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will stream on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel app, in addition to NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Follow the latest Alpine Updates for broadcast and streaming schedules.

PARK CITY, Utah – Jack Price (Bozeman, Mont.) and feature athlete Rodney Koford (Park City, Utah) were named the winner of the 2019 Breaking Boundaries Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships Youth Film Contest for their short film titled “Pushing the Boundaries.”

The film contest was open to young filmmakers ages 21 and younger to tell their own stories about breaking boundaries. The concept of “breaking boundaries” is one that is very familiar to athletes in the world of competitive snowboarding, freestyle and freeskiing as it to relates to a core goal of each discipline, progression. Aubrie Walker (Park City, UT), was named runner-up, communicating a powerful story she called “Despondent.” Each young filmmaker had a unique take on the contest, inspiring those who watch their films in very different ways.

“Winning this contest means a lot to me because it was my first documentary-style film contest I have ever entered,” said contest winner Jack Price. “I really felt like AK and my story could be told in an interesting way. I am going to Film school at Montana State next year so this gives me a lot of confidence in my ability to succeed there. My message for this film was to highlight how two people can come from different backgrounds and be so similar in their ambitions. I am very proud of the video as a whole and it got me excited to make more videos like this in the future.”

The 2019 Breaking Boundaries Snowboard, Freestyle, and Freeski World Championships Youth Film Contest were hosted in partnership with The Park City Summit County Arts Council, the Park City Film Series, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Winners were selected by a panel of judges including the partners mentioned above, local freestyle/freeski athletes and other leaders in the arts and film community local to Park City. Jack will receive a cash prize of $2,500 as well as an exclusive experience embedded with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s content department for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. He will have the chance to work with both the in-house content team as well as the host broadcaster feature team capturing behind the scenes stories of the World Championships in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s hometown of Park City, Utah. Walker will receive a $500 cash prize and two VIP tickets for up to four events of the championships.

“This has been a fantastic project for the Organizing Committee for the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships,” noted Calum Clark, U.S. Ski & Snowboard chief of systems and operations. “Our hope was to connect with a different aspect of our community and celebrate the diversity and creativity of young filmmakers to blend arts with sports. Our community partners of the Park City Summit County Arts Council and the Park City Film Series were amazing to work with coming up with this competition and motivating young filmmakers to submit films.  We were so impressed by the number of responses that were submitted and amazed at the quality of the films that were produced.”

Winner: Pushing the Boundaries by Jack Price with feature athlete Rodney Koford, available to view online: https://vimeo.com/282409841

Runner-Up: Despondent by Aubrie Walker, available to view online: https://vimeo.com/270809549

About Park City Film Series

The Park City Film Series is Summit County’s only non-profit Art House Cinema. Since 1995, they have been presenting a curated selection of independent, foreign and documentary films on the weekends, using film as a medium to entertain, inspire and educate patrons. The organization’s mission is to create community through film.

About Park City Summit County Arts Council

Founded in 1986, the Park City Summit County Arts Council is one of the oldest arts and culture organizations in Park City. In the past three decades, the Park City Summit County Arts Council has advocated for and secured significant funding for arts and culture, as well as incubating numerous arts and culture organizations. The organization has built audiences for established and emerging artists and helped promote Park City as a world-class cultural tourist destination. Most importantly, the Park City Summit County Arts Council has helped make art part of the Park City community.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is an Olympic sports organization providing leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders and elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. 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. Established in 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams. The organization is based in Park City, Utah.

For original rules and regulations visit https://2019worldchamps.com/film-contest/

The International Ski Federation (FIS) today officially confirmed that Minnesota will host a World Cup cross-country ski event in Minneapolis in March 2020.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the Loppet Foundation will serve as hosts of the World Cup event, taking place at the new ‘The Trailhead’ facility in Theodore Wirth Park.

“A Minnesotan who brought home a gold medal has now helped us bring home the World Cup,” said host committee co-chair RT Rybak. “Now it’s time for Minnesota too, once again, show we host big events better than anyone.”

Cross country ski champion Jessie Diggins is a native of Afton, Minnesota, and the first American athlete to win a gold medal in Olympic cross country ski competition; she and teammate Kikkan Randall won the women's team sprint at Pyeongchang earlier this year. Diggins was key to securing this international competition for Minnesota.

“Hosting a round of the World Cup is our chance to show skiers from around the world how Minnesota embraces winter - through sport and through our hospitality,” said Diggins. “U.S. Ski & Snowboard and The Loppet Foundation are excited to host a world-class competition and share our state with athletes from around the world. We’re equally excited to give ski fans from around the US a chance to see the action up close for the first time in nineteen years! I am so proud to represent Minnesota as one of the first American athletes to win Olympic Gold in cross country, and now to bring the sport I love to the state I call home.”

“When Jessie called me and asked if the Foundation would support her dream of bringing a cross country World Cup event to the U.S., my team and I responded with an enthusiastic ‘yes!’” said John Munger, Executive Director of the Loppet Foundation. “Her ask was a no-brainer for us because we, too, have dreams of sharing this spectacular sport with the world. That’s why we’ve worked hard over the last 16 years to elevate cross country skiing, and adventure sports widely, starting in our own backyard.”

“Everyone at U.S. Ski & Snowboard is delighted that we and the Loppet Foundation are able to formally confirm that the cross country World Cup will be coming back to the USA in March 2020 and to one of the great hotbeds of cross country skiing in Minneapolis,” commented Calum Clark, Chief of Systems and Operations for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “A lot of hard work has gone into making this announcement possible, from the Loppet Foundation team in Minneapolis to the International Ski Federation (FIS), but none more so than from Minnesota’s own Jessie Diggins and the whole U.S. Cross Country Ski Team whose efforts, especially in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, were the catalyst for the compelling concept to bring the world’s best cross country skiers to the city of Minneapolis.”

On the heels of successfully hosting Super Bowl LII, the WNBA All-Star Game, and now preparing to host the NCAA Final Four, the FIS Cross Country Ski World Cup event is yet another in a string of world-class sporting events to choose Minnesota as host.

“The Loppet has helped put Minneapolis cross country skiing on the map, and Theodore Wirth Park offers the best trails in our state,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Hosting a round of the Cross Country Ski World Cup is yet another chance to showcase how to do winter right and for our city to shine as we show the world that Minneapolis welcomes everyone with open arms.”

“Minnesota is the perfect host state for a cross country ski racing World Cup event,” said Beth Helle of Explore Minnesota. “Minnesota boasts more than 2,000 miles of cross-country ski trails, and the sport is integral to our winter tourism industry. Winter accounts for 24% of tourism expenditures in Minnesota, and our high-quality, groomed ski trails help ensure that skiing-related destinations and businesses are able to thrive throughout the winter months.”

Nearly a decade in the making and just opened this summer, The Trailhead is part of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s Master Plan for the park and the Loppet Foundation’s long-term vision for making lifetime endurance sports more accessible for their local community. This year-round hub for outdoor adventure will host competitive races, community events, and now an international ski competition right in Theodore Wirth Park; solidifying Theodore Wirth Regional Park as a world-class cross country venue.

More information on the World Cup event, including how to secure tickets and see the competition in action, will be available on the local organizing committee’s website, www.mnworldcup.com, or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @mnworldcup.

About the Loppet Foundation

The Loppet Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates a shared passion for year-round outdoor adventure in the Minneapolis area, focusing on underserved youth and families. Since 2002, the Loppet Foundation has worked to create high-quality public events, youth education, and outdoor recreation programs for the local community. Learn more at loppet.org.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA. One of the oldest and most established sports organizations worldwide, directly tracing its roots back to 1905, the organization, based in Park City, UT, provides leadership and direction for elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide and for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders in the USA, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. 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. U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams and achieving the shared goal of being Best In The World.