Travis Ganong led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Saturday’s FIS Ski World Cup downhill at Kvitfjell, Norway, landing in fifth-place to match his season-best—a mere 18 one-hundredths of a second from the podium. 

Under the sunshine, blue skies, and crisp, Norwegian air, all indications were leading towards a victory on home soil for the Attacking Vikings. That is, however, until Austrian Matthias Mayer laid down a beautiful, near-perfect run to take home the win and pull off the upset victory over hometown hero Aleksander Aamodt Kilde by just .14 seconds. Switzerland’s Carlo Janka came down bib 17 to sneak ahead of countryman Beat Feuz, pushing him off the podium and giving Carlo third to round out the podium. This was Aleksander's first podium in Kvitfjell in front of his home crowd. 

With seven podiums in nine World Cup starts, Beat once again had the consistency it takes to bring home his third-consecutive downhill globe. Germany’s Thomas Dressen ended up second in the downhill standings, followed by Austria’s Matthias Mayer in third.

With the Norwegians (who were the clear favorites coming into Saturday's downhill), Kjetil Jansrud and Aleksander running early, each coming down with solid runs, Travis came down bib six stoked to ski into second-place with a solid run that was (again) fastest from the last split to the finish. “Everyone loves a strong finish,” Travis laughed after his run. With fast and solid skiing, Swiss duo Carlo and Beat came down and squeezed into third and fourth, pushing Travis to fifth and less than two tenths from the podium. 

Travis, who has enjoyed success on this track with four-career top-five results, feels at home here in Kvitfjell. As a result of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine downhillers' established partnership with the Norwegian speed team, the Americans have enjoyed and benefited from training opportunities here in Kvitfjell in the spring. Though he’s happy with a solid top-five result, he’s hungry for the podium—a feat the men’s speed team hasn’t achieved since Travis last won in Garmisch, in January 2017. 

“I love this track, I’ve had a lot of success on this hill...I just really like this hill, and the snow,” reflected Travis. “I have a really good feeling on it. I’m skiing really well, and I’m stoked with where the season wrapped up in downhill. I really want to get back on the downhill podium—that’s definitely my ultimate goal, but it’s nice to be close and competitive, and consistently skiing well. Also, it’s great to feel super healthy, having no pain in my knees, or back, or anything. It’s really nice, so tomorrow is one last chance in the super-G and then, yeah, we’ll have to wait again until next year.”

Due to the cancellation of World Cup Finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo as a result of the Novel Coronavirus, this marked the final downhill of the season. “I really wanted to race in Cortina, to get on that hill before World Champs (2021)...it’s going to be interesting now because the Italian team is going to be the only team that will have trained on that hill and they’re going to have a huge advantage going into World Champs,” said Travis. “I was really bummed that it got cancelled, but it is what it is. It’ll be weird going home now, a couple of weeks early...we always want to race more and mentally we’re ready to race more, so it sucks to have the season end abruptly like that.”

Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle tied for 17th-place, with Jared Goldberg grabbing 20th and his second top-20 of the season. Unfortunately, Steven Nyman, who had two solid training runs and was feeling the good vibes coming into Saturday, leaned in and DNFed on the top section of the course before he could even get into a good flow. He is thankfully OK and skied down. Sam Morse also started on Saturday, finishing in 45th. 

It was a solid year for the downhillers, with Travis ending up ranked 13th, Ryan 14th, Bryce 16th, and Steven 20th. The top 25 athletes in each discipline in the world are invited to World Cup Finals, so the downhillers would have had a solid showing at Finals had it not been cancelled.

The Crystal Globe chase continues, with Aleksander regaining the lead in the overall with 1,202 points over French tech savant Alexis Pinturault with 1,148 points after failing to finish in the top 30 in Saturday’s downhill. 

Up next is the final super-G of the 2019-20 season, on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
10:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, March 8
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March. 9
1:00 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN**

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
 

 

Following the announcement from the International Ski Federation that the 2020 FIS Ski World Cup Finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy have been cancelled due to the Novel Coronavirus in Northern Italy, the coming weekend’s races in Kvitfjell, Norway will be the final downhill and super-G races for the men. 

The Crystal Globe chase is on, with French tech savant Alexis Pinturault in the lead in the overall standings with 1,148 points over the Attacking Viking speed guru Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, by a mere 26 points. Here’s where it could get really interesting: the beat goes on next weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a final men’s tech series, and Aleksander isn’t a slouch in giant slalom, having finished no worse than sixth in the last five giant slalom races. On the flip side, Alexis has been in the top-10 in the four super-G races he’s started this season. It’s going to be a barnburner, folks! Buckle up. 

The Kvitfjell has always been a special place for the American boys. In 1994, on a crisp, clear, cold Norwegian morning, Tommy Moe rewrote history as he won Olympic gold at the Kvitfjell venue, 30 minutes north of Lillehammer. There’s magic up in the air here in the north. When the World Cup tour lands in Kvitfjell in March, the athletes and staff enjoy the slower pace, quiet spaces, and the wintry environment. And this year, Ullr delivered the goods as the men were greeted with the fluffy white stuff upon their arrival. Winter is here. 

In his career-best season in 2016, Steven Nyman went on a podium streak for four-straight races, including a third-place in Kvitfjell. He and his teammates feel at home in Kvitfjell. “I love it here...it’s beautiful here, obviously,” Steven said after the second of two downhill training runs on Friday. “I’ve never seen this much snow here...it’s quite fun to be back in winter and enjoy it. Obviously the hill, with all of the new snow, I was skeptical, but they’ve done an amazing job prepping it, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to push and race tomorrow.” 

With two training runs under their belt—the first time since their speed kick off in Lake Louise they’ve had two—the Americans are feeling positive about the weekend. Steven led the U.S. men on Thursday, with the seventh-fastest time. On Friday, Jared Goldberg—who was ninth in last year’s downhill at the venue—led the way with the fifth-fastest time, while Travis Ganong was seventh, Steven Nyman ninth, and Bryce Bennett 13th. Both days, Aleksander had the fastest time, with teammate Kjetil Jansrud on his heels on Friday, making them the obvious favorites.

“The Norwegians are obviously the favorites,” Steven commented. “They’ve had a lot of miles on this track, but so have the Americans with our partnership. We’ve trained here in the spring a lot, so I feel comfortable here and hopefully, I can lay it down. No expectations, just execute the way I know I need to execute, and really put everything on the hill to see what I’m capable of.” 

Taking into consideration FIS’ cancellation of the World Cup Finals, the men will be “full send” in Kvitfjell, hoping to sign off the 2019-20 season on a positive note. “The slope is fantastic, but it’s a tricky slope,” Steven added. “If you make a mistake, it’s hard to gain that speed back, so you really have to be precise and nail certain sections to carry the speed that you need to be on the podium here. You’ll see tomorrow, especially with the cancellation of the World Cup Finals—guys are going to be gunning and guys want to perform their best—but we’ve got to catch up to some Norwegians.” 

Following Saturday’s downhill will be a super-G on Sunday. 

Check out how and who to watch below. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Bryce Bennett
Thomas Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Sam Morse
Steven Nyman 

RESULTS
Downhill Training Run 1
Downhill Training Run 2

START LIST
Men’s Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, March 7
5:00 a.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
10:30 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, March 8
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March. 9
1:00 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - NBCSN**

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Due to the outbreak and situation with the Novel Coronavirus in Northern Italy where there is a concentration of cases in the Veneto province that have led to travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of nations, on the recommendation of the FIS Council, the Italian Winter Sports Federation and its Cortina 2020 Organising Committee are regrettably forced to withdraw from the organization of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals scheduled for 16th-22nd March 2020.

The health and welfare of the athletes and all other participants, as well as the general public are in the forefront and the priority of FIS and all stakeholders. The recommendation of the FIS Council was made during an emergency conference call where the latest information and recommendations from the Italian, International and National Health Authorities of participating nations were presented. The main issue that steered the recommendation of the Council affecting the organization of the Finals in Cortina was the travel restrictions imposed by an increasing number of National Authorities, which would have likely limited the participation of several athletes.

“This was an extremely difficult decision for us to make, but ultimately welfare and health of the athletes, teams, and everyone associated with the World Cup as well as the general public must be our top priority,” said FIS President Gian Franco Kasper. “This is certainly not the way we wanted the season to end without World Cup Finals, but we must respect this very serious situation. We look forward to recognizing the winning athletes at a later date when we can properly celebrate their accomplishments.”

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals 2020 in Cortina were also scheduled as the main test event for next season’s FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

Kasper added, “It is also disappointing that the Finals in Cortina cannot take place to showcase the outstanding upgraded venue and both the women’s and men’s courses in action. Despite this setback the preparations of the Italian Winter Sports Federation and the Local Organising Committee together with our broadcast and marketing partner Infront, are fully on-track for what we are convinced will be exceptional FIS World Championships next year.”

Due to the short notice, alternative locations to stage such a large event and which do not have travel restrictions to enable all athletes to be able to participate or travel onwards after the event, the Finals will not be replaced and the discipline and overall globes will be confirmed after the last scheduled races on 15th March for the women in Are (SWE) and Kranjska Gora (SLO) for the men. An occasion to formally award the winning athletes with their globes will be announced at a later date.

FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020, Planica (SLO)

The Council also discussed the FIS Ski Flying World Championships 2020 taking place in Planica (SLO) from 17th to 22nd March. In view of the fact there are no travel restrictions for Slovenia, the Council unanimously agreed to continue the preparations.

The Planica 2020 Organisers have already implemented a series of measures to minimise the risk of incidents that could compromise the welfare and health of all participants.

For all other FIS World Cup competitions, FIS will maintain the existing principles that are being applied, which are to fully comply with the instructions and decisions of the National and Regional Governments and their Health Authorities.

Additionally, FIS remains in constant contact with the hosting National Ski Associations and Organising Committees to provide support including information about measures undertaken by other Organisers.

Should any changes to the current competition calendars be necessary as a result of measures imposed by National and Regional Governments, they will be announced as any decisions are made.

***

About FIS
FIS is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, founded in 1924 during the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, France. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIS manages the Olympic disciplines of Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Freestyle Skiing, and Snowboarding, including setting the international competition rules. Through its 131 member nations, more than 7’000 FIS ski and snowboard competitions are staged annually. Specific initiatives are undertaken by FIS to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation, notably for the young. For more information, please visit www.fis-ski.com

Release courtesy of FIS.

Olympic and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin announced her return to Europe, following more than a month of absence from FIS Ski World Cup competition due to the unexpected passing of her father Jeff in early February.

In a heartfelt message entitled "A Note to the World" delivered by Mikaela on Instagram Thursday morning, she announced her return to Europe. Since early February, Mikaela has been at home in Edwards, Colo. During her time in Colo., Mikaela has found solace in the mountains, training in both Vail and Aspen.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the last few weeks, my family and I have received an overwhelming amount of support and love. The most kind and heartwarming messages you could imagine, checking in on us, sharing quotes and poems, song-lyrics, and telling wonderful stories about my Dad. Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in these messages, like we can’t keep up with the support and love that everyone has shown, yet in so many ways it has also been our lifeline. We have not been able to respond to everything, but we want you all to know that we feel your love, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing it with us. Many have asked how we are doing, and where we are in the “grieving process”? The truth is, we haven’t really even started. Accepting this new “reality” is going to take a long time, and maybe we never truly will, maybe we don’t have to. Because we can still feel him here. In our hearts, in our thoughts, in the sky and mountains and snow. He made his mark, and he is here. Many have also asked about my return to skiing and racing. I have been able to train a little bit over the last few weeks. It has been a slow process, but it has been theraputic to be on the mountain. I’ve found training to be a place where I can feel closer to my dad, yet it provides enough of a distraction so that feeling of “closeness” can be separated from the pain. I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race when the time comes, and I don’t really even have goals. I just hope to make a few good turns. I think that would make my dad happy. If and when I do return to competition I’d ask that you continue to respect my privacy, especially as it relates to my family’s heartbreak. We are so thankful for the time we had with him—we cherish every single one of those moments—and we will keep him here in our hearts and our memories forever. 🤍

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin) on Mar 5, 2020 at 2:06am PST

In an exclusive interview with the New York Times, Mikaela said of her father, 

“The best way to honor someone’s memory is to be so grateful that they existed in your life.”

Mikaela has not announced a return to competition, but she has said she will travel to Scandinavia and that—like always—her program is very day-to-day. The next FIS Ski World Cup competition fo the women is in Åre, Sweden on March 12-14. In her video announcement, Mikaela said she will be flying to Scandinavia on Thursday but is uncertain that she will step into the start gate when the time comes, 

“As far as racing goes, I am flying to Scandinavia today. I have no promises if I’ll actually be able to race. I don’t really even have goals. Any time the topic of winning would come up in the conversation with my dad, he would always say, ‘But, did you make any good turns?’ That’s sort of the basis of our family’s entire philosophy. So, I guess, that would be my goal. I just want to make a few good turns. I think that would make him happy.”

There are many variables that make the remainder of the World Cup calendar questionable. Both questionable weather in Europe, as well as the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), may compromise the remainder of the season. The FIS is scheduled to make an announcement on FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy (or elsewhere) on March 6.

At the time of her departure from Europe on February 2, Mikaela held the lead in the World Cup overall, slalom, and super-G standings. She was in second in downhill and giant slalom. During her absence from the World Cup, Mikaela missed eight races in total (three downhills, two super-Gs, a combined, a giant slalom, and a slalom), while Italy's Federica Brignone took the lead in the standings and currently leads by 153 points over Mikaela. Federica has the lead in giant slalom, with 407 points, while Mikaela is in third with 314 points. In the slalom, Slovakia's Petra Vlhova has a slim 20-point lead over Mikaela. Switzerland's Corinne Suter leads the super-G standings with 360 points, while Mikaela is in seventh with 186 points.

The decision to return to the start gate in Åre will be very day-to-day for Mikaela. Stay tuned for more information. 

Read the full piece in the New York Times.

Tommy Ford led three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team members into the top 16 in Monday’s FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom at Hinterstoder, Austria, finishing in 12th. 

France’s Alexis Pinturault grabbed his second victory in two days, with two solid and strong giant slalom runs, while Croatia’s Filip Zubcic was second, .45 seconds off the pace, while Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen was third, .72 seconds out.

After a salting program had been implemented by the organizing committee, the courses held up quite well, despite soft spring conditions. Even so, with the fastest time being 1:24:30 (by Alexis), the first run was the longest course the men’s giant slalom field has seen this season. Due to challenging weather and course conditions, many of this season’s giant slalom races have gone from the reserve start, meaning they have been shortened considerably. Athletes reached the finish gassed after both runs on Monday, and the strongest men with the best stamina out there prevailed. 

“The new standard is becoming the spring conditions right now,” reflected Tommy. “My first run I thought I skied well, really clean, good up top, and powerful. I let the fatigue get to me a little bit on the bottom section, my skis got caught and I thought my recovery was really good for where I was in the course but it didn’t help with the time. Going into the second run I was confident but I didn’t feel like I had as much hunger as I have been having, for whatever reason.”

Tommy had two sizable mistakes in the first run but kept his flow going and skied through it with control. A straighter-set second run didn’t play to his strengths, but he still made up time on the straight bottom section and ended up 12th. Ryan Cochran-Siegle continued his strong results across disciplines, with a great second run, ending up 15th, while Ted followed, tied for 16th. 

George Steffey—who was starting in just his third World Cup—did not qualify for a second run. River Radamus did not finish.  

With his victory, Alexis Pinturault regained the lead in the overall standings, with 1,148 points, while Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde moved down to second with 1,122 points (after Monday’s sixth-place result), and Attacking Viking teammate Henrik Kristoffersen in third, with 1,041 points. With his third place on Monday, Henrik takes the lead in the giant slalom standings, with 394 points to Alexis’ 388. 

Up next, the men will travel to Kvitfjell, Norway for a super-G and downhill—the final speed series before World Cup Finals. Rumors have been floating about whether or not the World Cup Finals, which is slated to be hosted by Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy will happen, in light of the continued spread of the Novel Coronavirus. On Monday after the race, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Council held an emergency telephone conference to discuss the FIS World Cup for the final three weeks, and released their decision following the call. 

"After a long discussion, the Council agreed with the request of the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) on the advice of the Italian Regional Government and Health Authorities in Veneto, to wait until Friday 6th March to make a final decision on the staging of the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals in Cortina."

More details will be forthcoming. 

RESULTS
Giant Slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom

Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Sunday’s alpine combined, finishing 18th. 

France’s Alexis Pinturault was the second-fastest in the super-G portion of the alpine combined, and skied the fastest slalom run of the day, earning his second alpine combined victory of the season and the discipline globe to boot. Switzerland’s Mauro Caviezel was second, .99 seconds out, while Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde rounded out the podium in third, 1.25 seconds off the pace. 

With a 9:45 am first run start time, athletes enjoyed considerably better conditions for the super-G portion of the alpine combined, in which Bryce Bennett grabbed a solid ninth-fastest time, while Ryan was 11th, Ted Ligety 18th, George Steffey was 30th, and Kyle Negomir 42nd. 

The Americans struggled in the slalom portion of the combined, with the springlike conditions creating a deep groove in the surface. Ted opted not to start in the slalom portion of the combined, while Ryan finished 18th and Bryce played it smart for the finish, ending up in 21st overall but (more importantly) earning a valuable FIS super-G result (Note: competitors in the combined could get a separate FIS super-G result, but only if they successfully complete both runs of the race). George Steffey—who was starting in just his second World Cup—was en route to his first World Cup points when his tips crossed in the slalom, and he did not finish. Kyle Negomir was 36th. 

With his third-place, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde continues to lead in the overall standings with 1082 points, while Alexis Pinturault moved up one spot to second, with 1048 points, followed by Henrik Kristoffersen—who was 11th in Sunday’s uncharacteristic alpine combined start, making it his second-ever World Cup AC start —with 981 points. 

Up next, the men will ski a giant slalom on Monday. 

Women’s Alpine Combined in La Thuile, Italy Canceled
Due to heavy snowfall, Sunday’s alpine combined in La Thuile, Italy was canceled and it will not be replaced. Like Saturday, the event was slated to be held in front of limited spectators as a matter of precaution against the coronavirus, which is providing ongoing concerns.

Federica Brignone won the alpine combined globe, as she won both of the alpine combined races on this season’s calendar, making it the first globe of Federica’s career. She currently leads in the overall standings by 153 points ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still absent from the World Cup tour following her father’s passing. Corinne leads the fight for the super-G globe by 19 points over Federica, with just one super-G race remaining at World Cup Finals. Mikaela’s return to Europe and to competition is still unknown. 

The originally scheduled giant slalom and slalom series in Ofterschwang, Germany on March 7-8 has been canceled and will not be replaced. Up next for the women is a tech series including parallel slalom, giant slalom and slalom events in Åre, Sweden on March 12-14. 

RESULTS
Men’s Alpine Combined

STANDINGS
Men’s Overall
Men’s Alpine Combined
Women’s Overall
Women’s Alpine Combined

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Monday, March 2
3:15 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
6:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

In the FIS Ski World Cup’s return to the Aosta Valley for the first time in four years, Alice Mckennis led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in the super-G in La Thuile, Italy, taking 27th.

Nina Ortlieb of Austria—the 23-year-old daughter of Austrian Olympic champion Patrick Ortlieb—collected her first World Cup win. Federica Brignone of Italy excited the home crowd by keeping it close, finishing just .01 seconds behind Nina. Corinne Suter of Switzerland was third, only .07 seconds behind the winner. 

Federica’s 11th podium of the season continued her excellent winter and extended her lead for the overall World Cup globe by 153 points ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin, who is still absent from the World Cup tour following her father’s passing. Corinne leads the fight for the super-G globe by 19 points over Federica, with just one super-G race remaining at World Cup Finals.

Behind Alice Mckennis, Breezy Johnson snuck into the points, finishing 30th. Alice Merryweather finished just out of the top 30 in 34th, which unfortunately left her in 26th place overall in the discipline—one place and one point outside of making the World Cup Finals. Jackie Wiles skied out of the course and did not finish.

The women next race an alpine combined at the same venue. Like Saturday, the event will be held in front of limited spectators as a matter of precaution against the coronavirus.

RESULTS
Super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Sunday, March 1
1:00 a.m. - Women’s super-G, La Thuile, ITA - NBCSN**
5:00 a.m. - Women’s alpine combined super-G, La Thuile, ITA - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Women’s alpine combined slalom, La Thuile, ITA - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day delay broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Travis Ganong fought to a 15th-place finish to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 20 despite challenging, springlike conditions in Saturday’s super-G at Hinterstoder, Austria. 

Heavy snow pounded the Austrian resort, forcing the cancellation of Friday’s originally scheduled alpine combined and creating a challenge for race organizers to prep for the remainder of the weekend. Though they did what they could to prep the track, including a water and salt program that set up well with the colder temperatures on Friday night. However, with increasing temperatures and a 12:30 pm start time, the snow was sticky and inconsistent—which seemed to affect the entire FIS Ski World Cup field as they were trying to find their flow and rhythm. 

Out of the gate bib 1, Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr put on a show for the home crowd, in what would end up being the fastest run of the day. Early bib numbers certainly seemed to be an advantage, as the course was deteriorating with each athlete. Switzerland’s Mauro Caviezel was second, a mere .05 off of Vincent, while Matthias Mayer rounded out the podium in third, .08 back. 

“It snowed a lot the last 36-48 hours, and so there’s no chance to do anything the last few days...there was tons of snow,” said Travis after the race. “And then they just freshly groomed the hill, watered it, and it got cold last night so it was actually OK this morning—if we had started the race at 9 or 10 it would have been pretty fun, good snow, fair race. But then, unfortunately, it got super warm and the snow was just garbage—it was some of the worst snow I’ve ever raced in. I’ve trained on worse snow, but normally we would never race when it’s like that. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle came down eighth, visibly frustrated in the finish after having made a couple of mistakes. Steven came down 12th, and wasn’t too far behind Ryan. Then, Travis came down bib 19, also struggling to find his flow...but it was a struggle for the whole field, with the margin between 1 and 30 being +4.22 seconds—a 1-30 gap rarely seen in speed. Ryan ended up just behind Travis in 16th, with Steven in 19th.   

“Again, I think it was good for the first 10-15 guys, but then it warmed up, broke down, and the salt didn’t really work because of all the fresh snow and it wasn’t wet enough,” he continued. “It was just a pretty tough day. It’s such a cool hill...it’s a rad hill. It’s one of the best super-G hills we get to run. It’s just too bad the conditions were so bad, but we still got the race in.” 

Kyle Negomir also started but finished outside of the points in 49th. River Radamus and Sam Dupratt did not finish. Tommy Ford, who was 11th on this track in 2011 in super-G, decided not to start as the conditions were not ideal for his late bib number (59). 

Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who came into the race leading the super-G standings, had a big lead on the top before getting jammed up and DNFing. Mauro took the lead in the super-G standings, with 365 points over Vincent’s 362 points. Aleksander sits in third in the standings, with 336 points, but is still leading the overall standings over teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, with 1022 points over Henrik’s 957. 

The men head to Kvitfjell, Norway next weekend for their final speed series prior to World Cup Finals. Kvitfjell is a track that the Americans have traditionally really enjoyed and Travis was fifth on last season in super-G to lead the charge for the Americans. “Central Europe has just been so warm these days, so it will be nice to get back up to Norway,” Travis said. “And it’s going to be cold and really good conditions and it’s always so fun to ski there—back on really good snow, more like North America-snow.”

Up next, Friday’s originally scheduled alpine combined will be on Sunday, followed by giant slalom on Monday. 

RESULTS
Super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, March 1
3:45 a.m. - Men’s combined super-G, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
6:45 a.m. - Men’s combined slalom, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March 2
3:15 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
6:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

The FIS Ski World Cup tour moves onward for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, despite challenging variables in both Hinterstoder, Austria for the men, and La Thuile, Italy for the women. 

Weather threatens both the men’s series in Hinterstoder—which features a super-G, alpine combined and giant slalom—as well as the women’s alpine super-G and alpine combined in La Thuile. 

On the men’s side, strong winds and heavy snowfall forced a cancellation of Friday’s originally scheduled alpine combined. The organizing committee, together with FIS, worked hard to ensure that the men will ski a full weekend program, meaning they will now ski a super-G race on Saturday, followed by an alpine combined on Sunday, and a giant slalom on Monday. 

Travis Ganong, who was recently seventh in the Saalbach, Austria super-G to lead the Americans, will look to lead the charge on Saturday in the super-G, while Bryce Bennett and Ryan Cochran-Siegle will headline Sunday’s alpine combined, followed by Tommy Ford—who just podiumed in the Yuzawa Naeba giant slalom and is ranked fifth in the giant slalom standings—will lead the Americans on Monday in giant slalom. 

For the women, Alice Merryweather, who is currently ranked 24th in the super-G standings, will lead the women’s speed team into battle in La Thuile, hoping to stamp her ticket to World Cup Finals and secure a spot in the top-25 ranked skiers in the world coming out of this weekend. Teammates Breezy Johnson, Alice McKennis, and Jackie Wiles will also start for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team.

Many of the globes are still up for grabs, making it an exciting time of the season. With her win in the last alpine combined, Italy’s Federica Brignone became the overall leader with 1,298 points—73 points ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin, and 159 points ahead of Petra. At this point, the current overall leader Mikaela's return to Europe and return to competition is unknown. 

Looking ahead, FIS shared earlier on Friday that "due to the present situation on the race hill and unfavorable weather forecast, the women's FIS World Cup races in Ofterschwang scheduled for March 7-8 have been canceled. Despite all efforts it was not possible to find a replacement for the races."

Check out how and who to watch below. 

MEN’S STARTERS
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Sam Dupratt
Tommy Ford
Travis Ganong
Ted Ligety
Kyle Negomir
Steven Nyman
River Radamus
George Steffey

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Breezy Johnson
Alice McKennis
Alice Merryweather
Jackie Wiles

START LISTS
Women’s Super-G
Men’s Super-G

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 29
4:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G, La Thuile, ITA - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
6:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, March 1
1:00 a.m. - Women’s super-G, La Thuile, ITA - NBCSN**
3:45 a.m. - Men’s combined super-G, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
5:00 a.m. - Women’s alpine combined super-G, La Thuile, ITA - Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
6:45 a.m. - Men’s combined slalom, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
8:00 a.m. - Women’s alpine combined slalom, La Thuile, ITA - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

Monday, March 2
3:15 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
6:00 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Hinterstoder, AUT - NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day delay broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Two-time Olympian and talented artist Laurenne Ross has published her first book, a photography book entitled “Approach”—featuring photos taken from several locations around the world: Italy, Switzerland, Alberta and British Columbia (Canada), New Zealand, Chile and France.

Laurenne is known as one of the most dynamic athletes on and off the snow, with incredible talent on violin, piano, guitar, vocals and as a visual artist. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Laurenne cut her teeth at a small local hill but headed to the Canadian Rockies on weekends, where she raced her Dad (a former alpine racer) to the lodge. 

A creative to the core, who is a seasoned vet when it comes to creating both visual beauties in the classroom and beauty in the form of arcs on the snow, Laurenne loves merging her passion for the mountains and art. How does she describe herself as an athlete/artist, and how do influences of Laurenne’s art permeate into her skiing/vice-versa?

“As an artist at heart, I see skiing as a sort of art form,” noted Laurenne. “Sport is a form of self-expression, and I really try to embody that in my skiing. We as skiers are all very different in our movements and ways of connecting with the mountains and snow, and I find that to be such a beautiful thing. You can see how each athlete expresses themselves in their movements and reactions, just as you can see expression in an artist's work.”

“I'm also undeniably drawn to the mountains and snow, and I think you can see glimpses of that connection in my artwork,” she continued. “I've always dreamed of a way to express my love for and connection to skiing (and the elements that come with it) through an art form, just as I endlessly search for ways to express myself and my artistic side through my skiing.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team communication manager Megan Harrod spent some time digging into Laurenne’s new project, which launched in early December, to find out a little more about her “Approach” to art and what makes her so unique and different.  

Megan Harrod: Do you have a personal favorite photo?
Laurenne Ross: My favorite photo is probably the one titled "Wander," or maybe "Keever." "Wander" is a really special photograph to me because it carries a lot of personal meaning, but I also love the light and the way the colors contrast and radiate unexpectedly. "Keever" seems to exhibit this magical mountain wonderland, with a mysterious rainbow light: it's almost utopian. 

MH: What is the concept behind Approach, and why?
LR: The original concept behind Approach was to have a way to distribute a small portfolio of my photography work. I was actually taking a career course in design, and the initial prompt was to create a portfolio of art and design work that I could basically use as a resumé. Since I'm not yet pursuing a career in art/design, and I've always wanted to make a photography book, I thought it would be fun to interpret the prompt in a way that would allow me to initiate an art project I've always wanted to undertake, while simultaneously creating a "portfolio" of my work.

I decided to focus the book on a specific type of film photography because it allowed me to narrow down my options for photographs (since I have so many). So the concept of color variation and alternative-processed films came to mind, and that's how Approach came together. I also wanted to portray my travels in a way that allows people to see the world from a unique and colorful perspective, so hopefully, the book does that. 

MH: What is your goal with Approach? 
LR: The goal with Approach is firstly to put my photographs into the world in a real, tangible form. I've always been drawn to books and magazines, and to physical prints of photographs. There's something about being able to hold the object in your hands that creates a different kind of connection with art. I'm also taking the year off of racing, so I am hoping to raise some money to support my recovery with this book!

MH: You and your partner/fellow U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy (Ford) both love to create. Are any of the photos in the book of Tommy, or of places you and Tommy traveled together? This shared passion must fuel you both, and bring you closer together…can you talk about it?
LR: Tommy and I share many passions, but the two most significant ones in our lives are probably skiing and making art. It's really inspiring to be around Tommy: he's always busting out a notebook and sketching, and it pushes me to pursue my artistic passions when we're together. 

There are a few photos of Tommy in the book (three total), but he was by my side while I took many of the other shots. In the photo titled "Trade," we were together in New Zealand, skiing, and decided to take a trip to Mt. Cook National Park during a day off. These are the little side trips that are really important to both Tommy and me (exploring a place beyond our training or racing area), but that are really difficult to make because of our packed schedules. So we push each other to do these kinds of things while we're together. It's incredible to be able to pursue a passion with someone at your side, knowing they're also fulfilling a similar, deep desire to create and explore. Sharing those moments is something we both really cherish.

MH: Are there any stories behind the photography that are particularly special to you?
LR: Behind each and every photograph lies a story that is really special to me. There is one photo in particular that I hold dear, as it is of a friend that I haven't seen or spoken to in years. The image is titled "Wander," and it captures so much emotion, both hopeful and dark, that ultimately lead to the extinction of a wonderful friendship.

Join Laurenne on her colorful journey around our beautiful world. 

Check out Laurenne’s website and her "Approach" book.