The Europa Cup is one of five FIS continental cups series along with NorAm, Far East, South America and Australia / New Zealand. This integral series is the second tier of international ski racing and is a proving ground for future World Cup ski racers.
The FIS Ski World Cup is the pinnacle of international competition with events across Europe and North America. The series culminates in World Cup Finals in March for the top athletes on the tour.
For Alpine and Ski Cross World Cup Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The top alpine and ski cross ski athletes in the United States are named to the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. The U.S. Ski Team will select the most qualified athletes with the greatest possibilities for winning medals in future World Championship and Olympic Winter Games competitions. Nominations to the team come from objective selection criteria based on international rankings and head-to-head competition.
For Stifel U.S. Alpine and Ski Cross Team Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The World Ski Championships are held every other year.
The 2025 Alpine World Championships will be held in Saalbach, AUT, February 4-16, 2025. For Alpine World Championships Criteria, please refer to the Resources section.
The ultimate in sport is representing Team USA at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Athletes are primarily named to the Team primarily based on objective criteria including World Cup competition results.
The Resource Section of this page includes:
Please refer to the Resources section on the right for current regulations.
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, CA (Oct. 11, 2017) – Veteran U.S. Ski Team member and three-time Olympian Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA) has announced scholarship recipients of the 2017-18 Stacey Cook/Sun Valley Ski Tools (SVST) Competition Team. Recipients are chosen based on criteria such as passion and dedication to the sport, community involvement and character.
Cook, who hopes to be skiing in her fourth Olympics this season in PyeongChang, South Korea, is proud of the program and the support she has been able to give juniors in this scholarship program over the last 11 years, in tandem with Jim and Norma Vermillion, owners of SVST.
“I’m very proud of this program to now be in its 11th year. Sport does produce many successes other than just winning, which this scholarship tries to recognize,” noted Cook. “I believe heavily in honoring the many successes that this sport creates.
What is so unique about the scholarship is that it is not awarded simply based on merit on the hill, but also looks at attributes of juniors off the hill, encouraging a well-rounded approach to life. “This group of athletes put many successes on display like the value and joy in working hard, establishing and reaching goals, passion, strong character, and strong mind and bodies amongst many other characteristics,” Cook said. “I truly love this opportunity to give back, but I also know it is really big to have a company and an older athlete believe in you because I was once a recipient of this program myself and owe a lot of my confidence to it.”
Jim and Norma Vermillion also would like to extend a warm welcome to the 2017-18 Stacey Cook/SVST Team. “We are very proud to provide you with a few products to tune and repair your equipment to the finest standards in the industry,” the Vermillions shared. “Observing the intensity of your commitments as the season progresses is a huge shot in the arm for us to continue with this program year after year. It is our hope that the tools and wax, along with guidance in tuning/waxing techniques from Jeff, and watching Stacey compete in World Cup competitions all over the globe, will inspire you in every area of your life! Being so dedicated as you all are is not easy – we admire your commitment and courage to do what most of us will never experience! Ski safe - Ski FAST!”
This year Cook has selected seven juniors. Scholarship recipients receive $500 of tools from SVST and $500 of Raceservice Wax.
Learn more about the genesis of the Stacey Cook/SVST scholarship
2017-18 SVST COMPETITION TEAM
(Name, Birth Year, Club, Hometown)
Preston O’Brien, ’01, Sugar Bowl Academy, Greenwood Village, CO
Chris and Jack Orear, ’02, Winter Park Competition Center, Winter Park, CO
Grace Palmer, ’03, Stratton Mountain School, Arlington, MA
Ava Pekarek, ’02, Squaw Valley Ski Team, Truckee, CA
Blake Piper, ’99, Green Mountain Valley School, Waitsfield, VT
Anastasia Seator-Braun, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team, Mammoth Lakes, CA
QUOTES
Preston O’Brien
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing me for this scholarship. With the right tools, I will hopefully be able to take my skiing to the furthest level. I already own some of my own SVST tools and know that they are very high quality. Being supported by one of the best American skiers and tuning companies means the world to me. To have more people behind me this season is so helpful and means so much to me!
Chris Orear
I would just like to say thank you to SVST and Stacey for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to win this amazing scholarship.
Jack Orear
I am extremely honored to have been chosen as a recipient of this award. It is a very exciting opportunity, and I am so grateful to Stacey and Sun Valley Ski Tools for offering me this scholarship.
Grace Palmer
This scholarship means a lot to me. This scholarship allows me to care for my skis in the best way possible, which will be so beneficial to my results this season; a tenth of a second can put someone in first or fifth. Winning a scholarship run by Stacey Cook is also an incredible feeling on its own. Being able to talk to the person that I have been watching crush the World Cup tour and Olympics is extremely motivational, and reminds me that these superhuman athletes are real people who came from a similar place as me.
Blake Piper
I'm so honored that I was one of the few chosen for this scholarship. I believe that in the sport of ski racing, the mental aspect of it all plays a huge part in whether someone succeeds or not, and receiving this scholarship helps me to believe in myself and my potential as a ski racer even more than I did. I look forward to representing this organization this season.
Anastasia Seator-Braun
Ever since I started racing I have been fascinated with how waxing and tuning my skis made a difference in my skiing. At age 7, my dad taught me how to wax skis and I loved how different kinds of wax can be used for different snow conditions. I wasn't able to tune my edges at that age but I always knew the importance of it, and I am now tuning my skis. When Stacey first announced that I had won this scholarship I didn't know what to say, I was quite overwhelmed that I was thought of in such high regard. I am proud and grateful for this opportunity and I am very excited to use the SVST products.