COURCHEVEL, France (Dec. 20, 2017) – One day after winning the giant slalom in Courchevel, France, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) took her second FIS Ski World Cup victory in two days—this time in the parallel slalom.

Under the lights in a head-to-head format, Shiffrin picked off skier after skier—starting with France’s Coralie Frasse Somet in the 1/16 round, moving on to Austria’s Carmen Thalmann in the round of 16 and beating Austria’s Ricarda Haaser in the quarterfinals. She then raced Irene Curtoni of Italy in the semis before facing off against Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who beat Shiffrin in the season-opening slalom in Levi, Finland.

The two 22-year-olds were neck-and-neck, but Shiffrin was able to squeak through the lights just before Vlhova—winning by .04 seconds. This was Shiffrin’s 35th World Cup win and her third win in a row. Curtoni was third. 

"It’s not like a traditional event—it’s short; it’s a sprint," said Shiffrin after her win. "You have to go so hard every single gate. I felt like when I started off, some turns were not as aggressive as I wanted. But every run I felt more comfortable.

"I had to go to a dark place in the start," continued Shiffrin, laughing. "I was like, 'OK you can do this. You've gotta be strong.' It was good. It worked out well."

Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.) was the only other American to make it through the morning’s qualifying race, but didn’t advance after the first round.   

The tech women now go on break and will be back in action after the holidays in Lienz, Austria for a giant slalom and slalom, Dec. 28-29. The men have one more race before Christmas: a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on Dec. 22.

RESULTS
Women's parallel slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

Dec. 22
11:45 a.m. – men’s slalom run, run 1; Madonna di Campiglio – olympicchannel.com
1:30 p.m. – men’s slalom, run 2; Madonna di Campiglio – Olympic Channel TV

COURCHEVEL, France (Dec. 19, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) built upon her overall World Cup lead with her first FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom victory of the season in Courchevel, France Tuesday.

“It was a bit scrappy at some points, but that was the tactic today,” Shiffrin said. “I tried to be really aggressive, and almost went off the course a couple times. It was a really straight second run, so I was like ‘OK, you gotta take advantage of that!’ I’m really excited that I fought for it!”

Tessa Worley of France was second, followed by Manuela Moelgg of Italy in third.

The defending overall World Cup Champion has totaled 621 points so far this season following Tuesday’s win. Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who won the first two giant slalom races of the season, fell further behind in second following a disappointing 14th-place finish Tuesday. Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather is third overall after sitting out Tuesday’s race with a small bone fracture in her left hand. She hopes to return to the World Cup circuit Dec. 28-29 in Lienz, Austria.

Shiffrin also moved into the overall giant slalom World Cup lead Tuesday with 225 points. Rebensburg is second with 218 points. She also leads the overall downhill and slalom World Cup standings, but most importantly, she is just having fun skiing.

“Right now, I’m really enjoying skiing every discipline,” Shiffrin said. “Normally, if I ski slalom, I want to ski GS, if I ski GS I want to ski downhill or super-G. So right now I’m really enjoying it when I’m doing it, and that’s a fun place to be.”

With her victory Tuesday, Shiffrin moved into second among Americans with 34 World Cup victories. Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), who won Saturday’s super-G, leads with 78 World Cup wins. Bode Miller is third with 33 Word Cup wins among Americans.

Up next, the women compete in parallel slalom under the lights in Courchevel Wednesday evening.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change
Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. – Women’s parallel slalom; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 22
11:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Madonna di Campiglio – olympicchannel.com
2:30 p.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Madonna di Campiglio – Olympic Channel TV
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes continued to rack up top results across the globe this past weekend, including Lindsey Vonn’s 78th career win, a surprise Olympic qualification win from young gun Jake Pates (one of 11 U.S. podiums at Dew Tour!), Faye Gulini’s first career podium and Ashley Caldwell’s first of two podiums needed to make it to PyeongChang. U.S. Snowboard Team members Chloe Kim, Chris Corning and Jamie Anderson confirmed their nominations to the U.S. Olympic snowboard team, and more spots will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Read on to see where U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be in action this week and how to watch via NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA.

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup - Courchevel, FRA
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) will kick things off in Courchevel Dec. 19 with a giant slalom competition. They, along with Resi Steigler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), will race in the Dec. 20 nighttime parallel slalom event.

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Madonna di Campiglio, ITA
The U.S. Ski Team men’s tech group takes to the slopes in Italy Dec. 22 for a nighttime slalom event. Seven athletes are expected to compete, including David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.), Mark Engel (Truckee, Calif.) and AJ Ginnis (Vouliagmeni, Greece), who scored his first World Cup points in Madonna last season.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Thaiwoo, CHN
The moguls World Cup stops at the 2022 Olympic venue in Thaiwoo, China Dec. 21-22 for a doubleheader. Both the men’s and women’s teams are on the hunt for podiums during this crucial Olympic selection period.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Innichen, ITA
The skicross World Cup tour ends 2017 with two races in Innichen Dec. 20 and 21. The U.S. placed three athletes in the top 30 at last week’s races in Montafon, Austria.

FIS Snowboard World Cup - Cervina, ITA
Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, Vt.), Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City) and the rest of the U.S. Snowboard Team’s snowboardcross athletes will compete in Cervinia, Italy before the World Cup tour takes a break for the Holidays. Qualifications are on Dec. 21 with finals on Dec. 22.

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD BROADCAST AND STREAMING SCHEDULE
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE
Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Courchevel – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. – Women’s parallel slalom; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 22
11:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Madonna di Campiglio – olympicchannel.com
2:30 p.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Madonna di Campiglio – Olympic Channel TV

FREESTYLE
Dec. 21
12:30 a.m. – Moguls; Thaiwoo – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m. – Skicross; Innichen – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 22
12:30 a.m. – Moguls; Thaiwoo – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m. – Skicross; Innichen – Olympic Channel TV

SNOWBOARD
Dec. 22
6:00 a.m. – Snowboardcross; Cervinia – olympicchannel.com
 

ALTA BADIA, Italy (Dec. 17, 2017) – Ted Ligety’s comeback from back surgery took another step toward the top step of the podium at the FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday.

“I want to start winning World Cups here, and I feel I’m just a couple little things away from figuring that out,” Ligety (Park City, Utah) said after finishing seventh in the first run and then charging the second run to score his best World Cup result in more than a year, finishing  fifth.

“I had some good turns in there,” Ligety said of his first run. “I was holding onto it a little bit on the bottom and had a couple bobbles down here on the flat that cost a lot of speed, but overall it was OK skiing.”

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won his second giant slalom of the season and moved into a tie for the overall World Cup lead with Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, who won Saturday’s downhill but did not compete in Sunday’s GS. Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen was second, and Zan Kranjec of Slovenia landed on his first World Cup podium in third.

Tommy Ford (Bend. Ore.) finished 23rd in the first run but did not finish the second run.

“It was difficult,” Ford said of his first run. “I had a hard time letting go and carrying speed. The snow was really grippy, and I had a hard time being light on my edges.”

Up next, the men compete in parallel giant slalom under the lights in Alta Badia Monday night. Ligety is looking forward to the upcoming races and as he continues building toward the Olympics Winter Games.

“Body-wise I’m feeling good,” he said. “But after two years of being injured, it’s hard to get the race sharpness back right away. That’s definitely a skill you get back by doing it a little more.  I just feel like I need to get that last little bit of intensity in.”

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Dec. 18 
12:30 p.m. - Men’s parallel giant slalom, Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 19
7:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. Women’s parallel slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

MEN'S GIANT SLALOM - OLYMPIC SELECTION

Dec. 17, 2017 - (after 2 races; 1 race remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at start of the Olympics will have automatic start right in event. Up to four may be entered in the Olympic event.

Full Alpine Selection Criteria

Top Three Finish (indicates number of finishes in criteria category)
None

Top Five Finish
Ted Ligety (1)

Top 10 Finish
Ted Ligety (1)
Tommy Ford (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking
9. Ted Ligety (96)
19. Tommy Ford (35)
35. Tim Jitloff (11)

Remaining Race
Jan. 6, 2018 - Adelboden, Switzerland

NOTE: Canceled race in Soelden will not be rescheduled.

VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 17, 2017) – Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.) posted a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, finishing 15th in Val d’Isere Sunday. Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) was 17th, and Laurenne Ross (Bend. Ore.) was 29th.

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), who won her 78th career World Cup race Saturday, opted to sit out Sunday’s event. “Unfortunately I’m not racing today,” Vonn posted on Twitter. “Knee is a bit sore from yesterday so to be on the safe side I’m going to give my body some rest. My focus is on the Olympics so no need to risk anything now.”

Austria’s Anna Veith won her third career World Cup super-G, which was once again contested on the same abbreviated course the women ran on Saturday. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was second, and Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who was second behind Vonn Saturday, finished third.

For the second consecutive day, the soft-grippy snow caught a number of competitors off guard, including Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who started with bib 1 and crashed midway down the track after catching an edge. Defending World Cup giant slalom champion Tessa Worley of France also crashed out.

For McKennis though, the course conditions proved to her liking, as she came out of the 37th start position, and put her early season woes behind.

“The beginning of the season didn’t go super great for me at Lake Louise, and that was pretty frustrating considering how well I had been skiing,” said McKennis, a solid downhiller who has now scored World Cup points in three of the four super-G races this season. “Coming into the races this weekend, I tried to take a step back and figure out what the issue was, and I think a lot of it was I was just trying too hard.

“Every time I was out on the race course I was pushing myself so hard, that I wasn’t even skiing well anymore,” she continued. “So this weekend, I really focused on the skiing, and skiing for myself and not thinking that I needed to push myself harder than what I do in training. That started to make me feel more comfortable and confident in what I was doing out there.”

Ross, who was eighth in Saturday’s super-G, also banked some confidence from Sunday’s result as she continues her comeback from last season’s significant knee injury.

“I’m pretty strong, but I’m still working to get my knee into shape,” Ross said. “I'm definitely not 100-percent, but that being said, with every day I gain a bit more confidence and that helps me to trust myself a little bit more. Even though I know that my knee is not 100-percent, I can still ski fast and I can still push myself.”

Up next, the women head to Courchevel, France, for a giant slalom and a parallel slalom under the lights Monday and Tuesday. Current overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin and Resi Stiegler are expected to compete. The next speed series is scheduled for Jan. 13-14 with downhill and super-G in Bad Kleinkircheim, Germany.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Dec. 18 
12:30 p.m. - Men’s parallel giant slalom, Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 19
7:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. Women’s parallel slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

WOMEN’S SUPER-G - OLYMPIC SELECTION
Dec. 17, 2017 - (after 3 races; 2 races remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at the start of Olympics will have automatic start right in the event. Up to four may be entered in the Olympic event.

Full Alpine Selection Criteria

Top Three Finish (indicates number of finishes in criteria category)
Lindsey Vonn (1)

Top Five Finish
Mikaela Shiffrin (1)

Top 10 Finish
Laurenne Ross (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking

10. Lindsey Vonn (107)
18. Mikaela Shiffrin (56)
25. Laurenne Ross (35)
30. Alice McKennis (27)
36 Jackie Wiles (14)
39. Breezy Johnson (8)
41. Alice Merryweather (7)

Remaining Races
Jan. 14, 2018 - Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria
Jan. 21, 2018 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

VAL GARDENA, Italy (Dec. 16, 2017) – Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) scored a career-best FIS Ski World Cup result, finishing ninth in downhill Saturday in Val Gardena, Italy. Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) just missed the top 10, finishing 11th.

“I was pushing the line and telling myself ‘don’t do that … just get back to the regular line,’” said Goldberg, who won the opening training run on Wednesday. “Now that I’m running in the top 30, I have a clearer course and I can get away with pulling off a more difficult line.

“I got out of the track a little bit on one turn, right before the flat and I could feel myself decelerate a little bit,” he added, “but I knew that if I just got back in the track and stayed low, that I could make it up on the bottom.”

Norway took the top two spots with Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud going 1-2. Austria’s Max Franz was third. With the victory, Svindal maintained his overall World Cup lead over Jansrud, and teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, who did not compete Saturday.

Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) returned to the World Cup circuit Saturday, finishing 41st.

“I wasn’t confident and flowing and going,” said Nyman, who has all three of his World Cup downhill victories on the Saslong course. “I had some fast splits, but I had some bad splits too. But it’s OK! There are some positives, and right now I’m focusing on … training, getting the confidence back, getting the movements back, dialing equipment in … but it’s always great to race here and be back racing.”

Up next, the men's tech team tackles a giant slalom and nighttime parallel giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy Sunday and Monday.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
 

VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 16, 2017) – Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) is back to her winning ways, taking her 78th FIS Ski World Cup victory in super-G in Val d’Isere, France, Saturday. Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who much like Vonn has struggled with early-season results, finally landed on the podium in second. Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel scored her first World Cup podium in third.

“I guess I’m not a washed-up old hag,” Vonn said following Saturday’s victory and responding to numerous social media comments this week regarding her form as she prepares for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. “I think I proved myself, and karma definitely comes back around. I’ve got some good karma coming my way.”

Indeed, good karma played a key roll in Saturday’s victory as she edged one win closer to the all-time World Cup victory mark of 86 wins held by the great Ingemar Stenmark.

“I almost went down there before the finish, but thankfully I was able to hold on to it and pull it out,” Vonn said following her victory on the slow, soft track.

With snow, fog, and wind wiping out downhill training this week, the women tackled an abbreviated soft and bumpy super-G course - a make-up race from last week’s canceled event in St. Moritz. And despite a few course holds due to fog and light snow, four American women scored World Cup points, including Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.), who took a huge step toward returning to top form following last season’s knee injury.

“The track is in a lot better shape than I thought it would be based off how much it has snowed over the past couple of days,” said Ross, who finished eighth. “It is a little bumpy, but it’s still totally rip-able and the snow is responsive enough to feel your skis.

“Today was definitely a big step,” she added. “I feel really good to be back, and be back in race mode.”

Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.) was 22nd and 2016 World Juniors Downhill Champion Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) scored her first World Cup points, finishing 24th. Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, Calif.) continued her comeback from injury, finishing her first World Cup race in more than two and a half years, in 45th position.

"It was really a bit of a challenge today with the flat light and the snow, but I stuck to my plan and skied really solid, and I’m really happy with how it went," Merryweather said. "I have a little bit of confidence now and I’ll take it into tomorrow and charge even more.”

With downhill training canceled this week in Val d’Isere due to weather, the women race super-G again on Sunday. On Monday the tech women head to Courchevel, France, for a giant slalom and a parallel slalom under the lights. Current overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin, as well as Lindsey Vonn and Resi Stiegler will headline the tech women. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

WOMEN’S SUPER-G (after 2 races; 3 races remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at start of Olympics will have automatic start right in event. Up to four may be entered in Olympic event.

Top Three Finish
Lindsey Vonn (1)

Top Five Finish
Mikaela Shiffrin (1)

Top 10 Finish
Laurenne Ross (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking
9. Lindsey Vonn (107)
17. Mikaela Shiffrin (56)
21. Laurenne Ross (33)
35. Alice McKennis (11)
37. Breezy Johnson (8)
39. Alice Merryweather (7)

VAL GARDENA, Italy (Dec. 15, 2017) – Weather continues to wreak havoc on both the men and women’s FIS Ski World Cup European circuit. On Friday, the men’s super-G in Val Gardena, Italy, was cut off due to snow and fog after 38 racers took to the start, leaving 42 racers no opportunity to tackle the Saslong course.

Germany’s Josef Ferstl officially took the victory after FIS officials cut off the remaining portion of the race due to fog and light snow. Austria’s Max Franz was second, followed by countryman Matthias Meyer in third. Ferstl started second before light snow began to fall, and with a clear track, was able to grab his first World Cup victory.

As the race progressed, snow continued to fall and course conditions changed dramatically, with grippy snow accumulating on the track hardened by a couple days of rain earlier in the week.

“With this snowfall, the snow is really slow and sticky compared to yesterday,” said Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), the top American finisher in 17th. Ganong ran 18th as snow fell and fog rolled in on the middle section of the course.  “Hopefully it will be better tomorrow,” he added.

Tommy Biesemeyer finished 18th and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.) was 28th.  Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.), who finished second in Wednesday’s downhill training run; Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) and Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) were among the 42 athletes that did not start after the race was cancelled due to weather conditions.

Up next, the men are scheduled to race downhill on the Saslong track Saturday. Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) is expected to make his return to the World Cup circuit on the track where he has claimed all three of his World Cup downhill victories.

Ganong, who admits he’s off to a slow start this season, finishing 35th in Wednesday’s downhill training, and not finishing Thursday training run, hopes to continue to build confidence with two months remaining before the 2018 Olympic Winter Olympics in Saturday’s downhill.

“It was kind of a rough start to the season, so I’m just trying to build some confidence from race to race and find the speed and find the race gear,” Ganong said. “When it’s going well, it’s super easy. When it's not going well it’s really hard and you’re questioning everything.

“Ski racing is such a simple sport, but the margins are so small, a half a second separates you from a really good day to a really bad day,” he continued. “I’m taking it day-by-day and hopefully I’ll be building into the Olympics - that’s the goal.”

Weather Scrubs Women’s Val d’Isere Downhill

For the second-straight day, snow and wind have combined to cancel downhill training on the women’s FIS Ski World Cup circuit in Val d'Isere, France. FIS Officials have canceled Saturday’s scheduled downhill and replaced it with super-G, which is re-scheduled from last week’s canceled race in St. Moritz. The women will also race super-G Sunday in Val d’Isere.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
4:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup “White Circus” speeds on to the second leg of its tour this weekend in Val d’Isere, France for the women and Val Gardena, Italy for the men. Though weather has presented a challenge on both sides, let’s hope things calm a bit for the weekend so the athletes can show what they’ve been working on all prep period. Now’s the time. We’re on the #RoadToPyeongChang after all.

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) arrived in Val d’Isere feeling and looking like an entirely new woman after suffering from a back injury during the super-G at St. Moritz, Switzerland last weekend. In an interview with NBCSN, she said, “I know my skiing is solid and I'm looking forward to putting it all together on race day.” She’s not thinking about the pain, but rather noted she just needs to keep her back loose and prepare for race day. Along with Vonn, Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) looks to progress in her return from a knee injury at the end of last season and find the confidence to “send it” this weekend in Val d’Isere. She’ll be doing it in front of her father, who came to watch her race. Vonn’s father, Alan Kildow, also came to cheer on his daughter.

The women’s speed squad is deep and on any given day, any of these women are podium potential athletes. Watch them do something special this weekend—that is, if the weather gods are watching over them. Cross your fingers and hope these athletes can win a Val d'Isere cow and some local Beaufort cheese.

From volleyball to dance shenanigans, and shopping to the annual White Elephant gift exchange—a tradition started long ago by head coach and resident Santa Claus Chip White—​​​​​​​the week has been full of holiday cheer and good vibes. And on Thursday, Vonn took time to wish one of her biggest fans, named Hedda, a very happy birthday. Hedda has been battling cancer for the past few years and is one of the biggest fighters the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team has ever encountered. We hope you join us in wishing Hedda a happy 15th birthday. 

Over in Italy, the men are enjoying the most white and wintry Saslong classic downhill in years. It’s a vision of angelic epic proportions in the Dolomites at the moments. And even that seems to be an understatement. With the Saslong towering over the track, it offers some of the most surreal views on tour…and the American Downhillers simply love it.

​​​​​​Earlier in the week, the American Downhillers attended a cooking class at the team hotel on their day off, learning the secrets to their lasagna. It must have helped, seeing as though the first training run saw Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) setting the pace, followed by Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.) in second and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) in ninth. The second training run wasn’t much different, with Maple in 10th and Bennett in 13th. They’re feeling good and ready to rock.

Much of that confidence comes from the man at the helm, John “Johno” McBride, who also hails from Aspen and was a longtime coach of the U.S. Ski Team in the Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves era. No doubt his renegade style has made a difference with the team this season. Is he surprised about the downhill training results? Nope.

“I think we’re good,” he said on Thursday. “It was kind of a funky day today. But I think everyone is in a good place. Conditions on the track are good—fog was in and out today, which made for a long day of training. But overall, the track is good.” The boys are ready. And the American Downhillers will be led by veteran and three-time Olympian Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah). For the first time since he blew his knee last January, he’ll be racing. He’s been missed, and no doubt his leadership will lift the rest of the crew. He has that special kind of effect. It also helps that Nyman has snagged his three World Cup victories on the Saslong, earning him the much-deserved title of “King of the Saslong.” Welcome back, Steven. #BelieveInSteven, right?!

From there, Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) will lead the tech men into battle at Alta Badia, where Ligety has won twice and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) and Tim Jitloff (Reno, Nev.) have also grabbed some of their best results. 

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumni Steve Porino and Doug Lewis will call the action in the coming days. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

Val d’Isere (downhill and super-G)
Stacey Cook
Julia Mancuso
Alice McKennis
Alice Merryweather
Breezy Johnson
Laurenne Ross
Lindsey Vonn
Jackie Wiles

MEN’S STARTERS

Val Gardena (downhill and super-G)
Bryce Bennett
Tommy Biesemeyer
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Travis Ganong
Jared Goldberg
Wiley Maple
Steven Nyman
Andrew Weibrecht

Alta Badia (giant slalom)
David Chodounsky
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Tommy Ford
Tim Jitloff
Ted Ligety
Hig Roberts

HOW TO WATCH (times ET)

Friday, December 15
6:00 a.m. – Men’s super-G; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV

Saturday, December 16
4:30 a.m. – Women’s downhill; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – Olympic Channel TV
5:00 p.m. – Women’s downhill; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill Training 1
Men’s Downhill Training 2

START LISTS
Men’s Super-G

Education is a cornerstone of athletic success. To help further the education of athletic coaches, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has launched a new online Learning Management System (LMS). The new platform will create a channel to deliver education when and where members choose.

The new learning system is debuting this year with an online component of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Level 100 Coach Certification program across all sports. Additional programming for coach education, officials training, club development, athlete education and parent engagement are in the works, as is internal training for staff.

“The introduction of an online learning system will greatly enhance our ability to provide consistent education on more topics to more U.S. Ski & Snowboard members,” said Sport Development Director Jon Casson. 

The LMS is available through the organization’s new website at education.ussa.org. The system is run using the popular Moodle platform, a widely used LMS with a base of 95,000 individual sites and 125 million users. The system is open to any U.S. Ski & Snowboard member alpine coach seeking to complete their Level 100 certification. Other sports will be coming online later this season.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is also supporting the efforts of its partner organization United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) at education.usasa.org.

The system is being managed by U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s new Coach Education Manager Chris Packert. A lifelong skier and ski instructor, Packert brings a wealth of education background to the organization. Prior to joining the U.S. Ski & Snowboard team, Packert managed online learning programs for NASA, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marine Corps, American Public University and the Western Governors University.

“I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge working in online education programs for some of America’s most noted governmental agencies,” said Packert. “I’m anxious to bring that experience into the sport that I truly love.”

The new Alpine Ski Level 100 Coach Certification program available now is a blended learning program incorporating several courses that participants complete prior to attending an on-snow clinic with a trained clinic leader.  After passing an on-snow assessment of skill demonstration, coaching ability and movement analysis, the participants return to the online platform to complete a final exam. Throughout the process, participants also complete a portfolio where they describe in detail how they will utilize their learning in their daily coaching practice.

The online modules are designed to give coaches a solid foundation in the fundamentals of effective coaching and a base of understanding in the specific components of the sport.  Based on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Training Systems, the online modules in the L100 course are divided into two sections: Coaching Core Competencies and Sport Specific Topics.

Coaching Cord Competencies
•    Coaching Roles and Responsibilities
•    Coach Ethics and Philosophy
•    Coach Pedagogy
•    Long Term Athlete Development
•    Training Environments
•    Athlete Mental Skill Development (under development)
•    Physical Literacy and Physical Fitness (under development)

Sport Specific Modules
•    Fundamental Technical Skills
•    Tactical Applications
•    Equipment Selection and Preparation
•    Competition Rules and Pathways

Following the launch of the Alpine Ski L100 program in November, sport-specific online learning modules will come online soon including snowboarding, freeski, cross country and nordic combined. Cost for the Alpine Level 100 program is $160.00.