ZAGREB, Croatia (Jan. 4, 2018) – Mark Engel (Truckee, Calif.) matched a career-best FIS Ski World Cup slalom result in 24th on a soft, grooved and punchy course under the lights in the capital of Croatia Thursday night. But most importantly, he maintained a World Cup start position for USA.

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher came from behind in the second run to snatch victory away from his teammate Michael Matt, who finished second. Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen was third.

For Engel, finishing was not only important from a team standpoint, but from a vindication standpoint too. Last year on the same course he finished third in the first run, only to crash spectacularly near the finish of the second run.

“I felt the pressure to finish here today because our team is going to run out of World Cup spots unless we make up some points,” said Engel, who almost repeated last year’s incident near the finish of Thursday’s first run.

“I’m so happy I made it through,” he said after his first run. “I had really tired legs down here and I got a little back seat, but managed to pull it off.”

In the second run, Engel attacked the course. Following the flat middle section, he charged the bottom with a smile on his face. “I’m really happy that my best split was down the last pitch, which has troubled me before,” he added.

Up next, the men head to Adelboden, Switzerland for giant slalom and slalom events Jan. 6-7.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

ZAGREB, Croatia (Jan. 3, 2018) – Mikaela Shiffrin once again proved she is not only the best skier in the world, but arguably the best athlete in the world with the 2018 Olympic Winter Games just five weeks away.

With another dominating display of speed and skill, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) rolled to her 38th career FIS Ski World Cup victory in Wednesday’s slalom in Zagreb, Croatia.  It was her eighth World Cup victory this season, and she extended her overall World Cup lead to 571 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who did not compete Wednesday. Shiffrin also leads the overall World Cup slalom and downhill standings.

“I’m really excited to race, race, race, race!” said Shiffrin who has won three of the last four World Cup races in the past eight days. “It’s a tough period for the tech girls, but it’s cool to be part way through it now and feel like I have good momentum and just try to keep it going through the rest of the season.”

Shiffrin cruised to a 1.41-second first run lead and extended it to a 1.59-second margin of victory over Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, who finished second, and Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter in third. Fellow American Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) was 14th.

With Wednesday’s victory, Shiffrin was crowned the Snow Queen for the third time in her career as she also won the crown in 2015 and 2013.

Up next, the women head to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for giant slalom and slalom events Jan. 6-7, then to Flachau, Austria for a night slalom on Jan. 9. The men race the Zagreb night slalom Thursday.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

Happy New Year from U.S. Ski & Snowboard! The countdown is on to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games and athletes have just three weeks of qualifying competition left to achieve nominations to their respective Olympic teams. January will feature a host of competitions both abroad and on American soil, including Toyota U.S. Grand Prix stops at Snowmass, Colorado and Mammoth Mountain, California, and FIS Freestyle World Cups at Deer Valley Resort, Utah and Lake Placid, New York.

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 - Zagreb, CRO + Kranjska Gora, SLO
The U.S. tech women will get to put on a show under the lights with night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 3. The tour then moves to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Jan. 6-7 for a giant slalom and slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) is expected to compete in all three events and will be favored to add more World Cup podiums to the 11 she’s already landed this season. Other familiar U.S. faces include Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) and Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.).

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Zagreb, CRO + Adelboden, SUI
The men’s Alpine team follow the women with their own night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 4 and then Adelboden, Switzerland will host a giant slalom and slalom Jan. 6-7. Skiers expected to race throughout the week include Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.) and Nolan Kasper (Warren, Vt.), who’s returning to the World Cup after two years of injury.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Calgary, CAN
The U.S. Ski Team moguls athletes kick off the New Year with a World Cup event in Calgary, Alberta on Jan. 6. The event will take place at the 1988 Olympic Park. Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) and Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine), who both landed podiums at the last World Cup in China, will be leading the charge into the third Olympic selection event of the season.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Moscow, RUS
The aerials World Cup tour continues with a city event on scaffolding in Moscow Jan. 6. U.S. athletes have historically done well on the Moscow site; Mac Bohonnon (Madison, Conn.), Jon Lillis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Madison Olsen (Park City, Utah) landed podiums there in 2016.

FIS Cross Country World Cup - Tour de Ski: Oberstdorf, GER + Val di Fiemme, ITA
Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) all landed podiums in the first three stages of the Tour de Ski. The Tour continues with a stop in Oberstdorf, Germany Jan. 3-4 followed by the finale in Val di Fiemme, Italy Jan. 6-7. Diggins and Bjornsen are currently sitting third and fifth in the Tour standings.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup - Innsbruck + Bischofshofen, AUT
Coming off strong performances at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, 2018 Olympic Team member Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.), Kevin Bickner (Wacounda, Ill.) and Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) move into the final stops of the Four Hills Tournament in Austria.

FIS Snowboard World Cup - Lackenhof, AUT
Riders will compete in a pair of parallel giant slalom races Jan. 5-6.

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

ALPINE
Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m.  – Women’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb  – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

FREESTYLE
Jan. 6
12:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s aerials; Moscow – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 p.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Calgary – Olympic Channel TV

CROSS COUNTRY
Jan. 3
8:50 a.m. – Men’s and women’s sprint – olympicchannel.com
12:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s sprint – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 4
4:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k + Men’s 15k – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
8:15 a.m. – Women’s 10k mass start – olympicchannel.com
9:45 a.m. – Men’s 15k mass start – olympicchannel.com
11:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k mass start – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s 15k mass start – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

Jan. 7
5:30 a.m. – Women’s 9k pursuit – olympicchannel.com
7:30 a.m. – Women’s 9k pursuit – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)
8:30 a.m. – Men’s 9k pursuit – olympicchannel.com
1:30 p.m. – Men’s 9k pursuit – Olympic Channel TV (Same day coverage)

SKI JUMPING
Jan. 3
8:00 a.m. – Men’s HS130 Qualification; Innsbruck – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 4
8:00 a.m. – Men’s HS130; Innsbruck – olympicchannel.com
2:30 p.m. – Men’s HS130; Innsbruck – Olympic Channel TV (SDD)

Jan. 6
11:00 a.m. – Men’s HS140; Bischofshofen – olympicchannel.com
8 p.m. – Men’s HS140; Bischofshofen – Olympic Channel TV (SDD)

SNOWBOARD
Jan. 5
7:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s PGS; Lackenhof – olympicchannel.com

Jan. 6
5:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s PGS; Lackenhof – olympicchannel.com

Heading into an extremely busy month which will culminate with the naming of Team USA, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) is finding not only momentum in her skiing, but also inspiration from the performances of her cross country and ski jumping teammates. And it’s the female athletes who have been in headlines as we roll into 2018.

With podiums by cross country skiers Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Bjornsen and Jessie Diggins in the Tour de Ski and a win by Sarah Hendrickson in the recent U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Trials, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team women have been fast and furious in the last two weeks. Add to that six podiums by Shiffrin since December 20 – five of those being victories – and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team has some serious momentum heading into the new year and the upcoming Olympic Games in PyeongChang.  

As she heads into a big tech series with FIS Ski World Cups in Zagreb, Croatia, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia and Flachau, Austria, Shiffrin admits she’s thriving off that momentum and feeding off the success of her #oneteam teammates.

“It’s always really exciting to see teammates from the other sports having success and you see it everywhere – you see it on Instagram and we get the weekly newsletter from U.S. Ski & Snowboard – just seeing how much excitement there is across all the sports,” noted Shiffrin.

“I can get isolated in my own little bubble with ski racing and it’s really fun – especially with the Olympics – to branch out a little bit and look at the other sports and think, ‘Oh yeah, these girls I see at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence training in the summer all of the time are crushing it,” Shiffrin reflected. “Knowing a lot of them on a more personal basis, it’s just really exciting to see them have success and it makes me feel a little more inspired to keep working towards mine.”

Shiffrin goes into the weekend with a healthy 471-point lead in the overall World Cup hunt ahead of Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg and a 135-point lead in the slalom standings over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova. She will be looking to stand atop the podium at Zagreb and once again be crowned “VIP Snow Queen” as she was in 2013 and 2015 at this venue. In fact, in her last 23 starts in a World Cup slalom, Shiffrin finished on the podium 22 times, including 18 wins, two second-place, and two third-place finishes. The only exception in this run was the Zagreb race a year ago, when she straddled and recorded a DNF in the first run.

“I’m really excited to race tomorrow and just keep this mentality going,” Shiffrin said after Tuesday’s bib draw at the Ice Park in Zagreb’s city center’s King Tomislav Square. It’s good to be back in Zagreb. Last year I had a bit of a heartbreaking race here with the straddle and I’m really looking forward to skiing aggressive on the hill this year, and hopefully continue that all the way down.”

Joining Shiffrin in Wednesday’s slalom will be veteran Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.), who finished a season-best seventh last year at this venue, as well as Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Megan McJames (Park City, Utah).

On Thursday, all eyes will turn to the men who will also battle for the VIP Snow Queen Trophy. Veteran David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.) will headline six American men as he looks to find his way back into the top 10 in an incredibly deep and talented men’s slalom field.

The women will then travel to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for a tech weekend originally scheduled for Maribor, Slovenia, but canceled due to lack of snow and warm temperatures. The men will head to the classically iconic Adelboden, Switzerland venue for giant slalom and slalom, as Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) looks to build on his “Mr. GS” momentum, steadily climbing back up to the top. Not only has Ligety won here in giant slalom (2013), but he also landed on the slalom podium with second in 2006. Keep an eye out for Ligety, as we may see him throwing on the disco sticks once again and jumping into the slalom start gate on Sunday.

Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT) has been sidelined with injury the last two seasons and will be returning once again to World Cup competition in Adelboden. His last World Cup start was Schladming, Austria on January 27, 2015. Keep an eye on Kasper, as he has one career podium from 2011 and has worked extremely hard to come back from injuries.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Steve Porino will call the action in the coming week. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Zagreb, CRO – Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler
Nina O’Brien
Tricia Mangan

MEN’S STARTERS 
Zagreb, CRO – Slalom
Michael Ankeny
David Chodounsky
Mark Engel
AJ Ginnis
Robby Kelley
Hig Roberts

NOTE: Final starters for Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, and Adelboden, Switzerland have yet to be solidified. Stay tuned to our social channels for updated information.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Jan. 3
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m.  – Women’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb  – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 4
6:45 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Zagreb – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Zagreb – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 6
3:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom, run 2; Adelboden – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Jan. 7
3:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Kranjska Gora – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 1; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com
6:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Kranjska Gora – NBCSN
7:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom, run 2; Adelboden – olympicchannel.com

START LISTS
Women’s Slalom

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s primary men’s Alpine speed team athletes, suffered an injury at the recent FIS Alpine World Cup event in Bormio, Italy which means he will miss the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. Post-event assessments by a medical team in the USA established that the injuries Travis sustained included an ACL tear which brings to an end the Californian ski racer’s season.

“I’m obviously disappointed that the injury I sustained in Bormio means my season is over, especially as this is an Olympic year,” said Ganong after his injury was diagnosed. “But I know I will be back, and I will be back stronger and faster than ever. Now my focus is on recovery and on supporting my teammates at the Games in South Korea. We have an incredible team, right across all the disciplines U.S. Ski & Snowboard represents, and I’ll be cheering as loudly as any of our fans when our guys win medals in PyeongChang.”

“Travis was a medal threat in South Korea, for sure,” said Tiger Shaw, CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “He has the speed, talent and experience to win, and he’s tasted podium success already on the world stage, so not having him on our team in PyeongChang is clearly disappointing, but he will recover and he will have many opportunities to win in the future.

“Looking at the team overall, in Ted Ligety and Steven Nyman, we have two more experienced, world class athletes flying the US flag in international men’s alpine competition, and we have some exciting talent coming through the ranks which bodes well for the future. Bryce Bennett, for example, has been showing good consistency this season, as has Jared Goldberg, and now we also have the exciting talent of River Radamus coming through -- a young racer who has just taken part in his first World Cup event. We have a lot to look forward to but, for now, our focus is on achieving our targets across the team in South Korea.”

OSLO, Norway (Jan. 1, 2018) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) rang in a foggy start to the New Year with her 37th career FIS Ski World Cup victory in the city event dual slalom in Oslo, Norway Monday night. It was her second-career city event victory and her seventh World Cup win so far this season.

Competing on a tight dual slalom course covered in a blanket of fog, Shiffrin and Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener both entered the finals undefeated as Shiffrin took the first run by a slim 0.01-seconds. Shiffrin then took the second run by 0.17 seconds to remain undefeated for the evening while picking up another 100 World Cup points. Nineteen-year-old Melanie Meillard defeated Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter in the small final for her first career World Cup podium in third.

“For me, this is totally different than GS or slalom, or a traditional ski race because you have the person next to you. And I always know that my competitors really want to win - everybody wants to win,” Shiffrin said. “Especially tonight with Wendy, she is so hungry, and I have to think ‘OK, I have to be hungry too, and I have to be tougher and a little bit crazy.’ And it worked out really well for me. It’s not always that way … you have to really dig deep.”

With the victory, Shiffrin tied her childhood idol Marlies Schild, and is now sixth on the all-time World Cup win list at age 22.

In the men’s event, Sweden’s Andre Myhrer defeated Austria’s Michael Matt for his first city event win. Germany’s Linus Strasser defeated Great Britain’s Dave Ryding for third. 

With the victory, Shiffrin extended her overall World Cup lead to 471 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who did not compete Monday. She also further extended her overall World Cup slalom lead over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who finished tied for fifth.

Up next, the women compete in an evening slalom Jan. 3 in Zagreb, Croatia. The men compete in an evening slalom Jan. 4, also in Zagreb.

For the U.S. women, Shiffrin, Megan McJames (Park City, Utah), Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.) and Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) are scheduled to compete Wednesday. On the men’s side, David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.), Michael Ankeny (Deephaven, Minn.), Mark Engel (Truckee, Calif.); AJ Ginnis (Vouliagmeni, Greece), Robby Kelley (Starksboro, Vt.) and Hig Roberts (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) are scheduled to compete in Thursday’s slalom.

RESULTS
Men’s city event
Women’s city event

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 3
10:00 a.m. – Women's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com

Jan. 4
10:00 a.m. – Men's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com
 

LIENZ, Austria (Dec. 29, 2017) – In one of the tightest finishes on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit this season, Italy’s Federica Brignone edged out Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg and Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) by just 0.08 seconds to win Friday’s giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.

In finishing third, Shiffin picked up her ninth podium result of the season and maintained her overall World Cup lead over Rebensburg. However, with her second-place finish, Rebensburg moved into the overall World Cup giant slalom lead by 13 points over Shiffrin.

Up next, the women compete in a city event in Oslo, Norway on New Year’s Day, followed by a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 3.
 

Cochran-Siegle Leads Three Americans Into Top 20

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) led three Americans into the top 20 in Friday’s FIS Ski World Cup alpine combined event in Bormio, Italy.

Alexis Pinturault of France won Friday’s race, Italy’s Peter Fill was second, followed by Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud in third.  Cochran-Siegle was 14th, followed by Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) in 15th and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) in 19th.

“When I kicked out of the start gate, I wasn’t able to let it go as much,” said Cochran-Siegle, who tweaked his knee earlier this week in downhill training. “But there is some good that I am able to take away from this race, and some things I still need to work on.

“I think it’s good that we’re all in the points and we can move forward from today,” he added. “But we also have a lot of work to do as well.”

Italy’s Dominik Paris, who won Thursday’s downhill, took the lead early after posting the top time in Friday’s downhill portion of the alpine combined. He was well on his way to his second-straight World Cup victory until he straddled a gate toward the bottom of the afternoon slalom course.

Up next, the men compete in compete in a city event in Oslo, Norway on New Year’s Day, followed by a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 4.

RESULTSRESULTS
Women’s giant slalom
Men’s alpine combined

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 29
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Jan. 1
10:00 a.m. – City event; Oslo - Olympicchannel.com

Jan. 3
10:00 a.m.  – Women's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com

Jan. 4
10:00 a.m.  – Men's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com