On Saturday’s downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Lauren Macuga shined bright as she claimed her first ever World Cup downhill podium in second place. Teammate Breezy Johnson also skied well to a top 10 finish. 

“I feel like it wasn't me yesterday and today I went out there charging and my tuck over some terrain, and got over the outside ski and just sent it,” said Macuga. 

It was not quite as sunny as Friday, but the vibes in Kvitfjell were top notch as the best women speed skiers in the world got ready to send it down the downhill track for the second time this weekend. The snow locked up from the colder temperatures the night before, leading to a very strong surface for the race. 

Macuga ran wearing bib three and after skiing the track three times through training and Friday's race, she knew exactly what she needed to do to find the coveted green light once again. At each split she was cooking, making up a lot of time compared to the two previous skiers to punch her fist through the line into first place. 

“I think it was a solid run for me. No matter what happens today, I'm really happy with my skiing,” said Macuga. “I was also trying to be clean and trying to be smart over the jump because that is such a crucial part of this course.”

Next up for the team was Johnson. Fresh off her first World Cup podium in three years on Friday, Johnson was on the hunt for more success. A few bobbles in some key areas led Johnson to fall to 10th place overall - but still a solid result for the downhill skier. 

“I did my best this weekend, and I'm happy with that,” said Johnson. “It's really cool being part of a team that's doing this well. It's really cool being able to know that all of us can put it in there on any day of the week.”

The next threat to Macuga’s time was Germany’s Emma Aicher who landed her first podium ever the day before. Aicher skied fast, fierce and cleanly to bump Macuga by just 0.03 seconds to take the lead and eventually her first win of her career. Third place went to the previous day’s winner, Austrian Cornelia Huetter. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Jackie Wiles, Lindsey Vonn and independent skier Haley Cutler also had strong days in 14th, 16th and 30th, respecitvely. Notably it was Cutler's first time in the points. Bella Wright did not finish but is OK. Tricia Mangan landed in 42nd place.

Now the women will prepare for the super-G and final race of the weekend on Sunday. 

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
4:30 a.m. ET - women’s super-G, Kvitfjell, NOR - skiandsnowboard.live

On Friday’s make-up downhill in Kvitfjell, Norway, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson led the charge for the U.S. women with her first World Cup podium of the season in third place. Jackie Wiles, Lindsey Vonn and Lauren Macuga rounded out the top 15 in eighth, 12th and 15th place, respectively. 

“It definitely treated me kinder than I deserved. I risked a lot,” said Johnson. 

The skies finally turned blue with a sun overhead - a welcome sight for the crew who had been skiing under clouds in the fog the past week. The track firmed up overnight, making for higher speeds, which meant the women speed skiers needed to lock in and focus. 

First up for the U.S. team was Wiles who was pushing hard running bib two. She flew through the finish over a second ahead of her competitor, hopeful that this time would be a solid result. Wiles stayed up on the top of the board for a while until some fast Italians and Austrians knocked her down to what would end up being a great top 10 result. 

“I'm really excited to have a solid result,” said Wiles. “It's been kind of an off and on season with results, so it feels good to have a solid result here at a venue that I haven't done a downhill yet.”

Johnson was next for the team, fresh off her recent World Championships gold medals. She had the speed, confidence and drive to push through some mistakes while still gaining speed. She came down in podium position and a look of disbelief crossed her face as she saw her rank. 

“I definitely made some mistakes, so I'm kind of surprised by the results,” said Johnson. “I feel good, all things considered. You have to push and try things out. You must risk things and considering all that I risked and all that I paid for, I feel like I did pretty good.” 

The surprise of the day was Germany’s Emma Aicher who came blazing down into second place. Aicher, who is consistently a top 10 skier in tech and speed found her groove Friday just 0.15 behind the winning time of Austrian Cornelia Huetter. 

Vonn and Macuga also showed strong results in 13th and 15th. Bella Wright found herself in the points in 23rd place. Overall the women feel confident heading into the next two days of racing for one downhill and one super-G. 

RESULTS 
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. ET, women’s downhill, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live 
4:30 a.m. ET women’s super-G, Kvitfjell, Norway - skiandsnowboard.live 

On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete and greatest alpine skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin won her 100th World Cup win in Sestriere, Italy with teammate Paula Moltzan just behind in third place. 

“Today was just a amazing day in the middle of some really tough months, but I'm very thankful for this day,” said Shiffrin.  

It was poised to be a special day when the snowy skies turned sunny the afternoon of the slalom race. The Italian fans came out and were ready to cheer on what would eventually become a historic day. In the first run, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team showed promise with three athletes heading to run two. Shiffrin ran bib four and knifed her run to take the lead by 0.09 seconds. Moltzan, who has had an up-and-down year in slalom races, showed no signs of slowing down as she glided right into fourth place - a great spot for a potential podium leap. 

AJ Hurt also skied well to make run two. Katie Hensien and Nina O’Brien did not finish the first run but are OK. Youngster Liv Moritz started in her first slalom World Cup and skied great at the top but lost a little time down near the bottom to land outside of the 30. 

The second run was set by Shiffrin’s coach Janne Haarala and it featured a lot of tricky rhythm sections, hairpins and flushes - but it caused no trouble for the U.S. gals. Hurt absolutely nailed her run, gaining time at every split, to cross the line well over a half-second in the lead and set the pace for the women’s team. Hurt would end up 13th overall and second on the second run. 

“It's not so steep anywhere so you have to go as hard as you can and that’s what I tried to do today,” said Hurt. “I am feeling good about today and my weekend overall.” 

Young Swedish skier Cornelia Oehlund held the lead for more than 10 racers, but Moltzan attacked - wanting that top rung. While she lost a chunk of her lead down to the bottom, she saved enough to take the new lead and eventually move to third place. It was her third podium of the season and first slalom podium of the season. 

“I think there were still a lot of mistakes in the second round but I just kept trying to keep my skis down the hill,” said Moltzan. “I knew that everyone in front of me was coming behind Cornelia, so I just wanted to lay everything on the line and see how it played out.” 

Finally all eyes were on Shiffrin. She did not have a lot of time to play with, so she had to lay down a run that would give her the victory. At every turn, Shiffrin was skiing to win, gaining time at each interval to clinch her 100th victory. A look of disbelief lay on her face as the emotions set in. 

“I feel like the mountain ahead of me is steep and long,” said Shiffrin. “If I get there and when I get there it will be very sweet but for now I just have to take this day and be grateful for it. Because it's a small moment in the middle of many tough moments that makes me feel like maybe I can be good again.” 

Shiffrin was notably out of competition for 2.5 months from a brutal injury she sustained in Killington while on her way to her 100th victory in November. It has been an intense road back to victory for Shiffrin - yet on Sunday, she defied the odds and ended up on top. Shiffrin now had 63 slalom wins, 100 wins and 155 World Cup podium finishes. 

“It certainly feels like I've been fighting a lot lately and it's been hard to find the right momentum and the right flow,” said Shiffrin. “So to come back and compete with these women who are skiing so strong and so fast is amazing.” 

In the finish area her teammates and family greeted her wearing their new “MIK100” shirts to show support of her incredible accomplishment. Drenched in champagne, full of emotions and smiles, Shiffrin walked away from the Sestriere weekend with her illusive 100th win done and dusted. 

The next stop on the World Cup tech tour will be in Are, Sweden for a slalom and giant slalom March 8-9. 

RESULTS 
Women's slalom

The 2025 Phillips 66 FIS Masters Cup and Western Regional Championships at Big Sky Resort in Montana February 7-9 was a true international event. The start lists included 109 racers from 11 countries: United States, Canada, Austria, Japan, Czechia, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Thanks to the racers who traveled from near and far, the sponsor, Phillips 66, the organizer, Big Sky Ski Education Foundation, and Big Sky Resort for making it a great event. The racing was amazing, but the time spent with friends old and new is what keeps us coming back for more.

In what seems to be a predictable plot twist, there was snow in the forecast for the Friday of SG racing. On race day, there was only a few inches on the ground when it was time for the race officials and crew to head up to prep the hill. It would take some slipping, but would be manageable. While setting the course over the next hour, 3-5 more inches fell and it became an all legs on deck situation. With the guidance of the race officials and crew, the racers slipped through 3-10 times systematically moving the snow to clear the majority of the trail side to side to create a safe race venue. Even the resort ski school instructors not currently with lessons came out to help. It was after lunch when we were given the green light for racing. All the effort was well worth it. The track had been cleared to a prime surface and the course was a blast. Unfortunately, with the extra time needed in the morning to prepare the venue, there was not enough time for a second SG race. The morning slipping had kept everyone warm, but with 12 degree temps with a cool breeze gusting at times, everyone was also looking forward to heading in to warm up. The next stop was awards to rest the weary legs and recoup some of the extra calories burnt. The forecast for the remaining days was for minimal additional snow. 

What Saturday lacked in snow challenges, it made up for it with frigid temperatures. Racers, officials, crew, and volunteers donned every layer, coat, and heating device they had to be out on the hill for the whole day in the low single digit temperatures. Drained by the cold, batteries were replaced on some timing equipment and others devices had hand warmers attached to them just to be able to function. Despite the timing challenges the GS racing was fantastic. The course setters did an excellent job and the racers were going full gas. Hangmans, the race trail for the event has a variety of terrain. The trail has some easy warmup turns at the top before diving down a long pitch, veering to right, then gently rolling down to the finish. Racers gathered again that evening for awards to celebrate the GS winners and congratulate their fellow competitors.

Racers and crew alike were excited to see temperatures in the teens for SL on Sunday. The course setters again did a great job, setting 4 courses for the day. Using the new FIS Masters guidelines, Groups D(women 60+ years) and B(men 60+ years) raced on the right course and Groups C(women 30-59) and A(men 30-59) raced on the left. Racers 18-29 years, ineligible for FIS, but racing in the Western Regional Championships  raced with groups C/A. As racers charged into the finish, they were out of breath and smiling. Though awards were initially planned for outside, racers gladly reconvened in a hotel sitting room by a fireplace for the final awards. Awards wrapped with the announcement of the Western Region Age Class Champions. Women     Men

Race Results

FIS Masters Cup results on the FIS Website and usalpinemasters.org/2025/fismasters

Western Regional Championship results posted at usalpinemasters.org/2025/wr

Western Championships Class Champions:    Women     Men

Race Photos available for purchase from Big Sky Photo.

Good luck to all the competitors chasing globes this season!

The majority of the FIS Masters Cup (FMC) are held in Europe, but each year North America hosts consecutive events in Canada and the United states that draw international competitors looking for a little adventure and the opportunity to get 8-10 FMC starts in the span of a week. For North American racers, it's a key opportunity to get starts close to home so they can be a contender for the FIS Masters Cup with just 1 or 2 trips to Europe - most Masters racers do have jobs, families, and other obligations after all! The winner, of the FMC in each age class, is the racer accumulating the highest number of points taking into account their 12 best races of the season - racers must be ranked in 6 races to be eligible. For most age classes, traveling to the Finals is Europe, is essential to get the double points awarded there. 

FIS Masters Cup Standings

Thank you to our sponsor Phillips 66 for the financial support to buy fun award medals, group awards, and Western Regional Champion fleeces!

On Saturday’s downhill in Crans Montana, Switzerland Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the top U.S. performer in 13th place. Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg and Sam Morse rounded out the points in 17th, 25th and 30th. 

After two strong training days for the U.S. team, the results were not quite the same as the skiers had hoped. Cochran-Siegle had a podium early on the season and has shown speed consistently on training days and in sections but has had trouble finding the same intensity on race day. 

“I’m feeling let down because I have consistently been racing the past few months at a lower level than what I’ve shown I’m capable of from training runs,” said Cochran-Siegle. “Clearly I am letting something affect me on race day that isn’t allowing me to trust myself and my ability to reach my full potential.” 

Despite the frustrations the Olympic silver medalist knows that he has the skiing to be on top - he plans to reset for the upcoming and final races of the year. 

“It’s up to me to figure out that mental block to move forward and let the better skiing happen,” said Cochran-Siegle.

It was another Swiss sweep in the downhill with youngster Franjo Von Allmen in first, Marco Odermatt in second and Alexis Monney in third. 

The men are happy to be putting four men in the 30 but know they can do more. The next downhill for the World Cup men will be in Kvitfjell, Norway March 7-8.

RESULTS 
men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
4:30 a.m. - men’s super-G, Crans Montana, SUI - skiandsnowboard.live

On Saturday’s second giant slalom race in Sestriere, Italy. Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt posted her season best result in seventh with Paula Moltzan close behind in eighth place. 

“I feel like I'm feeling more like myself from last year, I feel pretty good,” said AJ Hurt. 

The weather proved to be opposite from the day before that brought sunshine. Instead there was a deep fog that sat at the top of the hill for some time. Regardless of the difficult visibility the race went on as planned. The first run was challenging with a straight set but flat light, which meant the women had to take more risk. The top 10 stacked with less than a second from first to 10th. 

The women ended up throwing four women into the second run all very close together with their times. In the flip included up-and-coming junior athlete Elisabeth Bocock who previously scored her first points in Killington earlier this season. 

On the second run the sun started to peak out which made the light much better on the course. With the stronger visibility amongst the packed house of Italian fans, it was going to be an exciting second run. First Bocock skied fierce to land in the points and ultimately tie her season best result of 23rd. Then AJ Hurt ripped down the course to earn her season best result of seventh place. Moltzan had quite a few errors but still managed to land eighth. 

“I just feel like I was able to find more confidence here and have some good turns and finish it off well,” said Hurt. “It feels really cool to be part of the U.S. team right now. There's so many girls doing that well and I am very proud of them all.” 

The winner of the race was Italian Federica Brignone, who wowed the home crowd with her fantastic skiing; second place was Swiss skier Lara Gut-Behrami, and in third was New Zealand’s Alice Robinson.  Stifel U.S. Ski Team skiers Nina O’Brien, Katie Hensien and Mary Bocock did not finish but are OK. 

The tech women will now switch to slalom on Sunday. 

RESULTS 
women's giant slalom 

HOW TO WATCH 
3:45 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 1, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live
6:15 a.m. ET - women’s slalom, run 2, Sestriere, ITA - skiandsnowboard.live