Lauren Macuga wrapped her breakthrough 2023-24 season with a solid 14th place and earned herself some World Cup points to boot on Friday, March 22, at the final super-G of the year in Saalbach, Austria. 

Despite heavy rain overnight and humidity into the early hours of Friday, temperatures cooperated, and the sun was shining for both the women's and men’s super-G. Out of the gate bib 5, Macuga skied a run she could be proud of to close a standout season in which she ended up ranked 13th in the world in the discipline. 

“Nothing has really set in,” the 21-year-old reflected on her season, which featured three top-10 results, including a career-best top-five in Kvitfjell. “It’s still crazy to think about it…it’s been incredible. I was just hoping for a super-G point this year, and now here I am running super-G at Finals. I don’t know, something clicked, and I’m just having fun.” 

The Czech Republic’s Ester Ledecka won Friday’s super-G, followed by Italy’s Federica Brignone .28 seconds off the pace, and Norway’s Kajsa Lie Vickhoff in third, .30 out. Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami was seventh, but she finished strong enough to walk away with the super-G Crystal Globe to add to her impressive collection this season. 

Though Mikaela Shiffrin wasn’t racing the super-G, she and teammate Jackie Wiles were in the finish area to support Macuga, or “Cougs,” as the team calls her, cheering for her as she crossed the finish line. The women’s speed team has had a great vibe all season, and Macuga is a big reason for that positive energy. 

“The team is really good, obviously,” she said with a laugh after Wiles and Shiffrin hugged her. We have so much fun, and I think that’s what helps a lot. We enjoy being here, we all hang out…, and we get some mad Catan games going.” 

Up next for Macuga is a camp at Palisades, Tahoe, for some slalom and giant slalom. 

World Cup Finals will wrap for the women with a downhill on Saturday, March 23. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

CUP STANDINGS
Women’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH (ET)

March 23
6:15 a.m.  - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
6:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock

River Radamus took home his second national championship title in two days, winning the giant slalom at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel at Sun Valley Resort.

The course conditions were firm, with the hill setting up nicely overnight and producing a fair and fast hill for the more than 80 racers. The course set was tricky first run, which whittled the second run down to only 56 athletes. Radamus ran bib one—the same bib he wore in the day prior’s victorious super-G—and proved it successful once again, taking the lead and never giving it up throughout the day.

With a little easier set second run, many of the men punched in fast times. Hometown Sun Valley racer Ryder Sarchett, who skis for the University of Colorado Boulder, clocked the fastest second run to clinch fourth place and the best result for a junior racer. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes swept both the overall podium and the junior podium. Behind Radamus was Bridger Gile in second and George Steffey in third. Jay Poulter took second on the junior podium behind Sarchett, and Camden Palmquist was third.

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

On Friday, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Jared Goldberg closed out his season with his second best super-G result, an 11th place in Saalbach, Austria. 

“I feel like today was solid skiing,” said Goldberg. “I’ve been trying to bring the fun back and try to ski my best.” 

After it rained throughout the week with warm temperatures in and out, Friday was another extremely warm and sunny day for a super-G. Course workers worked tirelessly to salt and prepare the slope to make sure it was in prime condition for both the women and men. 

Goldberg ran second, a perfect bib number for the conditions. He was immediately in the green at the top splits, but toward the middle of the run, Goldberg lost a few tenths to cross the finish line in second. However, his time held on through a good majority of the field, ending in 11th—just shy of a personal best super-G result. 

“Today was difficult because it was so soft and peely that it was hard to know if you were going too straight or too round, so I was pushing it hard in most places, but then in a couple places probably not enough,” reflected Goldberg. “I keep learning and super-G finals was a big step for me.” 

The race was a nail-biter in the fight for the super-G globe between Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr and Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt, who clinched both the season overall and giant slalom Crystal Globe. The two ran back-to-back making for a dramatic finish. Odermatt squeezed ahead of Kriechmayr to claim the Globe—his second super-G Globe in a row. 

However, the podium was a bit of a surprise. Swiss skier Stefan Rogentin claimed his first ever World Cup win. Swiss teammates Loic Meillard and Arnaud Boisset took second and third place for a Swiss podium sweep. It was Boisset’s first career podium, having only 13 World Cup starts to his name. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle also raced for the U.S. men, finishing in 20th. Cochran-Siegle had a tough bib draw for the conditions but is feeling prepped and ready to fire for the downhill on Sunday. 

The speed finale is set for Sunday. Watch the men's downhill live and on-demand through Peacock starting at 6:15 a.m. ET. Cochran-Siegle and Bryce Bennett are slated to compete for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. 

RESULTS 
Men's super-G

CUP STANDINGS
Men's super-G

HOW TO WATCH (ET)

March 23
6:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
6:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock 

River Radamus and Elisabeth Bocock took home the titles of national champions at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel super-G at Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort.

The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team swept both super-G podiums. Behind Bocock in the women’s race, Allison Mollin was second and Tatum Grosdidier third. This was Bocock's first national title. On the men’s side, Kyle Negomir finished second and Isaiah Nelson was third. Radamus is a three-time national champion, having won the super-G in 2021 and giant slalom in 2020.

Cooper Puckett was the top junior man of the day, with Camden Palmquist second and Jay Poulter third. The women’s junior podium was the same as the podium.

Both the men’s giant slalom goes off on Friday and women’s giant slalom Saturday.

Paula Moltzan closed out the season on a high note with a personal best giant slalom result on Sunday, March 17, snagging sixth place at World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria. 

Heavy rain fell on the small Austrian ski town for much of the night, but the clouds cleared and the sun came out on Sunday morning for the final tech race of the 2023-24 World Cup season. The race organizers did their best to prepare the track for a fair race, though there was a definite advantage for the lower start numbers. 

Moltzan struggled on the first run to find her groove, landing in 13th, but she knew there was nothing to lose heading into the second run and was advised by her coaching staff via their course report to “FULL SEND!” She skied a clean and fast second run, coming across the finish line in the lead. Moltzan ended up with a personal best sixth place giant slalom finish to end the season with an exclamation mark—and was the second-fastest on the run. 

“Today was tough,” Moltzan reflected. “Soft GS isn’t really my cup of tea, but I’m really happy with how I performed my second run. First run was just a bit high, too early, and safe line. Second run I kind of knew it was balls to the walls and I was either going out or finding the finish and I’m happy I found the finish so I can forget about all of the bad skiing I had this year.”

Italy’s Federica Brignone won the race in a commanding fashion, finishing 1.36 seconds ahead of the field. New Zealand’s Alice Robinson followed in second, while Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund was third, 1.67 seconds out. Though Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami struggled on the first run, she was able to finish a solid 10th place to earn herself the giant slalom Crystal Globe. 

AJ Hurt, who had a breakthrough season with two podiums—one each in giant slalom and slalom—also started on Sunday, landing in 20th. Hurt ended the World Cup giant slalom season ranked 15th in the world. Moltzan ended up ranked 11th. 

“AJ and I are super competitive,” said Moltzan, “So when it comes to training, all we do is push, and it’s in a really healthy and respectful way. We send as hard as we can every day, and we’re starting to be able to see that on race day.” 

She added with a giggle, “Most of the time AJ is better than me, so I’m going to try to be more like her when I grow up.”

Teammate Mikaela Shiffrin sat out the giant slalom, opting instead to focus on slalom at World Cup Finals. Shiffrin ended up ranked fifth in the world in the discipline, despite missing the final three giant slalom races due to an injury sustained in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. 

World Cup Finals will continue with a speed weekend featuring downhill and super-G on Friday, March 22. 

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

CUP STANDINGS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH (ET)

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
6:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
6:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock

In the final slalom race of the 2023-24 season on Saturday, March 16, Mikaela Shiffrin earned her 97th career World Cup victory and was officially awarded her record-equaling eighth slalom Crystal Globe. 

After missing six weeks of racing due to an injury sustained in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in January, Shiffrin came to win, once again flaunting her slalom prowess with victory 96 in Are, Sweden. She backed that up on Saturday with yet another slalom win at World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria, closing the season in spectacular fashion. 

“It is incredible,” Shiffrin reflected on her 97th career victory. “It’s a lot of work for the whole team. Situations like this, for me, with this season, you have to rely on the people around you supporting you so much. It’s always that way, but when you’re trying to come back from an injury, and it’s kind of a rush, and it’s stressful, and it’s important for everyone… It just shows even more how important the support system around me is working, and I’m so grateful for it. I’m so happy to have these final two races, which is giving us something to be really proud of going into the prep season.” 

Warm temperatures and soft snow created challenging conditions for all of the athletes on Saturday, and was a battle for the race organizers to keep the track firm. Despite several DNFs, Shiffrin, who was sitting in second coming into her final run of the day, was able to turn on the heat and take the win ahead of Norway’s Mina Fuerst Holtmann in second, .54 seconds off of Shiffrin, and Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson in third, .63 off the pace. 

It was a season to remember. Shiffrin grabbed her 16th career Crystal Globe and had nine World Cup victories and 15 World Cup podiums this season across three disciplines. Saturday’s win brings her slalom win tally to 60 victories and 152 podiums. There were highs and lows, and Shiffrin now looks ahead to the 2024-25 prep period. 

Paula Moltzan also started in Saturday’s slalom and skied a solid seventh-place first run within striking distance of the podium. She was having a blazing fast second run, leading the second split by .55, when she straddled and did an acrobatic recovery to stay on her feet. Thankfully, she is OK and will start in Sunday’s giant slalom. 

The World Cup Finals will continue on Sunday with a women’s giant slalom race, followed by a speed weekend featuring downhill and super-G. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

CUP STANDINGS
Women's slalom

HOW TO WATCH (ET)

March 17
3:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock
4:30 a.m. - men’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
6:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
6:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock 

In the final World Cup giant slalom of the season in Saalbach, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus skied to 17th place and the World Juniors giant slalom champion Ryder Sarchett made his World Cup debut. 

The Austrian crowds were in full force to watch the best of the best put it to the test in Saalbach. The conditions felt like spring with warm temperatures and light rain on a heavily salted course. 

The course deteriorated in the first run, as the skiers raced for the final time in the giant slalom season. Radamus had trouble finding his rhythm and finished the first run in 15th place. Sarchett, a bit nervous, made it down with a sizable mistake, ready to make up time on the second run. 

Sarchett, the World Juniors giant slalom champion, showed off his talent running first on the second run. He skied smooth and fast to land in the leaderboard for two racers. Sarchett ended up having the third-fastest second run, a remarkable feat for the up-and-coming racer. Sarchett was sure to soak in the experience. 

“I am a little disappointed with the first run,” said Sarchett. “I didn't ski my best and I felt like I left a lot on the table. But my second run was really fun. It felt like my normal skiing and was fast and that feels good.” 

“It’s definitely the next level to be here and there is a reason why it's the World Cup," he added. "You have to be on your game and I think that’s really cool and will hopefully motivate me."

Radamus finished his day in 17th place, not his best finish, but leaves him ready to come back stronger for the next season. Radamus will finish the giant slalom rankings in 11th, his best ranking to date. 

“It’s been a great season. I feel like I’ve made some strides to where I want to be with my giant slalom skiing,” said Radamus. “Two bad runs here - I wish I could have finished it on a stronger note but I will take the motivation and frustration I have into the off-season to get better for next year.”

It was a dramatic end to the giant slalom season for Swiss star Marco Odermatt. Odermatt was chasing his 13th giant slalom victory in a row but on the second run he caught an edge and could not complete the run. Teammate Loic Meillard took the win to cap off what has been a streak of podiums in the recent races. Second place went to Andorra racer Joan Verdu, his second podium of the season. Swiss skier Thomas Tumler was third. 

World Cup Finals will continue with a men’s slalom race on Sunday and the following weekend will feature men’s downhill and super-G. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH 

March 17
3:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock
4:30 a.m. - men’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
5:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
5:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock 

Thank you to Carol Tomassetti for this writeup!

Leading into the weekend for the Dunkin' Eastern Regional Championships, Mother Nature was up to her 2024 tricks and game plan, dumping pouring rain all day Wednesday and into the wee hours on Thursday.  The Gore team leveraged lots of salt and many years of experience to pull off the races despite all the precipitation Wednesday and Thursday which foiled the plans to move snow or groom.  Thursday John Pierce shared some super helpful SG tactics and the folks that were there early, helped carry salt and slip the course before the salt solidified.  The hard work paid off, allowing us to still have two SG's on Friday.  The SG's counted towards the National Speed Series, so it's great that the East managed to get those races in.  Saturday's GS was a bit of a rough ride but we still managed to get the race off.  Saturday night while we were at our party, the precipitation started as rain and turned to around 8 inches of wet gloppy snow for Sunday's SL.  Gore groomed at midnight and a 6 am which allowed the show to go on.  It still required the team to fix lots of b-net that had fallen over, not to mention some pretty rigorous course maintenance.   All in all everyone had a great time and we are most grateful to Rich Burnley and his team at Gore for working so hard to make the races happen despite the weather.  In addition to Mid-Atlantic racers, we had Jay Knox from Canada join us as well as racers from Intermountain, Southern Masters, NY Masters and New England Masters.  

We wish both JP Madarasz and Patti Lane a speedy recovery from their injury.  You guys are warriors and we look forward to seeing you back on the hill soon.   

Eastern Regional Championship Results: usalpinemasters.org/2024/er

A big thank you to our sponsor Dunkin' and Alex Smigelski who made the sponsorship happen.  The medals and tops the Eastern Team winners receive were sponsored by Dunkin' as was the Dunkin' swag and gift certificates.  A big thank you to Lauren Beckos our US Ski & Snowboard lead for making the trip and for all her help, getting medals, the banner and the Hydroflask racer gift.   John Pierce was with us all weekend, providing hints and tips during inspection, he officiated and was there to help the crew from Gore across the whole weekend.  A big thank you to all the racers that help slip, take down b-net, carry salt, you name it.  Being helpful like this is so important for us being welcomed back to a mountain in the future.   Thanks also to everyone that helped across the weekend, we are most appreciative for your help and support:
Banners: Paul Fowser
Referees: John Pierce, Dan Scuderi and Alex Smigelski
TD: Bill Bolte
Registration: Gail Bolte, Greg Gallup, Maureen Viglielmo, Joel Evans (boyfriend of Hannah otherwise known as The First Man)
On hill help: Gail Bolte, John Pierce
Friday Night Party & Scoring: Ryan Whitson
Welcome bags: Sandra Schwinzer, Karen Sanderson
Photos: Mark Phillips, Liam Moya, Lars Knudsen, Kathy Hart
Event Planning, Banquet, Announcing, Custom Brushes and lots of other stuff: Hannah Knudsen
Scoring & Results: Deb Lewis, Lauren Beckos, Ryan Whitson
Event Planning, Flier, Ability class vetting and lots of other stuff: Connor Carreras


You can find pictures from the weekend at the following locations:
Misc Photos across the weekend: Google Drive  
Mark Phillips race photos from SG
Mark Phillips race photos from GS
Mark Phillips photos from SL

Every year at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress awards ceremony in May, U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes the work of those behind the scenes and the people and organizations that provide athletes of all ages with opportunities to participate in ski and snowboard competitions.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard members can nominate in many of the award categories, including The Paul Bacon Award for excellent event organization, the John J. Clair Award for outstanding service to national teams and more.

How the process works

• Nominations for these awards are accepted from members who have a valid and current membership for the 2023-24 Season. 
• Each sport committee also submits its own nomination.
• Selection of awards winners is determined by a vote of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Awards Working Group in early April.
• Winners are announced in May.

How to nominate

• Read through the categories open to public nomination.
• Click on the nomination link for each individual award for which you wish to nominate.
• Complete the nomination paying special attention to highlighting accomplishments required for each award.
• Nominees must also be current members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
• Click to submit.
• Remember, you need to submit nominations for each award separately.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS: Friday, March 29, 2024

PUBLIC NOMINATION CATEGORIES

Paul Bacon Award (event organization)

The Paul Bacon Award is given to an individual or group for the greatest contribution to U. S. Ski & Snowboard in the field of race organization during the 2023-24 season. Traditional nominees include local clubs or individuals whose work has made a difference in providing good events for athletes.

PAUL BACON AWARD Nomination Form

John J. Clair Award (service to national teams)

The John J. Clair Jr. Award is given for outstanding service that benefited the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team in 2023-24. Past recipients have included outside team support personnel, donors, journalists, movers and shakers. Most recipients have been individuals, though some organizations have been recognized. The recipient’s service should be to the national teams.

JOHN J. CLAIR JR. AWARD Nomination Form

Bud & Mary Little Award (service to FIS or USOPC)

The Bud & Mary Little Award is a lifetime achievement award presented to an individual who has contributed significantly through a long-term involvement with the International Ski & Snowboard Federation or U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Recipients are eligible to receive the award only once. Achievement should be lifetime; it is not specific to this past year.

BUD & MARY LITTLE AWARD Nomination Form

Buddy Werner Award (sportsmanship)

Have you seen any great acts of sportsmanship this past year? Nominations should be based on actions from the 2023-24 season. It is only open to individuals.

BUDDY WERNER AWARD Nomination Form

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth)

The Russell Wilder Award recognizes the most outstanding effort during 2023-24 in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboarding. It can be awarded to an individual or an organization.

RUSSELL WILDER AWARD Nomination Form

OFFICIALS NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY*

West Family Award (outstanding official)

The West Family Award is a lifetime achievement honor, recognizing an outstanding certified official at any level.  Nominations come from the pool of current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership.

WEST FAMILY AWARD Nomination Form

*Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership. 

FIS TECHNICAL DELEGATE NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY^

Westhaven Award (outstanding FIS technical delegate)

The Westhaven Award is a lifetime achievement award, recognizing an outstanding FIS technical delegate for his or her service over time. Nominations come from the pool of current FIS TDs.

WESTHAVEN AWARD Nomination Form

^Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Technical Delegate membership. 

Ten Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine athletes are slated to race at the World Cup finals in Saalbach, Austria March 16-24. Racers who finish the regular World Cup season within the top 25 rank of any discipline are eligible to race. Competitors who have achieved at least 500 World Cup points during the current season are also eligible to race. For the first time, the races will fall over two weekends with one tech and one speed weekend. This is also when the FIS Crystal Globes are awarded to the winners of the overall, slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill disciplines.

“We are so proud of what the alpine team has accomplished this year,” said Anouk Patty, Chief of Sport with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Mikaela’s astonishing strength, ability and comeback coupled with the career best seasons for River Radamus, AJ Hurt, Bryce Bennett, Lauren Macuga and more is a huge testament to the work our athletes and staff have put in. We know they will end the season with a bang in Saalbach.” 

Mikaela Shiffrin is set to officially receive the slalom Crystal Globe this season—her 16th career globe and record-equalling eighth slalom globe. Shiffrin won six World Cup slalom races this season and has 96 World Cup victories heading into finals. Before an injury sustained in a downhill crash at Cortina d'Ampezzo sidelined Shiffrin for six weeks, she also won a downhill race and a giant slalom race. Shiffrin qualified to compete in the giant slalom and downhill at finals as well. 

Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt have had exceptional seasons, with Moltzan landing her third career podium and second podium in slalom. Hurt had a breakout season with podiums in both giant slalom and slalom. Both skiers have been a solid force on the women’s tour in the technical disciplines. Moltzan will compete in both the giant slalom and slalom, and Hurt will compete in the giant slalom.

In women’s speed, Jacqueline Wiles will compete in the downhill after securing a career-best second-place finish in Cortina d'Ampezzo—her first podium in six years following a string of injuries. Lauren Macuga has also had a breakout World Cup season with several career best finishes, including her most recent fifth place in the Kvitfjell, Norway super-G. She will start in the super-G at finals. 

The men’s team has had a very successful speed season with two men going into the finals downhill event. Bryce Bennett has had a career best season, poised to finish the downhill rankings in fifth, his best ranking to date. Olympic medalist Cochran-Siegle has also shown impeccable consistency in the top 10 numerous times in both super-G and downhill. Jared Goldberg showed strong results in the super-G discipline. Bennett will compete in the downhill, Cochran-Siegle in the downhill and super-G and Goldberg in the super-G. 

In the men’s tech field, River Radamus will compete in the giant slalom. Radamus has had his best season ever, highlighted by his first podium at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup. Plus, Ryder Sarchett will compete in the giant slalom race after winning gold at Junior Worlds this season. International Ski Federation (FIS) rules allow athletes who win a discipline at Junior Worlds to be eligible to race finals in that event. This will be his inaugural World Cup start.

All of the races will be streamed live and available on demand on Peacock. 

WOMEN
AJ Hurt (giant slalom)
Lauren Macuga (super-G)
Paula Moltzan (slalom, giant slalom)
Mikaela Shiffrin (slalom, TBD) 
Jacqueline Wiles (downhill) 

MEN
Bryce Bennett (downhill)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (super-G, downhill) 
Jared Goldberg (super-G) 
River Radamus (giant slalom) 
Ryder Sarchett* (giant slalom) 

 *qualified through a World Juniors victory

 HOW TO WATCH

March 16
3:00 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock 
4:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 17
3:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock
4:30 a.m. - men’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock 
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
5:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
5:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock