PARK CITY, Utah (June 4, 2024) – The International Federation of Skiing & Snowboarding (FIS) has officially confirmed 11 FIS World Cups in the United States for the 2024-25 season, headlined by the first ever back-to-back men’s and women’s FIS Alpine World Cup speed races on the historic Birds of Prey track at Beaver Creek and the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals at Sun Valley Resort.

In addition to the men’s Birds of Prey that has been hosted by Beaver Creek since 1997, the women will have the chance to race the renowned speed track in December the weekend after the men at the women’s Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines. It will be the first time the women have raced on the iconic Birds of Prey course. The race will mark the first time many of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women will race a World Cup on home snow, including top speed athletes Lauren Macuga and Bella Wright. The resort is also poised to welcome back the winningest alpine skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin as she chases her 100th World Cup win just a few miles from her home in the Vail Valley. 

“I love racing in the States—racing at Killington has been so important for our sport, and now the women get to have several stops in North America,” said Olympic champion and 97-time World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin. “I have a lot of great memories skiing in Beaver Creek, particularly from World Champs in 2015. It’s an iconic World Cup speed track with a best in the world course crew – the Talon Crew – and the surface is always incredible. It’s so great we’ll be closing the season at Sun Valley with Stifel Sun Valley Finals too. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the next generation of skiers seeing and experiencing the World Cup in our country. It is so impactful and essential for the growth of our sport here at home.”

The men will race at Beaver Creek the weekend prior, kicking off their speed season with the annual Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, racing super-G, downhill and giant slalom. The giant slalom race is back in Beaver Creek for the first time since Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy Ford found his first World Cup victory on the track in 2019. The races will highlight local favorite River Radamus, top downhill skier Bryce Bennett and Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

“The opportunity for women to race speed on the historic Birds of Prey course in Beaver Creek is thrilling!” said Olympic gold medalist and most successful U.S. downhiller in history Lindsey Vonn. “I love that the women will be racing on the same track as the men, and I can’t wait to cheer them on in a place that is very special to me.”  

The alpine World Cup Finals are also returning to the U.S. for the first time since 2017 with Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort hosting the Stifel Sun Valley Finals. The event invites the top 25 athletes from each alpine discipline, likely including Swiss phenoms Marco Odermatt and Lara Gut-Behrami, Italian force Sofia Goggia, Brazil’s Lucas Braathen, and many Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes.

“Bringing the World Cup Finals back to the U.S. and to a storied resort like Sun Valley is exciting for the U.S. fan base,” said six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller. “As someone who grew up with World Cup races nearby, having U.S. Ski & Snowboard continue to host events like this and raise the level of competition regularly is crucial for the continuation of our sport and inspiring the next generation of skiers. I can’t wait to watch.”

“Finally a World Cup Finals on home soil!” said two-time World Cup winner Bryce Bennett. “I’m excited to have the Finals in Sun Valley Idaho this season! It couldn’t be in a better location with a community that values and supports World Cup skiing with the same enthusiasm as the Europeans.”

The 2024-25 U.S. FIS World Cup circuit will again begin on the east coast in Vermont with the alpine women racing giant slalom and slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup. 40,000-plus fans are expected to cheer on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women, including six-time Stifel Killington Cup champion and winningest skier of all time Shiffrin, and tech podium stars AJ Hurt and Paula Moltzan. 

In addition to the four alpine events, the United States will have three freestyle World Cups. An aerials World Cup heads to the historic 1980 Olympic site of Lake Placid Jan. 18-19 for the first time since 2019. New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort, known as the birthplace of freestyle skiing, will host a moguls and dual moguls World Cup Jan. 25-26. This comes after the mountain’s successful first freestyle World Cup last season. Competition continues with the fan favorite Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley Feb. 6-8 with moguls, aerials and dual moguls World Cups. This event is a staple on the freestyle schedule and draws an enormous crowd year after year. Both events will be headlined by the strong women’s Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, who regularly finished on the podium throughout the 2023-24 season.

The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup circuit will head to Lake Placid for the third time since 1990, Feb. 8-9. For the first time, the event will feature both men and women for mixed team and individual jumps. The women’s event will be an addition to last season’s calendar. Top U.S. athletes to watch include Erik Belshaw and Josie Johnson, both silver medalists at the 2024 Junior World Championships. 

Additionally, there will be three freeski and snowboard World Cups in the U.S. this season, with locations to be confirmed. 

“We are thrilled to have a robust domestic World Cup calendar once again,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “To have 11 events on home snow spanning across the country, is a testament to the growth of our sports and the fanbase following our athletes. Plus, the addition of two alpine events, including a two-weekend Birds of Prey with both men’s and women’s races and the Stifel World Finals in Sun Valley, showcases the significant value in bringing the world’s best to the U.S.” 

“As a proud supporter of the skiing community, we are thrilled to partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring more World Cup events to the United States,” said Ron Kruszewski, chairman and CEO of Stifel Financial, the title sponsor of all four alpine events this coming season. “These events not only showcase the incredible talent of athletes from around the globe but also provide an opportunity for American fans to experience the excitement of world class competition on home soil. We are committed to fostering the growth of winter sports in the U.S. and are honored to play a role in making that happen.”

2024-25 U.S. WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

ALPINE
Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2024: Stifel Killington Cup, Killington, Vermont; women’s slalom/giant slalom
Dec. 6-8, 2024: Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, Beaver Creek, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill/giant slalom
Dec. 14-15, 2024: Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, Beaver Creek, Colorado; women’s super-G/downhill
March 22-27, 2025: Stifel Sun Valley Finals, Sun Valley, Idaho; men’s and women’s downhill/super-G/giant slalom/slalom

FREESTYLE
Jan. 18-19, 2025: FIS Freestyle World Cup, Lake Placid, New York; aerials
Jan. 25-26, 2025: Waterville Freestyle Cup, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire; moguls/dual moguls
Feb. 6-8, 2025: Intermountain Health Freestyle International, Deer Valley, Utah; moguls/aerials/dual moguls 

FREESKI AND SNOWBOARD 
Dec. 14, 2024: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, TBC; halfpipe
Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2025: Visa Big Air presented by Toyota, TBC; big air
Feb. 2-5, 2025: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, TBC; slopestyle/halfpipe 

SKI JUMPING
Feb. 7-9, 2025: FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Lake Placid, New York; individual large hill HS 128/super team large hill HS 128. 

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(PARK CITY, Utah) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard officially announces the 2023-24 Snowboard Awards recipients.

Nominated and voted on by the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team athletes and staff, the awards highlight a standout team member in four categories: Athlete of the Year, Best Comeback, Rookie of the Year, and Staff Member of the Year. The pool of candidates is drawn from both pro and rookie teams across all three disciplines, including slopestyle, snowboardcross, and halfpipe. 

“The winners of each category represent the best of the best from the 2023-24 season,” said Hydro Flask Snowboard Team Sport Director, Rick Bower. “The nomination and voting process was tight for each award, which shows the incredible amount of respect athletes and staff have within the team. We are so proud of the culture this team has established across all three disciplines and are excited to watch as they continue to build on this upward momentum.”

Congratulations to the following athletes and staff!

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Red Gerard

• 2024 Aspen X Games; gold (slopestyle)
• Edmonton World Cup; third place (big air)
• Visa Big Air presented by Toyota; third place (big air)

Maddie Mastro

• 2023-24 FIS women's halfpipe World Cup rankings; second overall
• 2024 Dew Tour; gold
• Calgary World Cup; second place
• Secret Garden World Cup; third place
• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix; third place (Copper Mountain)
• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix; third place (Mammoth Mountain)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Alessandro Barbieri

• Youth Olympic Winter Games; silver
• Winsport Calgary Nor-Am Cup; first place

Rebecca Flynn

• FIS Junior World Championships; first place (big air)
• FIS Junior World Championships; third place (slopestyle)
• Youth Olympic Winter Games; silver (big air)
• Sun Peaks Nor-Am Cup; first place (slopestyle)
• Sun Peaks Nor-Am Cup; second place (big air)
• Stoneham Nor-Am Cup; second place (big air)

BEST COMEBACK

Chase Blackwell

Showing consistent improvement and skill progression throughout the season, Blackwell put down the "best run of [his] career" at the prestigious Laax Open and walked away with a career-best fourth-place finish.

Maddie Mastro

Sidelined by a crash in Calgary, Alberta at the end of the 2022-2023 season, Mastro battled back to display some of the best halfpipe riding of her career, earning a spot on the podium in every competition she entered throughout the 2023-24 season.

MOST IMPROVED

Bea Kim

In only her first season at the pro level, Kim earned her first World Cup podium at the Laax Open and finished third overall in the 2023-24 FIS women's halfpipe World Cup rankings.

Levko Fedorowycz

Along with first-place results at two Nor-Am Cups and a National Championship win, Fedorowycz improved 10 spots in the FIS halfpipe World Cup rankings over the course of the 2023-24 season.

STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR

Missy Konig - Team Manager

From booking flights to organizing schedules and everything in between, Konig is a well-loved Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team staff member. Her dedication to athlete's well-being and commitment to the organization's success doesn't go unnoticed.