When the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships kick off Feb. 1, it will mark the first time since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games that Utah - The State of Sport - has hosted so many athletes for a World Class event. In this three-part series, we talk to a number of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes expected to compete in the upcoming World Champs, and their thoughts on competing on home soil, in front of family and friends, the pressure to exceed expectations, and their overall view of what the World Championships mean to them.

• Part One: Snowboard and Ski Cross at Solitude
• Part Two: Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Big Air at Park City Mountain
• Part Three: Aerials and Moguls at Deer Valley

Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Big Air at Park City Mountain

Freeski legend, the Sochi Olympic Games freeski slopestyle silver medalist Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) looks forward to another opportunity to ski on a big international stage. “The World Champs in Park City are huge for me,” she said. “It’s like the Olympics again, it’s another chance to present my best skiing and hopefully stomp the run of my life.”

Logan has been skiing the slopestyle course and halfpipe at Park City Mountain since moving to Park City in 2011. Most international freeskiers and snowboarders cannot say the same. “The Park City halfpipe is always so nice, cut perfectly, the jumps are always great in the park,” Logan commented. “It’s where I ride when I’m not in competition.”

She notes her advantage in one of life’s simple pleasures, “I get to sleep in my own bed,” said Logan. “I will get to come back to my home without having the stress of traveling or sleeping in a strange place. It makes you feel as comfortable as possible. I think all that adds up to being confident and skiing well.”

Logan has put roots down in the Park City area which in many ways offers a sense of confidence going into the competition. She recently purchased two acres of land in Tollgate Canyon on the outskirts of town.

“Being able to make Park City my home and have a future here is really exciting,” she said. “I love Park City, from the mountains to the summer activities there’s always something to do. Also, given I travel a good amount, the airport being right down the hill is very convenient.”

It’s very clear that Logan isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but does knowing everyone and having loved ones around create unwanted pressure or responsibility?

“It’s definitely an advantage, I consider my friends my family in Park City. Most of my family is back east and my brothers are traveling, but I have been taken in by a lot of good people and spend all the holidays with them and it really has become home. The fact that I will have the chance to compete in front of this extended family gives me goosebumps. You want to do well in order to show them their support is making it happen and helping me reach my goals.”

    - Devin Logan, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team

Logan believes the U.S. will improve on the team’s performance at the past Olympics. “I think the U.S. will do better than in PyeongChang,” she said. “We came away with a lot of medals on the snowboard and freeski teams but I think that coming off of that success with momentum, plus having the World Champs in Park CIty, that will all be really beneficial.”

Confidence is high, but there are serious international competitors in every discipline and U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes are aware of what lies ahead. Despite the fact that U.S. athletes are familiar with the host venues, the terrain and will generally feel at home throughout the 10-day competition, international competitors are coming to win. Logan listed off some international rivals, but thinking out loud and being a true team player, she had a rebuttal for each of her own comments.

“In big air, the Norwegians are really impressive, but we are also really good and have people like Alex Hall, Mac Forehand and Caroline Claire who keep getting better. In slopestyle, the Norwegians and the Swedish are very talented, but we also have Nick Goepper coming off a silver in slopestyle in (PyeongChang). Also, McRae Williams is hungry after not having the best result in PyeongChang. Colby Stevenson and Joss Christensen are also from Park City and will be looking to do well in their hometown. On the girls’ side, Maggie Voisin and Julia Krass are doing doubles now, they are going to bring the heat.”

Logan’s thoughts on international competition reference Norway’s Oystein Braaten, Birk Ruud, and Johanne Killi as well as Sweden’s Henrik Harlaut, Jesper Tjader, Oscar Wester and Emma Dahlstrom. Not to mention the Switzerland powerhouse including PyeongChang Olympic gold and silver medalists Sarah Hoefflin, Mathilde Gremaud and Andri Ragettli. Isabel Atkin from Great Britain is also very much a contender. In addition, U.S. athletes can’t forget their friends to the north with Canadian phenoms Alex Beaulieu-Marchand and Evan McEachran gunning for medals.

Speaking to halfpipe, Logan said, “Canada is also very strong as well as the French, but so is the U.S. with Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, David Wise, Brita Sigourney, and Maddie Bowman.”

Strong Canadian competitors in the halfpipe include Olympic gold medalist Cassie Sharpe, as well as Simon D’Artois and Noah Bowman.

One thing that is clear from Logan’s comments is that like the Olympics, the World Championships are bigger than just one athlete. It’s about the team and even the sport as a whole. Logan not only recognized this, but has taken it upon herself to make the bright future of her teammates and the sport of freeskiing priority one. While she wants to perform, there is a much bigger goal on her mind.

“I put pressure on myself to do well,” she said. ”Who doesn’t want to win and stand on top of the podium? But, regardless if I make the team or not, I’m going to be there cheering on my teammates. I like to help mold the young athletes because now I’m the veteran and I have been through this for so long. If I can pass on some wisdom and experience to help others be successful in their career, that’s even better. It’s all about pushing the sport and making it grow. That’s what I want to see.”

Although Logan is looking out for her teammates and freeskiing, her love of competition will always shine through. “As much as I feel I can provide to these young athletes, they return the favor,” she said. “They push me and light that fire because I know I have more in the tank and feel I have more to offer. Another World Champs medal would definitely be nice and I will do my best to make that happen.”

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary broadcast schedule, subject to change
Streaming schedule TBA
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Friday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women's snowboardcross finals - NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - Olympic Channel
8:30 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - NBCSN*

Sunday, Feb. 3
1:00 a.m. - Men and women’s freeski big air finals - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Team snowboardcross - Olympic Channel
4:00 p.m.-  Team snowboardcross - NBCSN*

Monday, Feb. 4
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - NBCSN*

Tuesday, Feb. 5
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard slalom - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard big air - NBCSN

Wednesday, Feb. 6
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s freeski slopestyle finals - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Olympic Channel
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - NBCSN*

Thursday, Feb. 7
9:00 p.m. - Team aerials - NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 8
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard  halfpipe - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s moguls - NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 10
2:00 a.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - NBC*

Monday, Feb. 11
10:30 p.m. - Women’s freeski halfpipe finals - NBCSN**

When the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships kick off Feb. 1, it will mark the first time since the 2002 Olympic Winter Games that Utah - The State of Sport - has hosted so many athletes for a World Class event. In this three-part series, we talk to a number of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes expected to compete in the upcoming World Champs, and their thoughts on competing on home soil, in front of family and friends, the pressure to exceed expectations, and their overall view of what the World Championships mean to them.

• Part One: Snowboard and Ski Cross at Solitude
• Part Two: Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Big Air at Park City Mountain
• Part Three: Aerials and Moguls at Deer Valley

Snowboard and Skicross at Solitude

Fifteen-year snowboardcross veteran and Sochi Olympic bronze medalist Alex Deibold (Manchester, Vt.) knows the World Champs are special. “Outside of the Olympics, I think it is the most prestigious and most important event we have,” he said. “Being able to call yourself a World Champion is a lifelong title. If you look at some of the names that have achieved that title, it really is pretty elite. The fact that it only happens every two years definitely adds some mystique and pressure to it and just makes it that much more special.”

As a Park City local, Deibold has an edge over his international competitors. “It’s something as simple as being in your own time zone that can be a huge advantage for sleep and preparation,” said Deibold. “Also diet. It sounds silly to some people, but just being able to have food you are used to and are comfortable with is just one of those small things that can definitely add to your success.”

Deibold believes Solitude Mountain Resort’s snowboardcross facilities play well to the team’s strengths and may offer a unique advantage. “I do think we really have a home-field advantage,” he said. “If the test event for us at Solitude was any indicator, we had a lot of success there. I was able to get on the podium and I really felt like I could have won that race. It was one of the first times in my career that I felt a little disappointed with a podium that wasn’t a win. For snowboardcross, the build and the style we have over here really suits our riders. Nate [Holland] and I were third and fourth. I really think we have an advantage, not only being at home but also with the style of course at Solitude.”

“The fact that we are having World Champs on home soil is a big advantage to us and it being in my backyard is even better. It will be great to have friends and family be able to come up, and watch, and support, and the fact that we have so much history and such a great community here, I think it’s really going to make it that much more special. World Champs is always an important event and it’s fiercely competitive and really prestigious, but the thought of being able to compete in an event like that at home… we are just so fortunate."

    - Alex Deibold, U.S. Snowboard Team

“But, you certainly have to be careful” Deibold continued. “Luckily I have been doing this a long time and I know it’s easy to get distracted and get pulled in a lot of different directions. People wanting to see you and spend time with you, whereas if you are overseas you just buckle down. But no, having them there is just a bonus, regardless of how things go. It will be great to have them here and have that support.”

Another common thread between the athletes and the World Championships is having a generally positive outlook on expected performance. “It’s a little too early in the season to say, but I think our team is riding as strong as it has in years,” said Deibold. “We have a really good group dynamic right now. There are some younger kids on the team that are pushing us to be better and there are some of us who are a little bit older with more experience so we have been guiding and leading. I feel really confident for the team going into the World Champs this year.”

On the snowboardcross side, Deibold mentions a very clear and focused rival. “As far as our main rival goes, the reigning world champ Pierre Vaultier from France, the two-time Olympic champion, is certainly the man to watch,” he said. “But there are a lot of different people from other countries riding well.”

Both domestic and international snowboard and skicross athletes will descend on Utah and converge at Solitude Mountain Resort to open World Champs Feb. 1-3 with snowboardcross, skicross, and mixed gender team snowboardcross. With three opportunities for podiums, these athletes will leave everything on snow.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary broadcast schedule, subject to change
Streaming schedule TBA
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Friday, Feb. 1
1:00 p.m. - Men and women's snowboardcross finals - NBCSN

Saturday, Feb. 2
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - Olympic Channel
8:30 p.m. - Men and women’s skicross finals - NBCSN*

Sunday, Feb. 3
1:00 a.m. - Men and women’s freeski big air finals - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Team snowboardcross - Olympic Channel
4:00 p.m.-  Team snowboardcross - NBCSN*

Monday, Feb. 4
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard giant slalom - NBCSN*

Tuesday, Feb. 5
3:00 p.m. - Parallel snowboard slalom - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard big air - NBCSN

Wednesday, Feb. 6
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s freeski slopestyle finals - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - Olympic Channel
11:30 p.m. - Men and women’s aerials - NBCSN*

Thursday, Feb. 7
9:00 p.m. - Team aerials - NBCSN

Friday, Feb. 8
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard  halfpipe - NBCSN
9:00 p.m. - Men and women’s moguls - NBCSN

Sunday, Feb. 10
2:00 a.m. - Men and women’s dual moguls - NBCSN**
1:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - Olympic Channel
3:00 p.m. - Men and women’s snowboard slopestyle - NBC*

Monday, Feb. 11
10:30 p.m. - Women’s freeski halfpipe finals - NBCSN**

Jake Vedder (Pinckney, Mich.) led the way for the U.S. Snowboardcross Team with his first career FIS Snowboard World Cup podium, finishing second in Saturday’s snowboardcross in Cervinia, Italy. In the women’s race, Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) pulled off her 51st World Cup podium performance, finishing second.

“My teammates were really encouraging me all day, and when I got to the bottom everyone just started tackling me,” Vedder laughed. “I couldn’t even believe what happened. I’m ecstatic to be here right now and it was a great day of racing. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Vedder, the 2018 Junior World Champion, came back from fifth position in the big final, taking the inside line late in the race to land on the podium to announced himself as a force on the World Cup stage with his second-place performance. Teammate Nate Holland (Sandpoint, Idaho) got tangled up midway through big final, but rebounded to finish fifth. Italian Emanuel Perathoner topped the podium with Germany’s Martin Noerl in third.

In the women’s race, it looked like Jacobellis would pull off the double victory following her win Friday to add to her all-time record in ladies’ SBX World Cup competition. Jacobellis opened up a huge gap between herself and the pack down the demanding Cervinia track.

However, back in the pack was Sochi 2014 Olympic gold medallist Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic, who kept her sights set on Jacobellis despite the seemingly insurmountable gap through the middle section of the course. Outpumping Jacobellis over the final roller stretch, Samkova edge Jacobellis by a board length at the finish line to claim her 11th career World Cup victory and her second podium in as many days after finishing runner-up to Jacobellis on Friday. Third place on the day went to Italy’s Michela Moioli, the reigning Olympic champion and 2017-18 crystal globe winner who earned her first podium of the young season on home soil.

With the runner-up result, and like Samkova earning a victory and second-place result the past two days, Jacobellis and Samkova are tied atop the FIS snowboardcross World Cup leaderboard through two events.

Both Jacobellis and Vedder achieved their minimum U.S Ski & Snowboard World Championship Team criteria with their respective podium results. Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.) also fulfilled his minimum 2019 World Championship Team selection criteria, finishing eighth.

U.S. Development Group member Stacy Gaskill (Golden, Colo.) finished in 12th; Anna Miller (Orem, Utah), Livia Molodyh (Hubbard, Ore.) and Danielle Steinhoff (Colfax, Calif.) finished 16th, 28th and 29th respectively.

The 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships snowboardcross program commences Jan. 31-Feb. 3 at Solitude Mountain Resort. Stay tuned for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Championships Team announcement to see what U.S. Snowboardcross Team members will compete in the biggest event to hit Utah since the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games.

RESULTS
Men’s Snowboardcross
Women’s Snowboardcross

The alpine snowboard season is off and running with two of three Race to the Cup events taken place in December. Steamboat Springs, Colorado hosted the season-opener December 8-9, with Buck Hill, Minnesota, hosting December 14-16

Local Steamboat Springs athletes started off their season strong with Robert Burns (Mount Shasta, Calif.) and Cody Winters (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) taking first and second respectively in the parallel giant slalom (PGS) event on December 9th. On the women’s side, Lynn Ott (Bend, Ore.) just missed the podium in fourth place.

The action continued December 10th with a parallel slalom race (PSL) on the same slope. Local racers again finished strong with Burns scoring another win and Winters rounding out the podium in third. The U.S. women were shut out of the podium but came away with respectable places for Ott, Abby Champagne (Park City, Utah), and Kaiya Kizuka (Sinking Spring, Penn.) in fifth, sixth, and seventh place respectively.

The following weekend of racing in Buck Hill consisted of three days of PSL racing. On the first day of competition December 14th, Champagne was the top American finisher with a second place and her first podium of the season. Kizuka and Ott followed just off the podium in fourth and fifth respectively. Winters had a great day, snagging his first win of the season.

Saturday’s race found Kizuka on the podium in second, and Burns back on top with this season’s second victory.

The event finished up with the third PSL of the weekend on Dec. 16th,  where Champagne took home second place and her second podium of the weekend. Winters brought the heat again and demonstrated consistency and dominance earning his second victory of the season, and his fourth podium of the season.

After these five races, the Americans are looking good in the NorAm standings with Winters leading Burns by 55 points. On the women’s ranking Champagne is sitting in third as the highest American behind Kaylie Buck of Canada and Tsubaki Miki of Japan.

The next Race to the Cup event will be held in Holiday Valley, N.Y., February 28th - March 1st.

Race to the Cup events is the U.S. arm of the greater North American Cup tour which is hosted in partnership with Canada. The NorAm Cup tour gives upcoming athletes a chance to earn a World Cup spot for the following season and is, therefore, an important step in the athletic pipeline.

RESULTS
Dec. 8
Men’s PGS
Women’s PGS

Dec. 9
Men’s PSL
Women’s PSL

Dec. 14
Men’s PSL
Women’s PSL

Dec. 15
Men’s PSL
Women’s PSL

Dec. 16
Men’s PSL
Women’s PSL

STANDINGS
Men’s NorAm Cup
Women’s NorAm Cup

Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) kicked off the 2018-19 snowboardcross season with a victory at the Cervinia, Italy, FIS Snowboard World Cup in race one of a two-race weekend event. This is the 30th career World Cup win for the defending FIS Snowboardcross World Champion.

The victory comes at a critical time with the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships right around the corner, and with the win, Jacobellis satisfy the minimum U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Championships Team Selection criteria of at least one top-eight World Cup result.

“It’s nice to grab a victory at the first competition, especially because I didn’t do that well last year,” said Jacobellis. “It was an X Games style course as far as the glide, the movement and passing strategies are concerned, which I think worked well with my experience. This kind of course can work with you or against you with drafts and gains, but the knowledge of how they work is critical to manage your position in the race. I learned this early on in the training session when I put myself behind the guys. I was actually ahead in my race, and knew drafting opportunities would make for passing on my left side, so I made sure I stayed left to close out that lane.

“This win is really nice and helps boost the confidence as these days I have a lot more wear and tear on my body,” she continued. “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing with my starts and not be afraid to get in the mix with the girls.”

American Anna Miller (Orem, Utah) was the next American in the ranks finishing 16th. For the men, it was a strong finish for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Group member Senna Leith (Vail, Colo.), who finished sixth overall right in front of U.S. Ski & Snowboard A Team member Nate Holland (Sandpoint, Idaho) in eighth. Leith and Holland would also satisfy the minimum U.S. Ski & Snowboard World Championships Team Selection criteria with top eight results. However, there is still opportunity for other U.S. athletes to shake things up with one more race to go in Cervinia.

Finishing right behind Holland was teammates Hagen Kearney (Norwood, Colo.) in ninth, Alex Deibold (Manchester, Vt.) 11th; Jake Vedder (Pinckney, Mich.) 15th; Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) 17th; and Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.) 34th.

Strong performances from both the men and the women should create momentum into the second of the two-race event in Cervinia, with both qualifying and final rounds taking place  Saturday.

RESULTS
Men’s snowboardcross
Women’s snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH
*Subject to change
All times in EST

Saturday, Dec. 22
5:40 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
 

The 2018-19 Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour kicked off at Copper Mountain, Colorado Dec. 10, but things have changed since last season. A core focus of U.S. Ski & Snowboard has always been the athlete development pipeline for all disciplines. Through U.S. Ski & Snowboard events, programs and partnerships with organizations like the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA), the opportunities for young freeski and snowboard athletes have dramatically increased over the years. Recently, U.S. Ski & Snowboard made an important decision to improve the pipeline once again by dividing the Revolution Tour into two different levels, a FIS sanctioned Rev Tour, and a FIS NorAm Sanctioned Rev Tour Elite.

“As the Revolution Tour has grown in popularity over the last several years we recognized a demand to split the tour in order to provide appropriate competitive opportunities for athletes looking to progress through the development pipeline,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard  Halfpipe, Slopestyle, and Big Air Sport Development Manager Ashley Deibold. “With this new split in the Revolution Tour, the development pipeline for athletes starts with regional USASA events, moving to the Revolution Tour, then the Revolution Tour Elite, from which athletes can qualify into World Cups and other Major competitions.”

The change was a result of an ongoing conversation between the community as whole including U.S. Ski and Snowboard Congress, coaches, event officials, industry constituents as well internally by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletics and events departments. The division of the Revolution Tour was a result of the breadth of talent that was competing at the Revolution Tour throughout the years. The goal was to create a step between the Rev Tour and Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events at the World Cup level.

“Young athletes were getting to the Rev Tour and getting stuck there for four, five and even six years,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Event Manager Sarah Welliver. “We are now creating more stepping stones and ongoing opportunity for athletes.”

U.S. Ski and Snowboard set forth an initiative and received funding to add another Rev Tour series. U.S. Ski & Snowboard was the driver but leans on their partnership with USASA with the goal of developing athletes. Athletes can participate in a USASA competition days before the Rev Tour event to qualify on the same course the Rev will be held on. This provides more opportunity as an in-season qualifier and will ensure the best athletes enter the Rev Tour event. Rev Tour qualifiers are open to the Breaker, Youth, Junior and Open class for both freeski and snowboard. At age 12 you can compete in the qualifier but are ineligible to compete in the Rev Tour due to the minimum FIS age is 13 (this is an age change for freeski bringing the minimum age down from 14 to 13).

As previously mentioned, there are clear stepping stones from USASA Rev Tour qualifiers through the Rev Tour Elite and to the Grand Prix. .The Rev tour looks at overall Rev Tour standings. Therefore, if an athlete performs well at Rev Tour, they get invited back. In addition, the FIS level Rev Tour takes top performers from the USASA Nationals Junior, Youth, and Breaker division. These events are designed for athletes looking to take the next step after USASA. They will assist athletes as they continue to push their skills, learn to compete on a national scale, and within a slightly different format. This process will make for a better transition from regionally-based to nationally-based events for upcoming athletes.

The Revolution Tour Elite events are sanctioned as NorAm events, making them part of a larger North American tour, which includes events in Canada. As the next step in the pipeline, these events will feature larger slope courses and 22-foot halfpipes. Athletes attending these events will be competing to secure start positions for the 2019/2020 FIS World Cup and Grand Prix events.

The goal is to provide a competitive development pipeline that encourages participation, creates opportunity, and helps athletes progress in a less intimidating, but competitive and fun environment. Organizers invite the top tier athletes from the FIS Rev Tour standings, the NorAm Cup standings, and the Open division at USASA Nationals. Lastly, the Rev Tour Elite also invites the winner at each FIS level event in season. From the Rev Tour Elite, the overall tour winners for men and women are invited to participate in the U.S. Grand Prix the following season.

This year there will be two FIS-level events. These are events are called the Rev Tour and held in conjunction with USASA Rev Tour qualifiers. Moving forward, the qualifier events will be held prior to the Rev Tour event and will qualify athletes directly into the Rev Tour event taking place the following weekend. This adds more competition opportunities for athletes as well as creates an added convenience for families traveling with young athletes.

The first FIS-level event will be the Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour at Copper Mountain, Colorado Feb.10-14, and will consist of a freeski and snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe competition. The second event will be at Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, Feb 25-Mar. 1 and will also serve as a freeski and snowboard slopestyle and halfpipe competition.

The upcoming NorAM Revolution Tour Elite competition will continue with the second event of the Elite series at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, Jan. 13-18 with two slopestyle competitions for both freeski and snowboard. The third and final Rev Tour Elite event will be held at Mammoth Mountain, California, Mar.12-17 with a snowboard and freeski slopestyle, halfpipe and big air competition.

The first Rev Tour Elite event of the season at Copper Mountain, Colorado hosted two halfpipe competitions for both freeski and snowboard. An incredibly diverse international field kicked things off in the same superpipe that the world’s best skiers and riders were competing in only a week prior at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix FIS World Cup. Athlete’s arriving early have the chance to witness the World Cup level competition and then follow it up a week later with their own competition in the same venue.

U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Chase Blackwell (Longmont, Colo.) kicked things off with a third-place finish in the first of two competitions. Following suit was U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team member Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.) with a second-place finish in the final competition for the women. On the freeski side, it was America’s Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.) and Cameron Brodrick (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) claiming first and third respectively in the first competition. Also, Jeanee Crane-Mauzy (Park City, Utah) earned second for the women. Moving into the final competition for freeskiers, it was U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.) finishing third as well as teammate and fellow rookie team member Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) earning second for the women.

Designed to serve as a stepping stone for athletes to make the transition from competing at a grassroots level to the elite level, the Rev Tour has already proven to be a progressive venue for today’s top junior skiers and riders to take the competitive stage in multiple disciplines. The 2018-19 Rev Tour series will continue to be another step in the right direction for the freeski snowboard athlete pipeline.

Click here for more information on the Revolution Tour schedule, locations, and qualification criteria.

RESULTS
SNOWBOARD
Tuesday, Dec. 11
Men
1. Yuto Totsuka (Japan)
2. IkkoAnnai (Japan)
3. Chase Blackwell (Longmont, Colo.; U.S Pro Snowboard Team Member; USASA Rocky Mountain Series)

Women
1. Kurumi, Imai (Japan)
2. Hikaru Oe (Japan)
3. Elizabeth Hosking (Canada)

Men’s snowboard halfpipe day one
Women’s snowboard halfpipe day one

Wednesday, Dec. 12
Men
1. Yuto, Totsuka (Japan)
2. Jan Scherrer (Switzerland)
3. Ikko Anai (Japan)

Women
1. Hikaru Oe (Japan)
2. Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.; U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team; USASA The Unbound Series)
3. Kurumi Imai (Japan)

Men’s snowboard halfpipe day two
Women’s snowboard halfpipe day two

FREESKI
Friday, Dec. 14.
Men
1. Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.; USASA Aspen Snowmass Series)
2. Evan Marineau (Canada)
3. Cameron Brodrick (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; USASA The Unbound Series)

Women
1. Zoe Atkin (Great Britain)
2. Jeanee Crane-Mauzy (Park City, Utah; USASA Big Mountain West Series)
3. Yujin Jang (Korea)

Men’s freeski halfpipe day one
Women’s freeski halfpipe day one

Saturday, Dec. 15.
Men
1. Sam Mckeown (Canada)
2. Sascha Pedenko (Canada)
3. Dylan Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; USASA Rocky Mountain Series)

Women
1. Zoe Atkin (Great Britain)
2. Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; U.S. Freeski Rookie Team; USASA Rocky Mountain Series)
3. Yujin Jang (Korea)

Men’s freeski halfpipe day two
Women’s freeski halfpipe day two

Twelve U.S. Snowboardcross Team athletes are set to compete at the first FIS Snowboardcross World Cup of the season in Cervinia, Italy Dec. 20-22. U.S. athletes include defending snowboardcross FIS World Champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) along with defending team snowboardcross FIS World Champions Hagen Kearney (Norwood, Colo.) and Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.).

Other U.S. Snowboarcross A Team members competing include Sochi Olympic bronze medalist Alex Deibold (Manchester, Vt.), Jonathan Cheever (Saugus, Mass.), Mick Dierdorff (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and seven-time world cup winner Nate Holland (Sandpoint, Idaho).

After the cancelation of the season-opener World Cup in Montafon, Austria due to insufficient snow to build a course suitable for snowboardcross competition, Italian organizers picked up the slack and added a second competition to the program on Dec. 22 along with the originally scheduled Dec. 21 competition.

“Excited to finally get the season started,” said Deibold. “It’s going to be an important week as Cervinia is the only chance we have to earn a spot to World Champs at Solitude.”

2018 Junior World Champion Jake Vedder (Pinckney, Mich.) will also compete with U.S. Development group athletes Cole Johnson (Reno, Nev.), Senna Leith (Vail, Colo.), Stacy Gaskill (Golden, Colo.) and Meghan Tierney (Edwards, Colo.)

With the FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Park City, Utah just around the corner, this double-up competition will offer a chance for athletes to get in prime form as well as earn valuable points and establish their position on the World Championships Team. All early season competitions are very important to the decision-making process making the Cervinia, Italy World Cup crucial for competitors from all nations.

FIS Snowboard Race Director Uwe Beier commented on the significance of the competition. "We are very pleased that the organizer in Cervinia, together with the Italian Federation was able to add another race. It's just a few weeks to go before the World Championships in Park City/Solitude, and the teams need these competitions to get prepared. The organizers in Cervinia worked hard to successfully host their premiere World Cup race last season with challenging snow conditions, and with much more snow there this season we expect to see an excellent course and an excellent competition."

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Thursday, Dec. 20
5:00 a.m. - Men’s snowboardcross qualification, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboardcross qualification, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com

Friday, Dec. 21
5:30 a.m. - Men and women's Snowboardcross, Cervinia, Italy - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Dec. 22
5:40 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Constructed in 2011 and home of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Secret Garden, China will host 14 U.S. athletes for a FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup halfpipe and slopestyle competition Dec. 19 - 22. It’s too early to call this a test event, but with a young group of athletes heading to this relatively new venue, there will definitely be some chatter in the air as potential future Olympians get their eyes on the terrain and atmosphere for the first time. Freeskiers will compete in halfpipe Dec. 20-22, while snowboarders will compete in both halfpipe and slopestyle Dec. 19-21.

“When I was first invited to the contest in China I didn’t immediately know that it was going to be the venue for the 2022 Olympics,” said U.S. Snowboard Rookie Team Member Jason Wolle (Winter Park, Colo.). “When I did find out it made me even more excited to go. The Olympics have always been a major goal of mine and to be able to go and check out the venue is a real treat. It is an almost surreal feeling going to Secret Garden now because my main goal for the next couple of years is to go there again and represent the United States at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.”

Other U.S. Snowboard Team athletes competing include pro team members Chase Blackwell (Longmont, Colo.), Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska), Ryan Wachendorfer (Edwards, Colo.) and Lyon Farrell (Haiku, Hawaii). In addition, U.S. Rookie Team athlete Sean Fitzsimons (Hood River, Ore.) will participate, along with American Joshua Bowman (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.).

The U.S. Freeski Team athletes competing include new rookie team member Eileen Gu (San Francisco, Calif.), and Abigale Hansen (June Lake, Calif.) for the ladies. For the men, Hunter Hess (Bend, Ore.), Jaxin Hoerter (Breckenridge, Colo.), Sammy Schuiling (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) as well as Americans Cassidy Jarrell (Aspen, Colo.) and Lennon Vaughan (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will all be battling it out in the halfpipe.

“I’m super excited to be going to China,” said Hess. “It will be fun to see how skiing is over there, the mountains, terrain, and the people. I’m blown away with how far skiing has been able to take me. It will be amazing to get an idea of how the next Winter Olympic venue will look and be able to start the process of trying to go back.”

The athletes will travel across the globe to China for the first FIS Snowboard World Cup slopestyle, and the second FIS World Cup halfpipe for snowboard and freeski slopestyle of the 2018-19 season. Be sure to tune in as U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes give us a glimpse of the future 2022 Olympic Winter Games only 144 miles from Beijing.

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST

FREESKI
Wednesday, Dec.19
10:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Secret Garden, CHN - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Secret Garden, CHN - Olympic Channel-TV

Thursday, Dec. 20
7:30 a.m. - Men skicross qualification, Innichen, AUT  - OlympicChannel.com
8:45 a.m. - Women skicross qualification, Innichen, AUT  - OlympicChannel.com

Friday, Dec. 21
7:30 a.m. - Men and women’s skicross, Innichen, AUT  - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Dec. 22
5:15 a.m. - Men and women’s ski cross, Innichen, AUT  - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

SNOWBOARD
Thursday, Dec. 20
5:00 a.m. - Men’s snowboardcross qualification, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Women’s snowboardcross qualification, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com
8:30 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Secret Garden, CHN - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Dec. 21
12:00 a.m.  - Men and women’s slopestyle, Secret Garden, CHN - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Dec. 22
5:40 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross, Cervinia, ITA - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

It was an incredibly strong finish for U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes with 19 podiums over four days of competition, including Team Challenge and Streetstyle events, at the 2018 Dew Tour in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Sunday started with a U.S. Freeski Team sweep of the men’s modified superpipe podium. Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) defended his title in the Dew Tour halfpipe competition, while teammates Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) and David Wise (Reno, Nev.) were second and third respectively. The podiums did not stop there as Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) also defended her Dew Tour halfpipe title alongside Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) in second-place. The day concluded with a second-place finish from Olympian Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) in his first slopestyle competition of the season.

The freeski modified halfpipe competition did not come without its challenges. There were big crashes early in the competition, which seemed to prevent the overall momentum from building as it usually does at a high-level halfpipe competition. That being said, these athletes are professionals and pushed through to put on a great show. Although there were some difficult moments throughout the competition, overall the course was well received.

“I was super excited to come to Dew Tour,” said Ferreira. “It’s creative, very unique and never been done before. To be able to ride this course, take advantage and really enjoy myself was a pleasure. It was an excellent contest and David and Aaron crushed it and I’m happy to be sharing the podium with them.”

Blunck, who fell hard on run two, claimed redemption on his final run to move into second place. As Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho) and Toby Miller (Mammoth, Calif.) referenced after Saturday’s snowboard modified superpipe final, carrying energy from last week’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain was crucial.

“The momentum coming off last week was awesome,” said Blunck. ‘It gave me a lot of confidence coming into this week. I have been hyped-up for this event since I heard it was going to be modified pipe. It adds creativity and changes things up quite a bit.”

Blunck and Wise certainly did not come out of the blue, linking together two podiums in two weeks adding to their success from the first halfpipe event of the year. Wise also felt there was something more than momentum at play when referring to the all American sweep.

“I get asked often why the American halfpipe team is so strong and I believe that’s because we have that rebel spirit,” said Wise. “We are here to do things differently than everyone else. I think that's why we had such a strong showing in the modified pipe. I don’t think anyone was excited for this format as the American skiers and riders coming into this event.”

The modified superpipe stayed hot as the women’s snowboard competition immediately followed. Although Kim was still a favorite, some skeptical fans thought the slopestyle inspired features being incorporated into the Dew Tour modified superipe would be the great equalizer. These individuals were quickly be proved wrong as Kim’s well-rounded skill set was very apparent after only one run when she soared more than 10 points ahead of the rest of the field.

“I love it, I had so much fun,” said Kim referring to the modified features of the halfpipe. “It’s like a playground and it’s great to be able to mix it up and try different things. The first couple days were tougher for all of us as we tried to figure out our lines and speed, but it was a cool process. It was fun to push ourselves as we’ve never really done anything like this.”

Although Kim’s early success was very clear as she was yet again in a position to take a victory lap. But she’s always one to push the sport to the next level, so she put down a more difficult run, incorporating her first 1080 in a competition of the season to close out the day. Still, she has no desire to compete in slopestyle.

“Have you seen the slopestyle girls,” she said. “I do not want to do that. They are so gnarly and amazing, so I’m going to just stick to the pipe. (Austria’s) Anna Gasser has a triple and almost all the girls have doubles. I think I’m going to stay in the halfpipe and watch the slope girls from the other side of the fence.”

Mastro, with a throwaway crash score on her first run, needed something big. Coming into her second run she started with a stylish and difficult backside 180 seatbelt grab and finished her run with a beautiful crowd-pleasing method. The run would put her in third place behind veteran Queralt Castellet of Spain. On Mastro’s third run she added technicality to increase her score and jumped into second-place ahead of Castellet.

“For a while, I kind of felt like I had the Dew Tour curse,” said Mastro. “Where just every Dew Tour would not go the way I wanted, so it was very nice to break that streak this year.”

Mastro was also a big fan of the modified superpipe. “I think the modified pipe is an amazing thing for women’s snowboarding,” she said. “We get to be creative and hit spines out of the pipe and really challenge ourselves. I would love to see more contests like this.”

Referring to watching Mastro and Kim progress, third-place finisher Castellet said: “It’s been really amazing. For me it's like a movie. It starts with them young and full of energy, then you get to see the evolution of their riding. It’s a pleasure to be able to share this time with them and also get inspired by what they are able to do.”

To close out the week at Dew Tour, the snowboard slopestyle competition began with a very impressive jumps competition riddled with 1440s, 1620’s and triple corks. Summit County locals Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.) and Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) came out of the gate with strong first runs, but would quickly find out this competition was no walk in the park. Corning would finish fourth on the jumps section with Japanese riders Takeru Otsuka and Yuki Kadono in first and second, and Norwegian Stale Sandbeck in third.

Corning’s solid rail line put him in second in the rails portion and second overall in the slopestyle competition. Corning also finished second in the 2017 Dew Tour Olympic qualifying slopestyle competition where he secured his nomination to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team. Norwegians Stale Sandbech won the event and Mons Roisland finished third.

TRICK LIST

Men’s freeski modified superpipe

1. Alex Ferreira: switch right 5 Japan, left dub 12 mute, right double 12 mute, left 9 tail, right flat 3 Japan to shifty, right 3 safety.

2. Aaron Blunck: switch left 7 mute, switch 3 in, switch left double 9 Japan, switch right 7 Japan, left double 9 safety, right 7 tail, right 270 safety

3. David wise: switch left misty 9 tindy, switch right 7 Japan, left double 12 mute, right 9 tail, right alley oop 7, left cork 7 tail

Women’s snowboard modified superpipe

1. Chloe Kim: back 540 indy, switch front 900 melon, switch back 360 indy, indy McTwist, frontside 360 indy, massive frontside air

2. Maddie Mastro: back 180 seatbelt, Haakon flip stale, front 900 tucknee, back air, back alley-oop 270 stale, backside air

3. Queralt Castellet: front 360 indy, back 540 mute, front 900 melon, method, backside 720 reverting at the bottom

Men’s snowboard slopestyle

Jumps

1. Takeru Otsuka: frontside 1440 tail, backside triple 1620 melon, cab triple frontside 1440 mute

2. Yuki Kadono: cab 1440 mute, switch backside 1260 stale, backside triple cork 1440 mute

3. Stale Sandbech: frontside 1440 tail, backside 1260 mute, cab 1440 stale

Rails

1. Mons Roisland: cab 180 tail tap switchup to noseslide pretzel 270, switch backside 270 on to 270 out, cab hardway backside lipslide, boardslide 630 Rippey underflip

2. Chris Corning: switch boardslide to 50-50 frontside 360, backside 360 on frontside 180 out, gap frontside 270 to down, 50-50 backside rodeo melon.

3. Stale Sandbech: cab 180 frontside cab 270, backside 180 switch 180, cab hardway 270 on, 50-50 transfer boardslide pretzel 270 off

Overall
Stale Sandbech - 181.33
Chris Corning - 180.00
Mons Roisland - 179.33

RESULTS
Men’s freeski modified superpipe
Women’s snowboard modified superpipe
Men’s snowboard slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
*Subject to change
All times in EST

Saturday, Dec. 29
4:00 p.m. - Dew Tour Show, Breckenridge, Colo. - NBC

Sunday, Dec. 30
5:00 p.m. - Dew Tour Show, Breckenridge, Colo. - NBC

Thursday, Jan. 3
11:00 p.m. -  Dew Tour Show, Breckenridge, Colo. - NBCSN

Tuesday, Jan. 8
11:30 p.m. - Dew Tour Show, Breckenridge, Colo. - NBCSN