Stifel U.S. Ski Team's own AJ Hurt continues to wow this season, earning her first-ever giant slalom podium on Saturday, Feb. 10, in Soldeu, Andorra, where she finished third overall after starting the second run in the sixth position. She finished just 0.15 seconds behind the day's winner, Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami, and 0.14 off second-place finisher New Zealand's Alice Robinson.

Hurt, 23, is the first U.S. woman other than Mikaela Shiffrin to grace a giant slalom podium since Lindsey Vonn in 2015. It's also her personal best in the discipline and her second podium in one season. Coming off an injury that took her out of the game for 2022-23 makes her success so far in 2024 even more surreal. 

"I didn't really know what to expect coming into today because I've never been here before," said Hurt. "I was hurt all last season, so I'm excited to be back; I'm excited even to be ski racing at all. So I went as hard as I could, and I'm glad this is the outcome."

Today, Hurt's result in the giant slalom moved her into position to qualify for her first World Cup Finals, another milestone accomplishment in the 2023-24 season. Not to mention, she shared the podium with a lifelong ski buddy, Robinson, who she skied alongside at Palisades Tahoe when the two were cutting their teeth trying to get their first World Cup starts. 

In addition to Hurt's success, Paula Moltzan was able to squeeze into a stacked top 15, finishing 11th overall and hanging on to her top 15 position in the giant slalom overall standings. 

Mikaela Shiffrin did not ski. However, she is back on snow, and working on testing her knee, to see when she will be able to return to racing.

Up next, Hurt and Moltzan, as well as Lila Lapanja, will represent the U.S. in Sunday's slalom. First run kicks off at 4:30 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live, with second run starting at 7:30 a.m. ET. 

RESULTS 
Women's giant slalom

STARTERS
Women's slalom (name/bib)
Paula Moltzan (3)
AJ Hurt (33)
Lila Lapajna (42)

The duo of Alexa Brabec and Kai McKinnon finished second overall in the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships team sprint HS 102/2x4.5k in Planica, Slovenia, bringing home the first-ever medal in a women’s nordic combined team event at Junior Worlds for the United States.

On the hill, McKinnon started things off with an 84.0 meter jump for 89.1 points. Brabec then put together an 89.5 meter jump for 107.4 points (196.5 total points), securing the fifth position for the sprint, starting +0:29 back of first place.

In the race, Brabec and McKinnon were able to move into third place after 0.7k, and then moved into second place after 3k. The duo then moved into first overall after 4.5k, as they battled with Japan for the gold medal. Brabec and McKinnon were neck and neck with Japan until the final stretch after 8.2k, crossing the finish line at 9k just +0.7 behind Japan, as Brabec and McKinnon secured the silver medal for the United States.

“Wow, what an amazing day for Alexa and Kai,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “This team has really exceeded our expectations at Junior World Championships, and I couldn’t be more proud. A huge shoutout to our coaches, Michael and Garrett for their hard work, and the Norwegian team for their amazing support.”

Results
Women’s Nordic Combined HS102/2×4.5km

On Saturday’s giant slalom in Bansko, Bulgaria, River Radamus led the way for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men in 12th place. Teammates Tommy Ford and George Steffey also found the top 30 in 26th and 28th place, respectively. 

“Solid team effort all around. It awesome to see George score his first points of the season and three in the second run,” said Radamus. 

The conditions were good with sunshine and a hard surface underfoot, allowing the men’s skiers to lay it down on the track. Radamus skied aggressively on his first run to initially land in the eighth spot. 

“I am moderately satisfied with my 12th place but I know I have a lot more to give, especially second run, but I will reset for the next one,” said Radamus. “The conditions here are awesome and very similar to what we see in the U.S. - pretty dry and grippy - so it was a good warm up for Palisades.”

Steffey skied fast out of the top 30 seed to punch it into the 23rd position first run, poised to mark his season-best giant slalom finish. Ford skied cleanly to safely land in the top 30. 

“Second run it got a little slushy, so to be successful today you had to be adaptable and ski lots of different conditions well,” said Radamus.

"It was a fun race today and it’s always great to be in the second run. I think our team is skiing well right now and hopefully we can build on today going into the domestic races," said Steffey. 

On the second run, the men were firing to the finish. Radamus landed a few positions back from his first run status to 12th with Ford and Steffey safely in the top 30. 

The winner of the race was Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt who is currently leading the standings in the overall, giant slalom, super-G and downhill. Second place went to the young Norwegian Alexander Steen-Olsen and third place to the current slalom leader, Manuel Feller of Austria. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Brian McLaughlin and Isaiah Nelson also raced but did not qualify for a second run. 

The team was also pleasantly surprised to see alumnus Ted Ligety in Bansko running as the POV skier before the race began. He was able to say hi to the team and offer words of encouragement. 

“It was really cool to see Ted out there doing the POV for the race today as well," said Radamus, who is an unabashed Ligety fan. "It surprised us to see him here and it was cool to see an old friendly face. He gave me some words of inspiration."

The next giant slalom race will bring the U.S. skiers back home for the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup held Feb. 24-25. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

In the first race of the North American World Cup series, a North American and the winningest skier in U.S. history, Jessie Diggins took home her 20th World Cup victory and her 58th World Cup podium. With Diggins' win today, she has now surpassed fellow Olympic champion Kikkan Randall for most wins in one single season, with her fifth individual win this season in Canmore. 

It's the first time the FIS Cross Country World Cup has come back to Canada since 2019 and the first time more than a dozen Americans got their career first World Cup start. Before the race even started, the day was turning out to be special. 

"USA, USA, USA" was heard throughout the venue, with fans traveling from as far as Vermont to come cheer on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team. With the World Cup finally coming back to the U.S. next week in Minneapolis, Minnesota, fans are making their way from all corners of the country to come cheer on their favorite skiers, creating an atmosphere that is new and exciting, as very few of the athletes on the current team have ever raced this close to home on the World Cup level. 

For both the men and women's U.S. start list, it included not only the typical 12 athletes between both genders, but both 12 athletes per gender. With the best cross country skiers in North America, the Canmore Nordic Center prepared a challenging but exciting course, where athletes would loop around four times to equal out a 15k mass start skate. With all on the line at once, it was anyone's game. 

In the women's race, through the first lap, the field hardly broke - the course profile featuring hill after hill, it was challenging to break up the packs as they clustered together again on the next hill. With that, racers had to navigate the high-speed corners, steep uphills and fast downhills together in a pack.

Through the first lap, Diggins led through the stadium lap, with Sophia Laukli, Rosie Brennan and Julia Kern with her in the lead pack. Alongside the athletes who have skied on the World Cup for years, like Diggins, Brennan, Laukli and Kern, were three new World Cup names: Margie Freed of Craftsbury Green Racing Project, Emma Albrecht of the Montana State Ski Team and Mariah Bredal of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation. 

Going into lap two and three, it was a similar story, with Laukli moving up in the ranks, at one point, leading the race for several kilometers, pushing the pace on the uphills and making her move to spread the lead pack out. With the skiers breaking up ever so slightly, it was now Diggins and Laukli setting the tone for the rest of the race.

"Going into lap three and knowing my sprinting abilities, I decided that it was going to be worth making a bit of a move on the uphill because I was feeling super good and I just wanted to get the group as small as possible," said Laukli. "I sent it on that lap - it definitely worked and then I took that same tactic into the fourth loop. I just focused on going all out and it worked. I've never done that type of thing in a race before - leading and going ham - but in this space that is what I needed to do! For me, going really hard and leading was the best method for me to get a top result." 

In the last lap, Diggins and Laukli were in the mix with Heidi Weng of Norway, Ebba Andersson of Sweden, and a handful of others. It was anyone's game going into the final sharp corner into the stadium. Diggins came into the final stretch in the lead - with a huge smile on her face and family in the crowd, she pumped her hand into the air and took home her 20th career victory. Laukli ended up eighth on the day but had much to celebrate after taking control of the race and mixing things up. 

"I was going with the flow," said Diggins. "After a couple of laps, I knew it was going to be a sprint finish, so I had to be smart. But I wanted to play it tactically! The entire time, I had a pretty fluid race strategy. I knew it was going to be fast, especially on this really hard course, so the entire race I was making myself be patient, which is not my strong suit, but I kept telling myself to 'be smart, be smart, be smart' and trust my sprint finish."

Rosie Brennan was next in 15th, adding another top 15 to her impressive 2023-24 resume and Julia Kern broke her way back into the top 20, in 19th. Sydney Palmer-Leger had her first-ever skate World Cup race, finishing 25th, Margie Freed was 29th, Mariah Bredal 30th, Lauren Jortberg 35th and Emma Albrecht in 40th. 

For the men, Patterson led the way for the Americans, crossing the line in eighth place. In a race similar to the women's, where the pack hardly broke until halfway through and there were various leaders throughout every major checkpoint, no one knew who would take the win. At 8.9k, Patterson was in fifth place, skiing with a group of Norwegians and Swedish athletes, putting himself in a good position for a top 10 result in Canmore. Alongside Patterson, there were more new faces to the World Cup, including Reid Goble of Bridger Ski Foundation's Pro Team, Braden Becker of Craftsbury Green Mountain Project and Graham Houtsma of Bridger Ski Foundation's Pro Team. 

At the end of the day, Patterson was back into the top 10 in eighth, with Gus Schumacher and Zanden McMullen in 22nd and 23rd, respectively, and David Norris rounding out the top 30 in 27th. Peter Wolter was 36th, Luke Jager 39th, Hunter Wonders 40th, Goble 44th, Becker 45th, Michael Earnhart 47th, Graham Houtsma 49th and Ben Ogden 54th. 

"I felt like this course has an edge," said Patterson, post-race. "If you bump it over, you're hurting really bad, but if you stay under it, you're going to be okay. On the third lap, and seeing how the women's race went, I knew that I needed to make some pretty hard moves to move up. On the fourth lap, I had to give everything to stay in the top. It's been a while since I've been in the top 10 and I'm psyched to do it in front of almost a home crowd. My parents and here, my friends from Alaska - it's just amazing to be here." 

Now, the team will race tomorrow's skate sprint in Canmore, the second of four races. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live.

Results
Women
Men

Alexa Brabec brought home the first-ever medal in women’s nordic combined for the United States at Junior World Championships, striking silver in the HS102/5k in Planica, Slovenia. Kai McKinnon was able to record a top 10 finish as well, placing sixth overall in her first-ever Junior Worlds appearance.

On the hill, Brabec jumped to the 10th position, putting together an 86.5 meter jump for 97.1 points, +1:08 behind first place for the 5k race. McKinnon jumped to 15th, as she went 79.5 meters for 94.3 points. Ella Wilson finished 29th, going 71.0 meters for 73.7 points, with Haley Brabec rounding things off in 30th, jumping to 71.0 meters for 68.4 points.

In the 5k, Brabec skied up to fourth place after 1.25k, before sliding into first place after 3.75k, just +0.7 seconds in front of Finland’s Minja Korhonen. Brabec crossed the finish line in second overall, +1.5 seconds behind Korhonen to bring home the silver medal for the United States.

“Unbelievably proud of Alexa and Kai,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “Alexa has been on a roll the past few weeks building into the Junior World Championships and really fought hard for her silver medal today. And with Kai right behind her in sixth place, it shows how strong our women’s nordic combined team is at the moment.”

Haley Brabec finished the 5k in 26th place, with Wilson right behind in 27th.

Results
HS102/5km

“It sucks because we would have loved Chamonix,” said Stifel U.S. Ski Team speed skier Jared Goldberg from a beach in Viareggio, Italy. “But at least we got to come here to the beach, an Italian getaway,” Goldberg said jokingly. 

From the alps to the Italian coast, how did the Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s speed men find themselves here? A question Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg and Ryan Cochran-Siegle, three veterans of the team, pondered as they strolled down the beach in Tuscany in late January.

After the first super-G in Garmisch, Germany, word got out that the upcoming downhill races in Chamonix, France February 2-3 would be canceled due to lack of snow and not rescheduled. The news marked the fifth men’s speed race cancelation of the season for the downhill men. 

“I felt complete devastation,” said Bryce Bennett, currently ranked sixth in the downhill rankings. “Knowing some of our alumni like Marco Sullivan and Steven Nyman have had success there we felt pretty excited about it, so it was big bummer.”

So, what now? While most World Cup teams would head home after a race cancelation, the U.S. is a little different as traveling across the world on a day’s notice doesn’t always work out.

“I’ve been on the road since the beginning of December and I haven’t been home in a while,” said Bennett. “It’s tough because we are over here and we have to kill a week, so we came to the coast but it’s still not the same as being home.”

 A long haul in Europe isn’t new for the U.S. guys. 160 days is about how much time the ski team men will spend in Europe this season. As the weather evolves and change, forcing race cancelations, learning to adapt, pivot and enjoy Europe is something this team has grown accustomed to. So with this most recent cancelation, the men decided to refocus under the Tuscan sun on a beach.

“I think coming down here was a cool reset because usually we are in central Europe in the Alps and here it’s been sunny every day,” said Olympic silver-medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle as he takes in the view of the sunset.

Don’t be fooled by their Instagram stories of sunsets and beach time. It has not just been a holiday in the sun for the ski racers. The primary goal of coming to the Italian coast was to take a visit to sports medicine facility Formula Medicine. A place frequented by many Formula 1 drivers to help athletes perform at their best mental capacity, a strategy they call “Mental Economy Training.” This visit made possible by a grant from Alterra Community Foundation. 

“Getting introduced to Formula Medicine and learning how to key in on our mental state and learning how to perform our best has been productive and I hope everyone is able to take something away from it,” said Cochran-Siegle.

The whole team spent multiple days in the facility going through various tests. The goal of the tests are to enable elevated standards of performance with low consumption of brain energy, and better management of stress, emotions and psychological pressure.

“We are pivoting to something positive here,” said Goldberg. “This is something we can do to get out of ski boots in warm weather and can maybe help ourselves race better or do life better. It is a way to be progressing in a way we wouldn’t normally.”

In addition to their time spent at Formula Medicine, the team struck a chord of team camaraderie with moments of fun, despite being with one another seemingly all year long. The men played beach volleyball, walked along the beach during gorgeous sunsets and cooked food together.

This time together off the snow and away from mountains also gave the men an opportunity to truly reflect on the season. The men started off with a bang in Val Gardena, Italy when Bennett won his second World Cup and took third place just a day later on the same track. The speed men went on to score top 10 results in Wengen, a top five in Kitzbühel and a few more top 10s in Garmisch.

“Where our strengths have always been I think we are good but where we’ve lacked in the past we have overcome,” said Cochran-Siegle. “Especially on the technical side, we are better at working with things more in your face and as a group embracing that challenge.”

This group, however, is hungry for much more. A hunger they plan to carry with them into Kvitfjell, Norway for the final speed races before World Cup Finals in March. 

“Our team is as good as any other team; it's just a matter of putting it all together on race day,” said Cochran-Siegle. “I like Norway a lot, different snow, different vibe, it always feels like a nice springtime race,” added Goldberg.

 The downhillers have faced a wave of emotions while on the Italian coast: disappointment from the canceled races and hope of a new perspective on how best to approach the additional free time abroad. Through it all, the American sense of humor shines through.

“Here is a pro move, send your lady on a flight then come down to Tuscany with the boys,” laughed Bennett who days earlier dropped his wife off at the airport. “Nothing like wine tasting in Tuscany with the boys that you’ve been hanging out with for 170 days this year.”

Erik Belshaw took home the silver medal in the 2024 FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championships individual HS102, becoming the first ever U.S. male ski jumper to medal at the Junior World Champs. 

In the first round, Belshaw jumped to 94.5 meters for 121.5 points, putting him fourth overall going into the final round. Belshaw was then able to best his first jump, soaring to 104.5 meters for 144.4 points, carding the longest jump of the day in the field of competition and earning a second place finish.

“Earlier this year, the staff and I sat down and made a goal to win a medal at Junior Worlds. We knew it was ambitious, but we also knew we had the athletes to do make it happen,” said Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “Today, Erik did something that has never been done in men’s ski jumping in the United States, which was winning a medal at Junior World Championships. I couldn’t be more proud and excited for Erik and the entire team.”

Jason Colby finished 23rd overall, going 92.0 and 93.0 meters for 233.6 points. Maxim Glyvka finished 56th overall, after tallying a 78.5 meter jump for 83.3 points. Tate Frantz was disqualified in the first round of competition.

RESULTS
Individual HS102

The U.S. Para Snowboard Team completed their second snowboard cross World Cup event of the season in Pyhä, Finland, Wednesday morning with five athletes on the podium, bringing the podium count for this event to 10 overall. 

It was a freezing, windy day in central Finland, with temperatures hovering around -2 degrees Fahrenheit. Athletes adorned tape across their faces to protect themselves from the environment. 

Brenna Huckaby continued to dominate her field, finishing first once again in the LL1/LL2 classification. Huckaby has podiumed in every World Cup event so far this season. Following behind Huckaby was Dennae Russell, who finished third for the second time this weekend. 

On the men’s side, Mike Schultz (LL1) earned his best result of the season, finishing second.

“The last two weeks in Finland have been a lot of fun with the team and super productive with my performance. With the delayed start to my season, I couldn't be happier with my results after the two World Cup events and bringing home a couple of silver medals,” said Schultz. “Next up, [I am continuing] preparation back in Minnesota for my next World Cup snowboard cross and banked slalom competitions in Italy.” 

Keith Gabel (LL2) also had a season's best performance and first podium.

“I feel boardercross suits my riding style well [vs boarder cross]. I’ve been training hard at my home mountains in Aspen and coaching with the local program, so that’s forced me to rethink some of my riding and make some adjustments,” said Gabel. “My focus moving forward is to continue my progress this season, chipping away at my weaknesses and building on my strengths. The World Cup season is a marathon, and it’s important to focus on the process vs the results.”

Mike Minor also finished third in the UL classification, adding his second podium of the week. Joe Pleban (LL2) finished sixth. 

Looking forward, the team is sticking in Pyhä for a few more weeks to continue training before heading into their next World Cup in Grasgehren, Germany, for two more snowboard cross events Feb. 22-23. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

It was another big day of results in Planica, Slovenia for the 2024 U23 FIS Ski World Championships with Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes Haley Brewster and Novie McCabe both in the top five, led by Brewster in second, securing her career-first U23 World Championships silver medal in the 20k mass start skate race.

On the fourth day of back-to-back races in Planica, it was the U23 athletes' turn on the challenging 20k course. In a mass start format, 45 women descended onto the course. Through the first several kilometers of the race, it was McCabe leading the pack, with Brewster in tow, alongside her fellow Americans, Kendall Kramer and Anabel Needham. At the halfway mark, McCabe continued her lead and Brewster was starting to make her move into the top 10, sitting around sixth place between Italy's Sara Hutter and Germany's Helen Hoffman.

Into the final hill and finish straight, it all came down to the sprint to the finish. As the athletes crested the final climb, McCabe got caught up in France's Maelle Veyre skis and had an unfortunate fall, which took her out of contention for the podium, but that did not slow McCabe down. Pushing across the line, and finishing fourth, McCabe adds another top 10 result to her U23 resume. 

"It was a very cool day today! It was fun to be in the mix, and I had some insanely good skis so that was definitely helpful," said McCabe. "Quite proud of the team effort, pretty awesome skiing by everyone! Skiing with Haley was definitely a highlight and super cool to see her end up on the podium!"

For Brewster, today's silver medal is her first medal won at the U23 World Championships and her first top five of the championships, topping her 13th place in the skate sprint earlier in the week. 

"It was definitely pretty fun," said Brewster. "It was very warm and the best part was getting to ski with Novie!"

Kendall Kramer finished within the top 20, in 17th place with Anabel Needham in 31st. For the men, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete John Steel Hagenbuch was the first American to cross the line in 17th, with Brian Bushey in 28th, Logan Moore in 37th and Elijah Weenig in 39th. 

Now, the U23 athletes will take a day to rest before the 10k classic interval start on Feb. 10. Tomorrow, Jan. 9, the Junior World Championships team will race the 10k classic. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

John Steel Hagenbuch of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is taking home a bronze medal at the first race of the 2024 U23 FIS Ski World Championships, marking himself as the third-fastest U23 sprinter in the world today, Feb. 6. 

On-site in Planica, Slovenia, Steel Hagenbuch is on one of the biggest podiums of his career. After only eight World Cup starts, with a career-best result in the Östersund 10k in 13th, he is setting the tone for the championships and adding his first U23 World Championships medal to his resume. 

It was another warm day in Planica. On the same sprint course that the Junior World Championship athletes skied less than 24 hours earlier— where U.S. athlete Sammy Smith took home a silver medal— it was the U23’s chance. On the start list were several athletes who have consistently races on the World Cup circuit, many of them even racing through to the semifinals in sprints– the sprint field was strong in Planica. 

During the qualification round, Steel Hagenbuch was sixth, behind his Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate Brian Bushey who crossed the finish line in third. Alongside both Bushey and Steel Hagenbuch, was Walker Hall qualifying in 23rd, all punching their ticket to the sprint heats. 

Into the quarterfinals, Steel Hagenbuch won his heat, .13 seconds ahead of Preben Horven on Norway, advancing through to the semifinal heat. Both Hall and Bushey did not advance out of the quarters but still added a top 30 to their U23 World Champs resume.

Into the quarters, Steel Hagenbuch was fourth, typically that would end an athlete's day as he did not finish in the top two or in the lucky loser position, but his heat was the fastest of the two semis, giving him the green light to race in a skate sprint final. 

Into the final, he was the lone American up against the top juniors from Norway, France, Switzerland and Sweden. Off the start line, the Dartmouth Ski Team star turned on the gas and skied a smart race, crossing the finish line in third, snagging his first U23 World Championships medal and capping off one of the best races of his career. 

“Considering that I was relieved to even make the heats, it was a really incredible day to go all the way to the final,” said Steel Hagenbuch. “It was not possible without a great support team, cracked skis, and a whole lot of luck. This is definitely my best sprint ever, so I’m grateful for such good timing! There were a lot of really strong competitors out there, and I was happy with how I executed my race plan of attacking on the second part of the course. It was easy to get nervous lining up with some really strong sprinters, but I was confident in my climbing and finishing speed after a solid qualifier. After today, the motivation is really high headed into my main focus - the 20km skate mass start on Thursday!”

At the end of the day, Steel Hagenbuch led the team in third, Hall in 18th, Bushey in 21st, Elijah Weenig in 45th. For the women, Haley Brewster of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was the leading American in 13th, Anabel Needham 23r and, Nina Seemann 28th; Novie McCabe did not start. 

Next up is the 20k mass start, scheduled for this coming Thursday, Feb. 8. Tomorrow, the World Champs Junior athletes will race the 20k.

RESULTS
Men
Women