LIENZ, Austria (Dec. 29, 2017) – In one of the tightest finishes on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit this season, Italy’s Federica Brignone edged out Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg and Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) by just 0.08 seconds to win Friday’s giant slalom in Lienz, Austria.

In finishing third, Shiffin picked up her ninth podium result of the season and maintained her overall World Cup lead over Rebensburg. However, with her second-place finish, Rebensburg moved into the overall World Cup giant slalom lead by 13 points over Shiffrin.

Up next, the women compete in a city event in Oslo, Norway on New Year’s Day, followed by a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 3.
 

Cochran-Siegle Leads Three Americans Into Top 20

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) led three Americans into the top 20 in Friday’s FIS Ski World Cup alpine combined event in Bormio, Italy.

Alexis Pinturault of France won Friday’s race, Italy’s Peter Fill was second, followed by Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud in third.  Cochran-Siegle was 14th, followed by Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) in 15th and Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) in 19th.

“When I kicked out of the start gate, I wasn’t able to let it go as much,” said Cochran-Siegle, who tweaked his knee earlier this week in downhill training. “But there is some good that I am able to take away from this race, and some things I still need to work on.

“I think it’s good that we’re all in the points and we can move forward from today,” he added. “But we also have a lot of work to do as well.”

Italy’s Dominik Paris, who won Thursday’s downhill, took the lead early after posting the top time in Friday’s downhill portion of the alpine combined. He was well on his way to his second-straight World Cup victory until he straddled a gate toward the bottom of the afternoon slalom course.

Up next, the men compete in compete in a city event in Oslo, Norway on New Year’s Day, followed by a night slalom in Zagreb, Croatia on Jan. 4.

RESULTSRESULTS
Women’s giant slalom
Men’s alpine combined

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 29
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Jan. 1
10:00 a.m. – City event; Oslo - Olympicchannel.com

Jan. 3
10:00 a.m.  – Women's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com

Jan. 4
10:00 a.m.  – Men's slalom; Zagreb - Olympicchannel.com
 

LIENZ, Austria (Dec. 28, 2017) – In her classic dominating style, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) built up a huge advantage on her first run, then charged in the second to win her 36th career FIS Ski World Cup race on a rutted slalom track in Lienz, Austria, Thursday.

“They did a really great job preparing (the course) after the rain and the snowfall. It was not easy, but it was a pleasure to ski,” Shiffrin said following her 27th career World Cup slalom victory.

Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener was second, followed by Sweden’s Frida Hansdotter in third. Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), whose father Pepi – the 1964 Olympic slalom gold medalist - grew up in Lienz, was 25th.

Shiffrin, who scored her first World Cup podium in slalom in Lienz in 2011, skied to a 1.14-second first-run advantage over Hansdotter. In the second run, she charged the top portion of the course, throttled back a bit in the steep middle section and then in classic Shiffrin style, charged to the finish to win by 0.89 seconds.

“There were some spots where I felt like I was going forward really well, and then there were some mistakes and spots where I was taking it easier,” Shiffrin said. “I just wanted to make sure I got to the finish.”

With her victory, Shiffrin extended her overall World Cup lead to almost 400 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg. She also leads the overall World Cup slalom, giant slalom and downhill standings.

Up next, the women race giant slalom Friday in Lienz.

Bennett Leads American Downhillers in Bormio

Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) finished 16th in Thursday’s FIS Ski World Cup downhill in Bormio, Italy to lead three Americans into the top 25.

Dominik Paris of France edged out Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal by 0.04 second for his eighth World Cup downhill victory. Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud was third. Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) was 18th and Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.) was 24th.

The men race an alpine combined Friday in Bormio.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE
Dec. 28
12:00 p.m. – Women’s slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lienz – olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - downhill; Bormio – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV
8:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - slalom; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)
 

With the Christmas holiday behind us and turkey, Glühwein and sugar cookies in our stomachs, we turn our focus to the FIS Ski World Cup in Bormio, Italy for the American Downhillers and Lienz, Austria for the women’s tech team.  

The men return to Bormio after a holiday break in Livigno, Italy and Patsch, Austria—where RodelFest 2017 took place. The men’s speed team, as well as Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.), Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Nina O’ Brien (Edwards, Colo.) snagged some rodels and hit the rodel track to celebrate Christmas Eve. Prior to their break, they trained here in Bormio for two days, so this track is familiar, and they’re feeling good. Noticeably missing will be veteran and team leaders Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.), who both will sit this one out and rest, with their eyes on the prize - PyeongChang in February.

The training results are proof in the pudding that the American Downhillers are feeling comfortable here in Bormio, as Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) had the seventh fastest time from bib 53, leading six Americans into the top 24. No surprise that the Italians - Peter Fill and Christof Innerhofer - paved the way, followed by the Austrians Mathias Mayer and Hannes Reichelt on the first and only downhill training run. The World Cup has taken a bit of a hiatus from Bormio and returns to this classic Stelvio downhill slope for the first time since December 2013. Of course, it's no surprise that Attacking Viking Aksel Lund-Svindal is the reigning champ on this track. Wednesday’s downhill training run was canceled due to heavy snowfall, and the snow continues to fall, descending upon beautiful old town Bormio. Cross your fingers.

Over in Lienz, Austria, the weather is rough and the rain is falling. Mother Nature plans to transition to snow soon, which the organizers anticipated in advance and changed the schedule to run slalom on Thursday and giant slalom on Friday. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) headlines the tech crew and comes into Lienz looking to build on her already large overall World Cup lead of 291 points over Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg.

Shiffrin is on a three-race win streak and has amassed 35 victories in her career—including four across four disciplines in this young season (slalom, downhill, giant slalom and parallel slalom). Lienz is also a bit of a second home to veteran Stiegler as it is her father’s hometown. For those of you who don’t know, her father is Austria’s legendary Pepi Stiegler, the 1964 Olympic slalom gold medalist.

Steve Schlanger and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will call the action in the coming days. See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS (Lienz, AUT)
Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler
Nina O’Brien
Tricia Mangan

Giant Slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin
AJ Hurt
Tricia Mangan

MEN’S STARTERS (Bormio, ITA)
Downhill
Travis Ganong
Bryce Bennett
Jared Goldberg
Tommy Biesemeyer
Wiley Maple
Florian Szewbel*
Sam Morse
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Drew Duffy

Alpine Combined
Bryce Bennett
Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Jared Goldberg
Drew Duffy
Sam Morse**

*First World Cup Start
**First World Cup Start in Discipline

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST 
Dec. 28
4:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Lienz – olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lienz –olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - downhill; Bormio – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV

8:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - slalom; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill Training 1

START LISTS
Men’s Downhill
Women’s Slalom

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team has a few more competitions to wrap up before heading into the New Year. 2017 was a fantastic year for all of the athletes, and they’ll be calling on all the medals, podiums and globes they’ve won to propel them to Best in the World finishes in 2018 at the Olympic Winter Games.

Read on to see where U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be in action this week and how to watch via NBC, NBCSN and the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA.

U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined
Members of the 2018 U.S. Olympic team are going to be determined this week at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in ski jumping and nordic combined. Athletes will compete at the 2002 Olympic venues at the Utah Olympic Park with nordic combined on Dec. 30 and ski jumping on Dec. 31. Winners in each event will go on to represent Team USA at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah) is the only 2014 veteran seeking a repeat berth on Team USA. National champions Nita Englund (Iron Mountain, Mich.) and Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will also be looking to make their first Olympic team, as will Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, Vt.). The men’s ski jumping Olympic team spot will be hotly contested between a group of rising stars in the sport, including Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) and Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah). 2014 Olympians Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will be the favorites in nordic combined.

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup - Lienz, AUT
The women’s tech team will race a slalom and giant slalom Dec. 28-29. This week’s TV schedule includes live coverage on Olympicchannel.com and a rebroadcast of both races on NBCSN. Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) will once again be leading the charge as she looks to add to her current overall lead and 35 World Cup wins.

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Bormio, ITA
The men’s tour has landed in Italy for a downhill and alpine combined Dec. 28-29. The U.S. will have nine athletes in Thursday’s downhill, including Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), and Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) - who was seventh in Tuesday’s training run. Wednesday’s downhill training run was canceled due to snow. Friday’s alpine combined will feature downhill followed by a slalom. Combined starters include Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.), Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah), Drew Duffy (Warren, Vt.) and Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, Maine).

FIS Cross Country World Cup - Tour de Ski, Lenzerheide, SUI
The grueling, seven-stage Tour de Ski kicks off this weekend, Dec. 30 - Jan. 1. The tour will cover three stops in three nations over a nine-day period before the Sunday, January 7 finale. The opening in Lenzerheide includes a freestyle sprint, followed by classic distance racing and a freestyle pursuit. U.S. athletes selected to compete include Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash), Paddy Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.), Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.), Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.), Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah), Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.), Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.), Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska), Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.) and Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, Vt.).

U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD BROADCAST AND STREAMING SCHEDULE
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

ALPINE
Dec. 28
4:30 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 1; Lienz – olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s downhill; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
7:00 a.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s slalom, run 2; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

Dec. 29
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Lienz – olympicchannel.com
5:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - downhill; Bormio – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Lienz – Olympic Channel TV

8:30 a.m. – Men’s combined - slalom; Bormio – Olympic Channel TV
12:00 p.m. – Women’s giant slalom; Lienz – NBCSN (same day delay)

CROSS COUNTRY
Dec. 30
7:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s sprints – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 31
4:30 a.m. – Men’s 15k mass start – Olympic Channel TV
9:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k – Olympic Channel TV

Jan. 1
4:30 a.m. – Women’s 10K pursuit – Olympic Channel TV
7:00 a.m. – Men’s 15k – Olympic Channel TV

SKI JUMPING
Dec. 31
1:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s ski jumping – NBC (streaming at nbcsports.com)
 

PARK CITY, Utah (Dec. 22, 2017) – Three more skiing athletes nominated to the 2018 U.S. Olympic team will be determined next week at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in ski jumping and nordic combined. Athletes will compete at the 2002 Olympic venues at the Utah Olympic Park with nordic combined on Dec. 30 and ski jumping on Dec. 31. Winners in each event will go on to represent Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang Feb. 9-25.

After making their Olympic debut in 2014, a talented group of athletes will be looking to qualify for the second-ever women’s U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team. Sarah Hendrickson (Park City, Utah) is the only 2014 veteran seeking a repeat berth on Team USA. National champions Nita Englund (Iron Mountain, Mich.) and Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) will also be looking to make their first Olympic team, as will Tara Geraghty-Moats (W. Fairlee, Vt.).

The men’s ski jumping Olympic team spot will be hotly contested between a group of rising stars in the sport. Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) is coming off the best season by a U.S. jumper in over a decade, including the setting of a new American distance record, while local Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) will be looking to make a statement on his hometown hill. Rhoads, who scored his career first World Cup points earlier in December, has been dominant at the Utah Olympic Park with three U.S. titles there the past three seasons.

2014 Olympians Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will be leading the charge in nordic combined. Bryan Fletcher is coming off his best weekend in several years on the World Cup tour including a top-10 finish. The event will feature a single jump on the Utah Olympic Park's HS100-meter hill followed by a 10k cross country race on trails at the base of the jump, engineered to keep the event compact for spectators and television.

NBC Sports Group will broadcast the Trials nationally, including live coverage of Sunday’s ski jumping events on NBC.

Park City-based U.S. Ski & Snowboard is producing the event in concert with the United States Olympic Committee and the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation with support from the Utah Sports Commission and Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau. The Trials are an excellent representation of the positive legacy from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. The Utah Olympic Park remains as both a prominent venue for elite athlete training and as a base for programs to bring youth into winter sport.

General admission of the event is free, and VIP tickets can be purchased online at utaholympiclegacy.org. For more information on the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in ski jumping and nordic combined, visit usskiandsnowboard.org.

2018 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM TRIALS - SKI JUMPING & NORDIC COMBINED
Event Schedule (times MST)
*subject to change

Nordic Combined – Saturday, Dec. 30
8:30 a.m. – Venue open to public
9:40 a.m. – HS100 Trial Jump
10 a.m. – HS100 Competition Jump
1 p.m. – 10k Race
1:45 p.m. – Awards

Ski Jumping – Sunday, Dec. 31
10:35 a.m. – Men’s Trial Jump
10:40 a.m. – Women’s Trial Jump
11:20 a.m. – Men’s Competition Jump 1
11:30 a.m.  – Women’s Competition Jump 1
11:50 a.m.  – Men’s Competition Jump 2
12:00 p.m.  – Women’s Competition Jump 2
12:20 p.m. – Awards

Broadcast & Streaming Schedule (times EST)
Dec. 31 – 1 p.m. – Men’s and women’s ski jumping – NBC

THAIWOO, China (Dec. 22, 2017) – Coming off a win on Thursday, Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) skied to another top result, landing a second-place finish on day two of competition at Thaiwoo Resort. With the two-podium weekend, Kauf retains the yellow World Cup leader’s bib and has met objective criteria to be nominated for the 2018 U.S. Olympic mogul team.

Kauf skied confidently throughout qualifications and finals, posting the highest scores in each round. She was the last competitor down the course once again in the super finals, putting down a clean, fast run and missing out on first place by only 0.8 points.

"Going into today, I knew I could be on the podium again with my run," said Kauf. "I just repeated in my head, 'ski your run,' and it settled my nerves a little. It's absolutely incredible to take home two podiums. I'm so happy to go home for a little break and come back in January still wearing the yellow bib."

"Jaelin introduced herself to the world this week," said U.S. Ski Team head moguls coach Matt Gnoza. "It's great to see all the work she put in during the prep period pay off. She proved she's one of the fastest mogul skiers and, with this week's performance, she has proven that she can dominate in both singles and duals."

Kazakstan’s Yulia Galysheva, who finished second to Kauf on Saturday, took home the win. Canada’s Andi Naude was third. The top U.S. women included 17-year-old Olivia Giaccio (Redding, Conn.), who posted her best result of the season so far, advancing to the super finals and finishing sixth. Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.), Keaton McCargo (Telluride, Colo.) and Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H.) finished eighth, 11th and 15th respectively.

On the men’s side, U.S. skiers Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine) and Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) both advanced to the finals but were unable to break into the super final, finishing eighth and 10th respectively. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury secured his 45th career World Cup win followed by Kazakstan’s Dmitriy Reikherd in second and Australia’s Matt Graham in third.

The FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup tour takes a break for the Holidays before resuming on Jan. 6, 2018 in Calgary, Canada.

RESULTS
Women’s moguls
Men’s moguls
 

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. (Dec. 20, 2017) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced a five year agreement with Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, designating the resort as an Official Training Site of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows joins Mammoth Mountain in California, Deer Valley in Utah, Copper Mountain in Colorado and Timberline Lodge in Oregon as one of only five official training sites across the country. In addition to being an Official Training Site for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is a U.S. Ski & Snowboard High Performance Center and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Development Site.

“Since hosting the Olympics in 1960, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has produced some of our nation’s best skiers and snowboarders,” said Luke Bodensteiner, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport. “As a World Cup venue, a NASTAR resort and home of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Ski Teams, both U.S. Ski & Snowboard gold certified clubs, it has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the development of athletes and providing the resources they need to succeed at the elite level. Squaw Valley’s designation as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team training site not only provides elite-level training resources for our national team, but also creates  resources in high performance and education that athletes, coaches and clubs in the region can all benefit from.”

As an Official Training Site for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows will host U.S. team athletes for elite training sessions at the resort at key times during the season. Additionally, the High Performance Center and Development Center designations connect Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Team staff with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Park City-based Center of Excellence and other high performance centers across the country to share best practices in strength and conditioning, sport science and sports medicine while also acting as a central training and education site for U.S. Ski & Snowboard clubs in the region.

“Being the only U.S. club to be designated as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Gold Certified Club, Development Site, High Performance Center and Official Training Site is a true honor,” said Todd Kelly, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Ski Team Program Director. “Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows have a number of phenomenal on-hill training venues for all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and we look forward to welcoming them to our resort, and supporting their needs while they’re here. This designation also gives our great youth coaches access to additional resources available through U.S. Ski & Snowboard, allowing them to continue in their own development as coaches. Finally, there’s nothing better for our young athletes than the opportunity to watch, train alongside and get inspiration from some of our country’s best winter sports athletes.”

Host of the 1960 Winter Olympics, 1969 and 2017 FIS World Cup’s and, this year, the NASTAR National Championships, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and the surrounding communities of Truckee and North Lake Tahoe have a strong connection to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. With athlete representation at every winter games since 1964, many current and former U.S. Ski Team athletes credit the resort’s diverse and challenging terrain for much of their success. The resort currently has six athletes on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, more than any other resort or race program in the country. Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is eager to continue the legacy with the designation of Official Training Site of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Teams.   

Four stage winners will highlight athletes named by the U.S. Ski Team to compete in the upcoming Tour de Ski. The Team heads into the seven-stop tour with optimism based on strong early season results with two different athletes on World Cup podiums. The Tour opens Dec. 30 in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. All events will be streamed live on OlympicChannel.com and broadcast daily on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA with the finale also on NBCSN.

The grueling seven-stage tour will cover three stops in three nations over a nine-day period before the Sunday, January 7 finale up the towering Alpe Cermis hill climb in Val di Fiemme, Italy. It opens with three races in Lenzerheide, Switzerland kicking off with a freestyle sprint, followed by classic distance racing and a freestyle pursuit. The Tour then swings to Oberstdorf, Germany for a classic sprint plus mass start skate distance. The classic sprint is the final Olympic selection event for athletes to qualify via a top-eight finish. The Tour wraps up in Val di Fiemme with classic distance racing and the hill climb finale.

Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) will be back seeking to better her fifth overall ranking year ago - matching the American mark held by Liz Stephen (E. Montpelier, Vt.). Stephen will be starting her seventh Tour de Ski - most of any American woman. Kikkan Randall (Anchorage), who has two stage wins, will make her fifth start. Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) is looking forward to coming back to Oberstdorf, Germany where she won the classic sprint two years ago.

One dark horse to watch is Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.). Bjornsen is coming off her best start ever with a pair of podiums, starting her fifth Tour.

On the men's side, Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) is looking forward to the return of the freestyle sprint in Lenzerheide, which he won in 2014. After a one year break, Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.) will make his eighth start. He debuted as the first American in the Tour de Ski in 2010. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.), off to his best World Cup start ever, will make his fourth Tour appearance.

Head Coach Chris Grover is looking forward the Tour with one of the strongest and deepest teams ever. "It's a huge boost to come in with six athletes who have been on Tour de Ski podiums, including four winners," said Grover. 

The team is especially stacked in sprint with five women from the top-13 of the World Cup sprint standings including Bjornsen, Diggins, Caldwell, Randall and Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.), who is returning for her third Tour after a one year hiatus.

"I’m really happy that I found good race performances in Period 1 which give me confidence that my shape is strong," said Randall, who was on a sprint podium earlier this month. "Now it’s just a matter of staying healthy and getting in good consistent training and hard efforts until the Olympics."

Randall plans to ski the three races in Lenzerheide, before taking a break to train in Davos, Switzerland to prepare for the Dresden, Germany city sprints a week after the Tour.

“The Tour de Ski has been my favorite series of racing in the entire winter,” said Bjornsen, who has her sights set on completing the Tour. “I love the challenge of it, and the perfect balance of racing hard, recovering, traveling, racing hard, recovering, traveling. It takes such a unique skill mentally and physically to take on this beast, and I have loved trying to get better and better at it each year.”

Bjornsen and her teammates are very cognizant that this year’s Tour de Ski falls just a month prior to the Olympics, which is the primary focus. In particular, she has her eyes on the Oberstdorf classic sprint - which teammate Caldwell won two years ago. 

"For me, the Tour de Ski is always a great opportunity to get a lot of race starts in," said Diggins. "I’m planning to race the full tour as it always gives me a great fitness boost when I get a solid recovery after the tour ends, and it helps me come into sharper race form for the rest of the season." 

"I see the first half of the Tour as a great opportunity to do some racing on two sprint courses I love (Lenzerheide and Oberstdorf) and to also get two distance races in," said Sophie Caldwell, who won the classic sprint in Oberstdorf two years ago. "It's an exciting change to the schedule because usually we are racing once or twice every weekend and this is a week of more intensive racing with a nice break on either end. I hope to be rested, healthy, and skiing fast through the first four stages and then look forward to cheering on my teammates who plan on finishing the tour!"

"I love tour style racing," said Brennan, who is focused on skiing the entire Tour. "It is so fun to challenge the mind and body like that so I am looking forward to the experience. No tour is the same so it's hard to predict what your body will feel any given day, but that is part of the fun, just working with what you have and knowing that everyone is going to be fighting fatigue at some point. Racing so many days often gives my body a big boost in fitness so I hope to have a good rest after the Tour and then use the fitness boost to carry me forward." 

"The Tour is a blast because it's go-go-go the whole time," said Sargent. She will ski through the classic sprint in Oberstdorf before taking off to prepare for Dresden. "I also think the new wax truck is going to be a game changer for our team when it comes to an event like the Tour.  Having the stable environment that does not require a lot of packing and unpacking will make a huge difference for the wax techs."

"The Tour de Ski is my favorite event of the year," said Stephen. "I feel a giddy excitement creeping in as it gets closer. Climbing Alpe Cermis on the ninth day is a pretty incredible feeling for me. In the past, the Tour de Ski has been the turning point of my season, with each race tuning me up more and more and I always feel like it gets me into the shape I am looking for heading into the Olympics."

The only newcomer to the Tour de Ski this season will be Paddy Caldwell (Lyme, N.H.). "Paddy is in great shape and has been skiing with a lot of poise for a rookie in his first season on the World Cup," added Grover. 

Many of the top team athletes are presently training in Seefeld, Austria, site of the 2019 World Championships. Other are scattered across France, Italy and Switzerland with family and friends.

Live streaming of every stage is available on OlympicChannel.com or the Olympic Channel mobile app. Same day broadcast coverage will be featured on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA TV. Live scoring data is available at FIS-Ski.com, including GPS tracking at some distance events.

2018 U.S. SKI TEAM TOUR DE SKI ROSTER
MEN
Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash.
- Fourth Tour de Ski start
- Strong early World Cup season

Paddy Caldwell, Lyme, N.H.
- First time in Tour de Ski

Simi Hamilton, Aspen, Colo.
- Sixth Tour de Ski start
- Won 2014 Lenzerheide freestyle sprint

Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, Vt.
- Eighth Tour de Ski start - most of any American
- Was first American to compete in Tour de Ski in 2010

WOMEN
Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash.
- Fifth Tour de Ski start
- Finished 14th in 2016 in only Tour finish
- Two classic sprint podiums in early season World Cups
- Presently eighth in World Cup overall standings

Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah
- Third Tour de Ski start
- Strong early season distance results

Sophie Caldwell, Peru, Vermont
- Fifth Tour de Ski start
- Won Oberstdorf classic sprint in 2016

Jessie Diggins, Afton Minn.
- Sixth Tour de Ski start
- Fifth in 2017 matching best U.S. finish ever; was 10th in 2016
- Two podiums in 2017 Tour including a win
- Won Toblach, Italy 5k freestyle in 2016 and 2017
- Four full Tour finishes
- Standing sixth in FIS World Cup overall

Kikkan Randall, Anchorage, AK
- Fifth Tour de Ski start (skipped 2014 Tour to prepare for Olympics and 2016 while pregnant)
- Won two stages in 2013 including Oberhof prologue and Val Mustair freestyle sprint
- Finished 10th in 2012
- Three full Tour finishes

Ida Sargent, Orleans, Vt.
- Third Tour de Ski start

Liz Stephen, E. Montpelier, Vt.
- Seventh Tour de Ski start - most of any American woman.
- Has finished all six Tours she has entered - also most of any American athlete
- Holds top U.S. Tour de Ski finish of fifth (2015) as well as a seventh (2014); was 14th in 2017
- Second in Alpe Cermis hill climb in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017
- 5th in Val di Fiemme 10k classic mass start in 2016

2018 TOUR DE SKI SCHEDULE (all times EST)
All events to be streamed on OlympicChannel.com with broadcast coverage on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA TV or NBCSN for many events.

LENZERHEIDE, SWITZERLAND
Saturday, December 30
7:00 a.m. - Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint (Olympic Channel TV)

Sunday, December 31
4:30 a.m. - Men's 15k classic (Streaming only)
9:00 a.m. - Women's 10k classic (9:30 a.m. Olympic Channel TV)

Monday, January 1
5:00 a.m. - Women's 10k freestyle pursuit (Olympic Channel TV)
7:00 a.m. - Men's 15k freestyle pursuit (Streaming only)

OBERSTDORF, GERMANY
Wednesday, January 3
8:50 a.m. - Men's and women's classic sprint (12:00 p.m. Olympic Channel TV)
NOTE: Final Olympic selection event to qualify through a top-eight finish

Thursday, January 4
4:00 a.m. - Women’s 10k classic mass start (Olympic Channel TV)
5:00 a.m. - Men’s 15k classic mass start (Streaming only)

VAL DI FIEMME
Saturday, January 6
8:15 a.m. - Women's 10k classic mass start (11:00 a.m. Olympic Channel TV)
9:45 a.m. - Men's 15k classic mass start (Streaming only)

Sunday, January 7
5:30 a.m. - Women’s 9k freestyle pursuit - hill climb (7:30 a.m. NBCSN, 11:00 a.m. Olympic Channel TV)
8:30 a.m. - Men’s 9k freestyle pursuit - hill climb (Streaming only)

USA TOUR DE SKI HISTORY
USA Tour de Ski Stage Winners
Jessie Diggins - 2017 Toblach 5k
Jessie Diggins - 2016 Toblach 5k
Sophie Caldwell - 2016 Oberstdorf classic sprint
Simi Hamilton - 2014 Lenzerheide freestyle sprint
Kikkan Randall - 2013 Val Mustair freestyle sprint
Kikkan Randall - 2013 Oberhof prologue

USA Tour de Ski Stage Podiums
Jessie Diggins - 1st 2017 Toblach 5k
Sadie Bjornsen - 3rd 2017 Toblach 5k
Jessie Diggins - 2nd 2017 Oberstdorf skiathlon
Jessie Diggins - 1st 2016 Toblach 5k
Sophie Caldwell - 1st 2016 Oberstdorf classic sprint
Simi Hamilton - 1st 2014 Lenzerheide freestyle sprint
Kikkan Randall - 1st 2013 Val Mustair freestyle sprint
Kikkan Randall - 1st 2013 Oberhof prologue
Kikkan Randall - 2nd 2012 Toblach freestyle sprint

USA Tour de Ski Other Top Three (time of day or scorable race segment)
Liz Stephen - 2nd 2017 Alpe Cermis 9k
Liz Stephen - 2nd 2016 Alpe Cermis 9k
Liz Stephen - 2nd 2014 Alpe Cermis 9k
Noah Hoffman - 1st 2014 Toblach to Cortina to Toblach freestyle leg
Liz Stephen - 2nd 2013 Alpe Cermis 9k

THAIWOO, China (Dec. 21, 2017) – The U.S. Ski Team moguls athletes stepped up to claim two podiums on day one of competition at Thaiwoo Resort. Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) took home a win and Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine) third.

After a strong fifth-place finish at the World Cup opener a few weeks ago, Kauf dominated the women’s finals in Thaiwoo. She qualified first into the super final and was the last skier to drop, skiing a clean, fast run to secure her second career World Cup win, her first singles win and one of two podiums needed to meet objective criteria for the 2018 Olympic team.

"I fee like I'm floating on cloud nine right now," said Kauf after her win. "This is honestly just such a confidence booster moving forward with the rest of the season. I feel like I can relax a little more now and just go out there and ski my runs.

I was able to let my speed go through the middle section today," she added. "I put down two runs back to back where I pushed the speed but was able to stay pretty tight and clean and I think that was a key component to my run."

The U.S. women once again packed skiers into the finals with Mikaela Matthews (Frisco, Colo.) sixth, Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.) seventh, Keaton McCargo (Telluride, Colo.) eighth and Morgan Schild (Rochester, N.Y.) ninth. Kazakhstan’s Yulia Galysheva and Canada’s Andi Naude rounded out the podium in second and third.

Murphy, who was ranked sixth in the world in 2017, was within reach of a podium finish at multiple events last season, but was never able to secure it. That wasn’t the story this time as Murphy’s bag of high degree of difficulty tricks and clean turns carried him to a third-place finish with a score of 80.57. It was the first podium of Murphy’s career and puts him one step closer to PyeongChang.

"It's awesome to finally stand on the podium," said Murphy. "This is obviously a big year and I'm stoked that my hard work throughout the years is paying off! I think my jumps are always the stamp of approval on my runs. I'm happy with my skiing as well. There's room for improvement all around which I'm happy about because there is more success to be had."

In just his seventh World Cup start, Emerson Smith was the top qualifier heading into super finals before skiing out on his final run for a sixth place finish. Bradley Wilson (Butte, Mt.) also advanced to finals, finishing 12th. Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury claimed yet another win and Australia’s Matt Graham was second.

Moguls action continues in Thaiwoo with another singles competition on Dec. 22. Finals will be broadcast live on The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA.

RESULTS
Men’s Moguls
Women’s Moguls

HOW TO WATCH (times EST)
Friday, Dec. 22
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls – Olympic Channel TV

 

It was an amazing day for the moguls team in Thaiwoo, China with @jaekauf taking 🥇 and @troy_murphy 🥉 Stay tuned, we’ll be going for more podiums in the second comp of the week on 12/22. Watch live on the @olympicchannel at 12:30 a.m. EST 🇺🇸 #usfreestyleski

A post shared by U.S. Ski Team (@usskiteam) on Dec 21, 2017 at 6:40am PST

COURCHEVEL, France (Dec. 20, 2017) – One day after winning the giant slalom in Courchevel, France, Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) took her second FIS Ski World Cup victory in two days—this time in the parallel slalom.

Under the lights in a head-to-head format, Shiffrin picked off skier after skier—starting with France’s Coralie Frasse Somet in the 1/16 round, moving on to Austria’s Carmen Thalmann in the round of 16 and beating Austria’s Ricarda Haaser in the quarterfinals. She then raced Irene Curtoni of Italy in the semis before facing off against Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who beat Shiffrin in the season-opening slalom in Levi, Finland.

The two 22-year-olds were neck-and-neck, but Shiffrin was able to squeak through the lights just before Vlhova—winning by .04 seconds. This was Shiffrin’s 35th World Cup win and her third win in a row. Curtoni was third. 

"It’s not like a traditional event—it’s short; it’s a sprint," said Shiffrin after her win. "You have to go so hard every single gate. I felt like when I started off, some turns were not as aggressive as I wanted. But every run I felt more comfortable.

"I had to go to a dark place in the start," continued Shiffrin, laughing. "I was like, 'OK you can do this. You've gotta be strong.' It was good. It worked out well."

Resi Stiegler (Jackson, Wyo.) was the only other American to make it through the morning’s qualifying race, but didn’t advance after the first round.   

The tech women now go on break and will be back in action after the holidays in Lienz, Austria for a giant slalom and slalom, Dec. 28-29. The men have one more race before Christmas: a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on Dec. 22.

RESULTS
Women's parallel slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change

Dec. 22
11:45 a.m. – men’s slalom run, run 1; Madonna di Campiglio – olympicchannel.com
1:30 p.m. – men’s slalom, run 2; Madonna di Campiglio – Olympic Channel TV