THAIWOO, China (Dec. 20, 2017) – U.S. Ski Team moguls skiers are back in action this week with two single moguls events at Thaiwoo Ski Resort in China. Athletes will compete Dec. 21 and 22, with both events broadcast live on The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA.

The women’s moguls team is off to a strong start after advancing five skiers to the finals at the World Cup opener in Ruka, Finland and Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) notching a top five finish. They’ll be looking to improve to podium finishes in Thaiwoo. This week also marks the return of 2015 National Champion Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H.) to competition after suffering a knee injury last February.

Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) and Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine) both had solid finishes on the Thaiwoo course last season with Wilson landing a third place finish in duals and Murphy a fourth place finish in singles. Emerson Smith (Dover, Vt.) was the only U.S. man to advance into the finals in Ruka, so the U.S. skiers will be looking to step it up in their last event before the Holidays.

Read on to see who to watch and where to watch all the action from Thaiwoo.

MEN’S STARTERS
Joel Hedrick
Troy Murphy
Emerson Smith
Troy Tully
Brad Wilson

WOMEN’S STARTERS
Nessa Dziemian
Olivia Giaccio
Tess Johnson
Jaelin Kauf
Mikaela Matthews
Keaton McCargo
Morgan Schild

HOW TO WATCH (times EST)
Thursday, Dec. 21
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls – Olympic Channel TV

Friday, Dec. 22
12:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls – Olympic Channel TV

COURCHEVEL, France (Dec. 19, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) built upon her overall World Cup lead with her first FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom victory of the season in Courchevel, France Tuesday.

“It was a bit scrappy at some points, but that was the tactic today,” Shiffrin said. “I tried to be really aggressive, and almost went off the course a couple times. It was a really straight second run, so I was like ‘OK, you gotta take advantage of that!’ I’m really excited that I fought for it!”

Tessa Worley of France was second, followed by Manuela Moelgg of Italy in third.

The defending overall World Cup Champion has totaled 621 points so far this season following Tuesday’s win. Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who won the first two giant slalom races of the season, fell further behind in second following a disappointing 14th-place finish Tuesday. Liechtenstein’s Tina Weirather is third overall after sitting out Tuesday’s race with a small bone fracture in her left hand. She hopes to return to the World Cup circuit Dec. 28-29 in Lienz, Austria.

Shiffrin also moved into the overall giant slalom World Cup lead Tuesday with 225 points. Rebensburg is second with 218 points. She also leads the overall downhill and slalom World Cup standings, but most importantly, she is just having fun skiing.

“Right now, I’m really enjoying skiing every discipline,” Shiffrin said. “Normally, if I ski slalom, I want to ski GS, if I ski GS I want to ski downhill or super-G. So right now I’m really enjoying it when I’m doing it, and that’s a fun place to be.”

With her victory Tuesday, Shiffrin moved into second among Americans with 34 World Cup victories. Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), who won Saturday’s super-G, leads with 78 World Cup wins. Bode Miller is third with 33 Word Cup wins among Americans.

Up next, the women compete in parallel slalom under the lights in Courchevel Wednesday evening.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*schedules subject to change
Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. – Women’s parallel slalom; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

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

U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes continued to rack up top results across the globe this past weekend, including Lindsey Vonn’s 78th career win, a surprise Olympic qualification win from young gun Jake Pates (one of 11 U.S. podiums at Dew Tour!), Faye Gulini’s first career podium and Ashley Caldwell’s first of two podiums needed to make it to PyeongChang. U.S. Snowboard Team members Chloe Kim, Chris Corning and Jamie Anderson confirmed their nominations to the U.S. Olympic snowboard team, and more spots will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

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.

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup - Courchevel, FRA
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.), Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.) and Tricia Mangan (Buffalo, N.Y.) will kick things off in Courchevel Dec. 19 with a giant slalom competition. They, along with Resi Steigler (Jackson Hole, Wyo.), will race in the Dec. 20 nighttime parallel slalom event.

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Madonna di Campiglio, ITA
The U.S. Ski Team men’s tech group takes to the slopes in Italy Dec. 22 for a nighttime slalom event. Seven athletes are expected to compete, including David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, Colo.), Mark Engel (Truckee, Calif.) and AJ Ginnis (Vouliagmeni, Greece), who scored his first World Cup points in Madonna last season.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Thaiwoo, CHN
The moguls World Cup stops at the 2022 Olympic venue in Thaiwoo, China Dec. 21-22 for a doubleheader. Both the men’s and women’s teams are on the hunt for podiums during this crucial Olympic selection period.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Innichen, ITA
The skicross World Cup tour ends 2017 with two races in Innichen Dec. 20 and 21. The U.S. placed three athletes in the top 30 at last week’s races in Montafon, Austria.

FIS Snowboard World Cup - Cervina, ITA
Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, Vt.), Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City) and the rest of the U.S. Snowboard Team’s snowboardcross athletes will compete in Cervinia, Italy before the World Cup tour takes a break for the Holidays. Qualifications are on Dec. 21 with finals on Dec. 22.

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

ALPINE
Dec. 19
4:30 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 1; Courchevel – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s giant slalom, run 2; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. – Women’s parallel slalom; Courchevel – Olympic Channel TV

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

FREESTYLE
Dec. 21
12:30 a.m. – Moguls; Thaiwoo – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m. – Skicross; Innichen – Olympic Channel TV

Dec. 22
12:30 a.m. – Moguls; Thaiwoo – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m. – Skicross; Innichen – Olympic Channel TV

SNOWBOARD
Dec. 22
6:00 a.m. – Snowboardcross; Cervinia – olympicchannel.com
 

ALTA BADIA, Italy (Dec. 17, 2017) – Ted Ligety’s comeback from back surgery took another step toward the top step of the podium at the FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, Sunday.

“I want to start winning World Cups here, and I feel I’m just a couple little things away from figuring that out,” Ligety (Park City, Utah) said after finishing seventh in the first run and then charging the second run to score his best World Cup result in more than a year, finishing  fifth.

“I had some good turns in there,” Ligety said of his first run. “I was holding onto it a little bit on the bottom and had a couple bobbles down here on the flat that cost a lot of speed, but overall it was OK skiing.”

Austria’s Marcel Hirscher won his second giant slalom of the season and moved into a tie for the overall World Cup lead with Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, who won Saturday’s downhill but did not compete in Sunday’s GS. Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen was second, and Zan Kranjec of Slovenia landed on his first World Cup podium in third.

Tommy Ford (Bend. Ore.) finished 23rd in the first run but did not finish the second run.

“It was difficult,” Ford said of his first run. “I had a hard time letting go and carrying speed. The snow was really grippy, and I had a hard time being light on my edges.”

Up next, the men compete in parallel giant slalom under the lights in Alta Badia Monday night. Ligety is looking forward to the upcoming races and as he continues building toward the Olympics Winter Games.

“Body-wise I’m feeling good,” he said. “But after two years of being injured, it’s hard to get the race sharpness back right away. That’s definitely a skill you get back by doing it a little more.  I just feel like I need to get that last little bit of intensity in.”

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Dec. 18 
12:30 p.m. - Men’s parallel giant slalom, Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 19
7:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. Women’s parallel slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

MEN'S GIANT SLALOM - OLYMPIC SELECTION

Dec. 17, 2017 - (after 2 races; 1 race remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at start of the Olympics will have automatic start right in event. Up to four may be entered in the Olympic event.

Full Alpine Selection Criteria

Top Three Finish (indicates number of finishes in criteria category)
None

Top Five Finish
Ted Ligety (1)

Top 10 Finish
Ted Ligety (1)
Tommy Ford (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking
9. Ted Ligety (96)
19. Tommy Ford (35)
35. Tim Jitloff (11)

Remaining Race
Jan. 6, 2018 - Adelboden, Switzerland

NOTE: Canceled race in Soelden will not be rescheduled.

VAL D’ISERE, France (Dec. 17, 2017) – Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.) posted a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, finishing 15th in Val d’Isere Sunday. Jackie Wiles (Aurora, Ore.) was 17th, and Laurenne Ross (Bend. Ore.) was 29th.

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), who won her 78th career World Cup race Saturday, opted to sit out Sunday’s event. “Unfortunately I’m not racing today,” Vonn posted on Twitter. “Knee is a bit sore from yesterday so to be on the safe side I’m going to give my body some rest. My focus is on the Olympics so no need to risk anything now.”

Austria’s Anna Veith won her third career World Cup super-G, which was once again contested on the same abbreviated course the women ran on Saturday. Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was second, and Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who was second behind Vonn Saturday, finished third.

For the second consecutive day, the soft-grippy snow caught a number of competitors off guard, including Germany’s Viktoria Rebensburg, who started with bib 1 and crashed midway down the track after catching an edge. Defending World Cup giant slalom champion Tessa Worley of France also crashed out.

For McKennis though, the course conditions proved to her liking, as she came out of the 37th start position, and put her early season woes behind.

“The beginning of the season didn’t go super great for me at Lake Louise, and that was pretty frustrating considering how well I had been skiing,” said McKennis, a solid downhiller who has now scored World Cup points in three of the four super-G races this season. “Coming into the races this weekend, I tried to take a step back and figure out what the issue was, and I think a lot of it was I was just trying too hard.

“Every time I was out on the race course I was pushing myself so hard, that I wasn’t even skiing well anymore,” she continued. “So this weekend, I really focused on the skiing, and skiing for myself and not thinking that I needed to push myself harder than what I do in training. That started to make me feel more comfortable and confident in what I was doing out there.”

Ross, who was eighth in Saturday’s super-G, also banked some confidence from Sunday’s result as she continues her comeback from last season’s significant knee injury.

“I’m pretty strong, but I’m still working to get my knee into shape,” Ross said. “I'm definitely not 100-percent, but that being said, with every day I gain a bit more confidence and that helps me to trust myself a little bit more. Even though I know that my knee is not 100-percent, I can still ski fast and I can still push myself.”

Up next, the women head to Courchevel, France, for a giant slalom and a parallel slalom under the lights Monday and Tuesday. Current overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin and Resi Stiegler are expected to compete. The next speed series is scheduled for Jan. 13-14 with downhill and super-G in Bad Kleinkircheim, Germany.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Dec. 18 
12:30 p.m. - Men’s parallel giant slalom, Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 19
7:00 a.m. - Women’s giant slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 20
12:00 p.m. Women’s parallel slalom, Courchevel – olympicchannel.com

WOMEN’S SUPER-G - OLYMPIC SELECTION
Dec. 17, 2017 - (after 3 races; 2 races remaining in qualifying period)
Up to three athletes in each event will be selected based on following criteria in sequential order. Top two athletes based on current World Cup rankings at the start of Olympics will have automatic start right in the event. Up to four may be entered in the Olympic event.

Full Alpine Selection Criteria

Top Three Finish (indicates number of finishes in criteria category)
Lindsey Vonn (1)

Top Five Finish
Mikaela Shiffrin (1)

Top 10 Finish
Laurenne Ross (1)

Current World Cup Points Ranking

10. Lindsey Vonn (107)
18. Mikaela Shiffrin (56)
25. Laurenne Ross (35)
30. Alice McKennis (27)
36 Jackie Wiles (14)
39. Breezy Johnson (8)
41. Alice Merryweather (7)

Remaining Races
Jan. 14, 2018 - Bad Kleinkircheim, Austria
Jan. 21, 2018 - Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy

It was all about Norway in the finale of the pursuit weekend in Toblach, Italy. Norway's Marit Bjoergen lead a five place sweep in the women's 10k classic pursuit. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was leader of the chase pack, finishing seventh. Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) ended up ninth.

Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) led the U.S. men in 26th as Norway's World Cup leader Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo was back on track with another win.

In the pursuit format, athletes went out onto the course based on their times from the freestyle race on Saturday. It only took a kilometer before both a lead and a chase pack formed. Sweden's Charlotte Kalla, who won the 10k freestyle a day earlier, held a precarious eight second lead until just before the mid point when the Norwegian train rolled on by. The six stayed together most of the way building a 40 second margin over Diggins' chase group.

While the chase that came together was formidable, it was impossible to close the gap. Both Diggins and Bjornsen held their own within their pack.

“Pursuit races are pretty fun - I love being in the hunt,” said Diggins. “I had an awesome pack of girls to ski with and everyone took turns pulling at the front so we were moving along at a good pace. I just love that feeling when everyone is still racing each other, but also working hard and taking their turn so that the pack is ripping along the course! The race felt like it flew by.”

Diggins initially tried to bridge up to Norway’s Ingvild Oestberg. “She had an awesome and impressive race so when I realized we wouldn’t be able to bridge the gap, I was still skiing really hard but also preparing mentally for the final sprint-out. Which came as predicted - the final 2km felt like an all-out sprint.”

“Great skis out there today, and super fun to ski with Jessie,” said Bjornsen. “I think we have some similar strengths, and also some opposite strengths, so we can almost work together both physically and mentally.”

"All the racing from Period 1 started is catching up with me," said Brennan. "I hung tough and managed to salvage a decent result. I am very happy with all of my Period 1 racing. It's always the hardest period so to have some strong results in all disciplines gives me an immense amount of confidence for the rest of the season."

The finishes left Diggins and Bjornsen seventh and ninth in the overall World Cup standings to close out Period 1 of the World Cup. 

“I can feel my brain needs some rest right now,” added Bjornsen. “Period 1 is an intense block, with a lot of travel, and a lot of excitement for me. I felt today that my mind and body were digging deep down for the final fumes in the tank so I’m excited for some holiday time.”

The team will now take a holiday break with athletes heading to different spots in Europe from Italy to Seefeld to Meribel and more, before reconvening for the Tour de Ski that starts in Lenzerheide, Switzerland on Dec. 30 with a freestyle sprint. This year's edition of the Tour will feature seven stages in three resorts - Lenzerheide, Oberstorf, Germany and Val di Fiemme, Italy.

RESULTS
Men's 15k Classic Pursuit 
Women's 10k Classic Pursuit 

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (Dec. 16, 2017) – Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) finished second in the slopestyle finals at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge Saturday to lead five U.S. Freeski team members into the top 10. Saturday’s event was the second of four Olympic qualifying events.

“I’m feeling good with one podium locked down (for Olympic team qualifying). It was a fun contest … I’m stoked to be the top American,” said Goepper, who plans to step up his game and shoot for another podium and qualify for the Olympic team next month at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Snowmass, Colo. “I’m just going to train harder, be more focused and try to win.”

Alex Hall (Salt Lake City) was fifth, followed by Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.) in sixth, Bobby Brown (Denver) in eighth and U.S. Freeski Rookie Team member Cody LePlante (Truckee, Calif.) posting a career-best pro finish in ninth.

In the women’s finals, Darian Stevens (Missoula, Mont.) was third, and Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) was fourth.

“More than anything, I’m just so, so pleased with my riding right now,” said Voisin, who was third in qualifying. “I haven’t pushed myself this hard in a long time, and I think I have a lot of work to do, but I’m just so honored to be a part of women’s freeskiing right now because it’s just blowing up!”

RESULTS
Men and women’s slopestyle

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (Dec. 16, 2017)  – Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) both landed second-place finishes in slopestyle snowboarding finals at Dew Tour, achieving maximum Olympic selection points and confirming their nominations to the U.S. Olympic snowboard team.

Anderson’s signature smooth style was on display right out of the gate when she scored a 93.33 on her first run of the day to hold down the second podium spot. Canada’s Spencer O’Brien landed the win, and Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi was third. U.S. riders Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.) and Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) finished fourth and sixth respectively.

I feel really good - I can't believe the Olympics are around the corner," said Anderson. It was really fun out here in Breckenridge. All of the girls are killing it. Super happy for Spencer putting down a new, creative run. I was definitely bummed I couldn’t land my cab double-nine, so I still have some work to do. But yeah, I'm feeling good."

After finishing second at last weekend’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, local rider Corning added another podium to his Olympic qualification results, putting down a massive second run to score a 95. Canada’s Max Parrot answered back with a 97, landing him the first place spot. Norway’s Mons Roisland was third.

"Oh dude, it's amazing [to have made the Olympic team]," said Corning. "I don’t really know what to say or what to think, but I’m pretty stoked. I just wanted to get some runs down and at least get a top five, that was pretty much the goal. But I’ll take a second place out of it."

The U.S. had three additional riders finish in the top 10, including Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.) in fourth, Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.) in sixth and Brock Crouch (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.) in seventh.

Olympic qualification competition continues after the New Year with Toyota U.S. Grand Prix stops at Snowmass Jan. 7-14 and Mammoth Mountain, California Jan. 15-21.
 

RESULTS
Men’s and women’s slopestyle
2018 U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic criteria and standings

MONTAFON, Austria (Dec. 16, 2017)  – Olympian Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City) rode to a second place podium spot in Saturday's snowboardcross World Cup in Montafon. It was her first career podium, barely missing out on the win in a photo finish with Italy's Michela Moioli. 

Gulini's podium finish puts her in a good spot heading into Olympic team selection in January along with teammate Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton, Vt.), who won a World Cup earlier this week in Val Thorens, France. France's Nelly Moenne Loccoz rounded out the women's podium in third. Jacobellis was 11th.

"I’ve been wanting this for my whole career," said Gulini. "I feel like I’ve been very close numerous times, but it’s nice to finally seal the deal. It really couldn't have gone better today, I'm really happy. I think a lot of people think before you get your first podium it’s like a mental block or a thing that you’ve gotta get before you get multiple podiums, so maybe now I’m due for a few more."

Mick Dierdorf (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was the top U.S. men's finisher, winning the small final to finish fifth. Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, Mich.) also made the top 10, finishing seventh. Australia's Jarryd Hughes took the win followed by Austrians Alessandro Haemmerle and Markus Schairer in second and third.

World Cup action continues Dec. 17 with men's and women's team events. 

RESULTS
Women's Snowboardcross
Men's Snowboardcross

HOW TO WATCH (times EST)
Dec. 17
5:30 a.m. – Snowboardcross team event; Montafon – olympicchannel.com
2:00 p.m. – Snowboardcross team event; Montafon – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

VAL GARDENA, Italy (Dec. 16, 2017) – Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah) scored a career-best FIS Ski World Cup result, finishing ninth in downhill Saturday in Val Gardena, Italy. Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) just missed the top 10, finishing 11th.

“I was pushing the line and telling myself ‘don’t do that … just get back to the regular line,’” said Goldberg, who won the opening training run on Wednesday. “Now that I’m running in the top 30, I have a clearer course and I can get away with pulling off a more difficult line.

“I got out of the track a little bit on one turn, right before the flat and I could feel myself decelerate a little bit,” he added, “but I knew that if I just got back in the track and stayed low, that I could make it up on the bottom.”

Norway took the top two spots with Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud going 1-2. Austria’s Max Franz was third. With the victory, Svindal maintained his overall World Cup lead over Jansrud, and teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, who did not compete Saturday.

Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) returned to the World Cup circuit Saturday, finishing 41st.

“I wasn’t confident and flowing and going,” said Nyman, who has all three of his World Cup downhill victories on the Saslong course. “I had some fast splits, but I had some bad splits too. But it’s OK! There are some positives, and right now I’m focusing on … training, getting the confidence back, getting the movements back, dialing equipment in … but it’s always great to race here and be back racing.”

Up next, the men's tech team tackles a giant slalom and nighttime parallel giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy Sunday and Monday.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Saturday, December 16
5:00 p.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)
6:00 p.m. – Men’s downhill; Val Gardena – NBCSN (same day delay)

Sunday, December 17
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Alta Badia – olympicchannel.com
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Alta Badia – Olympic Channel TV
3:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; Val d’Isere – NBCSN (same day delay)