DAVOS, Switzerland (Dec. 9, 2017) - World champion Kikkan Randall (Anchorage, Alaska) found power and speed coming down the final stretch in Davos to score her first World Cup podium in nearly three years, finishing third behind Sweden's Stina Nilsson. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) was fourth.

On a day reminiscent of last February's World Championship freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland, the Americans put three athletes into the final heat with Randall, Diggins and Ida Sargent (Orleans, Vt.) who was sixth. Five U.S. Ski Team women qualified into the heats including Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) and Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) who made it to semis.

Norway's Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won his sixth straight World Cup to remain unbeaten - tying a record. Klæbo plans to sit out Sunday's 15k skate. Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) skied a strong quarter-final to advance to the semis where he finished ninth.

The women's final was a remarkable matchup with U.S. Ski Team women making up half of the field. Nilsson and Norway's Maiken Caspersen Falla dominated much of the race, building a gap over Diggins and the chase group. Diggins, who won her semifinal heat, set a strong pace for the chase group with Randall picking her way through the field to set herself up nicely for a finish sprint.

After taking a year off for the birth of her son Breck, Randall had a slow start a year ago before a breakthrough freestyle sprint medal at World Championships in February. But a World Cup podium eluded her as she only made one finals all season. 

"The first couple weekends of the World Cup have been a mixed bag for me," said Randall. "I felt like my shape was there but I wasn’t able to put it together in classic It’s really nice to know I’m in position where my fitness is good and I”m just sharpening that race gear."

Randall was strong and tactical in her heats, positioning herself well for the podium sprint. "I was in a perfect place coming into the stadium. I felt the gear shift and feel there’s just a little bit of just sharpening and confidence that will let me bridge that. It’s cool having that concrete example in front of me."

“It was really meaningful for Kikkan,” said Head Coach Chris Grover. “This is a course where she’s won before so she knows how to ski it. But it’s another step in her return. This year she feels like she’s been in good shape all summer and fall. To start out with the first skate sprint - her signature event - with a podium means we’ll see a lot more of Kikkan this year.”

"Our techs and coaches did an incredible job - we had incredible skis," said Sargent, who had a very strong day. "It was so much fun to zoom by people on the downhill. I was feeling great energy when the altitude hit me pretty hard. But it was awesome to be in the final with Kikkan and Jessie."

In the World Cup overall rankings, Diggins moved up to seventh with Bjornsen dropping to ninth.

Sunday is another day of skate racing - this time in an Olympic discipline, with team spots on the line. Diggins will be among the favorites in the women's 10k with the men racing 15k.

RESULTS
Men's Freestyle Sprint 
Women's Freestyle Sprint 

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (Dec. 8, 2017) – David Wise (Reno, Nev.) landed a moonshot and found the top step of the podium in the men’s halfpipe finals at the opening Toyota U.S. Grand Prix Friday. In the women’s final, Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) led five members of the U.S. Freeski Team into the top 10, finishing second.

"I’m over the moon right now," Wise said following his victory. "Honestly, my goal for this contest starting off was to just land some runs. I wanted to come in – I’ve been working on the switch right dub for a long time now – and I wanted to come out with that exclamation mark and land it.

"It felt really good to land that trick and land some runs and being on top of the podium at the end of the day is just a huge bonus," Wise continued. "I mean pipe skiing is so ridiculous right now. So many guys are shredding so hard."

Annalisa Drew (Andover, Mass,), Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.) and Carly Margulies (Mammoth Lake, Calif.) finished fourth through seventh respectively. On the men’s side, Torin Yater-Wallace (Basalt, Colo.) was fifth, Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.) was seventh and Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) was ninth.

“It feels great," Logan said of her podium result. "I mean not having my best result at Mammoth last year, I definitely needed some redemption to kind of ease the stress on me and I was happy to put down some runs that I’m happy with and can just build up from there.”

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe

DAVOS, Switzerland (Dec. 8, 2017) - After two opening weekends of most classic skiing, the FIS Cross Country World Cup tour heads into the Swiss mountain village of Davos for back-to-back skate races in the U.S. Ski Team's home away from home. Skate sprints are on tap for Saturday with a men's 15k and women's 10k on Sunday.

It's also a special weekend for the team and its supporters with the formal dedication of the new U.S. Cross Country Ski team waxing truck.

Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) comes into the weekend standing seventh in the overall World Cup on the strength of two classic sprint podiums. Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) is 10th. She will be among favorites in Sunday's 10k freestyle - an Olympic discipline.

Davos is well familiar to the team, serving as a frequent training and relaxation base in the canton of Graubunden in southeastern Switzerland. It's been a strong venue for Kikkan Randall (Anchorage) who has three podiums in skate sprints including a win in 2011. Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt.) and Sophie Caldwell (Peru, Vt.) have both made the finals heat in Davos with Diggins skiing to fourth a year ago in a 15k.

“I’m excited to race here in Davos and to be healthy enough to really go after it,” said Diggins.

Every race will be streamed live on OlympicChannel.com. 

Saturday, Dec. 9
7:45 a.m. ET - Men's and women's freestyle sprints - OlympicChannel.com
10:00 a.m. ET - Men's and women's freestyle sprints - Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA TV

Sunday, Dec. 10
5:30 a.m. ET - Women's 10k freestyle - OlympicChannel.com
7:45 a.m. ET - Men's 15k freestyle - OlympicChannel.com
1:00 p.m. ET - Women's 10k freestyle - Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA TV

Freestyle Sprint
Men
Erik Bjornsen
Paddy Caldwell
Simi Hamilton
Andy Newell

Women
Sadie Bjornsen
Sophie Caldwell
Jessie Diggins
Chelsea Holmes
Julia Kern
Kikkan Randall
Ida Sargent

Men's 15k Freestyle
Erik Bjornsen
Paddy Caldwell
Simi Hamilton
Noah Hoffman
Andy Newell
Scott Patterson

Women's 10k Freestyle
Sadie Bjornsen
Rosie Brennan
Sophie Caldwell
Jessie Diggins
Chelsea Holmes
Kikkan Randall
Liz Stephen

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (Dec. 8, 2017) – Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) continued her dominance on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit, winning the first run slalom in the alpine combined Friday. However, heavy fog scrubbed the second run super-G. Further details regarding the possibility of rescheduling the alpine combined will be released when available from the FIS.

Strong winds and fog also forced officials to swap Friday’s event program, running slalom first, followed by super-G. 

Friday’s first run slalom marked the return to the World Cup circuit for Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, Calif.), who last raced a World Cup event on March 17, 2015. Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) was scheduled to return to action following last season’s knee injury but decided to sit out the slalom following the change in the event program. Ross is expected to start Saturday's super-G.

Up next, the women race a pair of super-G events Saturday and Sunday at St. Moritz. On the men’s side, Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) lead the U.S. Ski Team men’s alpine tech group in giant slalom Saturday and slalom Sunday in Val d’Isere, France.

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Dec. 9
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Val d’Isere – olympicchannel.com
4:45 a.m. – Women’s super-G; St. Mortiz – olympicchannel.com
6:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; St. Moritz – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Dec. 10
3:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom run 1; Val d’Isere – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; St. Mortiz – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom run 2; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV

DAVOS, Switzerland (Dec. 8, 2017) - When the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team rolled into Davos, Switzerland for the FIS Cross Country World Cup this weekend, it was rolling in style. Thanks to a network of dedicated supporters in America, the team has rolled out its new wax truck providing stronger technical support to athletes and a healthier atmosphere for ski technicians.

The new truck was introduced in Finland and Norway for the opening World Cup events that saw U.S. skiers Sadie Bjornsen, Jessie Diggins, and Sophie Caldwell post top results, thanks in part to the new mobile waxing facility. This weekend the truck made the long trip from Lillehammer, Norway down to Davos for a weekend of racing including freestyle sprints Saturday and distance racing on Sunday. Diggins will be among favorites in both events, with equally strong chances coming in the women's Sprint F on Saturday and the 10k freestyle on Sunday.

The U.S. Ski Team will hold an open house and celebration for its fans and donors following Sunday's races to showcase the new truck.

The new wax truck will sit side-by-side with similar vehicles from other major cross country nations including Norway, Sweden, Canada and more. The truck will provide over 48 square meters of working space with eight main waxing stations. The main waxing room has ski storage for 600 pair of skis, saving team staff hundreds of hours they had spent moving gear from rental trucks to wax rooms every weekend. A pull out porch is available for kick waxing in colder temperatures with a roof to protect against falling snow.

A central vacuum system helps technicians keep the environment clean and safe, with three different heating systems to manage temperatures. A custom crew cab features five seats and a bed for long drives between Scandinavia and Central Europe. Tunes will play on a built-in sound system equipped with Bose speakers, one of the team's top partners. The truck was built in Sweden.

The exterior of the truck features action photography of some of the team's leading athletes, a tribute panel thanking donors and the logo of team uniform supplier L.L.Bean. 

"This is a game changer for us in providing the best support for our athletes and a better working atmosphere for our technicians," said Head Coach Chris Grover. "It also illustrates the passion of our fans back in America who raised over $600,000 to make this possible."

Working out of tiny wax cabins in the past, the U.S. Ski Team had become accustomed to small space with its technicians working miracles to prep winning skis. The new truck will provide a much more productive environment for ski preparation.

"The wax truck will make a huge difference for our team this year," said world champion Jessie Diggins. "Having all our wax technicians in the same room means that communication will be instant and easy when waxes are changing on race day. The outside of the truck is a clean, professional design that both inspires and motivates us, and is a really exciting thing for new athletes to the World Cup when they come over to race!" 

"I don’t know if it’s the magic of the truck but it’s definitely been an amazing start to the season with our skis compared to everyone else," said Bjornsen, who stands seventh in the World Cup going into the Davos weekend. "We’re operating best in the world and I have to thank the truck for that."

The truck was made possible thanks to a grassroots fundraising campaign conducted by U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation trustee Liz Arky of Washington, D.C. who heads the team's advisory committee.

"Our American cross country fans, and my fellow Trustees, are extremely proud of our athletes and wanted to do something significant to help them achieve their dreams," said Arky. 

"We have been looking forward to this for years and are so thankful to our supporters and donors for getting us on a level playing field with the rest of the world," added Kikkan Randall, who planted the seed for the truck several years ago and made a special appeal to the Trustees.

The truck was rolled out at the team's final on-snow tuneup camp in Rovaniemi in mid-November. It then traveled to World Cups in Ruka, Finland and Lillehammer, Norway before journeying down to Davos.

Ruka, FINLAND (Dec. 6, 2017) – The 2017-18 FIS Freestyle moguls World Cup is set to kick off this weekend in the winter wonderland of Ruka, Finland. The U.S. has 12 athletes competing against a strong contingent of international skiers for the first podiums of the season. Men’s and women’s qualifications and finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9.

With it being the first World Cup of the season, any one of the U.S. Ski Team athletes have a chance to notch a top result. Ruka is one of seven World Cup competitions this season that will be taken into consideration when nominating the team for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Keaton McCargo (Telluride, Colo.) and Mikaela Matthews (Frisco, Colo.) have both previously podiumed on the fun but challenging course in Ruka. Morgan Schild (Rochester, N.Y.) and Troy Murphy (Bethel, Maine) will be looking to start the season off strong after posting career-best seasons in 2016-17.

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

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

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

HOW TO WATCH (times EST)
Saturday, Dec. 9
9:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Ruka – olympicchannel.com

11:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Ruka – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

U.S. Ski and Snowboard athletes posted some remarkable results last weekend as Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) continued to establish herself as one of the most dominant athletes in any sport in the world, landing two downhill podiums, including her first win, in Lake Louise, Canada. Sadie Bjornsen (Anchorage, Alaska) skied to another podium finish in a classic sprint in Lillehammer, Norway, and the U.S. Ski Team men’s alpine athletes took to the famed Birds of Prey course in Beaver Creek, where Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) led the charge in giant slalom and Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.) skied to his first top-10 World Cup finish.

More top results will be accomplished this week as U.S. Ski and Snowboard athletes compete around the world, including the first stop of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, which also serves the  first Olympic qualification event of the season for members of the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams. All the action will be either streamed or broadcast LIVE, or same-day coverage, on the Olympic Channel - Home of Team USA - or on the networks of NBC Friday through Sunday.

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix - Copper Mountain, Colo.
The ride to PyeongChang for the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams continues this week with the first Toyota U.S. Grand Prix of the 2017-18 season at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado. U.S. athletes who land podium spots in halfpipe skiing, halfpipe snowboarding and big air snowboarding competitions will be one step closer to making their respective 2018 Olympic teams. Halfpipe skiing finals will take place on Friday, followed by halfpipe snowboarding finals on Saturday and big air snowboarding finals on Sunday. The U.S. has a strong contingent of athletes expected to compete, including Chloe Kim (San Clemente, Calif.), Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.).

FIS Women’s Ski World Cup - St. Moritz, SUI
The U.S. Alpine Ski Team women head to Europe for an action-packed weekend in St. Mortiz, featuring an alpine combined event Friday, and a pair of super-G races Saturday and Sunday. Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) are among the athletes expected to race in an action-packed weekend that will attract millions of viewers worldwide.

FIS Men’s Ski World Cup - Val d’Isere, FRA
The U.S. Ski Team men’s alpine tech group, including Ligety and Ford, will race giant slalom Saturday and slalom Sunday.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Ruka, FIN
The U.S. Ski Team moguls athletes kick off their World Cup season this weekend with a moguls competition in the winter wonderland of Ruka, Finland. The U.S. is starting six men and six women who will all have a chance to secure a top result in the first of seven competitions being considered in selection for the 2018 Olympic team.

FIS Freestyle World Cup - Val Thorens, FRA
The ski cross World Cup tour opens with a two-race weekend in Val Thorens Thursday and Saturday. U.S. athletes Tania Prymak (Goshen, N.Y.), Tyler Wallasch (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), Whitney Gardner (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Brant Crossan (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) will be competing. Crossan was fifth in Tuesday’s training runs.

FIS Cross Country World Cup - Davos, SUI
The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will join their alpine teammates in Switzerland for a weekend of freestyle races. Freestyle sprints will take place Saturday, followed by a 10k freestyle for the women and a 15k freestyle for the men on Sunday. Jessie Diggins (Afton, MN), who finished a pair of top-five results in Davos last year, will be on the hunt for her first podium of the season.

FIS Ski Jumping World Cup - Titisee-Neustadt, GER
Will Rhoads (Park City, Utah) is coming off a strong weekend of competition where he placed 21st in a World Cup in Russia, a personal best, and the best result for an American athlete on the men’s World Cup since 2003. Rhoads will be joined by USA Nordic Teammates Kevin Bickner (Wacounda, Ill.) and Michael Glasder (Cary, Ill.) for another weekend of ski jumping action Friday through Sunday.

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

TOYOTA U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN
Dec. 8
1:00 p.m. – Halfpipe skiing finals – nbcsports.com

Dec. 9
1:00 p.m. – Halfpipe snowboarding finals – nbcsports.com
4:00 p.m. – Halfpipe snowboarding finals – NBC (same day delay)

Dec. 10
1:00 p.m. – Big air snowboarding finals – nbcsports.com
1:00 p.m. – Halfpipe skiing finals – NBC (next day delay)
8:00 p.m. – Big air snowboarding finals – NBCSN (same day delay)

ALPINE
Dec. 8
4:00 a.m. – Women’s combined/super-G; St. Moritz – olympicchannel.com
7:00 a.m. – Women’s combined/slalom; St. Moritz – olympicchannel.com
8:00 a.m. – Women’s combined; St. Moritz – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Dec. 9
3:30 a.m. – Men’s giant slalom run 1; Val d’Isere – olympicchannel.com
4:45 a.m. – Women’s super-G; St. Mortiz – olympicchannel.com
6:30 a.m.  – Men’s giant slalom run 2; Val d’Isere – Olympic Channel TV
7:30 a.m.  – Women’s super-G; St. Moritz – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Dec. 10
3:30 a.m. – Men’s slalom run 1; Val d’Isere – olympicchannel.com
4:30 a.m. – Women’s super-G; St. Mortiz – Olympic Channel TV
6:00 a.m. – Men’s slalom run 2; Val d’Isere –  Olympic Channel TV

FREESTYLE
Dec. 7
5:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s ski cross; Val Thorens – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 9
7:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s ski cross; Val Thorens – olympicchannel.com
9:30 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Ruka – olympicchannel.com
11:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s moguls; Ruka – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

CROSS COUNTRY
Dec. 9
7:15 a.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint – olympicchannel.com
10:00 a.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Dec. 10
5:30 a.m. – Women’s 10k freestyle – olympicchannel.com
7:45 a.m. – Men’s 15k freestyle – olympicchannel.com
1:00 p.m. – Women’s 10k freestyle –Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

SKI JUMPING
Dec. 8
6:00 a.m. – Men’s HS142 qualifications – olympicchannel.com

Dec. 9
10:00 a.m. – Men’s Team HS142 – olympicchannel.com
6:00 p.m. – Men’s Team HS142  – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

Dec. 10
7:45 a.m. – Men’s HS142 – olympicchannel.com
7:30 p.m. – Men’s HS142 – Olympic Channel TV (same day delay)

The following is a statement from U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw regarding the IOC decision on Russia participation in the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018:

 "U.S. Ski & Snowboard applauds the decision of the IOC today as it demonstrates a strong commitment to the importance of clean sport and the support of clean athletes. On behalf of our athletes, we have a fundamental obligation to fight for fairness in sport, to advocate for the health and welfare of athletes and to protect the image of our sport. Now we look to the International Ski Federation (FIS) to hold a FIS Council meeting to review the IOC’s decision and related evidence to consider its impact on the Russian Ski Association, its FIS committee members, officials and athletes." 

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (Dec. 5, 2017) – The ride to PyeongChang for the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams continues this week with the first Toyota U.S. Grand Prix of the 2017-18 season at Copper Mountain Resort. U.S. athletes who land podium spots in halfpipe skiing, halfpipe snowboarding and big air snowboarding competitions will be one step closer to making their respective Olympic teams.

Skiers will take to Copper’s Main Vein halfpipe on Friday, Dec. 8 for their second of five Olympic qualifying events. The U.S. Freeski Team expects to have more than 25 athletes competing in Copper along with a strong international field. Olympic Champion Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.), Torin Yater-Wallace (Basalt, Colo.) and Taylor Seaton (Avon, Colo.) all landed podium spots at the first qualifying event last season in Mammoth Mountain, California. They will be back for more in Copper along with U.S. stars David Wise (Reno, Nev.), Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) and Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.).

“I’m excited to start off a crazy year of competition at Copper Mountain,” said Yater-Wallace. “They’ve done a great job preparing the halfpipe given that there’s been almost no snow in November, so I’m feeling fortunate to have an opportunity to ski and compete with my friends. It's going to take some great skiing to do well with the international field that's headed to Copper, especially with it being a World Cup and a U.S. Olympic qualification event."

Copper will be the first of four qualifying events for U.S. Snowboard Team halfpipe riders. After being too young to attempt to qualify in 2014, 17-year-old Chloe Kim (La Palma, Calif.) is in the hunt for a top result to begin the journey to her first Olympic Winter Games, while three-time Olympic medalist Kelly Clark (West Dover, Vt.) is looking to make her fifth Olympic team. On the men’s side, two-time Olympic champion Shaun White (Carlsbad, Calif.) is expected to compete against a stacked field that includes fellow U.S. athletes Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho) and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) as well as Australia’s Scotty James and Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov. Finals will take place on Saturday, Dec. 9.

The weekend wraps up with big air snowboarding finals on Sunday, Dec. 10. After a successful inaugural competition last season, Copper is once again pulling out all the stops for a world-class big air venue right in the resort village. Sunday’s event is the second of five Olympic qualifying competitions for U.S. slopestyle/big air riders. Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.), Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.), Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.) and Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.) will be looking to add more top finishes after claiming podium spots at the first qualifying event in Mammoth last season. Ryan Stassel (Anchorage, Alaska) and Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) are also in the hunt.

“The more big air events I enter the more stoked I am to do them,” said Gerard. “Coming off a podium sweep in Milan with Kyle [Mack] and Chris [Corning], I’m pretty fired up to go to Copper for the only big air Olympic qualifier of the season. I think the format, in which you have to qualify in slopestyle as well as big air, is super key as it makes the overall best riders get the results they need to go to Korea. I got to ride a ton this fall and I’m stoked now to get into the real winter, to ride, compete and film.”

NBC Sports Group will feature comprehensive coverage of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain with shows airing on NBC, NBC Sports Network, The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and streaming on nbcsports.com. For additional event information, visit usskiandsnowboard.org/grandprix.

TOYOTA U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN
Event Schedule
*subject to change

Dec. 6: Halfpipe skiing qualifications
Dec. 7: Halfpipe snowboarding qualifications
Dec. 8: Halfpipe skiing finals + big air snowboarding qualifications
Dec. 9: Halfpipe snowboarding finals
Dec. 10: Big air snowboarding finals

Broadcast and Streaming Schedule (times EST)
*subject to change
Dec. 8
1 p.m. – Halfpipe skiing finals – nbcsports.com

Dec. 9
1 p.m. – Halfpipe snowboarding finals – nbcsports.com
4 p.m. – Halfpipe snowboarding finals – NBC

Dec. 10
1 p.m. – Big air snowboarding finals – nbcsports.com
1 p.m. – Halfpipe skiing finals – NBC
8 p.m. – Big air snowboarding finals – NBCSN

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (Dec. 3, 2017) – The fans at Beaver Creek were happy to cheer Ted Ligety’s return to giant slalom racing on the FIS Ski World Cup circuit Sunday, but Ligety was disappointed he didn’t deliver on one of his favorite tracks for the home crowd.

“I love racing here, this is one of my favorite hills, and that’s a big reason why I’m disappointed with seventh place today,” Ligety said. “It’s far and away the worst finish I’ve ever had at Beaver Creek.”

Competing in his first World Cup giant slalom in almost a year, Ligety (Park City, Utah) led the U.S. Ski Team alpine racers in seventh. Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.), starting bib 24, posted his first top-10 World Cup finish in 10th. Marcel Hirscher of Austria, the six-time overall World Cup champion, took the victory Sunday. Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen was second and Germany’s Stefan Luitz was third.

Ligety finished second in the first run and was well positioned to challenge for his sixth giant slalom victory on the grippy Birds of Prey course. But one too many errors in the second run opened the door for the rest of the field.

“First run didn’t feel great, but I was in there and had some turns,” Ligety said. “The second run, I had some good turns here and there, but way too many little mistakes for this kind of aggressive snow.”

Meanwhile, Ford occupied the hot seat for quite a while - posting the 10th-fastest second run time - as a number of racers failed to unseat him.

“I was going down the hill from top to bottom and it was cool to do some good arcs,” Ford said. “The snow is awesome, so everyone is skiing well, and that’s what makes (this hill) challenging.”

The men’s World Cup circuit returns to Europe with slalom and giant slalom races in Val d’Isere, France Dec. 9-10, followed by super-G and downhill in Val Gardena, Italy, Dec. 15-16.

RESULTS
Men’s Giant Slalom