Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin and Stifel U.S. Para Nordic Ski Team athletes Oksana Masters and Jake Adicoff were nominated for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) awards, with nominations formally announced on June 25, 2026. Shiffrin was nominated for Best Athlete, Women's Sports, Masters and Adicoff for Best Athlete with a Disability.

The ESPY Awards are an annual sports award show that highlights the best athletes, teams and change-makers in sports, ranging from basketball, tennis, F1, soccer and football to Olympic and Paralympic sports. 2026 nominees include athletes like figure skater Alysa Liu, basketball player Jalen Brunson, soccer player Lionel Messi and cross country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

Shiffrin Nominated for Best Athlete, Women's Sports
In the Best Athlete, Women's Sports category, three-time Olympic gold medalist, eight-time world champion medalist and winningest alpine skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin was nominated alongside hockey star Hilary Knight, golfer Nelly Korda and WNBA standout A'ja Wilson. 

Throughout the 2025-26 season, Shiffrin was virtually untouchable in the slalom, winning nine of 10 races on the World Cup tour and claiming her record ninth discipline globe and tying the all-time women's record with her sixth career overall title, all while pushing her career World Cup win total to 110 victories. On top of that, Shiffrin earned her third Olympic gold medal by winning the slalom by a historic margin of 1.5 seconds, cementing her place in history as the most decorated alpine ski racer of all time.

Masters Nominated for Best Athlete with a Disability
The most decorated Winter Paralympian of all time, Oksana Masters, was nominated for Best Athlete with a Disability alongside teammate Jake Adicoff, Para hockey player Declan Farmer and wheelchair racing athlete Susannah Scaroni. Masters, who competes in both cross country and biathlon in the sitting classification, has amassed 24 Paralympic medals across four different sports — Para cross country skiing, Para biathlon, Para cycling and Para rowing — and has competed at eight Paralympic Games dating to London 2012 in both summer and winter Games. Masters was the first Para athlete nominated in the Best Athlete, Women's Sports category at the ESPYs in 2022 and has been nominated several times in the Best Female Athlete with a Disability category — this is her 11th ESPY nomination. 

Adicoff Nominated for Best Athlete with a Disability
Jake Adicoff, who competes in the visually impaired classification in Para cross country, was nominated in the Best Athlete with a Disability category — this is his first ESPY nomination. The nomination comes after a dominant performance at the Paralympic Winter Games, where he swept all four gold medals. The Sun Valley, Idaho, native holds 11 World Championship medals and eight Paralympic medals. In Milano Cortina, he set a record for the most Para cross country gold medals won by a Team USA athlete in a single Games.

Your vote helps decide the winners! The full list of nominations can be found here. Cast your vote now and tune in July 15, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC for the show, held in New York City. You can vote daily and from multiple devices. 

Team USA will premiere the official after-show companion episode to On The Edge: World Cup Ski Racing, the five-episode ESPN Original Series that followed the world's elite alpine ski racers through the 2025-26 season and 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, on June 23, Olympic & Paralympic Day. The episode will air on Team USA TV and Team USA’s YouTube channel and will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews with key athletes from the docuseries. 

On The Edge: World Cup Ski Racing was directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Pat Dimon, produced by Bright North USA and the International Ski & Snowboard Federation in partnership with Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Team USA.

The after show consists of multiple conversations with Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes, including Olympic downhill gold medalist Breezy Johnson, two-time Olympic super-G silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle and two-time World Cup winner Bryce Bennett, each reflecting on what it was like to have their stories told on a global stage. Emmy Award-winning director Pat Dimon, who directed the series, hosts the after-show, which pairs athlete interviews with b-roll footage from the Games and the documentary itself, offering fans a rare glimpse into what goes into capturing elite ski racing on film and why the stories behind the speed matter. 

Team USA TV will re-air all five episodes of On The Edge at 8 p.m. ET nightly through June 27, each followed by the after-show.

HOW TO WATCH 
The full after-show will also be available on Team USA’s YouTube channel.

• Tuesday, June 23, 8:00 p.m. – On The Edge, Episode 1 + After Show – teamusa.com/tv 

• Wednesday, June 24, 8:00 p.m. – On The Edge, Episode 2 + After Show – teamusa.com/tv

• Thursday, June 25, 8:00 p.m. – On The Edge, Episode 3 + After Show – teamusa.com/tv 

• Friday, June 26, 8:00 p.m. – On The Edge, Episode 4 + After Show – teamusa.com/tv 

• Saturday, June 27, 8:00 p.m. – On The Edge, Episode 5 + After Show – teamusa.com/tv 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is proud to announce a record 13 domestic FIS World Cup events for the 2026-27 season, the most domestic events held in U.S. Ski & Snowboard history. The world’s best athletes in alpine, freeski, freestyle, Para snowboard, ski jumping and snowboard will compete across 10 venues. 

The season kicks off over Thanksgiving weekend with the highly anticipated Stifel Killington Cup, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup, making its return to Vermont after a brief hiatus, with women’s tech races on the schedule. During the same weekend, Copper Mountain will welcome the men’s tech circuit for the Stifel Copper Cup, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup. 

The domestic calendar continues at full speed through December, with long-standing snowboard and freeski events, including two Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events in Colorado and both men’s and women’s alpine races at Beaver Creek for the Stifel Birds of Prey, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup. After the new year, Lake Placid, Steamboat, Waterville Valley, Aspen Snowmass and Deer Valley will host freeski, freestyle, Para snowboard, ski jumping and snowboard events, before the domestic World Cup tour concludes with the Stifel Sun Valley Finals presented by Cloudflare in Sun Valley, Idaho, the Audi FIS World Cup Finals.

“This will be a very exciting season for our athletes and fans and we’re looking forward to hosting an historic number of World Cups on home snow,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “With 13 events across the country, our athletes will have incredible opportunities to compete in front of family, friends and passionate fans, while the communities, resorts and partners who put so much work into these events will again see the impact that these World Cups have on the future of our sport.”

Alpine  

The 2026-27 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season will include five events this season, all part of the Stifel U.S. Ski Series. It kicks off with a Thanksgiving weekend doubleheader in the United States. The men open the season with the Stifel Copper Cup, Audi FIS Ski World Cup, at Copper Mountain, Colorado with a super-G and giant slalom, while the women return to the fan-favorite Stifel Killington Cup, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup, for a giant slalom and slalom, where nearly 40,000 people historically attend.  

The momentum continues over the next two weekends with the return of the iconic Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup races in Beaver Creek, Colorado; the broadcast will be presented by U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner United Airlines. The men will take on one of the most legendary tracks on the World Cup circuit across four races — an expanded schedule featuring two downhills, a super-G and a giant slalom. The women will then make their highly anticipated return to the Stifel Birds of Prey for the second time, opening their speed season on home snow in the U.S. with two downhills and a super-G.

The World Cup action in the United States concludes at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals presented by Cloudflare, an Audi FIS Ski World Cup, in Sun Valley, Idaho, which wraps up the alpine season with the world’s top 25 best male and female athletes in each discipline. It will be the second time Sun Valley has hosted the FIS World Cup Finals in three seasons. 

Snowboard & Freeski 

The Stifel U.S. Freeski Team, Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team and World Cup field will compete in the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix circuit across multiple premier venues in Colorado. Copper Mountain starts the series with halfpipe, with an additional venue to be confirmed for slopestyle.

The domestic tour wraps in late February at Aspen Snowmass’ renowned Buttermilk venue, this time featuring both slopestyle and halfpipe competition. 

Freestyle 

Three iconic freestyle venues — Lake Placid, Waterville and Deer Valley — will return to the calendar to host Azerbaijan FIS World Cups and welcome the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes back to home snow. 

The Lake Placid Freestyle Cup will feature two aerials World Cups, an individual and team aerials, while the Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by Stifel will house moguls and dual moguls events. The North American tour will wrap up at Deer Valley Resort for the Freestyle International presented by Stifel for moguls, aerials and dual moguls, known for its enormous crowds and exciting night events. 

Ski Jumping

The world’s top ski jumpers will return to Lake Placid, NY, for the Stifel Lake Placid Ski Jumping Cup, an FIS Viessman World Cup, featuring individual competitions on the HS128 hill as well as a mixed team event. The event marks the third visit to the historic Olympic venue. 

Para Snowboard

The FIS Para Snowboard World Cup circuit will head west to Steamboat Springs for the Toyota Para Snowboard Cup, the third year in a row that Steamboat will host a Para snowboard World Cup after a long drought of U.S.-based events. 

2026-27 U.S. World Cup Schedule*

Audi FIS Ski World Cup Alpine Events:
Nov. 28-29, 2026 – Stifel Copper Cup, Copper Mountain, CO – men’s super-G, giant slalom
Nov. 28-29, 2026 – Stifel Killington Cup, Killington, VT – women’s giant slalom, slalom
Dec. 3-6, 2026 – Stifel Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, CO - men’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom
Dec. 11-13, 2026 – Stifel Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, CO - women’s downhill, downhill, super-G 
March 20-25, 2027 – Stifel Sun Valley Finals presented by Cloudflare, Sun Valley, ID - men’s & women’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom 

Azerbaijan FIS World Cup Freestyle Events:
Jan. 16 - 17, 2027 - Lake Placid Freestyle Cup, Lake Placid, NY - men and women aerials and team event
Jan. 22-23, 2027 – Waterville Freestyle Cup presented by Stifel, Waterville Valley, NH - moguls, dual moguls
Jan. 28-30, 2027 – Freestyle International presented by Stifel, Deer Valley, UT – moguls, dual moguls, aerials

Snowboard / Freeski
Dec. 10-12, 2026 – Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, TBD – slopestyle
Dec. 19-20, 2026 – Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, CO – halfpipe
Feb. 27-28, 2027 – Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, Aspen Snowmass, CO – slopestyle, halfpipe

Viessman FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Events:
Feb. 6-7, 2027 – Stifel Lake Placid Ski Jumping Cup, Lake Placid, NY – individual HS 128, combined team event

Para Snowboard
March TBC, 2027 – Toyota Para Snowboard Cup, Steamboat, CO – banked slalom

QUOTES

Sarah Franke, Senior Vice President of Operations, Vail Valley Foundation 
"Stifel Birds of Prey has always been a special event for our athletes and fans, but what we're building for December 2026 takes it to a new level. For the first time in the festival's history, we'll host seven World Cup races across two full weekends of men's and women's racing. Our U.S. athletes will have their home crowd behind them across both weekends, and the energy in Beaver Creek is going to be extraordinary."

Kevin Kirksey, Vice President of Marketing, Deer Valley
“We’re proud to welcome back the world’s top moguls and aerials athletes to Deer Valley for the 2027 Freestyle International presented by Stifel. This year marks Deer Valley Resort’s 30th year hosting elite international ski competitions, building on a legacy that includes serving as a venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the future freestyle moguls and aerials venue for the 2034 Olympic Winter Games. We’re looking forward to once again hosting fans and the community at Deer Valley Jan. 28 through 30, 2027 for three days of world-class competition at our renowned freestyle venue.”

Dustin Lyman, President & General Manager, Copper Mountain 
“Copper Mountain has long been a trusted home for elite competition, and we’re proud to continue that legacy by hosting two World Cup events during the upcoming winter in partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. From World Cup alpine racing to another season of halfpipe competition, these events showcase the world-class venues, training environment and operational expertise that define Copper as the Athlete’s Mountain. Following the tremendous success of the 2025 Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines, we’re excited to welcome the men back for another year and continue building on the momentum and energy it brings to our community and athletes alike.”

Bobby Murphy, COO, Beaver Creek 
“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Birds of Prey. The addition of a third women’s race, alongside four men’s races, will make the 2026 event the biggest and most dynamic in our history. Hosting seven World Cup races across two weekends on one of the sport’s most iconic courses speaks to Beaver Creek’s legacy as a premier venue for alpine racing and our shared commitment to growing the sport at the highest level. Expanding the women’s program in particular reflects meaningful momentum for the future of racing, and we’re thrilled to welcome the world’s best athletes and fans for what promises to be an unforgettable World Cup experience.”

Darcy Norfolk Rowe, Director of Communications/Public Information Officer, Olympic Regional Development Authority
“Lake Placid continues to play an important role on the international winter sports calendar, and we are proud to welcome athletes from around the world back to the Olympic Region for the 2026-27 season. These events provide world-class opportunities for athletes to train and compete on some of the most historic and technically demanding venues in the sport. Building on our strong momentum in recent years, we look forward to continuing to support the progression of winter sport competition at the highest level in Lake Placid.”

John Rigney, Chief Business Development Officer, Aspen One
“The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is an iconic event, indeed a highlight of our winter sports programming. Buttermilk’s reputation for hosting world-class freeskiing and snowboarding competitions is unmatched, and the athletes and their fans deserve a stage where they can compete at the highest level. We’re honored to continue that legacy in 2027.” 

Tim Smith, President and General Manager, Waterville Valley Resort 
“We’re proud to once again host the world’s top moguls athletes here at the Birthplace of Freestyle Skiing. Supporting this event year after year reflects Waterville Valley’s long-standing commitment to the sport and its athletes. We look forward to welcoming the community to cheer on these incredible competitors as they showcase their talent on one of freestyle skiing’s most iconic stages.”

Mike Solimano, President and CEO, Killington Resort 
“We’re thrilled to welcome the Stifel Killington Cup back to Superstar this Thanksgiving weekend. With the new Superstar Six chairlift in place and more than 100 new snowguns covering the trail from top to bottom, we’re excited to showcase a new chapter for one of the most iconic ski racing venues in the U.S. That level of snowmaking power is a major part of what gives us the ability to host a world-class race this early in the season. Add in the support of the Killington community, Vermont, and the broader New England ski racing community, and it’s easy to see why this is one of the most special stops on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour.”

Pete Sonntag, Chief Operating Officer, Sun Valley Resort 
“Welcoming the World Cup Finals back to Sun Valley is both a tremendous honor and a testament to the dedication of our team, the vision of our owners, and the support of the community. The 2025 Stifel Sun Valley Finals proved that North American resorts can deliver a world-class racing experience with unmatched spirit and hospitality, and we’re excited for the opportunity to represent again in 2027.” 

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About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Body of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Started in 1905, the organization now represents nearly 240 elite skiers and snowboarders competing on 11 teams, including the Stifel U.S. Ski Team: alpine, cross country, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, freeski, nordic combined, Para alpine, Para nordic and ski jumping, the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit usskiandsnowboard.org.