Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete AJ Hurt won slalom bronze at FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships in Bansko, Bulgaria on Wednesday, becoming the first American woman to podium in slalom since teammate Paula Moltzan won in 2015 in Hafjell, Norway. 

Italy’s Sophie Mathiou won gold, Sweden’s Moa Bostroem Mussener grabbed silver, .20 back, and Hurt rounded out the podium with bronze, .21—just one one-hundredth out of second place. Teammate Zoe Zimmermann was a solid sixth-place at her first World Championships, .51 off Mathiou’s pace. This was Zimmermann’s debut World Junior Championship start. 

Zimmermann, who hails from Gilford, N.H. and Burke Mountain Academy, and comes from skiing heritage—her grandfather, Egon Zimmermann was on the Austrian National Ski Team in the late 1950s and competed in the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley. Her grandmother, Penny Pitou, was on the U.S. Ski Team during that time and won two silver medals at the Squaw Valley Olympics. "I was really looking forward to the slalom race this year since it was canceled last year due to COVID," said Zimmermann. "I definitely felt a bit of pressure only starting one event in Bansko, but I perform better when I’m nervous, so it worked out in my favor. Today you really had to attack to be fast. I’m super happy with my performance and even happier to share a great day with my teammate AJ."

Hurt, who won silver in the team event at 2019 World Junior Ski Championships in Val di Fassa, Italy, and has scored World Cup points in four disciplines this season (slalom, parallel, giant slalom, and super-G), was a favorite in the super-G and giant slalom, but not necessarily the slalom. As a 20-year-old, the slalom was Hurt’s last career World Junior Championships start. “At the beginning of World Juniors I expected more from the super-G and GS, but wasn’t able to ski the way I would have liked,” said Hurt after her slalom podium. “I came into today with lower expectations and just wanted to enjoy my last ever race at World Juniors. I think taking that pressure off of myself allowed me to ski more like myself and I was able to finally pull through with a medal.” 

With her bronze medal, Hurt became the first American woman to podium in World Juniors slalom since teammate Paula Moltzan won in 2015 in Hafjell, Norway. Prior to that, another teammate, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed bronze in Crans Montana, Switzerland in 2011, and Olympian Resi Stiegler won bronze in Montgenevre, France in 2003. All four women will be competing together in the upcoming weekend's slalom FIS Ski World Cup series at Are, Sweden. 

Also starting for the Americans were Nicola Rountree-Williams, who did not finish first run, and Allie Resnick, who did not finish second run. The Americans ended up tied for sixth with Germany in the Marc Hodler Trophy standings—an award recognizing overall team performance throughout the Junior World Championships. Austria, who had six medals in six events (including two gold), won the Marc Hodler Trophy, followed by Italy in second, and Sweden in third. 

The women’s slalom concludes competition at World Juniors in Bansko, Bulgaria. Up next, Hurt will travel to Are, Sweden for the final FIS Ski World Cup slalom doubleheader prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

WATCH THE SLALOM REPLAY
Women’s slalom run 1
Women’s slalom run 2
Awards Ceremony

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On a beautifully prepared slope in Jasna, Slovakia, two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed her 102nd FIS Ski World Cup podium, finishing third to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes into the top 25. 

On her home hill, Slovakian Petra Vlhova put on a good show for her country, winning the race by sixteen-hundredths of a second over New Zealand’s Alice Robinson, who showed the strong skiing she’s capable of after moving up from seventh first run. Shiffrin rounded out the podium in third, .37 second off Vlhova’s pace. 

After snagging her 69th World Cup victory in Saturday’s slalom, Shiffrin came out first run with her game face on and ready to go Vlhova’s home hill. Both women skied incredible runs, with Shiffrin leading after the first run by a mere .16 seconds. Poland’s Maryna Gasienica-Daniel skied a beautiful first run, landing in third, .44 seconds off the pace. Nina O’Brien, who was second in the first giant slalom run at World Championships, showed her speed once again, landing in fourth from bib 19, .49 off the lead. 

Americans Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt also put down solid first runs, in 17th and 29th, respectively. Heading into the second run, the Americans had a very tangible opportunity to double podium—the last time that happened was on March 11, 1984, in Waterville Valley, N.H., when Tamara McKinney won and Christin Cooper was third. With four Americans in the second run, the stoke levels were high and the possibilities were exciting. 

Hurt, who has scored points in four disciplines (slalom, parallel, giant slalom, and super-G) this season and will be heading to Bansko, Bulgaria next for FIS Ski World Junior Championships, started off the second run by laying down a solid time. She had a few minutes in the leaderboard and moved up to 22nd on the day. Moltzan also skied solidly to cap off a weekend of two top-20 results, landing in 19th. O’Brien left the start gate charging, was skiing blazing-fast through the first interval until she leaned in and DNFed. She was disappointed, but is OK and is happy with her skiing. 

Vlhova broke a gate in the bottom section of the course, causing an unfortunate course hold for Shiffrin, who was in the start gate and ready to kick out. Clearly rattled from the start, Shiffrin skied clean from top to bottom, but couldn’t find the fire to grab the victory. Following the race, Shiffrin articulated her disappointment with the way the broken gate was handled, and how lengthy the course hold was. 

Standing in the start gate, athletes are able to see the countdown clock from the start (the interval timer counts down from two minutes). Shiffrin heard the course crew and Vlhova's team celebrating when she crossed the finish line, so said she knew Vlhova had come down in the lead. "Then we have a 25-second countdown when the ref closes the start wand, so I clicked my poles together and put them in place, and rather than hearing the 'beeps' to signal 'go', I heard someone behind me say 'start stop' and for a second I thought he said ‘start’, so I almost went," Shiffrin explained.

Shiffrin knew the hold wasn't because Vlhova fell, because she heard the cheering. "It took nearly a minute to hear what the course hold was for, so I was standing there trying to just stay focused, but I felt there was something else going on because we normally get info quicker than that especially for a gate-fix. And then it took another minute for them to say the course was clear. The next countdown for my start was a half-interval, so it took another minute before I was able to go. It just doesn't take that long to fix a gate, but even more so, it doesn't take that long for them to tell you that was what the course hold was for...and it felt like stalling. I had said it was eight minutes, which is obviously not true, but as an athlete standing in the start gate, it feels like an eternity even if it's not. Life isn’t fair and ski racing is certainly not always fair, so it really was more frustration about the hold and communication being unprofessional, rather than unfair.”

Shiffrin noted that even though it felt "unprofessional," it may not have changed the outcome had it not happened. "It might not have changed the results. I could still be third, and Petra deserved to win...she’s skiing amazing, so that’s a separate thing...but life isn’t fair and ski racing isn't always fair, but at least it can be professional.”

All in all, Shiffrin is happy with her skiing and the progression she has made this season, after having some difficulty in giant slalom prior to World Championships. “I felt pretty good with my skiing...it was really good conditions, and super fun to ski GS on that slope, so I was pretty happy about that,” she reflected. “It’s incredible at this time in the season and getting back on the podium in both slalom and giant slalom, after World Champs it was a really big push, and then we went back into training and came prepared for these races. It’s always really incredible when it works out to get not just one but two podiums and have some really good skiing to show.” 

The rivalry between Shiffrin and Vlhova on the snow has been thrilling for fans to watch. They have elevated the sport to another level, and continue to do so. Shiffrin shared her thoughts on the rivalry as well, “Petra’s skiing really strong in every event, so I always know it’s going to be a big fight. If I’m second and pushing to climb another step or if I’m in first and I have to defend it, it’s always a really good fight,” she added. “She skied really great today and was able to get the victory. She can be proud of how she skied.”

 

 

 

 

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With her fourth place in Sunday’s giant slalom, Italy’s Marta Bassino wrapped up the race for the giant slalom globe, with 510 points over France’s Tessa Worley (362 points). With her victory on Sunday, Vlhova closed the gap to current World Cup overall leader, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami to just 36 points heading into a double slalom World Cup in Are, Sweden. Qualifying for Finals in giant slalom for the United States include Shiffrin, ranked fourth and O'Brien in 20th. Moltzan just missed qualifying, ending up ranked 27th. 

Katie Hensien also started for the Americans but did not finish the first run. She is OK. 

Up next for the women is a double slalom in Are, Sweden—the final races series for the women before heading to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Giant Slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST. 

11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Under the sunshine at Saalbach, Austria, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Bryce Bennett grabbed a career-best FIS Ski World Cup super-G result, finishing in ninth-place to lead all four American starters into the points. 

In a nail-biting race with four guys from outside the 30 throwing it into the top 10, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt had a beautiful run to take the victory over the surprise second-place finisher Matthieu Bailet by .62 seconds. Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr rounded out the podium in third, .81 seconds off the pace. 

Bennett, whose previous best super-G result was 20th in Santa Caterina, Italy back in December 2016, skied a clean run, hitting the two tactical sections well. The rest of the course was pretty straight-forward, assistant coach Chris Beckmann shared, and the sun was popping on the track, which gave the higher bibs a bit of an advantage. Rather than going home for a break following World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Bennett opted to stay in Europe and train with the Austrians at Saalbach to work through some ongoing equipment issues. 

“It’s been a pretty tough season...but with that, in the last month and a half, Leo - my technician - and I, along with my whole team at Fischer, have gotten on the same page and started working in a good direction together,” commented Bennett. “We’ve been testing a lot of stuff, and we’re trying to advance the product, which has been difficult...but we’ve been making steps in the right direction. Coming to Saalbach for training was good, to test it out. Hopefully, we don’t make the same mistake twice, but it’s ski racing and in ski racing, you’re probably going to make that mistake 50 more times, so we’ll see.”

Bryce’s height, along with the fact that the prep period was limited due to COVID, affecting equipment testing, both have played a factor in his equipment challenges this year. “The canting of the boots—if it’s off by literally .1 of a degree, the skiing is totally different with my long shins and long legs...if it’s off by a little bit at the bottom, it’s huge at the top of the leg, so it’s super difficult to figure out. Just takes some time.”

Both Bennett and head coach Randy Pelkey shared that the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men’s speed crew’s vibe is great and the team is progressing well as a whole. Bennett, who grew up skiing at Squaw Valley, Calif. with Erik Arvidsson, specifically called out Arvidsson’s performance on Saturday with his top-10 and how stoked he is for him. 

“The whole team is going in a good direction,” said Bennett. “There was some good skiing that happened yesterday...and Erik skied so well. I mean, he is an incredible skier. There’s no denying that. He’s really good, he works so hard. It’s cool to see him so motivated and focused...I haven’t seen that in him in a very long time, and I’ve been around him for a long time. He wants to race World Cup and he wants to be successful at it, and all season long he’s been a sponge—he’s just been learning and learning and learning. He executed perfectly yesterday, skied so well top to bottom, and it just shows his capabilities. It’s cool to have him around too, pushing us. He has serious focus, and it paid off for him. I’m psyched for our whole team and the results the team is collectively putting down.”

Jared Goldberg also started for the Americans, and grabbed points, landing in 25th. Travis Ganong ran into some trouble, making an awesome inside ski recovery, landing in 28th. Middlebury College’s Arvidsson grabbed his first World Cup super-G top-30, landing in 30th to cap off what was a brilliant weekend for the 2016 World Junior downhill champion.

Kriechmayr leads the super-G standings with 401 points over Odermatt, with 318 points. In the overall standings, Odermatt (969 points) further closed the gap that France’s Alexis Pinturault (1,050) has to just 81 points. For the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Cochran-Siegle ended up ranked 10th in downhill, followed by Ganong in 16th.

Up next for the men is a tech series in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, with a giant slalom and slalom. The men’s speed team will now have a break and a training block prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, where Ganong, Bennett, and Goldberg will be starting.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

STANDINGS
Overall
Super-G

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST. 

Sunday, March 7
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Middlebury College’s Erik Arvidsson—the 2016 World Junior Downhill Champion—staked his claim on the FIS Ski World Cup on Saturday, finishing eighth to lead two Americans into the top 10 in Saalbach, Austria’s downhill. 

Unfortunately, Friday's downhill was canceled after nine racers, just before Jared Goldberg, when thick fog and snow rolled in. Saalbach was a replacement for the Wengen and Kvitfjell speed races, which both had to be canceled due to Covid-19. The weather cleared for Saturday’s downhill, and despite the fact that the track was a bit bally, the conditions were surprisingly good given Friday’s weather. 

Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr showed his strength with his fourth-straight speed victory, though his first downhill victory since 2019. Switzerland’s Beat Feuz was second, just .17 seconds off Kriechmayr’s pace, with Austrian Matthias Mayer in third, .27 seconds out. 

Bryce Bennett, who was testing some new skis in the training runs, went back to his normal set-up for race day and had a solid run, skiing confidently and snagging a top-10 result on the day—the final downhill prior to World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The top 25 athletes from each discipline get a start at World Cup Finals, and with his finish, Bennett moved up to 19th in the downhill ranking.

Arvidsson, who came into the weekend fresh off his second Europa Cup downhill victory, started bib 34 to finish eighth, with an astounding run. As teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle said in his Instagram story, Arvidsson got his first World Cup points, first top 20, first top 15, and first top 10 all in one day. This success is not necessarily surprising to those who have followed Arvidsson’s trajectory. As the 2016 World Junior downhill champion in Sochi, Russia, Arvidsson has a natural touch and is an incredibly gifted athlete. In 2018, Arvidsson decided to take an unconventional path that worked well for him, attending Middlebury College and getting some valuable experience. It more than paid off. 

Following the first training, Arvidsson mentioned to the coaches that he felt he could be top 15 on the Saalbach track. “Obviously today was pretty incredible for me, I never could have imagined that I could have had a result like this at the beginning of this season, but going into the week, the momentum has definitely been building,” reflected Arvidsson. “In the first training run, I felt like I could pull it together on this hill and put down a good run. The top is really technical and has a lot of turns, which definitely suits my style, and I just had to clean up some things on the flats, and I was able to do that today and put together a good run.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team head men’s speed coach Randy Pelkey, who coached Arvidsson at the development level for three years and coached him to that gold in Sochi at World Juniors, was eager to take him in as an invitee, knowing his potential. “His progression this year has been to get quality repetition on speed skis while keeping the GS going,” commented Pelkey. “We made a several-year plan and he has been taking the steps to learn and improve every chance he gets. We are still focused on the process and enjoying that process.”

Arvidsson is thankful for the opportunity, and the work the U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff has done this season. “I’m really, really happy and super thankful to the whole team and my service guy, and all of the coaching staff for all of the work they’ve put in this year,” he added. “I’m definitely going to enjoy it and see what we can do tomorrow too.” 

 

 

 

 

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Travis Ganong and Jared Goldberg also started for the Americans but finished outside of the 30. Sam Morse, who had solid training runs, was having a great run with top 25 splits but he DNFed. He is OK. 

Feuz leads the downhill standings with 486 points over Mayer, with 418 points. Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt (869 points) closed the gap that France’s Alexis Pinturault (1,034) has in the overall race to 165 points. For the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Cochran-Siegle ended up ranked 14th in downhill, followed by Ganong in 18th, Bennett in 19th, and Goldberg in 23rd. 

Up next for the men is super-G on Sunday to close the weekend in Saalbach, Austria. 

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

STANDINGS
Overall
Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST. 

Saturday, March 6
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Saalbach, AUT, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, March 7
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1- LIVE, Jasna, SVK, Streaming Peacock
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Super-G - LIVE, Saalbach, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin showed the world that she belongs on the top step of the podium, prevailing over rival Petra Vlhova on her home turf at Jasna, Slovakia, to grab her 45th career FIS Ski World Cup slalom victory on Saturday at Jasna, Slovakia. 

Despite the fact that weather came in on Friday, forcing organizers and the International Ski Federation (FIS) to invert the program, with slalom on Saturday and giant slalom on Sunday, Shiffrin showed she could go with the flow and roll with the punches. A relatively straight, simple course set the first run did not play to Shiffrin’s strengths, but she was able to hang in there first run, finishing .27 seconds off of hometown hero Petra Vlhova. Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener skied with confidence and power and was sitting in third, four-tenths off the pace. 

The recently crowned world champion, Austria’s Katharina Liensberger, was fourth, .91 seconds back. Paula Moltzan, who started bib 26, had a super solid first run, skyrocketing from bib 26 to sixth, in podium contention. Running 25th second run, Moltzan made some impressive recoveries in the second run and held on to finish with yet another solid, top-15 result—her third top-15 slalom result this season.

It was a thrilling second run, with Liensberger coming down with a big lead, then Holdener besting her with a nearly-second lead...and then all eyes were on Shiffrin. Shiffrin took advantage of the more technical second run set, showing a renewed sense of confidence and fire right out of the gate, in the green the first two splits, then in the red, in the green again narrowly, and carrying that momentum down to the finish and across the line, into first by .52 seconds. She kept fans on the edge of their seats, taking risks with a great recovery through the last flush and keeping it exciting all the way down. As she crossed the line, Shiffrin looked up at the scoreboard and smiled, with relief. The pressure was on for Vlhova, and she couldn’t hold her lead, losing time all the way down, crossing the line .34 seconds back, settling for second-place in front of her home crowd. 

“It was just a really good day, a really good hill, and good course sets to attack...actually I was a little bit disappointed after the first run because I felt like my start was really strong but I was losing my momentum and my determination as I went down the course,” Shiffrin explained. “Of course, I wanted to be fast all the way down through the finish, and I was starting to slow down a little bit. In the end, I wasn’t too far off Petra, so I thought...anything is possible for the second run, but the most important thing was that I wanted to have a feeling that I was pushing all the way from the start to the finish. I did that.”

Shiffrin had the fastest second run by nearly four-tenths, clearly skiing with confidence and back to her winning ways. She will try to take this mentality with her through to the finish of this unprecedented 2020-21 season. “I was really excited during my second run—both while I was skiing it and when I went through the finish—I was really excited, even before Petra skied. I didn’t know how she was going to do, and she could still win the race, but I thought to myself, ‘Ok, yeah—I can be proud of my day, and especially that second run.” 

Saturday's victory marked Shiffrin's 45th career slalom victory, one shy of the record for most World Cup wins in a specific discipline: 46 by Ingemar Stenmark in the giant slalom. It was also her 69th career victory.

In the tight race for the slalom globe, Shiffrin is now a mere 45 points behind Vlhova (480 points), with 435 points. Liensberger is on Shiffrin’s heels with 410 points, with three World Cup races to go on the calendar. With her second-place finish on Saturday, Vlhova has closed the gap to current World Cup overall leader, Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami to 107 points. It’ll be a literal race to the finish at the World Cup Finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. 

Nina O’Brien, Lila Lapanja, and Katie Hensien also started for the Americans but did not qualify for a second run. AJ Hurt was having a blazing fast run from bib 51, sitting in 16th at the third split, before going out and DNFing. She is OK and will now travel to Bansko, Bulgaria for the FIS Ski World Junior Championships. 

Up next for the women is a giant slalom on Sunday to wrap the weekend. 

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

STANDINGS
Overall
Slalom

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST. 

Saturday, March 6
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Downhill - same-day broadcast, Saalbach, AUT, Broadcast NBCSN
12:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, March 7
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 1- LIVE, Jasna, SVK, Streaming Peacock
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men’s Super-G - LIVE, Saalbach, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast Olympic Channel, Streaming Olympic Channel and Peacock
11:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Jasna, SVK, Broadcast NBCSN

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Ben Ritchie won slalom gold at FIS Alpine World Junior Ski Championships in Bansko, Bulgaria on Friday, becoming the first American male to win the title since veteran teammate and downhiller Steven Nyman in 2002 in Sella Nevea, Italy. 

Vermonter and Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) alumnus Ritchie was the 2019 silver medalist at World Junior Ski Championships at Val di Fassa, Italy, and recently grabbed a career-best 13th-place at World Championships at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. He was a clear favorite coming into Friday’s race. On a perfectly prepared track with a course set by head men’s development coach Sasha Rearick, Ritchie capitalized on the conditions and ended up tied in first with Switzerland’s Fadri Janutin. 

The pressure wasn’t a problem for Ritchie, who kept his composure and skied a solid second run, crossing the finish line in the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Austria’s Joshua Sturm, who would end up with bronze on the day. Switzerland up next, but Janutin couldn’t catch Ritchie, and crossed the finish line .48 seconds behind Ritchie to settle for the silver medal. 

“It feels really good. A couple of years ago I was in second place...I wasn’t expecting that result...and then last year, unfortunately, things got canceled so I’ve been waiting for a long time and it feels good to come through when the pressure’s on,” reflected Richie. Ritchie, who has been focusing on a full World Cup and Europa Cup schedule this season, felt a different kind of pressure skiing amongst his peer group in Bansko, but he was stoked to live up to the challenge. 

“It was a different feeling for me, this year I’ve been racing a lot of World Cups and Europa Cups,” Ritchie said. “It's different being the favorite here versus not being the favorite at some of those races, so I was really happy to be able to come through and take the win with that.” What did he do to ease the pressure? “I just relaxed and tried to pretend it was a training day, which is pretty hard to do sometimes, but I tried to relax and ski it like any other day,” he continued, in his calm and cool demeanor. 

This title has been a long time coming for American men. Prior to Ritchie’s silver in 2019, AJ Ginnis—who now skis for Greece—was the last World Juniors slalom medalist, with a bronze in 2015 in Hafjell, Norway. The last American male to win the World Junior Ski Championships slalom title was none other than veteran downhiller and teammate Steven Nyman, with his surprise victory in 2002 in Sella Nevea, Italy. Rearick told Ritchie after the race that the men’s downhill team was “super fired up” and asked if he was excited to join the downhill team. “No, I won’t be joining (the downhill team) anytime soon...I’m not a downhiller. Yeah, that’s about it...I’m no downhiller,” Ritchie replied with a laugh.

“I’m not a downhiller.”—Ben Ritchie, on his WJSC Slalom Title and the fact that downhiller @Steven_Nyman was the last American male to win a @fisalpine World Junior slalom title in 2002. 🤣🤘

Ben knows what’s up...slalom is where it’s at. #zickzack #Bansko2021 pic.twitter.com/oGYLD4b3Hu

— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) March 5, 2021

Also starting for the Americans were Isaiah Nelson, who was 17th fastest after the first run, but did not finish the second run, Cooper Puckett, who also DNFed the second run, and Bradshaw Underhill, who DNFed in the first run. 

Slalom on Friday concluded competition for the men at the 2021 World Junior Ski Championships. What’s next for Ritchie? “Next is a little bit of training, and then Kranjska Gora World Cup, and then Europa Cup Finals and World Cup Finals...I’m really excited to go to Lenzerheide. It’s a really good opportunity to score some points, maybe even some FIS points...who knows,” he said. 

Up next, the women head to Bansko and will kick off competition on March 8, with the super-G. Live timing will be provided by FIS. Fans can also watch all of the action, live-streamed on Bansko’s Facebook page. 

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

WATCH THE SLALOM REPLAY
Bansko Facebook Page

BANSKO 2021 COMPETITION SCHEDULE
March 8  – Women's super-G
March 9  – Women’s giant slalom
March 10 - Women’s slalom

MORE INFORMATION
Bansko 2021 Official Website

FOLLOW THE LAND ROVER U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM
Instagram - @usskiteam
Facebook - @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter - @usskiteam

Following yet another historic performance at 2021 FIS World Ski Championships at Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy for two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion, Mikaela Shiffrin's emotional journey back to the top was featured by sportswriter Greg Bishop in Sports Illustrated.  

In the piece, Bishop writes,

There were months where Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t want to ski, mixed with weeks where she wondered if she could. There were times, too, that she couldn’t, even if she wanted: canceled events, weather delays, race postponements, a 10-month break, a savage back injury and an unending global pandemic. She needed to grieve. Needed to move forward. Needed to look back. Some days, she wasn’t sure which one. Some days, she tried all three.

She thought about all that at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships last month, after her first race, the Super-G, had netted a bronze medal that meant something different than any race she had ever won. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she tells SI, over the phone, from Europe. “It’s more of a symbol of, like, I’ve always been good at focusing. But over the last year, that’s something I’ve had to relearn. And it’s still not always there, right?”

She thought about all that at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships last month, after her first race, the Super-G, had netted a bronze medal that meant something different than any race she had ever won. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she tells SI, over the phone, from Europe. “It’s more of a symbol of, like, I’ve always been good at focusing. But over the last year, that’s something I’ve had to relearn. And it’s still not always there, right?”

This is Mikaela Shiffrin attempting to make sense of Mikaela Shiffrin, an athlete as dominant and introspective as any on the planet—and one who confronted an even more difficult 2020 than her peers. She’s dominant, usually, in the technical, clinical sense—a ski-racing cyborg who also thinks deeply about her life and her performances. Meaning she’s not at all an actual machine—she just plays one on TV screens, barreling down mountains, winning races at a faster clip than anyone ever in her sport. But, “I was never really the athlete who made those heroic moments happen,” she says. “I always just relied on really, really solid preparation, a very methodical process. And then I pulled out a performance like that [in Italy], where, if I were somebody else, I would have felt an incredible inspiration watching it.”

Shiffrin, who has won an otherworldly career 14 medals in 18 events at the world championship and Olympic starts, has found the joy and confidence, once again, after a traumatic year. She's found her way back to the top...and she's working on becoming an even better version of herself. Her journey to Bejing 2022 is not one you're going to want to take your eyes off...stay tuned. 

Read the full article on SportsIllustrated.com. 

ASPEN SNOWMASS, Colo. – March 4, 2021 – Aspen Snowmass, in collaboration with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC), will host the 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships from April 5-16 at Aspen Highlands. The event will include men’s and women’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and alpine combined. 

The U.S. Alpine Championships will take place after Highlands has closed for public skiing this season and restrictions will be in place to ensure compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

“The Aspen Snowmass community has been a strong supporter of alpine ski racing for over 60 years hosting events at all levels,” says Eric Webster, Director of Events, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team. “We are excited to partner with Aspen Snowmass and AVSC this spring to host the U.S. Alpine Championships. Thank you to Aspen Skiing Company, AVSC, and the Aspen community for making these races possible.”

Aspen was originally set to host the 2021 NorAm Cup Finals from April 5-16, though COVID-19 and travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada forced the removal of the event from the schedule. Aspen was quick to step up, expressing interest in hosting the U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen. 

“Despite no shortage of challenges this season, our teams are meeting them head-on, and Nationals caps off our biggest event year ever, thanks to amazing venues, comprehensive safety protocols, and a deep appreciation for athletic achievement,” says John Rigney, senior vice president, Aspen Snowmass. “Aspen and its alpine racing community are thrilled to give Team USA athletes the opportunity to compete for a National Championship this year at Aspen Highlands.”

Ski racing history runs deep in the Roaring Fork Valley, as the resort not only hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950 but has also hosted numerous FIS Ski World Cup events for both men and women. Aspen hosted the 2017 World Cup Finals, where two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin won her emotional (first) overall title. Aspen is scheduled to host the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships in 2022.

“The Stapleton Training Center at Aspen Highlands continues to be an incredible resource for our Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club athletes,” says Mark Godomsky, Executive Director AVSC. “In a season where many clubs have struggled to secure consistent and quality training space, we feel incredibly lucky to work with Aspen Snowmass to provide safe, productive training on this world-class venue. We are excited to welcome others to Aspen Highlands and the Stapleton Training Center this spring for U.S. Alpine Championships and are grateful for the opportunity to host races, especially a series of this caliber, this season.”

The 2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen is contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committee, and Aspen Snowmass are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities. 

2021 U.S. Alpine Championships at Aspen - Event Schedule
Monday, April 5, Slalom National Championships, Men
Tuesday, April 6, Giant Slalom National Championships, Men
Wednesday, April 7, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Men
Thursday, April 8, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Junior Championships, Men
Friday, April 9, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, Downhill Training, Men/Women
Sunday, April 11, Downhill National Championships, Men/Women
Monday, April 12, Downhill National Junior Championships, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 13, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Championships, Women
Wednesday, April 14, Super-G/Alpine Combined National Junior Championships, Women
Thursday, April 15, Giant Slalom National Championships, Women
Friday, April 16, Slalom National Championships, Women

Media Note
For a selection of ski racing images at Aspen Snowmass, click here. 

Photo credit goes to the photographer listed.

Media Contacts:
Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, [email protected]  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, [email protected]

About Aspen Snowmass
Established in 1946, Aspen Snowmass owns and operates four mountains – Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk - creating premium, sustainable and transformative experiences in recreation, culture and nature. In addition, the company runs the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen Snowmass, Four Mountain Sports rental and retail shops, and a collection of sustainably-sourced on-mountain food & beverage outlets. Aspen Snowmass works to drive positive social change through climate, community, and minority group advocacy and investment. For more information about Aspen Snowmass, visit www.aspensnowmass.com. Follow @aspensnowmass on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. 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 www.usskiandsnowboard.org

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BRADFORD, Vt. – March 4, 2021 – World Cup Supply, Inc. (WCS) is pleased to announce the first recipient of a Berlack/Astle Award for 2021 is Gray Flanagan of West Burke, Vt. Gray is currently a post-grad student at Green Mountain Valley School (GMVS) and graduated from Burke Mountain Academy (BMA) in 2020. Gray joins the previous award winners who all possess the skiing talent and positive personal attributes that both Ronnie and Bryce embodied.

Prior to this year, the Berlack/Astle Award was given to one male and one female U16 athlete based on completed applications and recommendations. For 2021, the structure of the Award and the selection process has been changed in a way we that believe will have a more significant impact for the recipients both now and in the future.

WCS will set aside $5,000 annually for the Berlack/Astle Award Fund. The Fund awards grants as needed and available to athletes from either the Eastern or Western/Inter-Mountain Regions who are recommended by U.S. Ski and Snowboard staff from those two regions. The athletes recommended for the grants will have been invited to a U.S. Ski and Snowboard camp or National Development Group (NDG) project and need financial assistance to attend the camp or project. We are confident this approach will have the direct impact we are looking for by helping talented athletes participate in growth opportunities they otherwise would not be able to attend.

Flanagan was recommended to us by Eastern Region staff as a promising alpine athlete who had an opportunity to travel to Europe this spring for a U.S. Ski and Snowboard NDG competition project lasting several weeks. The $2,000 award will allow Flanagan to attend the project by directly funding expenses related to the trip. During the project, Gray will be racing against European talent in 4 different countries with a small group of Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes and three coaches. Among the group of coaches is Rich Smith, Eastern Region Coach, who commented: “It’s always exciting to watch Gray race. He is a fearless competitor in search of speed and charges the fall line. Hard work, grit, and integrity are just a few of the many positive traits Gray possesses. He will be an outstanding role model for future recipients of this prestigious award.”

WCS reached out to Flanagan to inform him of the news just a few days prior to leaving for the project: “I am honored to be receiving the Ronnie Berlack/Bryce Astle Award for 2021 and look forward to representing them in my upcoming races”.

Brad Williams of WCS added “we are thrilled to be able to help talented athletes like Gray who are deep into the U.S. Ski Team program, to have access to the types of travel, training, and racing they need as they work so hard to get to the next level. Like our previous award recipients, we’ll be watching Gray closely and wishing nothing but the best for him both on and off the hill.”

Learn more at www.berlackastleaward.com. 

World Cup Supply, Inc has been a partner of ski racing for 30 years and the sport of skiing for 30 years. For more info please contact:  [email protected]

Release courtesy of World Cup Supply, Inc.

Though Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, Olympian, and FIS Ski World Cup winner Ryan Cochran-Siegle is sidelined with injury, he's staying optimistic about the upcoming Olympic year, and recently caught up with the Boston Globe's John Powers for a status update and to talk about the Cochran family's legacy. 

Cochran-Siegle, who grabbed his first World Cup podium this season in Val Gardena, Italy, with a second-place in downhill, followed that up with a World Cup victory in super-G at Bormio, Italy, 10 days later. He was looking strong and fast in training and on downhill day at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria, before crashing into the net and sustaining a "minor neck fracture."

RCS, as he’s known on the slopes, was supposed to be in Italy last month as the top American men’s speed racer at the biennial Alpine world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. But one untimely slip and a scary crash in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January left Ryan Cochran-Siegle with a minor cervical fracture and abruptly ended the best season of his decade-long career on the US ski team.

“In a way, it seems like I left a lot on the table,” said the 28-year-old from Starksboro, Vt., whose Super G victory in Bormio and second-place finish in the Val Gardena downhill set him up for potential podium finishes in both events at Cortina. “But you can’t have too many regrets. I was skiing well, and that’s what I need to focus on.”

Cochran-Siegle, who competed in four events at the last Winter Olympics, is gunning for another shot at next year’s Beijing Games and another opportunity to add to the legacy of the country’s First Family of Alpine skiing, which goes back for more than half a century.

Ryan’s mother Barbara Ann won the slalom at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Japan, where her brother Bob and sister Marilyn each competed in three events, and sister Lindy raced at the 1976 Games in Innsbruck. Their children continued the star-spangled tradition. Jimmy Cochran competed in the 2006 and 2010 Olympics, and Tim, Robby, and Jessica Kelley and Roger Brown all raced on the national team.

 

In the interview, his cousin Jimmy Cochran speaks of Ryan's natural ability for skiing and his desire to practice and focus on the journey rather than the results—an approach his mother instilled in her children. 

“He was practicing his starts out on the snowbank,” he said. “It was pitch black and he had skied all day. There was never a doubt that Ryan was going to ski until the lifts close.”

“He’s like a dog that’s meant to run,” observed Jimmy, who runs Cochran’s Ski Area. “Ryan was meant to be a ski racer. That’s what he’s always wanted to do. It’s built into the fabric of his being.”

Cochran-Siegle is recovering nicely and has been enjoying time with his family and girlfriend at home in Vermont. He's hungry for more, and will undoubtedly be one to watch in the 2021-22 season en route to the Beijing 2022 Olympics. On his journey, he'll remember the advice his mother gave him when he left for his lat Olympics in Korea “Enjoy the moment. Have fun with it." As Powers wrote, "Six decades later, that remains the Cochran Way."

Read the Full Article at BostonGlobe.com.