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Johnson Three-for-Three in Downhill Podiums; Wright First Points

By Megan Harrod

January, 9 2021

On a sunny day with a perfect surface, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson put the hammer down, grabbing her third (third-place) podium in as many downhill races at stunning St. Anton, Austria. (Joe Klamar - AFP via Getty Images)

Coming into Saturday, women from the U.S. had won the last two World Cup downhill events in this ski resort: Lindsey Vonn in 2007 and Alice Mckennis Duran in 2013. But, it was a pedal-to-the-metal—or shall we say “medal”—run for Italy’s Sofia Goggia with her signature, wild skiing that keeps fans on the edge of their seats and Goggia on the top of the podium. She was pushing it to the absolute limit, and no one could catch her, as she took the victory by 96 hundredths of a second. Austria’s Tamara Tippler finished just ahead of Johnson in second, while Johnson rounded out the podium in third—a mere eight hundredths off of Tippler’s pace.

Of Goggia's performance, Johnson said, “I think that Sofia’s run was incredible...she skied with a lot of courage and she sometimes isn’t so good at always pulling that off, but she did an amazing job today and skied really spectacularly. Hats off to her.”

With a bulletproof surface, blue skies, and all of the positive vibes (including a text exchange from former teammate Lindsey Vonn, who said "Try to keep St. Anton in America's hands, ok?"), Johnson sent it down the technical—though classic, true—Arlberg Kandahar Rennen downhill to ski into third—her third third-place in a row in downhill. Following the race, Johnson credited Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colorado, for the solid prep period in November that set the speed team up for success coming into Europe.

“We struggled to get training in the spring, but our coaches worked really hard to find good training opportunities...we went to Saas-Fee (Switzerland), and then we were the only team besides the German men who went to Copper Mountain,” noted Johnson. “We worked really hard there, we had great conditions, we trained with our men’s team...and had a lot of really good training there. That was great to get full-length downhill training in November—I honestly don’t know if anyone else got that, but it was really amazing to have. I think that helped a lot in order to get ready, because you come to Val d’Isere and here (at St. Anton), and it almost feels a little bit slow.”

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team continues to show its depth, with first-year U.S. Ski Team member Isabella “Bella” Wright scoring her career-first World Cup points. After a competitor had a bad crash in the finish and Wright was “iced” (long hold) in the start, Wright calmed her mind and focused on the task at hand, moving from bib 45 to 27th and grabbing her first World Cup points. In the finish, she was greeted by teammates and hugs and was overcome with emotion as she shed some happy tears.

Olympian and speed veteran Laurenne Ross, who sustained back-to-back knee injuries that kept her sidelined for the entire 2019-20 season, returned to the start gate in a courageous fashion on Saturday. After watching her partner Tommy Ford’s horrific crash in Adelboden, Switzerland, just before her race, Ross found the courage to step into the World Cup start gate for the first time in a massive 704-day break. Ross finished in 39th.

Olympian Alice McKennis, who won at St. Anton in 2013 and recently broke her ankle (in Val d'Isere), said of teammate Ross, "I don't think I've ever watched a women's speed race from home, injured. But seeing her finish was worth it."

The St. Anton World Cup weekend wraps on Sunday with a super-G before the tech women head to Flachau, Austria for the classic night slalom on Tuesday.

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 6-13, 2021

Saturday, Jan 9
8:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Jan. 10
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE, St. Anton, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Tuesday, Jan. 12
12:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
2:45 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock

All streams will be available via desktop as well as mobile, tablet, and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports, Peacock TV, and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire.

Cochran-Siegle Leads U.S. Men in Adelboden; Ford Crashes in GS

By Courtney Harkins

January, 9 2021

Ryan Cochran-Siegle skis to the top 20 in Saturday's GS in Adelboden. (Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini)

Injury Update - Jan. 9, 2:30 p.m. MST: Tommy Ford's head and neck injuries are minor and resolving nicely. He has a knee injury that is undergoing further evaluation.

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It was a tough day two of giant slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland for the Americans, headlined by a massive crash from Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team giant slalom star Tommy Ford. Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the way for the men in 19th place with River Radamus in 20th.

Tommy was putting down an aggressive first run before he high-sided a few gates before the finish, sending him head over heels to eventually slide into the net before the finish. Prior to loading in the helicopter, Tommy was conscious and speaking to emergency responders. He was taken to the hospital for evaluation—more details will be forthcoming.

Tommy has had a banner 2020-21 season so far, nailing four World Cup top-10 results, including a podium in Santa Caterina. This season had followed up a strong, albeit shortened, 2019-20 season with two GS podiums.

The U.S. men remained worried about their teammate and friend, but Ryan and River qualified for second run and skied the terrain-riddled and dark GS aggressively with a couple of small mistakes. Ryan took 19th overall, just ahead of River in 20th. River finished his second run and waved at the camera and said, “Love you, Tommy.”

This was River's third top-20 result in a row—another excellent result for the improving young athlete who snagged his career-best GS result in Friday's race. He's continuing to ski aggressively and accumulate more World Cup miles to focus on building throughout the season.

Alexis Pinturault of France put down a nearly flawless run on the Chuenisbärgli track to win by over a second for the second day in a row. The victory catapulted him to the front of the giant slalom standings as he continues to build his lead for the overall standings. Filip Zubcic of Croatia was second and Loic Meillard of Switzerland third. This was the last giant slalom before the FIS Ski World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy in February.

Rounding out the U.S. men, Ted Ligety did not qualify for a second run, while George Steffey and Bridger Gile both skied out and did not finish.

The Adelboden weekend wraps on Sunday with a slalom.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 6-13, 2021

Saturday, Jan 9
8:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Ford Top 10 in Adelboden; Career-Best GS Finish for Radamus

By Courtney Harkins

January, 8 2021

Tommy Ford takes 10th place in the Adelboden giant slalom. (Getty Images/AFP-Fabrice Coffrini)

Tommy Ford led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men on a stunning day in Adelboden, Switzerland, finishing 10th in the FIS World Cup giant slalom. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was right on Tommy’s tails in 12th, with River Radamus collecting his best GS finish in 18th.

While hard snow and sunshine made for a picture-perfect ski racing day, Adelboden felt a bit strange and quiet without the usually raucous 30,000-40,000-person fanbase hollering at the finish due to COVID-19 restrictions. But that didn’t stop Alexis Pinturault of France from putting on a master class in the tricky second run set and taking the win by over a second. Filip Zubcic of Croatia was second and Marco Odermatt third.

Both Tommy and Ryan threatened the podium after their first runs, sitting in fourth and sixth place respectively, but a few errors in the difficult second run tripped them up and set them back a few places. However, both were still happy to put another good result under their belts. This was Tommy’s fourth top-10 GS finish in a row, with his second-place podium finish in Santa Caterina yet to be bested in 2020-21 season.

Ryan, who was once nicknamed a giant slalom specialist, has been cleaning up in the speed events this season—winning the Bormio super-G and podiuming in the Val Gardena downhill to wrap up 2020. Adelboden was Ryan’s best giant slalom result since he was 11th in Soelden last season.

But the most exciting story of the day was River Radamus, who missed the flip in the Adelboden GS by .01 seconds in 2020 and used that disappointing result to propel him to his best GS result in his career in Friday’s race.

“The day after the race last year, I took a screenshot of the results page and had it as my phone background for the last year,” said River. “It was probably one of the toughest days of my skiing career and so I used it as motivation all summer and coming into this season. To get in and find some points and have my personal best here a year later means a lot to me… Not feeling like I had my best skiing and having a personal best means I’m on the right track and the things I’ve been doing all summer are paying off.”

Having won two World Juniors gold medals in 2019, River has had the pressure on him to show that he could be competitive on the World Cup—and he’s been succeeding, scoring points in three races so far this season. His 18th place finish bested his 20th place finish in Alta Badia at the end of December, but he’s hungry for more.

“I feel like I left a lot on the table today,” added River. “So having the confidence to know that I can do it—taking it for everything that it’s worth and pushing the line, pushing the pace and skiing more aggressively tomorrow is my goal.”

Rounding out the U.S. men, Ted Ligety, Bridger Gile and George Steffey did not qualify for a second run.

The men get a second go at giant slalom in Adelboden on Saturday, before finishing the weekend with a slalom on Sunday.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 6-13, 2021

Saturday, Jan 9
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
5:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Downhill - LIVE, St. Anton, AUT, Streaming Peacock
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
8:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - same-day broadcast, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Alpine Precisions for 2020-21 Season

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard

January, 7 2021

The Alpine Precisions have been posted for the 2020-21 season. Please click through to read important updated policies on gate judges, hand timing, officials’ certification, and athletes competing in another country. Additionally, the meeting minutes from the fall Alpine Sport Committee video conference call have also been posted to the website.

Challenging Conditions at Snow Queen Trophy World Cup in Zagreb

By Megan Harrod

January, 6 2021

Warm temperatures made for challenging conditions for the higher bibs once again, at the annual FIS Alpine Snow Queen Trophy World Cup slalom at Sljeme in Zagreb, Croatia, with no Americans making the second run. (Slavko Midzor - Pixsell/MB Media/Getty Images)

A little over a week after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck central Croatia, Germany's Linus Strasser grabbed a sensational career-first slalom victory, with the Austrian duo of Manny Feller and Marco Schwarz rounding out the podium in second and third.

The organizing committee worked tirelessly to make the Snow Queen Trophy slalom races happen, despite an earthquake and warm temperatures. The course crew watered and salted the track, but the soft conditions and big ruts made it a challenge for the highter bibs, including the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, who all started between bibs 45 and 50. Luke Winters, Ben Ritchie, and Jett Seymour—are one of, if not the, youngest men's slalom team on the Tour with an average age of just under 22-years-old.

Winters and Ritchie finished just outside the top-30, in 36th and 39th, respectively, while Seymour did not finish first run.

The men’s tech team now will jump on a flight to travel to Adelboden, Switzerland for a giant slalom and slalom series this weekend.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Jan. 6-13, 2021

Friday, Jan. 8
4:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock
7:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Adelboden, SUI, Streaming Peacock

Shiffrin Fourth in Zagreb; Three U.S. Women in the Top 20

By Courtney Harkins

January, 3 2021

Mikaela Shiffrin skis to fourth place in Zagreb, Croatia. (Getty Images/Pixsell/MB Media - Luka Stanzl)

Mikaela Shiffrin led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women in the annual Zagreb night slalom, finishing just off the podium in fourth place. Paula Moltzan was 14th and Katie Hensien 18th.

While the ski world was on edge about the future of the Snow Queen Trophy race last week after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Croatian city, the Zagreb race organizers didn’t back down and pressed on to hold the FIS World Cup race only five days later. Under the lights, the women raced in springlike conditions, complete with sugary salted snow and even some rain first run. And neither earthquake nor sloppy snow could stop Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who won her fourth race of the season. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was second and Michelle Gisin was third.

Mikaela, who was fourth after first run, put down a fast second run to leave her just .05 seconds off the podium. “Things are going in a good direction,” she said, referencing that it was only her sixth race back on the circuit after an extended break. “But it takes time and I always said that from the beginning: It’s not easy to win. Especially if you don’t have momentum, then it’s even harder. It’s always really hard work—hard mentally and I know that. I’m trying not to expect too much.”

However, Mikaela’s signature drive is still there—seen in her eyes and in her fast skiing. She had won in Zagreb four times before and can see herself on the top of the podium again. “I want to be there—on the podium and in the first spot—but it’s also greedy or arrogant to think I can just do it,” she said. “It’s strange because of the past 10 years, but at the same time, it’s normal for right now. I’m not sad.”

For now, she’ll take the fourth-place result and put some more time on her skis. Slalom requires hours and hours of work and Mikaela is still getting those miles under her feet. “Out of all the events, you have to ski a lot of slalom to be really strong,” she said. “I can be hopeful and positive, but also realistic. Fourth and three tenths out is okay. I had a better second run with fewer mistakes—maybe a little less risk, but some better position on my skis. I can take that and go with it.”

It was also an impressive day for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women, with four athletes skiing in the second run—the first time since 2007 that four women made the flip. Paula Moltzan skied the third-fastest second run to take 14th overall—her best World Cup slalom result since 2019 when she was 12th in Flachau, Austria. Katie Hensien made a World Cup second run for the second time in a week and scored her first points, nailing a coveted top-20 result in 18th place. Nina O’Brien was 30th after first run, but straddled and did not finish.

Resi Stiegler and Lila Lapanja also raced but did not qualify for a second run.

Zagreb was just another example of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team showcasing its depth, with the men and women amassing 10 podiums across five different athletes so far this year, along with career-best results and first World Cup points for a number of athletes. This has been the strongest start to a season in this generation. Keep an eye on this team!

Next up, the men race a night slalom in Zagreb on January 6. The tech women have a short break before racing another night slalom in Flachau on January 12.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 3
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBC
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Replay From Bormio, Italy, Bormio, ITA, Broadcast NBC
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBCSN

Wednesday, Jan. 6
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock

Olympic Medalist Weibrecht to Help Restart Paul Smith's College's Alpine Ski Team

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard

January, 1 2021

Two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht, shown here at the Gold Medal Gala in 2016, has been picked to guide the relaunch of the Alpine skiing program at Paul Smith's College, a small school in the Adirondacks.

Two-time Olympic medalist Andrew Weibrecht has been picked to guide the relaunch of the Alpine skiing program at Paul Smith's College, a small school in the Adirondacks.

Weibrecht is a three-time Olympian who won medals in super G at Sochi and Vancouver. He will bring 16 years of national and international experience with the U.S. ski team to the school. Weibrecht, 34, retired from skiing two years ago.

Weibrecht, 34, retired from skiing two years ago. He will assume a lead role in creating a new Alpine program. Members of the men's and women's teams will be able to train and compete at nearby Whiteface Mountain, which hosted Alpine skiing at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

"The Division I world has gotten crazy competitive, both admissions into these colleges and getting slots on the team, which often go hand in hand," he said. "If you're being recruited by the team, it does help you get into the school itself."

Paul Smith's, the only four-year college in the Adirondack Mountains, is committed to bringing more sports to its campus. The addition of Alpine skiing for 2021-22 comes after the school added Nordic skiing, biathlon, hockey, trap shooting and esports, giving the school 27 varsity sports programs.

Release courtesy of the Associated Press.

Cochran-Siegle Seventh in Exciting Bormio Downhill

By Courtney Harkins

December, 30 2020

Ryan Cochran-Siegle soars to seventh place in the Bormio downhill. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Francis Bompard)

Ryan Cochran-Siegle thrilled downhill fans on Wednesday, linking together one of the fastest runs with a couple of incredible recoveries to take seventh in the Bormio downhill.

The Austrians went one-two on the dark and bumpy Stelvio track, with Matthias Mayer taking first and Vincent Kriechmayr second. Urs Kryenbuehl of Switzerland was third. It was a tight podium, with all men finishing within .06 seconds of each other.

Ryan was fastest in both downhill training runs and was equally as fast as soon as he kicked open the start wand. However, it looked like he was done off the first jump when he flew a little too far and landed with his butt on the tails of his skis. But he managed to muscle himself back into a tuck and continued making up time; each split flashing green throughout the run. Then, just before the finish, he came in a little in the backseat off a roller and nearly threw a power-wedge into his run—before straightening himself out and finishing. Murmurs of Bode Miller were thrown around at the finish, with racers compared Ryan’s run to the fellow fast New England speed skier and speculating that Ryan would have won again if he didn’t have those errors.

"The top jump, I was just getting a little rattled and backseat and a little beyond my comfort zone. I think that was lucky I was able to carry through there," said Ryan. "Getting seventh in a World Cup downhill, I am grateful for that and appreciate that result. I was happy to survive when I got to the finish and seeing that I was still competitive was cool, but I’m realizing that it could have been a really good day. I'm learning with that and will try to take what I learned this year into next year."

Ryan had won Tuesday’s super-G—his first World Cup victory—and his results in Bormio combined with his results this season continue to prove that he’s a force to be reckoned with on the FIS World Cup circuit. He podiumed in the Val Gardena downhill and has only finished out of the top 15 in a speed event once this season.

"End of the day, it was definitely an incredible weekend," Ryan said. "Yesterday was something else. I don’t know if that's hit me yet. In a way, this is a good way to end the weekend—not being totally on top, staying a little bit hungry, knowing that there’s still more to learn and more to gain in order to be that top-level skier that I’m trying to be and believe that I can be."

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Jared Goldberg, who put down a couple of strong downhill training runs, finished 20th. Travis Ganong finished just out of the points in 31st, while Bryce Bennett crashed and DNFed, but is OK. So far this season, the Team has amassed nine podiums across five different athletes, as well as career-best results and first World Cup points for several athletes—making it the strongest start to a season for this generation of U.S. Ski Teamers.

The men’s speed team has an extended break over the new year before heading to Adelboden, Switzerland January 8-10. The tech men start back up again in Zagreb, Croatia with a night slalom on January 6.

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 28, 2020 - Jan. 3, 2021
All Times EST

Sunday, Jan. 3
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
9:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Zagreb, CRO, Streaming Peacock
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBC
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - Replay From Bormio, Italy, Bormio, ITA, Broadcast NBC
6:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same-Day Broadcast, Zagreb, CRO, Broadcast NBCSN

Shiffrin Podiums in Semmering; Career-Best Top 10 for O’Brien

By Courtney Harkins

December, 29 2020

Mikaela Shiffrin sprays champagne with Michelle Gisin to celebrate their podium in Semmering. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Christophe Pallot)

It was a banner day to finish out 2020 with Mikaela Shiffrin taking third place in the FIS Alpine World Cup slalom in Semmering, Austria, and Nina O’Brien finishing in ninth—her first top-10 result in her career.

Under the lights, Michelle Gisin of Switzerland had a heroic second run to win her first-ever World Cup race and become the first woman besides Mikaela or Petra Vlhova in 28 races to win a World Cup slalom. The last time someone else had won a slalom was Frida Hansdotter in Flachau in January 2017. Since then, Mikaela had won 19 slaloms and Petra had won nine. Katharina Liensberger of Austria finished second in Semmering.

Mikaela led the first run by just .02 seconds but had an on-the-edge second run, which lost her some time. But even with a few bobbles, she was able to score a podium finish and adjust her approach for future races when she’s leading after first run. “I forgot a bit how it feels to stand at the start and think, ‘I’m the last person to ski down this course tonight—whoopee!’” said Mikaela. “It’s a good thing. Even if I didn’t win the race, it’s a good thing to be in this position today and have to relearn how that feels. I was really pushing on the second run and I didn’t handle that very well. I made some mistakes, but then again, I could have been out of the course. I was fighting to stay in the course and trying to be tough with my skiing. I feel like that’s a really big step even though it’s not a win.”

In her last 46 slalom races, Mikaela has finished on the podium 43 times. But she acknowledges that the women are skiing faster and faster and that she still has to work on her mindset every day to stay competitive. “When I was 16 or 17, it happened and I was like, ‘Oh that works! I’ll just think like that now,’” said Mikaela. “I got in this groove and started winning. Now everything is just a little bit different. I have to find a different way to think. I can’t really move forward until I don’t try to go back.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Nina O’Brien had a career-best day, taking her first top-10 result on the World Cup circuit in ninth place. Nina—whose previous best slalom result was 23rd—even enjoyed a few minutes in the leader's chair, beating racer after racer. She finished out the day with a huge hug from her masked teammates, who were ecstatic to see Nina climb to the top 10. Fun fact: The last time two American women were in the top 10 was in a slalom in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in 2016 when Mikaela won and Resi Stiegler was eighth.

"I’m a little bit shocked...I can’t believe I ended up ninth!" Nina said following the race. "But I’m so happy to close out the year with a top 10 and personal best! I’ve put so much work into my slalom and it all came together tonight. It’s been crazy inspiring watching my teammates throw down these past weeks. I’m just psyched to be a part of this team and keep the momentum rolling." So far this season, the Team has amassed nine podiums across five different athletes, as well as career-best results and first World Cup points for several athletes—making it the strongest start to a season for this generation of U.S. Ski Teamers.

University of Denver skier Katie Hensien qualified for her first World Cup second run but had to hike. She finished 27th. Five-time Olympian and U.S. Ski Team alumnus Casey Puckett, who is Katie's coach, promised her that he'd let her cut his hair if she got a second run. Stay tuned for coverage of that event on social media.

Keely Cashman, Resi Stiegler, Lila Lapanja, and Paula Moltzan—who was skiing fast and solid, but hiked first run—did not qualify for a second run.

Semmering was the last women’s race before the year finally rolls over from 2020 to 2021 and Mikaela remarked that while things won’t necessarily change overnight, she’s optimistic for the future. “My wishes are simple: I hope that things can come back closer to normal and the people I love are happy and healthy,” she said. “I hope that people have a really special New Year's celebration and find some hope that maybe the new year can bring some better luck or better times or some healing if you had a difficult time.”

Next up, the tech women have a short break before heading to Zagreb on January 3 to vie for the Snow Queen Trophy in a night slalom.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 28, 2020 - Jan. 3, 2021
All Times EST

Wednesday, Dec. 29
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Bormio, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
5:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Bormio, ITA, Streaming Peacock

Ryan Cochran-Siegle Golden at Bormio Super-G

By Megan Harrod

December, 29 2020

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle grabbed his first career victory at Bormio, Italy, in the super-G Tuesday. (Francis Bompard - Agence Zoom / Getty Images)

On Tuesday in Bormio, Italy, Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle ended a 14-year drought to become the first American male to win a FIS Ski Alpine World Cup super-G since Bode Miller in Dec. 2006.

It’s been a steady build towards the top for Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the son of 1972 Olympic slalom champion Barbara Ann Cochran. He injured his left knee in a crash on the third gate of the downhill portion of the alpine combined at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria. At that same World Champs, teammate and two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety won the super-G. With multiple surgeries and thousands of hours spent in the gym, Ryan is one of the most intensely focused and coachable athletes on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team. In 2012, he won double gold at the World Junior Championships in Italy.

Ryan’s nearly eight-tenths margin of victory is the largest winning margin in a men’s World Cup super-G since Carlo Janka of Switzerland in the Olympic test event in Korea in 2016. When asked about this margin, Ryan humbly and in his signature understated manner replied, “I skied well. I had a good approach and carried speed in a lot of sections...that middle section, I definitely skied with a good limit and just trusting that, trying to ski it smart. The speed I gained from there, I carried through the finish and had that gap.”

Ryan was quick to give credit to the U.S. Ski Team, the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo., and his serviceman and teammates for their support. “I’ve always been pretty technically sound, but gliding has always been a weakness of mine,” he reflected. “The past couple of years I’ve been skiing a little more speed with our speed team, both in Copper, and South America, which has progressively gotten me to the point where I can be solid on race day. I have to shout out the team and the serviceman Gregor, and everyone who has helped me get to this point because it is a team effort.”

When asked about what it's like to be the first American male to win a World Cup super-G since Bode in 2006, Ryan said, “It’s a tricky event, there’s just so many things that have to fall into place for race day in order to make it happen, but it’s pretty spectacular.” The interviewer then mentioned that Ryan now has matched his mother, and he replied, "I think she had four World Cup wins...and a bunch of other medals, but yeah—it's pretty spectacular."

Travis Ganong grabbed another top-15 result in super-G, while Bryce Bennett, Jared Goldberg, and Erik Arvidsson also started for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team in Tuesday’s super-G, and ended up 37th, 41st, and 45th, respectively. So far this season, the U.S. Alpine Ski Team has amassed eight podiums for five different athletes, making it the strongest start to the season the Team has had in a long time.

Up next is downhill on Wednesday. Ryan, Travis, Bryce, Jared, and Sam Morse will all start for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team with Ryan and Jared putting in some strong results in the downhill training runs. Both races will be streamed live on Peacock.

HOW TO WATCH
Dec. 28, 2020 - Jan. 3, 2021
All Times EST

Tuesday, Dec. 29
9:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Semmering, AUT, Streaming Peacock
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Semmering, AUT, Streaming Peacock

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Breakpoints

Johnson Three-for-Three in Downhill Podiums; Wright First Points

Cochran-Siegle Leads U.S. Men in Adelboden; Ford Crashes in GS

Ford Top 10 in Adelboden; Career-Best GS Finish for Radamus

Alpine Precisions for 2020-21 Season

Challenging Conditions at Snow Queen Trophy World Cup in Zagreb

Shiffrin Fourth in Zagreb; Three U.S. Women in the Top 20

Olympic Medalist Weibrecht to Help Restart Paul Smith's College's Alpine Ski Team

Cochran-Siegle Seventh in Exciting Bormio Downhill

Shiffrin Podiums in Semmering; Career-Best Top 10 for O’Brien

Ryan Cochran-Siegle Golden at Bormio Super-G