Due to the inconsistency of the surface on the race slope at Courchevel, France, Sunday's FIS Ski World Cup women's giant slalom race has been postponed until Monday. 

After significant snowfall before, during, and after Saturday's first of two giant slalom races at Courchevel, France, the International Ski Federation (FIS) together with the local organizing committee, decided to push off the snow, then water the surface, and groom it—ultimately compromising the surface and rendering it unsafe for athletes due to the inconsistency. 

Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team teammates Nina O'Brien, Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt, and Keely Cashman will take on the second of two giant slalom races at the rescheduled time on Monday, Dec. 14. The first run will take place at 10 a.m. CET, with the second run at 13:00. The revised TV broadcast schedule will be forthcoming. 

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard

Monday, Dec. 14
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock + Broadcast Olympic Channel

Mikaela Shiffrin battled through fresh snow and fog in Courchevel, France to finish just off the podium in fourth place in her first giant slalom FIS World Cup of the 2020-21 season.

Marta Bassino of Italy made it two for two, taking her second GS victory of the season after winning the opening giant slalom in Soelden in October. Sara Hector of Sweden was second—her first podium in six years—and podium mainstay Petra Vlhova of Slovakia finished third.

Mikaela sat in third place after first run, but hit a bump and threw her skis sideways on the pitch, which caused her to lose valuable time. But she acknowledged that the line she chose was a risk and the ever-positive skier was still happy about her showing and her future in giant slalom racing this season.

“I felt pretty good. I’m pretty excited,” she said. “My first run, I was more surviving. Some good turns—a good starting point—with a pretty big mistake in the second run. I was trying to go more aggressive, but I knew it would be bumpier with the snow and running later.”

Mikaela was also quick to shine a light on Sara Hector, who she’s long admired as a ski racer and has had a long return to snow after a major injury six years ago in Are—the same weekend Mikaela was injured. “She’s had a really difficult comeback,” said Mikaela. “She’s a fighter and she wants to be fast all the time and I’m always wondering if she would approve of how hard I’m trying because she's always the one who tries the hardest and is willing to put in the most effort into every single turn in order to make speed!”

Overall, Mikaela was excited about the progress she’s making, given her lack of training and over 300 days out of a World Cup giant slalom start gate. She had skipped the Soelden GS in October due to a back injury. “All in all, it was a pretty incredible day and not quite so stressful as Levi,” she said. “I felt like I could do some good skiing and the rest of it is just stuff I still need to pick up on—learn how to find the cleaner line and push through the bumps like the way some of these girls are doing. I know I can do it and it’s just a matter of getting to that point again.”

Nina O’Brien was another shining star for the Americans, snagging 19th place in Courchevel after finishing 15th in the first giant slalom this season. On top of that, Nina was skiing with a brace on her left hand after breaking her thumb in 15 places in a crash in training prior to the World Cup in Lech Zuers, Austria. Her skiing is one to keep an eye on this season as she continues to climb the ranks and score more World Cup points.

Paula Moltzan, Keely Cashman, and AJ Hurt also started for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team but did not qualify for a second run.

The women get another chance at giant slalom on Sunday in Courchevel with the American women hungry for results.

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
10:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Travis Ganong showed that he’s still someone to fear on the FIS World Cup circuit this season, crushing the Val d’Isere super-G and matching his career-best in the discipline to take fourth place, just .22 seconds off the podium. 

Snow fell heavily throughout the race with Mario Caviezel from Switzerland taking his first World Cup win. Adrian Smiseth Sejersted of Norway was second and Austrian Christian Walder third—both of them also nailing their first World Cup podiums.

This was Travis’ 10th top-five result in his career, who is 32 years old and has been a mainstay on the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team for 15 years. But he’s not letting his veteran status get in the way of speed—he packed in seven top-10s in the shortened 2020 season and with another top-five in his first race back on the World Cup circuit, he showed that he’s still someone to keep an eye on this season. Saturday's fourth-place finish matches his career-best in the discipline of super-G. His previous best in super-G was fourth in November of 2015. 

“I’m really happy,” said Travis. “We haven’t raced in so long—we’ve been training a ton and I just kinda forgot what racing is all about. It’s so much more fun to race than train. Being in the start gate and knowing that you have one shot to put it all out on the line and take some risk and see what happens—it’s awesome.”

Travis, who hails from California’s Lake Tahoe, factored in the heavy snowfall to his result. “It feels like I’m back home in California where it snows a lot,” he said. “It’s a very similar vibe and snow. There was no warmup slope so I just skied some powder on the way to the start and it seemed like it was good for me.”

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Bryce Bennett was the next U.S. man to finish and took 33rd. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who went down on his hip on the upper section of the course, was 47th and Jared Goldberg 49th. Sam DuPratt did not finish.  

The men race downhill in Val d’Isere on Sunday to wrap up the men's first speed weekend of the year.

RESULTS
Men’s super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Sunday, Dec. 13
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
4:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Downhill - LIVE, Val d'Isere, FRA, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Courchevel, FRA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Europa Cup Women’s Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Ahrntal, Italy, Streaming, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
10:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Courchevel, FRA, Broadcast NBCSN

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, 2018 Olympian, and 2017 World Juniors Downhill Champion Alice Merryweather announced on Wednesday that she has been struggling with an eating disorder and will be taking a break from FIS Ski World Cup competition. 

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Alice formally announced she will take the time she needs to focus on health and happiness while pursuing intensive treatment. "Over the past few months, I have been struggling with an eating disorder," she stated. "It has beaten me down, broken my heart, drained me, and quite nearly destroyed my passion for the sport I love so dearly. Luckily, I am surrounded by some of the best people in the world who helped me come to terms with my disorder and encouraged me to seek help."

Alice, who has been focusing on the speed disciplines of super-G and downhill, as well as alpine combined, in recent years on the World Cup, attended prep period camps in September with the Team, and she said during the camp at Saas-Fee, Switzerland she had felt like she had "lost all of my life for the sport of ski racing." While training at Official Training Site in Copper Mountain, Colo., Alice made the decision to go to treatment, hence her absence at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Copper Mountain. 

While the the rest of her team traveled to Europe for the World Cup kickoff in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Alice remained stateside and in treatment. She said, "I’m not sure how long this journey will take, but I’m putting my health and happiness first and taking things one step at a time. I’m optimistic that by putting in the work in treatment right now, I’ll be back stronger than ever when the time comes."

By sharing her story, Alice hopes to help dispel the stigma associated with mental health and eating disorders. "I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with their mental health or an eating disorder to reach out, and remind you that you’re not alone," she wrote. 

 

 

 

 

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Notes of encouragement came through from teammates and friends on social media and beyond, including two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who has very publicly dealt with her own struggles this year following the tragic passing of her father, Jeff. Mikaela shared, "Pain shows up in many different forms, and it's not always clear how to tend to the wounds or easy to make the decision *to* tend to them. Just remember that you are not alone, and showing vulnerability is not weakness, it is strength."

Alice, thank you for your courage, honesty, and transparency. We know your story will encourage others to be open and seek help if they are feeling the same way. Sending all of our love. 

After heavy snowfall forced the postponement of Sunday’s giant slalom to Monday, the FIS Ski World Cup was luckier with the weather on Monday, and Tommy Ford led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, landing in second at Santa Caterina, Italy. 

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland skied a strong first run and was leading by 19 hundredths over Norway’s Leif Kristian Nestvold Haugen, with France’s Alexis Pinturault in third, and Tommy in fourth by .43 seconds. Croatia’s Filip Zubcic was sitting in 21st after the first run, but once again had a blazing-fast second run to move up to third. For a while, he looked unbeatable...until Tommy came down, skiing smooth and clean through the finish, into the lead by a mere .02 hundredths. Alexis and Leif up next...but they couldn’t catch Tommy, who landed in second, grabbing his third career podium. Marco skied beautifully, winning by .73 seconds, making him the first Swiss skier to win a men's giant slalom event in the World Cup since Carlo Janka in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on March 5, 2011.

The volunteers did an amazing job all weekend clearing the track and creating a great surface for the guys to push off of. “It was nice snow, the volunteers here did a great job...and I felt quite at home because of the falling snow,” Tommy reflected in the finish area after the race. “This is just like home at Mt. Bachelor [Oregon], and I’m just happy to be skiing here period...and happy to have a nice smooth two runs.”

Tommy's style is so chill, he almost looks like he's meditating in the start gate, and has been described as "Zen-like" by commentators, as he pushes out of the gate. Make no mistake...his signature calm and collected approach is deceptively fast. When told he looked like a “free-rider who really enjoyed his runs” by a reporter in the finish, Tommy laughed and replied, “Oh yeah, I mean—it’s all about enjoyment. I was arcing turns...this hill is made to arc on, like the whole way down, and I’m happy to ski on it.”

Due to shoulder and back injuries sustained this summer, Tommy’s already limited (due to COVID-19) summer prep period was further limited, and he ended up in 22nd at the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria. He credits recent training at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo. with getting him where he was this weekend, grabbing a sixth-place and second, respectively. 

“It’s been a progression, with not as much skiing as I would have liked this summer, but I had a good camp in Copper, and the coaches have been providing great training. I’ve been working with my mental coach, and we’ve been putting it together.” He continued, “I would say I’ve been experimenting for years, and my mental coach has really helped the last four years...he helped me find my self-confidence, and trust what I already know.” 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle was sitting in 27th after the first run and was having a strong second run before he went down on his hip and had a great recovery, ending up in 28th on the day and grabbing his first giant slalom points of the season. Ted Ligety, River Radamus, and Bridger Gile also started but did not qualify for the second run. 

Up next for the men will be a speed series at Val d’Isere, France, with a downhill on Dec. 12, followed by a super-G on Dec. 13. The men’s tech crew will have a training break, before heading to Alta Badia, Italy on Dec. 20-21 for giant slalom and slalom races, followed by a slalom under the lights at Madonna di Campiglio on Dec. 22. 

RESULTS
Men’s Giant Slalom

Winter has arrived in Europe...which is great because it's a snowy, winter wonderland—but also presents a challenge to FIS Ski World Cup organizers attempting to get safe and fair races off. 

After about 50 cm (19.6 inches) of snow fell on Friday into Saturday, Saturday's first of two super-G races were cancelled at St. Moritz, Switzerland. As the snow continued to fall Saturday in St. Moritz, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF of Davos elevated the Engadine region of Switzerland to the high danger of avalanches. Due to the high level of danger, St. Moritz ski area decided to close the access and therefore cancel Sunday's super-G as well. 

Over in Santa Caterina, Italy, the men were able to hold a successful giant slalom race on Saturday despite nearly 40 cm (15.7 inches) of fresh snow that fell at the venue, though as snow continued to fall on Saturday into Sunday, it was decided by all stakeholders that the second of two giant slalom races scheduled for Sunday would be postponed until Monday, Dec. 7. 

The International Ski Federation (FIS) will announce any replacement competitions and venues as they are confirmed.

HOW TO WATCH 
*All times EST

Sunday, Dec. 6
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Re-Air Nov. 21, Levi, FIN, Broadcast NBC

Monday, Dec. 7
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's giant slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's giant slalom - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's giant slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Streaming Peacock

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Update - Jan. 18

Fast & Loose with The Snow Report: In this new Instagram Live series, we are literally ‘catching up’ with some of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s most prolific athletes, keeping it fast and loose, getting to know who they are on and off the slopes. 

In a digital world, it’s almost an effortless task to find competition results and performance-based recaps. However, statistics, podiums, and results do not accurately depict the stars we see on TV and read about in the news. U.S. Ski & Snowboard and The Snow Report have combined forces to create Fast & Loose hosted by Out of Bounds Podcast founder Adam Jaber on Instagram Live. This interview series will help you get to know your favorite U.S. Ski & Snowboard characters beyond the bib.

First up: Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team’s Paula Moltzan.

Paula has experienced one career-best after another this season, including recently snagging her first World Cup podium—a second-place finish behind Slovakian powerhouse in the first and only parallel event of the year, at Lech Zuers, Austria. 

You could say Paula's path to the World Cup podium was unconventional. She grew up skiing at Buck Hill, Minnesota under the legendary Erich Sailer. She spoke about her humble beginnings after the race, "I started skiing because my parents were ski instructors at this tiny little hill in Minnesota [Buck Hill]," she continued, "and in the winter instead of going to daycare while they taught skiing, I'd just go join the lessons with them. I was the youngest of three, so I was just trying to keep up with my two siblings."

She was on the U.S. Ski Team, and in fact, was the first U.S. woman to win the junior slalom world champion title back in 2015...but when she didn't make criteria a year later, she opted to go to University of Vermont to ski for the Cats and continue her career. There, she not only was crowned NCAA Slalom Champion in 2017 but also found the joy of skiing again. Straddling both NCAA and the World Cup during the 2018-19 season, Paula found success once again at the World Cup level and achieved criteria for the U.S. Ski Team again in 2019-20. After a tough 2019-20 season, she worked tirelessly in the offseason, often doing two-a-day workouts...and all of that hard work has more than paid off. 

Tune in on Monday, Dec. 7 at 9:45 am MDT at @TheSnowReport on Instagram for the first of many interviews to come. 

Episode 1: Paula Moltzan

 

 

 

 

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Episode 2 - Aaron Blunck

 

 

 

 

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Episode 3 - Gus Schumacher

 

 

 

 

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As heavy snowfall blanketed both FIS Ski World Cup venues on Saturday, forcing a cancellation for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women’s speed team at St. Moritz, Switzerland, the men’s tech crew was able to successfully get the first of two giant slalom races off in Santa Caterina, Italy. Two-time Olympian Tommy Ford led the way for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, in sixth place. 

After the first run, Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec comfortably led the way with a sizable (nearly five-tenths) lead, while Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt was sitting in second, followed by France’s Alexis Pinturault, 0.48 seconds out, Switzerland’s Loic Meillard 0.49 back, and Tommy in fifth, 0.60 seconds off the leading pace. With four athletes separated by a mere 0.14 seconds, Tommy was well within striking distance of a podium. 

Snow continued to fall heading into the second run, though the course crew did an excellent job clearing it so the men could ski a fair race. Croatia’s Filip Zubcic, who was sitting in sixth just behind Tommy following the first run, .69 seconds off the lead, had a blazing-fast second run, coming down into first with a demanding lead. Despite a couple of bobbles, Tommy hung in there and ended up in sixth. No one else could catch Filip, who grabbed his second career World Cup victory by just 0.12 ahead of Zan, followed by Marco in third, 0.30 seconds out. 

"The conditions today were pretty dang good," reflected Tommy. "They had volunteers slipping most of the evening last night, and it looked a little bally and I was a little skeptical during inspection, but they scraped it nicely and it really turned into a pretty dang-good surface...just some bumps here and there...the hill, in general, was fun and rolly, and an arcfest. You really had to go clean and smooth...and that's what I did well first run. Second run was a little more spastic, I thought, but still steady and snapped off a couple of good turns. Leaned in a little bit at the bottom, but all in all, I kept it rolling clean and smooth."

Saturday's result was a solid finish for Tommy, who finished 22nd in Soelden, Austria, at the World Cup opener. Tommy, who finished the 2019-20 World Cup season ranked fifth in the giant slalom in the world, had been battling both a shoulder and back injury during the offseason. After a solid training block at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo. Tommy looked and felt confident as he traveled over to Europe to tackle this unprecedented 2020-21 season. 

"I am psyched for today, for sure," Tommy continued. "It's nice to be skiing in general, so I'm psyched on that and psyched we can compete. It's been a challenging fall for me, getting my body in shape, and getting this feeling back in skiing. There's still some more work to do...got another day tomorrow. Psyched to see some of my teammates make some good turns today, all in all, a good day. It's been snowing hard all afternoon, and we'll see how it goes this evening," he said with a smile. 

Ted Ligety also qualified for a second run and ended up in 19th for the day. Ryan Cochran-Siegle and River Radamus started but did not qualify for the second run. Bridger Gile also started, but DNFed the first run (he is OK). 

With a double-header giant slalom that was originally scheduled for Val d'Isere, France, but moved to Santa Caterina due to a lack of snow, the men will tackle yet another giant slalom race on Sunday. Due to continued heavy snowfall throughout the Engadine and associated avalanche danger, St. Moritz has been closed and therefore Sunday's women's super-G has also been cancelled. 

RESULTS
Men’s Giant Slalom

HOW TO WATCH 
*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's DH 2019 replay, Beaver Creek, Colo., Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 6
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's giant slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:30 a.m. FIS Alpine Ski World Cup men's giant slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Santa Caterina, ITA, Streaming Peacock
4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Re-Air Nov. 21, Levi, FIN, Broadcast NBC

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On Monday, Nov. 23, U.S. Ski & Snowboard hosted its second panel on diversity, equity, and inclusion: “Diversity in Ski Racing: The Athlete Perspective.” Henri Rivers, CEO, President and Founder of Drumriver Consultants, President of the National Brotherhood of Skiers, moderated a discussion among a talented group of African American ski racers to dive deeper into the topic of diversity in snowsports from the athlete perspective. Panelists included three-time Paralympian and 11-year member of the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team Ralph Green, U.S. Ski Team alumni Andre Horton, Suki Miller, and Lauren Samuels, as well as Dartmouth College Ski Team alumnus and former U.S. Ski & Snowboard employee Justin Samuels.

Watch the full broadcast:

Chapter Markers: 

0:55 - Tiger Shaw Address 
3:20 - Henri Rivers Address
6:30 - Justin Samuels Background
11:10 - Andre Horton & Suki Miller Background
20:40 - Ralph Green Background
28:20 - Lauren Samuels Background
33:10 - How can we make snowsports more inclusive? (Best in the World)
47:40 - What are the benefits of increased diversity in snowsports?
51:55 - How do we change the culture to become more welcoming?
58:45 - Where do U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes come into play in creating more diversity?
1:08:10 - How has racism presented itself in your (panelists) careers?
1:17:00 - How can those in positions of leadership play a role and set the example?
1:22:10 - Justin Samuels calls for action from U.S. Ski & Snowboard
1:25:00 - Audience Question - What advice do you have for a young African American ski racer coming up in today's landscape?
 

About the Panelists
 

Henri Rivers (moderator):
Henri Rivers is a native New Yorker and an avid skier and outdoor enthusiast for over 45 years. He is a professional ski instructor, certified master teacher and children’s specialist as well as a U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine coach, jury advisor, referee and official. He coaches in the Alpine race program at Windham Mountain in the Catskill region of New York.

Henri attended Marist College and received a B.S. in Biology in 1982. He worked for several companies as a construction engineer and project manager before founding and managing the Drumriver Companies.

Henri became involved with the National Brotherhood of Skiers in 1996 and has held many positions within the organization. He started as a club president and moved on to become the mid-west regional competition director. In 2003 he became a coach for the national team of NBS and in 2008 was appointed the Olympic Scholarship Fund Administrator. During his tenure as OSF administrator, he grew the national team to 15 athletes. In 2016 he was appointed the National Competition Director and in 2018 was voted in as the Executive Vice President of the National Brotherhood of Skiers. He served for two years and was elected National President of the NBS in March of 2020.

Ralph Green:
Ralph Green is an 11-year member of the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team and a three-time U.S. Paralympian (2006, 2010, 2014). While active as a ski racer he partnered with Cox, United Airlines, The Home Depot and Rocket Fuel as a sponsored athlete and brand ambassador. A former board member of Disabled Sports USA, Ralph is a motivational speaker with a strong emphasis on youth violence. He has an MBA with a marketing concentration from Keller Graduate School of Management. Currently, Ralph is a market sales manager at Frito Lay. His clients include King Soopers, Walmart, Safeway, Sam's Club, Target and the Air Force Academy. Ralph also serves on the Adaptive Spirit Board of Directors.

Suki Miller:
Suki Miller was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and is a graduate of the University of Alaska Anchorage with degrees in journalism and mathematics. She started skiing at a young age at a very small ski area, Hilltop. Suki and her brother Andre qualified for the U.S. Ski Team with support from the National Brotherhood of Skiers. 

After ski racing, Suki worked in the private, government and non-profit sectors creating and communicating policies that promote healthy, culturally empowered communities. She is a passionate advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Her time working on statewide initiatives cultivated an authentic appreciation for the vastness of Alaska, geographically, culturally and ideologically.

When not at work, Suki enjoys the outdoors and spending time with her family, especially watching her toddler and the cousins “send it” down driveways and sledding hills. 

Andre Horton:
Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, a quarter-mile from a nordic ski track, and a mile from a nordic ski jump and ski area, Andre Horton learned it all at a young age. He eventually focused on alpine racing and in his first out-of-state competition, finished on the podium. After graduating from high school Andre left for Wyoming to ski for the Jackson Hole Ski Club with his sister, Suki. Andre was named to the U.S. Ski Team and competed on the Nor-Am and Europa Cup circuits. He retired from the U.S. Ski Team in 2004 and joined the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors as an athlete representative through 2008. 

Andre has an MBA in entrepreneurialism from the University of Alaska College of Business & Public Policy - Anchorage. He launched his own software development company with a close friend, focused on Alaska’s prolific oil and gas industry. He launched various other companies before taking a mid-career detour from entrepreneurialism and executive consulting to become Firefighter/EMT in early 2019. Andre sits on the Board of Directors for Credit Union 1 still consults for various Alaska-based firms and ANC’s (Alaska Native Corporations). He is a talented photographer (www.andrehorton.net) and enjoys spending time with his family. 

Justin Samuels:
Justin Samuels was born and raised in Minneapolis and learned to ski at a very young age growing up in a ski family. Justin earned his BA in Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and his BE in Mechanical Design from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. He skied for Rowmark Ski Academy and competed in J2 Nationals (what is now similar to U16 Nationals). Justin also competed in NCAA Division 1 ski racing as part of the Dartmouth Ski Team. 

After earning his BE, Justin developed PointsStalker, an iOS app that makes it easy to access any athlete’s FIS data. His professional history includes working for U.S. Ski & Snowboard as mobile systems manager, Brydge Keyboards as product manager, and BodyGuardz as director of product development. Justin recently took a new position with Fictiv as senior product manager. 

Lauren Samuels:
Lauren Samuels was born and raised in Minneapolis and learned to ski at age two. She started racing with Team Gilboa out of Hyland Hills, MN, and developed as a ski racer until she was named to the U.S. Ski Team’s development team in 2009 after winning J2 Nationals Overall and Super-G titles. During the 2010 season Lauren was cut from the U.S. Ski Team but dropped everything and moved to Utah to ski and attend school with Rowmark Ski Academy and competed on the World Junior Championship Team. For the next two seasons Lauren competed as an invitee to the U.S. Ski Team’s C Team racing on the NorAm and Europa Cup circuits. From 2013-2017 Lauren skied for the University of Utah’s NCAA Division 1 Ski Team and became a National Champion her senior year, during which she was Team Captain. 

She earned a BS in Athletic Training and completed her medical school prerequisites. After finishing undergrad, Lauren coached for two years at Team Gilboa, then Rowmark. Currently Lauren is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Oregon - Lundquist College of Business, studying sports product management with the intentions of pursuing a career in the sports and outdoor industry. She is also a member of both the University of Oregon - Portland and U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committees.