The rescheduled 2020 U.S. Alpine Championships successfully wrapped on Sunday, Nov. 22 at Official Training Site Copper Mountain, Colo. This event replaced the 2020 U.S. Alpine Championships, which were scheduled for last March in Panorama, CAN, and Aspen, Colo.

Big thanks goes to Copper Mountain, who worked closely—and tirelessly—with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard High-Performance Director Troy Taylor, Lead Physical Therapist Gillian Bower, Alpine Development Director Chip Knight, and the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team staff to create a safe competition environment for athletes and staff. While the U.S. Alpine Championships took place, Copper Mountain was closed to the public, planning to open on Monday, Nov. 30 for the 2020-21 ski season. Due to COVID-19, U.S. Ski & Snowboard together with Copper Mountain created protocols to ensure consistency with local and state regulation, including no spectators or media on site.

Alpine Director Jesse Hunt credited Copper Mountain for their support and hard work to not only get the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain up and running - coordinating efforts that enabled athletes to ski both speed and tech at the speed venue - but also to successfully hold eight races for both men and women, including the 2020 U.S. Alpine Championships. Copper Mountain Resort Manager Frank Kelble and his staff were tremendous throughout the month, delivering an impeccable training venue that featured World Cup-level training and 16 race starts despite challenges presented by COVID-19. 

“My hat goes off to Copper Mountain for the tremendous support we received in this incredibly challenging preparation period,” commented Jesse. “Uncertainty is the new norm and Copper Mountain embraced the challenge by hosting our elite level training and events under extreme protocols and safety standards. We all adapted, and in the end, we got some of the best training we have had all summer and fall. A huge thanks to Copper for their commitment to our athletes, our organization and the sport.” 

Numerous up-and-comers were able to race alongside World Cup athletes—including members of the men’s German National Team—and Rocky/Central walked away with the Regions Cup. The opportunity for young athletes to ski with seasoned veterans was huge, according to Chip. “I’d like to add that there was tremendous athletic and community value in having our World Cup athletes racing alongside developing athletes from around the country,” he said. “A couple of upper-end highlights include River Radamus dueling with Ryan Cochran-Siegle for the National GS title, Breezy Johnson and Alice McKennis winning the downhill and super-G titles, and Luke Winters winning the slalom title.” 

Younger/developing athletes also had breakthrough results to kick off their season, including Katie Hensien (National giant slalom Champion), Allie Resnick (third, Nationals giant slalom), current collegiate (University of New Hampshire) former U.S. Ski Team athlete Patrick Kenney (third, Nationals giant slalom), Isaiah Nelson (first, FIS giant slalom), current collegiate (Middlebury College) former U.S. Ski Team athlete Erik Arvidsson (fourth, Nationals super-G), AJ Hurt (National Slalom Champion and first in FIS slalomL), and former collegiate and U.S. Ski Team athlete Alex Leever (third, Nationals slalom and first, FIS slalom). “There was a tremendous amount of momentum for the whole country coming out of the series,” Chip added. 

Holding an event like U.S. Alpine Championships during a global pandemic is no easy feat, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s High-Performance Director Troy Taylor said his staff, along with Copper Mountain’s staff worked together to create an exceptional event with great COVID-19 mitigation compliance by all involved. Chip worked as the event’s COVID Coordinator, ensuring everyone had COVID tests and were compliant with daily health checks. More than 200 COVID tests were completed, and the entire staff garnered learnings that can be shared and applied to future events during COVID. Next steps are for the U.S. Ski & Snowboard medical team to host a webinar for event organizers to share these learnings. 

“It was amazing to get the first event in the USA of the winter under our belts,” reflected Troy. “Copper Mountain, as always, was an incredible host and went above and beyond to help us work closely with Summit County health authorities to navigate all the COVID-related rules and create a safe environment for everyone.”

2020 U.S. Alpine Championships Results
November 16
Giant Slalom – Women

First - Katie Hensien (DU)
Second - Keely Cashman (UofU)
Third - Allie Resnick

November 17
Giant Slalom – Men

First - River Radamus
Second - Ryan Cochran-Siegle
Third - Patrick Kenney (UNH)

November 19
Downhill – Men

First - Romed Baumann (GER)
Second - Josef Ferstl (GER)
Third - Jared Goldberg

Downhill – Women

First - Breezy Johnson
Second - AJ Hurt
Third - Alice McKennis Duran

November 20
Super-G – Men

First - Simon Jocher (GER)
Second - Romed Baumann (GER)
Third - Ryan Cochran-Siegle

Super-G – Women

First - Alice McKennis Duran
Second - Keely Cashman
Third - Breezy Johnson

November 21
Slalom – Women

First - AJ Hurt
Second - Keely Cashman (UofU)
Third - Katie Hensien (DU)

November 22
Slalom – Men

First - Luke Winters
Second - Jett Seymour (DU)
Third - Alex Leever

Under the lights at Lech Zuers in Austria, 2017 NCAA Slalom Champion (University of Vermont-Catamounts) and current Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan grabbed her first career World Cup podium, with a second-place in the first and only FIS Ski World Cup parallel event of the season. Slovakia's Petra Vlhova won, while Swiss Lara Gut rounded out the podium in third. 

Coming into the parallel event, Paula didn't have expectations. Having traveled from Levi, Finland, where she was 23rd in the second of two World Cup slalom races on Sunday, she was just hoping for a top-30 and some points. She walked away with her first podium, and what a sweet Thanksgiving gift it was. 

Paula came out of the morning's qualifier round ranked fifth, and an unexpected favorite heading into the final round on Thursday evening. With the new parallel format, the top 30 from the qualifying round receive World Cup points, but only the top 16 advance to the final head-to-head elimination round.

The conditions were amazing at Lech Zeurs. "It was really good, the snow conditions were unbelievable," said Paula. "The snow held up for every round, so that was a really nice thing to experience as well as the lights were awesome. Obviously, we were missing the crowd, but I had a great group of teammates cheering me on in the finish."

What does Paula want to do first to celebrate her first podium on Thanksgiving? Call her mom, of course. "I'm kind of overwhelmed, but I'm really lucky and really excited to have a great team to share it with, so I'm excited to see all of them and get the hugs...and I can't wait to talk to my mom," she said with a big smile.

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, but when she didn't make criteria in 2017, 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. 

AJ Hurt scored her first World Cup points, landing in 25th, while both Nina O'Brien and Allie Resnick—who was starting in her first World Cup—showed off some fast skiing but DNFed. They are both OK. 

After the race, clearly psyched for her teammate, AJ said, "It feels great to finally get in the points and even better to get them the same day as my other teammate's first World Cup podium. It's a great way to start the ski season for the whole team!" 

Katie Hensien and Lila Lapanja also started for the U.S., finishing 47th and 57th, respectively. 

Up next? Paula and the crew will take some time off and celebrate Nina's birthday on the 29th. From there, they'll start prepping for the World Cup in Courchevel, France. Tommy Ford, Bridger Gile, River Radamus, and George Steffey will compete for the men in Friday's parallel. 

RESULTS
Women's Parallel Semifinal
Women's Parallel Final

HOW TO WATCH
Friday, Nov. 27
4:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Parallel Slalom qualifying - LIVE, Lech/Zuers, AUT, Streaming Peacock
11:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Parallel Slalom finals - LIVE, Lech/Zuers, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Nov. 28
3:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, Levi, FIN, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Nov. 29
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom, Levi, FIN, Broadcast NBC

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Aspiring podcaster and current Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Teamer Jimmy Krupka will welcome fans to "Arc City," coming soon to a podcast provider near you. The podcast will be brought to you by longtime U.S. Ski Team sponsor, Spyder Active Sports.

Jimmy says, "Here, we talk with anyone and everyone who has a love of ski racing’s ‘arc.’ From gold-medalists to career-coaches, this podcast will tell their high-acceleration stories: the successes, the failures, the gritty details, and the humor of it all."

In his first episode back in the booth, Jimmy talks with Olympian extraordinaire Julia Mancuso. They touch on everything from Julia’s early years in Tahoe to the relationship between surfing and skiing. They discuss Julia’s incredible talent for winning medals and go in-depth on the mental and emotional side of competition. Jimmy and Julia talk retirement, what Julia’s up to now, and finally get a good explanation of her and Lindsey Vonn’s complicated, but strong, friendship. Jimmy also rolls out a couple of new segments, including a Skiing History segment.

When asked if he has anything to share about his excitement for re-launching his podcast, Jimmy wants the world to know, "I guess I would just say that we’re back and live!! I love ski racing and I love talking to ski racers and I love making podcasts for people who love ski racing. It’s a win-win-win."

The podcast will officially go live for your listening pleasure on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at midnight MST on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. You may be wondering who Arc City's mayor is? Jimmy says, "Constantly changing. I would never proclaim myself mayor." Follow along to find out. 

Subscribe to the Arc City Podcast

After her triumphant return to the podium in Saturday’s slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin put together another stellar result in Sunday's slalom, skiing into fifth place in Levi, Finland.

The race was held under the lights in the dark Finnish Lapland and a light fog settled in throughout the day. Petra Vlhova continued her dominance, taking her fifth slalom victory in a row and second of the weekend. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland was second and Katharina Liensberger, who was third on Saturday, finished third again.  

Mikaela admitted she was tired after Saturday’s emotional result and jet-lagged from the overseas travel but still put together two solid runs. She sat in fourth place after the first run and while she didn’t make any major mistakes, had trouble finding the next gear to land her on the podium again. But she wasn’t disappointed with a fifth-place finish. “It’s incredible to be here,” said Mikaela. “I had two really solid races and it was an incredible weekend. I feel really grateful that I’m able to do these races and I was able to participate again.” Sometimes, the simple act of stepping into the start gate can be a victory. In that sense, she was also victorious today. 

She also took a moment to thank her mom, as she did on social media. "My entire career I wouldn’t be here without her—especially right now and this year," said Mikaela. "She’s just the strongest person that I know and the kindest and most caring and smartest. She’s my best friend and my mom and my favorite coach—and I have a lot of really great coaches!"

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan, who started the season strong with a career-best 10th place finish in Soelden, continued her points-scoring trend, taking 23rd place—even with a major mistake. Expect to keep seeing this woman in the points all season long; she’s skiing fast!

Lila Lapanja was also thrilled to put down a strong race to start the season, finishing 25th—her first slalom points since 2016. “I had a lot of fun skiing that course today," Lila said after the race. "My equipment felt great, and body felt strong, especially on the top flats. Levi did an incredible job with the slope preparation. I think these conditions were the best I’ve ever experienced in a World Cup. I feel like I came full-circle with Levi in so many ways. It’s been over four years since I scored my first World Cup points in Flachau so the result tonight is extra special for me. This step back into the Top 30 was a huge win for my team and their belief in what I am doing. This one was for them as much as for me.”

Nina O'Brien was having a solid first run before she straddled and DNFed, while Resi Stiegler did not qualify for the second run.

Next up, the women take a charter flight back to Europe for some training before the men and the women head to Lech, Austria for parallel races November 26-27.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

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After 300 days away from the World Cup circuit, Mikaela Shiffrin barely missed a beat, stepping back on the podium in second place at the FIS Ski World Cup slalom in Levi, Finland.

The weather was chilly in the Finnish Lapland, with the second run taking place under the lights to make up for the lack of sunlight 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle in December. Conditions were ideal for Mikaela, who finished just .18 seconds behind Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova. Katharina Liensberger of Austria was third. (Fun fact: The last 27 World Cup slaloms have been won by Mikaela or Petra. Frida Hansdotter was the last female to win a World Cup slalom apart from the pair…in 2017!)

Saturday’s slalom in Levi was the much-anticipated return of Mikaela, who had not had a World Cup start since her last win in Bankso, Bulgaria on January 26, 2020. Shortly after, her father died unexpectedly and she took a leave of absence from the World Cup to be with her family. By the time Mikaela decided to race again, COVID-19 was taking hold and ultimately canceled the rest of the FIS season. And while she had looked forward to racing the opening giant slalom in Soelden, she tweaked her back and sat out the weekend.

Mikaela kept expectations low of Saturday's race, warning reporters to not anticipate much of her skiing, but those caveats proved unnecessary, as Mikaela set down two aggressive runs to take her seventh podium in Levi.

As important as a result, Mikaela said she found the joy in ski racing again. “It felt like my first victory,” she said. “It’s a really special day.”

“I think a good thing was that a lot of the feeling today was similar to what I felt in the past,” Mikaela continued. “Maybe that means I didn’t lose it all—my ability to ski fast or to try to be strong and come back and be hungry and competitive. One of the big reasons I wanted to come back and race was to see if this was something I could still do. And we’re here and it was okay. I still enjoyed it. That’s good.”

While she’s looking forward to seeing what else she can do, Mikaela did acknowledge that her mindset is different after her father’s death.

“When I was nervous, I would think what’s the worst that could happen when I don’t win,” she mused. “The media or my friends and family are disappointed? Or they’re happy because they’re cheering for someone else? Those aren’t bad things. I know that now. I’d like to get back to the point where I care enough to be really fired up when I’m second by .18, but I’m pretty happy right now and pretty proud.”

Lila Lapanja, Resi Stiegler and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Paula Moltzan and Nina O’Brien all started first run, but finished just out of the top 30 and did not make second run.

The women get another go on the same track in Levi on Sunday with a second slalom race.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Nov. 22
12:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Levi, FIN, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:15 am - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom first run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom second run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock

Check out the full alpine streaming and broadcast schedule.

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FIS Ski World Cup action returns this weekend, with a double-header slalom for the women on Nov. 21-22 in the Finnish Lapland of Levi, Finland. Not only are Santa and his reindeer excited, but the athletes are anxious to get back into the swing of things up here, 110 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Brrr, it’s cold up here...and the anticipation for World Cup action is rising, along with the stoke levels. 

Two-time Olympic champion and Land Rover ambassador Mikaela Shiffrin will return to the World Cup start gate for the first time in 300 days. Yes, you read that correctly. The last time Mikaela stepped into the start gate was January 26, 2020, in Bansko, Bulgaria. She walked away from that weekend amassing an impressive 250 World Cup points, with a downhill victory and a fourth place, as well as a super-G victory...on a speed track that was new to her before the weekend. That was win number 66, just one shy of Marcel Hirscher’s 67 victories (who sits third on the all-time win list). Shortly thereafter, Mikaela’s father Jeff tragically passed away. Mikaela returned to competition in Åre, Sweden, for the final race of the season, only to have it cancelled due to COVID-19. 

Despite missing nine races, Mikaela ended up second in the overall standings, second in the slalom standings (by just 20 points), third in the giant slalom standings, fifth in the downhill standings, and seventh in super-G standings. For the fourth-straight season, (again, despite missing nine races), Mikaela was the top earner in prize money on the World Cup circuit, among the men and women. During the offseason, Mikaela and her family (mother Eileen, and brother Taylor) worked with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and six generous families to launch the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in her father’s honor. This fund will help all athletes across all sports at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. After sitting the Soelden, Austria World Cup giant slalom out due to a back injury, Mikaela had a solid slalom training block at Official Training Site, Copper Mountain, Colo., and is looking forward to returning to World Cup action. 

The theme for Mikaela now is not only resilience, but also gratitude. When asked about her expectations for this weekend in a press conference on Thursday, she reminded media that she tries to "keep expectations really low, but my standards for the level of skiing that I want to bring are high. I want to ski well, which includes skiing fast." She continued, "No matter what, if I ski well, if I put in a good effort but it doesn’t go as I hoped, it is hard to be disappointed with that after everything,” in regards to her approach to the weekend. 

Though last season ended abruptly, she's not angry and it's not about settling scores for Mikaela. “I am incredibly angry, but not about the way last season ended. I am angry that my dad died, I am angry how lonely I feel most days,” she said. “But on the flip side, I am incredibly grateful that I have my mom here with me so often. I have never been a person to be motivated by anger...If I learned something over the last 300 days, it is that you really have to take what life serves you. It might not taste good, but you have to eat it anyway.”

Paula Moltzan earned herself a career-best top-10 at Soelden, Austria in the giant slalom, making it loud and clear she shall no longer be deemed a “slalom specialist,” and teammate Nina O’Brien—who had a career-best 15th-place giant slalom result in Soelden, both had an excellent training block in Europe. Prior to their journey to the Arctic Circle, they trained in Soelden, Austria, Schnalstal, Italy, Solda, Italy, and then when Italian ski resorts closed due to COVID-19 precautions, traveled onward to Davolezza, Switzerland. While in Solda, Paula and Nina competed in Italian Nationals, and Nina snagged a win in giant slalom, while Paula won the slalom and Nina followed in second place. 

The World Cup Tour has a new look amidst the global pandemic—one that involves safety protocol including mask-wearing, a FIS charter flight for the circuit, testing prior to departure and upon arrival at the Kittilä airport, social distancing, creating a “bubble” and more. When arriving at Kittilä, athletes and staff were briefed by the organizing committee, then underwent COVID-testing, waiting for the results prior to departure to their hotels. The gratitude of athletes and staff to the local organizing committee for creating a safe environment for racing was palpable. 

Paula mentioned on Thursday after training in Levi, that Levi resembles Lutsen, Minnesota—a venue in northern Minnesota (Paula grew up racing at Buck Hill in Minnesota). Coach Magnus Andersson said the surface is looking good, and with colder temperatures and a solid weather forecast on its way, it will set up nicely for race day. Paula and Nina worked hard in the gym in the offseason, building muscle and confidence that has set them up nicely for the season, and their training and race pace speaks for itself. Paula said she’s “looking forward to our couple’s retreat after Lech,” as new fiance and technician Ryan Mooney and Nina’s boyfriend (and U.S. Ski Team alumnus) Drew Duffy—who is helping on-hill—are traveling together as a little family this winter. 

2020 NorAm slalom champion Lila Lapanja and three-time Olympian Resi Stiegler will also be starting in Levi this weekend, having earned their World Cup start spots for 2020-21 through their 2019-20 NorAm results. Both women are so happy to be back on the World Cup circuit, after focusing their efforts on NorAms with their eyes on the prize of those coveted World Cup start spots. Resi would like to add that she and her German boyfriend David Ketterer (2017 GS and Slalom National Champion GS with the CU Buffs), who was formerly on the German National Team, have been living out of their van (named "DSCHINGIS") to socially distance and stay safe while training across European glaciers this summer/fall.

With five starters this weekend, it’ll be a deep crew and everyone is excited to be back in action! Make sure to tune in on NBCSN and the Olympic Channel, as well as Peacock for live streaming, to catch all of the action. 

STARTERS
Lila Lapanja
Paula Moltzan
Nina O'Brien
Mikaela Shiffrin
Resi Stiegler 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Nov. 21
4:15 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom first run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - LIVE, Levi, FIN Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom second run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Nov. 22
12:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - Same Day Delayed Broadcast, Levi, FIN, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:15 am - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom first run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:15 a.m. - FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Slalom second run - LIVE, Levi, FIN, Streaming Peacock

Check out the full alpine streaming and broadcast schedule.

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Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team speed specialist and Olympian Laurenne Ross announced on Friday that she has sustained a left knee injury while training giant slalom at U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo. last week.  

Laurenne, who sat out the 2019-20 season to rehab a left knee injury sustained during a warm-up run prior to her downhill training run at the 2019 FIS Ski World Championships in Are, Sweden, had just returned with her team for a full—albeit odd, in the wake of a global pandemic—prep period starting with a camp at Copper Mountain in June. 

Laurenne suffered a severe knee injury at U.S. Alpine Championships late in the 2017 season, worked tirelessly to make a comeback in time to qualify for the 2018 Olympic Team. She was a part of the fastest downhill team in the world in 2018. She struggled to find her groove early in the 2018-19 season but had made considerable steps forward in the month of January, scoring inside of the points in every single start from the new year to World Championships - including three top-15 results. 

Clearly heartbroken, once again, Laurenne expressed her feelings on social media, 

I cannot express my heartbreak here, through words on a screen…I crashed training GS the other day. It hurt. A lot. I tweaked my left knee when I hit the fence, and devastation flooded over me like a tsunami.

Thankfully, her hope is that she will recover without undergoing surgery, and she is able to be back on skis sometime in the next few weeks. The first FIS Alpine Ski women's speed event is a pair of super-G races slated for St. Moritz, SUI on Dec. 5-6.

 

 

 

 

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Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes will take on the rescheduled 2020 U.S. Alpine Championships at Official Training site Copper Mountain, Colo. starting on Monday, Nov. 16 and running through Sunday, Nov. 22. The schedule is tentative and subject to change. 

Copper Mountain is closed to the public and plans to open on Nov. 30 for the 2020-21 ski season. Due to COVID-19, U.S. Ski & Snowboard together with Copper Mountain has created protocols to ensure consistency with local and state regulation, including no spectators or media on site. A massive amount of planning and energy went into creating the COVID-19 protocol, led by U.S. Ski & Snowboard High-Performance Director Troy Taylor and Lead Physical Therapist Gillian Bower in collaboration with Copper Mountain’s staff to create a safe environment for athletes and staff. 

This event will replace the 2020 U.S. Alpine Championships, which were scheduled for last March in Panorama, CAN, and Aspen, Colo. Both events were cancelled due to COVID-19. U.S. Alpine Championships at Copper Mountain, Colo. are slated to include the disciplines of men’s and women’s slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and downhill. 

U.S. Alpine Championships Event Schedule 
(Subject to change)

November 16, Giant Slalom – Women – Copper Mountain, Colo.
November 17, Giant Slalom – Men – Copper Mountain, Colo. 
November 18, Downhill Training – Men and Women – Copper Mountain, Colo. 
November 19, Downhill – Men and Women – Copper Mountain, Colo. 
November 20, Super-G – Men and Women – Copper Mountain, Colo. 
November 21, Slalom – Women – Copper Mountain, Colo. 
November 22, Slalom – Men – Copper Mountain, Colo.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard events are contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. U.S. Ski & Snowboard sanctioned event attendance is optional. U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and staff should not feel pressure to travel to train or compete. All sanctioned training camp and event policies and protocols are subject to change based on local, state, and federal public health orders, updated guidance from the USOPC, or updated U.S. Ski & Snowboard policies.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced a deep 43-athlete roster for the 2020-21 season’s Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team. The U.S. Ski Team is currently on snow at U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper Mountain, Colo. prepping prior to heading over to Europe to dive into the full FIS Ski World Cup schedule, starting with two women’s slalom races in Levi, Finland, Nov. 21-22.

First, let's get you acquainted with this season’s TV broadcast schedule. 

The 2020-21 season kicked off yet again in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 17-18 with women’s and men’s giant slalom races. While two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin sat Soelden out due to a nagging back injury, 2017 NCAA Slalom Champion Paula Moltzan blew everyone away when she skyrocketed from bib 62 to finish 10th—her best-ever World Cup finish to date. “Slalom specialist” no more, folks! Teammate Nina O’Brien was close behind, with her first-ever top-15 World Cup giant slalom finish. On the men’s side, 2019 Xfinity Birds of Prey victor Tommy Ford, who had been dealing with both a shoulder and back injury in the offseason, led the crew in 22nd, while River Radamus ran bullet second run and skied a smart, safe run to finish 27th and start his season strong with his second giant slalom World Cup points.

Mikaela and Tommy headline the list of both accomplished and emerging athletes heading into the 2020-21 season. The 2019-20 season was a step in the right direction for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, with 15 FIS Ski World Cup podiums, one Junior World Championship medal, and seven NorAm titles. Mikaela led the way with 13 podiums and six victories in 19 World Cup starts, despite missing nine races. She’ll head into 2020-21 as the winningest slalom skier of all-time, with 43 slalom victories, and ranked fourth on the all-time win list behind Marcel Hirscher (67), U.S. Ski Team alumni and Land Rover ambassador Lindsey Vonn (82), and Ingemar Stenmark (86). When she steps into the start gate in Levi, Finland on Nov. 21, it will have been exactly 300 days since she last stood in a World Cup start gate. Think about that for a second. 

The men’s team was highlighted by Tommy, with solid and consistent skiing, finishing his career-best season ranked fifth in the world in giant slalom with six top-15 results, four top-five results, two podiums, and a massive victory by .80 seconds in Beaver Creek, Colo. He is joined by a men’s team with considerable depth, specifically the men’s speed team—which had four athletes finish in the top-20 in the world in downhill for the first time ever: Travis (13th), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (14th), Bryce Bennett (16th) and Steven Nyman (20th). 

The 2020-21 season will feature the much-anticipated FIS Ski World Championships in Cortina d’ Ampezzo, Italy, February 8-21, 2021. Following the premature end to the 2019-20 season with the cancellation of the FIS Ski World Cup Finals in Cortina d’Ampezzo due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the athletes are looking forward to competing in the Dolomites. Cortina d’Ampezzo is a favorite classic venue on the women’s World Cup circuit where the U.S. women’s speed team has enjoyed a lot of success, while the men have never skied at the venue. 

Another highlight of the 2020-21 season will be the women’s Olympic test event in Beijing. The men were supposed to test out the Olympic track in Beijing last winter, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. According to Olympic course designer Bernhard Russi, the track should be about 1 minute, 55 seconds, and equate more to Sochi’s Olympic course than the 2018 Olympic track in PyeongChang. Additionally, this year the FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships will be in Bansko, Bulgaria, from March 2-11, 2021. 

“This group of athletes includes a healthy mix of World Cup performers as well as young guns we are developing to be tomorrow’s champions,” said Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “This is one of the largest and deepest teams we have fielded and funded in years. Although we are navigating through a pandemic, we are determined to make this the best season possible. We owe it to the athletes and the nation to be resilient in our pursuit of safe, high-quality opportunities in training and competition. We will keep focused on improvement with this impressive and dedicated group of athletes.”

NBC’s new streaming platform, Peacock Premium, will live stream the 2020-21 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Tour this season. NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA and

NBC Sports’ digital platforms will also air World Cup alpine skiing coverage all season. Alpine broadcast and streaming listings will be available throughout the season at USSkiandSnowboard.org.

Each athlete named to the U.S. Ski Team receives world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including elite coaching, sport science, sports medicine, and high-performance staff, and education opportunities. Additionally, A, B, and C team athletes are fully travel-funded once again this season, and the organization has also made significant headway in our efforts to decrease travel costs at the development team level, where members will be responsible for no more than $10,000 in travel and training costs with their team.

You can be assured that whatever happens this season, the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team will roll with the punches and be ready to throw down on race day! 

2020-21 Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team
(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

A TEAM
Men
Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1992)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992)
Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation; 3/20/1989)
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1988)
Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard; 8/31/1984)
Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard/Sundance Ski Team; 2/12/1982)                     

Women
Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996)
Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 8/17/1988)
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995)

B TEAM
Men
Sam DuPratt (Park City, UT; Park City Ski Education Foundation; 11/28/1993)  
Bridger Gile (Aspen, Colo., Aspen Valley Ski Club and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/15/1999)
Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 6/15/1991)
Jimmy Krupka (Waitsfield, Vt.; Dartmouth College and Green Mountain Valley School (7/15/1998)*
Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 5/27/1996)
Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/3/1998)
River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998)
Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, VT; Green Mountain Valley School; 9/5/2000)
Jett Seymour (Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/University of Denver Ski Team; 11/5/1998)
George Steffey (Lyme, N.H.; Stratton Mountain School; 8/8/1997)
Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.; Sugar Bowl Academy; 4/2/1997)

Women
Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 4/4/1999)
Alice McKennis (New Castle, Colo.; Sunlight Winter Sports Club/Rowmark Ski Academy; 8/18/1989)
Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.; Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School; 10/5/1996)
Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, Minn.; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 4/7/1994)
Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team; 11/29/1997)
Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, Ore.; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992)

C TEAM
Men
Cooper Cornelius (Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski Club; 6/20/1999)
Isaiah Nelson (Wayzata, MN.; Buck Hill Ski Racing Club; 4/3/2001)

Women
Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.; Rowmark Ski Academy; 12/1/1999)
AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 12/5/2000)
Nicola Rountree-Williams (Edwards, Colo.; Loveland Ski Area; 7/7/2002)
Zoe Zimmermann (Gilford, N.H.; Burke Mountain Academy; 5/16/2002)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Men
Jacob Dilling (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, 10/19/1999)
Kellen Kinsella (Edwards, Colo.; Dartmouth College and Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/7/2001)
Trent Pennington (Shalimar, Fla.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 5/8/2002)*
Jack Smith (Sun Valley, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 4/24/2001)
Bradshaw Underhill (Newbury, N.H.; Killington Mountain School; 3/10/2000)*

Women
Lauren Macuga (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 7/4/2002)
Ainsley Proffit (St. Louis, MO; Sugar Bowl Ski Team & Academy; 3/21/2001)
Allie Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/1/2001)*
Emma Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 7/23/2003)
Alix Wilkinson (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 8/2/2000)
Isabella Wright (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 2/10/1997)*

*Newly named to the U.S. Ski Team

2020-21 ALPINE STAFF
Alpine Director: Jesse Hunt
Alpine Development Director: Chip Knight
Alpine Communications Manager: Megan Harrod
Alpine World Cup Medical Coordinator: Gillian Bower
Alpine Europa Cup Medical Coordinator: David Quammen

MEN
Team Manager: Gwynn Watkins
Athletic Development Coordinator: Michael Bingaman

Men’s World Cup Speed
Head Coach: Randy Pelkey
Assistant Coach: Urban Planinsek
Assistant Coaches: Scott Veenis/Chris Beckmann
Assistant Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Ben Black
Physiotherapist: Ben Scheu

Men’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Forest Carey
Assistant Coach: Ian Garner
Assistant Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Will Courtney
Slalom Coach: Ryan Wilson

Men’s Europa Cup
Head Coach: Matt Underhill
Assistant Coach: Max Lamb
Ski Service: Tristan McInnis
Ski Service: Jay Vestich

Men’s Development
Head Coach: Sasha Rearick
Assistant Coach: Nathan Bryant
Ski Service: Josh Benge

WOMEN
Head Coach: Paul Kristofic
Team Manager: Colleen Jamieson
Athletic Development Coordinator: Bob Poehling

Women’s World Cup Speed
World Cup Speed Head Coach: Alex Hoedlmoser
Assistant Coach: Karin Harjo
Assistant Coach: Daniel Dejori
Physiotherapist: Torey Anderson

Women’s World Cup Technical/Speed
Mikaela Shiffrin
Head Coach: Mike Day
Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jeff Lackie
Physiotherapist: Nick Franssen

Women’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Magnus Andersson

Women’s Europa Cup Technical
Head Coach: Casey Puckett
Assistant Coach: Katie Twible

Women’s Development
Head Coach: Marjan Cernigoj
Assistant Coach: Ali Spencer

Follow the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

OFFICIAL LAND ROVER U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS

Learn more about how you can support U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes this season at KeepTheFlameAlive.org.

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U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes return to FIS World Cup competition this month, and the networks of NBC will broadcast more than 75 hours of live and same-day coverage in November and December on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and The Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, from Levi and Ruka, Finland, Lillehammer, Norway, and Copper Mountain Colorado. Coverage begins with the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup women’s slalom from Levi on Saturday, Nov. 21.

NBC Sports’ presentation of the 2020-21 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup season begins with the women’s slalom from Levi, Finland, next Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 a.m. ET live on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and OlympicChannel.com. An encore presentation of the race will be presented later in the evening at 12 a.m. ET on NBCSN.

The winningest slalom skier of all time and three-time Olympic medalist Mikaela Shiffrin is expected to make her 2020-21 FIS Ski World Cup competition season debut in Levi, and the Olympic Channel will broadcast the second run slalom event live on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 a.m. EST. Mikaela owns four career victories at the World Cup stop in Finland, including winning there in each of the last two seasons. NBC Sports’ Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) will call the action alongside former U.S. Ski Team alumnus speed skier Steve Porino (analyst).

The Olympic Channel will also provide live coverage of the FIS Cross Country World Cup sprint, skiathlon, and team sprint events from Lillehammer, Norway, Dec. 4-6; and same-day coverage of the FIS Freestyle World Cup moguls from Ruka, Norway, on Dec. 5. NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel will provide live and same-day coverage of the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix, and the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover from Copper Mountain, Colo., Dec. 18-19.

Last week NBC announced exclusive streaming of winter Olympic sports has moved from NBC Sports Gold’s “Snow Pass” to Peacock Premium. Peacock Premium will also become the exclusive home to all FIS events held in Austria, beginning with the FIS Freeski World Cup in Stubai, Austria on Nov. 21. Peacock Premium will also provide live streaming coverage of alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, ski jumping, nordic combined, and snowboard events throughout the season. 

Check out the current television broadcast and streaming schedule for November and December for all sports are available here. Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

• Alpine
• Cross Country
• Freeski
• Freestyle
• Ski Jumping
• Nordic Combined
• Snowboard

Broadcast and streaming schedules on Peacock Premium will be updated on a weekly basis throughout the season.