It was an emotional night in Flachau, Austria with Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin earning her 94th World Cup victory, 81st slalom podium and 57th slalom victory. With her 81st slalom podium, she tied alpine ski racing legend Ingemar Stenmark for the most slalom podiums in history.

The emotions at the finish were not because of the win but because of the week Shiffrin had leading up to the win. This past Saturday, Dec. 13 in Wengen, Switzerland, her boyfriend, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, crashed on one of the most dangerous downhills on the men’s circuit, the Lauberhorn. Kilde had to be airlifted by helicopter to nearby Bern, Switzerland for emergency surgery to tend to his injuries. 

At the time, Shiffrin was taking time off from racing, focusing on illness recovery and forgoing a speed series in Zuuchensee, Austria. Not long after she got the news of the severity of Kilde’s injuries, she hopped on a plane and flew to Bern, Switzerland. She spent Saturday night and most of Sunday at the hospital, sleeping on pillows on the floor to be by his side for the short amount of time she could be there - but she was not going to miss the upcoming night slalom in Falchau, a race that she ultimately ended up winning. 

“I could either be with Aleks right now, or I could come race, and if I was going to come race, then it wasn’t going to be for nothing,” Shiffrin said. “The last three days, it feels like I lived a lifetime.”

Shiffrin's slalom rival, Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, didn't go down without a fight in the race, having won the first run. But Shiffrin made up a time deficit from first run to win by 0.27 seconds and grab her fifth victory in Flachau. Vlhova was second and Sweden's Sara Hector third. 

“I’m very proud of this evening, and I’m very thankful for my whole team,” Shiffrin said through tears as she spoke to the crowd in the wake of her victory. “These last days have been very challenging, and they’ve been so supportive and helped me go see Aleks… and thank you all for cheering.”

Shiffrin and Vlhova have continued to dominate World Cup slalom skiing, having won 13 of the last 14 World Cup slalom events. All seven of this season's slaloms were won by Shiffrin and Vlhova; Shiffrin has four victories and Vlhova has three. In Flachau alone, each of the last six slaloms were won by Vlhova or Shiffrin, stretching back to 2017.

“It’s a pretty special time in ski racing,” she added. “And I’m thankful that I’m able to have a career where I’ve been able to race against multiple athletes who are the greatest of all time. It’s not always easy, but it's special.”

Stifel U.S. Ski Team teammate AJ Hurt sat in ninth after the first run, another blazing fast time for the slalom up-and-comer, but was unable to hang out through the first section of the second run and did not finish. Paula Moltzan laid down the fastest time in the first section of the course on her first run, setting a high standard for the night’s race of a time to beat. Unfortunately, Moltzan pushed her limit and skied out of the course early on in the race. Lila Lapanja also skied out and did not finish first run. 

Later this week, the women’s tech team heads to Jasna, Slovakia to tackle yet another giant slalom and slalom series, this time in front of Vlhova’s fan base. Tune in to skiandsnowboard.live to watch this weekend's race series on Jan. 20 and 21.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

Park City, Utah (January 16, 2024) - Today, U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the five athletes that will represent the U.S. Ski Jumping Team at the 2024 FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Kulm Bad Mitterndorf/Tauplitz, Austria, Jan. 25-28, 2024.

This year’s FIS Ski Flying World Championships team features four U.S. Ski Jumping Team men’s athletes. This will be the second Ski Flying World Championships for Decker Dean, after competing in Planica, Slovenia, in 2020. Andrew Urlaub, Erik Belshaw and Tate Frantz have earned their first-ever Ski Flying World Championships team nominations.

Belshaw currently has the highest world ranking out of all United States ski jumping athletes, ranked 47th, scoring World Cup points once this season after finishing 24th in the HS142 event in Ruka, Finland. Urlaub and Frantz have scored World Cup points one time each this season, with Urlaub 27th in the HS98 event in Lillehammer, Norway and Frantz 30th in the HS142 event in Ruka.

These four national team athletes will be joined by ski jumping veteran, Kevin Bickner. Bickner represented the United States at the 2018 FIS Ski Flying World Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany, placing 24th overall in the HS235 World Championship. Bickner is the current national record holder for ski flying, jumping to 244.5 meters in 2017 during the HS225 World Cup in Vikersund, Norway.

“I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Ski Flying World Championships in Kulm. Our juniors, Tate and Erik, have shown some really high level jumps the past several weeks, and last weekend they showed those jumps at the World Cup events in Wisla,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Sport Director Anders Johnson. “Additionally, Kevin Bickner has continued to work his way back into good shape after taking a long break after Beijing. Kevin is the U.S. record holder, so he certainly knows how to fly.”

"There is nothing more exhilarating than the Ski Flying World Championships," said USA Nordic CEO Adam Provost. "I know the team is excited about the opportunity and I'm excited to watch them compete against the best in the world."

Fans will be able to watch the 2024 FIS Ski Flying World Championships live on Peacock, with live results also being available on the FIS website.

2024 FIS SKI FLYING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Name, hometown, ski club, birthdate, past World Championship teams)
*Denotes first World Championships team

• Andrew Urlaub* (Eau Claire, WI; Flying Eagles Ski Club; 4/12/2001)
• Decker Dean (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/8/2000; 2020)
• Erik Belshaw* (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 8/23/2004)
• Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, IL; Norge Ski Club; 9/23/96; 2018)
• Tate Frantz* (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Educational Foundation; 3/28/2005)

2024 FIS Ski Flying World Championships Schedule
All times ET, subject to change.

Thursday, January 25th

• 8:00 a.m. - FIS Ski Flying World Championships HS235 Qualification - Peacock

Friday, January 26th

• 8:00 a.m. - FIS Ski Flying World Championships Individual HS235 Event (Rounds 1 & 2) - Peacock

Saturday, January 27th

• 8:00 a.m. - FIS Ski Flying World Championships Individual HS235 Event (Rounds 3 & 4) - Peacock

Sunday, January 28th

• 8:00 a.m. - FIS Ski Flying World Championships Team HS235 Event - Peacock

When 21-year-old Lauren Macuga skied into the finish after her super-G run on Sunday, Jan. 14, she was surprised, to say the least. Macuga, who was the 48th racer to ski the course, had skied into 10th – a career-best result for her and the best result for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team in Zauchensee.

"I came through the finish and thought, 'My run couldn't have been that good' because it didn't feel that good. Then all of a sudden, I heard the announcer say, "Oh my gosh," she said. 

Macuga frantically looked around trying to find the leaderboard to see how she finished. "It didn't even feel real."

As the last Stifel U.S. Ski Team member to cross the finish line on Sunday, Macuga didn't expect to be the only woman who posted a top 30 time, especially since her run didn't feel as solid as her time.

"[My run] was everything I've been trying to do, and I did it," she said. "It didn't feel great, but that's just kind of how it went. I was trying so hard in the right way, and it just gave back, and it was fast." 

The Park City native had her first World Cup start in 2021 and has only posted a top-30 result thrice since. Her best finish in a super-G was 17th in Val d'Isere early on in the 2023-24 season. 

"I've been working so hard, and it's showing," she exclaimed. "It's that little bit of confidence to be like, I know that I've done it, and now I can do it again." 

Macuga's ability to break into the top 10 on Sunday is quite the feat, especially given the tight times posted by all of the competing women throughout the day. Macuga was just 0.58 seconds behind the day's winner, Lara Gut-Behrami. Austria's Cornelia Huetter finished second, 0.25 seconds back, while her teammate, Mirjam Puchner, finished third, 0.26 seconds back.

Stifel U.S. Ski team athletes Bella Wright, Alice Merryweather, and Keely Cashman finished their runs, but outside of the top 30.  Jacqueline Wiles and Tricia Mangan both skied speedy top sections but made mistakes towards the third section of the course and were unable to finish. 

Women's speed continues in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Friday, Jan. 25. The next race on the docket for the women's team is the night slalom in Flachau, Austria, on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 12:00 p.m. ET on Peacock. 

RESULTS

Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

12:00 p.m. ET, – Women's slalom, Flachau, AUT – Peacock

Jacqueline Wiles posted another strong result in Zauchensee on Saturday, Jan. 13, finishing 14th overall in the downhill, her best result in the discipline since Cortina in 2022. Wiles' push into the top 15 from bib 39 also earned her her second Stifel Bibbo Award of the weekend, an honor that goes to the racer who advances through the ranks the most from their bib number. 

"I've had some great memories on this track, so I'm more confident with where I'm going, and I have my line dialed," said Wiles. "I just needed to nail a few key turns and let the skis run. I got late at times, but I kept it going, and I think that's why I was able to have a fast run."

Wright, who pushed out of the start in bib 2, also ended the day with a solid result, finishing 17th overall. After Friday's super-G, Wright changed her plan and chose to ski with more enthusiasm and less reserve than the previous day.

"I will always feel better with a result where I know I pushed my skiing to the limit rather than trying to ski the whole course perfectly," said Wright. "A small mistake ended up costing me a lot of time today, and when you start that early on great snow, you end up on the right or the wrong side of the times. I fell back a bit today, but I still feel good about my skiing."

Italy's Sofia Goggia came out on top, winning her first downhill of the season. Austria's Stephanie Venier finished one-tenth off Goggia's winning time in second, followed by her teammate Mirjam Puchner, who tied with Italy's Nicol Delago in third.

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tricia Mangan did not finish but escaped a crash and is okay. Lauren Macuga finished 36th, and Keely Cashman finished 38th.

The speed series in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria, will wrap up on Sunday, Jan. 14, with a second super-G. Wiles, Wright, Mangan, Cashman, Macuga and Alice Merryweather will start. Tune in on Peacock at 5:00 a.m. ET to catch the final race of the weekend.

RESULTS
Women's Downhill

SUPER-G STARTERS
Isabella Wright (34)
Keely Cashman (42)
Alice Merryweather (43)
Tricia Mangan (45)
Jacqueline Wiles (47)
Lauren Macuga (48)

HOW TO WATCH
5:00 a.m. ET - women's super-G, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria - Peacock

On Saturday’s classic Lauberhornrennen men’s downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle scored a ninth place finish with Bryce Bennett close behind in 10th. 

“It is a tough hill to ski with so many different components so you will never have a perfect run but I am happy with it,” said Cochran-Siegle, who won an Olympic silver medal in super-G in 2022. 

Saturday’s downhill is the marquee event for Swiss fans with well over 50,000 people in attendance on the sides of the hill. The weather could not have been more perfect either, no wind, no clouds - just sunshine. The speed skiers were coming off of an unusually tiring few days of racing with the added downhill Thursday, two training runs and a super-G on one of the longest tracks on tour. Regardless, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men persevered and ended up with four in the top 25. 

One of the more tense moments came a few racers after Bennett when Norwegian powerhouse Aleksander Kilde crashed just before the finish line. There was a lengthy course hold as Kilde was taken in a helicopter out to address his injuries. 

“That course hold after Kilde went down was tough. I think that’s always hard when you are standing at the start but I feel like I still went out there and tried to execute and focus on the skiing,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

But the star of the weekend was Swiss skier Marrco Odermatt who at first came into the downhill lead by over three seconds, a gap that is almost unheard of in the sport. Odermatt won the first downhill on Thursday and was second in the super-G. 

“When you come down and Marco Odermatt kills you by three seconds it's crazy,” said Bennett. 

The only other skier who could come close was Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin in second, who was 0.59 seconds out from Odermatt’s near perfect run. Third place was Italian skier Dominik Paris, still 1.92 seconds off the pace. 

Stifel U.S. Ski Team skiers Jared Goldberg landed in 16th place and Sam Morse in 25th to help produce a strong team result for the speed men. Kyle Negomir landed in 40th position. Wiley Maple did not finish but he is okay. 

“It was a very heavy race weekend but to have 50,000 people watch it is cool and it was a solid run,” said Bennett. 

The schedule does not let up for the men as they prepare for the downhill of all downhills, the Hahnenkammrennen in Kitzbühel, Austria Jan. 19 and 20. 

“It is a cool combination coming from Wengen into Kitzbühel so I am excited to ski it,” said Cochran-Segle.

“I am feeling good for Kitzbühel and our whole team is skiing well. We have competitive runs there always so I am fired up,” added Bennett.

The slalom men take the stage on Sunday in Wengen with the first run going off at 4:15 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
4:15 a.m. - men's slalom, run 1, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live
7:14 a.m. - men's slalom, run 2, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live

The first leg of this weekend's series in Zauchensee, Austria, wrapped on Friday, Jan. 12, with two Stifel U.S. Ski Team women punching into the top 30 in the super-G, led by Jaqueline Wiles in 21st.

Wiles skied into the top 25 from bib 47, punching in her best World Cup super-G result since 2018. Three of the past four super-G races Wiles has started in this discipline have resulted in a DNF, so today was a huge confidence boost for her heading into the downhill on Saturday and a second super-G on Sunday.

"I know the right things I needed to do to have solid super-G skiing, and I'm really excited that I finally executed that today," said Wiles. "It's a reminder that I can do it, especially going into the downhill tomorrow. I'm psyched with the way I skied."

Wiles' result also earned her the Stifel Bibbo Award, a monetary prize given to the racer who moves up the most places from their bib number. If a Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete wins a race's bibbo award at an international race, they bring home the award. At domestic World Cups, any international or U.S. athlete can win the Stifel Bibbo Award.  

Isabella (Bella) Wright finished 30th overall, and even though she still scored points, she knows she has more in the tank. Despite the course staying dark throughout the day, the snow made up for what the lighting lacks, to the point where even little mistakes can be costly because every racer is on an equal playing field. 

"I felt great coming into the last pitch, and then one little mistake, and I lost a whole second," Wright exclaimed, frustrated. "I know that I have more to give this weekend, and tomorrow, I really need to push."

Tricia Mangan showed some promising skiing for most of her run, pacing to score her first World Cup points in super-G (and potentially a top 15) heading into the final section. She was 12th in her third split. However, Mangan pushed her line a bit too much and skied out coming into the final section of the course, resulting in a DNF. 

Overall, the heat is building up as the women look forward to the rest of the weekend in hopes of showing their best skiing before racing in Zauchensee wraps.

Saturday, Jan. 13, Wiles, Wright, Mangan, Keely Cashman and Lauren Macuga will compete in the downhill. Alice Merryweather has opted to focus on super-G this weekend as she looks to find her groove after returning from a three-year hiatus due to injury. She'll be back in the start gate on Sunday for the second super-G.

Men Post Three in Top 30 Wengen Super-G

Over in Wengen, Switzerland, three Stifel U.S. Ski Team men threw it into the top-30. Ryan Cochran-Siegle led the way in 21st position, Jared Goldberg in 27th and Bryce Bennett in 28th. Bennett made big moves from his bib number of 61 to 28th place, he earned himself the Stifel Bibbo Award for jumping the most positions in the race. The classic Lauberhorn Wengen downhill is Saturday and the men's team is fired up to send it down the long and unique downhill. Kyle Negomir and River Radamus did not finish but they are OK. Sam Morse landed in 37th place. 

RESULTS
Women's super-G
Men's super-G
 

DOWNHILL STARTERS
women:
Isabella Wright (2)
Keely Cashman (37)
Jacqueline Wiles (39)
Tricia Mangan (42)
Lauren Macuga (43)

men:
Jared Goldberg (3)
Bryce Bennett (7)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (17)
Sam Morse (32)
Kyle Negomir (46)
Wiley Maple (49)

HOW TO WATCH

4:45 a.m. ET - women's downhill, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, Austria - Peacock
6:30 a.m. ET - men's downhill, Wengen, Switzerland - skiandsnowboard.live 

Welcome to the first Sport Education Speaker Series, a dynamic and insightful series designed to elevate the performance of athletes and coaches alike. Over four engaging sessions, our roster of seasoned coaches and experts will delve into key topics that directly impact the world of sports, providing invaluable insights, strategies, and tools to enhance both individual and team success. Each of the following sessions will be a 30-minute presentation, with an opportunity for discussion following the presentation, occurring every third Wednesday from January to April.

We look forward to your engagement!

Session One
Mike Mallon - USASA Executive Director 

Session Two
Calvin Chapman - U.S. Ski & Snowboard Athletic Development Coordinator 

Session Three
Hunter Baum - U.S. Ski & Snowboard High Performance Dietician

Session Four
Sport Psychology 

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER NOW

On Thursday’s men’s downhill in Wengen, Switzerland, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Ryan Cochran-Siegle scored a sixth place finish, his best result of the season thus far. 

“I feel like that was the most solid run I’ve had on the course this week,” said Cochran-Siegle. 

Thursday’s downhill was a make-up race from the previously canceled Xfinity Birds of Prey speed event in Beaver Creek, Colorado. The weather could not have been more perfect for the downhillers; it was a picture-perfect bluebird day in Wengen. Course crews watered portions of the hill overnight making the track conditions stable and gave ample opportunities for the racers to push hard. 

First to start on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was Bryce Bennett running second. Bennett had top splits up until the final turn where he took a different line and lost quite a bit of speed. It knocked Bennett’s time up a few tenths and he ended up in 16th place. Cochran-Siegle ran next for the team in bib 16. He skied fast with a clean run through the finish into the sixth position. 

“It’s about finding the speed so rather than trying to ski perfectly I was trying to find speed so I am happy to have done that,” said Cochran-Siegle. “You really have to give it all you got on this track.” 

The Wengen downhill is widely considered a “classic” due to its history, length and very unique elements. The track includes a spot in the course where racers go under a train crossing, significantly narrow sections and more. The hill is a good one for the American men as it provides every element of downhill, including flats, big jumps and big turns, which are all areas of the discipline the Stifel U.S. Ski Team men can exceed. 

Sam Morse also made it into the points in 30th place. Kyle Negomir landed in 46th and Wiley Maple in 55th. River Radamus and Jared Goldberg did not finish but both are OK and will race the super-G. 

The day's winner was Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt, who took his first ever downhill World Cup win. Second place went to French skier Cyprien Sarrazin and in third place was Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway. 

The speed men will race super-G on Friday with the full-length Lauberhorn downhill slated for Saturday. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
Men's super-G, Wengen, Switzerland, 6:30 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live
Men's downhill, Wengen, Switzerland, 6:30 a.m. ET, skiandsnowboard.live

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced the 16 athletes who will represent the United States in the 2024 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships at Portes du Soleil in Haute-Savoie, France from Jan. 28 - Feb. 3, 2024.

The 2024 team is primarily comprised of Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes from the C and D teams, as well as top U.S. Ski & Snowboard club program athletes from across the nation. The U.S. has a history of strong results at the Junior World Championships. In the 2022 season, Isaiah Nelson took home gold in the super-G, Ava Sunshine a silver in super-G and Lauren Macuga a bronze in downhill. In 2023, there were multiple top-10 performances with Camden Palmquist ninth in slalom, Sunshine eighth in slalom and Macuga sixth in super-G.

Many of the athletes named already have had successful seasons so far. On the women’s side, both Mary and Elisabeth Bocock had their first World Cup starts, and had Stifel Success Series NorAm podium results. On the men’s side, Cooper Puckett had a recent NorAm slalom podium and Palmquist snagged his first NorAm slalom win.

“This year’s Junior World Championship team is a remarkable group of athletes who have already achieved tremendous results at the NorAm level in their young careers,” said Stifel U.S. Ski Team Development Director Chip Knight. “With a number of experienced  athletes from prior years as well as some new up- and-coming athletes, we are confident that this group will post strong individual and team results for the U.S.”

The 2024 Junior Worlds includes team alpine combined and mixed team events, along with downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom events for both men and women. Live timing will be provided by the International Ski Federation (FIS).

2024 FIS ALPINE JUNIOR WORLD SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

(Name, Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

Women:

• Elisabeth Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 9/3/2005)
• Mary Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/10/2003)
• Tatum Grosdidier (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/24/2004)
• Annika Hunt (East Burke, VT; Burke Mountain Academy; 11/30/2006)
• Mia Hunt (Park City, UT; Park City Ski & Snowboard Team/Denver University; 1/11/2003)
• Kaitlin Keane (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 11/26/2004)
• Allison Mollin (Truckee, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/7/2004)
• Liv Moritz (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/University of Denver/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 11/28/2004)
• Dasha Romanov (Thornton, CO; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 3/5/2003)* 

Men:

• Justin Bigatel (Park City, UT; Burke Mountain Academy/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 4/29/2003)
• Stanley Buzek (Silverthorne, CO; Team Summit/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 8/18/2005)
• Camden Palmquist (Eagan, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team/Team Summit/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 4/15/2003)
• Jay Poulter (Stratton, VT; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Stratton Mountain School/University of Utah/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 7/1/2003)
• Cooper Puckett (Steamboat, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 3/31/2003)
• Hunter Salani (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Stifel U.S. Ski Team; 2/25/2005)
• Ryder Sarchett (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/University of Colorado Boulder; 7/28/2003)
• Mattias Wilson (Jackson, WY; Jackson Hole Ski Club; 10/6/2006) 

* qualified but cannot compete due to injury. 

PORTES DU SOLEIL 2024 COMPETITION SCHEDULE

• January 28 – Downhill training
• January 29 – Downhill training
• January 30 – Men’s and women’s downhill
• January 31 – Men’s and women’s super-G
• January 31 – Men’s and women’s team combined
• February 1 – Team parallel
• February 2 – Women’s giant slalom
• February 2 - Men’s slalom 
• February 3 - Men’s giant slalom 
• February 3 - Women’s slalom 

More event information can be found here. 

On a historic day for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team at the final stage of the Tour de Ski, Jessie Diggins clinched her second overall Tour de Ski victory and Sophia Laukli won her first ever World Cup on the famed Alpe Cermis hill climb and is now the youngest American to ever win a cross country individual World Cup. 

After six stages of races, the athletes were drained, but the last six athletes on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team left in the stage race lined up on the start line to finish out the 2023-24 Tour de Ski. The final stage was a mass start, where all the athletes left in the tour are off the line at once. Off the start line, everyone took a lap around the previous day's 2.5k course, then on a windy path to the start of the infamous climb, which concludes with 4 kilometers straight up an alpine ski mountain. The hill has an average gradient of nearly 12% and peaks with a gradient of 28%.

Diggins led the overall by 43 seconds after the last stage in Val di Fiemme, Italy, and attacked, but two-time Tour de Ski winner Heidi Weng of Norway threatened and pushed the pace. Diggins used everything she had to maintain her overall lead and cross the finish line in sixth, winning the overall by 31.6 seconds. Weng was second in the overall while Kertuu Niskanen of Finland finished third.

But it was Laukli who had the glory of the World Cup stage win. Even with a fall, she powered past her competitors to win easily—barely looking winded as she crossed the finish line. Laukli, this summer’s winner of the overall Golden Trail World Series trail running series, excels at hill climbs and had her first podium in 2023 at the same venue. It is the first time an American has won the Final Climb. 

“I don’t think I’ve let it fully sink in,” said Laukli. “It feels insanely good. It’s super fun to have my first victory, but also have one of the best races of my life—feelings-wise and tactics-wise. Obviously I’ve had the most success in this race, but it’s just really motivating for the rest of the season and future seasons—and in more than just the hill climb. I don’t think I could be more motivated for skiing in general.” 

Behind Laukli, Weng was second and Delphine Claudel of France third. On the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Rosie Brennan was 12th in the climb and Sammy Smith was 23rd. Brennan also finished 12th in the overall standings, while Laukli was 14th and Smith 26th. 

On the men’s side, Zanden McMullen was 36th in the hill climb and Scott Patterson was 42nd.

Jules Lapierre of France won the stage, with Friedrich Moch of Germany second and Hugo Lapalus of France third. Harald Oestberg Amundsen of Norway won the overall Tour de Ski with Friedrich Moch of Germany in second and Lapalus in third. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

OVERALL TOUR DE SKI RESULTS
Women
Men