U.S. Snowboardcross athletes have put in the time this off-season and are ready to kick-off the 2019-20 FIS Snowboardcross World Cup season in Montafon, Austria, this weekend. 

“We just finished a very solid two-week block of training in Pitztal, Austria leading up to this first World Cup,” said Head U.S. Snowboardcross Coach Peter Foley. “The athletes are really excited to finally get in the start gate and see what they can do against the rest of the world.”
 

This venue has been host to the SBX World Cup since 2012, but had to be canceled two times since then due to lack of snow and bad weather conditions. Since last year’s race was one of the canceled events, everybody is eager to get back to business at this resort. The Montafon venue features one of the most spectator-friendly venues on the World Cup tour with excellent viewing throughout the entire length of the course and grandstand seating at the bottom. 

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team is rolling in with a stellar lineup including arguably the most dominant snowboardcross athlete in the history of the sport in Lindsey Jacobellis. Not only because of her 30 SBX World Cup victories (plus one in halfpipe!), which is the most for any SBX athlete, male or female, but also because of her five World Championship titles, her Torino 2006 Olympic silver medal, two crystal globes and 10 snowboardcross titles at the X-Games. Since winning the very first race of her career back in 2003-04, the Californian only finished outside of the top-10 four times in 78 events and shows no signs of slowing down at age 34.

Lindsey is not the only heavy hitter ready for gates to drop in Montafon. Double 2019 FIS Snowboardcross World Champion Mick Dierdorff is also ready to start his season on a positive note. Mick won the individual snowboardcross title at the 2019 FIS World Championships at Solitude Mountain Resort, becoming World Champion and also grabbing his first top-level international competition victory. He soon became a two-time World Champion when he and Lindsey won the inaugural mixed team snowboardcross event. 

Joining Mick and Lindsey is a strong group of riders including U.S. Snowboardcross Team members Faye Gulini, Nick Baumgartner, Alex Deibold, Jake Vedder, Hagen Kearney, and Senna Leith. In addition, U.S. Development Group member Stacy Gaskill and Americans Anna Miller, Jonathan Cheever, Cole Johnson, and Paul Kamisky are set to compete. 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST

SNOWBOARD
December 13, 2019
7:00 a.m. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup, Montafon, Austria - NBC Sports Gold
 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

Why isn’t Montafon available on NBCSN or Olympic Channel?
The reason Montafon is available via Gold Pass rather than NBCSN or Olympic Channel is that World Cup events held in Austria are not part of the TV agreement that NBC Sports has with FIS. They are controlled and sold by a different rights holder and were purchased by NBC Sports Gold for exclusive use within “Snow Pass.” If you have any further questions, please reach out to NBC Sports Gold's help desk at support@nbcsports.com.
 
Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
 

Three days into the final moguls prep period camp in Idre Fjäll, Sweden, Nessa Dziemian sustained a season-ending injury to her left knee, forcing her back to the United States to begin the healing process. Nessa tore her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and sprained her medial collateral ligament (MCL) on November 14.

“I was doing a backflip on the top air. I landed it like all of my other top airs that morning; however, I skipped the first turn out of the air this time,” Nessa recalled. “I was back seat into the second mogul. When I hit that mogul with my left leg hyperextended. It felt like my knee painfully exploded.”

Nessa describes this set back with wisdom beyond her years and has found herself in as good of a headspace as possible given the circumstances. “I do believe everything happens for a reason and there are things I will learn and grow from this setback. This is all part of the process towards my Olympic dreams. And when I get back on the slopes competing, I know I will be a stronger person mentally and physically from the experiences I had while coming back.”

She has a long road ahead of her to get back on snow, but Nessa is no stranger to the rehab process. In 2017 she suffered an ACL tear to her right knee and worked hard to come back strong for the 2019 season - which she finished ranked 12th in the world. On December 10 Nessa will undergo ACL reconstruction surgery with Dr. Vern Cooley at Intermountain Healthcare’s Park City Hospital. She plans to base herself in Park City for her recovery process and will work closely with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s medical team to do so. It will be nine to 12 months of rehab and physical therapy before Nessa even considers buckling back into her ski boots. She looks to compete at the end of the 2020-2021 season as a best-case scenario return to competition.

“The PTs here [at U.S. Ski & Snowboard] are some of the best in the world. I really trust the staff here and know I will come back even stronger. I would love to compete in 2021; I don’t want to take off two years. But I’m also thinking more long term for my knee. I’d rather have it be testing great numbers in power and strength rather than push anything too soon.”

Nessa would like to especially thank her teammates, which have shown her the true meaning of friendship during this difficult time. Jaelin Kauf responded first to Nessa on the hill that day, “from that point on and even until now, my teammates have been helping me out with everything: rides to the airport, helping me pack, cracking jokes, making me waffles when I got back from the hospital (my favorite food so that was awesome). They’ve given me housing here [in Park City] while I figure out my own housing situation.”

She is also incredibly thankful for the U.S. Ski Team and all of her and the team’s sponsors.  “Being funded this past season has really helped put me into this optimistic headspace after my injury, and it motivates me to get back on snow. I’m incredibly grateful for everything the U.S. Ski Team -  Matt Gnoza, Riley Campbell, Joe Discoe, Josh Bullock and Chuck Williams - has done for our team this prep season. Unfortunately, I couldn't show all the hard work we put in into World Cup results this season, but their support for me definitely keeps me hungry to get back in the gates and fight for my best when the time comes.”

Follow along Nessa’s recovery with her on her personal Instagram account @nssdzmn and be sure to check out her art account @minty_orange where she’ll be channeling a lot of her extra time.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee today announced finalists for the Team USA Awards, Best of November, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes from last month. Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) has been nominated. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Dec. 9.

Mikeala earned her 41st victory at the world cup slalom opener, breaking a 33-year-old record held by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmar and became the first skier to win four world cup races in Levi, breaking a tie with German Maria Hofl-Riesch and Austrian Marcel Hirscher.

Eight sports – including climbing, curling, cycling, fencing, ice skating, para track and field, sitting volleyball and skiing – are represented among the 13 finalists across men’s, women’s and team categories. The finalists’ collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes year-round.

Fans can vote for Shiffrin through midnight on Monday, Dec. 9 at TeamUSA.org/Awards. 

The anticipation is real at Copper Mountain, Colo. right now. No more mounds of snow, no more snowcats diligently working to craft a beautiful superpipe for World Cup competition. Some athletes, like 2018 Junior World Champion and U.S. Snowboard Pro Team’s own Toby Miller, even chose to leave fresh snow in Lake Tahoe to take advantage of the pristine Copper pipe. 

“I am heading to Copper early to get a few extra days in the halfpipe before the official practice begins,” said Toby mid-flight from Reno/Tahoe to Denver International. “It’s amazing that Copper has opened the halfpipe well before the Grand Prix and I want to take full advantage of that!”

As Toby took full advantage of the in-flight wifi, it became clear he made the right call, especially according to Copper Mountain’s Manager of Innovative Environments and Progression Noah Schwander.

“The pipe build went great this year,” said Noah. “We had quality snow and the surface turned out wonderful. We made a few adjustments this year from years past. We added 40 feet of length to the pipe and opened up the start a little bit. We are gathering feedback from the riders this week and will be making adjustments as needed in preparations for U.S. Grand Prix and Rev Tour.”

After one of the most aggressive and successful off-season training programs ever, U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team athletes are ready to defend their home turf. Off-season training included skiing and riding Mammoth Mountain, Calif., Timberline Resort and Ski Area at Mt. Hood, Ore.,  Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand, the Stomping Ground Park in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and finally the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Austria. 

All this offseason training allowed for some impressive injury recoveries including U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Carly Margulies who sustained a meniscus tear last season.

“I couldn’t be more excited or prepared heading into the first event back after a year-long break due to a knee injury,” said Carly. “It is going to be a hectic season getting back into the swing of things, but I am so excited to be back in the mix! Copper always provides one of the best halfpipes in the world and I’m thrilled to ride it with all of the homies next week.”

Training not only allowed for some of the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team’s top athletes to get back on their feet,  but also to dial in some new tricks. Taylor Gold, brother of Olympic bronze medalist Arielle Gold, has added a double Michalchuk 1080 to his arsenal. If Gold lands this at Copper Mountain, it would be a world’s first in World Cup competition. Also, keep an eye out for U.S. Freeski Team member Birk Irving, who is looking for the hat trick after winning two consecutive World Cups. 

Join the world’s best freeski and snowboard halfpipe athletes at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain Colo. Dec 11-14 or tune in live on NBC Sports. 

Media Accreditation Application

LAND ROVER U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN

Event Schedule
*Subject to change
Dec. 11: Freeski Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 12: Snowboard Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 13: Freeski Halfpipe Finals
Dec. 14: Snowboard Halfpipe Finals

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Delayed broadcast

FREESKI
December 13, 2019
1:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

SNOWBOARD
December 14, 2019
2:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

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

Land Rover North America today debuted its new brand and product advertising campaign, titled “Play Harder This Winter,” highlighting the British Premium SUV brand’s partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The campaign is led by a 30-second brand film, accompanied by 30 and 15-second product spots, all of which feature several U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes showcasing how Land Rover vehicles are perfect for those who love to be outside in the winter.

The campaign debuts today with a brand commercial featuring Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team member, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin. In the 30 second spot, Mikaela enjoys overcoming heavy winter snow with ease and determination in a Range Rover Sport to make it to the mountain daily. The brand spot will appear across a mix of channels and will run during National Football League (NFL) games on CBS and FOX.

The campaign also includes 30 and 15-second spots featuring freeskiers David Wise and Maggie Voisin, snowboarder Maddie Mastro, and Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team members Bryce Bennett and Steven Nyman, alongside the Range Rover Sport, Land Rover Discovery, Discovery Sport and Range Rover Velar. Each spot showcases key Land Rover vehicle features helpful for winter play, including Terrain Response Control (Range Rover Sport), Intelligent Seat Fold (Land Rover Discovery), Activity Key (Discovery Sport), and heated and massaging seats (Range Rover Velar).

“As snow has started to fall and the competitive Ski and Snowboard season has started, Land Rover is calling for people to Play Harder this season with a campaign starring U.S. Ski and Snowboard athletes enjoying their Land Rover SUVs,“ said Kim McCullough, Vice President of Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover North America. “As partners with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, this campaign is a first step to give increased visibility to these sensational athletes and celebrate how they work and play hard every winter.”

Land Rover was named the Official Vehicle Partner of U.S. Ski and Snowboard in the USA in September 2019. U.S. Ski & Snowboard supports nearly 200 national team athletes and represented 80 percent of Team USA’s gold medals during the PyeongChang 2018 and Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This year, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will participate in more than 200 competitions globally, including 35 events in the United States. As part of the sponsorship agreement, Land Rover will support 10 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athlete ambassadors including Olympic gold medalists and World Champions.

The multi-year partnership also names Land Rover as the title sponsor of the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix series, and presenting sponsor of the “Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover” events, which takes place at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA on December 20-21, 2019. The Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover is part of a multi-year commitment by U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring big air events to the masses in breathtaking new environments by hosting one city big air event per season leading into the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games. The event will be sanctioned as a FIS Snowboard and Freeski World Cup and will offer elite international men’s and women’s big air competition.

The Visa Big Air will be the first event of its kind to come to Atlanta. Event organizers expect to provide a taste of mountains and Olympic winter competition to 20,000 fans for each of the two days of competition. U.S. Freeski Olympian Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.), as well as the 2018-19 FIS Snowboard Overall Crystal Globe Winner Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.), will represent the U.S. Snowboard Team.

Land Rover offers some of the most luxurious and capable SUVs in the world. From the effortlessly elegant Range Rover to the versatile Discovery featuring available three-row seating, and the recently revealed all-new Defender, the Land Rover lineup of award-winning SUVs is built for adventure in the toughest terrain and weather conditions.

To follow the action throughout the season, follow @LandRoverUSA and @USskiteam.

Note to Editors:

Information about Land Rover North America products is available to consumers at www.landroverusa.com. Visit  www.us.media.landrover.com for news releases, high-resolution photographs and broadcast-quality video footage. Additional media updates are available on Facebook (LandRoverUSA) and Twitter (@interactivelr).

About Land Rover

Founded in 1948, Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures its vehicles in the United Kingdom. For over 70 years the brand has built a reputation for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world; whether driving through the heart of the city or traversing the countryside on- and off-road. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the Defender; Discovery and Discovery Sport; Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information, visit the official Land Rover website at www.landroverusa.com.

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.

At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class-leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2018 Jaguar Land Rover sold 592,708 vehicles in 128 countries.

We support around 260,000 people through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities and an engine manufacturing center in the UK. We also have plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia. 

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and gasoline engines.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2019, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org 

Tommy Ford wowed the home crowd and absolutely annihilated the field to win his first podium and first FIS Ski World Cup win—by a massive .80 seconds—at the Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup at Beaver Creek to lead three Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team members into the top 30. 

With snow coming in and out and visibility a challenge with thick fog wreaking havoc and causing delays on the Birds of Prey track, Tommy’s cool and calm disposition enabled him to crush his first run to take the .20 lead over two Norwegians—Henrik Kristoffersen and Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen—with teammate Ted Ligety sitting in fourth. 

The second run story was the same, with weather coming in and out, and snow falling. It was a straight-set, and the guys knew they’d have to send it. “I felt little raindrops in there, so that’s going to be interesting,” Tommy said after the second run inspection. “The weather is coming in and out so that always makes things interesting. The snow conditions still feel good and it’s pretty smooth. The Talon Crew is already pushing the snow off so it should be good.”

Rounding out the podium was the Norwegian pair of Henrik (.80 seconds back) and Leif (1.23 seconds off the pace). Tommy became the first American male to win a World Cup since teammate Travis Ganong won a downhill on Jan. 27, 2017, and the first American male podium finisher since Ted in January of 2018 in Garmisch, Germany. This result ended the longest drought for the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team since the late 1990s. Tommy also joins Ted and Bode Miller as the only Americans to have won a World Cup tech (slalom/giant slalom) since Phil Mahre's last World Cup win in March of 1983. 

Beaver Creek has been a special place for Tommy, as he scored his first top-10 result on the track in 2017, and from then on kept rolling with career-best results. In 2019, Tommy had a steady stream of consistent results, with two sixth-place finishes, and a career-best fifth place at Alta Badia, Italy. He started the season off this year in Soelden, Austria finishing just off the podium (.07 seconds) in fourth—another career-best. 

Tommy missed the 2014 Olympics due to a fractured femur sustained while free skiing in France. He returned to the U.S. Ski Team but was sidelined for the 2013 World Championships and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. It’s been a long, challenging road back - but Sunday was a particularly sweet taste of victory in front of a home crowd, his girlfriend and teammate Laurenne Ross, and his family and friends. 

“Nothing beats doing it [winning] here. I’ve been working hard,” Tommy said. “There’s no secret, just kept it simple and really trusted what I was doing, with solid and clean skiing. I am happy to be here in Beaver Creek, the Talon Crew is awesome, my friends and family are here - I feel so grateful. There were nerves coming and going - they always kind of are - but just letting them go is the key. I am just fortunate to have such great coaches, family and a great supporter in Mt. Bachelor back at home - which is all coming through in the skiing that I put down."

Ted, who was fourth after the first run, ended up 11th, while Ryan Cochran-Siegle was 23rd. River Radamus, Brian McLaughlin, and George Steffey—who made his World Cup debut on Sunday—all started but did not qualify for a second run. Sam Dupratt started but did not finish the first run. 

Up next for the men is a giant slalom and slalom in Val d’Isere, France—a venue that has been good to Tommy. He scored a sixth place finish there last season, and it’s a track that suits Tommy’s style. He'll be bringing the red leader bib with him, as he's currently leading the giant slalom standings with 150 points over Frenchman Mathieu Faivre's 120 points. 

RESULTS
Men's Giant Slalom

STANDINGS
Men's World Cup
Men's Giant Slalom

Mikaela Shiffrin snagged another top-10 result in Lake Louise, taking 10th place in the super-G and continuing to build her seemingly insurmountable World Cup overall lead.

After days of battling heavy snowfall and tough conditions, the typical cold weather and sunshine descended on Lake Louise, Alberta, to wrap up the first World Cup speed weekend of the season. Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany took her fourth World Cup super-G win, while exciting Italian youngster Nicol Delago skied from bib 31 to second place. Corinne Suter of Switzerland was third.

Mikaela skied a solid race but made a small error in her line prior to the pitch, which cost her time. “It’s one of the trickiest events—may be the trickiest event—because you only get one run and you don’t get training,” she said of super-G. “The speeds are high, but the technique is kind of similar to GS. You have this combination of everything wrapped into one event and you have to nail it on the first run. You can’t back off—you have to go full attack, full aggression, but still precise. There’s a fine line between how much time a mistake costs versus creating speed.”

After finishing second and 10th in Saturday and Friday’s downhills, respectively, Shiffrin holds a 237-point lead in the overall World Cup standings over Rebensburg as the World Cup heads to Europe.

Rounding out the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team, Alice Mckennis also threw down a great result, taking 13th place to cap off a strong first weekend back from injury. Alice Merryweather finished in the points for the third time this weekend in 23rd place. Jacqueline Wiles was 32nd.

The Lake Louise races closed out the North American part of the 2019-20 FIS Alpine World Cup tour, with the women heading to St. Moritz, Switzerland for super-G and parallel slalom races.

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Dec. 8
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

The U.S. Cross Country Team of Sophie Caldwell, Sadie Maubet Bjornsen, Rosie Brennan and Jessie Diggins battled to a second-place finish in Sunday’s FIS Cross Country World Cup 4x5k team relay in Lillehammer, Norway. 

“It is always an incredible day when we land on the podium as a team,” Sadie said. “Putting four perfect legs together is a huge achievement, which is why winning a team medal is so special. I am really proud of all the girls today. It has been a few years since our group has stood on the podium for the 4x5km relay, so we were quite excited!”

Fresh snow along the Birkebeineren skistadium course provided the athletes an additional challenge Sunday. “We woke up to a solid snowstorm making for some messy and slow racing,” Rosie said. “Luckily we prepared for this and had the team we thought would handle that kind of racing best. Relays are so fun and also stressful because you never know what's going to happen until it's over, so it requires everyone to give their best no matter what place or what is happening around you.”

Team Norway 1 took the victory, followed by Team USA 1 at 48 seconds back, and Team Sweden in third one minute, 19 seconds off of the winning time. 

Right from the start, Team Norway 1 took the lead with Maiken Caspersen Falla leading the charge. Sophie opened the race for Team USA 1, skiing the first of two classic legs, and finishing seventh, but keeping her team in the fight at just 26 seconds off of the pace. Tagging off to Sadie, Team USA 1 moved up to fifth on the second leg. 

“With the falling snow, it made it extra challenging out there,” Sadie said. “But everyone on the team just kept their heads down and ground their way towards the front. I think my favorite part about the relay is that anything can happen. Regardless of where you are in the pack during your leg, you have to fight for every single second, because things are constantly moving and shifting.”

Therese Johaug (Team Norway 1), who won Saturday’s skiathlon, opened up a slight gap over both Team Sweden and Team USA 1 in the third leg. 

“Sadie tagged me off in a place where I could visually see teams in front which was exactly what I needed to get a solid chase going on,” Rosie said. “I love the grind of slow days so I just started to grind away and I quickly realized that I was gaining time, so I just kept the grind going. I was working hard to catch Sweden and couldn't quite get there but at least tagged off to Jessie with them within sight and she's not someone you want to race against on relay day so I had full faith in her ability to reel them in.”

The final exchange was first reached by Team Norway 1 before Sweden (+48.9 sec) and USA 1 (+57.6 sec). Jessie managed to catch up to Team Sweden's Moa Lundgren in the first lap of their final leg but neither managed to close the gap to the head of the race, led by Norway’s Heidi Weng. In moving her team into second though Jessie posted the fastest 5k lap of the day at 14 minutes, 37 seconds. Eight seconds faster than the second-fastest 5k time posted by Norway’s Therese Johaug.

The U.S. Cross Country Team entered two teams in the relay, but a nagging cold kept Hailey Swirbul out of her race suit as she was scheduled to ski the final leg for Team USA 2 with teammates Julia Kern, Rosie Frankowski, and Caitlin Patterson. However, she still played a huge role in her teammate's success. 

“Big thanks to the larger team outside the four of us that helped put this day together,” said Sadie “Hailey got sick this week, but was out on the final climb screaming ‘you can do anything for one minute.’ It helped me find one more gear to bring it home. That is a sure sign of an incredible teammate. Our team is at the level it is right now because of the belief and support like this.”

In the men’s 4x7.5k relay, U.S. Cross Country Team of Erik Bjornsen, David Norris, Scott Patterson and Kevin Bolger finished ninth. Team Russia 2 won the race, followed by Team Russia 1 in second and Team Norway 1 in third.

Up next, the FIS Cross Country World Cup tour moves to Davos, Switzerland for the first freestyle sprint of the season on Saturday, Dec. 14, and 1 10k freestyle for the women and 15k freestyle for the men on Sunday, Dec. 15.

RESULTS
Women’s 4x5k relay
Men’s 4x7.5k relay

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup
Men’s World Cup

The Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team women roared back to the top in Lake Louise, Alberta, on Saturday with Mikaela Shiffrin storming onto the downhill podium in second place—just .13 seconds off of first—and Alice McKennis and Alice Merryweather taking 10th and 11th respectively. Mikaela’s result also extended her overall World Cup lead to 270 points.

Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria won the downhill with Italy's Francesca Marsaglia in third. Friday’s winner Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic was just two-hundredths off the podium in fourth.

After tough conditions due to snowfall and poor visibility on Friday, the Lake Louise course crew worked hard overnight to get the track into race shape. “All of us are looking for some redemption after yesterday,” said Alice Mckennis after the morning inspection. “We’re never satisfied unless we’re up near the top. Everyone is looking forward to giving it another shot.”

And the shot rang true, with three U.S. women finding their redemption in top spots.

Even after a long course hold that kept her waiting in the start gate, Mikaela held her composure to take her first speed podium of the year. “I feel every year I get more experience and I get more comfortable,” Mikaela said of racing downhill. “Right now, it’s just enjoying it. My goal is to be able to succeed in speed as well, so right now I’m just making a transition and trying to have fun with it.”

In only her second race back from injury, Alice Mckennis was happy to snag a spot in the top 10. “I’m pretty stoked on my run,” she said. “It was definitely a little loose and a little ragged, but I’m really proud of the way I approached the run. I didn’t hesitate at all and I went for it. That’s a huge step for me—to feel that race-day confidence and to trust myself and believe in myself again.”

Alice Merryweather’s 11th place finish was her second-best World Cup result and the second time she has finished in the top 15, showing the world that she’s someone to keep an eye on as the speed circuit continues. 

"Having a full downhill team here is so nice; it’s really fun to have a lot of girls here," said Alice Merryweather, who was a little bit of a lone ranger on the speed team last year with so many teammates sidelined with injury. "We’ve been bouncing a lot of good energy off of each other. Mikaela on the podium is super exciting, and then to have a full downhill team is so nice. It’s awesome to see four of us in the points and to really feel like we have a speed team again."

Rounding out the U.S. women, Jacqueline Wiles finished in the points for the second day in a row, taking 29th. Alix Wilkinson was 33rd, Isabella Wright was 36th and Keely Cashman was 37th.

Mikaela now has seven speed event podiums under her belt—four in downhill and three in super-G—and will be looking for another in Sunday’s super-G. “My super-G is pretty good right now, but it’s also a little tricky to switch from downhill skis to super-G skis and to change the timing a little bit,” said Mikaela, who won last year’s super-G in Lake Louise. “I’m going to have fun tomorrow and do my best and see what’s possible.”

RESULTS
Women’s downhill

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

Anticipation was mounting all week for Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who put down the fastest training time in Wednesday's first and only downhill training run at Xfinity Birds of Prey World Cup. Despite the increased pressure, the 2012 Junior World Downhill Champion held his composure and finished a career-best sixth-place - a blink of an eye (.08 seconds) - off the podium in a shortened downhill.

It's been a season full of ties on the men's speed circuit, and today was no exception. It's not a big surprise that Swiss Beat Feuz was the fastest man down the mountain today, as he was also last year's Birds of Prey downhill race victor. What was a surprise, however, was France's Johan Clarey tying Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, .41 seconds off Beat's pace. 

In a day with the weather a little bit like the east coast with flat light and some gusty winds at the start, Vermonter Ryan laid it down and trusted his skiing. "I was a little emotional...happiness and joy," Ryan said after his run. "You don't get that often, so I'll take it. I wasn't planning on being fast in the first training run and after winning that it felt like there might have been a little bit more of a spotlight, so just trying to handle it and show that I could perform on race day was huge." High winds at the start forced the men to start from the reserve start, so it was a bit more of a sprint.

Ryan made a brilliant recovery, pushing the line and holding his composure all the way down. "That's just skiing. In my training run, I had a couple of turns where one ski got up in the air, but I think just trying to keep moving forward and going with what I have is what makes me fast here. In my head, I thought I was in complete control. I haven't seen it yet - I'm sure it looked cool...but that's skiing, you gotta be on the limit." 

Both Steven Nyman and Jared Goldberg put down solid skiing, and finished in the points, in 17th and 22nd respectively. Sam Morse just missed the points by a few hundredths, finishing in 32nd. Bryce Bennett (39th), Travis Ganong (40th), Kyle Negomir (51), Wiley Maple (58), and Tommy Biesemeyer (59) also started but did not finish in the points. 

Up next for the men is giant slalom on Sunday, which will air live on the Olympic Channel and a replay on NBC. 

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RESULTS 
Men's Downhill

STANDINGS
Men's World Cup

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 7
11:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 8
11:40 a.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 1, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold
2:30 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run 2, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com. NBC Sports Gold
5:00 p.m. - Men’s giant slalom run, Xfinity Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC
6:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G, Lake Louise, Alberta - NBCSN*

*Same-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app.

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.