It was a challenging day as Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) and Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) led the way for the U.S. Ski Team in the men’s downhill at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships Saturday in Are, Sweden.

With moderate snowfall and fog, race organizers postponed the start of the race by an hour, but conditions didn’t improve much once the first athlete kicked out of the start house.

“Obviously they made the call because (Sunday’s) conditions aren’t going to be any better,” said Bennett, who was the top-placed American in ninth. “It was safe, but I’ve never skied a downhill like that before. You couldn’t really see the track, it was like an inch or two of powder everywhere…it just wasn’t that fast.”

“Today was, I think for everyone, it was a really challenging day,” added Cochran-Siegle, who finished 12th coming out of the 35th start position. “Tough for the early guys who had that stop-start...to deal with. And I think for us, there was a pretty good amount of snow coming down by the time the later guys ran. We all had tough conditions.”

Norway swept the gold and silver medals with Kjetil Jansrud edging out his teammate Aksel Lund Svindal, who was competing in his final race after announcing his retirement last month, by a mere .02 seconds. Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr came out of the 17th start position to take the bronze.

“It’s pretty cool to see the way it ended with Aksel in the podium with his best bud,” said Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah), who finished 23rd. “That’s a pretty impressive way to end it. That’s cool to watch, but I wish I was up there.”

While it was a challenging day for many, and a triumphant day for a few, there were some positive takeaways for Bennett and Cochran-Siegle.

“It comes down to execution I did some parts well,” Bennett said. “I was having a hard time seeing what I needed to do this week and I spent a decent amount of time last night watching video, and I think it paid off alright. I’m happy with today.”

“I’m really happy with my skiing,” Cochran-Siegle added. “I feel like my plan going the race was trying to nail a couple sections and ski well, and I feel like I really did that, which is cool to do at such a big event.”

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), the 2015 World Championship downhill silver medalists, finished 26th.

Up next, the 2019 World Championships continue with Lindsey Vonn’s final race in the women’s downhill Sunday. On Monday, the men will compete in alpine combined.

RESULTS
Men’s World Championships downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Saturday, Feb. 9
3:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBCSN*

Sunday, Feb. 10
6:30 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s downhill - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
3:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBC*
10:30 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s downhill - Are, SWE - NBCSN*

Monday, Feb. 11
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships combined downhill - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships combined downhill - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:30 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships combined slalom - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Tuesday, Feb. 12
9:55 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships team event - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Feb. 14
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s giant slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
10:30 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s giant slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Feb. 15
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
11:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s giant slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 16
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships women’s slalom - Are, SWE - NBC*

Sunday, Feb. 17
5:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 1 - Are, SWE - NBCSN*
8:00 a.m. - FIS World Alpine Championships men’s slalom run 2 - Are, SWE - NBCSN OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.
 

Deer Valley’s Champion ski run lived up to its name at Friday’s FIS Moguls World Championships. With almost four feet of new snow falling on Deer Valley Resort leading up to course preparation and training on Wednesday, the course was absolutely ripping, with soft moguls and huge landings. U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.) finished the night’s competition in sixth, the highest position of U.S. athletes on the first night of moguls competition at Deer Valley.

Yulia Galysheva (Kazakhstan) led the women and took the World Championship title, Kazakhstan’s first ever freestyle or snowboard World Championships gold, followed by Jakara Anthony (Australia) in second and Perrine Laffont (France) in third. Mikael Kingsbury (Canada), the winningest moguls athlete of all time, claimed his third World Championship title; Matt Graham (Australia) finished second and Hara Daichi (Japan) came in third.

Six Americans represented the United States in the finals under the lights at Deer Valley Resort: Jaelin Kauf (Alta, Wyo.), Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.), Nessa Dziemian (East Hampstead, N.H), Bradley Wilson (Butte, Mont.), Hunter Bailey (Vail, Colo.) and Dylan Walczyk (Rochester, N.Y.). This was Johnson, Dziemian and Bailey’s first World Championships event. “It’s always awesome coming here to Deer Valley with my friends and family coming out and watching, and making finals is the best,” said Dziemian. “This place is the best spot to make finals. It’s under the lights and you’re skiing down to all of your friends and family at the bottom. It’s just so surreal.”

Kauf, the bronze medalist in dual moguls at the 2017 World Championships, was the top American finisher, coming in sixth overall. “Tonight went alright. I got a lot better as the day went on. The final run I made a bobble in the top section, I almost fell up there and so after that, I just figured I had nothing to lose and had to send it in the middle. It cost me a little bit, I had some bobbles, but overall it was a good day,” said Kauf.

Walczyk led the U.S. men, finishing eighth overall, his best World Championships result to date. “That middle section [of the course] was some of the best skiing of my life,” he said.

Wilson, the silver medalist in dual moguls at the 2017 World Championships, also had the run of a lifetime, skiing the fastest time of the finals at 23.14 seconds. “The skiing in the middle felt so good and then there’s one section where the moguls get a little farther apart and my skis just got a little bit out ahead of me. I went to slow down but at the same time I lost a pole plant. I just couldn’t get that edge set and landed a little too far,” Wilson said of his unfortunate bottom-air crash.

The U.S. Moguls Team has one more opportunity for World Championships glory at tomorrow (Saturday)’s dual moguls event. A crowd favorite, there is nothing like skiing on home snow for these athletes. “I’m excited for duals tomorrow. I think it’s going to be awesome and this course is the best for it,” said Kauf.

Results
Women’s moguls
Men’s moguls

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Saturday, Feb. 9
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s dual moguls - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 10
2:00 a.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s dual moguls - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN*

Chloe Kim (Torrence, Calif.) took home the halfpipe gold as U.S. Snowboard teammate Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) grabbed the bronze at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, Friday at Utah’s Park City Mountain.

“I’m pretty stoked,” said Kim, who pulled out a new trick - a front double cork 1080 - for her victory lap after already securing the gold medal with a score of 93.50 “It’s been pretty rough to find a good halfpipe to do it in that’s safe and that’s fun to do it in. And so today, I was like, ‘I have a third run, why not try it?’ I really wish I would have gotten it, but at the same time I kinda knew it wasn’t going to go all right when I took off. But I’m pretty stoked on how it went and hyped to go home in one piece. So, it’s all good!”

Mastro claimed her first World Championships medal after finishing sixth at the 2017 World Champs in Sierra Nevada, Spain.

“I’m pretty stoked. It’s really fun to come out and put down runs and have fun with it,” Mastro said. “That’s what today was about for me. It’s awesome everyone [on team U.S. Ski & Snowboard] is ripping. We really pushed each other this week. It’s inspiring to have such a great group of girls all around you, from slopestyle to halfpipe.”

China’s Xuetong Cai took home the silver medal. 2018 Olympic bronze medalist and 2013 World Champion Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) finished fifth.

In the men’s competition, reigning Junior World Champion Toby Miller (Mammoth Lake, Calif.) just missed the podium, finishing fourth.

“I'm super excited,” said Miller. “The level of riding out there today was through the roof. Coming here and ending up fourth, I couldn’t be happier.”

Two-time defending World Champion and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Scotty James of Australia pulled the three-peat with another dazzling halfpipe performance. Japan’s Yuto Totsuka was second, followed by Switzerland’s Patrick Burgener taking his third career World Championship halfpipe bronze.

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe
 

The U.S. Freeski Team has a stacked roster of athletes headed into the FIS Freeski World Championship halfpipe finals Saturday, including 2018 PyeongChang bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.).

“The pipe is sick,” said Sigourney. “Park City did a great job. It’s been rough with the weather we’ve had the last few days, but today is the best day we have had so far. It’s really nice we were able to have great weather for the qualifiers. I’m stoked, the sun is out and it was a good day. Having my family here definitely puts the pressure on, especially when they couldn’t make it for qualifiers. My parents are flying in this afternoon and boyfriend’s entire family is here as well. I’m happy I get to ski for them and hopefully, it will be just as good of a day on Saturday.”

Also, 2014 Sochi gold medalist Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) will be representing the U.S. women in finals.

“I feel I did as much as I could with what we were given in practice,” said Bowman. “I’m very thankful I made it through to finals. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen today. I’m looking forward to competing in front of the Park City crowd on Saturday. The girls are skiing super well, so it should be a lot of fun.”

For the men, 2018 PyeongChang Olympic gold medalist David Wise (Reno, Nev.) qualified first and will be leading the charge.

“I had an amazing practice,” said Wise. “Coming off a couple of bad weather days of practice, waking up this morning having the sun pop out, the riding as good as it is, it just made me excited about skiing. I rolled through practice and landed some of my best runs of the year. I managed to land my first run when the competition got started and tried to do a little more on my second run to build steam for finals. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s so cool to be able to compete here in Park City for the World Championships. The Utah, Salt Lake, Park City areas are so excited about winter sports, so I think people are going to come out and support.”

2018 PyeongChang Olympic silver medalist Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo.) will also be representing the U.S. in finals.

“This is my first World Championships,” said Ferreira. “I didn’t do so well on my first run so to land my second run and make into finals makes me feel super grateful. My whole plan for the season was to do Dew Tour, X Games, and World Championships. I ended up competing at the Copper Grand Prix as well, but I wanted to focus on just the big events this year. I am happy to be a part of this event, in the finals and everything looks like it’s coming together.”

Joining Wise and Ferreira is X Games gold medalist Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.) as well as U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Taylor Seaton (Avon, Colo.).

The vibe is right heading into the final days of the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships. Tune into NBC to catch all the action.

START LISTS
Men’s freeski halfpipe
Women’s freeski halfpipe

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Feb. 9
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) for ski and snowboard sports in the USA, has announced a four-year partnership with Charles Schwab in the category of brokerage, investment and financial services. The 2018-19 competition season will mark U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s 21st year partnering with the financial institution.

“This is an exciting time for us to be entering a new multi-year deal with Charles Schwab that will see us through the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Park City, Utah, as well as the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing,” said Dan Barnett, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We are delighted to provide a platform for Charles Schwab to leverage the unrivalled B2B and client entertainment opportunities that our sport provides. We are proud to have Charles Schwab on board as a partner for the next four years. Their investment in us enables our athletes to fulfil their dreams of representing the U.S. and standing on podiums at World Cups, World Championships and, ultimately, the Olympic Winter Games.”

Charles Schwab’s partnership will focus on hospitality activations, providing premier experiences for key clients at domestic U.S. Ski & Snowboard events.

“As a proud sponsor of U.S. Ski & Snowboard for more than two decades, Schwab is committed to actively supporting athletes who are pursuing their dreams on the slopes, ramps, half-pipes and cross-country tracks,” said Derek Benbow, Schwab’s Managing Director of Corporate Sponsorships and Strategic Partnerships. “Just as U.S. Ski & Snowboard is focused on providing the right resources for winter athletes who are inspired to be the best, our purpose at Schwab is to champion every client’s goals with passion and integrity. Continuing this important partnership for the next four years demonstrates our passion for the sport and these amazing athletes.”                                                      

For more information about Charles Schwab’s partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, contact U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Marketing & Communications Director, Tom Webb, at tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org

Team Aerials made its FIS Freestyle World Championships debut under the lights at Deer Valley Resort on Thursday night, day seven of the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota. 2017 World Champions Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.), Jon Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.), and brother Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.) represented the United States and finished sixth overall.

The Swiss team of Carol Bouvard, Nicolas Gygax and Noe Roth were crowned the first FIS Team Aerials World Champions. The Chinese team of Xu Mengtao, Sun Jiaxu, and Wang Xindi came in second, and the Russian team of Liubov Nikitina, Stanislav Nikitin and Maxim Burov placed third.

Eight nations competed at Deer Valley Resort with teams consisting of three athletes (one man and two women or two men and one woman). Every athlete jumped once during the qualification round, and the combined scores of all three determined those who moved on to the final round of four teams. In finals, each athlete jumped once again, and those combined jump scores determined the medal winners. The Team Aerials format transforms aerials squads from a number of individual athletes to a unified competitive force battling it out against other nations.

The night’s result wasn’t what the U.S. team was hoping for, but the opportunity for two medal events on the World Championship level will have them pushing for the next go-around in 2021. “I really like the team event. You know we always have the camaraderie there going out and going big and watching our teammates have success,” said Ashley Caldwell. “But when you’re on the same exact team and you’re fighting against other nations there’s a different level of pull for your teammates and you really want everyone to do well. The U.S. team has the capability to be at the top of this team podium. Tonight wasn’t our night but we’ve got in the future for sure.”  

For U.S. teammates and brothers Jon and Chris Lillis, Thursday’s event was an experience unlikely matched by many. “It was absolutely amazing [to be up there with Chris] and I think that it’s not a thing that a lot of people can say, being at the highest level of sport with a family member, and such a close family member like a brother. It just kind of builds the pressure and builds the intensity,” said Jon Lillis.

The U.S. Aerials Team looks forward to the rest of the competitive season ahead and they travel to Moscow next. “Moving on, we just have to come back and do the stuff that we’re capable of,” said Jon Lillis. “We have so many athletes who are top of the podium potential on this team. It’s been a little bit of a rocky start for me this season and I think that I just need to do what I’m capable of doing. There’s not a World Champion anywhere who likes being in fifth place, so I need to get back in the swing of things and back to my prior confidence levels, and keep the support from the fanbase so we can keep pushing.”

Results
Team Aerials results

Four U.S. Snowboard Team athletes will compete in the 2019 FIS Snowboard World Championship halfpipe finals on Friday at Park City Mountain, Utah.

Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) will by vying for her first-ever World Championships medal. In addition, Olympians Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) and Arielle Gold (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) are also set to compete for the women.

“The pipe’s been riding well,” said Gold. “I think it’s been a bit challenging to get a solid cut because of the amount of snow that has been falling, but it’s supposed to dissipate throughout today and into tomorrow, so I think that’ll help a lot. We unfortunately haven’t gotten much practice because of all of the snow, but it helps that we’re mid-season, so hopefully the tricks will come back easy regardless. I’m excited to get back in there tomorrow, just looking to put down some runs that I’m happy with and have a great time doing it!”

For the men, 2019 Junior World Champion Toby Miller (Mammoth Lakes) will be representing the United States.

“The halfpipe here in Park City is world class,” said Miller. “When I heard World Championships were being held at Park City I knew the halfpipe was going to be amazing! World championships is such an amazing event because you get riders from all over the world coming to compete for their country on a non-Olympic year. I could not be happier to make finals here on home soil. The level of riding yesterday was through the roof. Friday is going to be a good show.”

The U.S. riders competing in the World Championship finals have collected a combined nine top-three finishes in halfpipe competition this season including the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo., World Cup; Dew Tour modified superpipe; Laax, Switzerland, World Cup and X Games last month in Aspen, Colo.. All eyes are on the U.S. Snowboard Team as they come into the final round of competition with momentum in search for the coveted title of World Champion.

Tune into NBC to catch all the action!

START LIST
Men’s halfpipe finals
Women’s halfpipe finals

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Feb. 8
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBCSN & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 9
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC*
 

Reigning Aerials World Champion, Ashley Caldwell (Ashburn, Va.) lead the U.S. Aerial Ski Team with a fifth-place finish at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, held at Deer Valley Resort Wednesday. Chris Lillis (Pittsford, N.Y.) led the men, placing seventh.

Russia's Maxim Burov topped the podium as the new men’s World Champion, with Oleksandr Abramenko of Ukraine coming in second and Noe Roth from Switzerland in third. Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya of Belarus was crowned the new women’s World Champion, with Russia's Liubov Nikitina coming in second and China's Xu Mengtao in third.

“If it wasn’t me or one of my teammates on the top of the podium, I wanted to it to be Aliaksandra so I’m excited for her,” said Caldwell.

Coming back from a shoulder injury, Caldwell was just six months post-op with only a handful of triple jumps under her belt as she came into the World Champs finals. One of the few women on the World Cup circuit to perform triples, Caldwell is known for not backing down when it comes to challenging herself and pushing the sport of aerials forward. 

“I’m proud of my performance even though I didn’t come home with a medal," Caldwell said. "I think I could have. It was there for me, I just didn’t have the practice under my belt. It was a push for me to get to Worlds at all. I’m really happy that I came here and did triples and stayed true to my ethos, even though it was the hardest event for me to stay true to that in my whole career.

“As a winter sports athlete, the Olympics is what we push for. And if you're not pushing for the Olympics, you’re pushing for World Championships," she said. "And if you’re not pushing for World Championships, you’re pushing for the events in your backyard. And Deer Valley is our backyard, it’s our home field and to have World Championships here and to have Jon [Lillis] and I be reigning World Champions was a huge push this year. I had a rough Olympics and a rough season afterward so the inspiration of the Deer Valley crowd is definitely what pushed me to go out there and do the triples today.”

The U.S. had two World Championship athlete debuts at Wednesday’s event: Christopher Lillis and Morgan Northrop (Haymarket, Va.). Northrop finished 12th overall.

Christopher Lillis made an impressive show at his first FIS World Championships. “I mean I couldn’t imagine a better place to start off my World Championships career! I am the youngest man on our team and have definitely been playing that on our team for the last few years. To come back from ACL surgery and compete here in front of the Deer Valley crowd was just amazing,” he said.

Alex Bowen (Springville, N.Y.), the silver medalist at the 2015 World Championships, had some strong training jumps but finished 12th overall in the men’s competition. Bowen has hinted that this event is likely his last. “I’m thinking it’s true that this was my last show. This is what I wanted. I wanted to come to Deer Valley, qualify for World Champs, compete under the lights and I feel pretty good about it. The day could have gone better, I could have jumped better, but overall I’m really content right now and happy with my choices.”

Aerials continue with the Team event on Feb. 7, under the lights at Deer Valley Resort. This is the first time Team Aerials will be competed during World Championships, ahead of its Olympic debut in Beijing in 2022. "There's still time to become a World Champion, we have a team event which I'll be competing in tomorrow. We're very excited to hopefully kick that off with a bang and take home our gold for the USA," said Lillis.

Results
Women’s aerials
Men’s aerials

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast

Thursday, Feb. 7
12:00 a.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s aerials - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s team aerials - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold

Visa Remains Committed to Supporting the Winter Olympic Games and the Athletes Who Inspire Millions to Reach for their Dreams

PARK CITY, UTAH  – Visa (NYSE: V) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced an eight-year sponsorship extension through 2026, including support of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. The agreement also establishes U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, as Visa’s only NGB sponsorship.

Through the partnership, Visa is the title sponsor and preferred way to pay at both the online U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Shop and the on-site merchandise experiences. When fans purchase team gear, whether shopping online or at domestic competition events, proceeds of each transaction will go towards supporting the team. Visa allows fans to complete seamless and secure payment transactions while supporting the dreams of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes.

“We’re thrilled to renew our sponsorship deal with Visa,” said Dan Barnett, chief marketing officer, U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Having a prestigious, global brand like Visa support our organization makes it possible for our athletes to achieve excellence in their sports and continue to fight to be Best In The World. Visa continues to be a champion of the global Olympic movement and we are excited that their commitment for the next eight years will have such a positive, direct impact on our athletes.”

Visa first became the preferred payment partner and proud sponsor of U.S. Ski & Snowboard in 1986, the same year it became one of the founding members of The Olympic Partners (TOP) program, a worldwide committee managed by the IOC.

“We are proud to extend our sponsorship of U.S. Ski & Snowboard through the 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” said Chris Curtin, chief brand and innovation marketing officer, Visa. “Being on the front lines of helping these exceptional athletes fulfill their Olympic dreams is so important to our entire organization. We look forward to supporting U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s athletes on Team Visa.”

In addition to U.S. Ski & Snowboard being the only U.S. NGB that Visa sponsors, the agreement also extends into supporting major events that showcase U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes in the run-up to the Winter Olympic Games.

“We are excited to see the extensive work of our teams come to fruition,” U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Dan Barnett continued. “We are working closely with Visa to help boost the overall awareness of the sponsorship as well as the outstanding athletes competing for podiums. Our goal is to not only feature the exciting events of our sport but boost the overall popularity of winter sports by attracting a broader audience both domestically and internationally.”

Visa will also support athletes at all Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events. Athletes are currently participating in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s hometown 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships presented by Toyota. The Championships are being held February 1 -10, 2019, at Solitude Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and Park City Mountain.

A suite of inspirational digital assets will also be co-produced by Visa and U.S. Ski & Snowboard and launched throughout the season. Each digital series will take fans behind the scenes with U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and into their lives both in and out of competition as they journey across the world in pursuit of reaching the podium. This content will feature the dynamic athletes of U.S. Ski & Snowboard as well as Team Visa athletes who are on the road to Tokyo 2020.

Since 2000, Visa has been committed to the development and support of athletes worldwide when it founded the Team Visa program. To date, more than 400 Olympic and Paralympic athletes have taken advantage of tools, resources, and support needed to help them achieve their dreams.

For more information about Visa’s support of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, contact U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Marketing & Communications Director, Tom Webb, at tom.webb@usskiandsnowboard.org.

###

About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/aboutvisa.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is an Olympic sports organization providing leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coached, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. Established in 1905, U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund athletic programs to assist athletes in reaching their dreams. The organization is based in Park City, UT. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

Two-time Olympic medalist Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) added a second World Championship medal to his collection, grabbing the slopestyle bronze medal in Park City, Utah, Wednesday, at the 2019 Snowboard, Freeski and Freestyle World Championships, presented by Toyota.

Goepper, who also claimed the slopestyle bronze at the 2013 World Championships, stepped up to the challenge of a stacked field, variable snow conditions and fading afternoon flat light, to post his best score on his third and final run to seal the podium finish.

“It was great to have my my sister, my fiancé, and my friends out here along with some family watching at home," said Goepper. "It’s been a great experience here in Park City. There were some positive emotions and some negative emotions today, but we were able to get the contest off. In this type of weather it’s about competing and not necessarily the skiing. There’s a lot of strategy involved. If you going forward or switch, because you tend to get more speed forward. I’m one of the veterans out here and I think experience really helps. It's about picking those tricks that allow you to dial in your landing and carry speed into a tuck and get through the next feature. That was my play today.”

Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) performed very well in tough conditions as well as through some equipment malfunctions and finished just outside the podium in fourth. Forehand broke his skis in practice and had to pivot to find a solution right before the competition. It came down to the wire as organizers were forced to adjust his start position to accommodate the situation. In true World Championship spirit, a French coach offered up his skis for Forehand's first run, which happen to be identical.

"I broke my skis in practice," said Forehand. "I ended up not having any skis for finals, but the French coach offered his skis for my first run. For my second run, my mom actually ran to where we were staying and picked up my other pair and brought them up to the top of the course for me. Shout out to all moms out there, especially my mom for making it happen."

Great Britain’s James Woods took home the UK’s first gold medal in World Championship freeski competition. Norway’s Birk Ruud was second. McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) finished seventh.

"The Park City crowd today was bumping," said Woods. "It's pretty cold and since it has been dumping, there have been plenty of skiing opportunities. It's nice everyone came out and supported freeskiing. I appreciate that a lot."

RESULTS
Men’s slopestyle

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

FREESKI
Saturday, Feb. 9
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC

FREESTYLE
Wednesday, Feb. 6
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s aerials - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Thursday, Feb. 7
12:00 a.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s aerials - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN*
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s team aerials - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold

Friday, Feb. 8
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s moguls - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 9
9:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s dual moguls - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Feb. 10
2:00 a.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s dual moguls - Deer Valley Resort, Utah - NBCSN*

SNOWBOARDING
Friday, Feb. 8
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBCSN & NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Feb. 9
4:00 a.m. - Men and women’s snowboardcross - Feldberg, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s halfpipe - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC*

Sunday, Feb. 10
4:00 a.m. - Men and women’s team snowboardcross - Feldberg, GER - OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
1:00 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s slopestyle - Park City Mountain, Utah - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
4:30 p.m. - FIS World Championships men and women’s slopestyle - Park City Mountain, Utah - NBC*

All streams are available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold andOlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports app, NBC Sports Gold app and Olympic Channel app are available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass.