Due to a lingering knee injury, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) will not be racing this weekend’s downhill and super-G in Garmisch, Germany.
Vonn posted the following message on her Instagram feed Thursday.
After taking a knee to the face during his crash at the FIS Ski World Cup at Wengen, Switzerland, Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) has announced that he sustained a concussion and is not feeling sharp enough to step into the start gate in this weekend's speed series at the revered Hahnenkamm in front of 60,000+ fans, or next weekend in Garmisch, Germany, on the Kandahar, where he has suffered season-ending knee injuries each of the last two years.
Though his limbs are okay - thankfully - after the Wengen fall, Nyman felt "foggy" on Tuesday and made the call not to start in the first of two downhill training runs. Nyman then posted the video from his gnarly Lauberhorn crash and announced his decision on Instagram Wednesday evening:
The good news is my limbs are okay and I think it is because of the knee to the face. It redirected my fall to a much safer one. The bad news is the knee to the face has left me with a concussion and I’m not feeling sharp enough to tackle the beasts ahead. I’ve chosen to not race the Hahnenkamm and the Kandahar and I have shifted my focus toward the Are World Championships. I’m going to go thru our concussion protocol and get back up to speed ASAP. Good luck to my compatriots these next two weekends.
Nyman will undergo protocol and treatment over the next 10 days to get back to race speed. He will have two weeks to get back to 100 percent before traveling to Are, Sweden, for the World Championships where the first downhill training run will take place on February 5, 2019.
Editor's Note:
Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID) sustained an ACL tear in September that has sidelined her for the 2019 season. Throughout Johnson's road to recovery, she'll be sharing the ups and downs of rehabilitation here in a column of her own, entitled "Patient Notes," in hopes that you will follow along for the journey to learn how challenging it is both physically and mentally to return to snow at the elite level. Being an injured athlete can be challenging and lonely, and we're hoping that by writing this column, Johnson will be able to stay connected to the community and her sponsors.
Johnson kicked off her series with a poignant pre-surgery piece with Patient Notes: Volume 2, she brought you all the post-op nitty gritty, Patient Notes: Volume 3, she talked about ferocity and frustration and Patient Notes: Volume 4, where she talked about the mental ups and downs in the mid stages of recovery. She's thankful for your support and invites you to follow along on her Instagram. All of the words below are Johnson's thoughts, straight from her journal to your computer screen.
Enjoy the journey,
Megan Harrod
Alpine Communications Manager
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1/20/2019: 4 Months (122 days) post-op,139 days post injury, 1 day post return to snow
Lies and Greed
I lied. I lied to the people around me; I lied to the public; but most of all I lied to myself. I told the world that I wasn’t going to race. But I wanted to. I planned to. I hoped that I would be able to return to snow in three months and make my return to racing in Cortina, a fitting birthday present to myself, I thought. I lied and thought that I would be able to complete the most remarkable comeback in alpine history. I thought I would be able to do more, push more, have more. We athletes are eternally greedy; when they tell us to slow down we decelerate, momentarily before racing forward at Mach speed. Greed, it’s a characteristic that for better or worse, when it comes to physical progress I have in spades.
To go back to the beginning I have to explain why I thought any of this was possible at all. I have to go into some confusing medical language, so bear with me. I tore my ACL, this is true, but I did not tear it as many do...and because of that I did not have the same surgery that many do. Instead of your standard mid-substance ACL tear I tore mine off of the femur, a proximal tear to the greater medical community. Moreover, I partially tore mine. Fibers remained. And so I opted for a different procedure than most. Rather than a standard reconstruction, where they take tissue from elsewhere to create your new ACL, I opted to repair my original ACL, to have the torn ligament reattached to the bone. This helps save the original ACL, which has some properties that I didn’t want to lose, and doesn’t suffer from some of the drawbacks of the different reconstruction harvests.
My doctor told me that the return to snow would take four months. As you can guess, I thought four meant three. I didn’t anticipate the atrophy, though I had less than some, I anticipated a quicker return to aggressive weight training and plyos. I may have been the greediest person to have ever walked into a therapy room, or surgeon's table. As my therapists can attest to, I was never satisfied in therapy. I nitpicked over the slightest deficiencies in testing and as my therapist told me ‘spent more time in the gym than many employees.’
I did not get on snow quite as soon as I wanted. I got back on snow on my birthday, one day shy of the four-month marker that my surgeon set for me in September. In many ways I was completely delusional thinking three months sounded reasonable. I was a bit insane, having never been through this before, as to how I would feel, and how strong I would be. Four months is fast, probably the fastest return in U.S. Ski and Snowboard history. And for that I should be grateful. And I am. But now that I am back, in the middle of January I need to set a few things straight both for everyone out there and, perhaps more importantly, for myself.
I will not be racing this season. I say that, with the feeling of twisting my own knife in my chest. I think I could. Perhaps if it were an Olympic year, I would. But the thing that is perhaps most difficult with an ACL tear is that they do not simply heal; you don’t just pass tests, get back on snow and you’re fine. ACL tears lead to more ACL tears. Re-tearing an ACL (as we define it at U.S. Ski & Snowboard: tearing the same ACL again or tearing the other ACL within two years of your first injury) is not uncommon in the ski world. One has to look no farther than the recent loss on the World Cup of Austrian Stephanie Brunner to know that re-tears are real and problematic in ski racing. I am strong, and I have passed my return to snow. But it makes much more sense to take my return to skiing slow, with more work in the gym mixed in, so that I may lower my risk of needing to go through this again, that I might avoid having to sit out another season.
I also think, while I am trying to be truly honest with myself, that it will be better for my skiing to wait. I need to be able to completely rely on every piece of my body in order to ski the way I do. A lot of my success, I believe, is about confidence, and I still need some time to regain that. But based on how quickly I have gotten my strength and power back to return to snow levels, I trust that my body will be feeling as strong as ever soon enough. I certainly have high expectations.
So to those who can’t wait to see me back, thank you. I love you and I am eternally grateful for your support. But you will not see me in the starting gate until Lake Louise next year. It kills me a little bit to say that, but the intelligent part - the voice that has an uncanny similarity to my therapist, Gillian Bower - thinks that is the right thing to do. I hear patience is a virtue, at least outside of downhill courses.
PARK CITY, Utah - Hip hop superstar Lupe Fiasco will be the headline musical act at the closing ceremonies of the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, taking place at Utah’s Solitude Mountain Resort, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort February 1 - 10, 2019. The closing ceremonies will start at 4:00 p.m., February 10, on Park City’s Main Street, bringing to a close the largest winter sports event to take place in Utah since the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Joining Lupe Fiasco on the 2019 World Champs musical roster are The Main Squeeze, performing at the event’s opening ceremonies at Canyons Village, Park City on February 2 at 9:00 p.m., and Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers who will be on stage at Canyons Village, Park City February 5, at 5:00 p.m. prior to the snowboard big air final at 7.00 p.m.
Lupe Fiasco is a true hip hop pioneer. A rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and community advocate, the artist rose to fame in 2006, following the success of his debut album Food & Liquor. Since then Lupe has released more than four acclaimed studio albums; his latest being Drogas Wave released in 2018.
Kicking off the 2019 World Champs musical offering are The Main Squeeze. From their origins as a jam/party band in Indiana, The Main Squeeze have been weaving the veins of rock, funk, blues, and R&B into modern song stylings. Now LA-based and with three albums under their belt (last one being 2017’s Without A Sound), festival appearances from KABOO to Bonnaroo, and features from Billboard and Rolling Stone, The Main Squeeze have a rich touring history including opening slots for The Roots, Jane’s Addiction, D.R.A.M., Mac Miller, Aloe Blacc, and Umphrey’s McGee, The Main Squeeze are launching into a new musical orbit with plans for a fourth LP in 2019.
Rounding up the musical roster are Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers who are not to be missed. In their own words, the band “will make a sprightly young groove doctor out of anyone. With spectacular energy pulsating from every member of the band, the Rainbow Seekers could illuminate the very chambers of Heaven. Lead singer Joe Hertler splashes through lyrical puddles of golden rain, leaving his audience wearing flowery crowns and bubbling smiles. A ride on the Rainbow will take you across the mountains of Motown, through the fjords of folk, over the archipelagos of Americana, and-at last-into a funky firth, where only the fiercest of friendships can be found.”
For more information on the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, visit www.2019worldchamps.com
U.S. Ski & Snowboard Rookie Team athletes excelled at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, for the second of three NorAm sanctioned Rev Tour ELITE events of the season. The event featured two slopestyle competitions for both snowboard and freeski, providing athletes with plenty of repetitions and opportunities to reach the podium and progress.
In the first snowboarding competition, U.S. Rookie Team member Jake Canter (Silverthorne, Colo.) took the victory. After struggling at previous Rev Tour competitions, Canter was ecstatic with his performance.
“It feels insane to win a Rev Tour Competition,” said Canter. “I have never made finals ever before at a Rev Tour and today I somehow ended up winning. I just want to keep having fun and hopefully go to the Olympics one day, and of course, keep riding pow! “
Addison Gardner (Riegelsville, Penn.) who took the women’s victory. Not only did she win the event, but she improved on last year’s results. “After getting a second place last year, it feels amazing to bump it up this year with the win,” said Gardner. “Not to mention, just riding with all my friends is a great feeling.”
In the second snowboard competition, it was U.S. Rookie Team member Luke Winkelmann claiming the top spot on the podium. Winkelmann struggled in the first competition, so he used his second chance to find redemption.
“It feels great to take the win after yesterday not going my way,” said Winkelmann. “My goals for snowboarding are to make a full part for a movie, obviously the Olympics would be a dream, and I also would love to compete in X Games.”
For the women, Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.) added another win to the collection for the U.S. Rookie Snowboard Team. Rummel has her sights set on a bright future and her win at the Rev Tour is certainly a step in the right direction.
“It feels amazing and it’s so nice to win first place,” said Rummel. “I want to make to make a name for myself within the sport and also go to the Olympics one day.”
On the freeski side, Deven Fagan (Frisco, Colo.) took the top spot in the first of two competitions. Fagan’s comments following his victory mimicked that of the snowboarders staying on the theme of progression.
“It feels awesome to win today, I am super stoked,” he said. “My ultimate goals in freeskiing are to win the X Games and the Olympics.”
U.S. Rookie Team member Marin Hamill (Park City, Utah) took the win in the women’s event. Hamill struggled throughout practice but managed to put it all together when it mattered.
“It feels pretty good to win today, especially because practice didn’t go all that well for me,” said Hamill. My goals are to keep having fun and get as good as I can be in the sport.
In the final freeski competition of the week, Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H) earned the victory. “It’s amazing,” Henderson said. “Words can’t describe how happy I am. It’s a great competition and I am happy to be a part of it.”
Canadian Skye Clark who took the final freeski event for the women. However, third-place finisher and U.S. Rookie Team member Rell Harwood (Park City, Utah) reached the podium with a third-place finish.
“It feels really good to be on the podium today,” said Harwood. “I had a lot of fun on the snow at Waterville and plan on continuing to compete and having fun this season.”
One commons theme throughout the winning Rev Tour athletes comments is the fact that everyone simply wants to continue having fun while skiing and riding for the love it. The passion amongst the Rev Tour athletes is undeniable. Competition can be stressful, but these athletes clearly have the right mindset. With the improved athlete pipeline throughout the Rev Tour Series, athletes have a chance to compete at the correct level of competition against their peers, continue to improve and climb the competition ladder in an enjoyable atmosphere. The future of snowboarding and freeskiing seems bright with all winning athletes having goals to reach the Olympics, X Games and continuing to progress.
The third and final Rev Tour Elite event will be held at Mammoth Mountain, California, Mar. 12-17 with snowboard and freeski slopestyle, halfpipe and big air competitions. In addition, there are also two FIS sanctioned Rev Tour events just around the corner as well. The first at Copper Mountain Feb. 10-14 featuring both halfpipe and slopestyle competitions. The second event will be hosted in Seven Springs, Penn. for another slopestyle and halfpipe competition Feb. 25 - March 1.
RESULTS
SNOWBOARD
Men’s slopestyle #1
Men’s slopestyle #2
Women’s slopestyle #1
Women’s slopestyle #2
FREESKI
Men’s slopestyle #1
Men’s slopestyle #2
Women’s slopestyle #1
Women’s slopestyle #2
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named 18 athletes to the U.S. Cross Country Team that will compete in the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships next month in Seefeld, Austria. The biennial World Championships brings together the best athletes in the sport for the Feb. 20 - March 3 event which will be live streamed in its entirely on NBCsports.com.
“This team has the experience and the tenacity to bring medals home from Seefeld,” said U.S. Cross Country Team Head Coach Chris Grover. “Both Sophie and Jessie know how to win on these courses, and they’ll be supported by a veteran group. Our staff has been making some great skis this season and brings many years of Championship know-how to Seefeld. We are excited to see what everyone can do.”
The team includes two medalists from past championships including Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.). At the 2017 World Championships in Lahti, Finland, Diggins won the silver in the freestyle sprint and teamed up with Bjornsen in the classic team sprint to take the bronze. Only five Americans have won a cross country medal at World Championships.
“It’s always an honor to be named to a Championship team, and I’m excited to join such a strong team as we head into Seefeld 2019,” said Diggins. “Although there’s always pressure coming into big events like this, I’m going to be focused on executing my race plan and peaking for the events I’ve targeted at the World Championships in the next few weeks. I’ve enjoyed racing and training on the trails in Seefeld and they have a great atmosphere there, so it should be a really fun and exciting set of races.”
Competition opens on Thursday, February 21, with the freestyle sprint, followed by the skiathlon before heading into the distance races. The Championships conclude on March 2-3 with a 30k women’s and 50k men’s freestyle mass start.
2019 U.S. Cross Country World Championship Team
(name, hometown, ski club, birthdate)
Men
Simi Hamilton, Aspen, Co., (SMST2) 5/14/1987
Erik Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/15/1991
Andy Newell, Shaftsbury, Vt., (SMST2) 11/30/1983
Kevin Bolger, Sun Valley, Idaho, (SVSEF) 04/11/1993
Logan Hanneman, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 6/2/1993
Kyle Bratrud, Eden Prairie, Minn., (SMST2) 2/9/1993
David Norris, Fairbanks, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/12/1990
Ben Lustgarten, Burlington, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 4/17/1992
Adam Martin, Wausau, Wis., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 10/26/1994
Scott Patterson, Anchorage, Alaska, (Alaska Pacific University) 01/28/1998
Women
Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, Wash., (Alaska Pacific University) 11/21/1989
Sophie Caldwell, Stratton Mountain, Vt., (SMST2) 3/22/1990
Jessie Diggins, Afton, Minn., (SMST2) 8/26/1991
Rosie Brennan, Park City, Utah, (Alaska Pacific University) 12/2/1988
Ida Sargent, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/25/1988
Julia Kern, Waltham, Mass., ( SMST2) 09/12/1997
Caitlin Patterson, Craftsbury, Vt., (Craftsbury Green Racing) 1/30/1990
Rosie Frankowski, Minneapolis, Minn., (Alaska Pacific University) 7/30/1991
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
Wednesday, Feb. 20
6:30 a.m. - Women's 5k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:00 am. - Men's 10k qualifying - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
3:00 p.m. - Men's 10k and women's 5k - NBCSN*
Thursday, Feb. 21
6:00 a.m. - Men and women's sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's sprint finals - NBCSN*
Saturday, Feb. 23
7:30 a.m. - Women's 15k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
8:30 a.m. - Men's 30k skiathlon - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Sunday, Feb. 24
8:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint qualification - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
10:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
11:30 a.m. - Men and women's team sprint finals - NBCSN*
Tuesday, Feb. 26
7:30 a.m. - Women's 10k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
1:00 p.m. - Women's 10k - NBCSN*
Wednesday, Feb. 27
8:00 a.m. - Men's 15k - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Thursday, Feb. 28
7:00 a.m. - Women's 4x5k relay - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Friday, March 1
7:00 a.m. - Men's 4x10k relay - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Saturday, March 2
7:00 a.m. - Women's 30k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
Sunday, March 3
7:00 a.m. - Men's 50k - - OlympicChannel-TV, OlympicChannel.com
An impressive field of 30 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be taking to the slopestyle, big air and superpipe competition at the 2019 Winter X Games at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. for the 23rd edition of the annual winter sports competition this week.
Top U.S. Snowboard Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim (Torrance, Calif.) Jamie Anderson (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.), and Red Gerard (Silverthorne, Colo.). Notable U.S. Freeski Team athletes include Olympic gold medalists Joss Christensen (Park City, Utah), David Wise (Reno, Nev.), and Maddie Bowman (S. Lake Tahoe, Calif.) With multiple defending X Games champions and U.S. podium sweeps from 2018, the world’s best will be gunning for the U.S.
The U.S. Freeski Team will be sending numerous podium contenders to compete in every discipline. In big air, Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, Mont.) will represent the women, while Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.) will represent the men. In slopestyle, defending X Games gold medalist Voisin will also represent the ladies, while Olympic medalists Christensen, Kenworthy and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) will represent for the U.S. men. In addition, Willie Borm (Chaska, Minn.), Alex Hall (Park City, Utah), Mac Forehand (Winhall, Vt.) and defending slopestyle FIS World Champion McRae Williams (Park City, Utah) are all on the start list for slopestyle.
In the superpipe, the U.S. Freeski Team currently hosts both defending champions in Bowman and Wise. Joining Bowman for the ladies is Annalisa Drew (Andover, Mass.), Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) and Olympic bronze medalist Brita Sigourney (Carmel, Calif.). Dropping in with Wise is the second-place finisher from last years men’s superpipe U.S. podium sweep and Aspen local Alex Ferreira (Aspen, Colo,) as well as Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, Colo.), Birk Irving (Winter Park, Colo.), and Kenworthy.
The U.S. Snowboard Team has also assembled an A Team looking for success at X Games. In Big Air, defending bronze medalist Jamie Anderson will be looking to improve on her performance in 2018 alongside teammates Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) and Hailey Langland (San Clemente, Calif.). For the men, Chris Corning (Silverthorne, Colo.) is vying for his first X Games big air gold medal after a third-place in 2018’s Norway X Games. With a quad cork in his arsenal, Corning is sure to be firing on all cylinders on the enormous and well crafted big air jump built by Snow Park Technologies. Joining Corning is teammate and Olympic big air silver medalist Kyle Mack (West Bloomfield, Mich.). In slopestyle, Anderson, the most decorated slopestyle rider in X Games history will lead the way with five gold medals to her name accompanied by Langland and Marino. The men’s roster consists a young talented group that has yet to earn any X Games slopestyle medals including Olympic gold medalist Gerard, Mack, Nikolas Baden (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), and Judd Henkes (La Jolla, Calif.).
In superpipe, the U.S. ladies have their work cut out for them as they try to defend their all-American podium sweep. Kim, Arielle Gold ( Steamboat Springs, Calif.) and Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, Calif.) are all coming back to defend their position on the podium. For the men Chase Josey (Sun Valley, Idaho), X Games bronze medalist from Oslo, will be on site with Olympian Jake Pates (Eagle, Colo.) and Toby MIller (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.). This is Miller’s first competition back from an ankle injury at Dew Tour. He has been on fire this season and looking for his first ever X Games podium. In addition, Americans Ben Ferguson (Bend, Ore.) and snowboarding icon Danny Davis (Highland, Mich.) will also compete.
X Games is a special event as it mixes veteran athletes and legends with young athletes getting their first shot on the big stage. Not only are some of the athletes new to X Games, but so are the events. On the snowboard side, X Games will celebrate the style and creativity inherent in snowboarding with the first-ever knuckle competition. Instead of hitting the Big Air jump as they traditionally would, riders instead take off the knuckle (rollover) of the jump and huck their most unique trick, finishing in the same landing area. Since riders do not get as much height, the tricks must instead rely on technicality and creativity. Knuckle Huck will feature eight athletes in a jam style format throwing as many tricks as possible within the allotted time.
Lastly, as is tradition, X Games Aspen 2019 continues to provide something for all the spectators to enjoy beyond athletic competition. From Jan. 24-27, Buttermilk Mountain will host a variety of entertainment and activities suited for the whole family throughout X Fest. The festival will feature sponsor activations, interactive courses, an awards stage emceed by Chicago-based band, The Flavor Savers, athlete meet and greets, giveaways and the brand new X Trials Obstacle Course. Furthermore, musical acts throughout the week include Lil Wayne, Louis the Child, The Chainsmokers and Kygo.
For more details on the athletes, schedule and more visit www.xgames.com.
2018 X GAMES RESULTS
Maddie Bowman, Superpipe gold
Brita Sigourney, Superpipe silver
David Wise, Superpipe gold
Alex Ferreira, Superpipe silver
Torin Yater-Wallace, Superpipe bronze
Jamie Anderson, Slopestyle gold, Big Air bronze
Julia Marino, Slopestyle silver
Maggie Voisin, Slopestyle gold
Jamie Anderson, Big AIr bronze
Chloe Kim, Superpipe gold
Arielle Gold, Superpipe silver
Maddie Mastro, Superpipe bronze
HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
@XGames - Streaming via YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages.
*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast
FREESKI
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
7:30 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
12:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
9:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN*
Saturday, Jan 26.
10:00 p.m. - Men’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Sunday, Jan. 27.
2:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN2
SNOWBOARD
Thursday, Jan 24.
1:00 p.m. - Men’s big air elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s big air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Friday, Jan. 25.
12:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle elimination - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:35 p.m. - Men’s snowboard Big Air - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Saturday, Jan 26.
1:00 p.m. - Women’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
1:00 p.m. - Men’s slopestyle - Aspen, Colo. - ABC
8:30 p.m. - Knuckle Huck - Aspen, Colo. - @XGames
10:00 p.m. - Women’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Sunday, Jan. 27.
8:30 p.m. - Men’s superpipe - Aspen, Colo. - ESPN
Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) led the U.S. Cross Country Team with a 13th-place finish in the FIS Cross Country World Cup classic 10k individual start in Otepaa, Estonia, Sunday.
“I was really happy with my kick and I know I lost a lot of time on the flats, but I was happy with how I raced today,” said Diggins. “I was in the zone, pushing as hard as I possibly could and skiing technically better than years past. I’m still carrying some fatigue from the Tour (de Ski) so I need to rest a little more in the next few weeks, but I’m happy with where I’m sitting right now.”
Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) was 27th and Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) in 29th.
“I was pleased to wake up to new snow as I love slow, tough races, however, I really struggled to find skis that worked well on the uphills and were still fast on the downhills,” said Brennan. “I made the choice I thought was best, but it wasn't quite what I needed to be competitive today. I am happy to be back racing and my shape feels good so I am hopeful that things will improve from here.”
The women’s race was won in dominant fashion by Therese Johaug of Norway, with Ebba Andersson of Sweden in second and Russian Natalia Nepryaeva in third.
The men’s race was won by Finland’s Iivo Niskanen with Alexander Bolshunov of Russia in second and Didrik Toenseth of Norway completing the podium. Erik Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash) was the top U.S. finisher in 30th in the men’s 15k.
RESULTS
Men’s 15k
Women’s 10k
HOW TO WATCH
*Same-day delayed broadcast
Sunday, Jan. 20
1:30 p.m. - Women’s 10k interval - Otepaa, EST - Olympic Channel-TV*
January 20 marks “World Snow Day,” a day to celebrate new snow experiences for children across the world. World Snow Day was created by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as part of their “Bring Children to the Snow” campaign to promote skiing and snowboarding to global youth audiences.
World Snow Day brings together children and families around the world, in over 469 events and actions taking place in 45 countries across five continents.
A key role of FIS is to organise international ski and snowboard competitions up through the highest levels, and the FIS is also committed to the global promotion and development of recreational skiing and snowboarding. As the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s mission is to lead, encourage and support athletes in achieving excellence by empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans.
Atomic, the official ski of World Snow day and partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, is giving away a family set of skis to celebrate World Snow Day. Enter to win by:
Many of the world’s elite ski and snowboard athletes would not be the snowsports heros they are if it were not for their first experience with snow.
“I love the snow, I love skiing. I remember my first day on snow, I was four, and I’ve been hooked ever since.” - 2018 Olympian, moguls, Morgan Schild
On a perfect sun-splashed course in the Italian Alps, Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) trusted her instincts and equipment and came away with another FIS Ski World Cup victory in super-G Sunday in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Starting 17th with the red World Cup leader’s bib, Shiffrin, who also leads the World Cup super-G standings, watched a few competitors before her, including teammate Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), struggle on the Olympia delle Tofane course.
“I watched a couple girls going and I was thinking, ‘Ok..there are maybe two or three points on the course you really need to be on the right direction, and otherwise, it’s just to be aggressive,’” Shiffrin said. “I was comfortable with my skis and really, really comfortable with my setup, so I feel like I can do whatever I want if the surface is good, and today the surface was really nice.”
After inspecting the course, Shiffrin admitted she was a bit nervous, but all that disappeared once she was in the start.
“I was just kind of thinking ‘oh, the course looks tricky and a little bit more difficult than I thought from my inspection,’” she said.”But at the end when I started, I was just trying to trust my line and be aggressive. And yeah, I’m a little bit lucky...it’s super tight, but I’m happy to be on that side of the green light.”
Unlike most athletes who raced in Sunday's super-G, Shiffrin did not ski either of the downhill training runs or the downhills at the venue, which can be a more challenging way to head into a super-G race. But for Shiffrin - who had a solid day of super-G training in Sarntal, Italy prior to arriving to Cortina - it was no problem.
Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein was second, followed by Tamara Tippler of Austria in third. Laurenne Ross (Bend, Ore.) was 23rd. Vonn and Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.) were among the 22 athletes who did not finish, but both skied away and are OK. Vonn was making up time as she skied down the track but got pulled pretty low and couldn't make the next left footer, crossing her arms in front of her and skiing through the panel.
“I haven’t quite processed everything yet,” an emotional Vonn said after her DNF. “I can’t seem to stop crying. It’s been a lot of great memories here in Cortina. I tried to really ski my best, I tried to come through the finish and make a good result for the fans here, but I didn’t quite do that.
“It’s just hard. I thought it would be easier honestly. But it’s not,” she continued while mentioning the support she has received from other athletes, including Italy’s Sofia Goggia, who is also working to come back from an injury and came out to support Vonn in her final race at Cortina, meant a lot to her. “It’s more than ski racing. It’s a respect for each other, sportsmanship, and what skiing is all about. And I’m lucky that I’m able to experience all of that. I feel really thankful that I’ve been able to do it as long as I have.”
Shiffrin acknowledged that it must have been a week full of emotions at a place that was so special to Vonn - a place Vonn has had so much career success. “For Lindsey, I can imagine it’s really emotional,” noted Shiffrin. “She had so many amazing races here...for it to be the last time she’s in Cortina racing, I imagine she must be going through so many memories and it’s a reflection of her entire career. The fans are coming out here to cheer for her - they don’t care if she wins, they just want to see her again. So, in that way, it’s also happy memories.”
With the victory, Shiffrin extended her overall World Cup lead to 596 points over Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova, who did not race Sunday. Shiffrin also leads the World Cup super-G, giant slalom, and slalom standings. Shiffrin is now tied with legendary Austrian skier Hermann Maier with 54 victories, sitting sixth place all-time among men and women. She needs just two more victories in order to equal Vreni Schneider (55) in fifth place.
Up next, the women’s World Cup tour moves on to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany for downhill and super-G races Jan. 24-25.
“I’m planning to take a little time off and get some training,” Shiffrin said. “It will be the first time this season that I’ve had a chance to really take a break. My team as well. My coaches have been going non-stop since the beginning, so we’re going to take a short break, get back on the skis, get back on the slalom skis, get ready for Maribor (Slovenia, Feb. 1-2) and the World Championships.”
As for Vonn, her comeback to the World Cup circuit this weekend in Cortina, where she has won 12 races (six downhill and six super-G) over her 18-year career, hasn’t been what she expected, despite 15th and ninth-place results in Friday and Saturday’s downhills, respectively.
“I’m not sure if I’m going to Garmisch,” Vonn said. “I’m not sure...I’m not sure if I can keep going. I have to really think things through the next few days and make some hard decisions.”
RESULTS
Women’s super-G
HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Preliminary schedule, subject to change
*Same-day delayed broadcast
**Next-day broadcast
Sunday, Jan. 20
8:00 p.m. - Women’s downhill - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN**
9:00 p.m. - Women’s super-G - Cortina d’Ampezzo, ITA - NBCSN*
Friday, Jan. 25
5:30 a.m. - Men’s super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
Saturday, Jan. 26
4:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Men’s downhill - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
10:00 a.m. - Women’s downhill - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*
Sunday, Jan. 27
4:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 1 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
5:30 a.m. - Women’s super-G - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - Olympic Channel-TV, OlympicChannel.com & NBC Sports Gold
7:30 a.m. - Men’s slalom run 2 - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBC Sports Gold
9:00 p.m. - Women’s Super-G - Garmisch-Partenkirchen, GER - NBCSN*
Monday, Jan. 28
4:00 p.m. - Men’s downhill and super-G - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**
Tuesday, Jan. 29
11:00 p.m. - Men’s slalom - Kitzbuehel, AUT - NBCSN**
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.
