Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.) stepped up his game, and Steven Nyman (Park City, Utah) proved he is back from a knee injury as the "Twin Towers" tied for ninth in the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup downhill Friday in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Switzerland’s Beat Fuez and Mauro Caviezel took the top two steps on the podium, with Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal in third.

“I grew up watching these guys on TV,” Bennett said of Fuez and Svindal, “and here I am. I’m in the mix with them, which is … weird, a little uncomfortable. But I think with a little bit more time, it will become more comfortable.”

It’s was Bennet’s third-career World Cup top 10 downhill result, and it came from a weather-shortened start on the traditional Birds of Prey course, which tossed racers right into the Brink - the first steep pitch on course. “It was definitely like zero to 100mph real fast,” Bennett said. “I was really hoping to go from the top, but with all the snow it was tough for the Talon Crew (course volunteers). They did a good job and the course is in really good shape, so hats off to them.”

Nyman, who was injured before the 2018 Olympics, started bib 26 and faced a track slowed by a couple race holds and light snowfall. However, the veteran “American Downhiller” had a secret weapon.

“I said last night in the press conference that I was breaking out some rocket ships, so those helped with the position I guess,” Nyman said. “I’m pretty psyched with what I did. Technique-wise, I skied well, I thought I was disciplined, I nailed the points I wanted to nail, and I did what I needed to do.”

Sharing a top 10 result with Bennett was a pleasant surprise for Nyman, who posted his 20th career top 10 World Cup downhill result. “It’s so awesome that we tied. It’s so cool,” Nyman said. “Twin Towers! He’s my little protegé, but he’s not so little.”

Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif), also suffered a knee injury prior to the 2018 Olympics and finished 28th in his return to World Cup racing. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) was well on his way to another top-30 World Cup finish, but a mistake heading in the Red Tail jump near the finish cost him time and he finished 32nd.

Up next, the men are scheduled to race super-G Saturday on the Birds of Prey course. However, the weather forecast is calling for up to nine inches of snow. Regardless, Bennett already has his sights set on the next World Cup downhill Dec. 15 in Val Gardena, Italy, where he has posted his other two top-10 career World Cup results.

“Looking towards Val Gardena, which is a hill I can do very well at, I think my equipment is in a good place … where I can be competitive,” he said. “I’m getting a little closer, a little closer … it’s just a couple turns that you gotta clean up, and you’re right there.”

RESULTS
Men’s downhill

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST.
*Same-day delayed broadcast

ALPINE
Friday, Nov. 30
5:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 1
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*
10:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 1, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
1:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G recap, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*
11:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) recently announced that the 2018-19 season would be her last, but following a training injury earlier this month and missing out on this weekend’s FIS Ski World Cup races at her favorite venue - Lake Louise, Alberta - she left the door open to returning to “Lake Lindsey” next season in her new "Off the Record" YouTube series post on Friday.

Sadie Bjornson (Winthrop, Wash.) earned the first World Cup podium of the 2018-19 season for the U.S. Cross Country Team this season in Lillehammer, Norway, on Friday.  Bjornsen, qualified sixth, battled through the quarterfinal and semifinal heats to finish third behind Sweden’s Jonna Sundling and Stina Nilsson, who finished first and second respectively in the opening World Cup freestyle sprint.

“Today was such an exciting day because I have had my eyes on a skate sprint podium for a long time”, said Bjornsen. “I have now accomplished a podium in all the disciplines - skate sprint, classic sprint, classic distance, and skate distance, which is a huge accomplishment for me. Also, with so many skate sprints this season, I am so excited to get some confidence and belief to fight for the top in the long season to come.”

Bjornsen’s podium in the first of the three-race Lillehammer mini tour positions her well for the remaining two races - Saturday’s 10k freestyle mass start and Sunday’s 10k classic pursuit - both of which will be streamed live on NBC Sports Gold and the Olympic Channel. Rosie Brennan (Park City, Utah) qualified ninth and Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) qualified 12th, but neither advanced from the round of 30. Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) was unable to start due to a cold.

“We are very excited for Sadie,” stated U.S. Cross Country Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover. “She stayed out of trouble all day and made opportunistic moves passing other racers whenever she had an opening. The key to this race was what kind of position one could create on the final downhill to the stadium and carrying momentum around the last turn into the finish lanes. Sadie put herself in great finish position all day and skied the final downhill aggressively and with poise. It’s going to be a big season for her. Congratulations to coach Erik Flora and the APU program!”

“I am so happy with my qualifier today,” said Brennan, who skied to a career-best World Cup sprint qualification. “I finally was able to find a good balance of speed and power to make things happen and that felt good!  With expanded start quotas for all teams in a mini-tour and the nation's group, this is probably the most competitive World Cup of the year so to also get my best qualifying place is a huge accomplishment for me. I still have very little experience in the heats and am looking to make some improvements in group skiing, but it was a great start in sprinting and I am really looking forward to the rest of the tour.

On the men’s side, Simi Hamilton (Aspen, Colo.) was the lone qualifier in 22nd place, finishing fourth in the quarterfinal round. Italy’s Federico Pellegrino won the race with Norway’s Emil Iversen second and Canadian Alex Harvey closing out the podium in third.

RESULTS
Women’s sprint
Men’s sprint

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

Saturday, Dec. 1
4:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
6:15 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
12:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 2
4:15 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

It’s another exciting weekend of alpine ski racing, with the final stop of the FIS Ski Alpine World Cup circuit North American tour landing in Lake Louise, Alberta with women’s speed events and the men taking on one of the circuit’s premier courses - Bird of Prey - at Beaver Creek, Colorado The networks of NBC will broadcast/stream all of the action on NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel.

Thirty-six-year-old veteran Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah) - who has had three of his eleven career podiums on this Birds of Prey track - is feeling good after a Lake Louise career best 11th place finish in downhill, and looks to lead a strong squad of healthy American downhillers. Keep an eye out, also, for 2015 World Championships downhill silver medalist Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) and Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, N.Y.) - who posted the sixth fastest downhill training run on Wednesday’s first and only training run.

We’d be remiss not to mention Olympic champion and five-time World Champion in giant slalom Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), who has won a whopping six times on this Birds of Prey giant slalom track. In a shortened super-G in 2015, Ligety was second at Birds of Prey, behind Austria’s Marcel Hirscher and ahead of now retired teammate Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, N.Y.). Ligety will start in super-G on Saturday, and notes that he really likes the super-G track here, because it’s one of the most technical super-G tracks on the circuit.

“Hometown hero” River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.) is the “poster child” of Birds of Prey this season, as he’s featured on the official poster. He will look forward to making his World Cup super-G debut on the Birds of Prey track, and will again tackle the giant slalom. "I've been watching Birds of Prey my whole life,” reflected Radamus. “When I was in elementary school, we used to have field trips to go watch when it came to town. I'd get to watch guys like (Andrew) Weibrecht, Bode (Miller), Ted (Ligety), Nolan (Kasper), etc., just crush at these races, and dream of an opportunity to do the same. And now I get my chance to race against the world's best in my own backyard. I mean, how can you not love that?! It is races like this [Birds of Prey] that I've worked my whole life for."

Colorado’s Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo.) will be getting his first World Cup start in Sunday’s giant slalom, and be sure to keep an eye on 2018 World Juniors super-G bronze medalist Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.) who will make his World Cup giant slalom debut, as well, since Soelden, Austria’s World Cup was canceled due to weather. And, watch Tommy Ford (Bend, Ore.), as he steadily progressed in giant slalom throughout the 2017-18 for a career best season. 

On the women’s side, Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) is fresh off her 45th career World Cup victory at Vermont’s Killington Resort and shifts gears this weekend to take on a pair of downhill races and a super-G, as she looks to build upon her speed resume where she scored her first career World Cup downhill victory last season. Unfortunately, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) will not be heading to “Lake Lindsey” after sustaining a minor knee injury while training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Shiffrin progressed well from training day one to three, finishing 21st, 8th and 4th, respectively. “I definitely felt better today - a lot more confident on my skis today - then I did the last two days,” noted Shiffrin. “The first day I was kind of feeling like I was trying to ski slalom on downhill skis [as she giggles] - I had a lot of harsh movements, but I skied the line OK. Yesterday I took a step in the right direction, and today I feel like that was a pretty good step in the right direction. I hit my marks, and everything was solid, smooth, and it felt like I was using the downhill skis the way I was supposed to use them.”

As one of the only remaining multi-event skiers on the circuit, Shiffrin has focused on training tech disciplines for the early season races, which means little time for speed training.  “It’s been tricky this year coming to Lake Louise because I’ve had no prep on my downhill skis since September. I had one day of downhill training in Chile, but since May - really - I haven’t been on speed skis.” She came into Lake Louise with confidence from her third and first place finishes, respectively, in downhill last year, but she has no expectations with the limited training. Keep an eye out for her, as she’s feeling good and is primed for a podium this weekend.

Catch all of the action on NBC, NBC Sports Network, NBC Sports Gold, and the Olympic Channel, so make sure to tune in.

See who to watch and where to catch all the action below.

WOMEN’S STARTERS

• Alice Merryweather (DH, SG)
• Laurenne Ross (DH, SG)
• Mikaela Shiffrin (DH, SG)

MEN’S STARTERS

• Bryce Bennett (DH, SG)
• Tommy Biesemeyer (DH, SG)
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle (DH, SG, GS)
• Tommy Ford (GS)
• Travis Ganong (DH, SG)
• Jared Goldberg (DH, SG)
• Ted Ligety (SG, GS)
• Wiley Maple (DH, SG)
• Brian McLaughlin (GS)
• Kyle Negomir (GS)*
• Steven Nyman (DH, SG)
• River Radamus (SG, GS)
• Luke Winters (GS)

*Denotes first World Cup Start

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

ALPINE
Friday, Nov. 30
12:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s downhill, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 1
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*
10:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 1, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
1:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G recap, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*
11:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*

*NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product “Snow Pass” provides fans access to live and on-demand domestic and international competitions of seven Olympic winter sports from October 2018 through April 2019.

The Snow Pass provides access to every second of race action throughout the season. Whoever you support, their races will be broadcast on the Snow Pass. NBC will also email you prior to each event to remind you of live broadcast times on Snow Pass, and if you can’t watch live, the entire event will be available to replay, all for under 20 cents per day.

RESULTS
Men’s Downhill Training Run 1
Women’s Downhill Training Run 1
Women’s Downhill Training Run 2
Women’s Downhill Training Run 3

START LISTS
Men's Downhill
Women's Downhill

For the full event schedule at Beaver Creek, check out their website.

During its November 20th Board of Directors meeting, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, continued to transition its leadership with the election of Kipp Nelson as incoming Chair of the Board of Directors and Eric Resnick to the role of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.

Nelson, a current member of the Board of Directors and a long-term supporter of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, will succeed current Chair Dexter Paine, who has held that role since 2006, at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Board of Directors meeting on May 18, 2019. This winter-long transition will facilitate the transfer of roles and responsibilities between the two Board members, as Paine steps down as Chair after 12 years and 16 years as a Board member leading the governance of the organization, including the transition of its CEO in 2013. Nelson has served eight years on the Board of Directors and this will extend his leadership within the organization as Board Chair. Nelson has also served on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation Board of Trustees since 2005, and Paine since 1996, where both have been passionate advocates and supporters of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s athletes and teams over many years. Paine will continue to represent the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board at the international level in his role as an International Ski Federation (FIS) Council Member, a position he has held since 2014 and to which he was re-elected at the May 2018 FIS Congress.

“I am delighted to be handing over the reins as Chair of the Board of Directors to Kipp Nelson,” commented Dexter Paine. “Kipp has the vision, experience and passion for all our sports to help U.S. Ski & Snowboard continue its growth and its establishment as one of the USA’s greatest sporting organizations. While I have loved the role of U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board Chair, now is the right time for this transition to take place, and Kipp is the right person to take on the responsibilities that come with this role.

“This is an exciting time of the year for everyone involved in U.S. Ski & Snowboard. The months of hard work put in by our athletes and all the U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff come to fruition as the season starts and it serves as the perfect reminder for me of how honored I am to have served our athletes and our organization for many years. I am proud that I will continue to serve as an active member of our Board and at the international level with FIS, and I want to thank every single employee, volunteer and athlete who has helped make my time as Chair such an incredible experience. I look forward to continuing to work with Kipp and Tiger to grow our whole organization and build on our historical athletic success.”

“Dexter Paine has been a wonderful Chair for U.S. Ski & Snowboard and is far too humble to say just what a significant contribution he has made to our athletes for such a long time. Under his leadership the organization has gone from strength to strength and is now in the healthiest position it has ever been, structurally, athletically and financially,” added Kipp. “I know I have big shoes to fill, but I am excited about what lies ahead. We have some of the world’s greatest athletes competing today, we have a rich and storied history and we have some incredibly exciting, talented athletes coming through the pipeline who will continue to set new standards for years to come. I am also keenly aware that there are major challenges facing athletes of all levels and across all sports, both at home and around the world, and we will be working ever harder to create and sustain environments in which athletes can train and compete, free from the scourge of hazing, bullying and abuse of all kinds. We will continue to place the needs of athletes at the heart of everything we do, working together with our clubs and regions, supporting our athletes and with a singular focus on helping them achieve their dreams.”

These changes to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard leadership structure complement prior leadership changes which include Resnick who was elected to the role of Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at the September 2018 Board meeting. Additionally, Steve Strandberg was elected President of the Board of Trustees of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation, together with three Vice Presidents - Dani Virtue, Rich Tutino and Jeremy Bloom - at the Foundation’s Board meeting in December 2017.

“The last year since I took up the role as President of the Foundation Board of Trustees has gone by far too quickly, but it has been an incredible year for our Foundation and the whole team,” said Strandberg. “Our revenues continue to grow, we have just staged our most successful ever annual New York Gold Medal Gala fundraising event, and we are seeing increasing numbers of people joining our organization, all focused on helping U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes achieve their goals. This is due to the hard work and dedication of the Foundation team in Park City and across the country, our Trustees and the army of supporters who give so generously to support U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. I am extremely proud to be part of this team and I am excited to continue to build on the successes of the last year, and to embrace what lies ahead.”

Both the Board of Directors and the Foundation Board of Trustees have a variety of committees and sub-committees that serve the various needs of the organization which represents nearly 200 elite athletes competing across seven different winter sports, which stages over 35 domestic events each year and which is integrally involved in the development of future winter sports champions through grass roots programs across the USA.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard would like to thank all members of its boards for their tireless support and leadership guiding and supporting the athletes, teams and the entire organization.

Organizational Board Leadership

Board of Directors:   
Dexter Paine, Chair (until May 2019)
Kipp Nelson, Chair (from May 2019)
Eric Resnick, Vice Chair

Board of Trustees of the Foundation:   
Steve Strandberg, President
Dani Virtue, Vice President
Rich Tutino, Vice President
Jeremy Bloom, Vice President

U.S. Ski & Snowboard continues its content partnership with Central Cross Country (CXC) to provide a live streaming of all Super Tour events this season, beginning with this weekend’s opener in West Yellowstone, Montana. Races take place Dec. 1-2 beginning at 12 p.m. EST.

Events being showcased on U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s channels this season include the five U.S. Super Tour stops plus the 2019 L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships. All streams will be available for free, with the exception of the Craftsbury event.

"Cross-country skiing is meant to be a spectator sport”, stated Andy Newell (Shaftsbury, Vt), a past member of the U.S. Ski Team and owner of Nordic Team Solutions. “It's so exciting to watch live ski racing and I think it's so cool that Super Tours and U.S. Championships will be streaming with multiple cameras on course. The U.S. ski community has really come together in recent years and the level of racing is at an all-time high so I know people from around the country and around the World will be tuning in to see what happens."

CXC’s live streaming, spearheaded by Executive Director Yuriy Gusev, has been a primary channel for fans and members to watch domestic cross country events, including past U.S. Championships, Super Tours and the American Birkebeiner.

Close to 200 racers are expected to compete this weekend in West Yellowstone, including Andy Newell who will be hoping to qualify for the World Championships through the series.  For more information on the Super Tour, including a complete season event schedule, visit usskiandsnowboard.org. Livestreams will be available at facebook.com/usskiandsnowboard.

U.S. CROSS COUNTRY SUPER TOUR
Event and Streaming Schedule (all times EST)
*subject to change

Saturday, Dec. 1
Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint
12:00 p.m. – Qualifiers
1:45 p.m. – Heats
Facebook Livestream

Sunday, Dec. 2
Men’s 15k; Women’s 10k freestyle
12:00 p.m.
Facebook Livestream

January 3-8, 2019
Craftsbury Common, Vt – L.L. Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships
Men: 15k classic, sprint classic, 30k freestyle mass start, sprint freestyle
Women: 10k classic, sprint classic, 20k freestyle mass start, sprint freestyle
Streaming schedule TBD

January 25-27, 2019
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Men: 10k freestyle, 15k classic mass start, sprint classic
Women: 5k freestyle, 10k classic mass start, sprint classic
Streaming schedule TBD

February 15-17
Minneapolis Saint-Paul, Minn.
Men: Sprint freestyle, 20k classic mass start, 10k freestyle
Women: Sprint freestyle, 15k classic mass start, 5k freestyle|
Streaming schedule TBD

Feb 23, 2019
American Birkebeiner – Hayward, Wis.
Men: 50k freestyle mass start
Women: 50k freestyle mass start
Streaming schedule TBD

March 28- April 2
Super Tour Finals – Presque Isle, Maine
Men: Sprint freestyle, 15k classic mass start, relay, 20k freestyle, 50k classic mass start
Women: Sprint freestyle, 10k classic mass start, relay, 15k freestyle, 30k freestyle mass start
Streaming schedule TBD

Super Tour Live Stream

The East Coast will play host to the nation’s best freestyle skiers when they compete for national titles this season. The aerials competition will take place in Lake Placid on January 26, 2019, and moguls competitions will take place at at Waterville Valley Resort on March 16-17, 2019.  

The Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y. is one of aerial skiing’s most iconic venues and has hosted freestyle World Cup events every year since 1985. Last year’s champions were Harrison Smith (Pittsford, N.Y.) and Morgan Northrop (Haymarket, Va.) and Northrop will look to defend her title in 2019. The results of the U.S. championships will have a direct impact on the 2018-19 competition season. Results from the January 26 event will be weighed with results from the January 19 World Cup event in Lake Placid, and will help determine the U.S. Aerials World Championships team.

“The Olympic Jumping Complex is excited to be hosting the 2019 U.S. Freestyle Championships. The venue take tremendous pride in hosting World Championship, World Cup and national championship events that go a long way towards many athletes’ dreams of someday representing the United States in the Olympic Winter Games. Come on out and cheer America’s best as they compete for the title of U.S. Champion,” Tony Carlino, Olympic Jumping Complex General Manager.

The moguls U.S. Freestyle Championships will be held at Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire March 16-17, 2019 and will include mogul and dual mogul events. Brad Wilson (Butte, Mont.) will look to defend both the men’s mogul and dual mogul titles. Women’s mogul champion Keaton McCargo (Telluride, Colo.) retired after the 2018 season, but Tess Johnson (Vail, Colo.) is the reigning champion in dual moguls.  

“Waterville Valley Resort was proud to host the 2018 U.S. Freestyle Championships last March. It was a great event showcasing amazing athletes. The entire Waterville Valley community is thrilled to be hosting the U.S. Freestyle Championships again this season. As the birthplace of freestyle skiing, this event holds a special place in everyone’s hearts,” Matt Hesser, Senior Director of Marketing for Waterville Valley Resort.

Utah hosting the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships means a lot to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams. The competition on home soil means more confidence on the courses, more family and friends in the crowd, and more ski and snowboard fans being exposed to the extraordinary state of sport that is Utah.

U.S. Freeski Team slopestyle skier and Park City local Joss Christensen is particularly overjoyed that the FIS World Champs are going to be in his hometown in 2019. “You never really know when another major event will happen in Park City, so I think this is a pretty rare opportunity to try and take advantage of,” says Christensen, “I am hyped to hopefully be competing on my home turf again with all my friends and family around to support me.”

Christensen has been an avid skier for the majority of his life. “I guess it was just a product of growing up in Park City. That was just just a way of life and seemed like that was what you were supposed to do.” His parents were ski lovers as well and put him in ski school as soon as they could. As he grew older, Christensen followed his brother into the park to learn the basics: he slid on boxes and rails, hit the jumps, and lapped the park all day long. By age 13, Christensen was in love with the sport of slopestyle skiing.

Growing up with some of the best park facilities in the world at Park City Mountain, Christensen excelled in his freeskiing career. Not only did he train on some of the best available terrain, but he was constantly surrounded by talented skiers. Christensen attributes his dedication, inspiration, and success in the sport to the freeskiing professionals that were formerly based in Park City.

“It was really cool because big names like Tanner Hall and Pep Fujas were riding out of Park City. Being able to see the best in the world at the time and see the pioneers that were pushing the sport and paving the way for future athletes was really awesome.”  

Now Christensen is one of the big names that aspiring slopestyle kids look up to. He has an impressive medal count, topping the podium at numerous World Cup and Grand Prix events, and collecting an X Games medal among his impressive results across slopestyle, halfpipe and big air events. Most would agree that topping all those achievements was his most notable victory - Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games.

“For me that was just unbelievable. A lot of the times I think back on it and it still doesn’t seem like it actually happened,” Christensen says. His Olympic podium experience was shared with two other U.S. Freeski Team athletes including Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, Colo.) who won the silver medal, and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) who won the bronze, making an all American podium sweep. During this time, the U.S. Freeski Team was facing intense competition from a variety of other nations. This high level of international competition still exists today, but with the help of Christensen and an impressive group of veterans that make up the men’s and women’s U.S. Freeski Team, they are fostering an environment of progression and excellence for years to come and inspiring the next generation of athletes who are aiming at the top step of the podium.

As the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships near, Christensen and his teammates are training hard for a spot on the team, which is never a guarantee with a talent-stacked U.S. Freeski Team. “World Champs is the one competition that I still haven’t really put my foot down on, so my main goal is to make the team,” Christensen says. After dealing with an injury last season, Christensen is working to get back on the snow as much as possible and get his old tricks back with confidence. Luckily, he is feeling more prepared because of his comfort with his local terrain. Riding the same rails and jumps he grew up on and having his hometown crowd cheering him on should help his confidence and mindset.

“The coolest thing is that I am going to be able to get to ride the chairlift I have ridden thousands of times in my life and compete at the place where I have spent the most time on the snow,” Christensen remarks.  

Christensen not only feels more prepared for the chance to compete in 2019, but he feels grateful for the opportunity to share his hometown with both his friends and the world. “I really like showing my hometown to all of my friends that I meet traveling on the road, and the hill that I grew up skiing on,” Christensen says. “It’s also really cool because a lot of my close friends that I grew up with don’t really have the chance to watch a contest live and now all my friends and family get to come.”  

It’s not just the fans that will make this event familiar, but also the fact that he will be skiing with teammates and friends, some of which he has known and skied with all his life on their home turf. “McRae Williams and I actually live together, which is funny because we pretty much hang out everyday,” says Christensen. “We grew up skiing ever since we were about 13 years old so we have a really close relationship. Colby Stevenson was always the younger kid in Park City following us around. I have known him since he was a little kid.”

With familiar courses, teammates, friends and family, as well as a strong love of Utah and Park City, Christensen is in a position to succeed this season. Make sure to look out for one of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s hometown heroes during the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships.

U.S. Freeski athletes will start competition with the big air qualifiers on Feb. 2 at 8:15 a.m. (MST) at the Canyons Village - Park City Mountain, finals will follow at 7:00 p.m. Freeski slopestyle competition will commence on Feb. 5. At 8:30 a.m. at Park City Mountain. The final round of competition will begin the following day Feb. 6 at 11:00 a.m.. Don’t miss your chance to to catch this action live and tune in on NBC.

How to Watch the 2019 World Championships

NBC Sports will showcase more than 25 hours of 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championship programming, including more than 10 hours of live coverage, on NBC and the NBC Sports networks.

Additional coverage will also be available on NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product – and the Olympic Channel digital platforms. A full broadcast schedule will be available on both USSkiandSnowboard.org  and  2019WorldChamps.com.
 

This weekend marks the final stop of the FIS Ski Alpine World Cup circuit in North America with women’s speed events in Lake Louise, Alberta, while the men tackle one of the circuit’s premier courses - Birds of Prey - at Beaver Creek, Colorado. The networks of NBC will broadcast/stream more than 40 hours of coverage this weekend, including more than 30 hours of live coverage.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Avon, Colo.) is fresh off her 45th career World Cup victory at Vermont’s Killington Resort and shifts gears this weekend to take on a pair of downhill races and a super-G, as she looks to build upon her speed resume where she scored her first career World Cup downhill victory last season. Unfortunately, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.) will not be heading to “Lake Lindsey” after sustaining a minor knee injury while training at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Following up on a pair of top-20 results at Lake Louise last weekend, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.) looks to tame the Birds of Prey in three events this weekend - downhill, super-G, and giant slalom. Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah) finally kicks off his World Cup season this weekend at Beaver Creek after the opening GS of the season was rescheduled from Soelden, Austria, due to weather.

The U.S. Cross Country Ski Team returns to the 1994 Olympic site of Lillehammer, Norway, for three events this weekend: men and women’s freestyle sprint Friday; a mass-start women’s 10k freestyle and a 15k mass-start men’s freestyle Saturday; and a 10k classic pursuit for women and 15k classic pursuit for men Sunday.

The U.S. women have fond memories of Lillehammer as Sadie Bjornsen (Winthrop, Wash.) finished on the podium in the classic sprint last season with a third-place result. Teammate Jessie Diggins (Afton, Minn.) finished sixth, and Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mountain, Vt.) was ninth.

USA Nordic’s U.S. Nordic Combined Team members Ben Loomis (Eau Claire, Wis.), Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) and Jasper Good (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) kick off the World Cup season in Lillehammer this weekend with three stages comprising the Lillehammer Tour. Friday features an individual HS98m jump with a short 5k cross country race with athletes seeded based on jump results. On Saturday, a mass-start 10k will be followed by one jump on the HS98m hill. Sunday’s finale features another individual event, but athletes will move to the large HS140m jumping hill, and follow with a 10k cross country.

On the ski jumping side, Kevin Bickner (Wauconda, Ill.) will represent the men’s USA Nordic/U.S. Ski Jumping Team in Nizhny Tagil, Russia, for a pair of HS134m events Saturday and Sunday. In the women’s season World Cup opener, Nita Englund (Florence, Wis.), Nina Lussi (Lake Placid, N.Y.) and Tara Geraghty-Moats (West Fairlee, Vt.) will represent USA Nordic’s U.S. Ski Jumping Team in three events in Lillehammer, two HS98m competitions Friday and Saturday, and one HS140m large hill competition Sunday.

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

ALPINE
Friday, Nov. 30
12:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s downhill, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*

Saturday, Dec. 1
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
2:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s super-G, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*
10:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s downhill, Lake Louise, CAN - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
1:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 1, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
1:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G, Lake Louise, CAN - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC Sports Gold & NBCSN
5:00 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom recap, Beaver Creek, Colo. - NBC*
6:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s super-G recap, Lake Louise, CAN - NBCSN*
11:30 p.m. - World Cup men’s giant slalom, run 2, Beaver Creek, Colo. - Olympic Channel*

CROSS COUNTRY
Friday, Nov. 30
6:00 a.m. - World Cup men and women’s sprint, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

Saturday, Dec. 1
4:30 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
6:15 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
12:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

Sunday, Dec. 2
4:15 a.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
5:45 a.m. - World Cup Men’s 15k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
2:30 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*
9:00 p.m. - World Cup women’s 10k pursuit, Lillehammer, NOR - NBCSN*

NORDIC COMBINED
Friday, Nov. 30
5:00 a.m. - World Cup men’s HS98 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic
8:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s 5k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic

Saturday, Dec. 1
3:30 a.m. - World Cup men’s mass start 10k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
8:15 a.m. - World Cup men’s mass start HS98 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

Sunday, Dec. 2
4:35 a.m. - World Cup men’s HS140 - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
8:05 a.m. - World Cup men’s 10k - Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel

SKI JUMPING
Friday, Nov. 30
9:45 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134 qualifying, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
11:30 a.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Saturday, Dec. 1
9:45 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
11:15 a.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - Olympic Channel*
8:30 p.m. - Women’s individual HS98, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Sunday, Dec. 2
6:45 a.m. - Women’s individual HS140, Lillehammer, NOR - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
10:00 a.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - NBC Sports Gold & Olympic Channel
7:00 p.m. - Men’s individual HS134, Nizhny Tagil, RUS - Olympic Channel*
8:30 p.m. - Women’s individual HS140, Lillehammer, NOR - Olympic Channel*

Fans can catch all the action in spectacular high definition via NBC Sports online at NBCSports.com/Live or through the NBC Sports app which is 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, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

The top ski and snowboard athletes in the USA will have world class snow conditions during upcoming training camps and competitions thanks to PRINOTH snow groomers, who has signed on for a second four-year agreement as Official Snow Groomer for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. PRINOTH will support the team in various events held in North America and, with its European Headquarters located in Northern Italy near the Austrian border, will support the team abroad as well.

PRINOTH has been the Official Snow Groomer of U.S. Ski & Snowboard since 2014 and is proud to continue to support the dreams of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes through the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. By providing consistent snow conditions for athletes to train and compete on, PRINOTH plays a big role in helping athletes not only prepare for Beijing 2022 but for other world-class events leading up to the Games.

“With over 20 FIS World Cup events per year to operate, including a hometown 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, U.S. Ski & Snowboard relies heavily on snow grooming from PRINOTH machines to deliver ‘Best in the World’ courses and events for our athletes. This unique partnership with PRINOTH delivers not only on the quality we need for our events but also gives us a competitive advantage with operations at our Fall and Spring training camps.” Dan Barnett, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“North American ski areas using PRINOTH snow grooming equipment consistently rank as the top resorts in the country for best grooming. By providing the ski areas & training centers with our equipment, PRINOTH ensures optimal training and racing slope conditions for the athletes. Snow is part of our DNA, and PRINOTH has always been committed to support world class athletes such as these of the US Ski & Snowboard Team.” Philippe Gosselin, Marketing Manager of Snow Grooming, PRINOTH North America.