On the second day of racing in Ruka, Finland, Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team athlete Rosie Brennan took home her first individual classic podium in the 10k classic. Teammate Jessie Diggins crossed the line in 11th, a career best classic result in Ruka. 

The first World Cup races of the season can set the tone for what's to come and Brennan is already coming out on top. Despite not having many days on snow prior to the first races, she showed promise in the grueling 10k classic, with two solid laps around one of the hilliest and most technical courses on the World Cup calendar.

Ruka is known for its long hills and challenging terrain. Out of the starting gate, racers descend a steep hill and immediately begin climbing another - a section referred to as the "halfpipe" - with very little room for recovery. At the 5k mark, Brennan moved into a podium spot and comfortably stayed until the finish line. When she crossed the line in front of the large Ruka crowd, Brennan was only 5.5 seconds back from first. At the end of the day, Ebba Andersson of Sweden took home the victory with teammate Frida Karlsson in third - Brennan broke up the Swedish podium sweep in second. 

"I had really nice skis out there today, that's for sure," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "I've been really happy with the improvements I've made in classic skiing and it all worked out today - I'm very happy with my result!" 

Today's second place result gave Brennan her first World Cup individual classic podium and her eighth overall World Cup podium. Right behind Brennan was teammate Diggins, who crossed the line in 11th. This result is Diggins' best classic result in Ruka, and when asked about her race, she focused on her teammate. "I was so proud of Rosie and just seeing her ski with confidence and authority like that was so beautiful," said Diggins. "It made me really happy!” 

Novie McCabe followed Diggins with an impressive 30th place and Gus Schumacher led the American men with a 22nd place. Now, the team will race one more time before the end of the first World Cup race weekend with the 20k mass start on Sunday, Nov. 26. Watch LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live with commentary by Kikkan Randall and Chad Salmela. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

HOW TO WATCH
4:00 a.m. ET // Women's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
6:35 a.m. ET // Men's 20k skate // live & on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live

The Stifel Killington Cup is Thanksgiving weekend, kicking off the first domestic World Cup of the season. The best women giant slalom and slalom skiers will be heading out of the start gate down the storied Superstar trail for the seventh time since 2014 at the most attended women's World Cup on the circuit.  

The women’s first run is scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m. ET and second run at 1:00 p.m. ET. The first run will be live ONLY on Outside for free. The second run will also be streamed by Outside for free, and will also be live on NBC and Peacock.

A full replay will be available after the races on Outside+ (subscription required). Full details on how to watch are below.

Outside commentators include Stifel U.S. Ski Team alumnus Marco Sullivan and Jonathan ‘DC’ Oetken. NBC coverage will feature commentary from Steve Schlanger and Stifel U.S. Ski Team alumni Steve Porino and Picabo Street.

HOW TO WATCH (all times ET)
Saturday, Nov. 25 - giant slalom
10:00 a.m. / run 1 - LIVE on Outside
1:00 p.m. / run 2 - LIVE on Outside, NBC, Peacock

Sunday, Nov. 26
10:00 a.m. / run 1 - LIVE on Outside
12:30 p.m. / run 1 & 2 - NBC, Peacock 
1:00 p.m. / run 2 - LIVE on Outside

The FIS Cross Country World Cup kicked off in Ruka, Finland with the classic sprint and four Americans found the top 11. Jessie Diggins led the women in seventh place and Ben Ogden the men in 11th.

It was a cold, blustery day for the first World Cup of the 2023-24 season and the excitement of a new season was palpable. Thousands of fans crowded the course, including the familiar faces of the Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls athletes who lined the finishing stretch to cheer. 

The start of the season was no easy feat, as this season marks the start of the complete fluro-ban by FIS, in which all nations must ensure that all skis are fluro-free at top-tier events, including the FIS World Cup. The new fluro-free rules brought a few more steps that athletes and staff must abide by before lining up on the start line, but at the end of the day, the race went on. 

For the women, Rosie Brennan, Julia Kern and Diggins advanced to the heats by landing in the top 30 of the field. Ogden and JC Schoonmaker advanced to the heats for the men. The qualifications results painted the picture of just how fast the field was skiing, with only a few seconds separating 30th and first place.

In the heats, Diggins and Kern won their quarterfinal heats easily and Brennan crossed the line in second. Ogden won his quarterfinal heat, putting him in a solid position for the semis; Schoonmaker was fifth and did not advance. In the semis, no American athletes advanced but today still marks the best results from the American team in history, with four in the final top 11: the women going seventh, eighth and ninth, and Ogden just outside the top 10 in 11th. 

"I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season," said Brennan in a post-race interview. "Honestly, this was quite a good day for the whole team and very cool to see." 

"It's really nice to be back. This is the best Ruka result for the team," said Diggins. "But just being here is a victory and actually racing was a cherry on top. I'm really lucky to have such an amazing team and proud to be here, it took a lot of work. It took me 12 years to make the semi-finals in Ruka, and that's why we don't give up, we just keep trying!" 

Now, the team will make a quick turnaround to the next race - the 10k classic tomorrow, Nov. 24. 

RESULTS
Women's sprint
Men's sprint

HOW TO WATCH
Saturday, Nov. 24
- 6:15 a.m. ET / Men's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live
- 4:00 a.m. ET / Women's 10k classic / live and on-demand: skiandsnowboard.live 

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team slopestyle team athletes Mac Forehand and Alex Hall podiumed in the first slopestyle World Cup of the season, taking home second and third respectively.

Due to tough weather conditions, qualifiers were rescheduled from Friday to Thursday with hope of finals on Friday. However, due to the forecast predicting extreme winds and heavy snowfall, the finals were ultimately canceled. Results were determined based on qualifications, making this the second freeski World Cup to do so this season, after last month's Big Air Chur event was cut short due to weather. 

Taking advantage of the qualifiers and knowing cancelations were possible, Forehand and Hall executed unique, stylish and technically difficult jump runs. Forehand put down a switch left double 1620 lead stale grab to right double 900 lock with a mute grab. In Hall's creative third-place finish, he executed a right double 900 pretzel with a safety grab to switch left tail butter double 1260 mute grab, a run that would secure his 10th career World Cup podium. 

Canada's Evan McEachran took home his first slopestyle World Cup win ever. 

Stifel U.S. Freeski Team slope team athletes Cody LaPlante, Konnor Ralph and Troy Podmilksak also delivered excellent runs, earning scores that would have given them a chance to compete in finals. On the women's side, Rell Harwood secured a spot in the finals as well. 

"Very proud of the whole team yesterday," said Stifel U.S. Freeski Team pro slope team head coach Dave Euler. "We've had lots of bad weather at recent training camps. It was amazing to have a perfect competition day, which allowed the athletes to showcase their incredible skills. Having Mac and Alex on the podium, along with six athletes making finals, makes it even better! Great kickoff to the slopestyle season, and I am excited to keep the momentum building into Beijing and Copper big airs."

Up next, the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team slope team travels to Beijing, China, the host of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, for a big air World Cup event Dec. 1-2. 

Results
Men’s Slopestyle
Women’s Slopestyle 

Today U.S. Ski & Snowboard and iFIT, the global leader in exercise equipment and fitness content, officially announced a four-year partnership. As part of the partnership iFIT will be fully retrofitting the U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s headquarters, the USANA Center of Excellence, in Park City, Utah. iFIT will completely revamp the USANA Center of Excellence gym floor, with state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment to be utilized daily by nearly 250+ elite athletes and staff.

Along the Center of Excellence, iFIT will be outfitting the iFIT Mobile Performance Hub trailer with state-of-the-art, pro-level fitness equipment and technology focused on warm-up and recovery. Both the Center and trailer will feature iFIT’s immersive and adaptive technology which seamlessly connects the company’s proprietary software, experiential content and interactive hardware.

While based in Logan, Utah, iFIT has shared headquarters with the USANA Center of Excellence over the last year. The company provides unmatched fitness experiences and solutions to its growing community of millions of engaged members across 120 countries. Founded in 1977, iFIT offers a broad range of connected fitness modalities and is an industry leader for on-demand experiential and interactive fitness hardware. iFIT’s leading fitness equipment brands include NordicTrack, Proform and Freemotion, as well as their iFIT connected fitness streaming platform that connects with more than 7.7 million users. 

"We are excited to update our gym and take our training to the next level with the  iFIT,” said Gillian Bower, High-Performance Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Their state-of-the-art equipment will further elevate what we can offer our athletes with iFIT’s incredible fitness and cardio equipment.”

“We are especially proud of this partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard as we aim to continue our mission to be in service of athletes everywhere,” said Mark Phillips, iFIT’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Our world-class offering of immersive fitness programs will allow U.S. Ski & Snowboard to reach new heights with their training as some of the world’s most incredible athletes prepare for the greatest competitions of their life. We look forward to seeing how the USANA trainers and athletes use our incredible machines to pursue their athletic goals.” 

For more information visit, www.usskiandsnowboard.org and iFIT.com.

###

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2023, competing in ten teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, snowboard, nordic combined, Para snowboard, Para alpine, and ski jumping. In addition to the fully-funded elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

About iFIT Health & Fitness

iFIT Health & Fitness is a global fitness and connected content company that provides unmatched fitness experiences and solutions to its growing community of millions of engaged members across the globe. iFIT’s industry-leading brands – NordicTrack®, ProForm® and Freemotion® – are powered by the iFIT smart fitness platform, which seamlessly connects the company’s proprietary software, experiential content and interactive hardware. Based in Logan, Utah, the company offers immersive, adaptive, personalized workout experiences for athletes and amateurs at every fitness level and interest. www.ifit.com

The 2023-24 alpine World Cup season is officially upon us. The table below will stay updated on events and how to watch information, for both domestic and international races. 

• All international races will be LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live (immediately) and Outside Watch (posted the Monday following the race). 
• All domestic races will be LIVE on Outside Watch (for free) and on-demand (behind a paywall). NBC and CNBC will also feature domestic races, sometimes live and sometimes tape-delayed. When it is on NBC/CNBC, it will be simulcasted via Peacock. Peacock will not have on-demand domestic races.
• All Austrian events will be on Peacock, with some coverage via NBC/CNBC

Learn more on How to Watch HERE. 

Full Alpine World Cup schedule below.

2024-25 calendar will be updated when it is released. 

PARK CITY, Utah (Nov. 20, 2023) - U.S. Ski & Snowboard is proud to announce that prize money for all domestic Audi FIS Alpine World Cups will be increased in collaboration with Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team title partner Stifel. This will begin with the Stifel Killington Cup Nov. 25-26, 2023. 

With the additional support from Stifel, the World Cup races in the United States will feature a prize purse increased 30% from the season prior, the highest amount of prize money given in U.S. Ski & Snowboard history. Prize money for both men and women has been equal within the International Ski Federation and U.S. Ski & Snowboard landscape for decades. On the podium, the first place winner will receive CHF 58,000 ($64,300), second place will receive CHF 27,000 ($30,000) and third place will receive CHF 15,000 ($16,600). 

“I am thrilled that we are able to increase prize money for the talented alpine athletes,” said Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO of Stifel Financial Corporation. “These athletes are extremely dedicated and we hope this shows our appreciation to their tremendous efforts and athletic achievements.” 

The domestic alpine World Cups include the Stifel Killington Cup at Killington, Xfinity Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup and Stifel Aspen Winternational. Each race will feature an increased prize purse for the top 30 finishers. 

“We are delighted to be collaborating with Stifel to increase prize money, this further demonstrates their commitment as an athlete-first partner,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “We are hosting more World Cups than ever before, and are excited to have the world compete for additional prize money here in the U.S.”

“This increased support for the sport on home soil from Ron Kruszewski and the Stifel team really shows Stifel’s belief in and commitment to ski racing as a sport,” said Mikaela Shiffrin, Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, two-time Olympic champion and winningest skier in history. “Stifel has been a vital partner to both myself and the Team more broadly, and with this increase in prize money, Ron has shown his strong focus on athletes and the growth of our sport domestically. I’ve been grateful to participate in a sport where the prize money is equal among genders, and even more grateful to have a partner who recognizes the value of our sport and has the drive to draw in even more fans and viewers to the sport.”

“It is awesome that Stifel is such a strong supporter of this sport we call ski racing,” said Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete and 2023 world champion Tommy Ford. “Knowing that we have the potential to earn more on home soil just adds fuel to the fire. Let’s go!” 

You can view the full prize money list for each event here. 

PARK CITY, Utah (Nov. 22, 2023) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard in collaboration with FIS and Aspen Snowmass is excited to announce that the canceled men’s Audi FIS giant slalom World Cup race in Sölden will now be added to the Stifel Aspen Winternational, a FIS World Cup, on Friday March 1, 2024. This is in addition to the scheduled giant slalom and slalom in Aspen March 2-3. 

The men’s giant slalom World Cup in Sölden, Austria was canceled abruptly on Oct. 29 after strong winds made it clear that the race could not take place in a fair way. A total of 47 racers made it down the Sölden track in the first run before the race was put on hold and ultimately called off. 

“We are thrilled to bring the canceled giant slalom race to Aspen for an additional day of racing,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard “It is exciting to bring another opportunity of racing to our domestic crowd and see our men compete on home soil.”

Aspen Snowmass is seasoned in welcoming the world’s best alpine athletes to its venue with the Stifel America’s Downhill–a downhill and super-G–in the 2022-23 season and World Cup Finals in 2017. Aspen Snowmass has hosted more than 80 World Cup races over nine decades.

“Aspen’s passion for World Cup ski racing is decades old and runs deep,” said John Rigney, Senior Vice President at Aspen Skiing Company. “To secure an additional men’s GS race only adds to the excitement around the upcoming Stifel Aspen Winternational and helps make our season kickoff this week even more special for our community.”

Colorado fans will be able to cheer on local favorites in the giant slalom, namely Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete, world champion and Colorado local River Radamus, as well as world champion Tommy Ford. The race comes shortly after another domestic tech event, the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup held in Palisades Tahoe, California Feb. 24-25. 

Use the table below to stay updated on 2023-24 FIS Snowboard World Cup events and how you can watch.

As an overview: 

• All international events will be LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live and on-demand on skiandsnowboard.live (immediately) and Outside Watch (posted the Monday following the event). 
• Events in Austria will be live and on-demand on Peacock
• All domestic races will be live on Outside (for free) and on-demand (behind a paywall). NBC, CNBC and Peacock will be also showing some domestic events.

Learn more on How to Watch HERE. 

Full Snowboard World Cup schedule below.

The 2023-24 Cross Country World Cup season is officially upon us, with the first event slated for Nov. 24, in Ruka, Finland. This season includes the first FIS Cross Country World Cup in the United States in over 23 years - the 2024 Loppet Cup presented by Stifel, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Feb. 17-19. 

Use the table below to stay updated on events and how to watch information, for both domestic and international races.

• All international races will be LIVE on skiandsnowboard.live and on-demand on Outside+ and skiandsnowboard.live and Outside Watch the Monday following the race. 
• All domestic races will be LIVE on Outside Watch (for free) and on-demand (behind a pay wall). NBC and CNBC schedule is TBD.

Learn more on How to Watch HERE. 

Full Cross Country World Cup schedule below