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Gustafsons Fifth in Paralympic Giant Slalom; Griffin, O’Driscoll Ninth

By Courtney Harkins
March, 12 2026
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Meg and Spenser Gustafson ski to fifth place in the giant slalom. (Marcus Hartmann)

Team USA Para alpine skiers returned to Cortina on Thursday for the women’s giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

In women’s vision impaired, Meg Gustafson and guide Spenser Gustafson led the American effort, finishing fifth overall. The Gustafsons had a strong first run, putting them in podium contention, but a few small mistakes in second run left them just out of the medals.   

In the women’s standing classification, Kelsey O’Driscoll was the top American finisher in ninth after putting together two clean runs. Allie Johnson followed in 12th place, continuing her Paralympic campaign with another consistent result. Teammate Audrey Crowley showed strong skiing early but missed the final gate on the first run and was disqualified, ending her race early.

In women’s sitting giant slalom, Hailey Griffin finished ninth in her first ever Paralympic start, marking an important milestone for the newcomer. Anna Soens, Saylor O’Brien and Laurie Stevens did not finish the second run. For Stevens, the race marked the first start of her sixth and final Paralympic Winter Games, continuing a long and accomplished career representing Team USA on the Paralympic stage.

Men’s giant slalom is next on Friday before the women kick off the slalom weekend to finish off the Games. 

RESULTS
Women’s Giant Slalom
VI
Standing
Sitting

Ikon Pass, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Partner to Offer Skiers & Riders The Ultimate in Mountain Access

By U.S. Ski & Snowboard
March, 12 2026
ikon pass insider

Ikon Pass goes on sale today, March 12, at ikonpass.com for the 2026-27 season and to kick it off, Ikon Pass has teamed up with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to offer skiers and riders access to the most premier mountain destinations on the planet and an inside look at U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes. 

For a limited time, skiers and riders can get a $50 discount on any 2-, 3-, or 4-day Adult Ikon Session Pass at www.ikonpass.com, using the code USAGOLD. Any new U.S. Ikon Session Pass holder who uses the code will automatically receive an exclusive six-month digital subscription to Insider, the Official Fan Club of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and will be automatically entered into the Ikon Session Pass Sweepstakes for a trip to the Intermountain Health Freestyle International presented by Stifel World Cup at Deer Valley Resort in Utah in February 2027. 

Insider is the Official Fan Club of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and is designed to bring fans closer to the athletes and events they love. The club offers exclusive access to Insider-only experiences at U.S. World Cup events, behind-the-scenes content, special partner discounts, a custom welcome gift package and more. Every Insider sign-up provides benefits to the fan while directly supporting the athletes and mission of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

“Ikon Pass and U.S. Ski & Snowboard are passionate about growing our sport, exposing skiers and riders to our incredible mountains, and to the greatest athletes on earth,” said Matt Bowers, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Alterra Mountain Company. “Watching Ikon Pass Ambassador and the world’s winningest alpine skier, Mikaela Shiffrin, compete in Italy at the highest level, was incredibly inspiring, and we are excited to keep the momentum going with this ideal partnership.”

Ikon Session Pass Sweepstakes 

“This partnership with Ikon Pass brings together two organizations deeply committed to skiing and snowboarding,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Through this collaboration and our Insider program, we’re excited to give skiers and riders greater access to premier mountains while connecting them more directly to the athletes who inspire them.”

Ikon Pass is on sale now at www.ikonpass.com.

IKON PASS BY THE NUMBERS*                                         
Destinations: 76 
Continents: 5
Countries: 13
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Asian Countries: 3
Total Acres:  284,507
Trails: 8,512
Lifts: 2,107

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 4/16/2026. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. and who are at least 18 years of age. Void where prohibited. See Official Rules for details by clicking here

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About Ikon Pass
The Ikon Pass welcomes skiers and riders to a community of inspiring mountain destinations and the people who live and play among them across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Brought to you by Alterra Mountain Company, Ikon Pass unlocks adventure at iconic and unique destinations including Aspen Snowmass, Steamboat, Winter Park, Copper Mountain Resort, Arapahoe Basin, and Eldora Mountain Resort in Colorado; Palisades Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Big Bear Mountain Resort, and Snow Valley in California; Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming; Big Sky Resort in Montana; Alyeska Resort in Alaska; Stratton, Sugarbush Resort, and Killington in Vermont; Snowshoe in West Virginia; The Highlands, Boyne Mountain and Snowriver Mountain Resort in Michigan; Lutsen Mountains in Minnesota; Granite Peak in Wisconsin; Crystal Mountain and The Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington; Mt. Bachelor in Oregon; Sun Valley and Schweitzer in Idaho; Tremblant and Le Massif de Charlevoix in Quebec and Blue Mountain in Ontario, Canada; SkiBig3 in Alberta, Canada; Revelstoke Mountain Resort, RED Mountain, Cypress Mountain, Panorama Mountain Resort and Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada; Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine; Loon Mountain in New Hampshire; Camelback Resort and Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania; Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico; Deer Valley Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Brighton Resort, Alta Ski Area, Snowbird and Snowbasin in Utah; Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley and Megève Ski Area in France; Dolomiti Superski and Valle D’Aosta in Italy; Grandvalira Resorts in Andorra; Kitzbühel and Ischgl in Austria; Zermatt and St. Moritz in Switzerland; Thredbo and Mt Buller in Australia; Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Mt Hutt in New Zealand; Niseko United, Arai Mountain Resort, Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort, Mt.T, Myoko Suginohara, APPI Resort, Furano Ski Resort, NEKOMA Mountain and Zao Onsen Ski Resort in Japan; Yunding Snow Park in China; Mona Yongpyong in South Korea; and Valle Nevado in Chile. Special offers are available at CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures and Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing, the world’s largest heli-skiing and heli-accessed hiking operation. For more information, please visit www.ikonpass.com.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic and Paralympic National Governing Body of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Started in 1905, the organization now represents nearly 240 elite skiers and snowboarders competing on 10 teams, including the Stifel U.S. Ski Team: alpine, cross country, freestyle moguls, freestyle aerials, freeski, nordic combined, Para alpine and ski jumping, the Toyota U.S. Para Snowboard Team and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit usskiandsnowboard.org.

Crowley Leads Paralympic Alpine Combined in Fifth

By Courtney Harkins
March, 10 2026
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Audrey Crowley skis to fifth place in her first Paralympic Games (Getty Images)

Audrey Crowley was the top American on Team USA in her first Paralympic Games, taking fifth in the alpine combined.

Just one day after the super-G, the alpine athletes returned to the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre Tuesday at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games for the alpine combined, which involves a super-G run followed by a slalom run and requires athletes to balance speed with technical precision. With little room for error across two vastly different disciplines, the event proved challenging for the field, but several athletes delivered strong performances.

In women’s standing classification, Crowley led the Americans with a fifth-place finish, skiing two solid runs to remain in contention throughout the event. Kelsey O’Driscoll finished eighth with a top-three result in super-G, but had a tough time battling the slalom portion. Allie Johnson placed 13th.

In the women’s vision impaired race, Meg Gustafson and guide Spenser Gustafson skied to seventh place with a composed performance across both runs.

The women’s sitting race saw strong potential early from Anna Soens, who delivered an impressive super-G run and sat in fifth after the opening leg. However, Soens, who has only been competing at a World Cup level in the 2025-26 season and has limited slalom experience, was unable to finish the slalom portion. Saylor O’Brien also did not finish the slalom run.

In the men’s standing classification, Patrick Halgren, fresh off his super-G silver medal on Monday, finished seventh overall after two competitive runs. Just behind him, Spencer Wood delivered a standout performance, finishing eighth, his best Paralympic result in his career. Andrew Haraghey, Jesse Keefe and Tyler McKenzie did not finish the super-G. 

In the men’s sitting event, Ravi Drugan was the top American finisher in 11th, with Rob Enigel taking 14th. Andrew Kurka, who captured bronze in the super-G, put himself in strong position early and sat fifth after the super-G run, but was unable to complete the slalom portion. Blake Eaton also did not finish the slalom, while Matthew Brewer did not finish the super-G.

Para alpine has a day off on Wednesday with competition continuing in Cortina with giant slalom and slalom, giving Team USA more opportunities to push for podium results as the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games continue in the Italian Dolomites.

RESULTS
Women’s Alpine Combined
VI
Standing
Sitting

Men’s Alpine Combined
Standing
Sitting

Lindenmeyr, Palmquist Win Silver in World Juniors Team Combined

By Sierra Ryder - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 9 2026
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Aksel Lindenmeyr and Jevin Palmquist win silver at the Junior World Championships. (FIS)

On Monday’s men’s team combined event at the Junior World Championships U.S. duo of Aksel Lindenmeyr and Jevin Palmquist won silver. This marks the second medal captured by the U.S. so far at Junior Worlds. 

“I was pretty nervous going into today,” said Lindenmeyr. “I really wanted to put a run down that I could be happy with so I’m glad I was able to do that for myself and our team.” 

It was another challenging day with the weather, but the men were able to push through and give it their all in the super-G and slalom runs. Lindenmeyr set the pace early with one of the top super-G runs giving Palmquist ample opportunity to build on the times. The duo finished second, just a tenth behind the French duo that ultimately won gold.  

“I thought overall it was a good day,” said Palmquist. “I was glad to come down with a solid run, having Aksel as a teammate was great, he put down a great run that put us in a great spot. Earning the silver medal in the team combined is truly an awesome feeling.”  

The U.S. men also posted a strong team result in the super-G that day with three in the top 10. Jeremy Nolting was just off the podium in fourth, Aksel Lindenmeyer in fifth and Mattias Wilson in seventh. 

The Junior Worlds event continues this week with the team parallel on March 11. 

RESULTS
men's team combined
men's super-G

Halgren Silver, Kurka Bronze in Paralympic Super-G

By Courtney Harkins
March, 9 2026
halgren kurka
Patrick Halgren takes silver and Andrew Kurka bronze in the Paralympic super-G.

Team USA earned two medals in the super-G at this Tofane Alpine Skiing Center at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games with Patrick Halgren taking a silver in standing and Andrew Kurka a bronze in sitting. 

In the speed event under sunny skies, Halgren laid down an aggressive run to claim the silver medal, finishing just 0.98 seconds behind Switzerland’s Robin Cuche, who took gold. France’s Jules Segers secured bronze.  

Halgren attacked the course from the start, carrying speed through the sweeping turns and technical terrain to finish just .98 seconds behind the dominant Cuche. Halgren’s performance was unexpected, considering he never finished on the World Cup podium, but put down the run of his life with his coaches and teammates shouting with delight at his performance.

“Best day of my life. Until tomorrow. I'll repeat that until the day I die,” said Halgren. “But it’s just another Monday. You celebrate the victories the same way you do the defeats. I’ve been blessed to have to develop my character over the last 11 years – losing my leg. I could either roll over and die or become the best Patrick Halgren on earth.” 

Halgren, who is known for being an off-the-wall character on the Para alpine circuit, created a media circus around himself both in the downhill and then again with his unexpected win in the super-G. He spoke Italian and tried to Hulk-rip his bib off in the finish of the super-G before doing interviews shirtless with his bib wrapped around his head like a do-rag; he dyed his hair red, white and blue in the Paralympic village; he spoke with unabashed randomness and candor about his performance (“I put the pedal to the floor until I see checkered flag or God. And that's how you win.”).

His persona is on the rise, with one media member asking his “What do you say if people call you the rock star of these games?” Halgren’s response: “You’re not wrong. Yeah, I am a rock star.”

Kurka, who has been a stalwart on the World Cup and Paralympic circuit for four Paralympic cycles, added to his medal tally in the men’s sitting super-G, earning the bronze medal with a powerful run down the Cortina course. The podium marks another Paralympic medal for Kurka, who now has a medal count of three: a gold and silver from PyeongChang and now a bronze from Milano Cortina.

Kurka’s result came behind the Netherlands’ Jeroen Kampschreur, who captured gold, and Norway’s Jesper Pedersen, who finished second. 

“It was a close race,” said Kurka. “I had some major mistakes in the course, but I was able to keep my speed up and I feel pretty good about it.”

“In the men's sitting category, we're basically racing motorcycles down an icy slope and off of jumps,” continued Kurka. “Anything can go wrong at any moment on it and if you're not anticipating it then you're going into the fence.”

Rounding out the rest of Team USA, Anna Soens was just off the podium in fourth in women’s sitting. Saylor O’Brien was fifth. In women’s standing, Kelsey O’Driscoll was seventh, Audrey Crowley eighth and Allie Johnson 13th. Meg Gustafson and guide Spenser Gustafson were eighth in the visually impaired category.

On the men’s sitting side, Jesse Keefe was 14th after battling an issue with his prosthetic, with Spencer Wood 18th and Tyler McKenize 21st. Andrew Haraghey did not finish, but is OK. It sitting, Ravi Drugan was 13th, Robert Enigl 14th, Matthew Brewer 16th and Blake Eaton 20th. 

Monday’s results early momentum for the alpine combined on Tuesday, which will feature athletes racing a run of super-G followed by a run of slalom. 

RESULTS
Women’s Super-G
VI
Standing
Sitting

Men’s Super-G
VI
Standing
Sitting

Grosdidier Wins Silver at Junior World Championships

By Sierra Ryder - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 8 2026
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Logan Grosdidier wins silver in the World Juniors super-G. (FIS)

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Logan Grosdidier won super-G silver in the first Junior World Championships event in Narvik, Norway. 

“I was not really expecting to do so well,” she said. “It’s a very technical super-G and it was very fun.”

This marks Grosdidier’s first medal at just 17 years-old.  Not only did she win the silver medal but also won the title for her U18 age group. This means she was the top 2008 birth year as well - a huge feat in the stacked international field. 

The men will take on the super-G Monday. 

RESULTS
women's super-G

Delson, Elliott Take Silver at Paralympic Snowboard Cross

By Courtney Harkins
March, 8 2026
kate delson and noah elliott
Noah Elliott and Kate Delson celebrate silver medals in the 2026 Paralympic Games snowboard cross. (Getty Images)

It was all silver for Team USA at the Cortina Para Snowboard Park on Sunday, with Kate Delson and Noah Elliott both winning silver medals in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games snowboard cross. 

It was another warm and sunny day in Cortina with athletes racing underneath the soaring Dolomites in front of their friends and family. The conditions were variable, with hard snow on the top of the course that deteriorated to slush throughout the day. But the snow didn’t deter Delson or Elliott, who both put down stellar heats to collect medals. 

For Delson, the medal came in her Paralympic debut. At 20 years old, Delson is the youngest athlete on the U.S. Para Snowboard Team, but she navigated the strategic course confidently through the heats and final of the women’s Lower Limb 2 (LL2) classification to secure the first Paralympic medal of her career.

“I've got a smile on my face right now!” said Delson. “This represents so much and I'm so proud to be here representing my country and my family and friends that are here and at home that have been supporting me from the very beginning. Their support has brought the confidence that I get to wear now and I’m so excited to show them this medal and put it over their necks.”

On the men’s side, Elliott battled it out for silver in the Lower Limb 1 (LL1) classification, marking the third Paralympic medal of his career. Elliott has a gold and bronze from the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, but endured a difficult 2022 Games following a serious injury that kept him off the podium. Sunday’s performance represented a powerful comeback for the veteran American, who now has a medal of each color in his collection. 

“I'm so proud because I just realized today the silver completes my Paralympic set: gold, silver, bronze. That's really, really cool and exciting,” said Elliott. “But it's just been a lot of hard work these last four years - a lot of sacrifice, time with the family on the road and just constant grind every single day. So I couldn't be more proud to cross that finish line and get my medal today.”

Behind Elliott in the LL1 field, Mike Schultz finished sixth in what will be his final Paralympic Games. Athletes lauded Schultz in the media mixed zone at the end of the day, as Schultz is the engineer behind many of their prosthetic limbs with which they compete. 

In the finals of the men’s LL2 competition, Keith Gabel led the Americans in fifth, followed by Zach Miller in sixth. Joe Pleben took eighth after taking a hard fall in the small final.

Behind Delson in women’s LL2, two-time Paralympic champion Brenna Huckaby finished sixth, while Jackie Hamwey was seventh in her Paralympic debut.

With the first snowboard event complete, Para snowboarders will return to competition later in the Games for the banked slalom, the second and final medal event of the Paralympic program.

RESULTS
Women’s Paralympic LL2 
Men’s Paralympic LL1
Men’s Paralympics LL2  

Diggins Leads the Way, Brings Home 90th World Cup Podium; Brennan Skis to Top-12, Schumacher 15th

By Leann Bentley - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 8 2026
Jessie Diggins
Jessie Diggins takes a bow after her 89th World Cup podium in Lahti, Finland. (NordicFocus).

In front of packed grandstands and crowds lining the course in Lahti, three American athletes landed in the top-15, with Jessie Diggins powering to a third-place result, Rosie Brennan back in a familiar place in 12th, and Gus Schumacher in 15th. This is the final race of the Lahti World Cup and now the field will head to Norway for a city sprint in Drammen and the infamous 50k Holmenkollen in Oslo. 

In a race that requires your classic skiing to be dialed, with the long climbs and technical descents. For the women's race, it was all gas, no brakes. From the gun, with an athlete taking off every 15 seconds, the Swedish women were setting the pace. But, Diggins was not far behind. Throughout the time checks, Swedish gold medalists Frida Karlsson and Linn Svahn battled throughout the course, each setting the tone. At the first time-check, marked at the 1.1k, Diggins was 7.3 seconds behind Svahn, then at 3.4, only 6.4 seconds off. At 6.1k, only 3.1 seconds off and then at the final time check, at 8.4k, was sitting in third place. Obviously, this shows that Diggins found speed in the latter stages of the race, gaining crucial seconds on the descents—something she is well known for—to push onto the podium. For Brennan, the sentiment was similar. This season, Brennan's goal was to find herself again after battling an illness that has made it difficult for the three-time Olympian to regain her speed. Yet, she never gives up and today was a testament to that. 

"This has been a game of time all along, and of course, there have been many moments in which I've wondered (and continue to do so) if I will ever feel normal again in my life, and that is a very difficult place to be, but I have worked extremely hard on my mind and body to try to show up again-and-again with a sliver of hope that someday my body will return," said Brennan, post-race. "The last three days are the most normal I have felt in racing since December 2024. 

Lahti is a course that requires good technical skiing, so I felt that if I relaxed and put together good classic technique, I'd be giving myself the best chance. I had good skis, so it was easy to relax out there today. I do believe in my classic skiing, so I feel I executed that well. I don't think this is a linear process, so I'm sure I still have some ups-and-downs in this process, but I do finally feel and deeply hope that I've moved into a healing phase."

For Diggins's podium, the result marks Diggins’s 90th career FIS Cross Country World Cup podium in a record-setting 379 starts, and her first 10k classic interval start World Cup race (outside of the Tour de Ski stage races) and continues an exceptionally consistent season. She has finished no worse than 10th in every classic race this winter and has a top-10 result in every classic start of the season. Diggins also maintains her lead in the overall World Cup standings as the season enters its final stretch, in both the overall standings and distance standings. 

"That was really cool and really special," said Diggins, speaking to the atmosphere in Lahti. "There were so many people out on the course with signs that said, 'thank you, Jessie,' and it was just really emotional in the best way. It was really touching and cool to see little kids wearing glitter after the race and just honestly a really fun way to go out." 

"I really enjoyed just going really hard one more time on this course. I feel like the Lahti course is one that honestly has not suited my strengths in classic, so it was really cool to feel like I was able to pull it together more today and I feel like I had great skis, which is a huge part of the equation, espeically when the conditions get slushy. So I feel like this podium belongs to the team, and I am grateful to them for all their hard work!"

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher skied a controlled race to finish 15th. Schumacher currently sits sixth in the overall World Cup standings, in line with his personal goal of finishing the season inside the top 10.

The women's race was ultimately won by Karlsson of Sweden, with her teammate Svahn in second. For the U.S. women, Kendall Kramer, who skied to her career-best result just last week in the 20k skiathlon, was 41st, Novie McCabe 43rd, Julia Kern 45th, Lauren Jortberg 57th and Emma Albrecht 58th. For the men, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo of Norway continued his win streak of 12 in-a-row, taking first. His teammate, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget, was second and Savelii Korostelev was third. The U.S. men were led by Schumacher, with Zanden McMullen in 32nd, just .05 off the top-30, Ben Ogden 33rd, Hunter Wonders 46th and JC Schoonmaker 53rd. 

The World Cup now moves to Norway for a sprint and 50k before the final three races of the season in Lake Placid for the Stifel Lake Placid Finals at Mt Van Hovenberg in Lake Placid, NY. 

Results 
Women
Men

Johnson Fourth in Second Val di Fassa Downhill

By Sierra Ryder - Stifel U.S. Ski Team
March, 7 2026
breezy
Breezy Johnson skis to fourth in the second downhill in Val di Fassa, Italy. (Getty Images)

On the final downhill race of the regular season FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Breezy Johnson led the way for the U.S. team in fourth. Teammate Jackie Wiles had another strong day to finish 15th on the demanding track in Val di Fassa, Italy.

Johnson, who landed on the podium in Friday’s downhill, once again showed strong form, skiing aggressively and narrowly missing the podium. Since it was the second day on the same track the women had to risk it all to find more speed and move up from the day prior. This resulted in a very tight podium race. Nonetheless, her fourth-place result capped off a successful weekend and continued her momentum as the speed season heads toward the World Cup Finals.

“It was a little bit scrappy,” said Johnson.  “I felt like I left it all out there and did my best. The field right now is very competitive as shown by the multitude of different winners. So I think I've been very consistent through all of that.”

Wiles backed up her solid performance from the first downhill with another points-scoring run. Charging down the course she kept the pressure on through the technical middle section to finish 15th, adding another consistent result to her season in the downhill.

“I was happy with most my run, but had a couple mistakes that were too costly,” said Wiles. “I'm really excited about the year I've had. I am ready to end it on a high note in Norway.” 

Teammates Bella Wright, Allison Mollin and Haley Cutler also landed in the points in 20th, 21st and 28th. Keely Cashman was 37th. Tricia Mangan and Mary Bocock did not finish but are OK. 

The winner of the race once again was Italian Laura Pirovano who won by a mere hundredth. In second was Cornelia Huetter with Swiss skier Corinne Suter in third. 

The final super-G of the season is Sunday also in Val di Fassa. 

RESULTS
women's downhill

Para Alpine Opens Paralympics with Downhill

By Courtney Harkins
March, 7 2026
audrey
Audrey Crowley races to sixth place in her Paralympic debut. (Getty)

The Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games officially got underway Saturday with the downhill on the iconic Olimpia delle Tofane, the same slope as the Olympic alpine races. It was a warm and sunny day with temperatures nearing 45 degrees Fahrenheit and the stands were packed full of friends, family and fans cheering for the start of the Games. Team USA saw several strong performances and Paralympic debuts with multiple athletes delivering solid results on the sport’s biggest stage.

In women’s vision impaired, Meg Gustafson and guide Spencer Gustafson finished seventh in their first Paralympic Games appearance.

The U.S. had a strong showing in women’s standing, led by Audrey Crowley, who placed sixth in her Paralympic debut after struggling with the training runs. Allie Johnson finished 10th. Kelsey O’Driscoll, also competing in her first Paralympics, did not finish after missing a gate but is OK.

“I had a couple of mistakes, but I’m really happy I put it to the finish line and start off these races on a high note,” said Crowley. “No expectations – just keeping it fun, keeping it light. It’s just a race!” 

In women’s sitting, Saylor O’Brien led the Americans with a fifth-place finish in her Paralympic debut, while Anna Soens also made her first Paralympic start but did not finish.

In the men’s standing downhill, Jesse Keefe delivered a standout performance, finishing 10th—a big result for the American who is typically stronger in the technical events. Andrew Haraghey finished 12th, followed by Spencer Wood in 14th. Patrick Halgren and Tyler McKenzie did not finish their runs but are OK.

The snow grew very soft by the end of the downhill in the early afternoon, which led to more than half of the sit-skiers crashing, including Blake Eaton, David Williams and Andrew Kurka. Ravi Drugan led the U.S. with an eighth-place finish in men’s sitting and Robert Enigl finished ninth. 

“This downhill has been more of a mental game but I felt really good in the start and tried to commit best I could, but still made little mistakes,” said Drugan. “The snow is kind of variable up there – soft spots and fast spots - but they did a great job maintaining it. I can’t be disappointed in the time. Good day!” 

A full slate of alpine racing is still to come in Cortina with super-G, giant slalom, slalom and alpine combined scheduled. The super-G is up next on Monday, March 9.

RESULTS
Paralympic Downhill