Olympic gold medalist Alex Hall rose to the occasion under Friday night lights at the Mountain Shaker World Cup big air final in Tignes, adding another World Cup victory and the 2023-24 big air Crystal Globe to his already impressive resume.

After a disappointing 18.00 first run score, the Park City native was forced to bank his chances on a successful big air season finale showing on his final two runs. Hall attempted the same trick on run two, stomping a right double-cork 1080 bring-back to 900 that scored a massive 90.50 to put him back into podium contention. With a three run, low-score drop format, the pressure was on for Hall to nail his final attempt—and did he deliver.

In front of a rambunctious crowd in Tignes, Hall’s switch left tailbutter 1800 that he premiered at X Games in February made its World Cup debut, earning a monster score of 96.00 to secure Hall the top spot in the final big air competition of the season, as well as the big air Crystal Globe—the first of his career.

After considering pulling out of the final World Cup competitions to focus on personal filming projects, Hall was noticeably surprised with his achievements. “I didn’t really know I was in the running before this. I wasn’t sure,” said Hall. “I’ve been competing a long time but haven't won a Globe, so it feels pretty sick to get one.”

When asked about his gutsy decision to throw the 18 on his third attempt, Hall knew he had to go big in order to beat the likes of Norway’s Leo Landroe and Switzerland’s Andri Ragettli. “Everyone was killing it so I knew I had to throw something down, but I didn’t know if I was going 14 or 18 until about seconds before dropping,” Hall joked. “I was a little unsure of the speed too, but I figured I’d just point ’em from the top and go for it. I’m hype to land that one; it’s one of the better jumps I’ve done for sure.”

Landroe finished second overall in Tignes and Ragettli took third, earning the Swiss the runner-up big air Crystal Globe. Italy’s Miro Tabanelli rounded out the big air World Cup standings, finishing third overall for the 2023-24 season.

Mac Forehand was the only other American to join Hall in men’s finals and finished the day seventh overall as well as earning fifth place in the overall 2023-24 big air World Cup standings. On the women’s side, Rell Harwood represented the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and was just off the podium in fourth place and finished ranked ninth in the world in big air this season. 

Hall, Forehand and Harwood will be joined by teammates Hunter Henderson, Cody Laplante, Troy Podmilsak and Konnor Ralph on Saturday, March 15 for the Tignes Mountain Shaker World Cup slopestyle final. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

In the final World Cup giant slalom of the season in Saalbach, Austria, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete River Radamus skied to 17th place and the World Juniors giant slalom champion Ryder Sarchett made his World Cup debut. 

The Austrian crowds were in full force to watch the best of the best put it to the test in Saalbach. The conditions felt like spring with warm temperatures and light rain on a heavily salted course. 

The course deteriorated in the first run, as the skiers raced for the final time in the giant slalom season. Radamus had trouble finding his rhythm and finished the first run in 15th place. Sarchett, a bit nervous, made it down with a sizable mistake, ready to make up time on the second run. 

Sarchett, the World Juniors giant slalom champion, showed off his talent running first on the second run. He skied smooth and fast to land in the leaderboard for two racers. Sarchett ended up having the third-fastest second run, a remarkable feat for the up-and-coming racer. Sarchett was sure to soak in the experience. 

“I am a little disappointed with the first run,” said Sarchett. “I didn't ski my best and I felt like I left a lot on the table. But my second run was really fun. It felt like my normal skiing and was fast and that feels good.” 

“It’s definitely the next level to be here and there is a reason why it's the World Cup," he added. "You have to be on your game and I think that’s really cool and will hopefully motivate me."

Radamus finished his day in 17th place, not his best finish, but leaves him ready to come back stronger for the next season. Radamus will finish the giant slalom rankings in 11th, his best ranking to date. 

“It’s been a great season. I feel like I’ve made some strides to where I want to be with my giant slalom skiing,” said Radamus. “Two bad runs here - I wish I could have finished it on a stronger note but I will take the motivation and frustration I have into the off-season to get better for next year.”

It was a dramatic end to the giant slalom season for Swiss star Marco Odermatt. Odermatt was chasing his 13th giant slalom victory in a row but on the second run he caught an edge and could not complete the run. Teammate Loic Meillard took the win to cap off what has been a streak of podiums in the recent races. Second place went to Andorra racer Joan Verdu, his second podium of the season. Swiss skier Thomas Tumler was third. 

World Cup Finals will continue with a men’s slalom race on Sunday and the following weekend will feature men’s downhill and super-G. 

RESULTS
Men's giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH 

March 17
3:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock
4:30 a.m. - men’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
5:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
5:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock 

On the first day of competition in Falun, Sweden for the 2024 World Cup Finals, JC Schoonmaker led the way for the Americans, finishing in ninth place, not made easier by the pouring rain and heavy fog that enveloped the course from the start of the day to the end. 

The weather was not in anyone's favor today. With warm temperatures, snow was not in the forecast, rain was. With the threat lingering in the morning, the humid air and grey clouds, rain was inevitable. With the race only minutes away, rain jackets were shed, thrown into trash bags and ran to the finish to put right back after atheltes took a lap around the challenging sprint course. Featuring a long-striding incline out of the start gate, straight to a long climb, it was not easy. Then, it got harder. Straight into a horseshoe, banked turn, the athletes were not met with nice conditions, making this course more challenging than it already was. As athletes took another screaming left-hand turn, they were met with one more final climb, over a bridge into the stadium, with a double poll finish.

In the qualifications. six Americans advanced, including Jessie Diggins, Julia Kern, Rosie Brennan, Schoonmaker, Gus Schumacher and Zanden McMullen based on their top 30 results. With waxing conditions already challenging from the get-go, it was the skis that were going to make the biggest difference today, which left wax techs from around the world scrambling to find the best kick and glide. 

Into the quarterfinals, the Americans only sent one through to the semifinals - Schoonmaker. Though five of the U.S. athletes did not advance, it was a day filled with great racing, where our athletes not only showed up but showed some grit. 

For Diggins, the pressure of leading the Overall World Cup Globe and the Distance Globe standings have been a main storyline for all in Falun, and with today's result, Diggins continues to maintain her positive outlook.

"Overall, I feel like my energy is good after today," said Diggins. "To be totally honest, it's been a very long season, a long time from home, but my goals and priorities are different than what others may have for me, and out of everything I can control, I feel like I am very proud of how I skied. For me, the most important thing is that I don't let other people's priorities take away my joy in ski racing and sometimes that's hard to do but that is what I'm focused on."

For Alaska's McMullen, who just capped his career-best result on Tuesday in Drammen, today was another step in the right direction for the young skier. "This is awesome. I am definitely feeling the fatigue of the whole season and this last week, but it's so nice to slowly climb up," said McMullen. "I am so happy for this whole season, it's been so fun and i'm just excited to see what I can do for the last two!"

Into the semis, Schoonmaker skied another tactful race, pushing on the uphills, taking the inside corner into a draft into the descent and charing the final climbs. Though it was not enough this time, Schoonmaker still nabbed a top-ten result, his second in a row.

"I feel pretty good about today," said Schoonmaker. "This season has been pretty consistent with qualifying, which is really nice and constantly gaining experience. "I would have liked to finish off the season better but I am already excited for next year." 

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway dominated the field, claiming the top spot on the podium and taking home the Sprint Crystal Globe. For the women, Norway's Kristine Staavas Skistad took home her second sprint victory of the week, with Sweden's Linn Svahn taking home his Sprint Crystal Globe for the women. For the U.S., Diggins led the way for the women, finishing in 18th, with Rosie Brennan fresh off a classic sprint podium three days ago in Drammen, in 20th and Julia Kern in 24th. For the men, Gus Schumacher was back in the top 30 in 19th and McMullen in 20th. 

With the season continuing tomorrow with a 10k classic, the competition in the World Cup standings is expected to intensify further. With Diggins leading the charge and Svahn closely following, it will be an exciting end to an already historic season for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. 

RESULTS
Men
Women

WORLD CUP OVERALL
Men
Women

Thank you to Carol Tomassetti for this writeup!

Leading into the weekend for the Dunkin' Eastern Regional Championships, Mother Nature was up to her 2024 tricks and game plan, dumping pouring rain all day Wednesday and into the wee hours on Thursday.  The Gore team leveraged lots of salt and many years of experience to pull off the races despite all the precipitation Wednesday and Thursday which foiled the plans to move snow or groom.  Thursday John Pierce shared some super helpful SG tactics and the folks that were there early, helped carry salt and slip the course before the salt solidified.  The hard work paid off, allowing us to still have two SG's on Friday.  The SG's counted towards the National Speed Series, so it's great that the East managed to get those races in.  Saturday's GS was a bit of a rough ride but we still managed to get the race off.  Saturday night while we were at our party, the precipitation started as rain and turned to around 8 inches of wet gloppy snow for Sunday's SL.  Gore groomed at midnight and a 6 am which allowed the show to go on.  It still required the team to fix lots of b-net that had fallen over, not to mention some pretty rigorous course maintenance.   All in all everyone had a great time and we are most grateful to Rich Burnley and his team at Gore for working so hard to make the races happen despite the weather.  In addition to Mid-Atlantic racers, we had Jay Knox from Canada join us as well as racers from Intermountain, Southern Masters, NY Masters and New England Masters.  

We wish both JP Madarasz and Patti Lane a speedy recovery from their injury.  You guys are warriors and we look forward to seeing you back on the hill soon.   

Eastern Regional Championship Results: usalpinemasters.org/2024/er

A big thank you to our sponsor Dunkin' and Alex Smigelski who made the sponsorship happen.  The medals and tops the Eastern Team winners receive were sponsored by Dunkin' as was the Dunkin' swag and gift certificates.  A big thank you to Lauren Beckos our US Ski & Snowboard lead for making the trip and for all her help, getting medals, the banner and the Hydroflask racer gift.   John Pierce was with us all weekend, providing hints and tips during inspection, he officiated and was there to help the crew from Gore across the whole weekend.  A big thank you to all the racers that help slip, take down b-net, carry salt, you name it.  Being helpful like this is so important for us being welcomed back to a mountain in the future.   Thanks also to everyone that helped across the weekend, we are most appreciative for your help and support:
Banners: Paul Fowser
Referees: John Pierce, Dan Scuderi and Alex Smigelski
TD: Bill Bolte
Registration: Gail Bolte, Greg Gallup, Maureen Viglielmo, Joel Evans (boyfriend of Hannah otherwise known as The First Man)
On hill help: Gail Bolte, John Pierce
Friday Night Party & Scoring: Ryan Whitson
Welcome bags: Sandra Schwinzer, Karen Sanderson
Photos: Mark Phillips, Liam Moya, Lars Knudsen, Kathy Hart
Event Planning, Banquet, Announcing, Custom Brushes and lots of other stuff: Hannah Knudsen
Scoring & Results: Deb Lewis, Lauren Beckos, Ryan Whitson
Event Planning, Flier, Ability class vetting and lots of other stuff: Connor Carreras


You can find pictures from the weekend at the following locations:
Misc Photos across the weekend: Google Drive  
Mark Phillips race photos from SG
Mark Phillips race photos from GS
Mark Phillips photos from SL

Every year at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress awards ceremony in May, U.S. Ski & Snowboard recognizes the work of those behind the scenes and the people and organizations that provide athletes of all ages with opportunities to participate in ski and snowboard competitions.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard members can nominate in many of the award categories, including The Paul Bacon Award for excellent event organization, the John J. Clair Award for outstanding service to national teams and more.

How the process works

• Nominations for these awards are accepted from members who have a valid and current membership for the 2023-24 Season. 
• Each sport committee also submits its own nomination.
• Selection of awards winners is determined by a vote of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Awards Working Group in early April.
• Winners are announced in May.

How to nominate

• Read through the categories open to public nomination.
• Click on the nomination link for each individual award for which you wish to nominate.
• Complete the nomination paying special attention to highlighting accomplishments required for each award.
• Nominees must also be current members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
• Click to submit.
• Remember, you need to submit nominations for each award separately.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NOMINATIONS: Friday, March 29, 2024

PUBLIC NOMINATION CATEGORIES

Paul Bacon Award (event organization)

The Paul Bacon Award is given to an individual or group for the greatest contribution to U. S. Ski & Snowboard in the field of race organization during the 2023-24 season. Traditional nominees include local clubs or individuals whose work has made a difference in providing good events for athletes.

PAUL BACON AWARD Nomination Form

John J. Clair Award (service to national teams)

The John J. Clair Jr. Award is given for outstanding service that benefited the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team in 2023-24. Past recipients have included outside team support personnel, donors, journalists, movers and shakers. Most recipients have been individuals, though some organizations have been recognized. The recipient’s service should be to the national teams.

JOHN J. CLAIR JR. AWARD Nomination Form

Bud & Mary Little Award (service to FIS or USOPC)

The Bud & Mary Little Award is a lifetime achievement award presented to an individual who has contributed significantly through a long-term involvement with the International Ski & Snowboard Federation or U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Recipients are eligible to receive the award only once. Achievement should be lifetime; it is not specific to this past year.

BUD & MARY LITTLE AWARD Nomination Form

Buddy Werner Award (sportsmanship)

Have you seen any great acts of sportsmanship this past year? Nominations should be based on actions from the 2023-24 season. It is only open to individuals.

BUDDY WERNER AWARD Nomination Form

Russell Wilder Award (service to youth)

The Russell Wilder Award recognizes the most outstanding effort during 2023-24 in focusing the interests of American youth on the sports of skiing or snowboarding. It can be awarded to an individual or an organization.

RUSSELL WILDER AWARD Nomination Form

OFFICIALS NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY*

West Family Award (outstanding official)

The West Family Award is a lifetime achievement honor, recognizing an outstanding certified official at any level.  Nominations come from the pool of current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership.

WEST FAMILY AWARD Nomination Form

*Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Officials membership. 

FIS TECHNICAL DELEGATE NOMINATION AWARD CATEGORY^

Westhaven Award (outstanding FIS technical delegate)

The Westhaven Award is a lifetime achievement award, recognizing an outstanding FIS technical delegate for his or her service over time. Nominations come from the pool of current FIS TDs.

WESTHAVEN AWARD Nomination Form

^Nominations only open to those who hold a current U.S. Ski & Snowboard Technical Delegate membership. 

Ten Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine athletes are slated to race at the World Cup finals in Saalbach, Austria March 16-24. Racers who finish the regular World Cup season within the top 25 rank of any discipline are eligible to race. Competitors who have achieved at least 500 World Cup points during the current season are also eligible to race. For the first time, the races will fall over two weekends with one tech and one speed weekend. This is also when the FIS Crystal Globes are awarded to the winners of the overall, slalom, giant slalom, super-G and downhill disciplines.

“We are so proud of what the alpine team has accomplished this year,” said Anouk Patty, Chief of Sport with U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Mikaela’s astonishing strength, ability and comeback coupled with the career best seasons for River Radamus, AJ Hurt, Bryce Bennett, Lauren Macuga and more is a huge testament to the work our athletes and staff have put in. We know they will end the season with a bang in Saalbach.” 

Mikaela Shiffrin is set to officially receive the slalom Crystal Globe this season—her 16th career globe and record-equalling eighth slalom globe. Shiffrin won six World Cup slalom races this season and has 96 World Cup victories heading into finals. Before an injury sustained in a downhill crash at Cortina d'Ampezzo sidelined Shiffrin for six weeks, she also won a downhill race and a giant slalom race. Shiffrin qualified to compete in the giant slalom and downhill at finals as well. 

Paula Moltzan and AJ Hurt have had exceptional seasons, with Moltzan landing her third career podium and second podium in slalom. Hurt had a breakout season with podiums in both giant slalom and slalom. Both skiers have been a solid force on the women’s tour in the technical disciplines. Moltzan will compete in both the giant slalom and slalom, and Hurt will compete in the giant slalom.

In women’s speed, Jacqueline Wiles will compete in the downhill after securing a career-best second-place finish in Cortina d'Ampezzo—her first podium in six years following a string of injuries. Lauren Macuga has also had a breakout World Cup season with several career best finishes, including her most recent fifth place in the Kvitfjell, Norway super-G. She will start in the super-G at finals. 

The men’s team has had a very successful speed season with two men going into the finals downhill event. Bryce Bennett has had a career best season, poised to finish the downhill rankings in fifth, his best ranking to date. Olympic medalist Cochran-Siegle has also shown impeccable consistency in the top 10 numerous times in both super-G and downhill. Jared Goldberg showed strong results in the super-G discipline. Bennett will compete in the downhill, Cochran-Siegle in the downhill and super-G and Goldberg in the super-G. 

In the men’s tech field, River Radamus will compete in the giant slalom. Radamus has had his best season ever, highlighted by his first podium at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup. Plus, Ryder Sarchett will compete in the giant slalom race after winning gold at Junior Worlds this season. International Ski Federation (FIS) rules allow athletes who win a discipline at Junior Worlds to be eligible to race finals in that event. This will be his inaugural World Cup start.

All of the races will be streamed live and available on demand on Peacock. 

WOMEN
AJ Hurt (giant slalom)
Lauren Macuga (super-G)
Paula Moltzan (slalom, giant slalom)
Mikaela Shiffrin (slalom, TBD) 
Jacqueline Wiles (downhill) 

MEN
Bryce Bennett (downhill)
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (super-G, downhill) 
Jared Goldberg (super-G) 
River Radamus (giant slalom) 
Ryder Sarchett* (giant slalom) 

 *qualified through a World Juniors victory

 HOW TO WATCH

March 16
3:00 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock 
4:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - men’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 17
3:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 1 - Peacock
4:30 a.m. - men’s slalom, run 1 - Peacock
6:00 a.m. - women’s giant slalom, run 2 - Peacock
7:30 a.m. - women’s slalom, run 2 - Peacock 

March 22
5:00 a.m. - women’s super-G - Peacock 
6:30 a.m. - men’s super-G - Peacock 

March 23
5:15 a.m. - women’s downhill - Peacock

March 24
5:15 a.m. - men’s downhill - Peacock  

Rosie Brennan is back.

In the heart of Drammen, Norway, amidst one of the most exciting and challenging races on the circuit, Rosie Brennan made a remarkable comeback, clinching third place in the Drammen City Sprints.

In a season that started with back-to-back podiums and top-10 after top-10, Brennan has faced many ups and downs this 2023-24 season. After only three days rest between last week's 50k Holmenkollen, where athletes skied 31+ miles with over 6,000 feet of elevation gain, Brennan and the field were tasked with a course that played to double pole strength and a whole lot of grit.

"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised! I felt really bad yesterday, so I think the extra day helped. You never know what the body will do - maybe I need to do a 50k warm-up all the time!" Brennan joked. "I am so happy. It's been a tough year. I didn't know what was going on or what I could do to get back, but it's nice to know that it's still there and that I can have a strong finish to the season."

With the podium, Brennan snags her fifth individual podium of the season, but even more special, she finally can check the box on two of her career-long goals. When starting her career, Brennan set out to collect bibs 1-50. With 228 World Cup starts and today's bib #3, Brennan collected 1-50, checking off a goal that seemed impossible towards the beginning of her career. Her second, and more important, goal was to podium in every single World Cup discipline - both classic and sprint, skate and distance. Today, she achieved that goal with her third-place result in the classic sprint. 

But Brennan wasn't the only one shining on the classic tracks today. Her teammates also had a stellar performance, with three U.S. women joining Brennan in the sprint heats and three U.S. men advancing through from the qualification round. This strong representation underscored the depth of talent within the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team and once again put the red, white and blue in full display among the thousands of Norwegian flags lining every square inch of the Drammen city sprint loop. 

In the men's race, the U.S. contingent continued to impress with three men, including Zanden McMullen, securing spots in the heats. McMullen's performance was particularly noteworthy as he achieved his career-best result, finishing in 17th place. His result comes off the back of a strong season for the young Alaskan, who bested his previous result in nearly every World Cup weekend. Alongside McMullen was the leading man, JC Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker skied a tactical, gritty race to advance through to the finals, where he finished sixth. He is having a stellar season, with back-to-back top 10s and his career-first podium earlier this winter in the Östersund classic sprint. Zak Ketterson was the third American to advance and though his day ended with the quarterfinal, he nabbed another top-30 result to add to his strong World Cup resume. 

"It feels great to be back in the finals just to know I can be in there," said Schoonmaker. "For sure would’ve loved to put up more of a fight in the end, but it’s some pretty fast guys in there and they don’t make it easy. I went into today trying to focus on trusting my finishing ability and even though I wasn’t finishing very well, it put me in a good position to move on. Was glad to feel like I was making smart choices and being active mentally during the heats."

For the women, it was Brennan, Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins punching their ticket to the heats. Brennan qualified third, setting herself up nicely going into the quarters with Diggins and Kern close behind. Brennan and Kern qualified through to semifinals, while Diggins did not advance out of the quarters. In the semis, Brennan crossed the line in fourth, advancing through based on her time; Kern did not advance but still finished the day in seventh, a testament to her strong skiing through the day and another noteworthy top 10 to her resume, on her favorite course no less.

Into the finals, in the decisive moments of the race, Brennan's grit showed. With a burst of speed in the final stretch, she surged ahead, securing her place on the podium with a well-earned third place. Met by nearly her entire team, including all the wax technicians and coaching staff, the team celebrated yet another Stifel U.S. Ski Team podium with the city of Drammen cheering right behind them.

For the women, Brennan led the way on the podium, Kern seventh, Diggins 16th, Erin Bianco of Bridger Ski Foundation in 36th, Sammy Smith of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team D Team in 42nd, and Alaska Pacific Universities Renae Anderson in 43. For the men, Schoonmaker was sixth, McMullen 17th, Zak Ketterson 29th, Gus Schumacher 32nd, Kevin Bolger of Team Birkie 34th, Luke Jager 41st and Michael Earnhart 52nd. 

Now the team resets for yet another race weekend, only 48 hours away, where they will close out this historic season in Falun, Sweden for the cross country World Cup Finals. 

Tuesday's results in Drammen ended with Norway's Kristine Stavaas Skistad and Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo taking home the victory for the women and men. Diggins continues to lead the overall World Cup standings by 102 points ahead of Sweden's Linn Svahn; Brennan sits fifth.

RESULTS
Women
Men

Lucas Foster earned his first career pro-level podium on Sunday, March 10, taking third place in the Dew Tour superpipe competition and landing a trick no other rider dares to throw – the double alley-oop mctwist.

It was a showdown between the Japanese riders and the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team and the Japanese dominated the top four spots heading into run two. Foster dropped in for the final time in front of an amped crowd that collectively held their breath as he laced together the first four hits of his run, setting him up to throw the never-been-done alley-oop double mctwist. Foster had previously landed the trick in World Cup competition but fell on a later hit, so landing it clean in Copper was a first for the Telluride local.

Foster launched himself into the air and soared over the Dew Tour superpipe, stomping the landing to send the crowd into an eruption of excitement and relief. After a season of countless attempts to put together this very run, Foster shared an emotional moment with his friends and family as the judges awarded him with a 94.00, marking the highest scoring run he’s ever put down in a contest and securing the first major pro podium of his career.

“I’ve been so close so many times, so it feels overdue,” said Foster. “I’m just glad I trusted my run plan today and let it all come together. All the hard work is paying off.”

With the spin-to-win mentality making its way into sport and triples becoming more common, Foster's unique riding style sets him apart from fellow competitors. “I think it’s important to have your own signature tricks,” said Foster. “Halfpipe is so competitive and I want to do what I can to stand out to be Lucas, not just another halfpipe rider.”

At Dew Tour, he certainly set himself apart. After a season of highs and lows, a podium finish reignited Foster’s drive and passion for the sport heading into next season.

“I honestly was debating doing Dew Tour a few weeks ago because I was feeling burnt out after the long World Cup tour, so I really just let go and had fun riding in front of the home crowd,” he said. “It just feels right because I’ve been working so hard and having it all come together and be rewarded for it makes all of the challenges worth it. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. There are still a lot of tricks that I want to learn and a lot that I have but are not in my run yet, so I’m excited to really get a run dialed in that I know I’m capable of. This is just a green light to keep going.”

Foster was joined in the finals by Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team teammates Alessandro Barbieri, Chase Blackwell and Chase Josey. Josey also surprised the crowd with a never-been-done trick of his own, pulling out an ally-oop double rodeo flip to showcase his ever-growing bag of tricks. The squad faced tough competition with the likes of Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, Yuto Totsuka, Kaishu Hirano and Ruka Hirano, but Josey’s creativity earned him sixth overall. Barbieri ended the day in seventh and Blackwell rounded out the crew in eighth. 

With the halfpipe season done and dusted, the squad will take a well-deserved break before setting their sights on summer training for the 2024-25 season

Chris Lillis capped off the 2023-24 aerials World Cup circuit third on the podium on the day and third in the overall season standings. 

The Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team aerials athletes took on the final World Cup of the season today in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Things took an unexpected turn as intense fog rolled in, causing results to be based on the qualification round. 

All five U.S. women and two men were set to compete in today’s finals, with Chris Lillis and Tasia Tanner leading the way in third and fifth, respectively. Lillis completed an excellent back full double full full, besting some of the greats, including overall silver medalist Pirmin Werner of Switzerland. Connor Curran landed just outside the top five in sixth. Derek Krueger finished 22nd.

Tanner executed a technically proficient back lay full on the women’s side to put herself in fifth place. Karenna Elliott was not far behind in seventh, followed by Kaila Kuhn in eighth, Winter Vinecki in 10th and Megan Smallhouse in 11th. 

In a typical competition, many athletes save their higher-difficulty tricks for later rounds to secure themselves a spot in finals by perfecting their easier skills early on. This choice had a big impact in today’s competition due to the cancelation of finals. Athletes who chose to perform harder skills in qualifying, such as Marion Thenault of Canada, were automatically in a better position in today’s scenario. 

The most significant impact of today’s format change was regarding the overall aerials Crystal Globe. Heading into the final competition, Winter Vinecki led the standings by just 12 points ahead of Australia's Danielle Scott. Vinecki qualified in 10th, while Scott was in second place, allowing Scott to take over the Crystal Globe. Although Vinecki did not finish on top, this was still a breakthrough season for her as one of the only women competing triples and consistently in contention for the top box in any competition. 

This season was also a breakthrough for Tasia Tanner, who was awarded the coveted FIS Rookie of the Year award. Her consistent performances and beautiful execution made her the obvious choice for this year's award. Tanner's results, along with every member of the team’s results, led the U.S. to win the overall aerials Nations Cup for the 2023-24 season. The award is an accumulation of the entire team’s results across the season compared to those of other nations. 

RESULTS
Women
Men

Mikaela Shiffrin of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team made a dramatic return to the World Cup after weeks away on injury, winning the slalom in Åre, Sweden, by 1.24 seconds and clinching a record-tying eighth career slalom Crystal Globe.

Shiffrin had not competed since the end of January when she crashed in the downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, straining her meniscus. Since then, she has worked relentlessly over the last six weeks to get her knee ready to race again. She announced just prior to Åre that she would just be skiing the slalom and skipping the giant slalom.

“Everything was so day by day and step by step,” said Shiffrin after the race. “If I thought about the future, even if it was a week from that point, I would just start panicking. Even last week, we weren’t sure if I could ski either of these races, even just the slalom. It was important to stay in the right mind at the moment.”

She had a strong run out of the start on the first run to finish first and didn’t take anything off in the second run, skiing aggressively in a fast-tempo course to win by more than a second.

“There has been so much uncertainty coming into this race,” said Shiffrin. “The biggest goal I had was good skiing in the final races of the season. Having the chance to do that again before the season was over felt so important so I could prove that I have the right pace and mentality to close out the season, so next year, I will start in a better place. That was really important to me.”

Shiffrin beat out Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia, who finished second. Michelle Gisin of Switzerland was third.

The win clinched Shiffrin’s eighth Crystal Globe in slalom, tying her with Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark, who also hold eight discipline Globes. Stenmark’s are in giant slalom and slalom, while Vonn’s are in downhill. Marcel Hirscher also has eight overall crystal Globes.

Despite being out for six weeks with an injury, Shiffrin only missed one slalom World Cup. Out of the 10 possible slalom races, she won six, had one second place, and had one-fourth to capture her 16th total Globe.

Åre is a treasured place for Shiffrin, hosting many of her best moments in her career. It was the site of her first World Cup win when she was 17. She won the gold medal in slalom there at the 2019 World Championships. She became the winningest alpine skier of all time last season when she won her 87th career World Cup at the same venue.

Paula Moltzan also had a great day, finishing 10th and standing 10th overall in the slalom standings. Moltzan was third place in the last slalom World Cup and has five top-10 results in slalom this season. AJ Hurt and Lila Lapanja did not qualify for a second run.

The women have one final slalom at World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria, on March 16.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom