PARK CITY, UT (June 12, 2017) — U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced U.S. Ski Team alumnus Will Brandenburg will assume the role of western region development coach.

Brandenburg, who officially retired from the U.S. Ski Team with one final lap at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Sun Valley, Idaho in 2016, will be responsible for delivering programs and projects in the western region, and supporting national development initiatives for U.S. Ski & Snowboard.

Following an eight-year career with the U.S. Ski Team, Brandenburg relocated to Sun Valley, serving as U16 Head Coach at the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF). While at SVSEF, he was involved with the implementation of a slalom progression program, focusing on a detailed, step-by-step teaching advancement for U16 athletes.

Will Brandenburg's athletes cheer him on at the U.S. Alpine Championships at Sun Valley in 2016.

“After years of U.S. Ski Team experience at the highest level, we are thrilled to bring Will back to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as the western region coach,” said Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “He has recently been imparting his knowledge and enthusiasm to young athletes at the local level in Sun Valley, and is now excited to have an expanded impact in his new role.”

Hailing from Ski Bluewood outside of Dayton, Washington before he began racing with Schweitzer Alpine Racing School, Brandenburg takes great pride in having grown up in the western region, and credits its strong community and collaboration between clubs to his success at the elite level. He hopes to bring his vast knowledge and passion for the sport to the new role, and looks forward to recreating this strong sense of community and collaboration.

“This is an opportunity to continue my evolution as a coach and point my passion in a direction that will elevate athletic development across the region,” noted Brandenburg.

Brandenburg’s official start date is August 1, 2017.

QUOTES

Chip Knight, Alpine Development Director
After years of U.S. Ski Team experience at the highest level, we are thrilled to bring Will back to U.S. Ski & Snowboard as the western region coach. He has recently been imparting his knowledge and enthusiasm to young athletes at the local level in Sun Valley, and is now excited to have an expanded impact in his new role. As Will tells it himself, he is a product of the western region, and he believes that athletes benefit most from collaborative exposure to the best training environments. I look forward to seeing him take the region forward in the years ahead!

Will Brandenburg
I grew up ski racing in a time when there was a strong and united western region. A big reason why I was able to pursue my dreams in this sport was because of excellent regional programming and strong collaboration between the clubs. Just like athletes, clubs must work together and push each other to become greater. At one point in time, the western region was really good at cultivating this sense of community and it's now my goal to regain the unity that makes our clubs and this region so great. I have so much respect for the people that have held this position before me and feel honored to be the next person in line to carry this torch. I will put everything I have into this and see what comes. I try to live my life everyday with honesty and passion. This is an opportunity to continue my evolution as a coach and point my passion in a direction that will elevate athletic development across the region.

Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) has an impressive resume. In the 2016-17 season alone, she nailed the top 10 in two FIS World Cups, including standing on the podium in the Altenmarkt-Zauchensee downhill. Now, the Olympian is hosting her first ski camp, the Jackie Wiles White Pass Summer Race Camp—three days of skills and drills and three days of gate training—at Timberline on Mt. Hood from July 7-13.

Want to attend her camp and learn to ski like Jackie? The camp is offering one scholarship for a young racer.

“I understand what it takes to keep skiing competitively – time, perseverance, physical fitness and a financial commitment that can sometimes be difficult,” said Wiles. “This year at my camp, I wanted to help a kid who may not be able to attend because of financial constraints.”

Supported by Directors Mortgage, the camp is an opportunity for young ski racers to gain experience and knowledge both on and off the mountain. It will mostly be focused on skills, drills and gates, but there will be off-snow time where Wiles will focus on helping kids learn to bounce back from bad races, fight for their dreams and learn what it’s like to be a competitive athlete on a global stage.

To apply for the Directors Mortgage scholarship, visit www.directorsmortgage.net/jackiewiles.

For more information on the Jackie Wiles 2017 White Pass Summer Ski Camp, visit jacquelinewiles.com/2017skicamp.html.

We may still have 172 days until the World Cup returns to Killington, and it may be a women’s World Cup, but Redneck Racing’s Robby Kelley and Tucker Marshall—both born and raised in Vermont—wanted to train on the esteemed track. On June 4, Kelley and Marshall hiked up a bundle of gates and set a gnarly slalom on Killington’s Superstar trail through the bumps and dirt.

Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) had a ridiculous year—six slalom victories, three giant slalom wins and one alpine combined victory on the World Cup, her third straight World Championship slalom title, a silver in the World Champs giant slalom, her fourth career World Cup slalom title and her first-ever overall World Cup title. Wow.

And the ski racing industry isn’t the only one who noticed. Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards has nominated her for their Favorite Female Athlete award.

Shiffrin is up against USA Gymnastics’ Simone Biles, USA Swimming’s Katie Ledecky, US Soccer’s Alex Morgan, WNBA player Nneka Ogwumike of the Sparks, and tennis player Serena Williams.

Nickelodeon’s tagline for the award is: “They are, simply put, the best athletes of the year.” Help Shiffrin win the award for Favorite Female Athlete by voting here. Winners are announced on July 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. (June 1, 2017) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today that Squaw Valley will host the 2018 Liberty Mutual Insurance NASTAR National Championships. It is the first time since 1981 the event will be held west of the Rocky Mountains. The Championships are scheduled for March 21-25.

Under U.S. Ski & Snowboard, NASTAR continues to bring greater awareness to the sport and motivate participants of all ages to get involved in ski racing. This year’s Championships will take place after the conclusion of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, building on the enthusiasm generated by the Games in a new locale with a strong Olympic legacy.

Following the success of the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup as well as numerous U.S. Alpine Championships and the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley has proven to be a world class venue, excelling at hosting large, multi-discipline events.

“Squaw Valley exhibits a deep passion for skiing and snowboarding that will resonate with the NASTAR community,” said Bill Madsen, director of NASTAR. “The resort has seen strong growth in its NASTAR participation over the past few seasons and has been a great partner in supporting the growth and promotion of the program. We’re looking forward to working with Squaw Valley to put on a great event.”


(Photo provided by Squaw Valley | Alpine Meadows)

Squaw Valley is known for vast alpine peaks with iconic lifts such as KT-22 and the Aerial Tram, providing a scenic backdrop for NASTAR’s biggest event of the season. The resort is only a 45-minute drive from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and can be easily reached on nonstop flights daily from 20 major U.S. cities.

READ MORE: National Championships on NASTAR.com

“As a mountain community with a heritage that’s truly embedded within alpine racing, including the Olympic Games and World Cup racing, we look forward to sharing our legendary mountains with NASTAR participants from across the country,” said Andy Wirth, president and CEO of Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows. “Very much like the recent alpine World Cup, this event will be great for the entire region, attracting thousands of avid skiers and their families who are passionate about ski racing…as we all are! Our entire community is excited to provide all participants and their families and friends with a warm reception – we are all genuinely honored to be working with NASTAR and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.”

NASTAR’s integration with the U.S. Ski Team gives participants the opportunity to meet and interact with their favorite racers. Built on the legacy of the 1960 Winter Olympics hosted at Squaw Valley, the resort has since reared celebrated athletes such as Julia Mancuso, Travis Ganong, Marco Sullivan, JT Holmes, Jonny Moseley, Michelle Parker, Cody Townsend, Jeremy Jones, Ralph Backstrom, Nate Holland and Errol Kerr.


Marco Sullivan poses with young racers at the 2017 NASTAR National Championships. (Dave Camara / Camara Photography)

“These mountains have been the training ground for so many incredible winter-sport athletes,” said Marco Sullivan, former U.S. Ski Team member, Squaw Valley Ski Team alumnus and NASTAR pacesetter. “So much of my success as an athlete is due to my development as a kid on the slopes of Squaw Valley. I am excited to share the mountains I grew up on with the great competitors at the NASTAR National Championships.”

The NASTAR National Championships will come to Squaw Valley March 21-25, 2018. NASTAR participants qualify for the championships by earning a top ten national ranking or a top five state ranking within their age, gender and ability group by February 19. Racers can also qualify by earning a top ranking at their favorite resort or at the Regional Championships. For more information, visit NASTAR.com.

PORTOROZ, Slovenia (May 31, 2017) - The International Ski Federation has confirmed 10 alpine and freestyle World Cup events in the USA for the 2017-18 season. Final calendars were approved after the conclusion of the FIS Calendar Conference last week. The FIS Alpine World Cup stops in Killington, Vermont and Beaver Creek, Colorado, and FIS Freestyle World Cup stops in Park City, Utah and Lake Placid, New York will be part of the selection process for the U.S. Olympic teams.

After announcing its alpine World Cup plan in April, U.S. Ski & Snowboard was successful in bringing the women’s World Cup back to Killington Resort for a second season. Last year’s World Cup at Killington was a huge organizational and athletic success; the event had more than 30,000 spectators over two days and U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, Colo.) claimed a home snow win. The 2017 stop will once again feature women’s slalom and giant slalom Nov. 25-26.

The men’s World Cup tour will return to Beaver Creek Resort Dec. 1-3 for the famed Birds of Prey event featuring U.S. Ski Team stars alongside the world’s best competing in downhill, super G and giant slalom.

“The start to the Olympic season is always an exciting time for our athletes and our fans,” said Calum Clark, Vice President, Events at U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Killington and Beaver Creek are both very strong event partners and advocates for alpine ski racing. They will put on world class events showcasing our U.S. Ski Team stars as they begin their journey to the 2018 Games.”

The FIS Freestyle World Cup returns to Deer Valley Resort, Utah Jan. 10-12 for an action-packed week of moguls and aerials. This year’s event will feature two moguls competitions and one aerials, with events taking place at night under the lights. From there, the aerialists will move on to Lake Placid, New York for a pair of events at the Olympic Jumping Complex Jan. 19-20. The aerials Olympic team will be announced after the conclusion of the event.

“The Olympic legacy at both Lake Placid and Deer Valley is always an inspiration to our U.S. Ski Team athletes and the international field,” said Clark. “These venues are some of the best in the world and we can expect to see amazing performances with Olympic spots on the line.”

In addition to the domestic alpine and freestyle events, U.S. Ski & Snowboard will announce the schedule for the 2017-18 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, the official Olympic qualification series for snowboarding and freeskiing, in June.

2017-18 USA ALPINE AND FREESTYLE WORLD CUP SITES

Killington Resort – Nov. 25-26
After a successful event in 2016, Killington has established itself as one of the premier locations for the women’s alpine World Cup. Owned by U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner POWDR, Killington is one of the premier resorts in the country and close to major eastern metropolitan markets. Powdr has produced World Cup events in the past at other resorts in its portfolio and has significant experience executing large-scale races.

Beaver Creek Resort – Dec. 1-3
Beaver Creek has proven throughout its history of hosting World Cups that it can stand the test of a world premier alpine event. Pulling in viewers from all over the world, it’s home to one of the most difficult downhill courses where skiers face vertical drops as extreme as 757 meters. The events hosted here are many of the American ski racers’ favorite stop on the World Cup tour.

Deer Valley Resort – Jan. 10-12
Home to the 2002 Olympic Winter games, Deer Valley’s elite reputation draws in people to its world class venues. Deer Valley will be the site for moguls and aerials at the 2019 World Championships for freestyle, freeskiing and snowboarding in Park City. The easy access to the mountain pulls in up to 5,000 spectators, making it the biggest stop on the World Cup tour.

Lake Placid – Jan 19-20
As host of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid is another World Cup stop with Olympic ties. The Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex will host two aerials competitions. The Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid is home to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Elite Aerial Development Program, which has produced multiple World Cup champions, including Mac Bohonnon, Kiley McKinnon and Ashley Caldwell.

PARK CITY, Utah (May 29, 2017) –  U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic governing body for skiing and snowboarding, has named Dan Barnett as its Chief Commercial Officer. Barnett is an innovative and strategic-focused sports business leader with a wide range of global marketing and commercial experience.

He is taking on a new position within U.S. Ski & Snowboard designed to drive the organization’s commercial and marketing efforts and provide strategic vision for continued growth of its brand. U.S. Ski & Snowboard has long been one of the strongest brands in Olympic sport with significant global impact featuring world-recognized and accomplished athletes, a committed sponsor base and powerful international broadcast and digital media presence.

"We have an opportunity at U.S. Ski & Snowboard to dramatically enhance our brand and the revenue needed to drive our athletic programs," said President and CEO Tiger Shaw. "Dan Barnett brings a fascinating array of global experience in brand development, commercial sales and both broadcast and digital media. It's timely for him to join our team and help raise the profile of our organization."

Barnett is presently serving as Chief Commercial Officer of the America’s Cup Event Authority and ORACLE TEAM USA, where he has been responsible for raising the profile and commercial value of the America’s Cup.

He also served in a leadership role for the 2013 America's Cup events in San Francisco. Prior to that he served as a commercial and marketing lawyer for the Union of  European Football Associations (UEFA) in Switzerland. His career has covered a wide swath of responsibilities including event management, commercial negotiations and media development. He worked specifically in media and content at Reed Smith Richards Butlers LLP and MTV UK and Ireland earlier in his career.

Selection of U.S. Ski & Snowboard's first chief commercial officer was conducted after a five-month global search. Barnett is expected to be in place for the organization's pre-Olympic Partner Summit June 21-23.

“The most important asset of any sport is its athletes, and with U.S. Ski & Snowboard we have so many strong personalities who give us the opportunity to engage and inspire our fans,” said Barnett. “By building on this core strength and strategically developing our own content distribution platforms, I believe we can dramatically increase our fan engagement and create commercial opportunities for our global partners that are second-to-none in the sports industry. I am delighted and honored to join U.S. Ski & Snowboard at such an exciting time in the development of the organization.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is one of the most successful U.S. Olympic sports organizations, having won 38 medals, including 14 gold, in the last two Winter Games. Its athletes will be among favorites across all ski and snowboard events at the upcoming 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang. The organization has a strong lineup of over 100 partners including major international brands, as well as a long-term partnership with NBCUniversal and live global broadcast coverage of its domestic events.

Barnett is a graduate of Leeds University in the UK and holds a law degree from Nottingham Law School. He's an avid skier, experienced marathon runner and played both collegiate and representative rugby. He and his family, including wife Jenny and two children, are moving to Park City this summer.

Two World Cup victories, four World Cup podiums and a World Championship medal are accomplishments to be proud of, but Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) is looking for more. He talked with FIS about his highs and lows throughout his career, the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics and why he loves shredding powder as much as chasing gates. 

Read more in FIS' Q&A with Travis Ganong.

Since she was 18 years old, Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) has battled issues with her hip. One of the most successful female alpine ski racers in American history, she's gearing up for the 2018 Olympics, but isn’t sure how the pain—and two and a half years off the World Cup circuit—will affect her pursuit.

Read about her surgeries, struggles and how she’s looking to break records in PyeongChang in Nick Zaccardi’s piece in NBC Olympics – Julia Mancuso Pushes Past Hip Injury for Final Olympic Run.

PARK CITY, UT (May 25, 2017) – The U.S. Ski Team has announced its alpine nominations for the 2017-18 season. Nominations include those active athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the prior season.

After a strong 2016-17 season highlighted by Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) capturing the coveted overall and slalom World Cup titles, and featured three World Championship medals, three Junior World Championship medals and 21 World Cup podiums by five athletes, the Team is looking for medals in the upcoming 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.

Each athlete accepting the nomination to U.S. Ski Team receives a high level of world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including an elite coaching, sport science, sports medicine and high performance staff, and education opportunities.

Team nomination status will be confirmed when the first FIS point list for the 2017-18 season is published in late June/early July 2017. An official team announcement will be made in the fall.

U.S. Ski Team
2017-18 Alpine Team Nominations
Name (hometown; home club; birth date)

A TEAM
Men
Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1992)
David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO; Crested Butte Ski Team; 6/25/1984)
Tommy Ford (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation; 3/20/1989)              
Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 7/14/1988)
Ted Ligety (Park City, UT; Park City Ski Team; 8/31/1984)  
Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT; Park City Ski Team/Sundance Ski Team; 2/12/1982)                      
Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 2/10/1986)

Women
Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club; 7/3/1984)
Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996)
Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 3/9/1984)
Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO; Sunlight Winter Sports Club/Rowmark Ski Academy; 8/18/1989)
Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation; 8/17/1988)
Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995)
Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY; Jackson Hole Ski Club; 11/14/1985)
Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Buck Hill Ski Team; 10/18/1984)
Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992)

B TEAM
Men
Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 1/30/1989)  
Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992)  
AJ Ginnis (Vouliagmeni, Greece; Green Mountain Valley School; 11/17/1994)
Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 6/15/1991)  
Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT; Burke Mountain Academy; 3/27/1989)
Kipling Weisel (San Francisco, CA; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 3/26/1995)

Women
Patricia Mangan (Derby, NY; Holimont Race Team; 3/7/1997)
Alice Merryweather (Hingham, MA; Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School; 10/5/1996)

C TEAM
Men
Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 9/3/1996)
Garret Driller (Tahoe City, CA; Montana State University; 8/24/1996)  
Drew Duffy (Warren, VT; Green Mountain Valley School; 6/1/1995)
Mark Engel (Truckee, CA; Sugar Bowl Academy; 10/1/1991)          
Nick Krause (Northboro, MA; Stratton Mountain School; 5/12/1993)
Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 5/27/1996)
River Radamus (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998)
Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 4/8/1991)  
Jett Seymour (Steamboat, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 11/5/1998)
George Steffey (Lyme, NH; Stratton Mountain School; 8/8/1997)
Florian Szwebel (Avon, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/4/1996)  

Women
Cecily Decker (Saranac Lake, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation; 5/16/1998)
Katie Hensien (Redmond, WA; Rowmark Ski Academy; 12/1/1999)
Nina O’Brien (Edwards, CO; Burke Mountain Academy/Squaw Valley Ski Team; 11/29/1997)
Galena Wardle (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; 4/24/1998)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM (D TEAM)
Keely Cashman (Strawberry, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 4/4/1999)
Nellie-Rose Talbot (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/24/1999)

NATIONAL TRAINING GROUP (NTG)*
Men
Kellen Kinsella (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 8/7/2001)**
Jimmy Krupka (Waitsfield, VT; Green Mountain Valley School; 7/15/1998)
Colby Lange (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/30/1999)**
Andrew Miller (Park City, UT; Park City Ski Team; 12/18/1998)
Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, VT; Green Mountain Valley School; 9/5/2000)
Luke Winters (Gresham, OR; Sugar Bowl Academy; 4/2/1997)

Women
AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team; 12/5/2000)
Maureen Lebel (Truckee, CA; Mammoth Mountain Ski & Snowboard Club; 6/13/1998)
Brianna Trudeau (East Burke, VT; Burke Mountain Academy; 7/30/2000)**

*The 2017-18 U.S. Ski Team’s National Training Group (NTG) consists of six of the top junior development athletes in the United States. Nominations to the NTG are based on objective criteria and performance at the May training camp.
**Did not accept nomination.