BEAVER CREEK, CO (Dec. 5, 2015) – Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) stood on the podium on Saturday, taking second and third place respectively at the Audi Birds of Prey super G. It was Weibrecht’s first-ever Audi FIS Ski World Cup World Cup podium.

It was a foggy, snowy day at Beaver Creek, with the jury deciding to move the start down the hill for safety. The conditions were tough with soft snow on the side of the course and visibility changing throughout the race. However, the famed Talon Crew course workers were able to get the race off on time, despite the heavy snow that fell. The early guys had a good go, allowing Weibrecht, Travis Ganong (Lake Tahoe, CA) and eventual winner Marcel Hirscher of Austria to lay down solid runs before the snow became thick. Expected winners Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, among others, got caught as the visibility got worse and lost time in the middle of the top 30. But as Ted Ligety’s start number of 29 loomed, the sun poked through the clouds and the snow let up, allowing Ligety to throw down in front of the home crowd and ski into second.

“It’s tough when it’s like today—it’s a little bit inconsistent. The top couple guys who ran all had pretty good races and results and then the whole middle bunch were stuck in the brunt of the snow storm. Then during the last 20s, it got nice out again. I got lucky on that,” said Ligety after his finish. “It’s great to get a podium here in Beaver Creek.”

Ted Ligety rips to second place at Beaver Creek. (USSA-Eric Schramm)

The result tied Ligety’s best World Cup super G, although he did win the FIS World Ski Championships super G in 2013. The last time he stood on a super G podium was in 2009 when he took second in Val d’Isere.

Weibrecht was stoked to step on his first-ever World Cup podium. The racer owns two Olympic medals—a silver and bronze in super G—but the closest he had come in a World Cup was fifth. “Just to get that monkey [of not having a World Cup podium result] off my back—where now I don’t have to field that question anymore would be unbelievable,” said Weibrecht. “To have that race in the books—that’s one of the big things that’s missing from my resume.”

Andrew Weibrecht took third place in the super G. (USSA-Eric Schramm)

Just behind Ligety and Weibrecht was Ganong, who took sixth place. Only two tenths off of the podium, Ganong is showing his power as a speed skier this season. The other American story was Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY), who took most of the last two seasons off due to knee injuries. He attacked the course, starting 42nd to take 11th place. “Being on the sidelines for two years and watching your competition get better and improve and get the results you dream of is obviously hard, but also inspiring,” said Biesemeyer. “It’s been a long two years. To come out here today and walk away with 11th is awesome.”

After winning two NorAms at Copper Mountain this week, Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) also skied into the points, taking 28th. Wrapping up the rest of the Americans, Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) was 35th, Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) 36th and Bryce Bennett (Lake Tahoe, CA) 42nd. Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) DNFed.

The men's U.S. Ski Team athletes, coaches and staff celebrate on the podium.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ted Ligety took second and Andrew Weibrecht took third at the Beaver Creek super G.
• Skiing into the points, Travis Ganong was sixth, Tommy Biesemeyer was 11th and Tommy Ford 28th.
• It was Weibrecht’s first World Cup podium.
• Ligety’s second place today tied his best World Cup super G result, although he did win the FIS World Ski Championships super G in 2013. The last time he stood on a super G podium was in 2009 when he took second in Val d’Isere.
• It was the first time an American won a World Cup super G podium in Beaver Creek since Bode Miller in 2004.
• Ligety's win brought his total to 12 podiums at Beaver Creek, including World Cups and World Championships.
• It was Marcel Hirscher’s first World Cup super G win.
• The giant slalom kicks off on Sunday with Ted Ligety going for his sixth World Cup GS win at Beaver Creek.

QUOTES
Ted Ligety
Luckily today I had some good light. The top guys had a struggle there in the massive part of the snowstorm. I was able to capitalize when it looked like a little bit nicer weather on there. I feel happy with how I capitalized on that.

It’s tough when it’s like today—it’s a little bit inconsistent. The top couple guys who ran all had pretty good races and results and then the whole middle bunch were stuck in the brunt of the snow storm. Then the last 20s it got nice out again. I got lucky on that.

It’s great to get a podium here in Beaver Creek. I’ve had a lot of top fives or close in there races—where I haven’t put together a full good run. But today was great. To get on that podium finally here in super G is awesome.

The hill here has always treated me well, so I’m looking forward [to tomorrow].

Andrew Weibrecht
I’m happy with the way I skied. I was happy with the way I skied yesterday and rolled that into today. It’s all good. Travis gave me a great report again today—he ran early and that’s always a little bit tougher. He told me it’s totally chargeable, that it’s super easy, just absolutely hammer it. That was the perfect advice. This course isn’t running that fast—it’s pretty slow with this new snow. You absolutely just have to pin it.

I had two fifth places last year, which I was super psyched about. Just to get that monkey [of not having a World Cup podium] off my back—where now I don’t have to field that question anymore would be unbelievable. To have that race in the books—that’s one of the big things that’s missing from my resume—a World Cup podium and a World Cup win. That’s why I’ve really put a lot of emphasis on training for the World Cup and trying to figure it out how to make it work for a year long schedule so I can stay at a high level and be knocking on the door every single weekend.

Tommy Biesemeyer
Being on the sidelines for two years and watching your competition get better and improve and get the results you dream of is obviously hard, but also inspiring. It’s been a long two years. To come out here today and walk away with 11th is awesome, but my inner competitiveness is coming through. You start to realize how close you are to the next step and that’s knocking at the door of a podium. Four tenths away from that I think is doable. But I’m not going to be greedy and take it for what it is. I’m just happy. It’s going to make going to sleep at night a little better. I know that I’m capable of it. I think my Achilles heel in ski racing is wanting it too much and I’m a firm believer in that if you try too hard at something, it’s not going to come true. Today was a step in the right direction.

RESULTS
Men's super G results

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (Dec. 4, 2015) – Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) collected her 16th-career World Cup victory at Lake Louise in the first of two scheduled downhills, but the run was not without pure athletic spectacle to avoid serious disaster. Vonn clocked the fastest splits all the way to the midsection on course where she decided to take a little extra risk with a straighter line, and that’s where she nearly lost it all.

“I came in (to Fish Net) with a really direct line – probably a little bit too direct, and I caught my edge funny. I did the splits. I thought I was going down, then I somehow managed to stay on my feet,” said Vonn. “When I realized I was still in the course, I just got back into my tuck and tried to make up as much time as I could on the bottom. That was not planned. I should probably not do that tomorrow.”

Her smile in the finish area told the crowd that one didn’t come as easily as the final time indicated.

Vonn lost her 0.40-second advantage over Cornelia “Conny” Huetter of Austria with the critical mistake, but she recovered the lost time and added even more with precise gliding to the finish, ultimately outpacing the Austrian by a truly impressive 0.58 seconds.

For Vonn, the winningest woman in World Cup history, another victory at Lake Louise isn’t simply an additional tally mark on her record. She finds value in each and every race at the Canadian resort, even those that haven’t ended on the podium.

“I think last year’s win was probably the most significant for me coming back from two injuries and being able to win again was an incredible feeling. This year it’s just as incredible – I kind of feel old. All the other girls on the podium with me are very young,” noted Vonn. “I kind of felt relieved to be on the top step of the podium again today and to reassert myself as someone who’s not going away in the speed events.”

The 31-year-old speedster was flanked on the podium by two Austrians, the 23-year-old Huetter and 24-year-old Ramona Siebenhofer. It was Huetter’s second podium result of her career and the first for Siebenhofer.

Vonn’s teammate Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) had an equally horrifying mishap at high speed when she caught her edge heading into Timing Flats, but she also pulled off a miraculous recovery and held on to finish in fifth.

“I was coming around the last corner, I was really feeling it and then all I saw was fence. I just kind of got caught up in some old tracks, and I was really just trying to let my skis go, and they went in the wrong direction. There are mistakes that you make from taking risks and there are mistakes you make from a bad plan. And this was a mistake from taking risks, so I have no regrets,” said Cook. “Typically the first race is always the weaker one for me. I like more runs on the track – that’s kind of my thing – I start having more and more fun. So hopefully tomorrow is solid from top to bottom.”

Other U.S. Ski Team finishers in the points included Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) in 19th, Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO) in 25th, and Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) rounding out the scoring in 30th. Breezy Johnson (Salt Lake City, UT) who was racing her first World Cup race finished 41st. Anna Marno (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 45th.

The women will get a rematch on the track Saturday for the second of two downhills scheduled at Lake Louise, again beginning at 12:45 p.m. MT. Stream it live on NBC Sports Live Extra starting at 2:30 p.m ET.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lindsey Vonn won her 16th race at Lake Louise and her 68th career World Cup.
• Stacey Cook finished fifth. 
• This was Breezy Johnson’s first World Cup race, finishing 41st.
• The women will race downhill again Saturday at 12:45 p.m. MT.
• Stream Saturday’s downhill on NBC Sports Live Extra starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.

QUOTES
Lindsey Vonn
I think every race here is special, even when I’m not winning. But I think last year’s win was probably the most significant for me coming back from two injuries and being able to win again was an incredible feeling. This year it’s just as incredible – I kind of feel old. All the other girls on the podium with me are very young. So I don’t know. I kind of felt relieved to be on the top step of the podium again today and to reassert myself as someone who’s not going away in the speed events.”

On the plan for tomorrow
I’ll probably just clean that up – not make that mistake tomorrow. I think I might not take quite as direct of a line into Fish Net as I did today. That’s pushing the limit a little bit too much, but I just have to ski clean, ski aggressive, and hope I can stay ahead.

On her mistake
That was not planned. I should probably not do that tomorrow. I don’t know, I came in there with a really direct line – probably a little bit too direct, and I caught my edge funny. I did the splits. I thought I was going down, then I somehow managed to stay on my feet. When I realized I was still in the course, I just got back into my tuck and tried to make up as much time as I could on the bottom.

Stacey Cook
I was coming around the last corner, I was really feeling it and then all I saw was fence. I just kind of got caught up in some old tracks, and I was really just trying to let my skis go, and they went in the wrong direction. There are mistakes that you make from taking risks and there are mistakes you make from a bad plan, and this was a mistake from taking risks, so I have no regrets.

Typically the first race is always the weaker one for me. I like more runs on the track – that’s kind of my thing – I start having more and more fun, so hopefully tomorrow is solid from top to bottom.

Same risk level tomorrow, maybe a little bit more. I was a little bit nervous again today up at the start, and at the bottom of the course I was just having fun – even through that mistake I was having fun. So I’m just going to take that feeling up to the top of the course tomorrow.

RESULTS
Women's downhill results

On-site reporting provided by Ski Racing.

BEAVER CREEK, CO (Dec. 4, 2015)—Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) reminded ski racing fans that he is still a threat in downhill, tying for fifth place after starting 34th at the Birds of Prey downhill. Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) both grabbed top-15 spots, taking 12th and 15th, respectively.

The Norwegians, better known as the Attacking Vikings, were unstoppable during Friday’s downhill with Aksel Lund Svindal taking his third win in as many speed events. His teammate Kjetil Jansrud was just behind him in second with Guillermo Fayed of France in third. “I think his wax technician crushed it,” said Ganong of Svindal’s run. “He was six to eight tenths ahead on the top flat which is unheard of. Steve Nyman is the best starter and glider in the world and he got beat by three tenths on the top.”

Overshadowed by the top 30 having finished, the crowd seemed to forget about Weibrecht. He had been on course for 30 seconds before the camera at Beaver Creek panned back to his run on the jumbotron. When he came down in fifth, he pumped his chest, stoked about the result—his best World Cup downhill finish.

“That run felt good. I was definitely hanging it out. A couple of times, I didn’t know if I gave away too much or risked a little too much, but I guess it was right in there,” said Weibrecht after his run. “I skied the way I wanted to all the way down.”

6'7" Bryce Bennett shows off his wingspan to take his first World Cup points ever. (USSA-Eric Schramm)

Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) also attacked from the back, skiing from bib 53 to take his first-ever World Cup points by finishing 29th. “I haven’t scored World Cup points yet and that has been something I’ve wanted to do—almost too much,” said Bennett. “I had a few mistakes, but I just put everything into it. It was good to get a reward.”

Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) was just out of the points, finishing 31st. Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) DNFed.

The speed team returns on Saturday to race super G at Beaver Creek. Catch it on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra starting at 1 p.m. ET.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Andrew Weibrecht finished fifth in the Birds of Prey downhill, tying with Carlo Janka of Switzerland.
• Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud of Norway were first and second, followed by Guillermo Fayed of France in third. Hannes Reichelt was fourth.
• Travis Ganong was 12th and Steven Nyman 15th.
• Bryce Bennett grabbed his first World Cup points by finishing 29th.
• Weibrecht’s finish moved him back into the top 30 in downhill.
• This was Weibrecht’s best finish at Birds of Prey. His second best Birds of Prey downhill finish was his first downhill ever in 2007, when he took 10th after starting 53rd.

QUOTES
Andrew Weibrecht
That run felt good. I was definitely hanging it out. A couple of times, I didn’t know if I gave away too much or risked a little too much, but I guess it was right in there. That top is always tough—it’s super windy up there today so it’s a little bit of a crapshoot. But I skied the way I wanted to all the way down. Travis [Ganong] gave a great report, and said that things were running a faster tempo than they had been in the previous days. It was definitely icier and a little more rattly and just stuff was coming at you. The bumps were kicking you a little more than they had in the previous days. It was the perfect report—got me in the mindset and I just sent it. It’s just nice to get a good, solid result at the beginning of the season. To be in the top 10 in one of the first three races is great. My big confidence boost in downhill in Lake Louise last weekend was just being in the points. This is huge. This gets me back in the top 30 and makes a big difference moving forward.

Travis Ganong
It was pretty fast and totally different than the training run. It was a wild ride and I definitely missed the timing in a couple places. I got pushed off line and had to make little adjustments—that’s not fast. It was tough but it was still fun. Tomorrow is a different day—a different track and it won’t be as slick tomorrow. We’ll be back to grippy snow.

I can’t wait to go again tomorrow and it will be really fun to get another super G result. Hopefully I’ll get an early start number—that’s key here.

Bryce Bennett
I was nervous all day—just scared to commit to my line. I knew it would be a fast one. I haven’t scored World Cup points yet and that has been something I’ve wanted to do—almost too much. But if you committed to the course, it was perfect and you could just pipe turns. I had a few mistakes, but I just put everything into it. It was good to get a reward. I am able to compete with these guys and I can put runs down. All summer I’ve been just chipping away, chipping away, chipping away. It was bound to come, but it was good to confirm it. It’s going to be even better moving on. 

RESULTS
Men's downhill results

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (Dec. 3, 2015) – Success is no stranger to the U.S. Ski Team speed women at Lake Louise. In fact, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) has won so many times on this track it’s been deemed “Lake Lindsey.” For good reason, seeing as though she’s snagged 15 victories in Lake Louise – by far the most by a single skier at a specific venue – 12 in downhill and three in super G. Count ‘em.

Last year, in her comeback race, Vonn led a historic American podium sweep with Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA) in second and Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) in third. Although Mancuso isn’t racing this year, it’s very possible that the seasoned team could sweep the podium again, and it’s definitely not unheard of for them to stack the top 15.

This year’s track boasts some new terrain that took some getting used to for the women. It didn’t seem to take too long for Vonn, who posted the 34th fastest time yesterday and the second fastest time in today’s training run. “I just had a different approach today,” Vonn said. “I changed some things in my line that yesterday didn't really pan out for me. But I was happy with my skiing. I definitely can clean up a few sections for tomorrow but in general it was a pretty solid run and I'm just looking forward to my first speed race of the season.”

Though Cook may have felt the nerves yesterday, today was a new day, and she wasn’t far behind Vonn. “It’s different than the classic downhill that normally is here,” said Cook. “I have to make the adjustments. That in itself is a challenge and keeps it entertaining because we’ve run the old course so many times we could go with our eyes closed. Now we have to focus a little bit more. Lindsey skied that terrain really well today, so obviously it hasn’t changed that much. She’s still unbeatable here.”

Stacey Cook rips to third place in the second training run at Lake Louise. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)

In the second day of training, Austria’s Miriam Puchner was the fastest woman, with Vonn .12 behind and Cook close behind in third. The American contingency was strong in day two of training, with Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) tied for ninth, Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO) in 12th, Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) in 15th and Audi FIS Ski World Cup newcomer Breezy Johnson landing in 28th.

Vonn also announced today that teammate Wiles will be named as the first-ever athlete ambassador for The Lindsey Vonn Foundation. “We’re really excited today to announce that I’m sponsoring Jackie through the Lindsey Vonn Foundation,” stated Vonn. “It’s actually me personally that’s sponsoring her but she’s going to be the newest ambassador for the foundation. I’m really proud of her. She’s done an amazing job in her career so far. She’s really young, talented, has a great attitude, so I think she’s a great ambassador for my foundation.”

 

SO proud and excited to announce the first ambassador to the @lindseyvonnfoundation Jacqueline Wiles! (@jankylilj) I'm personally supporting her this season, helping her follow her dreams... Which is our goal at #LVF :) #GirlPower

A photo posted by Lindsey Vonn (@lindseyvonn) on

Dec 3, 2015 at 11:32am PST

Lake Louise will host two downhill races and cap the speed week off with super G on Sunday. This year, all eyes will be on Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO), who will be making her speed debut as she competes in Sunday’s super G. “I’m going to be attacking as much as I can,” Shiffrin said at her victory press conference in Aspen. “I am really excited to see what World Cup speed is all about. I’ll try to learn as much as I can from the other U.S. girls and from Lindsey and our coaches. I’m really excited. I like super G a lot, so I’ll be going for it. I just don’t know exactly where that will put me.”

QUOTES
Lindsey Vonn
It's the first speed race of the year, so I feel like I'm coming here always with a lot of confidence. I've had a lot of success here too so that certainly helps. I just love this hill. It really suits me, it suits my style and I know I can win.

Stacey Cook
The plan with my coaches was to improve every run, so I left a lot of room for improvement yesterday so that I could accomplish that goal. But I just had a little better attitude. I was pretty nervous yesterday; I don’t know why. It was the first World Cup scenario on the new ski company [Stckli] – it’s good to be nervous though. It means that you’re excited and have a lot of anticipation, and you’re ready.

Jackie Wiles [On being named as first-ever Lindsey Vonn Foundation Athlete Ambassador]
This is my third year on the [World Cup] tour. I had a breakout first year; it was a thrill. And last year I didn’t have the best year, so this year I needed some help funding. I’m just stoked that Lindsey can help me continue my dreams. To have Lindsey as a mentor – she’s the best female ski racer in history – it’s a huge opportunity for me to learn from Lindsey and take everything that she’s done to make herself so successful. So I’m really blessed and lucky to be in this position.

Mikaela Shiffrin
The second race [of the Copper FIS downhill series] was really good, it just takes me a little bit to understand exactly how straight I can go. Super G is a little different…so maybe I’ll have a better shot at super G than downhill. We’ll see. I’m excited.

Lake Louise Starters
Lindsey Vonn – SG, DH
Mikaela Shiffrin – SG
Stacey Cook – SG, DH
Laurenne Ross – SG, DH
Alice McKennis – SG, DH
Jackie Wiles – SG, DH
Anna Marno – SG, DH
Abigail Ghent – SG
Breezy Johnson – DH*

*denotes FIS Ski Alpine World Cup debut

TV COVERAGE
2015 Broadcast and Live Streaming Schedule (times EST)

Friday, Dec. 4
2:30 p.m. - Women's DH, Lake Louise  - NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM
8:30 p.m. - Women's DH, Lake Louise, Universal HD

Saturday, Dec. 5
2:30 p.m. - Women's DH, Lake Louise  - NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM
8:30 p.m. - Women's DH, Lake Louise, Universal HD

Sunday, Dec. 6
1:00 p.m. - Women's SG, Lake Louise  - NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM
8:30 p.m. - Women's SG, Lake Louise, Universal HD

TRAINING RESULTS
Women’s downhill training, day one
Women’s downhill training, day two

BEAVER CREEK, CO (Dec. 3, 2015) – The sun has been shining on the famous Birds of Prey downhill track the last two days, but don’t be mistaken – it has been cold and the conditions have been perfect. With some of the steepest pitches, the most difficult terrain and the biggest air on the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit, this course is tough.

Ask any nation and they’ll tell you they love it here at Birds of Prey. That buttery smooth, grippy Colorado snow makes the hill that much better – thanks, in part, to the Talon Crew. They’ve done an outstanding job preparing the course after Mother Nature dumped 21 inches of fresh snow over the last week. This is a world-class course crew, and they’re ready for some world-class ski racing to commence.

But before we dive into racing, remember that the team is on home turf and the guys have the opportunity to connect with their hometown fans and do things like school visits to nearby Homestake Peak School in Vail.

Bryce Bennett, Marco Sullivan and Nolan Kasper visited Homestake Peak School in Vail.

The pre-K to 8th graders oohed and aahed over the crashes and big air in the highlight reel as well as the advice Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA) and Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT) gave them. “Surround yourself with good people that can inspire you every day,” advised Sullivan. “I’m pulling for my teammates because when my teammates do well, it inspires me. We’re all we have over there. We’re a family. It’s us against Europe.”

Training run number one kicked off yesterday. Excitement was in the air as Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) was the POV forerunner, grabbing footage for Eurosport and NBC. Miller will be announcing this weekend for NBC, alongside Dan Hicks.

When asked about whether or not he’ll make a career out of it, Miller stated, “I am comfortable [with announcing for NBC]. I’ve done so much talking and I’m comfortable with my knowledge base on skiing, so there are no surprises there and nothing new for me. For me, whether I pursue it further would depend on how I felt about the relationship with Dan Hicks, and the banter. If it’s fun then I would do it. But it’s not really in me to do things that I don’t really enjoy and find exciting and fun. So if it’s work, then don’t expect to see me again.”

Bode Miller stands with his son after running the Birds of Prey downhill. 

The Attacking Viking, Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud came out on top, with Switzerland’s Carlo Janka in second followed by Germany’s Josef Ferstl in third. The top American was Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) tied for 11th, with Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT) in 26th, Bennett in 28th and Andrew Weibrecht in 29th.

Travis Ganong, who was third and fourth in the Lake Louise downhill and super G respectively, did some experimenting and ended up in 38th, but looks forward to Friday. “I’m feeling pretty good,” said Ganong. “This is our first look at the hill today, so it’s really important to check out the hill and see what the timing is like and build from there. I have high expectations, but I’m just going to focus on the little things and it will all take care of itself.”

So, why is this course so special? While standing in the finish, American Downhiller Nyman shared with journalists what he remembers most about this course after snagging third on this track last year. “It’s just always cool because you’re just flying, landing and gunning for the next jump,” said Nyman. “It’s just active movement the whole way down. That’s what I remember and what I always love, and what I’m excited to get back to here.”

Bryce Bennett took 28th in the Birds of Prey downhill. (Getty Images-Ezra Shaw)

Bennett came down with the largest smile on his face, and simply stated, “That was FUN. I LOVE downhill.” He, along with teammate Goldberg, have been putting some fast runs down, and Bennett has a good chance for a breakthrough performance this weekend.

Along with Friday’s opening downhill, Beaver Creek will play host to a super G on Saturday and GS on Sunday, where Ligety will be going for a historic six straight wins on the Birds of Prey GS track. Sit back and brace yourself for a wild ride down Birds of Prey.

Birds of Prey Starters
Michael Ankeny – GS
Bryce Bennett – DH, SG
Tommy Biesemeyer – SG
David Chodounsky – GS
Tommy Ford – SG, GS
Travis Ganong – DH, SG
Jared Goldberg – DH, SG
Tim Jitloff – SG, GS
Ted Ligety – SG, GS
Steven Nyman – DH, SG
Marco Sullivan – DH
Andrew Weibrecht – DH, SG, GS

QUOTES
Steven Nyman 
I’m comfortable here. It’s one of those courses where I’m really comfortable. And I just understand, and I know where to invest line and to gain. It’s just a joy to ski as well. What’s good is that we have speed. Travis got on the podium in Lake Louise. I had great training runs and I know I have speed. We’re training with the Norwegians and beating them in training, and knowing we’re right there…it’s cool. Obviously you’re here, home snow – you want to throw down, and do everything you can. And this is one of those tracks I know I can do well on, because I have three podiums here. It’s going to be fun.

Travis Ganong
This track is just really, really fun. Lots of nice terrain, and good, technical turns, so I can push harder and find speed and then carry that on on to the flats. That’s like my bread and butter – finding speed and then carrying that on to the flats. This hill is all about carrying speed from Pump House into the Brink and then down to the flats and all the way into the finish. Definitely looking forward to it.

TV COVERAGE
2015 Birds of Prey Broadcast and Live Streaming Schedule (times EST)

Friday, Dec. 4
12:30 p.m. - Men's DH, Beaver Creek - NBCSN - LIVE
12:30 p.m. - Men's DH, Beaver Creek - NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM

Saturday, Dec. 5
1:00 p.m. - Men's SG, Beaver Creek - NBCSN - LIVE
1:00 p.m. - Men's SG, Beaver Creek - NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM

Sunday, Dec. 6
5:00 p.m. - Men's GS, Beaver Creek – NBC and NBC Live Extra - LIVE STREAM

TRAINING RESULTS
Men’s downhill training, day one

CHINO HILLS, CA (Dec. 2, 2015) – The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has announced its partnership with Jacuzzi® Brand as the official hot tub of the U.S. Ski Team. As part of the partnership, Jacuzzi® Brand Hot Tubs will be integrated in to athletes’ recovery at the USSA’s world-class training facility, the Center of Excellence, in Park City, UT. Jacuzzi® Brand is also a sponsor of the 2015 Audi FIS Ski World Cup this season.

Jacuzzi recognizes that high-performance athletes need the best hydrotherapy to perform at their peak. Jacuzzi^® Brand hot tubs feature exclusive, highly-engineered jets precisely placed in seats sculpted to follow the contours of the body. While hot tubs are traditionally associated with post-athletic activity to aid in faster recovery from muscle exertion, Jacuzzi^® Hot Tubs also promote mental and emotional well-being for people of any physical ability.

“This is an incredible opportunity to partner with and support USSA athletes,” says Drew Meng, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Jacuzzi^® Hot Tubs. “With well-being at the core of all Jacuzzi^® products, offering the ultimate hydromassage to support all people around the world who believe in the importance of self-care is a natural fit.”

Jacuzzi® Brand will be activating at this weekend’s Audi Birds of Prey Race in Beaver Creek with complimentary hot chocolate, photo booth and Jacuzzi^® Rubber Duck. They will also host an autograph session with U.S. Ski Team athletes Tim Jitloff and Tommy Ford. After Birds of Prey, Jacuzzi^® Brand will head over to Europe to follow the team throughout the World Cup tour.

“We continue to add sponsors to our USSA roster who want to use their partnership to help increase our opportunities to win medals.” said Michael Jaquet, USSA’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Jacuzzi is of course the lead brand in the category and the use of their technology at the Center of Excellence is a very welcome addition to the facility."

Stay tuned for more information by visiting jacuzzi.com/ski.

COPPER, CO (Dec. 2, 2015) – Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) proved victorious once again in the second NorAm giant slalom contested at Copper Mountain this season on Tuesday. In contrast to his previous day’s victory, which had Ford coming from the 14th position to ultimately win, this time he found himself leading after run one. When the dust finally settled after a nail-biting second run, Ford was left standing atop the podium flanked by a trio of Norwegians which included a tie for third place between Leif Kristian Haugen and Rasmus Windingstad.

“This makes me level and steady,” Ford said of his two victories. “I believe in myself a little bit more [after today]. I just stuck with an even head and skied well, and found a little extra gear today, so I was psyched on that.”

Ford was riding the thin line between glory and disaster during his second run and found himself in a bit of trouble on Lights Out pitch, bouncing low in a fast, steep section of the course. Undaunted by the mental lapse, Ford managed to make clean, crisp and powerful arcs through the final 10 gates of the course, besting Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde by a slim 0.11 seconds for the win.

“I was a little unsure because of that mistake, but then I came through and I was like, ‘Yes!’ I really needed that,” Ford said. “That’s going to set me up nice for the World Cup.”

The top junior was once again Loic Meillard of Switzerland, coming in fifth overall, 0.73 seconds behind Ford. With how Meillard has skied the past couple of days, don’t be surprised if the 19-year-old Junior World Champion makes a splash in his first trip to Beaver Creek this weekend.

Kipling Weisel (San Francisco, CA) was the next best American, landing in 15th place. Right behind him were Nick Kruase (Northboro, MA) and Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, MA), who tied for 16th. Wrapping up the rest of the American finishers, Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) was 20th, Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starsboro, VT) 22nd, Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT) 24th, Griffin Brown (North Fayston, VT) 26th and Michael Ankeny (Deephaven, MN) 27th. Sandy Vietze (Warren, VT) was 40th with Taylor Shiffrin (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) 41st and Thomas Woolson (Dartmouth Ski Team) 45th.

On-site reporting provided by Ski Racing.

COPPER, CO (Dec. 1, 2015) – U.S. Ski Team veteran Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) was victorious in the opening NorAm giant slalom race of the season at Copper Mountain, CO on Monday. A race in which several anticipated starters in the upcoming Beaver Creek World Cup took part, Ford leapt from 14th position after the morning’s run, 1.19 seconds behind Germany's Fritz Dopfer’s leading time, to best the field by 0.33 seconds en route to his sixth NorAm victory and his first since 2011. Dopfer, ranked fifth in the world in GS, managed to hang on to a second-place finish and Austrian Roland Leitinger rounded out the podium in third.

“Pretty good gettin’ a win!” exclaimed Ford. “I just ended up being more powerful that run. It was pretty dang good snow, just like, groovin’. A bump here or there, but pretty good all around.”

Ford was the only racer to crack the top 10, but Brian McLaughlin (Topsfield, MA) of Dartmouth College and the N-UNI team was an impressive 15th, moving up from the 46th start position. Kieffer Christianson (Anchorage, AK) also landed the top 20, taking 17th.

LAKE LOUISE, Alberta – Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA) barely missed another podium in Lake Louise, but took his best-ever super G finish in fourth place. The King of Lake Louise, Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway, took the win, trailed by Matthias Mayer of Austria and Peter Fill of Italy.

The day felt similar to Saturday’s downhill race in more ways than one. Pleasant temperatures, a nearly cloudless sky, and Italian Peter Fill laying down a fast time within the top of the order contributed to a sense that the magic of Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” could be in the air. Then Ganong, whose previous best super G result was sixth in Kitzbuehel in 2014, cracked in right behind Fill at 0.06 seconds slower. When Svindal made a costly error once again but still managed to come down in the lead, almost a half-second ahead of Fill, the potential podium looked nearly identical to Saturday’s with the addition of Austrian Max Franz tying Ganong for the final spot. But, Svindal took the win again, his ninth podium and eighth victory at the Canadian speed venue.

Ganong was still stoked on the day, even though his was just .06 seconds off the podium. “It was good skiing today and solid, no big mistakes. I’m really happy,” said Ganong. “I think I lost like two-tenths in the first eight seconds, so that cost me the podium. I have bad shoulders and my thumb’s hurt so I can’t really push that hard. That’s kind of frustrating, but the skiing after that was good.”

The Truckee, CA native, who had surgery on his thumb last week, leaves Lake Louise with a podium and a career-best super G result, indicating that he could be a serious threat in two disciplines on the tour this winter.

“I’ve always been really fast in training in super G, I just haven’t had a breakthrough like this yet in my super G career. So it’s really awesome to start chipping away at super G as well,” said Ganong. “In training I do it all the time with Svindal and these guys, we train with them and are right in there with them. It’s good to get one on race day.”

Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT), finishing 21st, and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) in 26th were the only other scoring athletes from the U.S. Ski Team. Weibrecht was lucky to emerge unscathed from the race after he launched off the final air on course and his tips drifted toward the sky.

“I thought I was not going to pull that together, actually, and I just did. So I’m happy about that. That’s my one takeaway from the day,” admitted Weibrecht.

Wrapping up the Americans, Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) was 40th. Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, CA), Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA) and Wiley Maple (Aspen, CO) were 46th, 47th and 48th, respectively. Drew Duffy (Warren, VT) had a wild ride, but finished his first World Cup in 55th.

The World Cup men now move on to Beaver Creek, CO to race downhill, super G, and giant slalom starting Dec. 4.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Travis Ganong had his best ever super G finish – a fourth place in Lake Louise.
• By winning Sunday’s super G, Aksel Lund Svindal logged his ninth podium and eighth victory at the Canadian speed venue.
• Steven Nyman and Andrew Weibrecht scored World Cup points in the super G, taking 21st and 26th, respectively.
• The men head next to Beaver Creek to race downhill, super G and giant slalom.

QUOTES
Travis Ganong
I had a solid run. I love running early in super G—that’s like my favorite thing because then you don’t get psyched by watching the other guys and you just stick to your plan and have fun. It was good skiing today and solid, no big mistakes. I’m really happy.

First off, the start was really bad. I think I lost like two-tenths in the first eight seconds, so that cost me the podium. I have bad shoulders and my thumb’s hurt so I can’t really push that hard. That’s kind of frustrating, but the skiing after that was good. Super G’s always so in your face and you’re reacting the whole time. There’s going to be little mistakes and little bobbles, but I’m really happy that I was able to push and finished.

I’ve always been really fast in training in super G, I just haven’t had a breakthrough like this yet in my super G career. So it’s really awesome to start chipping away at super G as well. In training I do it all the time with Svindal and these guys, we train with them and are right in there with them. It’s good to get one on race day.

RESULTS
Men’s super G results

On-site reporting provided by Ski Racing.