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Outside Launches Exclusive Video Series Featuring Two-Time Olympic Champion Shiffrin

By Megan Harrod
December, 16 2021
Mikaela Shiffrin Outside TV
Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin will be featured in an exclusive video series in collaboration with Outside Interactive, Inc. and Jalbert Productions. (Mike Dawson - U.S. Ski & Snowboard)

BOULDER, Colo. — Outside Interactive, Inc., the world’s leading creator of active & healthy lifestyle content, events, and experiences, today announced the release of an exclusive video series featuring the world-class alpine ski racer, two-time Olympic gold medalist, six-time world champion, and three-time Overall FIS Ski World Cup champion, Mikaela Shiffrin.

Mikaela Shiffrin: Passion & Purpose is a 5-part original series following Mikaela’s personal and athletic journey, both on and off the hill, as she prepares for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The series will be available exclusively to members of Outside+, Outside’s membership for active and healthy lifestyle enthusiasts combining all of the Outside brands into a single bundle offering.

“While Mikaela Shiffrin is a skiing icon and world-class athlete, she’s also a human being,” said Robin Thurston, Outside CEO. “The opportunity to capture some of her most challenging, rewarding, and humanizing moments – and bring that content to life – is truly inspiring. The Passion & Purpose series, provided exclusively to our Outside+ members, is a captivating look inside the legend herself and someone who embodies all that Outside stands for – that life is best spent outside.”

In addition to covering Mikaela’s quest to earn Olympic Gold and her World Cup glory as one of the most dominant skiers of all time, the series chronicles far more than her time on the slopes. Filmed over the past four months, Passion & Purpose explores loss, grief, personal relationships, mental health, and everything in between that makes Mikaela human – a human that also happens to be one of the greatest skiers in history.

“The past couple of years have been nothing short of challenging, and while I’m forever grateful for my victories on the mountain, I want people to know that, off the mountain, I am a real human being who goes through real hardships, just like anyone else,” said Mikaela Shiffrin. “I'm thankful for my team, as well as the Outside team, who was able to help me tell a story that reaches beyond the mountain, medals, and records and hopefully creates broader awareness and understanding of topics near and dear to my heart.”

Directed and produced by Jalbert Productions, the first and second episodes of the series will be released on December 21, 2021 and uncovers the life that has shaped and continues to define Mikaela Shiffrin as an Olympian while shedding light on her resilience, compassion, and authenticity as an individual. The third and fourth episodes of the series will be available on Tuesday, January 25th, and Tuesday, February 1st, respectively, while the fifth and final episode will be released following the conclusion of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The full series will also be released to the general public through Outside TV for 30 days starting in February.

To watch the series, available starting December 21, please download the Outside TV app or become an Outside+ member. The trailer for the series can also be viewed here.

About Outside Interactive, Inc.
Outside is the premier destination for active lifestyle enthusiasts and home to leading brands in the endurance sports, outdoor, and healthy living spaces. Each month, Outside reaches 80 million of the most active consumers in the world across its 40+ media, digital, and technology platforms, creating an experience for both longtime adventurers and those just getting started. Outside believes life is best spent outdoors, experiencing healthy, connected, and fulfilling lives. Outside’s membership offering, Outside+, bundles best-in-class storytelling, meal plans, gear reviews, online courses, discounted event access, mapping, and more. Learn more at outsideinc.com.

About Mikaela Shiffrin
Double Olympic champion, six-time world champion, and winningest slalom skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin has elevated women’s ski racing globally – both on and off the mountain. At a mere 26-years-old, Mikaela has 71 World Cup victories across six disciplines to her name and is the only athlete to win in all six disciplines. Philanthropically, Mikaela is passionate about ending plastic waste through initiatives with sponsor Adidas, cancer research, the Kelly Brush Foundation, and so much more. She has raised millions of dollars through the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund (in her late father’s name) to help support up-and-coming athletes on the cusp of breaking through as they’ve dealt with challenges associated with the pandemic.

Contacts
Media inquiries, please contact:
INK Communications Co.
[email protected]
(508) 439-2802

Megan Harrod, Mikaela Shiffrin PR+Media
[email protected]
(435) 714-9393

Release Courtesy of Outside Interactive, Inc.

Winters Scores in Val d’Isere Slalom

By Courtney Harkins
December, 12 2021
Luke Winters Val d'Isere
Luke Winters skis to 25th in the Val d'Isere slalom. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Millo Moravski)

Luke Winters skied into the FIS World Cup points in the first slalom race of the 2021-22 season, taking 25th in Val d’Isere, France.

Hometown hero Clement Noel of France got his ninth World Cup win, with Kristoffer Jakobsen of Sweden taking his first World Cup podium in second place. Filip Zubcic of Croatia also grabbed his first World Cup podium in third.

Hard snow and sunshine made for great conditions in Val d’Isere and the up-and-coming U.S. men’s slalom team were stoked for some racing. “Dudes were fired up,” said Men’s World Cup Slalom Coach Ryan Wilson. “Everybody has been skiing well in training. It was nice that Jakobsen was second. We were training with him before and we know where we stand with him. That’s a confidence booster for all of them.”

The U.S. men’s slalom team has been skiing strong so far this season with Winters, Jett Seymour, and Ben Ritchie headlining the team. Seymour skied well in his first run, but got tangled up in a complicated combination at the bottom and skied out just before the finish. Ritchie went down on his hip, but had fast splits below the mistake, showing that he has it in him to also make a second run. Alex Leever and Garret Driller also started but did not qualify for a second run.

Winters had a couple of major bobbles on his first run, but had enough speed to ski into the top 30 and snag a second run. He skied conservatively second run to finish 25th, scoring World Cup points and lowering his bib number for future races. Winters also found the points twice last year, including a top 20 in Chamonix, France, and he knows he has more in him heading into the Olympic season.

The men’s tech team next heads to Italy for two giant slalom races in Alta Badia December 19-20 and a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on December 22.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

Shiffrin Scores Second Super-G Podium in Two Days in St. Moritz

By Courtney Harkins
December, 12 2021
Mikaela Shiffrin St. Mortiz super-G
Mikaela Shiffrin skis to third place--her second podium in two days in super-G at St. Moritz. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)

Mikaela Shiffrin scored her second super-G podium in two days in St. Moritz, taking third place on Sunday. Breezy Johnson also skied into the points, finishing 24th.

The Italians filled the rest of the FIS World Cup super-G podium, with Federica Brignone and Elena Curtoni going one-two. Alice Robinson, the young upstart from New Zealand, was fourth. Notably missing from the podium was Lara Gut of Switzerland, who was ahead in the splits on her run, but went too straight and crashed hard through two layers of fencing in a difficult compression. After a few tense minutes, she got up and skied to the finish full of cheering Swiss fans.

While the sun came out for Sunday’s super-G after a dark day on Saturday, the conditions remained challenging with whipping winds blowing the women around the terrain-heavy course. The gusts were too strong, in fact, that the start had to be moved down to the reserve start and the race was delayed 40 minutes. “It was a bit tricky today!” said Shiffrin. “Especially with some wind, you get these pushes from behind and you speed up like crazy and it’s a little unexpected… I just tried to push my line and trust it and make good turns and stand strong on my skis.”

Shiffrin also battled nerves—wearing bib two meant she didn’t get much of a course report—but she used her knowledge of the terrain from a long course inspection and the feeling from her skis to ski intelligently down the course. The race gave her a second super-G podium in two days (translating to 120 more valuable points in the overall standings), and her seventh career World Cup super-G podium in only 18 starts. Four of those podiums have been in St. Moritz.   

Breezy Johnson also scored points for the second time in the weekend, taking 24th. Jackie Wiles finished 39th, Nina O’Brien 40th, and Tricia Mangan 43rd. AJ Hurt, Isabella Wright, and Keely Cashman did not finish, but all three are thankfully OK.

Shiffrin leads the overall World Cup standings, with 525 points ahead of Italy's Sofia Goggia (435 points), and Slovakia's Petra Vlhova—who has opted to focus on tech events this year (340 points). Johnson is currently sitting in sixth in the standings, with 213 points. 

The women’s speed team next heads to Val d’Isere, France for a downhill and super-G December 18-19, while the tech team will train for two giant slalom races in Courchevel, France December 21-22.

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

STANDINGS
Women's World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*ALL TIMES EST.

4:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, St. Mortiz, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. For more information on how to watch broadcasts and streaming, visit our full "how to watch" breakdown.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

Radamus Top 15 in Val d’Isere Giant Slalom

By Courtney Harkins
December, 11 2021
River Radamus Val d'Isere GS
River Radamus skis to 13th place in the Val d'Isere giant slalom. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom - Millo Moravski)

Battling more than 19 inches of new snow and tough course conditions, River Radamus was the top American in the FIS World Cup giant slalom in Val d’Isere, France, continuing to show his strength in giant slalom with an impressive 13th place.

Marco Odermatt of Switzerland dominated again after taking two podiums at Birds of Prey last weekend, grabbing the win by nearly six-tenths over Frenchman Alexis Pinturault. Six-tenths behind Pinturault, Manuel Feller of Austria finished third. Odermatt had also won the opening GS in Soelden, Austria—becoming the first man to win the first two GS races in a season since U.S. Alpine Ski Team alumnus Ted Ligety did so in 2013.

Radamus struggled a bit first run, attacking from the start but made a few mistakes in critical sections to land himself in 23rd place. But he came into the second run with more knowledge and respect for the hill to ski the third-fastest run and push himself into 13th place.

“Overall I don’t feel like I skied my best GS today but I’m proud of the result,” said Radamus. “Knowing how much more I have to give and knowing where the result is, I can take solace in that and know I’m going in the right directions.”

Radamus has been showing that he’s one to keep an eye on throughout the Olympic season, capturing his career-best sixth place World Cup finish in Soelden. And with the tour heading next week to Alta Badia, Italy where he’s had a slew of top-20 results, he’s ready to prove himself.

“Game plan remains the same,” said Radamus. “Try to build on this and find the good and eliminate the bad and hopefully take this momentum with two solid results to start the season into my favorite race of the year in Alta Badia.”

Bridger Gile did not qualify for a second run in Val d’Isere and Brian McLaughlin and George Steffey did not finish. The men race slalom on Sunday to finish out the weekend in France.

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
*ALL TIMES EST.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast Olympic ChannelStreaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard LiveStreaming Peacock

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. For more information on how to watch broadcasts and streaming, visit our full "how to watch" breakdown.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

Podium for Shiffrin in St. Moritz Super-G

By Courtney Harkins
December, 11 2021
Mikaela Shiffrin St. Moritz
Mikaela Shiffrin skis to her first FIS World Cup speed podium in nearly two years in St. Moritz, Switzerland. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Francis Bompard)

Mikaela Shiffrin showed that she can still rule speed events, capturing her first FIS World Cup speed podium in nearly two years in the super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Breezy Johnson was 12th.

Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, the reigning super-G World Champion, skied a hill she knew well to the win. Sofia Goggia of Italy, who had swept the speed events at the Lake Louise World Cups last week, took second.

The course was in excellent condition, but flat light and lightly falling snow made it difficult to see the tricky undulating terrain, which played into Shiffrin’s favor. “You see that this track has so much terrain—it’s a little like every turn has a roll or compression that really throws you around,” said Shiffrin. “I could see that from the start and I decided to try to ski a good solid run and not go too crazy trying to be too aerodynamic when most of the girls were struggling to make clean turns. I was just trying to make as clean turns as I could.”

While Shiffrin is known as a strong technical skier, she is no stranger to the podium in FIS World Cup speed events, but it had been a minute. She was last on the World Cup podium in Bankso, Bulgaria in January 2020, when she won the super-G, and also took third place in the 2021 FIS World Ski Championships super-G in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. But her lack of time with speed boards on her feet this season meant she came in a little wary of her chances.

“I would say this was my sixth run of super-G in six months,” added Shiffrin. “I didn’t really trust myself enough to be the most aggressive on this hill, like I could imagine Lara and Sofia would ski. I have the potential to be competitive, but today is just 100% more practice than what I had yesterday. It was a good run, actually. Quite good.”

Shiffrin’s third-place extends her lead in the FIS overall standings to 465 points above Goggia’s 395. The race was also her 111th podium in 200 World Cup starts—meaning Shiffrin has a 56% chance of finishing in the top three of every race she enters.

U.S. downhill queen Breezy Johnson also had a banner day, capturing 12th place—her third best super-G result in her career.

Rounding out the Americans, AJ Hurt was 34th, Tricia Mangan 36th, Jackie Wiles 37th and Nina O’Brien 43rd. Isabella Wright and Kelly Cashman did not finish.

Next up, the women race another super-G on Sunday while the men ski slalom in Val d'Isere, France. 

RESULTS
Women’s super-G

STANDINGS
Women's World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup super-G

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - same-day broadcast, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast NBCSN

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super-G - LIVE, St. Moritz, SUI, Broadcast Olympic ChannelStreaming Peacock
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard LiveStreaming Peacock

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here. For more information on how to watch broadcasts and streaming, visit our full "how to watch" breakdown.

Please note: Streaming services and apps are third-party services and subject to such parties’ terms of use and data privacy. U.S. Ski & Snowboard disclaims any and all liability for use of third-party services and apps.

Follow the U.S. Alpine Ski Team:
Instagram: @usskiteam
Facebook: @usskiandsnowboard
TikTok: @usskiandsnowboard
Twitter: @usskiteam

Canceled: Beaver Creek Downhill

By Mackenzie Moran
December, 5 2021
Travis Ganong
Travis Ganong of the United States Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill at Beaver Creek Resort on December 4, 2021 in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Photo: Dustin Satloff // @usskiteam

The Xfinity Birds of Prey men's downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 5, has been canceled due to strong winds. The second downhill in Beaver Creek was meant to replace the Lake Louise downhill, canceled the weekend prior due to weather. FIS has not yet determined if, and when, the downhill will be rescheduled.

The men's tour looks ahead to a tech series on Val d'Isere Dec. 11-12.

HOW TO WATCH

*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

Shiffrin Sixth in Lake Louise Super-G

By Mackenzie Moran
December, 5 2021
Mikaela Shiffrin in Lake Louise Super-G
Mikaela Shiffrin competes in the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Super G on December 5, 2021, in Lake Louise Canada. (Photo by Christophe Pallot/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin made significant improvements in Lake Louise Sunday, finishing sixth overall and leading four American women into the super-G points. The Italian speed powerhouse, Sofia Goggia, went three for three wins this weekend, followed by super-G specialist Lara Gut-Behrami, and Austria's Mirjam Puchner.

Although Shiffrin finished the day in sixth, 0.58 seconds out from Goggia and 0.14 seconds out from Puchner, her run seemed the most threatening to Goggia's win while on course.

Super-G involves a bit more technical prowess than downhill, and technical is where Shiffrin thrives. In the upper sections of the course, Shiffrin in fact posted faster splits than Goggia, leading her winning run into the final two splits. The tension was palpable in Goggia's reaction, sitting in the leader seat as Shiffrin crossed the finish and Goggia realized she did not make up any time on Easy Street. Unfortunately for Shiffrin, she took a key turn towards the bottom a bit too straight and got pushed out of her line, sending her back behind Goggia by 0.58 seconds overall.

Other than that mistake, Shiffrin was incredibly happy with the improvements she made on Sunday and will walk away from the weekend in Lake Louise with a bit more confidence in speed.

"That super-G felt quite a lot better than downhill," commented Shiffrin. "I'm actually pretty excited because I felt like I was skiing really well and executing my plan. I just got a little bit too straight on one turn in the course and got pushed a little bit. The skiing and all those pieces were there and I'm actually really excited about not having much training in the last few weeks. I was pretty concerned coming into this week."

"Obviously the downhills were not super fast for me," she laughed. "So I thought uh, oh, maybe I can't really pull this off. But I still feel quite comfortable on a super-G ski so that's really positive and makes me feel a little bit better about the weekend as a whole." 

Breezy Johnson posted another solid finish to wrap up the first speed series of the season. On top of two second place finishes in downhill on Friday and Saturday, Johnson finished 11th in the super-G. Keely Cashman and Jackie Wiles also punched in point scoring finishes, earning 29th and 30th respectively.

Tricia Mangan finished 37th, and Isabella Wright did not finish. 

Next weekend the women's tour will land in St. Moritz, Switzerland to compete in their second speed series of the season. Races will air on NBCSN and peacock.com. Times are yet to be determined. In the meantime, plan to get your alpine skiing fix with the men's tech races in Val d'Isere, France.

RESULTS
Women's super-G

HOW TO WATCH

*All times EST

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live
7:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Val D'Isere, FRA, Ski and Snowboard Live

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here

Sport-specific broadcast and streaming schedules are available below:

Broadcast and streaming are updated on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard website throughout the season.

Johnson Repeats Second Place Downhill Podium In Lake Louise

By Mackenzie Moran
December, 4 2021
Breezy Johnson
On Saturday, Breezy Johnson, once again, found herself second on the downhill podium. (Christophe Pallot - Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

On Saturday, Breezy Johnson, once again, found herself second on the downhill podium behind Sofia Goggia in Lake Louise, 0.86 seconds off the Italian's pace and 0.14 seconds ahead of third-place finisher Corinne Suter. 

Despite a familiar-looking podium, course conditions in Lake Louise made a drastic change from those on Friday. Heavy snow, flat light, and low visibility made confident skiing challenging to find. As Johnson exited the finish, she looked over at Goggia in the leader's seat and symbolically tipped her hat to the Italian, who laid down another immaculate run.

"I tried my best, and I was happy with my run," reported Johnson. "I wanted to ski well, and I feel like I did. Two years ago, I wasn't here because I was injured, which was really hard for me. So I'm just really happy to be back here racing."

Johnson earned a total of four podiums last year, a great show of grit and tenacity in an injury-comeback season. For Johnson to land, not one but two podiums back-to-back at the beginning of an Olympic season gives her confidence for races to come.

"Consistency is not something that every downhill skier is blessed with, but based on my four podiums last year and these two, I hope that maybe I have that," she added.

Jackie Wiles followed her performance on Friday with another top-30 finish Saturday, settling into 29th overall. The next best American finish came from Isabella Wright in 34th, followed by Mikaela Shiffrin in 38th, Keely Cashman in 42nd, and Lauren Macuga in 49th. Alix Wilkinson did not finish.

The American women have officially concluded the downhill series in Lake Louise but have another go at the track on Sunday, Dec. 4, in the weekend's final race – the super-G season opener. 

"I think super-G is the hardest event, and I respect super-G skiers so much for that reason," noted Johnson. "I have been working hard on my super-G, and some of my training has been really good,  so I'm hopeful I can put some good runs down tomorrow and take some confidence from today. I'm not looking for the win tomorrow; I'm just trying to ski my best which is what I'm looking for every day."

RESULTS
Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH
*All times EST.

Saturday, Dec. 4
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here

Check out our "How to Watch" guide to determine what option is best for you.

 

Cochran-Siegle Leads Four Americans Into Xfinity Birds of Prey Downhill Top 30

By Mackenzie Moran
December, 4 2021
Ryan Cochran-Siegle in men's downhill
Ryan Cochran-Siegle in the first downhill of the weekend at the Xfinity Birds of Prey Beaver Creek World Cup. (Tom Pennington - Getty Images)

Thousands of fans turned out to the first Xfinity Birds of Prey downhill on Saturday in Beaver Creek, Colo., to cheer for the men taking on the demanding track. Second out of the start was USA's very own Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who put forward a solid run that allowed him to hang on to a top 10 position by the end of the day. Cochran-Siegle finished sixth overall, leading four American men into the top 30, while Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde stole the top spot for the second day in a row, followed by Austria's Matthias Mayer, and Switzerland's Beat Feuz.

Despite a solid finish, Cochran-Siegle is still on the hunt for both his results and training to be on par with his performance prior to fracturing his cervical spine (C7) on the Hannenkahm last season. He knows there's more speed left for him to find on the pitch.

"I’m definitely more of a confident skier when I have results behind me and I feel like I can let loose a little bit, so overcoming that is a challenge," reflected Cochran-Siegle. "(On the World Cup) we all ski at a high level, it’s just about who can maximize from top to bottom. I definitely have some time still to be found on the pitch and that’s what I’ll be looking for tomorrow."

Team veteran Steven Nyman made an incredible push forward from the back of the pack in bib 36 to tie France's Johan Clarey in 18th. Nyman, who missed most of the 20/21 season due to injury, has been struggling to meet his own expectations for far this season. Saturday morning in Beaver Creek, a surprise visit from an old friend may have helped fuel him forward.

Thomas Walsh, a U.S. Paralympic alpine ski racer (and close childhood friend of Mikaela Shiffrin as well), was inspired by Nyman as a kid to continue his pursuit of an Olympic dream after overcoming his battle with cancer. It was an emotional scene at inspection Saturday morning, as Walsh displayed the 2006 Olympic bib from Torino that Nyman signed for Walsh 15 years ago during a hospital visit. To show his gratitude, Walsh gifted Nyman his own bib from his Paralympic competitions to say thanks, and good luck.

"I just broke down crying after inspection," said Nyman. "It's incredibly meaningful. That's what it's all about. He's gonna be a lifelong friend, and it's gonna be cool to see him continue to push for the top and perform."

Bryce Bennett and Travis Ganong also laid down solid runs, holding on to top-30 finishes in 22nd and 24th respectively. Jared Goldberg finished 36th, and Erik Arvidsson finished 38th.

Looking ahead to the rest of the season, the American men know there is still work to be done in speed. Ganong's super-G podium on Friday showed promise, but with Bennett and Nyman still working out the kinks in their set-up, and Cochran-Siegle searching for his rhythm, the downhill men are hungry for one more show on home soil on Sunday.

"Besides Travis’ podium we're a little bit off the pace in downhill," commented Bennett. "I think Travis is one of the best skiers on the world cup, to be honest, and I think he could do it every weekend. I just think sometimes he doubts himself, and I wish he wouldn’t because he’s an incredible skier." 

"Our team can be really strong if we all figure out our skiing," Cochran-Siegle. "Look at Travis, he’s figuring it out, and Bryce, Steven, Jared, all those guys... it will get there, step by step."

On Sunday, Dec. 4 the men have yet another shot at the Bird's of Prey course, in the final North American downhill before they head into the European leg of the season.

RESULTS 
Men's Downhill

HOW TO WATCH 
*All times EST.

Saturday, Dec. 4
5:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Sunday, Dec. 5
12:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Super-G - LIVE Lake Louise, CAN, Streaming Peacock
2:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - LIVE, Beaver Creek, CO, Streaming Peacock
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Super G - LIVE, Lake Louise, CAN, Ski and Snowboard Live
2:30 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast, NBCSN
4:00 p.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Xfinity Birds of Prey Men's Downhill - Same-day broadcast, Beaver Creek, CO, Broadcast NBC

Current television broadcast and streaming schedules for all sports are available here

Check out our "How to Watch" guide to figure out what option is best for you.