U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced the 44 athletes of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team for the 2021-22 Olympic season. The FIS Ski World Cup kicked off with a weekend of giant slalom in Soelden, Austria Oct. 23-24. The season continues with a parallel for both men and women in Lech, Austria, this weekend, Nov. 13-14. 

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin and Bormio, Italy super-G victor Ryan Cochran-Siegle highlight the deep list of alpine athletes who will represent the U.S. Alpine Ski Team this season. This season will feature the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, from February 4-20, 2022. Due to COVID-19, the Olympic test events in 2020 and 2021 were canceled, so both the men and the women will head into the Olympics without having skied the tracks.  

It was an exciting start to the Olympic season in Soelden, as Shiffrin led four athletes into the top-25, with teammate Nina O’Brien in ninth, AJ Hurt in 20th, and Paula Moltzan in 23rd. On the men’s side, River Radamus kicked the season off with a bang as well, grabbing a career-best sixth place with Bode Miller-esque recoveries that kept fans on the edge of their seats. 

A solid prep period in the offseason coupled with teammates that have been pushing the pace was a recipe for success for the women’s tech team. “My teammates are pushing the pace really high, so I’m pushing too, so it’s been a really good build-up and a great way to start the season,” Shiffrin reflected. “It’s so cool. Like I said, the last two weeks we’ve all been pushing each other, and I see them skiing and think, ‘I have to keep raising my level too, because you’re here and you’re hungry...and everybody’s hungry, and I feel that motivation. It’s so amazing to have the pace coming from the United States. That’s...special. I’ve never experienced that, in this way, in my career so far...so it’s really cool.”

The 44 athletes nominated will be supported by a strong coaching staff, committed to “winning at every level,” which is Alpine Director Jesse Hunt’s mantra. “We are inspired by this group of nominated athletes that not only endured, but excelled in one of the most difficult seasons in memory. They persevered through a pandemic and remained determined to achieve greatness in spite of the daily challenges. It is a truly extraordinary group and we are proud to announce their nomination to the team in an Olympic year.”

Each athlete named to the U.S. Ski Team receives world-class program support, along with access to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Center of Excellence, as well as athletic benefits including elite coaching, sport science, sports medicine, and high-performance staff, and education opportunities. Additionally, A, B, and C team athletes are fully travel-funded once again this season, and the organization has also made significant headway in our efforts to decrease travel costs at the development team level, where members will be responsible for no more than $10,000 in travel and training costs with their team.

The nation and the world will be watching as athletes vie for a chance to represent their country at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Feb. 4-20. Keep an eye on this crew...it’s bound to be an exciting year. 

2021-22 FIS Alpine World Cup Schedule
2021-22 Alpine Olympic Schedule

2021-22 U.S. Alpine Ski Team
(Hometown; Club; Birthdate)

A TEAM

Women

• Breezy Johnson (Victor, Idaho; Rowmark Ski Academy; 1/19/1996)
• Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake, Minn.; Buck Hill Ski Team/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and University of Vermont; 4/7/1994)
• Nina O’Brien (Edwards, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Team Palisades Tahoe; 11/29/1997)
• Mikaela Shiffrin (Edwards, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 3/13/1995)

Men

• Bryce Bennett (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Team Palisades Tahoe; 7/14/1992)
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, Vt.; Cochran’s/Mount Mansfield Ski & Snowboard Club; 3/27/1992)
• Tommy Ford (Bend, OR; Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation; 3/20/1989)
• Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, Calif.; Team Palisades Tahoe; 7/14/1988)
• Steven Nyman (Sundance, Utah; Park City Ski and Snowboard/Sundance Ski Team; 2/12/1982)                     

B TEAM

Women

• Keely Cashman (Strawberry, Calif.; Team Palisades Tahoe; 4/4/1999)
• AJ Hurt (Carnelian Bay, Calif.; Team Palisades Tahoe; 12/5/2000)
• Alice Merryweather (Hingham, Mass.; Attitash Race Team/Stratton Mountain School; 10/5/1996)
• Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, Ore.; White Pass Ski Club; 7/13/1992)
• Isabella Wright (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 2/10/1997)

Men

• Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA; Team Palisades Tahoe and Middlebury College; 9/3/1996)
• Sam DuPratt (Park City, UT; Park City Ski Education Foundation; 11/28/1993)  
• Bridger Gile (Aspen, Colo., Aspen Valley Ski Club/Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/15/1999)
• Jared Goldberg (Holladay, Utah; Snowbird Sports Education Foundation; 6/15/1991)
• Jimmy Krupka (Waitsfield, Vt.; Green Mountain Valley School and Dartmouth College (7/15/1998)
• Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, Maine; Carrabassett Valley Academy; 5/27/1996)
• Kyle Negomir (Littleton, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 10/3/1998)
• River Radamus (Edwards, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 2/12/1998)
• Ben Ritchie (Waitsfield, VT; Green Mountain Valley School; 9/5/2000)
• Jett Seymour (Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and University of Denver Ski Team; 11/5/1998)
• Luke Winters (Gresham, Ore.; Sugar Bowl Academy; 4/2/1997)

C TEAM

Women

• Katie Hensien (Redmond, Wash.; Rowmark Ski Academy; 12/1/1999)
• Nicola Rountree-Williams (Edwards, Colo.; Loveland Ski Area; 7/7/2002)
• Zoe Zimmermann (Gilford, N.H.; Burke Mountain Academy; 5/16/2002)

Men

• Isaiah Nelson (Wayzata, MN.; Buck Hill Ski Racing Club; 4/3/2001)

DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Women

• Mary Bocock (Salt Lake City, UT; Rowmark Ski Academy; 10/3/2003)*
• Ava Sunshine Jemison (Edwards, Colo.; Burke Mountain Academy; 6/20/2002)*
• Storm Klomhaus (Boulder, Colo.; Team X Alpine and University of Denver Ski Team; 7/17/1998)*
• Lauren Macuga (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard; 7/4/2002)
• Allie Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 9/1/2001)
• Emma Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; 7/23/2003)
• Dasha Romanov (Thornton, Colo.; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 5/3/2003)*
• Alix Wilkinson (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.; Team Palisades Tahoe; 8/2/2000)

Men

• Justin Bigatel (Park City, UT; Burke Mountain Academy; 4/29/2003)*
• Camden Palmquist (Eagan, Minn.; Team Summit Colorado; 4/15/2003)*
• Trent Pennington (Shalimar, Fla.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 5/8/2002)
• Jay Poulter (Bondville, Vt.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Stratton Mountain School; 7/1/2003)*
• Cooper Puckett (Steamboat, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 3/31/2003)*
• Ryder Sarchett (Ketchum, ID; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 7/28/2003)*
• Jack Smith (Sun Valley, Idaho; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 4/24/2001)

*Newly named to the U.S. Ski Team

2021-22 ALPINE STAFF

Alpine Director: Jesse Hunt
Alpine Development Director: Chip Knight
Alpine Communications Manager: Megan Harrod
Director of High Performance: Gillian Bower
Director of Alpine Sport Science: Per Lundstam  

MEN
Head Coach: Forest Carey
Team Manager: Gwynn Watkins 

Men’s World Cup Speed
Head Coach: Randy Pelkey
Assistant Coach: Urban Planinsek
Assistant Coaches: Scott Veenis/Canaan Pollock
Assistant Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Ben Black
Physiotherapist: Caitlin Ciccone 

Men’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Ian Garner
Assistant Coach: Max Lamb
Assistant Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Will Courtney
Slalom Coach: Ryan Wilson

Men’s Europa Cup
Head Coach: Matt Underhill
Assist Coach: Michael Bansmer
Physiotherapist: Tim Andrews
Ski Service: Tristan McInnis

Men’s Development
Head Coach: Graham Flinn
Assistant Coach: Nate Bryant

WOMEN
Head Coach: Paul Kristofic
Team Manager: Colleen Jamieson
Athletic Development Coordinator: Bob Poehling

Women’s World Cup Speed
World Cup Speed Head Coach: Alex Hoedlmoser
Assistant Coach: Karin Harjo
Assistant Coach: Daniel Dejori
Physiotherapist: Torey Anderson

Women’s World Cup Technical/Speed
Mikaela Shiffrin
Head Coach: Mike Day
Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach: Jeff Lackie
Physiotherapist: Nick Franssen

Women’s World Cup Technical
Head Coach: Magnus Andersson
Assistant Coach: Kip Spangler 

Women’s Europa Cup Technical
Head Coach: Casey Puckett
Assistant Coach: Hugh Coley Oliver

Women’s Development
Head Coach: Marjan Cernigoj
Assistant Coach: Ali Spencer

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

OFFICIAL U.S. ALPINE SKI TEAM PARTNERS AND SUPPLIERS

Learn more about how you can support U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes this season. 

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History was made at the 55th Annual New York Gold Medal Gala as the event raised more than $1.7 million—the most in its history—while the Olympic excitement carried throughout the event as just one day earlier, we celebrated 100 days until the opening ceremony of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. 

Following the success of last year’s virtual Gala broadcast due to the pandemic, this year’s event was hosted in a hybrid format which allowed guests to participate either in-person or online. Guests arrived at the Midtown venue to the sound of excited chatter from reuniting one year after missing the infamous in-person event last year. It seemed, though, as if no time had gone by and guests were picking up right where they had left off: celebrating the teams, the athletes, and each other. Attendees at Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City were joined by viewers across the globe to support the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team as the athletes continued to train and prepare for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games.   

It was an action-packed event with a huge impact highlighted by keynote speaker, two-time Olympic champion, and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin. Shiffrin capped the night by auctioning off the FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom leader bib from her recent victory in Soelden, Austria, to help the Team reach and exceed its fundraising goal. Asked about the night, Shiffrin said, “What an incredible evening...thank you to all of the generous donors for your support. For a governing body like ours [that doesn’t receive government funding] the overwhelming support virtually and in-person makes all the difference. It was the most successful gala to date, and that is because of all of you. To merely say ‘thank you’ is not enough. Your support TRULY means the world.” 

Unfortunately, current active team athletes were unable to attend the event to ensure their utmost safety heading into this competition season, but luckily U.S. Ski & Snowboard legends stepped in and provided the star power for the night. In attendance were some of the greatest U.S. Ski & Snowboard legends and Olympic medalists, including Hannah Kearney, Alice McKennis Duran, Ted Ligety, Shannon Bahrke Happe, Donna Weinbrecht, Andrew Weibrecht, Danny Kass, JJ Thomas, Ross Powers, Kaitlyn Farrington, Alice Merryweather, Sam DuPratt and host of the evening, Jonny Moseley. Additionally, CEO Emeritus Tiger Shaw passed the torch to new President & CEO Sophie Goldschmidt, and with help from CEO Emeritus Bill Marolt, the Team recognized a very special honoree, Dexter Paine for his contributions to the organization and sport.  

“I could not have asked for a better way to cap off my second week with U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” newly appointed President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said, “It was truly an honor to witness the passion and support we all have for our sports, and the athletes.”

All funds from the event will support year-round athlete training, development, competition, and educational needs. Unlike other countries, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team receives no government funding. The New York Gold Medal Gala is the organization’s largest fundraising event and the success of this year will help light the fire for athletes on their journey to Beijing.  

Two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin joined the TODAY Show for Team USA's "100 Days Out" celebration, alongside other Olympians, including teammate Ryan Cochran-Siegle. Shiffrin talked about mental health, the loss of her father, her recent FIS Ski World Cup victory—her 70th—in Soelden, Austria at the World Cup opener, and more. 

As Scott Stump wrote for the TODAY Show, 

The sudden death of Mikaela Shiffrin's father last year had the superstar Olympian questioning whether she would ever ski competitively again.

With Thursday marking 100 days before the Winter Olympics in Beijing, Shiffrin shared on TODAY Show much she struggled with finding the motivation to continue after her father, Jeff Shiffrin, died at 65 from a head injury suffered in an accident in Colorado.

"I wondered if it was really worth it," she told TODAY co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. "There was a really long time that I didn’t really feel like it was worth it to care about anything, so it seemed like I’m not going to go ski race again because the most fundamental thing of an athlete is that you have to care about your sport and you have to care about doing well at your sport, and I just didn’t."

Shiffrin has already put together an incredible career at only 26 with two Olympic gold medals and one silver, which makes her "the most decorated U.S. alpine skier ever," and three overall World Cup titles. She already has won 70 World Cup races, the second-most all-time by any female skier behind only the 82 by retired legend Lindsey Vonn.

She considered walking away from all of it after losing one of her biggest supporters. Her father was an anesthesiologist and an avid photographer who could often be seen taking pictures of his daughter on the medal podium after races.

"I just thought I don’t care about actually really anything in life," she said. "It’s been a long process to get that motivation and actually the feeling of caring back. A lot more good days than bad now, but it’s still difficult."

Following her father's death, Shiffrin shared a photo on Instagram of him with his camera, writing that her family was "heartbroken beyond comprehension."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷💨 (@mikaelashiffrin)

Shiffrin said on TODAY his loss is "the most difficult thing" she has "ever survived."

Over a year and a half after losing him, Shiffrin is right back to her winning ways. She won her 70th World Cup race last weekend when she took the women's giant slalom in Soelden, Austria.

She shared on TODAY that she has the lofty goal of competing in all six alpine skiing events at the Winter Olympics in February.

Shiffrin has also now reached a place where she can speak about the devastation of losing her father.

"It’s OK to talk about it," she said. "Over the last couple years it’s been important to talk about, and a lot of people actually seem to be able to relate to that on some level because aside from the pandemic, everybody’s dealing with something on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, and there’s a lot of loss and grief and sadness out there, but there’s also a lot of strength and hope.

"And I think it’s important for us to all be able to connect on the more positive side of it."

Story courtesy of Scott Stump and the TODAY Show

It was another perfect day on the Rettenbach glacier, with the young River Radamus donning a new Chad Fleischer (U.S. Ski Team alumnus)-inspired “snow leopard” ‘do leading the charge with a career-best sixth-place under the sunshine in Soelden, Austria to kick off the highly-anticipated Olympic season. 

A young American squad led by veteran and 2020 Bormio World Cup super-G victor Ryan Cochran-Siegle, including Radamus, Bridger Gile, and Global Racing’s George Steffey and Patrick Kenney (University of New Hampshire) took on the what is the longest, steepest, most sustained pitch of any FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom on the tour. For the young squad, it was a promising start, despite Radamus being the only one to qualify for the second run.

Veteran teammate Tommy Ford, who had a season-ending crash last year at Adelboden, Switzerland, sustaining knee and hand injuries and a concussion, posted a message of encouragement to his teammates on Instagram early Sunday morning. In the post, he said, “I miss my team and the cold mornings. Go team go! My knee is coming back. It has felt slow, but it hasn't even been a year.” Radamus replied to the message, saying “miss ya tommy❤️ i’ll try to send one for ya today.” And “send” he did! 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tommy Ford (@tommyford)

Coming out of the gate bib 26, Radamus didn’t want to leave anything on the piste, taking risks left and right and making two incredible Bode Miller-esque recoveries in his first run, crossing the finish line in an incredible ninth place and setting himself up for a stellar second run. When asked by the media if he was trying to channel U.S. Ski Team alumnus and Olympic champion Miller, Radamus replied, “I wasn’t trying to imitate anyone…I was just trying to make it down, to be honest with you.” He continued, “I’m really trying to take that mentality—the fearless mentality—like Bode and a lot of guys from America have, so yeah—I’m really proud of the recoveries I had to make there. And I really hope to keep pushing the limit on the next run too.” 

The margins were super-tight in this deep men’s giant slalom field, with Austria’s Roland Leitinger in leading the charge, followed by France’s Mathieu Faivre .19 seconds back, and rounded out by Swiss phenom Marco Odermatt, .21 seconds out. Radamus was .85 out father the first run, and knew he had to put it all out there in the second run in order to score a solid result. With yet another run that put fans on the edge of their seats with thrilling recoveries and solid skiing, Radamus skied down into the lead ahead of Norway’s Lucas Braathen by a slim margin of four-hundredths of a second. It looked as if his lead would hold for a while, as he sat in the leaderboard with a big smile on his face, donning his new snow leopard hairstyle. 

In the end, Radamus—whose previous best was 14th last season in Bansko, Bulgaria—ended up an impressive career-best sixth place on the track that former teammate, hero, and mentor Ted Ligety won a record four times in the span of five years. Radamus was ecstatic with the result, saying, “I really felt like I’ve had a lot of races where I’ve done well the first run, and haven’t been able to execute the same way on second run…whether it’s conscious or unconscious, just backing off – so I really really tried to make sure I left it all out there and made sure I left no regrets on the table,” he said. “I made a couple of mistakes again, but I was pushing my limits again, and I’m happy with the performance. I felt like I’ve had the pace all summer, and with that it almost feels like more pressure because I had more expectations on myself to perform. So coming here and executing the way that I did gives me a lot of confidence rolling into the rest of the season…but at the end of the day I try to keep the mentality that I do everything I can to prepare, and I live with the results regardless. But this is an easier one to live with for sure.”

On the topic of his hair...which was turning many heads, Radamus shared, “The last three years I’ve done a special haircut for Soelden—I did a mullet bowl cut last year, and the year before I did it all blue and green…so I just like to do this little tradition of mine to change it up and get a new look going for the season.” He continued, “This year it’s inspired by past U.S. Ski Team speed legend Chad Fleischer, who used to have hair like this—the snow leopard—I wanted to carry that tradition forward, and carry that, sort of like, free spirit American-style forward.”

 

 

 

 

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Cochran-Siegle, who suffered from a “minor broken neck”, when he crashed on the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbuehel, Austria last season, returned to competition for the first time in 275 days. He missed qualifying for the second run by a mere one hundredth of a second. In the sport of ski racing, missing the flip by a margin this tiny can be defeating, though Cochran-Siegle is putting it into perspective and knows there’s a long season ahead—in which he’ll focus on the speed events and less so on giant slalom. 

“I thought I was skiing well, I was just holding on too much,” he said. “The conditions, and also the strength of every other skier here is really competitive, and I just needed to bring more on this run.” 

Up next for the men’s and women’s U.S. Ski Team crew is a training block at U.S. Ski Team Speed and Tech Center at Copper Mountain, Colo., then a parallel World Cup event in Lech, Austria, before returning to the North American races on the World Cup tour. 

RESULTS
Men’s giant slalom