Following halfpipe competition at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo., twenty Americans are headed to Secret Garden, China for the second northern hemisphere FIS Freeski and Snowboard World Cup competition of the season Dec. 19-21. 

The Secret Garden halfpipe will be 2022 Olympic venue and will provide athletes with a preview for what they can expect on the world’s biggest stage. Hunter Hess is returning to compete at Secret Garden where he earned his first-ever World Cup podium with a third-place finish last season. He shared the podium with an elite group including Canadian X Games gold medalist Simon D’Artois who won the event and 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Nico Porteous who finished second.

In addition to Hess, the freeski roster looks strong including Aaron Blunck, who is coming off of two consecutive podiums at the NZ Winter Games World Cup and the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix World Cup. U.S. Freeski Pro Team athlete Birk Irving kicked off the season with a victory at the NZ Winter Games after landing both a double cork 1440 and a never-been-done, gravity-defying, down the pipe double cork 720. 

For the snowboarders, Maddie Mastro is coming in hot off her third-consecutive podium appearance at Copper Mountain with a third-place finish. Also, Chase Blackwell who made finals at the Copper Grand Prix will join teammate Ryan Wachendorfer this weekend. 

Tune in live to catch all the action!

SNOWBOARD ATHLETES
U.S. Snowboard Pro Team
Maddie Mastro
Chase Blackwell
Ryan Wachendorfer

Americans
Josh Bowman 

FREESKI ATHLETES
U.S Freeski Pro Team
Aaron Blunck
Alex Ferreira
Hunter Hess
Taylor Seaton
Birk Irving
Abigale Hansen
Devin Logan

U.S. Freeski Rookie Team
Svea Irving
Hunter Carey
Jaxin Hoerter
Cassidy Jarrell
Connor Ladd
Dylan Ladd
Sammy Schuiling

Americans
Jeanee Crane Mauzy
Cameron Brodrick

HOW TO WATCH
All Times in EST

FREESKI
Friday, Dec. 20
10:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Secret Garden CHN - Olympic Channel, Olympic Channel.com, NBC Sports Gold

SNOWBOARD
Saturday, Dec. 21
10:00 p.m. - Men and women’s halfpipe, Secret Garden, CHN - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app. Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.
 

The 15-story jump structure build is complete in Atlanta, Ga. ahead of the Visa Big Air presented by Land Rover at SunTrust Park, the home of the Braves. Over 30,000 pieces of steel adding up to 600,000 lbs will support about 900,000 lbs of snow that will be made starting Tuesday. The world’s best freeski and snowboard big air athletes are ready to battle for the podium in FIS World Cup competition Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21. 

Athletes have started to arrive in Atlanta with training beginning on Thursday, Dec. 19. About 164 athletes from an estimated 27 nations are scheduled to compete and the true scale competition is quickly being realized. For the snowboarders, the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air Crystal Globe will be on the line. Following what U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach Mike Jankowski called, “one of the most heated big air competitions ever," at the Air + Style Beijing World Cup in China, U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Chris Corning will arrive in Atlanta as the FIS big air cup standings leader just ahead of Canadian rider Nicolas Laframboise. Both are confirmed to compete in Atlanta. 

Other notable athletes scheduled to compete include one of the winningest snowboard athletes in history, Canadian Mark McMorris, as well as U.S. Snowboard Team member and Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard, and four-time X Games medalist Sven Thorgren of Sweden. For the women, 2018 Olympic big air silver medalist Jamie Anderson and current FIS big air cup standing leader and 2019 big air Crystal Globel winner Reira Iwabuchi of Japan are ready to put on a show for the people of Atlanta. 

For the freeskiers, the current FIS Big Air Cup standings leader Birk Ruud of Norway, U.S. Freeski Team member Alex Hall, who is coming off back to back big air victories at X Games Norway and the Modena, Italy World Cup, as well as fan-favorite Henrik Harlaut of Sweden are set to compete. For the Women, current FIS Big Air Cup standings leader Guilia Tanno of Switzerland, teammate and 2018 Olympic gold medalist Sarah Hoefflin, as well as U.S. Freeski Team member Caroline Claire are ready to drop. 

Join us at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, Ga. for what is sure to be two amazing days of World Cup competition. Can’t get to Atlanta? Not a problem, all final rounds of competition available live on NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold.

CUP STANDINGS
Men’s snowboard big air
Women’s snowboard big air
Men’s freeski big air
Women’s freeski big air
 

 Tickets on sale now at Braves.com/visabigair  

EVENT SCHEDULE
Visa Big Air
SunTrust Park, Atlanta, Ga., USA
Snowboard & Freeski Big Air FIS World Cup
December 18-21, 2019
*Subject to change

Friday, Dec 20
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:30 p.m. - Gates Open
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's snowboard big air finals          

Saturday, Dec 21
12:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Sponsor Village/Entertainment - The Battery
5:00 p.m. - Gates Open
5:30 p.m. - Teton Gravity Research Premiere - “Fire on the Mountain” 
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals practice
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - Men's and women's freeski big air finals
 

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

FREESKI
Saturday, Dec. 21
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover, Atlanta - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Sunday, Dec. 22
3:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover, Atlanta - NBC**

SNOWBOARD
Friday, Dec. 20
7:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover - NBCSN, NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Gold

Saturday, Dec. 21
3:00 p.m. - Visa Big Air Presented by Land Rover - NBC**

*Same-day broadcast
**Next-day broadcast

Note: All televised events to stream across NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app, OlympicChannel.com, and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA app

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced its 2020 team for the Winter Youth Olympic Games Lausanne 2020 set for January 9 - 22 in Switzerland. Nominations include those age-eligible athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the 2019 winter season. 

Lausanne is known as the “Olympic Capital,” and has been the home of the modern Olympic Movement for more than 100 years. More than 50 international sporting organizations are based in this region. The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) serves to inspire the next generation to embody the Olympic values of Respect, Friendship, and Excellence. Competing in a location so steeped in Olympic history and tradition will set the tone for what is sure to be an awesome few weeks of competition. America’s next generation of ski and snowboard greats will compete for youth Olympic glory and put the world on notice. 

Since the last YOG, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) increased alpine quotas for major nations to two athletes per-gender. The U.S. finished top-eight in the Hodler Cup at the Junior World Ski Championships, qualifying alpine for a third spot per gender. 

“We have a good group of young athletes on our [alpine] team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight. “These are all U18 athletes, so it will be the first major international championship event of their careers. They are all really excited to participate, and to compete for medals with the best athletes their age in the world.”

Because of a fourth overall team performance in the Marc Holder Award standings in 2018, the International Federation du Ski (FIS) and the IOC awarded the United States three Youth Olympic starts per gender in the disciplines of cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined - a step up from the usual one per gender in previous years. The Marc Hodler Award is based on total Junior World Nordic Ski Championships, including a nation’s points awarded for cross country, ski jumping and nordic combined. 

Snowboard and Freeski athletes will compete in halfpipe, slopestyle/big air, and ski/snowboardcross events. Quota spots for U.S. athletes were earned based on the team’s performance at FIS Junior Worlds in 2019. Some of the standout performances at the 2019 FIS Junior Worlds events included a men’s podium sweep in Freeski halfpipe, two podium finishes in Freeski slopestyle, two podium finishes in Freeski big air, one podium finish in Snowboard halfpipe, and one podium finish in Snowboard slopestyle. 

“We have a really strong team of development athletes nominated to this team and we are looking forward to a fun and exciting event and experience in Switzerland,” said Sport Development Senior Manager for Freeski and Snowboard Ashley Diebold. 

For the full roster of athletes representing the United States, visit teamusa.org.

2020 U.S. Ski & Snowboard Youth Olympic Team
(Hometown; Club; USASA Series (if applicable); Year of Birth)

Alpine
Women
Lauren Macuga (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard Club; 2002)
Emma Resnick (Vail, Colo.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2003)
Nicola Rountree-Williams (Edwards, Colo.; Independent/Private; 2002) 

Men
Daniel Gillis (Guilford, Conn.; Burke Mountain Academy; 2002)
Maxx Parys (Bethel, Maine; Gould Academy; 2002)
Trent Pennington (Shalimar, Fla.; Ski and Snowboard Club Vail; 2002)

Cross Country
Women
Kendall Kramer (Fairbank, Alaska; Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks; 2002) 
Sydney Palmer-Leger (Park City, Utah; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)
Nina Seemann (Bondville, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School, 2002)

Men
Will Koch (Peru, Vt.; Stratton Mtn School; 2002)
Brian Bushey (Montpelier, Vt.; Green Mtn Valley School; 2002)
Kai Mittelsteadt (Bozeman, Mont.; Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation; 2002)

Snowboard 
Halfpipe
Men
Jack Coyne (Edwards, Colo..; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Kolman LeCroy (Mammoth Mountain, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Ski and Snowboard Team; Mammoth Unbound Series; 2002)

Women
Tessa Maud (Carlsbad, Calif.; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)
Athena Comeau (Rutland, Mass.; New Hampshire Series; 2002)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
Jake Canter (Evergreen, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club; Aspen Snowmass Series; 2003)
Dusty Henricksen (Mammoth Lakes, Calif; Mammoth Mountain Snowboard Team; Unbound Series; 2003)

Women
Ty Schnorrbusch (Monroe Township, N.J.; Tom Anderson, Rocky Mountain Series 2002)
Courtney Rummel (West Bend, Wisc.; Adam Junio; Midwest Best Series; 2003)

Snowboardcross
Men
Connor Schlegel (Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Vail Ski & Snowboard; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)
Theo McLemore (Pittsburg, Penn; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2002)

Women
Acy Craig (Stowe, Vt.; Carrabassett Valley Academy, Southern Vermont Series, 2002)
Madeline Lochte-Bono (Durango, Colo.; ISTC; Rocky Mountain Series, 2003)

Freeski 
Halfpipe
Men
Connor Ladd (Lakewood, Colo.; Rocky Mountain Series; 2003)
Hunter Carey (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Competition Center; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)

Women
Svea Irving (Winter Park, Colo.; Winter Park Freeride Team; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Hanna Faulhaber (Carbondale, Colo.; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Slopestyle/Big Air
Men
Kiernan Fagan (Brownfield, Maine; Wy’East Mountain Academy; Rocky Mountain Series; 2002)
Hunter Henderson (Madbury, N.H..; Waterville Valley BBTS; New Hampshire Series; 2002)

Women
Montana Osinski (Darien, Conn.; Stratton Mountain School; Southern Vermont Series; 2003)
Jenna Riccomini (Port Matilda, Penn.; Team Summit; Rocky Mountain Series; 2004)

Skicross
Men
Eli Derrick (Harrisonburg, Va.; Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series; 2002)

Ski Jumping
Men
Erik Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004)
Landon Lee (Eau Claire, Wisc.; Flying Eagles Ski Club / USANS; 2002)

Women
Annika Belshaw (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2002) 
Paige Jones (Park City, Utah; Park City Ski & Snowboard / USANS; 2002)

Nordic Combined 
Men
Niklas Malacinski (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003) 
Carter Brubaker (Anchorage, Alaska; Team Alaska / USANS; 2003) 

Women
Tess Arnone (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2003)
Alexa Brabec (Steamboat Springs, Colo.; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club / USANS; 2004) 

LIVE STREAM
Live stream of the Olympic Channel will be up in the US at TeamUSA.org/Lausanne2020 starting with Opening Ceremonies. It will be free of charge with no log-in needed. You can see their schedule here: https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/live/.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
For the full schedule of events, visit Lausanne2020.sport. 

U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Maddie Mastro landed her third-consecutive podium appearance at Copper Mountain, Colo., Saturday at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix. She persevered through difficult weather conditions, which hindered speed in the beautifully built 22-foot superpipe. 

“It’s always nice being back here it Copper,” said Maddie. “The pipe is always dialed. Today the weather was challenging, but somehow when I compete at Copper, I find a way to put everything together. I’m stoked to be on the podium."

Prior to Maddie’s final run, there was a surge of high winds complete with the heaviest snowfall of the day. It was almost as if mother nature was sending a message reminding everyone in the venue that snowboarding is an outdoor sport.

“Watching the wind and snow roll in at the most inopportune time possible was definitely a lot to handle,” she commented. “I just tried my best to stay in the right mindset, so when the weather did clear I could do my best to put down a run. I had a run that I wanted to put down, but mother nature was a little angry at me.”

Unfortunately, the fresh snow in the pipe accumulated to the point where speed was difficult to find, so Maddie’s run and the remaining men’s runs were conservative.

Queralt Castellet of Spain topped the podium and Jiayu Liu of China finished in second.

For the men, Toby Miller was the top finisher for the U.S. Snowboard Team, locking down fourth place. Toby put down a technical first run with great amplitude. Although Toby was third after run one, he would be bumped off the podium and unable to climb his way back with deteriorating weather conditions.

“Today was a great,” Toby said, remaining positive despite a difficult day of competition. “The weather was definitely a big challenge in today’s final. Everyone out there rode like true champions and proved how good of snowboarders they truly are. I am very proud to have landed my first run and end up in fourth place. I’m looking forward to the rest of the up and coming season. Congratulations to Scotty, Yuto, and Ruka."

Australian Scotty James continued his streak of perfection after winning every competition he entered last season. Japanese riders Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano finished second and third respectively.

TRICK LIST
Men

1. Scotty James (AUS) - Frontside double 1080 Stale, cab 900 melon, switch backside double 1080 Indy, backside 1260 Mute, Frontside double 1260 Stale.

2. Yuto Totsuka (JPN) - Frontside double 1440 Indy, cab 1080 Nose, frontside double 1260 Indy, backside 900 Mute, frontside 1080 Tail. 

3. Ruka Hirano (JPN) - Frontside 900 Tail, backside 900 Mute, frontside double 1080 Indy, cab double 1080 Truck Driver, frontside 1260 Tail.

Women

1. Queralt Castellet (ESP) - Backside Air, front 900 Lien, backside 540 Mute, frontside 360 Indy, cab 720.

2. Jiayu Liu (CHN) - Switch backside air, Haakon 720 Mute, frontside 540 Stale, backside 540 Mute, frontside 620 Lien.

3. Maddie Mastro (USA) - Backside air, Crippler 540 Indy, backside 540 Mute, frontside 720 Indy, Haakon 720 Stale, frontside 540 Melon. 

RESULTS
Men’s snowboard halfpipe
Women’s Snowboard halfpipe

Post Event Press Conference - Video
 

U.S. Snowboard Team member Chris Corning retained the yellow leader bib at the Air+Style FIS Snowboard World Cup with a third-place finish in Beijing, China. 

“I had a great time here in Beijing,” said Chris. "It’s great to see everyone ride really well and I am stoked to be apart of this crazy contest. Thanks to China for building a great jump and hosting an awesome event.”

Although the beautiful jump structure in Beijing can not be considered a scaffold jump, this is the first time Chris has landed his signature quad cork 1800 in a city big air! It paid dividends as he only finished behind Candian Max Parrot in first and ahead of Swedish snowboarder Sven Thorgren in third.  

Four U.S. Snowboard Team Athletes overcame early-season nerves and rode their way into the final round of the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colo. on Thursday. Maddie Mastro led the way, and qualified first for the women.

“I’m pretty happy and it feels good to lay two runs down at the first contest of the year,” said Maddie. “There is a lot of anticipation and nerves that build up throughout the off-season, but finally, things are moving and it feels great. We had a great set of training camps leading into the grand prix and I feel that work paid off today with some fresh snow causing some challenging conditions.”
 

For the men, Toby Miller arrived at the pipe with his standard smile and a positive attitude, and laced his first run to secure his position in finals. Toby would finish fourth in the qualifying round of grand prix competition.  

“The conditions out here today were definitely a little challenging, but luckily the pipe is amazing, which made things a bit easier, Toby commented. “We had some fresh snow, but it’s an outdoor sport, so what can you expect? I wanted to put down my first run and was incredibly excited to be able to do that. I was definitely was a little nervous coming into this contest with it being the first of the season. When I landed my run, I saw I was sitting pretty high coming into my final run and knew I was dropping late in the start order, so I decided to keep it safe on my second run, get down the pipe, and save my energy for Saturday.”
 

Teammate Chase Josey also had a successful day, putting down his first run complete with multiple switch hits to comfortably secure his spot in finals and finish seventh. Also, Chase Blackwell landed in an impressive first run to lock down ninth place. Toby could not say enough about the level of riding from his U.S. Snowboard compatriots. 

“I really enjoyed watching my teammates today, said Toby, “Especially Chase Blackwell, his first run was incredible, and I would have loved to see him land that second run because I’m sure the score would have been through the roof. Unfortunately, he didn’t, but that’s part of the game. Chase Josey, Taylor Gold, and Ryan Wachendorfer all were out there ripping out there and it was amazing to watch."

Although he didn’t make it to finals, Lucas Foster had a successful day progressing his riding in the pipe. 

“I feel great, Lucas said reflecting on his day. “I landed a lot of new tricks I have never done in a contest and I made it out safe, so I can’t really complain. I’m excited to get on to the next contest and watch all my teammates kill it in finals. Moving forward, I plan on competing at the Rev Tour next week and then we have the Laax open.”

Toby, Chase J., Chase B., and Maddie are set to compete in Saturday’s Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix Finals. Come see the action live at Copper Mountain, Colo. or tune in on NBC to see the action live. 

RESULTS
Women’s snowboard halfpipe 
Men’s snowboard halfpipe

START LISTS
Women’s snowboard halfpipe
Men’s snowboard halfpipe

LAND ROVER U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN
Event Schedule
*Subject to change

Dec. 13: Freeski Halfpipe Finals
Dec. 14: Snowboard Halfpipe Finals

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Delayed broadcast

FREESKI
December 13, 2019
1:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

SNOWBOARD
December 14, 2019
2:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
 

Seven members of the U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Teams, and an additional six American athletes have arrived in Beijing, China, for the FIS Snowboard Air + Style World Cup in Shougang Park and the athletes are very impressed with the venue. 

“Seeing the photos of the big air jump here at the Beijing Olympic venue had us all super excited to check it out,” said U.S Freeski and Snowboard Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach Mike Jankowski. “However, seeing how spectacular it is in person has been a next-level experience. The jump doesn’t just look amazing, but the athletes have all been extremely happy with how the jump is riding overall. We expect the competition here this week and in the future to be nothing short of incredible.”

The U.S. Snowboard Pro Team is fielding a strong group, including Olympic big air silver medalist Jamie Anderson, and Julia Marino for the women. For the men, six-time Crystal Globe winner and current FIS World Cup Big Air cup standings leader Chris Corning leads the way, along with Sean FitzSimons, Judd Henkes, Ryan Stassel, and American Storm Rowe. 

“The venue is super nice,” said Jamie. “It’s definitely one of the best big air infrastructures I have ever seen. I’m stoked to be here.”

For Freeski, rookie team member Cody LaPlante will be the sole representative of the U.S. Freeski Team. This event will serve as Cody’s first event back from a torn ACL and meniscus suffered last season. Cody was back on snow this summer in New Zealand and ready to compete. He is joined by American’s Brian Gardiner, Rodney Koford, Ryan Mcelmon, Troy Podmilsak, and Zane Severson. 

According to Air + Style Committee, the Shougang steel mill in the west of the capital has been idle since being closed before the 2008 Summer Olympics to cut pollution. Now it is being transformed into a stunning permanent venue for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, featuring a giant ramp for big air snowboarding that rises against the backdrop of forsaken cooling towers and smokestacks, evoking the capital's industrial past. The project will serve as an anchor for the entire plan to repurpose the industrial compound into a future destination of winter sports and related leisure activities.

This season marks the third year in a row that FIS Snowboard will work in conjunction with one of the longest-running and most respected names in snowboard competition history as they once again partner with Air + Style. Competition begins with qualifications on Dec. 12-13 with finals set for Dec. 14. 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Same day delay broadcast
**Delayed broadcast

FREESKI
December 14, 2019
3:20 a.m. - Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold.
5:00 p.m. - Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - OlympicChannel*

December 15, 2019
9:00 p.m. - Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - NBCSN**

SNOWBOARD
December 14, 2019
6:20 a.m. - Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - OlympicChannel.com and NBC Sports Gold. 
6:00 p.m. - Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - Olympic Channel*
10:30 p.m. -Air + Style FIS Snowboard World Cup, Beijing, China - NBCSN*

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
 

U.S. Snowboardcross athletes have put in the time this off-season and are ready to kick-off the 2019-20 FIS Snowboardcross World Cup season in Montafon, Austria, this weekend. 

“We just finished a very solid two-week block of training in Pitztal, Austria leading up to this first World Cup,” said Head U.S. Snowboardcross Coach Peter Foley. “The athletes are really excited to finally get in the start gate and see what they can do against the rest of the world.”
 

This venue has been host to the SBX World Cup since 2012, but had to be canceled two times since then due to lack of snow and bad weather conditions. Since last year’s race was one of the canceled events, everybody is eager to get back to business at this resort. The Montafon venue features one of the most spectator-friendly venues on the World Cup tour with excellent viewing throughout the entire length of the course and grandstand seating at the bottom. 

The U.S. Snowboardcross Team is rolling in with a stellar lineup including arguably the most dominant snowboardcross athlete in the history of the sport in Lindsey Jacobellis. Not only because of her 30 SBX World Cup victories (plus one in halfpipe!), which is the most for any SBX athlete, male or female, but also because of her five World Championship titles, her Torino 2006 Olympic silver medal, two crystal globes and 10 snowboardcross titles at the X-Games. Since winning the very first race of her career back in 2003-04, the Californian only finished outside of the top-10 four times in 78 events and shows no signs of slowing down at age 34.

Lindsey is not the only heavy hitter ready for gates to drop in Montafon. Double 2019 FIS Snowboardcross World Champion Mick Dierdorff is also ready to start his season on a positive note. Mick won the individual snowboardcross title at the 2019 FIS World Championships at Solitude Mountain Resort, becoming World Champion and also grabbing his first top-level international competition victory. He soon became a two-time World Champion when he and Lindsey won the inaugural mixed team snowboardcross event. 

Joining Mick and Lindsey is a strong group of riders including U.S. Snowboardcross Team members Faye Gulini, Nick Baumgartner, Alex Deibold, Jake Vedder, Hagen Kearney, and Senna Leith. In addition, U.S. Development Group member Stacy Gaskill and Americans Anna Miller, Jonathan Cheever, Cole Johnson, and Paul Kamisky are set to compete. 

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST

SNOWBOARD
December 13, 2019
7:00 a.m. - FIS Snowboardcross World Cup, Montafon, Austria - NBC Sports Gold
 

Exclusive commercial-free coverage will be available for subscribers of the NBC Sports Gold Pass, available here: https://www.nbcsports.com/gold/snow

Why isn’t Montafon available on NBCSN or Olympic Channel?
The reason Montafon is available via Gold Pass rather than NBCSN or Olympic Channel is that World Cup events held in Austria are not part of the TV agreement that NBC Sports has with FIS. They are controlled and sold by a different rights holder and were purchased by NBC Sports Gold for exclusive use within “Snow Pass.” If you have any further questions, please reach out to NBC Sports Gold's help desk at [email protected].
 
Why doesn’t “Snow Pass” have commentary?
In order to provide 900+ hours of content at an affordable price, we rely on the world feed (a video feed provided by the rights holder), which often does not include English commentary. Commentary is available on all television coverage provided by NBC, NBCSN and Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, and live streaming via authentication at NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
 

The anticipation is real at Copper Mountain, Colo. right now. No more mounds of snow, no more snowcats diligently working to craft a beautiful superpipe for World Cup competition. Some athletes, like 2018 Junior World Champion and U.S. Snowboard Pro Team’s own Toby Miller, even chose to leave fresh snow in Lake Tahoe to take advantage of the pristine Copper pipe. 

“I am heading to Copper early to get a few extra days in the halfpipe before the official practice begins,” said Toby mid-flight from Reno/Tahoe to Denver International. “It’s amazing that Copper has opened the halfpipe well before the Grand Prix and I want to take full advantage of that!”

As Toby took full advantage of the in-flight wifi, it became clear he made the right call, especially according to Copper Mountain’s Manager of Innovative Environments and Progression Noah Schwander.

“The pipe build went great this year,” said Noah. “We had quality snow and the surface turned out wonderful. We made a few adjustments this year from years past. We added 40 feet of length to the pipe and opened up the start a little bit. We are gathering feedback from the riders this week and will be making adjustments as needed in preparations for U.S. Grand Prix and Rev Tour.”

After one of the most aggressive and successful off-season training programs ever, U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team athletes are ready to defend their home turf. Off-season training included skiing and riding Mammoth Mountain, Calif., Timberline Resort and Ski Area at Mt. Hood, Ore.,  Cardrona Alpine Resort in New Zealand, the Stomping Ground Park in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and finally the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Austria. 

All this offseason training allowed for some impressive injury recoveries including U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Carly Margulies who sustained a meniscus tear last season.

“I couldn’t be more excited or prepared heading into the first event back after a year-long break due to a knee injury,” said Carly. “It is going to be a hectic season getting back into the swing of things, but I am so excited to be back in the mix! Copper always provides one of the best halfpipes in the world and I’m thrilled to ride it with all of the homies next week.”

Training not only allowed for some of the U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Team’s top athletes to get back on their feet,  but also to dial in some new tricks. Taylor Gold, brother of Olympic bronze medalist Arielle Gold, has added a double Michalchuk 1080 to his arsenal. If Gold lands this at Copper Mountain, it would be a world’s first in World Cup competition. Also, keep an eye out for U.S. Freeski Team member Birk Irving, who is looking for the hat trick after winning two consecutive World Cups. 

Join the world’s best freeski and snowboard halfpipe athletes at the Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain Colo. Dec 11-14 or tune in live on NBC Sports. 

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LAND ROVER U.S. GRAND PRIX - COPPER MOUNTAIN

Event Schedule
*Subject to change
Dec. 11: Freeski Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 12: Snowboard Halfpipe qualifications
Dec. 13: Freeski Halfpipe Finals
Dec. 14: Snowboard Halfpipe Finals

HOW TO WATCH
Subject to change
All times EST
*Delayed broadcast

FREESKI
December 13, 2019
1:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

SNOWBOARD
December 14, 2019
2:30 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBCSN, NBCSN.com, and NBC Sports Gold.

December 21, 2019
4:00 p.m. - Land Rover U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe, Copper Mountain - NBC*

All streams will be available via desktop (NBCSports.com/Live, NBCSports.com/Gold and OlympicChannel.com) as well as mobile, tablet and connected television platforms. The NBC Sports and Olympic Channel app are available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.