The Stifel HERoic Cup, an award given to the top-performing women athletes in U.S. World Cup events, was awarded six times throughout the 2025-26 season across six ski disciplines. Funded by Stifel, the title sponsor of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team, the Stifel HERoic Cup is a cornerstone of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s HERoic initiative, dedicated to advancing and empowering women in sport, both on and off the snow. 

The Stifel HERoic Cup, launched in the 2024-25 season, was awarded to the top-performing woman athlete on the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit. Stifel chose to expand the scope for the 2025-26 season to highlight excellence in women’s skiing across multiple disciplines with a $10,000 prize purse for the winner of each Cup. 

“Congratulations to this year’s Stifel HERoic Cup winners across all six disciplines for their remarkable performances,” said Ron Kruszewski, Chairman and CEO, Stifel. “Throughout this Olympic season, we’ve been inspired by each of these female athletes and so many others competing with the best in the world on snow. Their dedication, hard work and pursuit of excellence embody the spirit of winter sport and are a true reflection of Where Success Meets Success. We look forward to watching them continue to shine in the seasons ahead.”

Eight U.S. World Cup events were eligible for the Stifel HERoic Cup throughout the 2025-26 Olympic season across alpine, cross country, freeski halfpipe, freeski slopestyle, freestyle aerials and freestyle moguls. Every event was an Olympic qualifying event, apart from cross country’s Stifel Lake Placid Finals, which took place after the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

2025-26 Stifel HERoic Cup Events and Recipients
Alpine

• Winner: Lena Duerr, Germany
• Stifel Copper Cup
  • Giant Slalom // Nov. 29, 2025
  • Slalom // Nov. 30, 2025

Cross Country

• Winner: Linn Svahn, Sweden
• Stifel Lake Placid Finals
  • 10k Classic // March 20, 2026
  • Skate Sprint // March 21, 2026
  • 20k Skate // March 22, 2026

Freeski Halfpipe

• Winner: Zoe Atkin, Great Britain
• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain // Dec. 20, 2025

• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen // Jan. 9, 2026

Freeski Slopestyle

• Winner: Kirsty Muir, Great Britain
• Visa Big Air at Steamboat // Dec. 13, 2025 – big air
• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Aspen // Jan. 10, 2026 – slopestyle

Freestyle Aerials

• Winner: Danielle Scott, Australia; Mengtao Xu, China; Kaila Kuhn, USA (three-way tie)
• Stifel Lake Placid Freestyle Cup
  • Aerials // Jan. 11, 2026
  • Aerials // Jan. 12, 2026

Freestyle Moguls

• Winner: Jakara Anthony, Australia
• Intermountain Health Freestyle International presented by Stifel at Waterville Valley
  • Moguls // Jan. 17, 2026

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Courtney Harkins, Sr. Director, Marketing & Communications
U.S. Ski & Snowboard 
[email protected]   

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine program has announced key leadership updates ahead of the 2026-27 season, naming Sasha Rearick as The Borgen Family Alpine Director and Paul Epstein as Men’s Head Tech Coach.

The Borgen Family has generously committed funds supporting the Alpine Director position. 

“We are thrilled to bring on Sasha Rearick as The Borgen Family Alpine Director and Paul Epstein as the Men’s Head Tech Coach,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty. “Both have demonstrated throughout their careers an ability to build strong foundations and cohesive team environments that will benefit our athletes. We are committed to being the best alpine team in the world with an even greater focus on development, and I’m confident these two will help us get there.”

Rearick returns to the organization after more than two decades in various coaching roles from 2002 to 2021. During his tenure, he progressed from strength and conditioning and development positions to head men’s coach, a role he held for 10 years. Across multiple Olympic cycles, Rearick led his athletes to 15 Olympic and World Championship medals.

As The Borgen Family Alpine Director, Rearick will lead the vision for the alpine program, guiding its strategy, culture and athlete development pathways from grassroots through the elite level. Rearick will oversee the structure, ensuring a sustainable model that supports excellence at every level.

Most recently, Rearick served as Alpine Performance Director at APEX2100 International Ski Academy, where he helped grow the program from 33 athletes to a full U12-through-World Cup pipeline. During Rearick’s time leading the program, the academy produced seven Olympic qualifications, four World Junior Championship medalists and helped eight athletes earn spots on national Europa Cup and World Cup teams.

“Coming home to lead this program is both an honor and a challenge I’m deeply motivated by,” said Rearick. “Across the United States, there is real enthusiasm for ski racing, and now it’s about channeling that into belief and action. From athletes just starting out to those competing for World Cup podiums, we will build a system grounded in process, clarity and daily habits.

Epstein joins the Stifel U.S. Ski Team after a successful career developing athletes through both domestic and international pathways. He began coaching at Green Mountain Valley School before founding Global Racing, an elite independent program he led for the last 13 years. Over the past nine seasons, Global Racing helped 20 different athletes achieve World Cup points and return to or qualify for national teams, including Belgium’s Sam Maes, who has recorded multiple World Cup top-10 finishes and ended the 2025-26 season with a career-best giant slalom ranking of 12th.

“I’m looking forward to entering a new chapter of my coaching career,” said Epstein. “For many years, I’ve worked to support U.S. skiing from the outside. Now, being directly involved in the men’s World Cup tech team’s progress is incredibly motivating.”

Epstein highlighted culture as a key priority moving forward.

“My initial goal is to build a strong, cohesive environment with our staff and athletes,” he said. “When everyone understands and commits to that culture, it creates consistency—and ultimately leads to stronger individual performances. We have tremendous talent on this team, and now it’s about creating the environment that allows everyone to perform at their highest level.”

A full staff announcement will be made this fall.
 

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sierra Ryder
Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Communications Manager
[email protected]

At just 16 years old, Lily Dhawornvej became the youngest rider in history to claim the FIS women's slopestyle Crystal Globe, taking home the honor after Sunday's slopestyle World Cup finals were canceled due to inclement weather.

Dhawornvej's path to the Crystal Globe was a season-long display on consistency against a stacked international slopestyle field. Across three World Cup events, she stacked up results when it mattered most, earning her first two career World Cup podiums with a second place in Laax and a third place in Flachau, along with a ninth place finish on home snow in Aspen.

Those performances earned her 169 points, which were enough to top the overall standings.

What makes Dhawornvej’s Crystal Globe even more remarkable is how quickly it came. The Colorado native's World Cup slopestyle debut came in January 2025 and she has rapidly climbed from a promising rookie to a confident mainstay in only a year.

Dhawarnvej earned experience on the World's biggest stage at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, earning a spot in the coveted women's slopestyle final and ultimately finishing 11th.

After her Olympic debut, Dhawornvej became Junior World Champion in Calgary (CAN) in early March before returning to the World Cup circuit.

This accomplishment is even more special for Dhawornvej, who beat out many of her idols, including Anna Gasser, Kokomo Murase and Mia Brookes, to earn the title.

“All these girls that I’m competing with, I’ve looked up to for so long," said Dhawornvej. "It’s been super cool to ride with them.”

Dhawornvej is the first American to win the honor since Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team teammate Julia Marino won the slopestyle Crystal Globe in 2023.

With a Crystal Globe already on her shelf, Dhawornvej enters the next Olympic cycle looking to build as a legitimate medal threat. If the 2025–26 season was her breakout season, the next few years could define her legacy.

For now, though, one thing is clear. Lily Dhawornvej isn’t the future of slopestyle.

She's already here.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team closed out the 2025–26 FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup season Saturday in Mont-Sainte-Anne, where Bri Schnorrbusch led the American results with a strong fourth-place finish in the women’s final.

A 2026 Olympian, Schnorrbusch raced with veteran composure through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds to earn a spot in her first career World Cup big final. The 20-year-old was in the mix for the podium before taking a fall midway down the course, but her breakout performance still secured a career-best World Cup result.

Schnorrbusch's 2026 Olympic teammates Stacy Gaskill and Hanna Percy joined her in the final, taking 13th and 16th on the day, respectively.

On the men's side, the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team failed to reach the quarterfinal round, with Nathan Pare, Theodore McLemore, Jake Vedder and Tyler Hamel all falling in their respective 1/8 final. Pare finished 22nd, Mclemore 26th, Vedder 27th and Hamel 32rd.

This race marks the end of the 2025-26 FIS snowboard cross World Cup season. The team heads back stateside for some well-deserved rest and relaxation before ramping up summer training.

Results
Women
Men

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team capped off the 2025–26 halfpipe season in style, landing three athletes on the podium. Maddie Mastro and Maddy Schaffrick went 1–2 in the women’s final while Chase Blackwell secured third place for the men.

Three-time Olympian Maddie Mastro claimed her second career World Cup victory with a statement second-run that earned a score of 85.00. After a disappointing Olympic result, the win serves as a major confidence boost for the rider who is constantly pushing women's progression in the halfpipe. “This season had a lot of lows and a lot of highs," said the 26-year-old, "i'm proud that I made it out on a high." 

Olympian Maddy Schaffrick took the top spot early on in competition with a first run sore of 71.75 that held strong until Mastro's winning run, but was high enough to still take second place on the day. This marks Schaffrick's second World Cup podium of the season, following a runner-up result at the Aspen Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in January. 

Spain’s Queralt Castellet rounded out the women's podium in third, American Kinsley White took seventh and Olympian Bea Kim took tenth after a nasty toe edge fall at the end of her second run.

In the men's final, 2026 Olympian Chase Blackwell delivered a strong first run that earned a massive score of 88.75. Known for going huge, Blackwell's amplitude and trick selection was rewarded by the judges and held strong in podium position throughout the remainder of the competition. Blackwell's third-place finish marks his second career World Cup podium and first since 2023, , making for an exciting and rewarding end to the season for the athlete who's always in the mix and knocking on the door of the podium. 

Japan's Yuto Totsuka took the victory and Australia's Valentino Guseli finished second.

2022 Olympian Lucas Foster landed the run of his life in his second attempt, an exciting and well-deserved feat for the Telluride native who narrowly missed making the 2026 Olympic Winter Games roster. In the same boat as Foster, American Ryan Wachendorfer put down a solid second run but both were unable to crack into the 80s, ending the day in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team's Levko Fedorowycz qualified into the final in second place, but the 21-year-old was unable to put down a run to match his breakout qualifying performance, ultimately taking 8th on the day. Teammate and three-time Olympian Chase Josey's score of 72.75 was good enough for tenth.

After an intense and exhausting halfpipe World Cup season, the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team returns to the states for some well-deserved rest and relaxation before ramping up summer training.

Results
Women
Men

On the final day of World Cup Finals, Stifel U.S. Ski Team superstar and the winningest alpine skier of all time, Mikaela Shiffrin, officially clinched the coveted overall FIS Crystal Globe, tying the all-time women’s record with her sixth career title.

The season-long battle for the overall came down to the final race, with Germany’s Emma Aicher still mathematically in contention heading into the giant slalom. With everything on the line, the pressure was high.

Racing on a fresh track under favorable conditions, Shiffrin sat 17th after the first run, while Aicher was fourth. The scenario was clear: Aicher needed a victory, paired with Shiffrin finishing outside the top 15 to claim the Globe. And when it mattered most, Shiffrin delivered.

“I had a weird feeling yesterday like, it's too good to be true because I was thinking that it could go either way,” said Shiffrin. “Emma's first run was spectacular but my second run felt better. It’s just crazy.” 

Putting down a composed and determined second run, Shiffrin surged to 11th place—more than enough to secure the title and etch her name alongside Annemarie Moser-Pröll as the only women in history to win six overall Crystal Globes.

Shiffrin was visibly emotional in the finish, tearing up with her teammates, family and fiancé, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

“I really imagined that I would get no points and that Emma would win the race,” admitted Shiffrin. “I believe that there’s a world where this would happen and it's happened before at World Cup Finals… I was not taking that for granted, but I still needed to find the energy to push forward. So it was this moment of emotion. Those were my first tears since Cortina.”

The U.S. women backed up the performance with a strong team showing in the final giant slalom. Nina O'Brien led the way in eighth, followed by AJ Hurt in 18th and Paula Moltzan in 25th. Moltzan and O’Brien also secured career-best season-long giant slalom rankings, with Moltzan finishing sixth and O’Brien 10th.  

“I think it was a solid season,” said O’Brien. “I feel like I had a lot of good runs, some good races, which showed me that I can be in touch with that top group, but I wouldn't say I'm totally satisfied either. I’m definitely hungry for more.” 

Adding to the historic day, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women were officially awarded the Nations Cup, marking the team’s first victory in 44 years and underscoring the depth and strength of the program. 

With the World Cup season now complete, the team will take a brief reset before turning focus toward preparations for the 2026-27 season.

RESULTS
Women's giant slalom 

The Stifel U.S. Ski Team alpine women made history this season, securing the FIS Alpine Nations Cup title for the first time since 1982 in a landmark year defined by depth, consistency and dominance across all disciplines.

Fueled by an extraordinary team effort, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women tallied 11 World Cup victories and 27 podium finishes, with 16 different athletes contributing points throughout the season. The women delivered week in and week out across speed and tech events, consistently placing multiple athletes in the top ranks, including seven women landing in the top 15 overall World Cup standings.  

“This achievement is a testament to the strength of this team from top to bottom,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty. “To have 16 athletes scoring points and 27 podiums shows the depth and unity of this group. Everyone played a role in this success.”

The season featured standout performances from veteran leaders and emerging talents alike, with athletes stepping onto the podium across downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom, including podiums from Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Breezy Johnson, Paula Moltzan and Jackie Wiles. The women not only captured the overall Nations Cup, but also the slalom and giant slalom disciplines, as well.

The title marks a return to the top of the sport for the U.S. women, ending a more than four-decade gap since their last Nations Cup victory in 1982, from legendary athletes like Tamara McKinney, Cindy Nelson and Christin Cooper. 

With momentum on their side, the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women now look ahead to continuing their success on the World Cup circuit and beyond in seasons to come.

Nations Cup Rankings

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team delivered a strong performance in Flachau, Austria, with Judd Henkes and Lily Dhawornvej both earning podium finishes at the second to last World Cup of the 2025-26 season.

On the men's side of competition, Henkes led the charge for the Americans and delivered a clutch second run to secure a spot on the podium. Consistently in the mix, Henkes has finished in the top-6 in every World Cup this season but Flachau markes his first time cracking the top-3 since 2020 - a well deserved result for the athlete who effortlessly blends creativity and execution in each slopestyle run he puts down. Henkes is now in second place in the slopestyle Crystal Globe standings heading into World Cup finals.

Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team's Brooklyn Depriest joined Henkes in the men's final and earned a respectable 13th place after a long week of competition.

In her first contest back from the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games, 16-year-old Lily Dhawornvej secured her second career World Cup podium with a third place finish in Flachau. Dhawornvej's first run heater held strong throughout the competition with only two riders - Great Britian's Mia Brookes and Austria's Anna Gasser - able to best her score of 66.61. Her podium finish put her in the top spot of the slopestyle Crystal Globe rankings heading into the final World Cup of the season and second in the race for the overall park & pipe Crystal Globe.

Teammates Jess Perlmutter and Rebecca Flynn joined Dhawornvej in the women's final and took seventh and eighth place, respectively, highlighting the growing depth of the American women's slopestyle squad.

The Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team looks to ride this momentum into park & pipe World Cup Finals taking place in Silvaplana, Mar. 24-29.

Results
Women
Men

At the World Cup Finals in Hafjell, Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Mikaela Shiffrin delivered yet another historic performance, capturing her 110th career World Cup victory in dominant fashion in the women’s slalom, officially taking home her ninth career slalom FIS Alpine Crystal Globe.

“This is really a symbol of the work my team has done this year, but especially the last three seasons to help me through the injuries that I had and last season specifically,” said Shiffrin. “This was a really big push; there was a big effort from everybody. It’s really just so much work from so many people, and we really did this together.”

With the win, Shiffrin not only extended her all-time record but also capped the most commanding slalom seasons in the history of the sport. She won nine of the 10 slalom races this 2025-26 season, setting a new record for most victories in a single World Cup slalom season.

Teammate Paula Moltzan also capped a standout day and season, finishing fifth in both the race and the overall slalom discipline standings, which marked the best slalom season of her career.

“It was definitely challenging conditions today with two very different course sets,” said Moltzan. “I have a lot to work on in the offseason, but I ended up in the top five. It’s the best slalom rank I’ve ever had, so I’m very happy with that.”

In addition to the race win, Shiffrin was officially presented with her record ninth career slalom Crystal Globe, which she clinched earlier this season–further cementing her legacy as the greatest skiers the sport has ever seen.

The fight for the overall Crystal Globe is not yet decided. Shiffrin holds an 85-point lead over Emma Aicher of Germany, with one giant slalom race remaining to determine the title. This means Shiffrin only has to finish in the top-15 in tomorrow's race to be crowned the Overall World Cup champion for the sixth time, matching the Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell of Austria's record. 

“I don't feel secure with it at all, actually,” said Shiffrin. “I think anything can happen in this race, and it's such an honor to be competing against somebody who is showing so much strong skiing in all the disciplines.”

The final women’s giant slalom race kicks off at 4:30 a.m. ET on skiandsnowboard.live.

RESULTS
Women's slalom

There was a moment of quiet at the beginning of the race. It was hard to tell if it was because the speaker cut out or if the crowd was holding its collective breath waiting for the start gun to go off, but suddenly a sound broke the silence. “Thank you!!!” a small, clear voice echoed throughout the stadium, coming from a sparkle-laden Jessie Diggins at the front of the pack of awaiting ski racers. She smiled through tears, waved and blew a kiss to the crowd of tens of thousands in Lake Placid. Moments later, she took off from the start line in the last ski race of her career. 

She finished 12th. It wasn’t the result she wanted, hindered by a fall on the final descent in the last kilometer of the race, but it didn’t matter. She ended her career in style, greeted by her teammates, competitors, coaches, family and friends in the finish with spraying champagne and sobs.

“That was so incredibly special,” said Diggins through tears. “All the people out there chanting, my family out there, the team… I'm just gonna miss everyone so much. Sorry. I just have so many big feelings because this sport has been a huge part of my life. And they've all become my family.”

The 20k skate mass start wrapped the Stifel Lake Placid Finals and the 2025-26 season. While she may not have podiumed in the final race, Diggins did get a chance to stand in front of the roaring home crowd to collect the overall FIS Crystal Globe, the most coveted award in ski racing for being the top athlete throughout the entire season, from her longtime coach, Jason Cork. She also secured the distance Globe, which her parents awarded her. 

As Diggins collected her myriad awards and took photos with her Stifel U.S. Ski Team family, a group quietly formed at the World Cup start. In two semi-straight lines were 600 kids, sporting flags, glitter, face paint, team gear and cross country skis for a final lap with Jessie Diggins. Diggins pulled a bright pink bib over her team jacket that said “Thank you!” and pied piped the hundreds of children through the stadium, young kids who will hopefully toe the start line in future nationals, World Cup races or even the 2034 Olympics in Utah. 

--

Behind Diggins, Kendall Kramer skied to 28th. Hailey Swirbul was 31st, Ava. Thurston 32nd, Katey Houser 34th, Novie McCabe 35th, Julia Kern 43rd, Lucinda Anderson 44th, Alayna Sonnesyn 46th, Sammy Smith 50th, Rosie Brennan 57th and Emma Albrecht 59th.

Jonna Sundling of Sweden won the race with teammate Linn Svahn second. Heidi Weng of Norway finished third. 

On the men’s side, Gus Schumacher was the first American in 20th place. It was another Norwegian sweep with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo winning his second race of the weekend; he won Friday’s 10k classic and skipped Saturday’s sprint. Harald Oestberg Amundsen was second and Einar Hedegart third. 

Hunter Wonders was 35th, JC Schoonmaker 38th, Zanden McMullen 39th, Benjamin Dohlby 44th, Brian Bushey 47th, Ben Ogden 52nd, Zak Ketterson 55th, Luke Jager 58th, Michael Earnhart 62nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 69th, Zachary Jayne 70th

--

Even with wet snow, rain and East Coast chill, the hearty ski racing community showed up to watch the best ski racers in the world and send off a legend in their sport, with a crowd of more than 35,000 people showing up at Lake Placid over the three days. On nearly everybody's cheeks lay sparkles, showing that while Diggins’ professional career may be done, her legacy will live on for generations to come. 

RESULTS
Women’s 20k skate
Men’s 20k skate