Nine awards were handed out at the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel up in Sun Valley, Idaho—newly dubbed the Stifel Alpine Awards. The categories spanned from best comeback, most improved, rookie of the year, and staff member of the year.

As part of the newly imagined awards, the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes voted on the categories and the winners received a $3,000 check. In previous years, athletes did not vote on the categories, and the awards were given out at U.S. Ski & Snowboard Congress.

“Each person that received this award has a tremendous story in the sport, whether it is a comeback, a success story, or just being an overall valuable member of the team,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief of Sport Anouk Patty.

Many of the winners did not know about these awards and it was a welcome surprise, announced on Sunday in Sun Valley. 

STIFEL ALPINE AWARDS WINNERS:

Best Comeback (Men): Sam DuPratt
DuPratt had made a very impressive comeback from injury after breaking both of his legs in Val Gardena, Italy, in 2020. He recently won the NorAm super-G title, earning a spot back on the World Cup circuit.

Best Comeback (Women): Nina O’Brien
O’Brien had a horrific crash at the Beijing Olympics where she broke her leg. Her comeback from injury has been nothing short of impressive. O’Brien’s noteworthy results spanned from a World Championships gold medal in the team event to qualifying for World Cup finals in giant slalom. 

Rookie of the Year (Men): Finnigan Donley, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation 
Donley was voted in as rookie of the year for his impressive results at U18 Nationals, where he won the super-G and was second in the downhill. 

Rookie of the Year (Women): Elisabeth Bocock
Bocock joined the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team for her first season this year and showed that she is a force on the slopes. She secured multiple top-five NorAm results and two podiums.

Most Improved (Men): Jett Seymour 
Seymour has always shown skill and speed in slalom, but this year he demonstrated it on the World Cup stage. Seymour went from bib 59 to seventh place in Chamonix, France, as well as a Europa Cup slalom win and podium to his name. Seymour also won the 2023 Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships slalom title. 

Most Improved (Women): Bella Wright
Wright qualified for her first World Cup Finals, where she secured her best result of the season—a seventh place finish. Wright has also been just shy of the top 10 in multiple World Cup downhills this season. 

Athlete of the Year (Men): Travis Ganong
Ganong made the goal to podium at the Kitzbuehel downhill during the summer, and he achieved it, earning a third place at the famous track. Ganong retired at the end of this season after spending 17 seasons with the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team. 

Athlete of the Year (Women): Mikaela Shiffrin
Shiffrin became the greatest alpine skier of all time this season, with 88 World Cup wins to her name. She surpassed numerous records this year, including most World Cup wins by a female, most wins overall, most podium finishes by a female and more. Shiffrin secured the overall globe, slalom globe and giant slalom globe this season. 

Staff Member of the Year: Aaron Strubel, Team Manager
Strubel is a pivotal member of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team staff. Strubel ensures that the team, staff and athletes are where they need to be, organizing lodging, airfare, uniforms and so much more. Everyone on the team is grateful for his hard work and dedication.

On day two of the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel, Jett Seymour and Lila Lapanja took home the slalom titles.

The day began with snow, making for a soft surface underfoot for the athletes. Many of the men describing the conditions to be difficult as more racers took on the track. Regardless, the top racers put their best skiing forward to claim the coveted national title.

“It’s nice to cap off a hectic year in Europe with some unbelievable highs and lows with a win here,” said Seymour.  “Skiing was good today I turned it on and I am happy with it.”

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes Luke Winters and Jay Poulter were second and third with Garret Driller just off the podium by 0.01 seconds. Both Winters and Poulter proud of their skiing and happy to walk away with a medal.

“It’s all fun here, I tried to win but Jett is skiing well so I was not quite close enough first run,” said Winters. “I am super stoked and excited to lay down two good runs, my skiing was good and run two I was pretty dialed and it was good,” said Poulter.

This marks the end of the slalom season for the majority of the Stifle U.S. Alpine Ski Team, a few skiers plan to take on spring series near their home resorts too.

On the women’s side, long time slalom force Lila Lapanja took home her first national title, a goal that she has had since her first nationals back in 2011.

“I have wanted this since I have been racing U.S. Nationals, here we are 12 years later,” said Lapanja. “I think we are all tired at this point in the year so I knew I had to focus on some good technical skiing and that would carry me to the finish.”

Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Dasha Romanov took home second place on her home hill, a big win for the young skier.

“This is so unexpected, and I am so happy to put such a great day together, this was the last slalom race of the year so I am happy to go out with a bang,” said Romanov. “I am really happy with the progress I have made coming back from injury so really happy to finish it up here.”

Third place went to Norwegian and NCAA athlete Kristiane Bekkestad.

The men and women will now move to the final races, giant slalom, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

RESULTS

Men's slalom

Women's slalom

The U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame inducted 18 members from the 2021 and 2022 class, along with one member from 2018 on March 25, 2023 in Big Sky, Montana. Included among the members was Olympic champion Bode Miller, the late Gary Black Jr, who founded Ski Racing magazine, the first American to win an Olympic snowboard medal Shannon Dunn-Downing and famed alpine coach Phil McNichol.

Over 600 people attended the ceremonies and celebrations over the weekend, which featured industry parties, skiing, fashion shows, lectures and more.  

The Hall of Fame process includes more than 400 industry advocates, and the organization announces each class in September. The March event is a celebration that changes locations around the country each year. The 2023 U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to be in U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s hometown of Park City, Utah in March 2024.

All inductees are listed below, courtesy of the U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

CLASS OF 2018

Bode Miller (Franconia, NH)
The most successful male alpine skier in U.S. history, Bode Miller’s resume includes six Olympic medals (including one gold) and five World Championship medals (including four golds), 33 World Cup wins, 79 podiums and two World Cup overall globes. Miller has reached his goal of “skiing as fast as the natural universe will allow.” After retiring in 2017, Miller has launched multiple ski companies and lives in Montana with his wife and children.

CLASS OF 2021

Sven Coomer (Sydney, Australia)
Often regarded as the most prolific and influential boot designer of the modern era, Sven Coomer perfected the work of the plastic pioneers who preceded him. Coomer first made plastic boots perform better with comfort, then established timeless design standards. His achievements include a two-piece, four-buckle overlap design that won hundreds of World Cup events and is still in vogue today, as well as the three-piece cabriolet popular from downhill tracks to terrain parks.

Hermann Kress Dupré (Seven Springs, Pennsylvania)
The son of Bavarian immigrants, Hermann Kress Dupré built Seven Springs into a powerhouse resort and blanketed the world’s slopes with his innovative HKD snowmaking technology, which is in play at an estimated 750 resorts around the world.

John Eaves (Calgary, Alberta)
Multi-talented John ‘Eaveman’ Eaves elevated freestyle skiing, winning 42 titles across all events, then soared as a Bond stuntman, a Bogner star, filmmaker, musician and coach. As one of the most iconic competitors and ski film stars in history, he stunt doubled for Roger Moore’s James Bond in “A View To A Kill” and starred in the Bogner film “Fire and Ice” that helped to attract thousands to the story in America. He is best known as a “godfather of aerials."

Renie & David Gorsuch (Vail, Colorado)
Any skier or rider who has visited the flagship Gorsuch store in the Clocktower building in Vail—or has received the Gorsuch catalog in the mail—or knows this iconic lifestyle retailer offers an experience like no other. Together, Renie and David Gorsuch created a unique style, Vail-based, family-run retail empire founded on mountain elegance. 

Peter Graves (Putney, Vermont)
The man behind the voice: Peter Graves has delivered insight, drama and color on many of the world’s biggest stages in skiing since 1977. Through more than four decades and hundreds of Olympic, World Cup and World Championships events, Peter Graves inimitable voice has become synonymous with skiing.

Mike Hattrup (Ketchum, Idaho)
Mike Hattrup was named to the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team moguls team in 1987. Afterward, Mike skied in numerous ski films, including one of his generation's most important ski movies: Greg Stump’s “Blizzard of AAHHH’s.” Hattrup also helped to develop products from skis and apparel to skins, packs, shovels and probes that allowed a broad swatch of skiers to experience the thrill of big mountains and the backcountry.

Jan Reynolds (Stowe, Vermont)
Crisscrossing the globe to shatter the Glass Summit on record-setting ski adventures, Jan Reynolds now chronicles indigenous cultures as an award-winning photographer and author. Reynolds earned widespread acclaim for fast, light, record-setting high-altitude adventures around the globe, for helping spark the first backcountry explosion on edged cross-country skis and for pioneering corporate sponsorship as the first athlete to be signed by The North Face as a professional skier.

Alan Schoenberger (Park City, Utah)
Mixing skis, dance and technique, Alan Schoenberger defined ski ballet as a World Champion, then innovated indoors for four-plus decades as an unrivaled performer, educator and coach. In 2013, Schoenberger was inducted into the Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame. He was the first person, since his idol Alf Engen, to qualify in four of the five categories: as a Ski Pioneer, Ski Sport Innovator, Competitive Skier and Inspirational Skier.

CLASS OF 2022

Gwen Allard (Mendon, Vermont)
A pioneering snow sports educator, Gwen Allard spent a half century focusing on helping others learn how to ski with a particular focus on adaptive. She was one of the first to embrace adaptive education and went on to become a well-respected leader within PSIAA/AASI for her innovative teaching methodology and the ability to effectively communicate it to students and to rally the entire ski industry. She was a key player in the overall recognition of Adaptive as a major discipline.

Tina Basich (Nevada City, California)
A pioneer in slopestyle and big air snowboarding before it was in the Olympics, Tina Basich won X Games and US Open titles, and is acclaimed for leading her sport to the higher levels with public-facing events like Boarding for Breast Cancer, a nonprofit she cofounded with Shannon Dunn. As the first woman to successfully perform a 720 in a competition, she was also a driving force in the creation of women’s-specific snowboards and apparel.

Gary Black (Sun Valley, Idaho)
A lifelong adventurer and newspaperman, Gary Black Jr.’s stewardship of Ski Racing International magazine for over three decades played a pivotal role in the growth of the sport—gaining global respect for his insightful sport coverage and the active role he played with the International Ski Federation. Black was a man of many talents: storyteller, outdoorsman, backpacker, passionate expert skier and top-notch journalist. Black passed away on February 25, 2017.

Shannon Dunn-Downing (Steamboat Springs, CO)
A dominant force in the early days of snowboard competition, Shannon Dunn-Downing won an ISF World Championship title, back-to-back US Open crowns and gold at the first X Games. She was the first American to win an Olympic snowboard medal in the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. She co-founded the nonprofit Boarding for Breast Cancer with Tina Basich, as well as developed one of the first snowboards designed specifically for women: the Shannon Dunn Pro Model.

Alan “Rusty” Gregory (Mammoth Lakes, California)
A passionate skier growing up in Southern California, Gregory left an NFL career to work at Mammoth Mountain, moving up from a lift worker to ultimately become CEO and an owner. He went on to head up Alterra Mountain Company and played a pivotal role in its early growth and development of the Ikon pass. He was a long-standing board member of the National Ski Areas Association and continues to serve as a trustee of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. He is also on the currently the chair of the Yosemite Conservancy.

Terry Kidwell (Tahoma, California)
Terry Kidwell, a legendary snowboard athlete dubbed the father of freestyle snowboarding, dominated competition before his sport made its Olympic debut, winning four halfpipe and three overall World Championship titles. It is due to many of his own pioneering efforts that the necessary elements of freestyle snowboard competition were created. A photo Tom Sims took during a film session of Terry flying off Soda Spring’s Wine Rock is still the most published photo in snowboard history.

Kent Kreitler (Sun Valley, Idaho)
A pioneer in the progression of his sport, Kent Kreitler is known as one of the most influential athletes in the early days of freeskiing. He was both a successful competitor and a big mountain filmer with over 100 first descents to his credit. He holds multiple freeskiing titles between 1993 and 2000, including X Games, national and world titles, slopestyle titles and prestigious judged awards on film performances. Recently Kreitler was the first inductee into the Teton Gravity Research Hall of Fame.

Phil McNichol (Revelstoke, British Columbia)
A dynamic ski coach, Phil McNichol led the U.S. Ski Team men’s alpine team during one of its most successful period in history, helping boost athletes like Bode Miller, Daron Rahlves, Ted Ligety and others to success on the World Cup, World Championships and Olympics. In his tenure, seven different athletes gained podium or medal finishes, with the men’s team twice finishing second in the Nations Cup standings. McNichol is the creator of the Alpine Rockfest event, going on its fifth year.

CJ Mueller (Breckenridge, Colorado)
One of the dominant Americans in the pioneering days of speed skiing, CJ "Crazy John" Mueller was the first man internationally to eclipse 130 mph on skis and held three world records, won three events and was a top 10 finisher in his sport’s Olympic demonstration event. He capped off his career with a top speed of 137 mph and evolved speed skiing into the competition it is today.

On day one of the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel, Kyle Negomir and Tricia Mangan took home the national super-G titles in Sun Valley, Idaho.

After a day of stormy snow weather, course workers went out on the hill bright and early to make sure a race happened under the beautiful blue skies and sunshine Sunday. The men ran first and Kyle Negomir, who ran second, smoked it down to win the race.

“I think it was super challenging day for everyone so I am fortunate to make it down with as few mistakes as possible,” said Negomir. “it's just fun coming to Nationals where everyone's together again for the first time, all the younger guys all the way to World Cup guys on the team. Everyone's together and racing, and it's a beautiful day to do it.”

This is Negomir’s first national title, a big accomplishment for the skier returning from big injuries. He has had a successful World Cup season as an up and coming speed skier.  In second place was fellow teammate Erik Arvidsson and in third was Isaiah Nelson.

On the women’s side, World Cup skier Tricia Mangan took home the win on a tricky and bumpy course.  Right behind Mangan was Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Keely Cashman, and in third was Liv Moritz.

“The whole way down I just tried to keep going hard because I was feeling very tired,” said Mangan. “I've been on the podium at Sun Valley, but I've never won a national title so that’s awesome.”

Keely Cashman took second place in the super-G, just a few tenths behind Mangan.

“It's a tough super-G hill. It's set like a GS. It's super grindy,” said Cashman.

This also marks the end of the speed season for most of the team athletes. “I think I set some goals early in the season that I did not reach. And I think goals are fluid, and they change as you go,” said Cashman.

Monday is men’s and women’s slalom on the Sun Valley track.

RESULTS:

Men's super-G

Women's super-G

Seven U.S. athletes took home NorAm titles this past week in Whistler, Canada. The titles are given to the athletes that score the most overall NorAm Cup points in the respective disciplines and the overall title for all disciplines.

On the men’s side, Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Isaiah Nelson took home the NorAm overall title. He was close to the slalom and giant slalom titles as well in second place.

“Looking back on the season, I am happy with the adjustment we made as a team,” said Nelson. “Initially, we had not planned to do the NorAm tour, but after a difficult December, we realized that the NorAms were a good place to continue our development while setting myself up for next year.”

For men’s speed events, Erik Arvidsson, Kyle Negomir and Sam Morse of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team swept the men’s overall downhill NorAm podium.

“It was super fun to finish off the downhill season up here in Whistler with so many good skiers and friends,” said Negomir. “Erik and Sam have both been skiing great all year and we’ve spent a ton of time together, so it was super fun to battle it out in the last race with them.”

Sam DuPratt continued his impressive comeback from serious injury by securing the men’s super-G NorAm title, and a World Cup spot along with it.

“It is a huge weight off my chest,” said DuPratt.  “A lot of days felt like I was wasting my time trying to get back to this sport, so getting a World Cup spot for next year makes it feel all very worth it. I'm thankful to everyone that helped me get there.”

The Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team women equally had a tremendous season. Mary Bocock won the NorAm overall title in a very tight race. Bocock also secured the super-G title. In the women’s downhill rankings, Tricia Mangan took home the overall win with Lauren Macuga close behind in second.

“I came here to get the World Cup spot and ended up with it,” said Macuga. “It is so nice to know I have that for next year and we will be able to start more Americans in the beginning to earn even more spots.”

In women’s slalom, Allie Resnick won the overall slalom and Zoe Zimmerman took second.

“This season went really well; I am super happy with my consistency in slalom this year,” said Resnick. “I had a goal of winning this title while also taking classes and competing for Dartmouth. I am super happy that I was able to accomplish it.”

Many of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes will now head to Sun Valley, Idaho as they prepare for the final big race of the season, the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel, April 2-5.

 Park City, UT, March 29, 2023 – U.S. Ski & Snowboard has formally announced the 12 athletes that have been selected to represent the United States at the 2023 Snowboardcross World Junior Championships, which will take place in San Pellegrino, Italy, March 31 - April 2, 2023. 

The 2023 team is composed of strong, young U.S. athletes who are eager to compete on the international level at the capital of snow sports on the Costabella slope at San Pellegrino Pass. 

“Team USA arrived in San Pelligrino FIS Junior World championships with a full roster of top Junior snowboard cross athletes and some rookies to international competition," said U.S. Snowboard Team Snowboardcross Head Coach Rob Fagen. "All are feeling ready and excited and the mindset going into the competition is, ‘You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem.’”

This year, 12 athletes were selected to represent the stars and stripes across the world. Competition will kick off on March 30 with qualifications for both men and women, with finals taking place later in day. Then, on March 31, the teams will band together to compete in the snowboardcross team competition. 

Keep up to date with real-time scoring on the FIS app/website.

2023 Snowboardcross World Junior Championships Athletes

*First Junior World Championships 
club/birthdate

Women

*Bri Schnorrbusch - U.S. Snowboard Team/Gould Academy Competition Program; Maine Mountain Series; 1/30/2006
Madeline Lochte-Bono - International Snowboard Training Center; 1/7/2003
*Sarah Keck - Auburn Ski Club; 5/10/2003
*Virginia Boyd - Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 2007
*Tatum Lightner - Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 2006
Hanna Percy - Team Palisades Tahoe; 2007

Men

Tyler Hamel - Gould Academy Competition Program; 2007
Nathan Pare - Gould Academy Competition Program; 2/1/2005
*Boden Gerry - Carrabassett Valley Academy; Maine Mountain Series, USASA; 2006
*Mason Hamel - Gould Academy Competition Program; 2006
Walker Overstake -  Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club; 2006
*Blake Broussard - Park City Ski & Snowboard Team; Southeastern Series; N/A

Coaches

Rob Fagan
KC Gandee
Yoshie Yamada.

The 2023 Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel kicks off in just under a week. Top alpine athletes across the United States and beyond will compete on the slopes of Sun Valley, Idaho for coveted national championship titles. 

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes in technical and speed events will race against young up-and-comers for the national titles in slalom, giant slalom and super-G. Current Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes in attendance include top seven World Cup slalom skier and World Champion Paula Moltzan, 2023 NorAm downhill title winners Erik Arvidsson and Lauren Macuga, plus World Championships gold medalists River Radamus and Tommy Ford, and more. 

“U.S. Alpine Championships is always a great opportunity to watch the young talent in the country compete against some of the best skiers we have right now,” said Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Alpine Director, Patrick Riml. “It is a great event to close out a long and successful ski race season in the U.S.”

A number of Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes, who are now current members of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team, will be competing on their home mountain. This includes Jack Smith, who recently finished second in the overall NorAm super-G standings as well as Ryder Sarchett and Dasha Romanov. Several current SVSEF athletes have also qualified for the race series, including Colin Hanna, Finnigan Donley, Kai Subith, Nils Galloway and Will Kogelman. In total 14 SVSEF athletes plan to compete.

U.S. Alpine Championships is an important race for the younger talent to see where their skills stack up against current Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes. 

The four-day race series will offer a variety of events for fans, families and spectators too. There is a sponsor village that will include live apres music in Warm Springs Plaza as well as an Opening Ceremony at Town Square in Ketchum with an athlete parade and a free concert by Lowdown Brass Band. Following each race, there will be an awards ceremony and live music also in the Warm Springs Plaza.

The events are free and open to spectators.  There are several VIP offers available to purchase, including a VIP four-day pass with exclusive viewing access as well as daily access to breakfast, lunch and drinks. Lift tickets are included. The second VIP offer is a VIP lodging package with complimentary food and beverage, a day of early access on Bald Mountain the day prior to the races, a meet & greet with athletes and a U.S. Ski & Snowboard and SVR swag bag. 

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Athletes Set to Compete: 

Elisabeth Bocock
Mary Bocock
Keely Cashman
Katie Hensien
Kaitlin Keane
Lauren Macuga
Paula Moltzan 
Dasha Romanov
Bella Wright

Erik Arvidsson
Bryce Bennett
Justin Bigatel
Sam DuPratt
Tommy Ford
Jared Goldberg 
Jimmy Krupka
Kyle Negomir
Isaiah Nelson
Camden Palmquist
Jay Poulter
Cooper Puckett
River Radamus
Ben Ritchie
Ryder Sarchett
Jett Seymour
Jack Smith 
Luke Winters

EVENT SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 1:

2:00–5:00 pm: Live Music by Moonshine Schubert

Sunday, April 2:

Men's and Women's Super G

9:00am: Men’s Super-G Race
12:30pm: Women's Super-G Race
1:00–4:00pm: Clicquot in the Snow Party with DJ Marlin
4:00–7:30pm: Opening Ceremonies | Ketchum Town Square

Monday, April 3:

Men's and Women's Slalom

9:00am: Women's Slalom Race (Run #1)
10:30am: Men's Slalom Race (Run #1)
12:00pm: Women's Slalom Race (Run #2)
1:30pm: Men's Slalom Race (Run #2)
1:00–5pm: Live music | David Henry Band
2:15pm: Awards | Men's & Women's Slalom

Tuesday, April 4:

Women's Giant Slalom

9:30am: Women's GS Race (Run #1)
12:30pm: Women's GS Race (Run #2)
1:00–5:00pm: Live Music | Cliftonite Acoustics
2:15pm: Awards | Women's Giant Slalom

Wednesday, April 5:

Men's Giant Slalom

9:30am: Men's GS Race (Run #1)
12:30pm: Men's GS Race (Run #2)
2:15pm: Awards | Men's Giant Slalom

MEDIA ACCREDITATION

Please fill out the Toyota U.S. Alpine Championships presented by Stifel Media Request Form.

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Media Requests

Sierra Ryder
Alpine Communications Manager 
+1 (435) 263-2577 // [email protected] 

Hailey Swirbul of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team is ready to say goodbye to World Cup ski racing. The 2022 Olympian has formally announced her retirement from the World Cup circuit hours after crossing the finish line at the 2022-23 World Cup Finals in Lahti, Finland. 

24-year-old Swirbul, an El Jebel, Colorado native, has been on the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team for years, represented her country at two World Championships and was a member of Team USA in Beijing at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. She’s had a consistent presence on the World Cup throughout the last several years, starting in 64 races, finding the top-10 in four and standing on the 2020 Davos World Cup individual 10k skate podium in third. Now, Hailey is taking a step away from the World Cup circuit and is excited to begin her next chapter. 

Swirbul was a mountain kid growing up. Her childhood in Aspen’s Roaring Fork Valley was filled with romping around the nearby peaks, riding around on a mountain bike with her family and skiing the resorts on alpine skis. Looking back, if you asked her when she was young if she would grow up to be a professional cross country skier, she may have brushed it aside. “My earlier memories of cross country skiing include me freezing and holding back tears, woefully slogging along the ski trail as my dad got in his workout,” she said. 

It wasn’t until later that cross country skiing became a part of her life, thanks in part to her brother Keegan Swirbul. Keegan, now a professional road bike rider, decided that to stay in shape for bike season, he needed some consistent cross training; cue cross country skiing. The tight duo took this new step together, and the rest is history. 

Hailey started with the Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club until she left for college in 2016, skiing for the University of Alaska Anchorage Ski Team. Finding abundant success on the college circuit, Hailey then trained and competed with the Alaska Pacific University (APU) club team. There, she had breakout results, notably in the 2017 World Junior Championships in Solider Hollow, Utah where she, Katharine Ogden, Julia Kern and Hannah Halvorsen won the USA’s first-ever medal at Junior Worlds, and it only went up from there. 

Throughout the next several years, she racked up results; in 2018 she was back at the Junior World Championships and won an individual silver medal in the 5k classic and bronze in the skiathlon. Through the U.S. National Championships, SuperTours, Nor-Am Cups and FIS events, Hailey has over 15 wins to her name. 

Then, came the next step. In 2019, she was officially called up to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team where she would now compete on the highest stage of the sport - the World Cup.

"Hailey has been a force of nature since she burst on the scene as a U20 and started making history for the USA with two individual medals at the World Junior Championships," said Chris Grover, the U.S. Cross Country Program Director. "Arriving on World Cup, she demonstrated that she is a force in every discipline and both techniques. She has an individual World Cup Podium and was key in securing a World Cup women’s relay podium this season in Toblach. She’s been a fixture of our World Championships and Olympic team over the past quad. Beyond the results, she’s been at the heart of the U.S. Team, an incredible teammate, and a caring and soulful friend to us all. We will all miss her but we also know she will be a big part of our community for life."

“Hailey’s positive influence goes far beyond the ski tracks. Her kindness and thoughtfulness impacts her teammates, coaches, competitors, and supporters everywhere,” said Kristen Bourne, Coach of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. “She follows her heart and shows us all the importance of doing so. There’s no doubt in my mind that Hailey will continue to push the sport of cross country skiing and impact the next generation and beyond.”

Outside of skiing, Hailey is active in the community that helped shape her. As a current board member for the Women's Ski Coaches Association, Hailey works day in and day out in helping create a collaborative network to encourage retention of women coaches in the industry. She also has a bachelors degree in civil engineering and this past summer, worked full time as an engineer. 

“Hailey will be immediately missed as an athlete who brought a lot of personality to our team,” said Matt Whitcomb, Head Coach of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team. “While she was a very successful racer, she wasn’t simply motivated by winning, and needed to work hard to find purpose and meaning in each day. This style of motivation, and Hailey’s always-open way of sharing with her coaches and teammates, taught me how to become a better coach. She helped everyone around her improve, and I will miss that, and I’m eager to watch to her bring that wonderful personality to her next team. Thank you, Hailey!”

“With the end of my World Cup career on the horizon, it is so easy to see how much I appreciate this team,” said Swirbul. “It wouldn’t be possible for me to have been on the World Cup and chase some big dreams without the support of the U.S. Ski Team, and I will forever be grateful for that.”

Retirement doesn’t mean that Swirbul will never lace up her Madshus race boots and click in her skis again. She still plans on racing, competing at a high level within the states and training for a sport that has shaped “the core of my identity for the last 15 years.” She may be closing one chapter, but is excitedly opening the next. “I set out to find peace with skiing this season after a difficult few years between Covid and the Olympic cycle, and I can truly say that I love skiing more than I ever have now—I’m just ready to love skiing in a new way outside of World Cup racing,” said Swirbul. “After all, I’ve already been given the best gift: a lifelong love of sport.”

Congratulations on your World Cup career, Hailey! We are so excited to see what this next chapter brings. 

The U.S. Freestyle Moguls Ski Team closed out their competitive season with the Toyota Dual Moguls National Championships Sunday at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. Jaelin Kauf and Cole McDonald both became double 2023 National Champions, winning for the second day in a row. 

Kauf was honored to finish what has been one of her career best seasons at a double national champion. “It’s been three years since I’ve been able to ski Nationals so I’m stoked to be competing here again!” she said. “It’s such a fun event to get to ski and compete with all of the regional athletes.”

"It feels super amazing to end the year this way," said McDonald. "Coming together is always super fun and special at Nationals. It is great to see new faces and also the progress that young skiers have made in the past couple of years."

U.S. National Team athletes went head-to-head with the country’s top regional athletes. Nationals is an event that inspires the next generation of skiers by providing an opportunity for up-and-comers to compete on the same course and same event as the nation’s top athletes. 

On the women’s side Olivia Giaccio earned her second podium of the weekend with second place after dueling Kauf in the Big Final. Elizabeth Lemley bested Hannah Soar for third in the small final. Dylan Marcellini earned his second podium of the weekend with his second place after going against McDonald in the men’s Big Final. Landon Wendler won the Small Final against Nick Page for third place. 

Moguls breaks for some R&R before getting back to the grind in preparation for the 2023-24 season. 

RESULTS
Women’s Dual Moguls
Men’s Dual Moguls 

The last day of the of snowboardcross World Cup took place in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada and the U.S. Snowboard Team's Jake Vedder walked away with his third podium of his career.

Along with Vedder, U.S. men's snowboardcross athletes Alex Deibold, Nick Baumgartner, Senna Leith, Cody Winters, Hagen Kearney and Tyler Hamel competed. All athletes advanced to the 1/8th final in Saturday's qualifying round, where we saw the top Americans Kearney and Leith in eighth and ninth place. Vedder was the next ranked U.S. athlete in 13th place, which made him hungry for a better position the following day.

The snow was coming down throughout the day and the course was placed on hold several times. The athletes at the top of the course were forced to wait out the conditions until a gap in the weather appeared. Eventually, the weather cleared and the men were set to race head-to-head. Vedder had a stellar day racing his fellow competitors down the banks, jumps and turns. 

Starting with the 1/8th final, Vedder qualified to the quarterfinals in first place for his heat. Once again, he was the fastest racer in his quarterfinals heats and advanced as the top qualifier. Semifinals were next on the chopping board and to no one's surprise, Vedder placed first in his heat to move on to the Big Final. As the four final men strapped in and awaited their signal to go, Vedder pumped himself up by shaking out the nerves and giving himself one more clap of the hands. The gates opened and the men were off. Throughout the majority of the race, Vedder was in last. It wasn't until the last jump when Vedder came out of nowhere to secure a very tight second place, shocking his competitors. 

His second place result marks Vedder's third career podium and his second of the season. This result tops off a great end to the season for the rider, as he will now look to use this fuel for the next season to come. 

Results
Men's Results