Spyder, one of the world’s most recognizable active lifestyle brands, today unveiled the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, and U.S. Freeski Team uniforms for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.  The U.S. Olympic Alpine Team nominations will be announced on Jan. 20, and U.S. Freestyle and Freeski Team nominations will be announced on Jan. 21.

Spyder, which is owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG), has been an official apparel partner of the U.S. Ski Team since 1989 and will be represented by more than 60 Olympic athletes. The uniforms are designed by world-renowned artist and designer, Eric Haze. Haze is a New York City native, who has lent his unique artistic style to everything from album art to internationally recognizable brands.

“It’s such an incredible honor to put my fingerprints on the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, and U.S. Freeski Team uniforms, especially when they’ll be wearing them on such a huge world stage as the Beijing Olympic Games. I can’t wait to see the teams actually competing in them," notes Eric Haze.

Inspired by the American flag, the collection features outerwear, base layers, and accessories that are sustainable, technically advanced, and stylish. Eric’s iconic lettering, signature STAR icon, and hand-painted pattern work can be found on all the collection pieces.

“February of 2022 will be our ninth Olympic Games outfitting the U.S. Ski Team and with each Games, our goal is to provide products that give our athletes a competitive advantage while incorporating comfort and protection from the cold,” said Brady Collings, Global GM of Spyder. “This year is no exception and working with Eric Haze has allowed us to bring a fresh design perspective while infusing the technology and performance the athletes and the team expect from Spyder. This collection will give our athletes the edge they need to perform at their best and bring home the gold.”

The 2022 Spyder Team Collection is outfitted with Spyder’s latest technology and highest-performing materials to date. Every detail of all 29 styles of the collection including the apparel and goggles were developed with direct athlete feedback and uses discipline-specific functionality.

“Spyder and Eric Haze have created an amazing collection by blending fashion and function that represents the U.S. in all aspects — allowing our athletes to look and feel their best,” added Wesley Chu, SVP of APAC, Spyder, and Volcom at ABG. “We look forward to watching them compete next month.”

All outerwear styles are composed of Gore-Tex fabrics, Primaloft ECO insulation, and YKK zippers. The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and U.S. Freeski Team outerwear uses 100% recycled polyester fabric with Gore-Tex Laminate and PFCecFree DWR and PrimaLoft SilverECO insulation, and the U.S. Alpine Ski Team outerwear uses a brand new engineered woven face fabric with Gore-Tex Laminate and PFCecFree DWR. A new baselayer technology will be introduced as well, in a cut-resistant, proprietary Kevlar/graphene stretch knit pant.

For the first time in Spyder’s history, the brand designed, developed, and produced an aerials one-piece kit and a skier cross race suit, both of which use individual athlete measurements to optimize performance and fit. The fit in the pants and training shorts in all three disciplines was designed to optimize comfort, warmth, and performance specific to each sport. The center-back full-length zipper on the alpine athletes’ outerwear jacket increases the functional fit while the athletes are wearing their back protectors and race suits during pre-race warmups. To complete the uniform, Spyder and Eric Haze partnered with Dragon to design the NFX Spyder Goggles. The goggles feature a frameless lens providing added peripheral vision giving athletes the ability to locate the best lines on the mountain. In addition to the googles, a new optical style that comes in a classic, modified rectangle shape and three metal colorations will also be making its debut.

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About Eric Haze

Legendary News York artist and designer Eric Haze began his career in the early 80s, exhibiting artwork alongside friends like Keith Haring and Jean Michael Basquiat. After founding a design studio in the late 80s, then his own clothing label in the 90s, best known for his iconic hand lettering, Haze remains one of the most sought-after creatives in the worlds of contemporary art, design and artist driven brand collaborations.

About Spyder

Spyder is one of the world’s most recognizable and credible outdoor sportswear brands. Focused on enhancing the ski experience both on and off the mountain, Spyder prides itself on its advanced technical composition and style. As the official outfitter for the U.S. Ski Team for over 30 years, Spyder offers technical ski, fitness, swim and lifestyle apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The highly sought-after brand is available in over 150 direct-to-consumer retail outposts globally as well as department stores, sporting goods stores and specialty retailers throughout North America, Europe, Middle East, South Korea and China.

For more information, visit spyder.com.
Follow @spyderactive on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Volcom, an iconic board sports brand owned by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) and the official outfitter of the U.S. Snowboard Team, today unveiled its new uniforms for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team nominations will be announced on Jan. 21.

Since its inception, Volcom has outfitted some of the most creative personalities, on and off the snow. The new uniforms feature signature details and artwork that celebrate Volcom’s D.I.Y. roots and original ‘Alive We Ride’ mentality.

“The Volcom team is honored to be the official uniform provider for the U.S. Snowboard Team and provide for world-class athletes on snowboarding’s biggest global stage,” said Ryan Immegart, CMO of Volcom and Liberated Brands. “Volcom was the first brand to combine the cultures of surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, music and art and the original pioneer of the action sports industry. 30 years later, Volcom’s ‘True To This’ spirit comes to life through these uniquely designed uniforms created exclusively for some of the world’s greatest snowboarders.”

The U.S. Snowboard uniforms were made specifically for the next crop of the greatest American heroes. With avant-garde designs and premium quality, this outerwear is crafted from decades of research and development in the harshest environments. The designs weave together cuttingedge, patented proprietary technologies and bio-based sustainable materials into designs meant to function for peak performance.

“Volcom has a deep-rooted history in supporting professional athletes as well as sports enthusiasts,” said Wesley Chu, SVP - Head of Asia Pacific, Spyder and Volcom at Authentic Brands Group. “It is within Volcom’s DNA to create and provide innovative products to the world’s top athletes and we are proud to cement that initiative by partnering with the U.S. Snowboard Team.”

To match the diverse and intense needs of the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team athletes, Volcom has created its most versatile uniforms to date. The ‘Volcom Owl 3 Layer Gore Jacket’ provides an outer Gore-tex shell, coupled with the ‘Volcom Utility Puff’ inside as an insulated, hooded puffy jacket that transitions into a fully functional, sleeveless layering vest. Featured throughout the line is the brand’s patented ‘Volcom Zip-Tech’ jacket to pant interface, designed to keep athletes warm and dry while keeping snow out. Our ‘Volcom Thermal Defense System’ (TDS) is designed to keep the wearer warm where they need it most, so they can enjoy the mountains even longer.

The line also features Volcom’s heavily tested technical elements paired with exceptional design details to ensure the U.S. Snowboard team will take to the airin style. Each piece features patches and trims that proudly represent the USA, gold-plated zipper pulls, a lucky faux rabbit’s foot stashed in the jacket for good luck, and Volcom’s hallmark collage print adorning the uniform that pay tribute to the storied history of the legends who have made the Volcom brand what it is today. The line is complemented throughout by the brand’s signature black and white, op-art style.

The uniforms will hit the slopes starting on February 4, 2022, as these world-class athletes suit up in their high-performance uniforms that were crafted with the ‘True To This’ spirit for the love of snowboarding. To view the uniforms, please visit https://vol.cm/usst-beijing-uniforms

Michael O’Conor, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer
We’re thrilled to have Volcom supply our 2022 Winter Olympic uniforms. Each piece is well-thought-out and harkens back to snowboard culture throughout the decades. We’ll be proud to see our athletes go for gold in this amazing gear in February.

Jeremy Forster, Snowboard, Freeski, and Freestyle Team Director
Volcom did an incredible job creating the uniform for the U.S. Snowboard Olympic Team and we are proud to wear product from a brand that has such a deep-rooted snowboarding history. Each piece is designed with the athlete in mind and will make sure they can perform at the height of their game. We’re excited to see these uniforms on the biggest sport stage in the world at the Olympics.

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About Volcom

Inspired by the creative spirit, Volcom was founded as a clothing company rooted in skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding. Building upon the foundation of sport culture, Volcom also supports initiatives in music and the arts and lives by the mantra ‘True To This’ as a rallying cry for persistent rebels and creatives that follow their passions. Volcom creates meaningful products for men, women, and kids across a variety of categories including outdoor, swim, skate, denim, fashion and more. Volcom is available in more than 100 direct-to-consumer retail outposts globally and has distribution in hundreds of specialty retail and department store locations. To view Volcom’s deep product assortment, visit volcom.com. Follow @volcom on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org 

CHICAGO/PARK CITY, UTAH (December 2, 2021) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced that Guaranteed Rate, a leader in retail mortgage lending and digital financial services, is now the Official Mortgage Partner as the 2021-22 season opens.

Guaranteed Rate’s sponsorship launches at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air on Dec. 3, as athletes on the U.S. Freeski Team and the U.S. Snowboard Team will be looking to secure their spots on Team USA to compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

“We are very excited to kick off our partnership with Guaranteed Rate ahead of an important season,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Given their track record of simplifying the mortgage process and delivering best-in-class customer service, we are proud to call them our Official Mortgage Partner.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard joins a host of Guaranteed Rate’s successful sports partnerships including U.S. Figure Skating, NHL, MLB and the Professional Bowlers Association.

“We are honored to partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard as these amazing athletes prepare to enter the most exciting and important competitions of their lives,” said Guaranteed Rate Vice President of Sports Marketing and Partnerships Steve McNelley.

Founded in 2000, Guaranteed Rate’s mission is to deliver more value to customers than any other financial services company by offering innovative technology, low rates and unparalleled customer service.

For more information on Guaranteed Rate, please visit www.rate.com. 

About Guaranteed Rate Companies:  

 The Guaranteed Rate Companies includes Guaranteed Rate, Inc., one of the top five retail mortgage lenders in the United States, Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, and Proper Rate, LLC. Headquartered in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Companies combined funded over $73 billion in 2020 and have more than 10,000 employees in over 850 offices across the United States. Founded in 2000 and located in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Guaranteed Rate has helped homeowners nationwide with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has established itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates and delivering unparalleled customer service. In 2017, the company launched Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. In 2020, the company launched Proper Rate, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and @properties, one of the nation's largest residential brokerage firms. Collectively, the Guaranteed Rate Companies have earned numerous honors and awards including: Forbes Advisor’s Top 10 Mortgage Lenders for 2021; Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans and Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing by NerdWallet for 2021; 2018 Top Lender for Online Service by U.S. News & World Report; HousingWire’s 2020 Tech100 award for the company’s industry-leading FlashCloseSM technology; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide's 2021 list of Top Retail Mortgage Lenders; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for six consecutive years; and Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today HomeLight, the real estate technology platform transforming the home buying and selling process for top real estate agents and their clients, as the title sponsor of the HomeLight Foundation Series, a series of grassroots competitions in four of the Olympic national governing body’s winter sport disciplines. The HomeLight Foundation Series events include the U.S. leg of the FIS NorAm for both alpine and freestyle skiing and the HomeLight U.S. Revolution Tour for freeski and snowboard halfpipe, slopestyle and big air.

The HomeLight Foundation Series is the most prestigious North American series for all four sports and serves as the catalyst to kickstart the careers of the nation’s top up-and-coming athletes. Each event operates as part of U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s athletic pipeline, providing athletes a pathway toward elite level competitions, such as Junior Worlds, Europa Cups and FIS World Cups for alpine and freestyle, and Junior Worlds, FIS World Cups and the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix for freeski and snowboard. HomeLight’s support of the critical grassroots event series demonstrates the company’s commitment to growing the sports at the developmental level.

As the leading real estate technology company powering the businesses of top real estate agents and their teams nationwide, HomeLight is dedicated to building the foundation of world-class teams—and the tight-knit communities across the country that they call home. 

“As a significant partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard for three years, HomeLight’s sponsorship expansion truly highlights its commitment to furthering our competitions, teams and athletes that help our communities thrive,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Commercial Officer Michael O’Conor. “Every year we see fresh faces make their mark through the NorAm circuit and the Rev Tour, and we’re thankful to have HomeLight deepen their investment in the ski and snowboard community as these athletes make their way to becoming Best in the World.”

The HomeLight Foundation Series for alpine is scheduled to take place at Colorado’s Copper Mountain Resort in November before swinging through Burke Mountain, Vermont; Whiteface Mountain, New York; and Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine. The HomeLight Foundation Series for freestyle begins in Winter Park, Colorado with Selections and moves on to competitions at Deer Valley Resort, Utah; Killington Resort, Vermont; and the Utah Olympic Park. The Rev Tour season will kick off at Mammoth Mountain, California in January before heading to Colorado’s Aspen/Buttermilk and Copper Mountain.

“HomeLight is thrilled to continue to partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to help build the foundation of an elite team,” said HomeLight’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, John Van Slyke, III. “Everything we do at HomeLight is laser-focused on the singular goal of building and supporting world-class teams—in real estate and beyond.” 

For more information on the HomeLight Foundation Series, click here. For more information on the HomeLight Rev Tour, including criteria and prequalified athletes, click here.

SCHEDULE

HOMELIGHT FOUNDATION SERIES – ALPINE

• Nov. 18-23, 2021 – Copper Mountain Resort, Colorado
• Feb. 14-17, 2022 – Burke Mountain, Vermont
• Feb. 14-17, 2022 – Whiteface Mountain, New York
• March 20-April 1, 2022 – Sugarloaf, Maine

HOMELIGHT FOUNDATION SERIES – FREESTYLE

• January 18-21, 2022 – Deer Valley Resort, Utah (moguls, dual moguls)
• February 10-11, 2022 – Killington Resort, Vermont (moguls, dual moguls)
• February 20-26, 2022 – Utah Olympic Park, Utah (aerials)

HOMELIGHT U.S. REVOLUTION TOUR

• January 24-29, 2022 – Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort (slopestyle, halfpipe)
• February 12-17, 2022 – Aspen/Buttermilk (slopestyle, halfpipe, big air)
• February 26-March 3, 2022 – Copper Mountain (halfpipe)

About HomeLight
HomeLight is building the future of real estate — today. Our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying for all.  The best real estate agents rely on HomeLight’s platform to deliver better outcomes to homebuyers and sellers during every step of the real estate journey, whether that's enabling an all-cash offer, unlocking liquidity of their existing home to buy a new one, or creating certainty through a modern closing process. Each year, HomeLight facilitates billions of dollars of residential real estate business on its platform for thousands of agents.  Founded in 2012, HomeLight is a privately held company with offices in Scottsdale, San Francisco, New York, Tampa, and Seattle, with backing from prominent investors including Zeev Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Group 11, Crosslink Capital, Bullpen Capital, Montage Ventures, STCAP, Citi Ventures, Google Ventures, and others.  For additional information and images: homelight.com/press

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

PARK CITY, UTAH (October 19, 2021) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced a multi-year partnership with RACEtech-USA, a service-based alpine equipment company committed to optimizing on-hill race gear performance for U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes. As the Official Equipment Service Provider to the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, RACEtech will apply its proprietary protocols and custom tools to consistently evaluate each athlete’s on-hill performance and develop race and discipline-data based off the athlete’s equipment

RACEtech-USA will conduct pre- and post-season equipment service blocks during the year for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s headquarters, the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah, as well as at pre-season camps at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Data from the reports, in combination with coach and athlete feedback, will contribute to modifying each skier’s setup and elevating on-hill equipment performance.

“We’re thrilled to partner with RACEtech to deliver consistent World Cup-level equipment service before going to camps,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Director Jesse Hunt. “Our goal was to create a centralized location at the USANA Center of Excellence so that training time could be maximized on technique rather than with equipment issues. Through the founders’ industry knowledge and cutting-edge technology, RACEtech has created the perfect opportunity for us to improve our athletes’ equipment heading into a crucially important season.”

RACEtech-USA was established in 2015 by co-founders Graham Lonetto and Dave Brennan. Lonetto is a former 20-year World Cup service tech for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team and former owner of Edgewise Ski Service in Stowe, Vermont, while Brennan is a 25-year ski industry veteran who worked as a factory rep for several major European alpine boot, ski and binding manufacturers.

“The importance of equipment’s role in performance is well-established, but consistently quantifying and tracking setup changes and their results has been a significant challenge,” said Lonetto. “We use custom auditing and assessment tools to evaluate, audit, and track equipment set-up results.”

“Matching race gear setups with the athlete’s skill set and style is our primary mission,” said Brennan. “Connecting these dots through collaboration with the athlete, coach and technician produces a vital feedback loop that can lead to optimizing an athlete’s on-hill performance. Going forward, the plan is for RACEtech to expand our services to all U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and coaches.”

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About RACEtech-USA
Established in 2015 by co-founders Graham Lonetto and Dave Brennan, RACEtech-USA has operations in Park City, Utah with additional field support out of Stowe, Vermont. Using the latest automated machine and hand tools from their technology partners, Wintersteiger and SWIX, RACEtech conducts pre- and post-U.S. Alpine Ski Team training camp equipment service blocks throughout the year. Additionally, RACEtech will have a fully operational equipment service center during the on-snow training camps at Copper Mountain, CO.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard 
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in the USANA Center of Excellence in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

PHOTO ASSET
A photo of the RACEtech machine for use can be found here. Photo credit: U.S. Ski & Snowboard

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Courtney Harkins, Elevate Communications/U.S. Ski & Snowboard, [email protected]

Dave Brennan, RACEtech-USA, [email protected]

U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today the appointment of Sophie Goldschmidt as the organization’s next President and CEO. Goldschmidt will officially begin on October 18th, taking over for current President and CEO Tiger Shaw. Goldschmidt will be relocating from Los Angeles to Park City, Utah. 

In her career, Goldschmidt has held numerous leadership, commercial and marketing roles with several of the world’s most well-known and prestigious organizations - most recently as CEO of the World Surf League (WSL). Prior to that, she held executive positions at the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the Rugby Football Union (RFU), Chime Sports Marketing (CSM), the PGA European Tour and Adidas. Goldschmidt is a proven leader who brings the unique experience of working closely with athletes across multiple sports from grassroots to the most elite levels, combined with a track record of positively transforming organizations from a business standpoint. Goldschmidt has been at the forefront of globalizing and innovating sports, media, and entertainment properties throughout her career. She will bring a fresh perspective as athletes prepare for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. 

“I am thrilled to be the next leader of U.S. Ski & Snowboard,” said Goldschmidt. “My priority is to build on the organization’s strong foundations. To take the levels of performance to new heights, to grow the number of participants and fans we engage with, in addition to creatively unlocking new value and investment. I see significant opportunities to further develop the profiles of the seven sports and of the athletes, who are inspirational role models. I’m also looking forward to working with the staff, coaches, clubs, the broader snow sports community, other key stakeholders and partners. I’m an avid skier with a passion for snow sports, which really makes this a dream opportunity for me at the right time. I can’t wait to get going.”

Goldschmidt will be taking over for Tiger Shaw, who is stepping down from his position as President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard after eight years. Shaw will stay on to aid Goldschmidt during the transition and will subsequently join the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Foundation Board as a Trustee focusing on athlete fundraising - a key priority of Shaw’s during his time at the organization.

As CEO of the WSL, Goldschmidt was responsible for transforming both the business capabilities and culture. During her tenure, she negotiated a historic 10-year agreement with the athletes, led the implementation of equal prize money for men and women, secured unprecedented levels of linear and digital distribution, including a first-of-its-kind Facebook partnership, in addition to record revenue performance. She also delivered the first-ever competitive events utilizing wave technology at the WSL’s Surf Ranch, relaunched the organization’s ocean health advocacy program WSL PURE and significantly raised the WSL’s profile globally. 

As Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer of the RFU, Goldschmidt was responsible for all of the union's revenue-generating areas and commercial programs, in addition to its marketing and digital communications. She was also Group Managing Director at CSM. In her time at the NBA as the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Goldschmidt helped spearhead the NBA's global expansion of its brand. Prior to the NBA, Goldschmidt served as a Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the WTA globally and she began her career at Adidas. Goldschmidt was also one of the first two female Board Members of the PGA European Tour. She has spent much of her career in the U.S. and attended Baylor University on a tennis scholarship.

“Sophie brings an invaluable level of tacit knowledge gained from her previous roles working with athletes and sports organizations,“ said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Board of Directors Chair Kipp Nelson. “Sophie’s leadership, commercial and marketing experience, combined with her commitment to the athletes, made her the ideal candidate. Her ability to grow engagement and raise the global profile of athletes, teams and brands will directly benefit all U.S. Ski & Snowboard stakeholders.”

“I’d like to give Sophie a warm welcome to the organization, while at the same time thanking Tiger for everything he has done the last eight years,” said two-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion Mikaela Shiffrin. “I am looking forward to this new era of leadership for all of our U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes as we head into this pivotal Beijing 2022 Olympic year. Based on what I’ve read, heard, as well as the interaction we’ve had thus far, I feel that Sophie’s commercial, marketing, and sports organization experience is a unique blend of traits that will set us up for success strategically not only heading into the Olympics, but – perhaps more importantly – moving forward as we build the future of our sports and inspire the next generation of skiers and snowboarders.”

Goldschmidt’s appointment signals a commitment to U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes, partners, members and fans. Her immediate efforts will focus on spending quality time with the athletes, other key stakeholders and business partners to fully immerse herself in all aspects of the sports and organization, while in parallel developing the key strategic priorities and plans for the next stage of the organization’s growth leading into the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

“After a very comprehensive search, we could not be happier with the decision to select Sophie as U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s new President and CEO,“ said U.S. Cross Country Team alumna, 2018 Olympic gold medalist and executive search committee co-chair Kikkan Randall. “I am particularly excited about Sophie’s experience working directly with world-class athletes across a myriad of sports; she really understands how to put athletes at the forefront.”

Goldschmidt was also previously named one of Forbes Most Powerful Women in Sport, AdWeek’s Most Powerful Women in Sport, Sports Business Journal's Forty under Forty, Leaders in Sport Under 40 Award, Marketing Week’s Vision Award and Sport360 Most Influential Women in Sport.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Andrew Gauthier
Marketing & Communications Director, U.S. Ski & Snowboard
[email protected]
 

The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in partnership with USA Nordic Sport (USANS) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced today that the U.S. Olympic Trials for the sports of ski jumping and Nordic combined will take place at the Olympic Jumping Complex and Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid on Dec. 24 and 25.

The venue was home to competition during the Lake Placid 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games, and it will now be a pivotal place for Beijing 2022 hopefuls.

 The event will showcase the top men and women ski jumpers and Nordic combined skiers in the country competing for a guaranteed spot on the U.S. Olympic team. While as many as five men and women in each discipline will earn a spot on Team USA, the winner in each discipline is guaranteed a spot in Beijing. Full teams will be announced in late January. 

“The USOPC is thrilled to partner with ORDA to host the Olympic Trials for ski jumping and Nordic combined in Lake Placid,” said USOPC vice president of winter sport, Kelly Skinner.  “With the amazing revitalization of Lake Placid’s iconic ski Jumps and new, state-of-the-art Nordic facilities at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, New York State has given American Athletes the people of Lake Placid and a world-class gift to enjoy this winter for Olympic Trials and for years to come.”

The event will feature USA Nordic Sport’s top athletes, including three-time Nordic Combined Olympian Taylor Fletcher, who will be looking to make his fourth Olympic team; Nina Lussi, Lake Placid native, attempting to earn her first Olympic appearance; and ski jumper Andrew Urlaub coming off a fifth-place finish at the FIS Summer Grand Prix.

“I am thrilled to have the Olympic Trials back in Lake Placid, the place where I learned Nordic Combined,” said CEO of USA Nordic Sport and Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Demong. “The youth and depth of the athletes preparing for their chance to make it to Beijing remind me of my teammates -- this will certainly be a Christmas holiday the competitors and fans will never forget.”

ORDA has modernized the Olympic Jumping Complex, installing frost rails on the inruns, re-contouring both outruns and adding summer surfaces for year-round training capabilities, upgrading the snowmaking system, and installing a new ADA-compliant gondola and glass elevator. In addition, the Sky Flyer Zipline and the Intervals Lodge complete the guest experience. 

ORDA also completed upgrades at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, including 5,000 meters of new world-class trails, an energy-efficient snowmaking system, and a 30-point biathlon range. The new trail systems are adjacent to the new Mountain Pass Lodge, a 50,000 square foot facility with integrated competition services, elite training facilities, and new recreational opportunities for visitors. 

“The recent improvements at the Lake Placid venues have made hosting important events like the Team Trials possible," said ORDA Board Chair Kelly Cummings. "It is an incredible honor for ORDA to welcome the finest Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined athletes in the United States as they aim to achieve their Olympic goals.”

“We are excited to welcome the Olympic Trials,” said ORDA President & CEO Mike Pratt.  “The Ski Jumps in Lake Placid are now the only location in North America homologated for year-round jumping.  The accomplishments made at the ORDA venues have positioned us to host more prestigious events, a higher quality of training, and excellent athlete and guest experiences.” 

The Olympic trials will take place at two of ORDA’s Olympic venues, the Olympic Jumping Complex (Dec. 24 and 25) and Mt. Van Hoevenberg (Dec. 24). Details regarding NBC Sports’ coverage of the trials will be announced soon. 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced three U.S. Olympic freeski and snowboard qualifying stops for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022: the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix series and the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota.

The world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders will compete in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events at Copper Mountain in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain in California, and big air at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Colorado’s Steamboat Ski Resort. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is the longest-running winter action sports tour and has served as a major part of the U.S. Freeski Team and U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic qualification series since 1998, launching Olympic medalists including Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, Red Gerard, Shaun White, David Wise and Nick Goepper toward medals. The Visa Big Air and Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as World Cups.

“The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix has been the beacon of Olympic qualification fervor for more than two decades, and we are thrilled to bring this series back to Copper and Mammoth’s amazing terrain,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freeski & Snowboard Director Jeremy Forster. “Those two resorts combined with the Olympic history and top-notch facilities at Steamboat Ski Resort for the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota will make for an outstanding Olympic qualifying process. We can’t wait to announce the athletes who will represent Team USA in Beijing this winter.”

Steamboat Ski Resort, a longtime U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner with a storied Olympic history, will host the first qualifying event of the season: the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota December 3-4, 2021. It will be the first and only big air qualifying event for the 2022 Olympics as snowboard big air makes its second Olympic appearance and freeski big air makes its Olympic debut.

Next, the world’s best skiers and riders kick off the halfpipe season at the first Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper Mountain’s 22-foot Superpipe December 8-11, 2021. Copper is proving its rebrand as the “athlete’s mountain,” as it readies to host the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Dew Tour in December.

Finally, the skiers and riders descend upon Mammoth Mountain’s famed Unbound Terrain Park January 6-8, 2022 for halfpipe and slopestyle Toyota U.S. Grand Prix competitions. Mammoth has hosted previous Olympic qualifiers over the last two Olympic cycles and has named U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Olympic athletes three times: 1998—the first year the Olympics hosted snowboard halfpipe as an official event—and 2014 and 2018. While Mammoth was scheduled to host the first Olympic qualifying event of the 2022 Olympic cycle in early 2021, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toyota is back as the title sponsor of the U.S. Grand Prix series. Toyota’s long-time commitment to ski and snowboard athletes is ubiquitous, having been the partner before and throughout the 2018 Olympic Games and has now renewed its partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard through 2025. The brand’s individual partnerships will also be shining with Olympic champions such as Chloe Kim and Red Gerard looking to punch their tickets back to the Games.

“We’re excited to partner once again with U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the U.S. Grand Prix series,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, sponsorship strategy, integration & activation, Toyota Motor North America. “With less than five months until the start of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, it’s an honor to be a part of the qualifying events that will help determine the elite athletes who will represent Team USA on the world’s biggest stage.”

Visa, the longest-standing partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard of more than 30 years, is the title sponsor of the Visa Big Air and sponsors star athletes such as 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion David Wise. The company has been integral to big air making its Olympic debut in snowboarding in 2018 and will also be supporting the freeski side as freeski big air is unveiled as a new sport in the Beijing Olympics.

“Both Toyota and Visa have been vital partners to U.S. Ski & Snowboard for many years, and we’re thrilled to have these two brands support the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Visa Big Air,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Both brands’ endorsements of individual athletes and the greater team has allowed for progression and development of the freeski and snowboarding talent as they step on the world’s stage in 2022.”

The first 2022 Winter Olympics qualification events took place at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle and halfpipe competitions at Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass in March. Additional Olympic selection events will be announced prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.

Specific event information will be forthcoming as the local organizing committee works through its detailed protocols with local and state health officials. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air are contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committees and all resort partners are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities.

2021-22 OLYMPIC QUALIFYING SCHEDULE

Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat Resort, Colorado
Big Air, December 2-4, 2021
December 2, 2021- snowboard big air qualifications
December 3, 2021- freeski big air qualifications
December 4, 2021 - snowboard big air finals, freeski big air finals

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colorado
Halfpipe, December 8-11, 2021
December 8, 2021 - freeski halfpipe qualifications
December 9, 2021 - snowboard halfpipe qualifications
December 10, 2021 - freeski halfpipe finals 
December 11, 2021 - snowboard halfpipe finals

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California 
Halfpipe and slopestyle, January 6-8, 2022
January 6, 2022 - freeski halfpipe qualifications, snowboard slopestyle qualifications 
January 7, 2022 - freeski halfpipe finals, freeski slopestyle qualifications, snowboard halfpipe qualifications
January 8, 2022 - freeski slopestyle finals, snowboard slopestyle finals, snowboard halfpipe finals

RESORT QUOTES

Rob Perlman, President & Chief Operating Officer, Steamboat Ski Resort
"Steamboat’s Olympic heritage runs deep and we’re excited to honor our longstanding partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard in hosting the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota event leading up to the 2022 Olympics. Producing Olympians is part of who we are, so this was a natural fit for Steamboat to kick off the qualifying event calendar ahead of the winter games."

Dustin Lyman, President & General Manager, Copper Mountain
"We couldn't be more excited to host back-to-back freeski and snowboard events at Copper Mountain, including the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Winter Dew Tour. Ski and snowboard athletes have a long history of making their mark on their respective sports at Copper, and as the Athlete's Mountain, we can't wait to welcome them back for world-class competition."

Ron Cohen, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mammoth Mountain
"It is an honor to host another U.S. Olympic qualifying event here in Mammoth and we are extremely proud of all of the athletes on their road to Beijing. Mammoth has hosted over 10 U.S. Grand Prix events and have been fortunate enough to name our Olympic team here three times, including 1998, the first year halfpipe snowboarding was an official Olympic event. The excitement and pride in watching Olympic dreams become a reality is something we look forward to every four years. From elite competition to annual team training, we value our partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and look forward to executing another world-class event together."

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ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2020, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

ABOUT VISA
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/aboutvisa.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Gauthier
Marketing & Communications Director
U.S. Ski & Snowboard
[email protected]
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced its partnership with R-Zero, the first biosafety technology company dedicated to reducing the spread of infectious diseases. 

Ahead of a critical Olympic season, U.S. Ski & Snowboard has incorporated R-Zero’s IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection system, Arc, into its daily health and safety protocols at its Park City, Utah training facility, the USANA Center of Excellence. Arc’s hospital-grade, sustainable UV disinfection allows U.S. Ski & Snowboard to safely eliminate pathogenic risk on surfaces and air without the use of harmful chemicals. The addition of R-Zero’s biosafety technology is part of the organization’s innovative approach to ensuring U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team athletes are able to continue performing at their highest while training for and competing in Beijing in 2022. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve been taking a multifaceted approach to ensure our athletes are protected from health risks across the board, and R-Zero’s partnership is a big added step in the right direction,” said Gillian Bower, Director of High Performance at U.S. Ski & Snowboard and a 15-year veteran of the organization. “Health and performance are a priority—not just for our athletes but for our staff. R-Zero’s Arc adds a safe, highly effective and sustainable way we can ensure we’re reducing risks in all spaces and for all parts of the organization.”

Currently, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is using four Arc units in the USANA Center of Excellence to disinfect spaces such as the weight room, physical therapy facilities, performance lab and their aerial practice area, which includes ramps, trampolines and foam landing pits. To optimize athlete health and performance, the team runs R-Zero’s UV-C systems daily in these high-traffic training locations. Later this month, the team will also ship two Arc units to Beijing for use in the upcoming Games. 

“COVID-19 illuminated the need for increased health and performance conditions for professional athletes across the world,” said Grant Morgan, co-founder and CEO of R-Zero. “As the Delta variant continues to surge globally, ensuring the health security of team staff and athletes will continue to remain critical. We are proud to support the entire U.S. Ski & Snowboard organization in creating safer indoor athletic training environments, both here in Utah and internationally.”
 

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About R-Zero
R-Zero is the first biosafety technology company dedicated to making the indoor spaces we share, safer and clinically clean. Founded to help organizations protect the health of people they serve, R-Zero is dedicated to developing the most effective and innovative disinfection technologies, to reduce the spread of all infectious diseases. R-Zero’s first product, Arc [an IoT-enabled, whole-room UV disinfection device] is currently enabling a higher level of health safety for hundreds of thousands of people, across both public and private sector organizations, without the use of chemicals. Today, R-Zero is pioneering the first continuous, automated disinfection ecosystem, enabling every organization to measure and manage indoor health risk with the same level of sophistication and technology that’s become standard across virtually every other industry. Informed by data science, built with AI, ML, and IoT connected hardware, R-Zero’s intelligent disinfection platform provides greater visibility, automation and even smarter risk reduction within the indoor spaces where humans spend their time. R-Zero is backed by leading venture capital firms, as well as thought-leaders from the health, hospitality, sports, commercial real estate, impact, and other industries. For more information, visit www.rzero.com. 
 

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard 
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org

Creative Assets:
Photo assets of the R-Zero Arc system installed in the USANA Center of Excellence are linked here for use. 
 

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has officially announced a multi-year partnership with Givego, an on-demand virtual coaching and connectivity platform built by athletes, for athletes. 

Givego’s one-of-a-kind virtual learning platform connects users to experts through an easy to use and intuitive app, allowing anyone the ability to connect and learn from some of the world's best experts and professional athletes. Today, users simply upload a video using their mobile device, describe what aspect of their sport they are looking to improve, and their choice of expert can respond within minutes.

“Givego’s ability to provide on-demand feedback to skiers and riders around the world directly complements our mission to encourage and support athletes, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “In addition to providing a valuable resource to key stakeholders, Givego also contributes to an athlete’s financial well being by compensating them for their expertise. We could not be more excited to support elements of our development pipeline and athlete experience alongside Givego.”

"We exist to make dreams possible," says Willie Ford, founder & CEO of Givego. "Whether you're a world champion, a young athlete with big goals, or someone who simply wants to be their best, we help you. We could not be more excited to bring Givego to the greater community of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard."

Customers can expect the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Givego experience to launch in September. To learn more, visit: www.givego.io or download Givego from the App Store to receive your free session.

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About Givego 
Givego is an online marketplace built by athletes for athletes in Salt Lake City, UT. Givego delivers a proprietary mobile technology that connects passionate sports enthusiasts with world-renowned experts across multiple disciplines with the sole objective of helping athletes improve. Givego’s community of experts range from Olympic and professional athletes to some of the most sought-after instructors and coaches certified by leading NGB’s.
 

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org