The mogul skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team battled it out Saturday one last time at the Dual Moguls World Cup Finals in Almaty, Kazakhstan to secure the discipline’s Nations Cup. Jaelin Kauf snagged another podium with a second place finish and Olivia Giaccio earned her third-career World Cup podium with a third pace finish. 

Kauf dueled against teammate Hannah Soar in the Quarter Final and Giaccio in the Semi Final to make it to the Big Final against France’s Perrine Laffont. 

“Today was good, really fun,” said Kauf. “Unfortunately, I did have to take out a few teammates.” 

The battle for the top position pitted Kauf and Laffont together for one last time this season. Kauf had the advantage down the middle section but Laffont managed to cross the finish line first to take the win. “I was just trying to get to that top air first, make Perrine chase me a little. I focused on skiing my run and keeping it as clean as possible. She kind of snuck ahead on that bottom air and got me. I left it all out there, that’s all I can do.”

With this result Kauf ends the Dual Moguls season ranked third overall. “I am really stoked with that.”

Giaccio battled teammate Alli Macuga in the Small Final to take third. Giaccio has been knocking on the door of podium positions all season, so to end the tour on this note felt especially sweet. 

“It feels really good, feels like a little bit of a relief in a sense to know that I can kind of break that barrier again,” Giaccio said. “It’s been tough throughout the season feeling so close yet so far. I’m thankful that I managed to make it happen. Big thanks to my coaches, to my family and my mentors for helping me push through run by run.”

Macuga’s fourth place finish marks a career best for the newly minted Rookie of the Year. It was a strong showing for the women overall, with five going two through six: Kauf (second), Giaccio (third), Macuga (fourth), Lulu Shaffer (fifth - a career best) and Soar (sixth). Tess Johnson finished tenth and Kasey Hogg finished twelfth.

On the men’s side Dylan Walczyk was the top American finisher in sixth place. The Americans met some heavy hitters in the quarter final round. Landon Wendler dueled against Sweden’s Walter Wallberg to finish the day seventh. Nick Page met Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury and finished the day in eighth. Cole McDonald finished 11th, Charlie Mickel 19th and Asher Michel 25th. Kingsbury won, Wallberg finished second and Australia’s Matt Graham took third. 

Moguls finishes their competitive season at Waterville Valley Resort for U.S. Freestyle Nationals March 22-26. 

Head Coach Bryon Wilson was proud to finish the tour strong and looks forward to the work ahead. “It was a really great weekend here in Kazakhstan,” he said. “Leaving here with four medals, and leaving with both Nations Cups in moguls and dual moguls is incredible. 

“I am impressed with the development crew and excited where we’re headed as a team. It fires me up going into prep season! We’re going to take a couple days to finish off the season at Nationals, get a little breather, and then back to work this spring and summer.”

RESULTS
Women’s Dual Moguls
Men’s Dual Moguls
Women’s Discipline Standings
Men’s Discipline Standings 

The theme today was to give it all you had and that was what the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team did in the 10k classic in Falun, Sweden. 

With the snow falling harder as the hours passed by, making the wax conditions tougher by the minute, the U.S. posted solid results in the third to last World Cup of the season, with four in the top-15. 

The women started the day and found four in the top-30. Jessie Diggins led the team and finished in fourth place, Rosie Brennan was close behind in sixth, Novie McCabe in 14th and Hailey Swirbul in 30th. This is Diggins' best-ever individual classic distance race. 

Diggins had a strong race, staying consistent within the top-10 in the individual start. In the early splits, Diggins was running between third and sixth place, chasing the times of her competitors, mainly Kerttu Kiskanen of Finland, the ultimate winner of the day, Katharina Hennig of Germany and Anne Kjersti Kalvaa of Norway. Diggins put on a strong performance and with today's results, is less than 150 points away from Tiril Udnes Weng for the overall FIS World Cup crystal globe and sits in second place for the overall distance trophy - making the last races of the season key in clinching the season. 

"First of all, so stoked for my teammates out there today. That was so cool to see. On the women's side, to have three in the top-15 was awesome," said Diggins. "For me, I was really happy with my race. This was my best-ever individual career result classic distance race and i'm looking forward to the next!"

Brennan had another top-10 result, showing her consistency on the circuit. Brennan, who has raced nearly every race this season, showcased how strong she is by her sixth place result. Through the splits, she was always in the mix, having the fastest time in the early splits and only falling a few spots towards the end. Brennan crossed the line in sixth, only 44.5 seconds back from Niskanen, adding more World Cup points to her resume and closing the gap even more for the FIS overall World Cup crystal globe, where she sits in fourth. 

"Today's race was great!" said Brennan. "I really like the courses here and felt really good throughout the race and now trying to focus on each day and get the most out of the few races we have left. Really looking forward to some sprint action tomorrow!" 

Rounding out the women was McCabe. McCabe is back in Europe just days after she won both NCAA National Championships races in Lake Placid, NY. McCabe, who is having a strong season, crossed the line in 14th, one of her best races on the World Cup circuit. 

Hailey Swirbul was 30th, adding more crucial World Cup points to her list and 17-year-old Sammy Smith was 41st in her second World Cup start (first distance start!) of her career.

For the men, the day was highlighted by Ben Ogden. Ogden went out in classic Ben fashion - fast. Marking himself as the guy the beat, Ogden held some of the fastest times at the 1.5k, 2.5k, 3.3k and 4.3k time checks for the majority of the race, even beating out Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo on crucial parts of the course. At the end of the day, Ogden ended the day in 13th place - not his best career result - but one of the fastest and most consistent races we have seen from Ogden. 

"Ben is only 22 years old and is showing consistency in his results," said Kikkan Randall in the live commentary during the race. "He put himself out there and held it for over 6k and pretty soon, he will become more consistent longer into the races, it's fun to watch."

Next to Ogden was teammate Scott Patterson, who crossed the line in 17th, only one minute and eight seconds back. Patterson led a strong race, charging on the steep uphills, skiing around the fast turn clean and tactically skiing the downhills. Patterson, a strong distance skier, has been consistent all year, which showed in another top-20 result on the biggest stage. 

Rounding out the men's team was Zak Ketterson and Luke Jager. Jager, returning to the World Cup circuit after heading back to the USA for the NCAA National Championships, finished the day in 35th and Ketterson, back on the circuit after spending time at home, was 41st. The men's podium showcased the strength of Norway, with Klaebo in first, Martin Loewstroem Nyenget in second and Harald Oestberg Amundsen in third. 

Now, the team will reset for tomorrow's skate sprint in Falun.

RESULTS
Women's
Men's 

OVERALL WORLD CUP RESULTS
Women's
Men's

Elite international moguls competition wrapped Friday at Shymbulak, Kazakhstan at the FIS World Cup Finals. Jaelin Kauf led the Americans with a second-place, her sixth podium of the season, to finish in the moguls discipline ranked third overall. Tess Johnson made her first super finals appearance of 2023 to close out her season with a third place finish. France’s Perrine Laffont won for the women. 

“It was really fun today, the course was my favorite of the days, today,” said Kauf. “I decided to throw cork in super finals, which may be the first time I have done it in competition. They were going well in training and I really wanted to do one in World Cup this year. I felt good about it. I was pretty confident of hitting how I wanted to and taking it to my feet.”

Kauf qualified in second for the super final round and was all smiles at the start gate, a signal that she was about to turn it on. She switched up her usual air package to execute top mute to bottom cork 7, with signature fast skiing in the middle section - almost maxing out her speed points - to earn a score of 76.30. Laffont just edged her out for first with a score of 77.96. 

In her super final run Johnson skied top cork to her bottom signature venom grab. She was aggressive and strong in the middle section, attacking the course to earn third place. 

“I am super proud of my runs,” said Johnson. “It’s been a little bit of a frustrating season results-wise, so I am really happy to have put down some clean T to Bs with high DD. I was having a lot of fun skiing today with all of the women.”

Seven women represented the U.S. in finals with six finishing in the top ten: Kauf in second, Johnson in third, Hannah Soar in sixth, Olivia Giaccio in eighth, Alli Macuga ninth and Kasey Hogg in tenth. Lulu Shaffer finished 11th. 

Nick Page was the top U.S. finisher for the men, skiing into fifth place and finishing his season ranked fourth overall. Page wowed the field in his super finals round by throwing a cork 14 on the bottom air, the highest degree of difficulty trick possible for the men and the first one thrown in World Cup competition all season. At the finish fellow competitor Matt Graham (Australia) asked Page if the trick was in his plan for the day, to which Page responded it was if he made it to Supers. 

Landon Wendler had a career-best day with his first super finals appearance. He skied cork 7 to a fast and strong middle section and finished with cork 7 grab. He went huge on the bottom and got a little tripped up in the landing to finish sixth. “Landon’s final run was insane, literally perfection,” noted Johnson. Cole McDonald finished 16th.

Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury won for the men, Kazakhstan’s Pavel Komolkav took second and Graham came in third. 

Macuga was awarded FIS Rookie of the Year for her skiing this season, an awesome accomplishment for the D-Team athlete. “I am beyond happy with my results,” she said. “As the season went on [Rookie of the Year] definitely became a goal. Huge thanks to family and friends and all my sponsors and teammates and coaches, and everyone who’s been supporting me this season!”

With strong results throughout the season and a deep field of American skiers, the U.S. once again clinched the Nations Cup for Moguls. “I am very proud of our whole team,” said Head Moguls Coach Bryon Wilson. “We had a lot of contributors this year, not only national team members, but other athletes that came up through clubs and qualified for World Cup starts. I am very proud of U.S. moguls skiing overall and thankful for our staff, couldn't do it without them.”

The U.S. Freestyle Moguls Ski Team will wrap their international season tomorrow with Dual Moguls World Cup Finals. Another Nations Cup is on the line and you can bet the team is hungry to take it. 

RESULTS
Women’s Moguls
Men’s Moguls
Women’s Moguls Discipline Standings
Men’s Moguls Discipline Standings

Following a successful two races in Spain, March 16th, the men and women snowboardcross team completed another race day out in Veysonnaz, SUI to add to their already decorated competition season. The weather could not have been more perfect, with all riders seeing blue skies and a light breeze. 

The U.S. women started off strong with many who qualified into the 1/8th finals bracket including Lindsey Jacobellis, Stacy Gaskill, and Brianna Schnorrbush. After battling it out in the first rounds, Jacobellis, Gaskill, and Schnorrbush all advanced onto semifinals, where they would eventually all duel it out for the top spots in the small final. Ultimately, Jacobellis won the small final, which placed her fifth overall, followed by Schnorrbush in second and sixth overall, and rounding it out for the U.S. ladies, was Gaskill in third and seventh overall. 

For the men, the 1/16th finals saw, Senna Leith, Jake Vedder, Nick Baumgartner, and Hagen Kearney who all were hungry to advance to the 1/8th bracket. However, it was only Vedder, the lone U.S. athlete, to advance to the next rounds of races. He placed great times thereafter, but unfortunately was not able to advance passed that. His day concluded with a respectable 11th place, followed by Leith in 19th, Baumgartner in 22nd, and Kearney in 28th. 

The U.S. snowboardcross team will look to finish off their season with a team event in Mt. St. Anne Canada, Mar. 24-26th. 

Results

Women's Results

Men's Results

Ryan Cochran-Siegle secured his season best result in today’s super-G in Soldeu, Andorra. Cochran-Siegle ended in fourth place, just shy of the podium by 0.14 hundredths.  

“I definitely got lucky with my bib draw so I just tried to do my best to take advantage of that,” said Cochran-Siegle.

The top spot went to the super-G FIS overall super-G crystal globe winner, Swiss skier Marco Odermatt. Second place went to Austrian skier Marco Schwarz, and third place went to Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

It was sunny and very warm for the men’s race which influenced the results the later the day went on. The course workers tried to help the situation with salt, but the warm sun pierced its way through the snow. Despite the varying conditions, Cochran-Siegle is happy to end the season on a high note and work towards the future to make next season better.

“Best result of the year, but also knowing I can't hide behind the rest of the season, I want to get a lot better than how I was performing this year,” said Cochran-Siegle. “So figuring it out mentally, physically, then also just the equipment and my approach on race day.”

Cochran-Siegle plans to take some time off and start his prep for the next season ahead.

Mikaela Shiffrin also raced today in the women’s super-G. Shiffrin landed in 14th place.

“I'm looking forward to the final two races this season,” said Shiffrin. “It can always be a little bit tiring at World Cup finals. But it's also kind of such a pleasure to be here racing with no pressure from the globe.”

Similar to the men, the winner of the super-G also went to the overall super-G FIS crystal globe winner, Lara Gut-Behrami. Second place went to Italian skier Federica Brignone, and third place to Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinckel.  

Shiffrin has already secured her fifth overall globe, the slalom globe and the giant slalom globe for her record-breaking season.

“I'm motivated to just finish the season strong, and I think, actually quite a few athletes are so looking forward to see how it turns out,” said Shiffrin.

Shiffrin will now look to the final tech races on March 18 and 19. She will collect her globes there too.

RESULTS

Women's super-G

Men's super-G

To cap off the final downhill race of the season, Breezy Johnson and Isabella Wright landed in the top-10, in sixth and seventh - a top result of the 2022-23 season for for the downhill duo.

“The speeds were definitely faster for me so I kind of felt like there were a couple of mistakes,” said Johnson. “But overall I am happy with my skiing today!”

Wright and Johnson ran third and fourth in the start order on the hot, spring day in Soldeu. When Wright came down the track, she was in second, Johnson bumped her down by just fourth hundredths of a second when she crossed the finish line. The two looked on to the coming racers hoping their spots would stick and they did! At the end of the day, Wright's seventh place was her best result of the season. 

“It was a very close race between third through the top 10,” said Wright. “But I am happy that I put a run today top to bottom, there were some things I can of course fix and improve on.”

This race also marks the end of the season for Johnson and Wright. A season filled with ups and downs but they ended it on a high note and look forward to what's next. 

“This has definitely been my toughest season ever,” said Johnson. “I think just coming back and dealing with new staff, just changing course conditions from what I'm used to and my recent injury was hard,” said Johnson. “I'm just happy to end the downhill season on this note,” said Wright.

The speed women will now take some deserved time off before they ramp back up to prepare for the next season.

“I just want to thank everybody who's followed along all season. It has not been the easiest season but I'm really grateful to everybody who stuck around for me and everybody else and I hope we have more to show next season,” said Johnson.

RESULTS

Women's downhill

HOW TO WATCH

Women’s super-G – 5:00 a.m. (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live)
Men’s super-G – 6:30 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live)

On Wednesday, March 15, in Soldeu, Andorra, Travis Ganong kicked out of the start for the last time. 

“It was a pleasure being a downhiller for the last 17 years and not many people get to do this, especially at this level,” said Ganong. “Fighting for podiums and winning races and I mean, it's just unbelievable being in this place and being a contender.”

Ganong announced his retirement from World Cup ski racing prior to the Aspen, Stifel America’s Downhill, with the intentions of making World Cup Finals his final race.

“It was a little weird being at the start knowing that I would never be there again,” said Ganong.  “I tried, and I pushed pretty good in some sections. I wasn't really willing to push 100%. But I'm happy to just have one last downhill.”

Ganong finished in 20th place and was cheered into the finish by family and friends who flew all the way across the globe to bring in the longtime racer. He was quickly doused in a bottle of champagne from his fiancé, Marie-Michèle Gagnon, as he approached the rest of his family. Many hugs, posters and love were given in the finish to show appreciation to the racer’s storied career.

“You get to the point where you've taken so much risk in your career and as a racer, and you've pulled off some amazing results and you start to balance the risk versus reward and you realize there's way more in life and then racing,” said Ganong.

Ganong may be done with racing, but his love for skiing runs deep. You will likely see Ganong in mountains all over the world participating in backcountry skiing, resort skiing, and more outdoor adventures to fill his newfound time.

“I am super excited to not be stressed out all winter long and just enjoy the mountains, the winter, get back to the roots of the passion of why I started skiing in the first place which is more around free skiing and connecting with nature and sharing moments in the mountains with friends,” said Ganong.

The winner of the final downhill of the season went to Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr, second and third went to two German skiers, Romed Baumann and Andreas Sander.  Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes’ Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Jared Goldberg also raced and ended up in 17th and 18th position.

RESULTS

Men's downhill

HOW TO WATCH

Women’s super-G – 5:00 a.m. (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live)
Men’s super-G – 6:30 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live)

The Drammen City Sprints are unlike anything on the World Cup circuit and today Julia Kern crossed the finish line in sixth place, adding another top-10 result to her hefty resume. 

Shutting down main street, trucking in snow, setting the 1.2k course with four lanes of classic track, the Drammen City Sprints bring some of the most exciting ski racing to the center stage. With fans lining the entire course, flags hanging from apartment buildings balcony's to the start and finish on the steps of a famous church, the atmosphere is just electric. With only two more weeks of World Cup racing left, the best athletes in the world are giving it their all until the very end. 

For the U.S., Kern led the day for the women and Ben Ogden led for the men. Kern initially qualified in 17th, right behind teammate Rosie Brennan (16th) and Jessie Diggins (14th). Today, Kern was focused on one thing: her double pole. 

"Where do I begin!" Kern said in her post-race voice memo. "Drammen is one of the coolest city sprints I saw growing up and I always dreamed about racing here, so to be here and to qualify - something that a few years ago felt out of reach - it was really cool. Huge props to the team, the snow was tricky and we were testing everything from hard wax, to klister to zero's today. Just huge props to our tech team!"

In the semis, Kern won after being in the back of the pack at the beginning of the downhill to finishing in first, best in part to her strong double pole and wickedly fast skis. Next, the final. With a packed heat, Kern stayed with the pack until a small gap began to form on the second to last final climb. Tactically, she knew she wanted to be in the mix to out-sprint her competitors on the downhill into the finish but ski racing is ski racing! Kern crossed the line in sixth place and will now rest and reset before Falun.

"For my races, I was happy to see my double pole finish was my strength of the day. Going into the semis, I knew it would be a stacked heat but I was able to ski the downhill really well and push around the corners and then slingshot, going from sixth to first in that downhill! In the final, anything was possible. I am really proud of how I skied and the skis I was on - thanks to my tech Eli Brown!" 

For Ogden, it was a similar story to Kern's - fast tempo, strong double pole. Qualifying in 11th place, Ogden was in the mix from the start. In his quarterfinal heat, Ogden was out of the gate fast. With his signature "Benny Shuffle", he out-sprinted his competitors from the gun and made a large gap for nearly the entire 1.2k race. Yet, on the final climb into the stadium, his competitors caught up and he finished second, enough to move onto the semis. In the semis, the story read the same. He set the pace and everyone had to give it their all to keep up. At the end, he did not advance, but his skiing was inspiring today. 

Zak Ketterson also advanced to the heats, after taking a few weeks off of the World Cup circuit and heading back home to Minnesota. Ketterson, in front of his family and fiancé, advanced to the heats. "It was my first classic sprint in a decent amount of time," said Ketterson. "Drammen is one of those events that you get really excited about and I was really stoked to qualify and do it here on a course that I struggled with in the past. It was an awesome day, make the heats, and a great amount of confidence going into the next races!" At the end of the day, Ketterson finished 23rd. 

Another highlight of the day was the first-ever World Cup start for Sammy Smith, the youngest athlete on the team. A multi-talented athlete, Smith plays soccer, was named to the U-17 World Cup soccer team, is an avid runner and freestyle skier. Smith did not advance today in Drammen but finished 36th on the biggest stage. 

For the rest of the women's team, Brennan was in the fastest quarter-final heat of the day, but did not advance to the semis and finished the day in 14th. For Diggins, coming off the 50k just a few days earlier, did not advance from the heats and ended the day in 21st. Hailey Swirbul was just off the brink of qualifying, crossing the line in 31st. For the men, JC Schoonmaker did not advance to the heats and finished qualifiers in 37th place and Logan Diekmann was 42nd. 

Falun is next with a 10k classic, skate sprint, and 4.x5k mixed team relay! 

RESULTS
Men
Women 

Ten Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athletes are set to compete in Soldeu, Andorra for the Alpine World Cup Finals. Across the four alpine disciplines - downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom - only the top 25 athletes per discipline in the overall rankings, qualify. 

“We are extremely proud of the athletes that will represent the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team as we close out the World Cup season in Soldeu,” said Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Director, Patrick Riml. “We have had a historical season, highlighted by Mikaela Shiffrin’s immense success breaking record after record. Our women’s and men’s speed and technical teams continue to show growth and promise too, we are excited to see how they perform in Soldeu.”

This season, the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team has found tremendous success, highlighted by Miikaela Shiffrin’s historic 86th and 87th World Cup victory, cementing her in the history books as the greatest alpine skier of all time. Teammate Paula Moltzan has also had a career-best season in slalom and giant slalom. Moltzan had her first World Cup podium result in slalom earlier this season and then went 1-2 alongside Shiffrin in the Semmering World Cup. By sharing the podium together, Moltzan and Shiffrin became the first two American women to share a World Cup slalom podium since Marilyn and Barbara Ann Cochran went 1-2 in December of 1971. Teammate Nina O’Brien has found abundant success this season in giant slalom after her horrific crash in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. With her successful skiing, she has punched her ticket to alpine finals. 

 On the women’s speed side, Breezy Johnson continues to impress with her downhill skiing despite coming off a knee injury that sidelined her the season prior. Johnson’s top results include a top-five in St. Moritz, Switzerland and multiple top-10’s. Teammate Isabella Wright continues to make strides in the speed circuit with a pair of 11th place finishes in downhill and both will represent the United States in the World Cup Finals. 

On the men’s side, speed skiers Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Travis Ganong and Jared Goldberg will represent the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team in the downhill. Cochran-Siegle’s main focus will be downhill and super-G. From the 2022-23 season, highlights from our men’s speed team stem from Kitzbühel, Austria - the Super Bowl of alpine ski racing. On the infamous downhill track, Goldberg scored a career best fourth-place finish and Ganong grabbed a coveted spot on the podium in third - a career-goal of his. Cochran-Siegle found success in Bormio, Italy, with a fifth-place finish in the downhill and on the track in Wengen, Switzerland, he crossed the super-G finish line in sixth. 

 Tommy Ford and River Radamus will race the giant slalom event at World Cup finals and represent the U.S. tech skiers headed to Andorra. Radamus’s best result this season was a 10th place at the Alta Badia World Cup in December. Ford scored a sixth-place at the season opener in Soelden, Austria followed by a couple top-15 results, enough to secure him a spot on the finals roster.

World Cup finals are where the coveted FIS Alpine crystal globe will be awarded for each discipline, as well as the prized FIS Alpine Overall World Cup crystal globe. This season already, Mikaela Shiffrin has formally secured the overall slalom, giant slalom individual globes along with the FIS Alpine World Cup crystal globe - her fifth overall globe of her career.

This years’ World Cup Finals will also mark the end of longtime Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Travis Ganong’s ski racing career. Ganong made his formal retirement announcement prior to the speed series in Aspen, Colo., earlier this month.

 The Alpine World Cup Final races will run March 15-19.

Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team

*name, events to race

 Men’s Team:

Ryan Cochran-Siegle (downhill, super-G)
Tommy Ford (giant slalom)
Travis Ganong (downhill)
Jared Goldberg (downhill)
River Radamus (giant slalom)

Women’s Team:

Breezy Johnson (downhill)
Paula Moltzan (slalom, giant slalom)
Nina O’Brien (giant slalom)
Mikaela Shiffrin (super-G, slalom, giant slalom)
Isabella Wright (downhill)

HOW TO WATCH 

*all times in ET

Soldeu, Andorra

March 15, 2023
Women’s downhill – 6:30 a.m. (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live)
Men’s downhill – 5:00 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live)

March 16, 2023
Women’s super-G – 5:00 a.m. (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live)
Men’s super-G – 6:30 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live)

March 18, 2023
Women’s slalom – first run 5:30 a.m. // second run 8:30 a.m.  (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live))
Women’s slalom – 3 p.m. (CNBC)
Men’s giant slalom – first run 4:00 a.m. // second run 7:00 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live)

March 19, 2023
Women’s giant slalom – first run 4:00 a.m. // second run 7:00 a.m. (Peacock, skiandsnowboard.live)
Women’s giant slalom – 3 p.m. (CNBC)
Men’s slalom – first run 5:30 a.m. // second run 8:30 a.m. (skiandsnowboard.live) 

After spending more than half his life on the competitive snowboard scene, Mick Dierdorff is ready to say goodbye. The 2018 and 2022 Olympian recently announced his retirement from snowboardcross, ending his career at the Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Georgia.

31-year-old Dierdorff, a Steamboat Springs, Colorado local, has been racing at the FIS level since 2006. He competed in halfpipe and slopestyle before ultimately deciding to specialize in snowboardcross in 2007. He became a consistent presence on the NorAm podium, and was first nominated to the U.S. Snowboard Team in 2014. He broke through and found success on the World Cup circuit a few years later, landing his first podium finish at Cerro Catedral, Argentina, in 2017. Dierdorff ultimately added two more World Cup podiums to his resume in 2018 and 2021. 

His biggest triumph came in 2019, at the FIS World Championships on home soil in Utah. His years of dedication in the gym and on the race course came together, and he walked away as a double World Champion. Breaking a 14-year streak, Dierdorff became the first American man to win the individual snowboardcross title since Seth Wescott in 2005. Two days later, he did it again, winning gold with teammate Lindsey Jacobellis in the mixed team event. 

His career has been, in many ways, a love letter to his hometown of Steamboat Springs. He grew up training and competing with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, and still volunteers with the club to this day. He told Team USA’s Lisa Costantini in 2022, “I’ve been in and involved with the club my whole life. Whenever they have questions for me, I always try to be there for them. It’s something that I will always be involved with — helping out kids — for the rest of my life.” 

Speaking ahead of his first Olympic appearance in 2018, he said, “Steamboat was a very special place to grow up. The Winter Sports Club in Steamboat has a lodge at the base of Howelsen Hill and there are flags from every Olympian that has been from Steamboat. I’ve been looking at that my whole life, and I always thought how cool it would be to have my name up there. That was one of the first things that hit home when I found out I made the Olympic team: I’m finally going to have my flag up there. It’s such a good feeling.”

With his teammates, Dierdorff will be remembered as a fierce friend and leader. “Mick has always led with honesty, which can be challenging when you are competing with and against your teammates and should be commended,” said snowboardcross 2014 Olympic bronze medalist Alex Deibold. “His work ethic both on and off the hill is apparent with his track record of results. Mick has given 100%, not only in snowboarding, but also in all the fun along the way.”

For Dierdorff’s longtime friend Hagen Kearney, his retirement is bittersweet. “It’s a special thing in any career path to walk away with close friends who turn into family,” he said. “Mick and I grew together throughout our years of racing by helping each other, having the most fun and pushing each other.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt also offered congratulations on behalf of the entire team. She said, “We are so grateful for Mick’s years of dedication to the U.S. Snowboard Team, and so proud of what he has accomplished during his career. He will be remembered for his positive impact on his teammates and everyone around him, and will always be a part of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard family.”

Retirement doesn’t mean things will slow down, however. Dierdorff will stay busy planning his upcoming wedding to fiancée Katie, starting his own contracting business, and giving back to snowboarding as a coach with SSWSC. He’s ultimately at peace with his decision, and ready to move on. “I’m excited. Overall it’s for sure just a bunch of excitement. It’s been so fun,” he said. “No bad feelings… it’s been a good career and I’m ready for the next thing.”