U.S. Ski Team News - Alpine

Snow Flies on Birds of Prey

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

BEAVER CREEK, CO (Oct. 29) – Well before the recent snow storm hit the Colorado Rockies, the race crew at Beaver Creek had the guns blasting the Audi Birds of Prey slope ensuring incredible conditions for the Dec. 4-6 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup event.

"Early snow and cold temperatures have come right at the start of the traditional snowmaking period and give the Beaver Creek team a great head start in the preparation of the Birds of Prey race course," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Vice President, Events Calum Clark. "The buzz of excitement can be felt throughout the Birds of Prey family, from race workers and volunteers to U.S. Ski Team athletes and coaches."

Beaver Creek snowmaker Eric Borre checks the Flyway on the upper part of the Birds of Prey race course. The resort opens Nov. 25 with the Audi Birds of Prey race week set for Dec. 4-6. (Beaver Creek Resort)

Harnessing that excitement is two-time Birds of Prey downhill podium finisher Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT), who has received the green light from U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Medical Director Richard Quincy to begin his on-snow preparation following a double knee scope in early summer. Nyman will travel to Colorado on Nov. 1 with teammate TJ Lanning (Park City, UT) to begin training for the start of World Cup speed season.

"There's nothing like racing in Beaver Creek," said Nyman. "It's our time to shine on our race hill. And thanks to the work that NBC and Universal Sports have done, it gets bigger and bigger each year. With this being an Olympic year, it should be especially exciting."

As the only men's World Cup stop in America prior to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Birds of Prey provides the best opportunity for U.S. fans to see the U.S. Ski Team and the world's top racers prior to the Feb. 12 Opening Ceremonies.

"Beaver Creek is the most well rounded hill on the World Cup circuit," said Nyman. "From jumps, to steeps to high speed turns, there's nothing like racing Birds. It also probably compares closest to the Olympic hill at Whistler more than any other World Cup. It's going to be a good tune up."

American men own 15 podiums at Beaver Creek since 2003 with Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) accounting for three of those victories, plus an additional two more top-three finishes. Miller plans to race in Beaver Creek en route to what he hopes to be his fourth Olympic Winter Games. Olympic combined champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) has added three Birds podiums to the tally including a second in last winter's giant slalom.

"We're taking advantage of every opportunity that Mother Nature provides to ensure that the Birds of Prey racecourse is in outstanding condition when the world arrives in Beaver Creek for the 2009 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week," explained Michael Imhof, Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation. "Our partners at Vail Resorts are among the best in the world at preparing race courses and I have no doubt that this fact will again be reflected with a superb week of racing on Birds of Prey."

The Audi Birds of Prey downhill will air Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC with replay Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. ET on Versus followed by super combined at 5 p.m. ET. Versus will also air giant slalom on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. ET.

Additionally Universal Sports will stream the super combined and giant slalom live at www.UniversalSports.com.

2009 Audi Birds of Prey Schedule (all times local)
Thursday, Dec. 3
5:30 p.m. MT: Public Bib Presentation and U.S. Ski Team autograph signing

Friday, Dec, 4
11 a.m. MT: Super Combined - downhill, 2:30 p.m. Super Combined - slalom

Saturday, Dec. 5
11 a.m. MT: Downhill

Sunday, Dec. 6
9:45 a.m. MT: Giant Slalom run one, 12:45 p.m. Giant Slalom run two

For complete information on the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week, check out www.bcworldcup.com.

Vonn Lights Up Tonight Show

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

BURBANK, CA (Oct. 29) - Two-time World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) lit up the stage Wednesday night on NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. Sitting between the late night icon and star actor Chris O'Donnell, Vonn chatted about the upcoming Olympics, her family of cows in Austria and driving her U.S. Ski Team Audi on the German autobahn. Check out the clips:

Part One

Part Two

Next stop for Vonn is Vail, CO for on snow training prior to the Nov. 14 Audi FIS World Cup slalom in Levi, Finland followed by the Aspen Winternational set for Thanksgiving weekend in Aspen, CO.

Vonn on Tonight Show with Conan Wednesday

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

BURBANK, CA (Oct. 27) – Two-time Audi FIS Alpine World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) joins actor Chris O'Donnell and musical guest Uncle Kracker Wednesday to highlight NBC's The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.

The program airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC.

Directly off the plane from the World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria Vonn's brief stop in Burbank continues her incredible alpine skiing promotional tour that began last March with her first of many appearances on NBC's TODAY Show.

In between, she's made stops in Boston, New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis and San Francisco signing autographs, attending the Emmy's, touring the set of Law and Order and even throwing out the first pitch at the famed Wrigley Field.

A World Champion in skiing and time management, Vonn hasn't sacrificed her training and maintains a rigorous work out schedule regardless of geographic location. The hard work paid off as she matched her 2008 result with a ninth place in the opening Soelden, Austria World Cup giant slalom last weekend.

Up next is a training block in Vail, CO prior to flying to Levi, Finland, site of Vonn's inaugural World Cup slalom victory, for the second stop on the World Cup "white circus." The lone U.S. stop is set for Thanksgiving weekend with the Aspen Winternational in Aspen, CO.

Episode highlights, including Vonn's segment will be available after Wednesday's show at http://www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/.

Ligety 3rd Straight Soelden Podium

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 25) - Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) kicked off the 2010 Olympic season in a huge way as he shredded his way to a second-place podium finish during the Audi FIS World Cup opener in Soelden Sunday. It marked the third year in a row Ligety has finished on the podium in Soelden.

Ted Ligety happy after a second-place finish in Soelden (Tom Kelly/USSA)

"This is the toughest year I've raced in Soelden. It hasn't been that many years, but today was super bumpy and pretty variable snow. I was psyched to make it down and get second, so it was definitely a good day," Ligety said. "I'm super psyched with how I am skiing and it's a good way to start out the season."

Ligety, who also finished the first run in second was flanked by the Swiss on both sides of the podium. Defending World Cup GS champion Didier Cuche won by .60 seconds and reigning GS World Champion Carlo Janka finished third, trailing .35 behind.

"Soelden is always a little different every year just because it's the first race of the year and you don't really know how fast you're skiing. You have to psych yourself up all that much more because you have no idea if you're fast or not, but luckily I was able to step up and have good races," Ligety said. "I felt like I was skiing great. I still had some mistakes, but everyone has mistakes every run, so it's not too big of a deal there."

It was the first race back for Ligety who suffered a late season knee injury in March 2009. Ligety made an incredibly swift recovery thanks to hours spent rehabilitating at the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's Center of Excellence in Park City, UT over the summer.

"The spring was definitely the most boring I've had in a while. I was basically immobile for about six weeks and then headed straight into rehab full time," Ligety said. "It's great to have a facility like that - it's pretty key, especially when we get injured. But it's also great to have a place where everything we need for dryland training is taken care of."

The U.S. Ski Team's Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) almost pushed into the second run, finishing 31st - one spot ahead of World Cup rookie Tommy Ford (Bend, OR), skiing his first World Cup. Jitloff missed the cut by two-tenths with Ford .06 behind his teammate.

"Jitloff's been skiing a lot better than he performed today.," Men's Alpine Head Coach Sasha Rearick said. "He was expecting more, he wasn't just focused on what he needs to do to ski fast. We're going to go back and work on that."

Smart racing was the key component of Ford's performance in his first World Cup that had Rearick excited about where the young athlete will go.

"Tommy Ford, I'll tell you what, that was a hell of a performance. First World Cup and he came out and skied in the race just like he does in training," Rearick said. "He did get tossed around once in the chop and got off line on three gates, but he was smart on the delays and in the next seven gates I think he skied better than anyone else in the race. To be able to play forward like that at 20 years of age and in your first World Cup is a tremendous performance."

According to Rearick, being able to race without trying too hard was what got Ford on the cusp of qualifying for the second run.

"The only thing I said to Tommy today, and the coaching staff has said it for a while, is to just go out there and ski," Rearick said. "Some guys want to go to race - they want to put more effort and put in that something extra. But when you have to compete on your biggest day, you have to try less hard. He did that today and I am very proud of what he did."

With the first World Cup of the season completed, the Men's Alpine Team will stay in Europe to train for races in Levi, Finland.

"It's kind of a busy schedule," said Ligety. "But it's fun. We have a good group of guys on the Team and our coaches are a lot of fun to work with, so I'm looking forward to it."

The next GS of the season will be in Beaver Creek at the Audi Birds of Prey, when the World Cup circuit converges on the Colorado Rockies for the only three days of alpine action in the U.S. prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Soelden, Austria - Oct. 25, 2009
Men's Giant Slalom

1. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 2:21.45
2. Ted Ligety, Park City, UT, 2:22.05
3. Carlo Janka, Switzerland, 2:22.40
4. Massimilliano Blardone, Italy, 2:22.41
5. Benjamin Raich, Austria, 2:22.90
6. Kjetil Jansrud, Norway, 2:23.27
7. Jean-Baptiste Grange, France, 2:23.87
8. Davide Simoncelli, Italy, 2:24.03
9. Jean-Philippe Roy, Canada, 2:24.08
10. Cyprien Richard, France, 2:24.13
-
31. Tim Jitloff, Reno, NV, 1:13.34
32. Tommy Ford, Bend, OR, 1:13.40
37. Jake Zamansky, Aspen, CO, 1:14.08
54. Warner Nickerson, Gilford, NH, 1:16.06
# # #

Ligety and his U.S. Ski Team coaches, staff, VP, Athletics Luke Bodensteiner, and USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt celebrate after a great World Cup finish. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt cheers Ted Ligety on in Soelden. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

Ted Ligety: Fun Facts

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 25) - Ted Ligety (Park CIty, UT) grew up ski racing on the Park City Ski Team, motivated as a youngster by the great stars of the sport who competed in the America's Opening World Cup. The Olympic combined champion continues to be one of the best in the world in giant slalom. Here's a few fun facts about Ted Ligety.

Ted Ligety Fun Facts

Grew up racing on the Park City Ski Team
Won Olympic alpine combined gold in Torino at the age of 21
Won the 2008 season GS title in the Audi FIS World Cup
Battled 2009 champion Didier Cuche down to the wire last year
Second in Soelden was his third straight podium in the annual Audi FIS World Cup opener
It was the 17th podium of his World Cup career
He has four World Cup wins, all in GS
His last win was in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia last Feb. 28
His first win came in Yongpyong, Korea in March, 2006

Ligety Shreds to 2nd in Opening Run

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 25) - Ted Ligety shredded his way to second in the first run as the Audi FIS World Cup opened for the men in Soelden Sunday. Swiss Didier Cuche, starting first, is the first run leader with a .36 second margin over Ligety. The American absolutely tore up the top of the course, but touched down twice on the steep top pitches. Despite those bobbles, he carried the fastest time through the first two intermediate timing marks, but could not match Cuche's perfection on the rolly flats at the bottom. Second run is set for 7:45 a.m. ET and will be carried live on UniversalSports.com.

The U.S. Ski Team's Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) almost snuck into the second run, finishing 31st - one spot ahead of World Cup rookie Tommy Ford (Bend, OR), skiing his first World Cup. Jitloff missed the cut by two-tenths.

Ted Ligety talks to a film crew in the finish of the Audi FIS World Cup opener. (U.S. Ski Team)

Vonn Sound in World Cup Opener

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, AUT (Oct. 24) - Two-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), kicked off the Olympic season in Austria Saturday matching her previous year's results in Soelden with a solid ninth place GS finish in the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup opener. The finish will be the first of many as the World Champion looks to defend her title in 2010.

Lindsey Vonn charges down the Rettenbach Glacier in the Audi FIS World Cup opener. (Getty Images-AFP/Joe Klamar)

Finnish racer Tanja Poutianen won the race just .01 seconds ahead of Austrian Kathrin Zettel. Denise Karbon of Italy was third.

With over 5,000 fans at the glacier cheering her on, Vonn, who had finished eighth in the first run, skied consistently and was happy to match her Soelden finish from last season.

"I'm just out there trying to do the best I can every day," said Vonn. "In GS, all that's important is that I get to the finish and I get some points and stay ahead of the right people. It's in the speed disciplines that I go really fast and hopefully get some big points."

According to Vonn, while her finish was consistent, she has made strides in GS that should be visible throughout the season.

"I think I've made some progress with GS," she said. "You may not have seen it today, but I'm training well," Vonn said. "I just need to get some more miles on the equipment. But I definitely haven't lost anything. The equipment (Head) is working very well and if anything I think I'm skiing much better."

Vonn, who will head to her hometown of Vail, CO to train, has her sights set firmly on the slalom in Levi, Finland where she won her first World Cup slalom last season.

Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) just made the finals finishing 30th in the first run. Schleper missed an opportunity to capitalize on having a clean course, but was happy to be in the points in 24th. After missing the 2007 and 2008 World Cup season's from injury and the birth of her son Lasse, Schleper is in outstanding shape and focused on making her fourth Olympics.

Olympic champion Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who finished 21st in the first run, was also looking poised to compete for a top finishing spot. After one of the best intervals near the start, Mancuso got caught up on a right turn and went out.

According to Mancuso, some equipment issues and confidence had a lot to do with how she finished Saturday. She switched skis between runs to a shorter pair hoping to capitalize on more mobility on the turny Soelden course.

"I'm still a little confused on what skis to race on. I have some longer ones and some shorter ones," Mancuso said. "The first run was solid, not super fast - it was OK. But I felt a lot better going into the second run. I went out and had a good start. But, it's tough to get confidence back after my season last year."

Austrian Nicole Hosp, who won the overall title three seasons ago, went down hard in the second run. According to the Austrian Team, she was airlifted to a hospital where she underwent right knee surgery and is expected to be out for the season. Hosp is the last women to win the World Cup overall title prior to Vonn's back-to-back titles.

The 2010 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup opener continues in Soelden on Sunday. Watch live on UniversalSports.com. Plus, you can follow updates and features on Twitter.com/usskiteam and Facebook.com/usskiteam.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2010 AUDI FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP
Soelden, Austria - Oct. 24, 2009
Women's Giant Slalom

1. Tanja Poutianen, Finland, 2:24.96
2. Kathrin Zettel, Austria, 2:24.97
3. Denise Karbon, Italy, 2:25.28
4. Tina Maze, Slovenia, 2:25.80
5. Maria Pietilae-Holmner, Sweden, 2:25.84
6. Anja Paerson, Sweden, 2:25.91
7. Kathrin Hoelzl, Germany, 2:26.16
8. Viktoria Rebensburg, Germany, 2:26.28
9. Lindsey Vonn, Vail, CO, 2:26.35
10. Camilla Alfieri, Italy, 2:26.43
-
24. Sarah Schleper, Vail, CO, 2:29.61
-
41. Resi Stiegler, Jackson Hole, WY, 1:17.09
51. Jessica Kelley, Starksboro, VT, 1:17.90
-
DNF1: Megan McJames, Park City, UT
DNF2: Julia Mancuso, Olympic Valley, CA
# # #

Lindsey Vonn, happy with her new equipment following the season opening World Cup in Soelden. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

Julia Mancuso following the World Cup in Soelden. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

Fog blankets the valley on a bright World Cup race day in Soelden. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

Fans show up in Austria to cheer the U.S. Team on. (Tom Kelly/USSA)

Vonn Leads U.S. in Soelden

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, AUT (Oct. 24) - Two-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), kicked off the Olympic season in Soelden Saturday with a solid first run in the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup opener that put her in good position for the giant slalom finals as she looks to defend her title in 2010.

Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) and Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) also made the final cut. You can watch the action live as the second run kicks off at 7:15 a.m. ET on UnivesalSports.com. Plus, you can follow updates and features on Twitter.com/usskiteam and Facebook.com/usskiteam.

Lindsey Vonn talks to TV after the first run in Soelden. (Tom Kelly/U.S. Ski Team)

Raceday in Soelden

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 24) - Defending champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and teammates pushed through heavy for on the drive up to the Rettenbach Glacier, but as the sun dawned on early morning inspection, skies turned blue as the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup prepared for its opener with the women's giant slalom. While skies were clear, course crews were busy pushing 6-8 inches of fresh snow from the steep glacier course - considered the toughest on the women's tour - and a 30-minute delay was posted. Start time is now 10:15 a.m. local time. You can watch the action live on UnivesalSports.com. Plus, you can follow updates and features on Twitter.com/usskiteam and Facebook.com/usskiteam.

A twisty-turny mountain road snakes through the clouds to the glacier. (Tom Kelly/U.S. Ski Team)

Soldiers remove snow from the race stadium. (Tom Kelly/U.S. Ski Team)

Dawn comes over the mountain on the Rettenbach Glacier. (Tom Kelly/U.S. Ski Team)

Vonn Honored by International Journalists

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, AUT (Oct. 22) - Two time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) stood before a room of over 150 international journalists Thursday night in Soelden to accept the "Skieur d’Or 2009," or "Golden Ski," an award given annually by the International Association of Ski Journalists.

Lindsey Vonn was honored by journalists. (U.S. Ski Team)

By winning the award, Vonn became the first American since Phil Mahre over 25 years ago and just the 10th women since 1963 to be elected. Ballot voting for the award closed Thursday for the award, which is also known as the Serge Lang Trophy named after long-time AIJS president and founder of the World Cup.

"I'm really honored to receive this award," Vonn said. "Journalists are an important part of telling the story of our sport. So, to receive an award like this from the International Association of Ski Journalists makes it even more meaningful."

The downhill and super G World Champion, accompanied by her husband Thomas, took time to do interviews with the press following the event, which was held two nights before the World Cup season opener in Austria.

To win, Vonn trumped 2008 winner Aksel Lund Svindal from Norway. Several other skiers like Didier Cuche, Carlo Janka, Daniel Albrecht and Hermann Maier also received votes from journalists from around the globe.

Vonn, who has been racing since 2001 on the World Cup tour, earned the trophy after her spectacular past season during which she celebrated a total of nine World Cup wins in four disciplines and set a new U.S. women's career record with 22 World Cup victories.

"Lindsey, Aksel Lund and all the other skiers proposed this year by our colleagues are not only great athletes but also role models in their way to approach and practice their sport and we are very happy that a women of her caliber will receive that award this year at Soelden," said Patrick Lang, Vice-President of the AIJS and son of founder Serge Lang. "She is also a very graceful person with a nice smile for all her fans."

"There are not many women in the history of our sport who have been tougher and more demanding with themselves than Lindsey Vonn, who is truly an international star appreciated in all ski countries," Lang continued. "The fact that she also dedicated much time learning to speak German in order to communicate with her numerous fans in Europe and the German-speaking reporters is another example of her permanent search for perfection and her professionalism. We all wish her another successful season and as much fun as possible on the slopes and in her private life."

Indeed, in earlier press conferences with Head skis and U.S. Ski Team partner Audi, as well as her AIJS award, Vonn spoke perfect German - much to the delight of the Austrian media and fans.

Now, Vonn's sights are set on the season's first World Cup competition - a giant slalom in Soelden, Austria. Watch live Saturday and Sunday on UniversalSports.com or catch it at 10 a.m. ET on Universal Sports TV. Check local listings.

World Cup Notes: Soelden #1

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

Doug Haney is the alpine press officer for the U.S. Ski Team. During the winter he can be found anywhere the alpine competition circuit may take him. From Soelden to Kitzbuehel and Beaver Creek, Doug's job involves hundreds of hours every winter season with the men's and women's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. The following are his personal notes from the race hills.

Guten Morgen Alpine Fans!

It's less than 48 hours to the start of the 2010 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup season, which offers plenty o' time for me to get you up to speed with everything U.S. Ski Team back logged to last May. Take breaks if needed:

Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) has most people wondering if she's a robot. Seriously. After winning her second straight World Cup overall title, fifth WC globe and two World Champs gold medals, she went to Alaska - signed a million autographs (enough to run the length of the Yukon) and won another U.S. title. This time slalom.

She celebrated with a trip to NYC for TV appearances...went to LA for, well more TV appearances and some special time with NBC...took a trip to Mexico with BFF and Numero Uno competitor Maria Riesch of Germany...hung out in Austria training with Red Bull...spent the month of August in New Zealand testing some new skis...signed some nice sponsorship deals, one of which included a big party in Vail ... went to Chile for September and shredded the DH training slope...departed on a six city tour (LA, Aspen, NYC, Bean Town, Chicago, and Minneapolis) to sign more autographs, toss out a Cubbie first pitch and then packed her bags for Austria. I think somewhere in there she saw a few tennis matches and took in the Emmys.

Breathe, someone please stop the spins.

She's been in Austria since Oct. 5, signing more autographs, doing more TV shows, training like a mad women and excited to start racing. We're having lunch in a minute...I'll let you know what she orders.

Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) opened up the shiny new Center of Excellence in Park City in early June by testing every piece of exercise and physical therapy equipment known to man (and probably some top secret stuff just invented by Sports Science el jefe Troy Flanagan). His March knee injury didn't last long and Shred was back on snow in New Zealand by August and ripping the downhill boards by September in Chile. Earlier that month he took a trip to NYC to kick Natalie Morales' butt in tennis for the TODAY Show, so the knee must be good. While there he also hung with the NY Times and took in the now infamous Serena Williams match at the U.S. Open.

After a quick trip to the Shred Factory (new goggle, sunglass and helmet line is out - go get it, kids) in Venice with teammate Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO), he arrived in Soelden today and thinks a third podium in three tries at Soelden would be a good way to start the season. I agree.

We'll see what sort of bets he's made with his ski technician for this season at the Audi Presser tonight.

Bode Miller (Franconia, NH), that's right Bode Miller, is rolling with the U.S. Ski Team again and having a good time of it too. Following a summer hanging with his daughter, celeb golf tourneys, an trip to the Bahamas to nearly win SuperStars again and some chill time in NH to lay out his organic garden, he's recharged for skiing. It's about time this guy took a break after 13 World Cup seasons rarely missing a start.

His first time back on snow since February was early this month in Saas Fee, Switzerland. Over 20 days on snow later and he's feeling good, skiing well, having fun with the Team and hoping to join the World Cup by Levi in mid Nov. Sorry gang, no start here in Soelden. Good on ya Bode, glad to have you back.

Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA) is also back and when I say back, I mean her back is healed and feeling good. Jules doesn't sugar coat things and will strait up tell you last season was not so sweet - well, she did http://wcsnblogs.com/skiing/juliamancuso. She spent two full months in Hawaii working on her health and fitness then killed it at New Zealand and Chile training camps.

Coaches report a Super Jules that's stronger, happier and skiing better than ever before - better than her World Cup overall title run in '07. She's been hanging in Saas Fee, Switzerland training along side the men's Team and rolled to Soelden earlier this week. She's been on the podium here and dag nab it, she can be up there again.

There's also a full cast of other characters here in Soelden including Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), Tommy Ford (Bend, OR), Warner Nickerson (Gilford, NH) and Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO). Plus Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY), Megan McJames (Park City, UT), Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) and Jessica Kelley (Starksboro, VT). BUT, I'll get you up to speed on them tomorrow. Call it a cliff hanger of sorts.

World Cup Notes are back...

Onward,

doug

Stiegler, Kelley, Nickerson to Start Soelden

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 21) – The U.S. Ski Team finalized their starting lineup for Saturday's 2010 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup kick off with Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY) Jessica Kelley (Starksboro, VT) and Warner Nickerson (Gilford, NH) receiving the green light for the annual giant slalom opener.

Following a string of injuries Stiegler rocketed to a top 20 slalom finish at the 2009 Audi FIS Alpine World Championships and will start only her second race since December of 2007. Kelley is also on the mend from injury and will get her second consecutive start in Soelden.

The pair joins two-time World Cup overall champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO), 2006 Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), World Cup winner Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO) and Megan McJames (Park City, UT).

"We've had a good preparation period and now it's time to see how the Team can execute," said women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "This race is always the first gauge for every Team and every athlete."

Nickerson, who posted a bronze medal GS performance at the 2009 Nature Valley U.S. Alpine Championships snagged the final men's spot by winning a best-of-three run time trial over Dane Spencer (Boise, ID). He will race along side World Championships bronze medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO) and Tommy Ford (Bend, OR).

It will be the first World Cup start since 2006 for the former NCAA All-American.

"I put down a pretty solid run on the top and really nailed the line coming onto the flats," said Nickerson. "It hasn’t quite set in, but I’m just psyched to still be skiing and ready for whatever comes."

Live timing will be available Saturday and Sunday at www.fis-ski.com starting at 3:45 a.m. ET followed by the second run at 7:45 a.m. ET.

Additionally, Universal Sports will broadcast same-day coverage of both races at 10 a.m. ET on their 24-hour television network with on-demand streaming also available later each day on UniversalSports.com.

Vonn, Ligety Fired Up for Soelden

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 20) – The U.S. Ski Team's Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) has a pretty good run going at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup opener. The 2006 Olympic combined gold medalist has finished in the Soelden top 3 each of the last two seasons with 2008 propelling him to the World Cup giant slalom title and 2009 paving the way for a World Championships bronze medal.

"I'm skiing stronger at this point in the year than I ever have," said Ligety, who has completely recovered from a late March knee injury. "We skied a ton more GS at the Portillo speed camp this season and that was a big help. My knee feels great and I'm excited to get things going."

Joining Ligety in the gate at Soelden is Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV), who popped a career best World Cup result at Soelden last season then transformed that into a giant slalom fifth in Sestriere, Italy later in the season for a new personal best. Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO) also had a banner year in 2009, scoring World Cup giant slalom points three times and earning back a slot on the U.S. Ski Team. Sunday's race will mark the fifth time he has started in Soelden.

Also in the blocks are Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) and a racer to be named following a time trial set for early this week in Saas Fee, Switzerland. According to men's U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Sasha Rearick, the top 100 giant slalom racers in the U.S. are invited to start the time trial for a shot to race in Soelden. Among the hopefuls are Dane Spencer (Boise, ID) and Warner Nickerson (Gilford, NH).

"Tommy deserves to start in Soelden," said Rearick. "He's skied so strong throughout the summer camps and has shown tremendous improvement in GS. This will be his first World Cup start and it will be exciting to see what he can do with it."

With five World Cup titles to her credit and two World Championship gold medals in 2009, Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) also has a good thing going. Yet, this time around Soelden marks the start of Vonn's quest to add a giant slalom podium to her resume. She has a number of top 10 finishes in GS, including a career best fourth at the Aspen Winternational last winter, yet has not finished better than ninth in Soelden.

"It's on the list of goals for the season," said Vonn. "But I do have a pretty long list. I can say that I'm feeling better than I ever have on my giant slalom skis. They felt so comfortable the first time I clicked into them in New Zealand and that hasn't changed. I still have some more testing to do to get everything right, but I'm ready for Soelden."

Also geared up for the World Cup start is 2006 Olympic GS gold medalist Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who spent the last week and a half fine tuning things in Saas Fee training directly along side the U.S. men.

"We're really encouraged with Julia's preparation this year," said women's Head Coach Jim Tracy. "She is healthy and feeling strong on her skis, plus she's hungry and ready to get things started. Sarah [Schleper, Vail, CO] is also ripping in GS right now. We'll have a good group in there."

Megan McJames (Park City, UT), who scored a personal best 14th in Soelden last season, will also start for the U.S. women along with two other athletes to be named later this week.

"It's full-on winter here," said women's Technical Head Coach Trevor Wagner. "It's been staying really cold and snowing quite a bit. There's a total green line across the valley where the snow ends and the grass begins, but the conditions up on the glacier are awesome."

Festivities in Soelden kick off Friday with a bib draw for the top 10 women's GS racers including Vonn before steamrolling through the weekend with race action beginning with the women on Saturday and men on Sunday.

Universal Sports will broadcast same-day coverage of both races at 10 a.m. ET on their 24-hour television network with on-demand streaming also available later each day on UniversalSports.com.

Loveland Hosts Women's Development Team

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

LOVELAND, CO (Oct. 19) – A hefty helping of fall snow on the Continental Divide proved to be more than enough to entice the women's U.S. Ski Team Development Coach John Hale to reroute the Team's training plan to Loveland Ski Area. The Team headed last minute to Loveland on Oct. 12 for a training camp.

"We were all set to fly to Austria for camps in Soelden and Pitztal," said Hale. "But when we heard the snow reports in Colorado, the plan quickly changed and I made a call to Loveland to book some training lanes."

Loveland's response was immediate.

"They said we already have you down," explained Hale, "then I asked if we could come a little bit earlier."

Loveland didn't hesitate and women's Development Team athletes Vanessa Berther (Bellevue, WA), Felicia Byers (Sandy, UT), Greta Byrne (Medford, NJ), Devin Delaney (North Conway, NH), Anna Marno (Steamboat Springs, CO), Lauren Samuels (Golden Valley, MN) and invitee Foreste Peterson (Squaw Valley, CA) quickly shifted travel plans to Colorado.

"They really bent over backwards to make some lanes available for us," said Hale. "We did some free skiing as soon as we arrived and the snow is totally wall to wall without a rock in site. This is easily the earliest we've ever been on snow in Colorado."

Though the Development Team is only scheduled to be at Loveland through Oct. 23, the U.S. Ski Team World Cup and Europa Cup Teams will be moving in and out of training at Loveland throughout the month of November. Loveland is also set to open the 2010 NorAm Cup series with four slalom races Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

"We are excited to be hosting athletes from the U.S. Ski Team and are proud of our team here at Loveland for making it possible so early in the season," said Loveland Ski Area Marketing Director John Sellers. "It is an honor that they chose to train here over other places in the world."

Both the U.S. men's and women's technical Teams will utilize Loveland for training prior to the U.S. stops of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup.

Women's giant slalom and slalom are set for Thanksgiving Weekend during the Aspen Winternational in nearby Aspen, CO, while the men are featured during the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week Dec. 4-6 in Beaver Creek. The 2010 World Cup calendar and Olympic qualification cycle opens Oct. 24 in Soelden, Austria with women's giant slalom, followed by a men's GS on Oct. 25.

"Loveland provides a great opportunity for this junior women's Team to get the early training they need," said U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Competition Services Director Walt Evans. "This is particularly important in a year like this where the junior need to peak so early. The World Juniors are in early February, a month earlier than normal. Loveland has been very helpful in keeping this group on track."

Multimedia:
Footage of the women's Development Team training at Loveland is available at the U.S. Ski Team's YouTube channel (link: www.youtube.com/usskiteam).

Birds Schedule Shifts to Primetime

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 19) - The Audi Birds of Prey Race Week scheduled for Dec. 4-6 in Beaver Creek, CO announced a schedule shift as organizers, sponsors and FIS officials collaborated to bring America's men's alpine World Cup event to a bigger global audience.

Originally slated to open with the Birds of Prey downhill on Friday, the event will now kick off with super combined, followed by the treacherous Birds of Prey downhill on Saturday and giant slalom on Sunday. The move allows European broadcasters to air the entire men's super combined during prime air times, resulting in a significantly increased audience for Beaver Creek, a candidate for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

The U.S. Ski Team has a storied record of success in Beaver Creek with 15 podiums, including five wins since 2003. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) accounts for three of those victories, plus an additional two more top three finishes, while Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT) have multiple top 3 finishes at Birds.

The Audi Birds of Prey downhill will air Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC with replay Sunday, Dec. 13 at 4 p.m. ET on Versus followed by super combined at 5 p.m. ET. Versus will also air giant slalom on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. ET.

Additionally Universal Sports will stream the super combined and giant slalom live at www.UniversalSports.com.

2009 Audi Birds of Prey Schedule (all times local)
Thursday, Dec. 3
5:30 p.m. MT: Public Bib Presentation and U.S. Ski Team autograph signing

Friday, Dec, 4
11 a.m. MT: Men's super combined - downhill, 2:30 p.m. men's super combined - slalom

Saturday, Dec. 5
11 a.m. MT: Downhill

Sunday, Dec. 6
9:45 a.m. MT: Men's giant slalom run one, 12:45 p.m. men's giant slalom run two

For complete information on the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week, check out www.bcworldcup.com.

Soelden Confirmed to Open Alpine World Cup

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SOELDEN, Austria (Oct. 16) – The 2010 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup schedule will open as planned Oct. 24-25 with men's and women's giant slalom races high atop the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden.

Officials from the FIS confirmed the program Friday following the final snow control inspection of the race slope. Initial mild temperatures in the Austrian Alps broke last weekend bringing snow and colder temperatures allowing race officials to supplement the natural snow with enough man-made snow to thoroughly cover the slope and ensure the annual World Cup opener will happen in Soelden.

Chilean Andes to European Glaciers

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 15) – It's been a busy late summer for the women's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Following a speed camp in Portillo, Chile the focus moved a few Andean valleys over for a technical camp in Valle Nevado. The name of the game: repetition.

"We eat, ski, sleep, eat, ski, hydrate, sleep, then do it again the next day," said Resi Stiegler (Jackson Hole, WY). "We had an awesome camp. The main focus was to get lots of runs under our belt, test out our endurance and just ski. No matter how hard you work all summer strengthening, there is nothing like skiing."

Joining Stiegler for the Valle Nevado camp was Julia Mancuso (Olympic Valley, CA), who was also in Portillo for the speed camp, Sarah Schleper (Vail, CO), Megan McJames (Park City, UT), Hailey Duke (Boise, ID), Kaylin Richardson (Edina, MN), Jessica Kelley (Starksboro, VT), Sterling Grant (Amery, WI) and Laurenne Ross (Klamath Falls, OR).

"Every year it seems like we say the Chile camps are the best they've ever been, but this one was exceptionally good," said women's Technical Head Coach Trevor Wagner. "Valle Nevado is such a perfect venue for us because we're able to get in so much skiing, there are seven different slopes for us to train giant slalom and at least five for us to train slalom. All of them challenge the girls in different ways, which is good for keeping them thinking."

Both technical and speed Teams now move to Europe for glacier training with the speed women setting up shop in Pitztal, Austria while the tech group heads to Saas Fee, Switzerland. Members of both groups, including two-time World Champion Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Mancuso will converge on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden, Austria mid month for last minute training prior to the World Cup opener on Oct. 24.

"I'm really excited to get things going in Austria," said Vonn, while attending the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's New England Ball in Boston, MA. "The time we have on snow this summer is so critical and everything is feeling really good right now, but you never know where you really are until we start racing."

Following the Portillo speed camp, Vonn hit the jet-set tour the last few weeks of Sept. attending the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles followed by filming television commercial for sponsors Under Armour and Proctor and Gamble. She also slotted in an appearance at the NBC's TODAY show, signed autographs for fans and then headed to Boston for the Ball. Then it was off to Chicago to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field and up to Minnesota for an autograph session in Minneapolis with her home mountain of Vail, CO.

Despite the schedule, she was able to keep her daily workouts running and says she's all set to get things rolling in Europe.

"Everyone is in great shape going into our final on-snow training before Soelden and Levi [Finland]," added Wagner. "We still have some more time to put in and the conditions are looking pretty good for training right now at Saas Fee, hopefully the speed Team has similar conditions at Pitztal."

Following Soelden and Levi, the U.S. Ski Team will return to the U.S. for training in Colorado prior to the annual Aspen Winternational set for Thanksgiving weekend in Aspen, CO. It is the only women's World Cup stop in the U.S. prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Miller Happy to be Back on Snow

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

SAAS-FEE, Switzerland (Oct. 15) – Following one day of freeskiing, two-time World Cup overall champion Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) was back to running gates early last week with the U.S. Ski Team in Saas-Fee.

"I'm really happy to be back on snow and skiing with the guys again," said Miller, who stepped back from racing following the February Audi FIS Alpine World Ski Championships for the first time in 13 seasons. "This is the first time I've been to Saas-Fee and it's probably the best glacier I've ever been on in Europe. The surface is really hard, the terrain is great and I'm having fun."

Miller arrived in Saas-Fee following a day of boot fitting with his equipment supplier Head in Austria. He said that while it felt good to be running gates, much of his time in Saas-Fee will be fine-tuning his equipment for the season.

"Head is a great company with extremely innovative products of which I've been able to be a part of the design process," said Miller. "So much of my passion for skiing comes from innovation. Both Head and the U.S. Ski Team have super forward thinking things going on and it's motivating to be part of it right now."

While Miller did say that he's easing back into skiing and isn't taking anything full speed yet, U.S. Ski Team Men's Technical Head Coach Rudi Soulard said he's happy with what Miller is able to do in the first few days at Saas-Fee.

"It's pretty early to say and Bode was probably a little sore after skiing today, but he's really happy to be skiing and it's good to have him back on snow with the guys," said Soulard. "I set a slalom course on the steeps and Bode jumped right in. He's doing a lot of equipment testing, but he made some good turns."

Also currently training in Saas-Fee is Jimmy Cochran (Keene, NH), Tim Kelley (Starksboro, VT), Paul McDonald (Bellevue, WA), Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT), David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO), Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV).

"We have a really good group of guys here right now and we're already seeing some positive things happening," said Soulard.

While he has not set a return to competition date, he hopes to be ready for the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week in Beaver Creek, CO Dec. 4-6, possibly sooner.

The men's World Cup opens Oct. 25 with the traditional giant slalom in Soelden, Austria with the only American World Cup stop prior to the Olympics slated for Beaver Creek. Ligety opened the last season with giant slalom podiums at both Soelden and Beaver Creek.

For photos of the Team training in Saas-Fee click here.

Men's Speed Says Adios Portillo

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

PARK CITY, UT (Oct. 7) – The men's U.S. Alpine Ski Team literally closed skiing in the Southern Hemisphere last weekend as Portillo, Chile locked down their ski season on the final day of the men's speed camp.

"Portillo is such an awesome place for us to work on speed," said Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (Park City, UT), who trained downhill for the first time since injuring his knee in March. "It's been a while since I've spent some time with my long boards, but everything feels perfect. I feel like I'm going 100 percent."

The two-week session comprised of downhill, super G and giant slalom training was extremely productive says speed Head Coach Chris Brigham as the Team warped through morning sessions. Most combined discipline training in order to maximize time while the snow was still hard.

"These are hands down the best conditions we've ever had in Portillo," said Brigham, who's entering his 16th season with the U.S. Ski Team. "Normally we can't ski on one side of the valley towards the second week, but it was super cold at night which made for incredible downhill and super G training for all the guys. They're all still learning more about their equipment, but everyone did a great job capitalizing on every run."

Clicking in each morning was Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Scott Macartney (Crystal Mountain, WA), Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID), Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY), Jeremy Transue (Hunter, NY) and Tommy Ford (Bend, OR). Ligety and Jake Zamansky (Aspen, CO) attended the first portion of the camp before catching some rest at home prior to glacier training at Saas Fee, Switzerland in early Oct. Tommy Biesemeyer (Keene, NY) was also on snow early in the camp before returning to the U.S. with a knee injury.

A big part of the Portillo camp is getting all the guys through a regular World Cup race day schedule in the form of an intersquad downhill and super G. Instead of World Cup points, the winners earn a symbolic Condor Cup title, named after one of the lifts at Portillo.

"Tommy Ford took the super G and Weibrecht won the overall Condor Cup as the fastest guy through both downhill and super G," said Brigham. "We also got TJ [Lanning, Park City, UT] back for the second week, so we're close to having the full group back together."

Lanning had been sidelined with an ACL tear since a crash last January in Kitzbuehel, Austria and was recently cleared to ski by U.S. Ski Team Medical Director Richard Quincy following a very successful rehab program at the USSA's Center of Excellence in Park City.

"Everything feels great, it's just like riding a bike," said Lanning. "I wasn’t going full speed by any means and was only skiing on giant slalom and slalom skis with pants and a jacket on, but it felt good. The terrain in Portillo is perfect for getting back up to speed. There are a lot of changes in the snow and the pitch, so that helps a lot. I'm hoping to be ready to rip when the speed season opens in Lake Louise."

The production team will follow the U.S. Ski Team through the Audi Birds of Prey Race Week set for Dec. 4-6 in Beaver Creek, CO. The men's World Cup race schedule opens Oct. 25 with the traditional giant slalom in Soelden, Austria.

Cook/SVST Scholarship Enters 3rd Year

Tue, 6 Oct 2009 00:00:00 MST

MAMMOTH, CA (Oct. 6) – It's been a long time since seven-year U.S. Alpine Ski Team veteran Stacey Cook (Mammoth, CA) has waxed her own race skis. Call it a perk of being on the U.S. Ski Team. But that doesn't mean she's forgotten how, it just means she's moved that focus to helping young racers take the jump to the next level.

For the past two years, Cook and sponsor Sun Valley Ski Tools (SVST) have provided wax and tuning equipment in the form of a scholarship to four junior racers annually. The scholarship was such a success, with over 100 applicants in the first two seasons, that Cook has had to expand the application process for the third cycle.

"Each year I was getting more and more applicants, so I actually had to make the application more in depth in order to ensure the quality of those applying," said Cook, while packing to travel to the Center of Excellence, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association's state-of-the-art training facility in Park City. "The difference is you don't need to be a junior national champion to win the scholarship, the application is designed to represent passion for ski racing and overall character of the racer."

The scholarship concept began when Cook broke through to the U.S. Ski Team and no longer needed free tuning equipment, but still wanted to give back to SVST who had supported her through the junior levels.

"SVST was one of my first sponsors and a lot of coaches will tell you that I had some pretty fast skis as a junior," laughed Cook. "But when I made the jump to the national team, I didn't necessarily need wax and tuning gear anymore. So I developed the scholarship as a way to give back to the company so they could continue to support ski racing at the development level."

Also sponsored as juniors by SVST were fellow U.S. Ski Team racers Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA), Erik Fisher (Middleton, ID) and Hailey Duke (Boise, ID). All have moved to the World Cup level with Sullivan holding a World Cup victory and multiple podium finishes in downhill.

"We are very aware of the time, money, dedication and determination required by athletes, parents and coaches to compete at the junior level and beyond," said Jim and Norma Vermillion of Sun Valley Ski Tools. "Pure and simple, this is our chosen way to say thanks to the alpine racing community here in the U.S. for their continued confidence in our company and products."

For complete details on the Stacey Cook/SVST Scholarship and for an application, log on to www.staceycook.net. The deadline for this winter is Sunday, Oct. 25.

"I've already seen some of the applications and they're really good," said Cook. "It's never easy to decide who wins because there are so many young racers with a lot of passion. Ultimately, I love this scholarship because it helps support that passion and it helps me to stay in touch with such talented young racers."