Battling a brutally icy giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, Mikaela Shiffrin was the top Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, finishing in sixth place. Nina O’Brien snagged a career-best giant slalom finish in 13th.

In the race that was originally scheduled for Maribor, Slovenia but moved due to a lack of snow, Marta Bassino of Italy took the win by .80 seconds and storied Golden Fox Trophy. Tessa Worley of France was second and Michelle Gisin of Switzerland stood on her first FIS World Cup giant slalom podium in third.

After a stellar first run for both Shiffrin and O'Brien, who sat in fourth and seventh respectively, both struggled a bit on the boilerplate track in second run. But the Burke Mountain Academy graduates held on—linking recoveries and hammering down the hill to score solid results.

“It was definitely very challenging—the surface especially. It was super icy,” said O'Brien. “First run, I felt super happy with my run because I felt like I didn’t do anything special. It wasn’t some skiing I’ve never done before—it was just how I skied in training. To see that the speed was good enough and stacked up well in a race was cool. Second run was a total rodeo mess, but I’m glad I hung on and made it. Not so bad if it’s another personal best.”

Prior to Kranjska Gora, Nina’s best giant slalom result was 15th, which she notched in Soelden in October, and she’s been consistently in the hunt in tech events throughout the 2020-21 season—finishing 19th in the Courchevel GS and ninth in the Semmering slalom. The 23 year old knows that more top 10s are in her future and even a podium isn’t out of the question.

Though Shiffrin was bummed, she said she's "super happy for Nina...her first run was especially motivational." 

AJ Hurt was having a fast first run, but went down on her hip and just missed the flip.

O'Brien and Hurt's coach, Magnus Andersson was happy with the day, despite the fact that Hurt just missed the flip. "Good day!" he said. "Step-by-step...and nice to experience the heat of starting next to some of the world's best GS skiers second run!"

Next up, the women race giant slalom in Kranjska Gora again on Sunday. “I’m excited to do it again,” said Nina. “I know a little bit of what to expect, so it should be fun.”

RESULTS
Women’s giant slalom

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST
Jan. 16-18, 2021 

Saturday, Jan. 16
3:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
5:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
8:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
8:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock

Sunday, Jan. 17
3:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
4:30 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 1 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast Olympic Channel
6:15 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Streaming Peacock
7:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Broadcast Olympic Channel
7:45 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Men's Slalom, run 2 - LIVE, Flachau, AUT, Streaming Peacock

Monday, Jan. 18
11:00 a.m. FIS Alpine World Cup Women's Giant Slalom - next-day broadcast, Kranjska Gora, SLO, Broadcast NBCSN
 

No U.S. men qualified for a second run in the first Flachau slalom on Saturday.

On a snowy day in Austria, Austrian Manuel Feller took his first FIS World Cup win on home turf ahead of Frenchman Clement Noel. Marco Schwarz made it an Austrian sandwich in third place.

Jett Seymour led the Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team men, just missing the flip by three-hundredths of a second. Alex Leever—in his first World Cup start—and Ben Ritchie also did not qualify. Luke Winters did not finish first run.

Normally a women’s stop on the tour, this was the first time Flachau had hosted a men’s slalom in nine years. Originally scheduled for Wengen, the Lauberhorn races were canceled after an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The slalom was then rescheduled for Kitzbuehel, prior to next weekend's Hahnenkamm downhill, super-G and slalom, but the Wengen slalom and Kitzbuehel slalom were moved again to Flachau to allow for more time for testing in Kitzbuehel.

The men race another slalom in Flachau on Sunday with the U.S. men excited for another go on the track.

RESULTS
Men’s slalom

At just 20 years of age, U.S. Snowboard Pro Team member Hailey Langland has accomplished more than most snowboarders in a lifetime. Sponsored at age six, followed by competition wins at age 14, Langland is what you might call “an old soul” on the slopes. With a classic rock upbringing and an appreciation for the snowboarding that came before her, Langland became a multi-discipline threat by age 16 and has no shortage of impressive competition finishes to her name. But all of that pales in comparison to Langland’s style, which she puts first and foremost. 
 

With no NorAm racing on the horizon until spring, the Women’s and Men’s NorAm Teams have packed up and flown to Europe for the next month.  A select few National Development Group athletes have been invited to join the group, with the goal of gaining critical international competitive exposure before the World Junior Championships in Bansko, BUL in March.  Given the ongoing pandemic, the scope of this development project is relatively small and U.S. Ski Team COVID policies are being strictly followed to keep the athletes and staff as safe as possible during their travels.

Early highlights include Isaiah Nelson (BHSC) winning a SL in Jenner/Goetschen, GER, Cooper Cornelius (AVSC), and Isaiah Nelson finishing 1-2 in a GS race in St. Lambrecht, AUT, and Zoe Zimmermann (BMA) earning her first World Cup start in Flachau, AUT, where Mikaela Shiffrin (BMA/SSCV) won her first SL in almost a year and Paula Moltzan (BHSC/UVM) earned her first SL top-10!

Women’s USST Athletes:

• Ainsley Proffit ‘01 - SBSTA
• Allie Resnick ‘01 - SSCV
• Lauren Macuga ‘02 - PCSS
• Nicola Rountree-Williams ‘02 - LSC
• Zoe Zimmermann ‘02 - BMA
• Emma Resnick ‘03 - SSCV

Women’s NDG Athletes:

• Ava Jemison ‘02 - BMA
• Mary Bocock ‘03 - RMK
• Sophia Tozzi ‘03 - JHSC
• Tatum Grosdidier ‘04 - SSWSC
• Kjersti Moritz ‘04 - SSCV
• Liv Moritz ‘04 - SSCV

Men’s USST Athletes:

• Cooper Cornelius ‘99 - AVSC
• Jacob Dilling ‘99 - SSCV
• Bradshaw Underhill ‘00 - KMS
• Kellen Kinsella ‘01 - SSCV
• Isaiah Nelson ’01 - BHSC
• Jack Smith ‘01 - SVSEF
• Trent Pennington ‘02 - SSCV

Men’s NDG Athletes:

• Jeremy Mathers ‘01 - SBSEF
• Luke Kearing ‘02 - HOLD
• Oliver Parazette ‘02 - JHSC
• Ryder Sarchett ‘03 - SVSEF

U.S. Ski & Snowboard has named deep and experienced teams to represent the United States at the 2021 U23 and Junior FIS Cross Country World Championships Feb. 8-14 in Vuokatti, Finland.

Gus Schumacher, Hailey Swirbul, and Hannah Halvorsen lead the way for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team and the 22 named athletes, and eight alternates, for the upcoming U23 and Junior World Championships. Swirbul earned her first FIS Cross Country World Cup podium in Davos, Switzerland, in the 10k freestyle on Dec. 13, and recently finished 18th overall in her first FIS Tour de Ski. Halvorsen returned to racing this season and scored her first career World Cup points, finishing 23rd in the sprint in Dresden, Germany.

Schumacher, a 2020 Junior World Champion who is racing his first season on the World Cup tour, posted the best-ever American men’s result at the FIS Tour de Ski, finishing 18th overall. In addition, he posted a career-best World Cup result in Stage 6, a 15k classic, finishing eighth, just 11 seconds back of race winner Alexander Bolshunov of Russia.

Last year U.S. athletes earned 10 World Championships medals, including the Junior men who successfully defended their team relay gold medal, while the Junior women won the team relay silver medal. Three members of the men’s team move up to the U23 ranks, including Schumacher, Ben Ogden, and Luke Jager. The fourth member, Johnny Hagenbuch, will compete as a junior for the final time this season. Sophia Laukli, a member of the junior women’s relay team moves up the U23 ranks this year, while Kendall Kramer, Sydney Palmer-Leger, and Novie McCabe will all compete as juniors this season - all of whom are considered medal contenders.

“The current strength and depth of our ski nation are represented in this team of athletes,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Development Coach Kate Barton. “I am most excited to see an experienced group of U23 athletes leading this team into a championship event, supported by an equally strong, determined, and capable group of junior athletes.”

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has presented some challenges in selecting this year’s teams. In September, the cross country community decided to cancel all national-level competitions in favor of a more regionally focused competition calendar. This decision allowed athletes the individual choice to travel, or not, based on individual circumstances. Thus, U.S. Ski & Snowboard maintained the written objective selection criteria such as top 30 World Cup, and sub-50 FIS performances for men and sub-60 FIS performances for women. For the remaining nominations, U.S. Ski & Snowboard committed to a discretion-based system where both historical and current seasonal performances through January 3, 2021, would be included in the selection evaluation.  

"Programs and coaches across the nation are doing a great job continuing to support and progress their developing athletes in this unique year. And despite all of the adversity, I'm inspired by the dedication the athletes have put forth toward their own improvement,” Barton added. “I miss head-to-head racing and national-level events, but I am more grateful than ever for the opportunity to come together as one team to compete with this group of athletes and staff against the best competition in the world.”

"Thank you to our member clubs that continue to elevate our athletes as well as the National Nordic Foundation for their ongoing support of Cross Country Development projects like the Junior and U23 World Ski Championships," noted U.S. Ski & Snowboard Cross Country Sport Coordinator Byran Fish. "Our goal continues to be to provide experience and critical opportunities for the future of our sport. Thanks to NNF's financial support to allow these projects to be well-staffed for international success and yet still be financially feasible for our athletes.”

The following athletes have been selected to represent the United State at the upcoming FIS U23 and Junior World Nordic Championships.

U23 World Championship Team

Women:

• Hailey Swirbul (APU Nordic Ski Center/El Jebel, Colo.)
• Sophia Laukli (Middlebury College/Yarmouth, Maine)
• Alex Lawson (Middlebury College/West Burke, Vt.)
• Hannah Halvorsen (APU/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Renae Anderson (Loppet Nordic Racing/Golden Valley, Minn.)
• Alternate 1: Leah Lange (University of Utah/Park City, Utah)
• Alternate 2 Annika Landis (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation, Hailey, Idaho)

Men:

• JC Schoonmaker (Auburn Ski Club/Tahoe City, Calif.)
• Gus Schumacher (Alaska Winter Stars/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Hunter Wonders (APU Nordic Ski Center/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Benjamin Ogden (University of Vermont/Landgrove, Vt.)
• Luke Jager (University of Utah/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Alternate 1: Peter Wolter (Middlebury College/Hailey, Idaho)
• Alternate 2: Kai Meyers APU Nordic Ski Center/Anchorage, Alaska)

Junior World Championship Team

Women:

• Novie McCabe (University of Utah/Winthrop, Wash.)
• Sydney Palmer-Leger (University of Utah/Park City, Utah)
• Kendall Kramer (University of Alaska Fairbanks/Fairbanks, Alaska)
• Ava Thurston (Mansfield Nordic/Waterbury, Vt.)
• Nina Seemann (Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club/Craftsbury, Vt.)
• Haley Brewster (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail/Avon, Colo.)
• Alternate 1: Waverly Gebhardt (University of Vermont/Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
• Alternate 2: Garvie Tobin (Dartmouth College/Anchorage, Alaska)

Men:

• Johnny Hagenbuch (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/Ketchum, Idaho)
• Zanden McMullen (Montana State University/Anchorage, Alaska)
• Will Koch (University of Colorado/Peru, Vt.)
• Wally Magill (Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club/Steamboat Springs, Colo.)
• Finn Sweet (Craftsbury Nordic Ski Club/Waterbury, Vt.)
• Michael Earnhart (APU Nordic Ski Center/Eagle River, Alaska)
• Alternate 1: Brian Bushey (Green Mountain Valley School/Waitsfield, Vt.)
• Alternate 2: Walker Hall (Methow Valley Nordic Ski Educations Foundation/Winthrop, Wash.)

From Champaign to sparkles, to puking on the course, Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athlete Julia Kern takes us behind the scenes of the 15th Tour de Ski.

For more on Julia, follow her @JuliaKernSki

The U.S. Aerials Freestyle Ski Team is back on tour with three weeks of back-to-back FIS World Cup competition slated for January. This weekend is a double feature in Yaroslavl, Russia, with Aerials Jan. 16 and Mixed Team Aerials Jan. 17. Mixed Team Aerials will make its Olympic debut in Beijing 2022 and it is the first team World Cup of the season. Jan. 23 the crew will compete in the classic Moscow city Aerials World Cup and Jan. 30 sees the team in Raubichi, Minsk, a venue the team has seen success at before. 

Following their World Cup Opener in Ruka, the team spent several productive weeks at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park (UOP) and rang in the New Year with three competitions to cap off the training block. 

“After returning home from Ruka, we identified the weaknesses we needed to work on at the UOP before this next leg of competition,” said Head Aerials Coach Vladimir (Vlad) Lebedev. “The goal for us is to compete as much as possible, and we did that with the January NorAms and National Championships. We’re prepared well for these next few weeks.”

Consistent access to a world-class site such as the UOP is invaluable when training to compete on the world’s highest stage, especially this season with COVID-19 affecting schedules. “We had a really awesome training camp at the UOP, it’s been some of the most quality jumping I’ve done in my career,” said Chris Lillis ahead of departing for Russia. “We were on a nice site, had great weather, it was just awesome training at home before we headed out. I’m trying to use it as a stepping stone onto bigger things [this season].”

“We’ve done so much to get our team ready for these events, dealing with all of the COVID protocols and staying healthy,” added Ashley Caldell. “I think we’re definitely ready to take on the challenge that is traveling the world doing aerials.”

Four aerials events in three weeks is not a light undertaking when taking into consideration jump count and impact, managing mental health and travel stress, and trying to fuel properly. Compound that with a monster travel day including 13 hours in the air, four hours spent in Russian immigration and a five hour bus ride to the actual venue. Add COVID-19 protocols to top it all off and one can only imagine the mental gymnastics required to be successful in the air these next few weeks. “It will be a challenge for us,” said Vlad. “We will obviously continue to manage our COVID protocols and bubbles. Staying healthy and safe is our top priority. As long as the team performs at the same level they have been training we will be set up well for competition.” 

U.S. Starters
Women
Ashley Caldwell
Kaila Kuhn
Dani Loeb
Megan Nick
Megan Smallhouse
Winter Vinecki

Men
Chris Lillis
Eric Loughran
Justin Schoenefeld
Quinn Dehlinger

ASPEN SNOWMASS, Colo. – Jan. 13, 2021 – Aspen Snowmass, in collaboration with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard and Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC), will host the 2021 NorAm Finals April 5-16 at Aspen Highlands. The event will include men’s and women’s downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, and a parallel event. The event will take place after Highlands has closed for public skiing this season and restrictions will be in place to ensure compliance with COVID health and safety protocols.

“The Aspen Snowmass community has been a strong supporter of alpine ski racing for over 60 years hosting events at all levels,” says Eric Webster, Director of Events, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team. “We are excited to partner with Aspen Snowmass and AVSC this spring to host a series of extremely important NorAm level events. Thank you to Aspen Skiing Company, AVSC, and the Aspen community for making these races possible.”

“Ski racing is deeply engrained in Aspen’s heritage and our mountains have seen incredible triumphs from many of the greats”, says John Rigney, senior vice president, Aspen Snowmass. “We are honored to continue celebrating athletic achievement in this most unique year, and look forward to providing a great venue and the best possible races for the U.S. Ski Team athletes.”

The last time Aspen Snowmass hosted NorAm Finals was five years ago in 2016 in preparation for the 2017 World Cup Finals. AVSC racer and Aspen local, Wiley Maple, won the NorAm downhill and season-long title at that event earning coveted World Cup starts the following season. Ski racing runs deep in the Roaring Fork Valley, as the resort not only hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950 but has been a continuous stop on the World Cup circuit for both the men and women. Aspen is scheduled to host the U.S. Alpine Tech Championships in 2022.

“The Stapleton Training Center at Aspen Highlands continues to be an incredible resource for our Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club athletes,” says Mark Godomsky, Executive Director AVSC. “In a season where many clubs have struggled to secure consistent and quality training space, we feel incredibly lucky to work with Aspen Snowmass to provide safe, productive training on this world-class venue. We are excited to welcome others to Aspen Highlands and the Stapleton Training Center this spring for NorAm Finals and are grateful for the opportunity to host races, especially a series of this caliber, this season.”

2021 NorAm Finals Event Schedule
Monday, April 5, NorAm Downhill Training, Men/Women
Tuesday, April 6, NorAm Downhill Training, Men/Women
Wednesday, April 7, NorAm Downhill #1, Men/Women
Thursday, April 8, NorAm Downhill #2, Men/Women
Friday, April 9, NorAm Super-G, Men/Women
Saturday, April 10, NorAm Super-G/Alpine Combined Women
Sunday, April 11, NorAm Super-G/Alpine Combined Men
Monday, April 12, NorAm Slalom Women, Giant Slalom Men
Tuesday, April 13, NorAm Slalom Women, Giant Slalom Men
Wednesday, April 14, NorAm Giant Slalom Women, Slalom Men
Thursday, April 15, NorAm Giant Slalom Women, Slalom Men
Friday, April 16, NorAm Parallel Event, Men/Women

Media Note
For a selection of ski racing images at Aspen Snowmass, click here: https://aspensnowmass.imagerelay.com/sb/1378dc55-52e6-40d2-8e86-4d24ed047fbd/ski-racing-at-aspen-snowmass

Photo credit goes to the photographer listed.

Media Contacts:

Aspen Snowmass
Tucker Vest Burton, (970) 300-7020, tvestburton@aspensnowmass.com  

U.S. Ski & Snowboard
Megan Harrod, (435) 714-9393, mharrod@usskiandsnowboard.org

About Aspen Snowmass
Aspen Snowmass, based in Aspen, Colo., operates the four mountains in the Aspen Snowmass area - Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. In addition, Aspen Snowmass owns and operates the award-winning Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen Snowmass, a collection of rental and retail shops titled Four Mountain Sports and a hospitality division that includes the five-star, five-diamond property, The Little Nell and three contemporary Limelight Hotels, one based in the core of Aspen, one at the base of Snowmass Mountain, and the other in Ketchum, Idaho. In its current form, Aspen Snowmass is a values-driven company that is grounded within the core values of: Live Passionately, Awaken the Spirit, Elevate Community and Honor Place. Aspen Snowmass is accessible by one of the most convenient airports in the mountains – Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) (3 miles from Aspen). For more information about Aspen Snowmass, visit www.aspensnowmass.com or call (800) 525-6200. Follow Aspen Snowmass @aspensnowmass on Twitter and Instagram or at www.facebook.com/aspensnowmass.

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, 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

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Release courtesy of Aspen Snowmass. 

Mikaela Shiffrin shattered records on Tuesday, taking her first FIS World Cup slalom victory in more than a year in the Flachau, Austria, night slalom. Paula Moltzan had her career-best slalom finish, taking ninth place.

Shiffrin led the race after the first run by just .08 seconds, but after a remarkable second run by the Austrian hometown favorite Katharina Liensberger, there were thoughts that Mikaela would just be racing for second place. Instead, Shiffrin found the classic Shiffrin extra gear to hammer into the finish—and when she looked up to see that she won by .19 seconds, she let out an uncharacteristic celebratory scream.

“I felt inspired; I just felt alive,” said Mikaela. “I just was pushing. I wish I could explain. The second run, that was maybe the top slalom skiing I’ve been able to do in a race.”

Wendy Holdener of Switzerland was third and Petra Vlhova of Slovakia—current overall and slalom leader—was fourth.

While Shiffrin is never one to speak to records, she broke a number of them with her win in Flachau. It was her 44th career slalom victory—giving her the most wins for a female in a single discipline—and her 68th career World Cup win, which propels her into third place on the all-time victory list, surpassing Austrian Marcel Hirscher and putting her only behind Ingemar Stenmark (86) and retired teammate Lindsey Vonn (82). It was also her 100th career podium. Oh, and Shiffrin is still only 25 years old.

Though Shiffrin had won in Flachau three times in her career before Tuesday night, her last slalom victory was December 29, 2019, and she said she’s still finding the right mindset on the World Cup circuit again. “It takes a different mentality—and I’ve been learning that again this whole season,” she said. “There’s a couple of steps. A lot of things have happened, including getting more time in training, getting more time thinking about my mindset, and thinking about all the pieces that go into race day that we don’t have to experience in training. All those things came together tonight. It’s amazing, but it doesn’t mean it’s fixed yet. But tonight was really really good.”

Land Rover U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan also had a banner day, snagging ninth place to take home her best World Cup slalom finish. She loves the venue, having previously scored her best slalom finish in Flachau in 2019 with 12th place. “I’ve always just loved racing here—mostly because it feels like home,” said Moltzan. “I grew up in the Midwest. I trained at night under the lights every day—I thought it was weird to ski in the daylight. This just feels like coming back home and it’s really special to have my best result in slalom here again!”

AJ Hurt also got a second run, skiing intelligently to take 29th place and score her first slalom points. In her first full World Cup season, she has now scored in four events—giant slalom, super-G, parallel, and slalom. And the young 20-year-old Squaw Valley racer is hungry for more this season. 

Lila Lapanja just missed the second run, finishing in 32nd in the first run. Nina O’Brien and Resi Stiegler also did not qualify. In her first World Cup, Zoe Zimmermann skied out and did not finish. Katie Hensien also did not finish.

This was the last World Cup slalom prior to World Championships. The women’s tech team heads next to Kranjska Gora, Slovenia for two giant slaloms on January 16 and 17, replacing the Maribor races that were canceled due to lack of snow.

RESULTS
Women’s slalom

The world was watching as U.S. Freeski Pro Team member Colby Stevenson stormed out of nowhere in 2020 to win two gold medals at X Games Aspen, plus the coveted Best In Snow award as a rookie in X Games competition. What many don't know is that Stevenson suffered a traumatic brain injury following a car accident in 2016. Doctors didn’t know if he would walk again, let alone ski. However, Stevenson’s recovery was mighty, with the contest results to prove it. Today, Stevenson is a household name in elite-level freeski competition, but there’s more to Colby Stevenson than just gold medals and a comeback story.