Mikaela Shiffrin鈥檚 pursuit of history isn鈥檛 the only reason to tune into World Cup skiing this season. New faces on America鈥檚 alpine and cross-country teams are emerging as consistent podium threats鈥攁nd hometown races and new broadcast services make it easier to watch them ascend the rankings. Here鈥檚 how to tune in and what to watch for this competition season:
Mikaela Shiffrin Leads an All-Star U.S. Alpine Team
Having stood atop the World Cup podium 76 times, Shiffrin is only six victories away from tying Lindsey Vonn for the most wins by a female skier. She鈥檚 also only ten wins from tying Ingemar Stenmarks鈥 record of 86, the most victories ever by any skier. In 2019 alone, Shiffrin scored 17 wins, so it鈥檚 certainly possible that she could accomplish both records, which would confirm her, at just 27 years old, as the greatest ski racer ever. Though Shiffrin will garner most of the headlines as she chases those records, it鈥檚 worth keeping an eye on other American skiers. Rookie Ava Sunshine Jemison, who, when she wasn鈥檛 skiing, grew up competing in surf events, finished in the top 30 in her first two World Cup starts (not even Shiffrin accomplished that). On the men鈥檚 side, Vermont鈥檚 Ryan Cochran-Siegle, who won America鈥檚 only medal at last season鈥檚 Olympics (silver in the super G), will compete for the overall title in super G and downhill, and Vail鈥檚 River Radamus, who nearly found the podium in Beijing (fourth in giant slalom), is on track for a tour win in that event. Two skiers coming back from injuries are also worth noting: Breezy Johnson, who got hurt just a few weeks before the Beijing Games, has a chance to win the women鈥檚 overall downhill title. And Tommy Ford, who, during the 2019 season, was in the hunt for the overall Giant Slalom crown before suffering a horrific injury, has already managed a sixth-place finish in this season鈥檚 World Cup opener.
An absolute masterclass first run from this morning at the HERoic Killington Cup presented by Stifel馃敟
Mikaela ended the first run on top of the leader board and finished 5th in today鈥檚 slalom World Cup馃挭
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam)
Nordic Stars to Watch
American audiences began noticing just how good U.S. cross-country skiers had become in 2018, when Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall won Olympic gold in the team sprint event. Randall has retired, but Diggins and the rest of the women鈥檚 squad is still racking up victories on the World Cup. Diggins won the overall World Cup title in 2021, making her only the second American to accomplish that feat (Bill Koch won the overall in 1982). Julia Kern and Hailey Swirlbul have both earned podium results. And Rosie Brennan has won multiple World Cup races. In addition, the men鈥檚 team is greatly improved. Vermonter Ben Ogden was 12th in the sprint race at the Beijing Games (the best sprint result at the Olympics by an American man), and Scott Patterson and Zak Ketterson teamed with Brennan and Diggins to win a World Cup mixed relay last season.
What a FINAL! 馃
Jessie Diggins wins the first-ever sprint medal in cross-country skiing for at the Olympic Games! Rosie Brennan finishes in fourth!
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics)
New Technology Powers the Stars
If your favorite American ski racers look sharper this season as he or she carves through courses, it might be due to technology that the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team began developing just prior to the pandemic. The tech, called Slope Sense is a monitor attached to skiers鈥 back protectors. Using GPS and IMUs (an electronic device that measures inertia), the team can now detect the forces on a skier鈥檚 body鈥攁t 100 times per second鈥攖hroughout the turn. Using that data, the team has been able to build a proprietary exercise machine that mimics exactly those forces, allowing skiers to get the same sensation of going in and out of gates right in the gym.
The U.S. Becomes a World Cup Destination
For the first time in history, the U.S. will host eight World Cup events. That means there鈥檚 more opportunity than ever to watch your favorite athletes compete. Included in the collection of events are aerial and mogul competitions in Utah and freeski and snowboard competitions in Colorado and California. There are also several alpine ski races, first at Killington Mountain in Vermont (women鈥檚 slalom and giant slalom) in November, then at Beaver Creek, Colorado for men鈥檚 super-G and downhill in December. There鈥檚 also a series at Palisades Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, California (men鈥檚 slalom and giant slalom) in February. But perhaps the most exciting news is that World Cup racing will return to Aspen, Colorado in March, where the men will take on one of the more iconic tracks for the first time since 2017. Dubbed 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Downhill,鈥 the course is noted for its huge, 100-foot jumps, extreme steeps, and technical turns. If you do make it to Aspen for the race, try getting there early and hike to the bottom of Spring Pitch. There, you鈥檒l be able to see most of Aztec, which includes the steepest section of the course and highest speeds. 鈥淭o be able to hold the lead and dominate on home snow felt like defending the honor of American skiing,鈥 AJ Kitt, an American downhiller, once wrote. 鈥淚 felt the whole country on my shoulders鈥攊n a good way.鈥
You can watch Ryan Cochran-Siegle and the rest of the men鈥檚 speed squad for FREE on this weekend馃檶
Don鈥檛 miss out as they compete on U.S. soil at 馃帀
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam)
New Ways to Watch
Through a new partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, 国产吃瓜黑料+ is streaming .聽NBC platforms will also broadcast 19 hours of coverage of domestic World Cup events across their platforms, including live and tape-delayed coverage on NBC, CNBC, and Peacock. Skiandsnowboard.live will stream events abroad (a season鈥檚 pass costs $16), except for events held in Austria. There鈥檚 a complicated story behind Austria鈥檚 broadcast rights to World Cup events, but they have struck a deal this year with NBC. So, to watch the Hahnenkamm, Flachau, and Stubai races, you鈥檒l need a Peacock subscription.