With her second season in the books, U.S. Ski Team alpine press officer Megan Harrod takes some time to sit down and look back on the 2015-16 season.
Last year I recall sitting in the Center of Excellence in Park City with the sun shining on my face as I wrote the 2014-2015 season recap. It was a stunning first season to be a part of something special – from Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) becoming the winningest female in alpine ski racing history to Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) and Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) defending their World Championship titles on home soil at Vail/Beaver Creek. It’s no surprise that this season was different. It was full of highs and lows and everything in between. Let's talk about it, shall we?!
The dynamic duo of speed queen Vonn and slalom queen Shiffrin led the way in a strong, though injury-marred season for the U.S. Ski Team, where many of the stars were noticeably missing. Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) opted to sit the season out, while Vonn, Shiffrin, Ligety and Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA) all took turns on the sidelines, battling injuries. However, the season was full of shining star moments as well, which is the reason why we’re here today after all. Grab a coffee (or beer) and join me as I reflect on the most memorable moments of the 2015-16 season.
Bennett reacts after seeing his sixth-place time on the scoreboard at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Men's downhill on December 19, 2015 in Val Gardena, Italy. (Getty Images-Agence Zoom-Francis Bompard)
Bryce Bennett’s surprise sixth place at Val Gardena
I’m often asked what my favorite moment of the season was and it was, without a doubt, Bryce Bennett’s (Squaw Valley, CA) reaction when he finished sixth from bib 57 in the classic Val Gardena downhill on the Saslong. No one expected it. Not even the big man himself. That moment when Bennett came through the finish line and looked at the timer in utter disbelief will go down in U.S. ski racing history as one of the most authentic finish area reactions.
Ted Ligety, Marcel Hirscher of Austria and Andrew Weibrecht spray champagne on the podium after the Birds of Prey super G on December 5, 2015 in Beaver Creek, Colorado. (Getty Images-Ezra Shaw)
Five guys in the top 30 at Birds of Prey super G
December 5, 2015: It was a historical day at Beaver Creek for the Americans, with four in the top 11 and five in the top 30. Before December 5, only one American—Bode Miller—had podiumed in Super G at Birds of Prey. That was in 2004, and he snagged second. But on this day with a shortened super G course due to weather, Ted Ligety took second place and Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY) grabbed his first World Cup podium with a third place finish. Add to that Travis Ganong’s (Squaw Valley, CA) sixth place, Tommy Biesemeyer’s (Keene, NY) astounding 11th place comeback finish and Tommy Ford (Bend, OR) in 28th and – VOILA! – history made.
Resi Stiegler exhibits her classic finish area celebration after her second run of the women's slalom in Flachau, on January 12, 2016. (Getty Images-Barbara Gindl)
Resi Stiegler shines with best comeback season of her career
After sustaining a knee injury prior to Flachau’s night race in 2015, Resi Stiegler (Jackson, WY) battled back to what ended up being the best comeback season of her career, grabbing seven top-15 finishes and two top-10 finishes – proving to everyone that she belongs among the 15 fastest skiers in the world, ranked 13th. Read more about what sets Stiegler apart in our recent What Makes a Champ feature.
Marco Sullivan makes history with his 105th downhill start in Kvitfjell, and the next day after his super G run is greeted by teammates in the finish to celebrate his retirement.
Marco Sullivan pushes out of the start for the 105th time in downhill, then retires
Sullivan didn’t plan for it to be that day, but in Kvitfjell he pushed out of the start for the 105th time – more than any American Downhiller in history (Bode Miller had 104) – and decided it was the right time to move on. The next day, during the super G, his teammates met him in the finish with champagne and the American Downhiller vest to appropriately celebrate his 15-year career on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup circuit. He capped off his season with a grand finale, when he donned lederhosen at U.S. Alpine Championships in Sun Valley. I’ll tell you this much: Marco will always rock, and he will be deeply missed. #MarcoRocks
Andrew Weibrecht celebrates after his super G run on January 22, 2016 in Kitzbuehel, Austria. (Getty Images-Alexis Boichard)
Andrew Weibrecht grabs second at the Kitzbuehel SG and honors fallen legend Bill Johnson
To win Kitzbuehel is a dream, but for Andrew Weibrecht, podiuming was just as sweet, and so were his sentiments after placing second when he dedicated his performance to 1994 Olympic Downhill Champion Bill Johnson, who passed away just one day earlier. “(Bill) really jump started American downhill racing,” said Weibrecht. “In 1984 when Bill came and put down that fantastic run in Sarajevo, he really revitalized the sport and paved the way for guys like Tommy Moe, AJ Kitt, and Kyle Rasmussen…and those guys paved the way for our generation. It’s really important to recognize where we have come from as a country in this sport, and Bill was a big part of that.”
Mikaela Shiffrin competes during the World Cup slalom on March 19, 2016 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. (Getty Images-Alexis Boichard)
Mikaela Shiffrin wins every slalom she enters, by a combined time of 10.56 seconds
For the first time in her young career, a knee injury sustained prior to the third slalom of the season in Are, Sweden, forced Shiffrin to miss eight weeks of competition, including six of the 11 World Cup slalom races this season. However, what’s still mind-blowing is that she won all five World Cup slalom races she competed in this season, with a combined winning time of 10.56 seconds – a 2.11 second average margin of victory! When asked if she knows what she’s doing to win races by two seconds or more, she replied with a short answer and a giggle, not giving anything away: “Yeah.”
Lila Lapanja shows how fierce she can be in a slalom at the Nature Valley Aspen Winternational earlier this season (Getty Images-Doug Pensinger)
Lila Lapanja sparkles in slalom with first career World Cup points
It took Shiffrin four races to score World Cup points. It took Vonn 12 races. But in her comeback season, Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV) scored in just her third World Cup start. Impressive, right? On that magical night, the stage was set for the ladies to sparkle...and sparkle they did. Lapanja shined bright, coming from bib 37 to land in 23rd under the lights in Flachau, where all three of the American women – including teammates Resi Stiegler and Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN) finished in the points. In Crans Montana, Lapanja was en route to another solid finish before skiing out...but her performance this season, complete with a NorAm slalom title, has given her some major confidence for the next. Promising things from this one for years to come!
Stacey Cook performs what she calls a "moonie" and lands in the powder with a huge smile on her face. (USSA)
Powder skiing with the Speed Unicorns
With an intense World Cup training and race schedule, it's not often the athletes get an opportunity to just ski for pure enjoyment and fun. But one of the most unique things about our team – both the women and men – is that when they get the opportunity, they embrace it whole-heartedly. After more than 20 inches of fresh snow in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, the downhill was canceled. Though they were bummed, Lindsey Vonn, Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR), Stacey Cook (Mammoth Lakes, CA), Alice McKennis (New Castle, CO) and Jackie Wiles (Aurora, OR) happily opted for freshies and face shots. In this case it was all about friends on powder days as the team took pow laps. Like I always say, when they're not skiing, they're skiing. The Americans' true love for the sport of skiing especially shines through on a powder day.
Steven Nyman flies through the air during downhill training in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Getty Images-Matthias Hangst)
Steven Nyman goes down in American Downhiller history
It was a slower start to the season for Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT), but boy oh boy, when he got in his groove did he absolutely #NAMASLAY or what?! It all began with Jeongseon, who played host to the first Olympic official test event for PyeongChang 2018. Not only did the event exceed all American Downhiller expectations, but Nyman sent a very clear message to everyone that he has a reason to come back in 2018, finishing third in the downhill. From there, he just rolled right on: Chamonix second, Kvitfjell third and St. Moritz second. Four straight podiums. You know what that means, folks? It means he goes down in history as the first ever American Downhiller to do that.
The men's speed team coaches and Marco Sullivan goof off and go skiing.
Off-hill shenanigans with the American Downhillers and U.S. Tech Nerds
Soccer and wiffleball games in Soelden. Off-piste skiing at Les Grands Montets in Chamonix. Pie in the face, a korean BBQ and karaoke in Seoul for Nyman's birthday. Countless dodgeball and volleyball games at the gym across from the hotel in Kitzbuehel. A visit to Montafon in Austria for the traditional tower burning – their version of Groundhog Day – to ring in the warmer months. The U.S. men continue the tradition of their tight-knit family feel – a special vibe fostered by Head Men's Coach Sasha Rearick and embraced by his entire coaching staff. Rearick believes the key differentiatior and the magic is, in part, due to the fact that the entire assistant coaching staff is American and understands that functioning as a family is vital to their success. It's all about team unity for this crew. From Assistant Coach Pete Anderson's calm and calculated demeanor and Justin Johnson's pure authenticity and love for his athletes, to Chris Beckmann's undying energy and Scotty Veenis' genuine smile and good vibes...these guys have got it going on and know how to keep their crew close and motivated.
In the most consistent season of her career, Laurenne Ross smiles wide on the podium after the super G in Soldeu, Andorra. (Getty Images-Alexis Boichard)
Laurenne Ross’ steady and beautiful climb to the podium
Ross made a big leap this season. Not only did she battle her way back to the podium for the first time since 2013 with a second place finish in rough weather conditions at Soldeu-El Tarter, Andorra, but she was also more consistent than she’s ever been. Prior to her Soldeu podium, Ross was on a roll with five straight top-10 finishes. She’d go on to end the season with an impressive nine top-10 finishes. What’s more? More than half of her total top 10s came this season. In her career, she’s snagged 18 top 10 finishes. Whoa. Get that podium warm for the 2017 season!
David "Daver" Chodounsky slays in St. Moritz. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alexis Boichard)
David Chodounsky earns himself "top 15 in the world" status
Not only did David Chodounsky (Crested Butte, CO) taste his career-best finish at Val d’Isere, France in the slalom with fourth place, but he also finished the season among the best slalom skiers in the world. For those of you who follow the circuit closely, you know that the depth of the men's slalom field is impressive to say the least. In the end, Chodounsky posted seven top-20 results in the season. That consistency in slalom is something for "Daver" to be stoked about, along with glimpses of brilliance in giant slalom with a 16th place finish at Birds of Prey in December. Watch out, 2016-17. Big things to come from this guy!
Lindsey Vonn poses with the downhill crystal globe – her eighth in the discipline and record 20th Globe – in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Getty Images-Matthias Hangst)
Lindsey Vonn continues to break her own records
It all began with her “Lake Lindsey” podium sweep in Lake Louise and rolled on from there. Prior to her season-ending injury in Andorra, Vonn continued her streak of record-breaking, smashing the record for most World Cup downhill wins in Cortina, with her 37th victory. Even after calling the season due to injury, she would go on to clinch the downhill globe – her eighth in the discipline and her 20th career globe – surpassing Ingemar Stenmark’s previous record of 19. She also finished the season with 76 career victories – just 10 shy of Stenmark’s record 86 victories. Speed queen, indeed.
Radamus smiles with one of his three gold medals at Hafjell. (YIS-IOC).
River runs gold with YOG hat trick
All eyes turned to the freshly turned 18-year-old River Radamus (Edwards, CO) when he grabbed the hat trick at the Winter Youth Olympic Games, winning three straight gold medals in super G, giant slalom and alpine combined. Radamus became the first skier or snowboarder in history to win three individual gold medals. His finish area celebration was just as gold medal-worthy.
Erik Arvidsson shares the podium with his teammates as they celebrate four in the top 10 on downhill day in Sochi.
Arvidsson leads four into the top 10 at Sochi
The next generation of American Downhillers looks promising, as Erik Arvidsson (Woodside, CA) led a historic four Americans into the top 10 at Junior Worlds in the downhill. Arvidsson is a unique spirit; he understands the importance of team, and was quick to note the win was a team effort. Sam Morse (Sugarloaf, ME) took fourth with Florian Szwebel (Avon, CO, National Training Group) seventh and Drew Duffy (Warren, VT) in 10th. I think the obvious question remains: When does Arvidsson get the vest, Nyman?!
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It was another action-packed season, complete with dance moves and lots of laughs by the press officer in the finish area. There’s so much more to look forward to in the 2016-17 season, including a long list of domestic World Cups, featuring a Killington women’s GS and slalom, Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek, a potential women’s GS and slalom at Squaw Valley and World Cup Finals at Aspen. Add to that World Championships at St. Moritz and women’s Olympic speed test events at Jeongseon and we’ve got quite the season ahead of us. Buckle up, folks…PyeongChang 2018 will be here before you know it.
Total season results count:
- One World Cup title (Vonn, downhill)
- 29 World Cup podiums
- 15 wins (Vonn 9, Shiffrin 5, Ligety 1)
- Eight second-place finishes (Vonn 2, Nyman 2, Ligety 1, Ross 1, Shiffrin 1, Weibrecht 1)
- Six third-place finishes (Vonn 2, Nyman 2, Ganong 1, Weibrecht 1)
- One Junior Worlds gold (Arvidsson)
- Three Winter Youth Olympic Games gold medals (Radamus).
Like a Ping-Pong ball throughout Europe, Megan travels with the men and women’s alpine teams throughout the season. If you’d like to be added to her daily World Cup notes distribution list (she sends a preview email every race day morning), please send her an email at mharrod@ussa.org.
