ASPEN, CO (Jan­. 28, 2017) – McRae Williams (Park City, UT) had an excellent showing at X Games on Saturday, earning a silver medal in slopestyle with stylish rail riding and a stomped, technical jump line.

Williams, who added another silver medal to the gold and silver he has from previous years, laid down a spectacular run that was only just bested by gold medalist Oystein Braaten of Norway. Williams’ rails were technical and he capped the run with a switch leftside triple 1440. Alex Beaulie-Marchand of Canada took the bronze.

Up next for the U.S. Freeskiing skiers at X Games is women’s slopestyle on Sunday morning.

HIGHLIGHTS

ASPEN, CO (Jan­. 27, 2017) – Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, CO) earned his first X Games medal on Friday night and it was golden. Blunck topped a highly competitive field, while Maddie Bowman (South Lake Tahoe, CA) earned her eighth overall X Games medal with a bronze-medal finish. Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) and Birk Irving (Winter Park, CO) both finished just outside the medals in fourth.  

In six prior X Games performances, Blunck’s best finish was seventh at Aspen in 2013 and Oslo in 2016. His run in 2017 was highlighted by back-to-back switch doubles—a tough combo that had never before been landed at X Games. Blunck was joined on the podium by silver medalist Miguel Porteous of New Zealand and bronze medalist Noah Bowman of Canada.

SOLITUDE, UT (Jan. 20, 2017) – It was Canadian domination on the skicross course at Friday’s Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Solitude Mountain Resort. The Americans skied well though, and Tania Prymak (Goshen, NY) took a win in the small final, finishing fifth overall. Tyler Wallasch (Mammoth Lakes, CA) was the top finisher for the American men, skiing his way to a seventh-place finish. Prymak and Wallasch also won this season's national titles for skicross. 

The Canadian women swept the podium: Marielle Thompson took the win, Brittany Phelan was second and India Sherret was third. They also took two of the top three spots for the men: David Duncan took the win and Brady Leman was third, while Armin Niederer of Switzerland was second.

SOLITUDE MOUNTAIN RESORT, UT (Jan. 17, 2017) – The world’s elite snowboardcross and skicross athletes will head to Solitude Mountain Resort this week for the second stop of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix tour. The Solitude Grand Prix snowboardcross also serves as a FIS World Cup and the skicross will serve as a NorAm Cup. Both races will be test events for 2019, when the Wasatch resort is slated to host the snowboardcross and skicross FIS World Championships.

The Solitude event follows on the heels of a stunning World Cup win by U.S. Snowboarding athlete Hagan Kearney (Telluride, CO) in Montafon, Austria on Dec. 16. It was Kearney’s first career World Cup win. “I'm excited to finally race in the U.S.,” Kearney says of the upcoming Solitude event. “It's been a few years and we all miss racing in front of our home crowd. The win (at Montafon) is just an extra high going into it.”

FONT ROMEU, France (Jan. 14, 2017) – McRae Williams (Park City, UT) scored his first World Cup win at the season’s opening slopestyle World Cup event in France today. The finals were canceled due to weather.

It was a great win for Williams, who finished second at last season’s Mammoth U.S. Grand Prix/FIS World Cup slopestyle event. As Williams was in first place after Friday’s sun-soaked qualifiers, he stayed atop the field at Font Romeu when finals were canceled.

“I’m super stoked,” said Williams. “I can't even fathom how good it feels to snag my first World Cup win at age 26. It has definitely been a goal of mine since our debut in the World Cup circuit and to achieve this goal being one of the elders in the pack feels great! It is difficult to keep up with all the young guns in our sport right now, so I couldn't be more grateful to take this win heading into the Olympic year. It is definitely a huge confidence boost!”

WATERVILLE VALLEY, NH (Jan. 10, 2016) – U.S. Freeskiing rookie slopestyle team member Caroline Claire (Wilmington, VT) hit the podium twice at the Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour at Waterville Valley this week, including a win on Monday. The second stop of the Rev Tour featured back-to-back slopestyle competitions; Claire was first on Monday and second on Tuesday.  

On Monday, Claire was joined on the podium by local girl Grace Henderson (Waterville Valley, NH) in second and Marin Hamill (Park City, UT) in third. On Tuesday, the same ladies owned the podium, but in a different order: Henderson first, Claire second, Hamill third.

WATERVILLE VALLEY, NH (Jan. 9, 2017) – The 2017 Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour heads to the East Coast this week, making its second stop at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. At the second of four stops on the tour, Waterville Valley will play host to two separate slopestyle competitions for both snowboard and freeski athletes.

WATERVILLE VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS

Some of the world’s best junior athletes will compete at the Toyota U.S. Revolution Tour on the sculpted jumps and jibs of Waterville Valley’s Exhibition Terrain Park, the resort’s premier, large park with a dedicated Poma lift.

A breeding ground for elite freestyle athletes, the Waterville Valley Academy has produced world-class athletes such as U.S. Snowboard Pro Slopestyle Team member Chas Guldemond.

Known as “New Hampshire’s Family Resort,” Waterville Valley features 265 skiable acres with an altitude of 4,004 feet and vertical drop of 2,020 feet, 60 trails and 11 lifts. 

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO (Dec. 17, 2016) – The Americans earned several spots on the halfpipe podium Saturday at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. Annalisa Drew (Andover, MA) was second and Devin Logan (West Dover, VT) was third for the ladies, while Aaron Blunck (Crested Butte, CO) was third for the men.

It was a first career Grand Prix podium for Drew, who struggled in her first two runs, but was able to collect herself and put it together on her third and final run. “I just went up top and talked to my coaches to discuss what I needed to do better,” Drew said. “I kept my spirits up and just put it down, which I’m excited about.”

It was Logan’s fourth halfpipe podium at the Grand Prix—a rare double threat. She also has three slopestyle podiums, including a win at Park City in 2014.

Marie Martinod of France won the event in what turned out to be a challenging halfpipe, due to all the fresh snow that has been falling at Copper Mountain over the past several days.

COPPER MOUNTAIN, CO (Jan. 13, 2016) – The world’s most elite skiers and snowboarders are at Copper Mountain this week for the first stop of the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix tour. Both snowboarders and freeskiers will compete in halfpipe and the snowboarders will also compete in big air.

With a ton of fresh snow falling at Copper Mountain over the last week, the 22-foot Main Vein Superpipe is open and ready for action from some of the top skiers in the world.

Watch for competitive performances from Olympic gold medalists David Wise (Reno, NV) and Maddie Bowman (South Lake Tahoe, CA). Also keep an eye on halfpipe team members Brita Sigourney (Carmel, CA), Devin Logan (West Dover, VT), Torin Yater-Wallace (Basalt, CO) and, of course, Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO), who is fresh off a win in the Team Challenge at the Winter Dew Tour.  

AROSA, Switzerland (Dec. 13, 2016) - Under the lights in Arosa, American Tania Prymak (Goshen, NY) skied to seventh in a FIS World Cup skicross event - the best finish ever by a U.S. woman.

Marielle Thompson of Canada won for the women with Swiss Romain Detraz taking the men’s competition.

The finish was another vital steppingstone for Prymak who has been quietly making her way up the international ranking list. Last February she finished 10th in the World Cup Olympic test event in Bokwang, South Korea - then an American best for women. 

“The race was definitely a change of pace as it was a night event and a sprint event, but I was able to adapt to these variables and ski well,” said Prymak. “I was really excited with my personal best result of seventh in a World Cup!”