U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced today that Timberline Lodge and Ski Area will serve as an Official Training Site for American ski and snowboard athletes through January 2023. This agreement will see athletes from U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the United States, training at Timberline Lodge and Ski Area through the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, and beyond, providing invaluable snow access as athletes train to reach podiums.

As the only North American ski resort to stay open 12 months a year, Timberline will provide consistent, world-class access to snow for elite athletes on the alpine, moguls, halfpipe, slopestyle and snowboardcross teams. Timberline will play an integral role in the training of many future U.S. Ski & Snowboard Olympians.

“This partnership with Timberline provides our teams with the benefit of easy access to world-class on-snow training throughout the summer. Timberline is well-known for its great conditions throughout the year, and is so accessible for our teams, allowing them to gain critical on-snow training time at multiple points throughout the summer. Training at Timberline is a mainstay for our athletes, supporting the summer training they need, and is a critical component of our drive to be Best in the World,” commented U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief of Sport, Luke Bodensteiner.

The partnership with Timberline will give U.S. Ski & Snowboard a solid basis to work from in laying down training strategy for the next four-year cycle in preparation of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Access to a domestic, year-round snow surface is invaluable for athletes competing in seasonal sports including ski and snowboard disciplines.

As an official U.S. Ski & Snowboard training site, Timberline will host an estimated 160 U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes and personnel across 45 days each year. Because Timberline has extensive terrain and year-round snow coverage, the resort is ideal for setting up the many courses necessary for training multiple sports disciplines. The alpine team will have access to two lanes, primarily slalom with some terrain build as conditions allow. The moguls team will have access to flats, a bumps lane and a jump. The freeski and snowboard team will have access to the halfpipe as constructed, an airbag, park jumpline and rails, one 55-65 foot jump as constructed (with the option for more as space and snow allows) and access to three variations of down rails and six other rail features – side and straight on entrance as constructed.

In addition to providing training for national team athletes, Timberline is also instrumental in supporting U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s talent development pipeline. Each year the U.S. Snowboard Team’s Project Gold program brings together the top junior athletes in the country in snowboarding and snowboardcross for an annual progressive talent development camp. The top juniors in the country, selected from Hole Shot and USASA Nationals, get the opportunity to train with the U.S. Snowboard Team’s national team coaching staff. Three development camps for Alpine are held at Timberline each year: Women’s Development Team, Men’s Development Team and U16 National Development. These camps focus on skills development in slalom and giant slalom.

“Timberline has a long and storied history as a summer training site for U.S. Ski & Snowboard. From Tony Sailer, Billy Kidd, Steve and Phil Mahre to Ted Ligety; from Cindy Nelson and Picabo Street to Julia Mancuso, Mikaela Shiffrin, Red Gerard, Shaun White and Maddie Bowman - all have trained at Timberline in the summer, as well as virtually all other U.S. Olympic Alpine athletes," commends Timberline's president, Jeff Kohnstamm, "We are very proud of this tradition and have worked with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to formalize our relationship. This will further meet the needs of U.S. athletes and promote the world-class summer ski and snowboard training that is Timberline’s Palmer Snowfield."

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, and Orig3n, Inc., the leader in lifestyle genetic testing, are excited to announce Orig3n as the Official Genetics Partner of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team. A pioneer in genetics and regenerative medicine research, Orig3n arms individuals with knowledge of their minds and bodies at a genetic level. As the Official Genetics Partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Orig3n will help some of the world’s top athletes understand how to harness the power of their genetics in their journeys to podiums at the Olympics, World Championships and other events.

As part of the new agreement, Orig3n will work with the experts at U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s sports science lab at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Center of Excellence headquarters in Park City, Utah, helping U.S. Ski & Snowboard develop specialized programs tailored to each team member’s biology, in order to improve each athlete’s training and performance.

Fans of U.S. Ski & Snowboard will also have the opportunity to engage with Orig3n through domestic event activations. 

The partnership will officially kick off at the 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, to be held in Utah Feb. 1-10, 2019.

“We are excited to welcome Orig3n into our family of partners,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Dan Barnett. “Orig3n’s mission - to create a healthier future by helping us understand our bodies and minds on a genetic level - falls directly in line with U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s mission of creating the greatest snow sports athletes in the world. With the integration of Orig3n’s genetic tests into our sport science lab, we will be able to give athletes an edge in their training and performance, allowing them to better understand their bodies’ potential strengths and areas for development. Athletes, trainers and coaches will be able to make more proactive nutrition and fitness choices, helping us continue to push the boundary of performance in our sports,”

“We couldn’t be more excited or proud to be working with the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team to enhance the training and development of U.S. Olympic athletes,” said Robin Y. Smith, CEO of Orig3n. “This partnership is a great example of how genetic science can be used by everyone to enhance aspects of their health and wellness. In this case specifically, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is adopting cutting edge technology and innovative approaches in partnership with Orig3n to build the best training and development plan tailored to the athlete’s inherent abilities.” 

For the 38th year, the world’s best elite freestyle skiers will descend on New York state for the 2019 FIS Lake Placid Freestyle Cup, January 17-19, 2019. Catch all of the high-flying action with moguls at Whiteface on Thursday and Friday and aerials under the lights at the Olympic Jumping Complex on Saturday.

“Lake Placid is one of the most exciting events of the season-long World Cup, showcasing moguls and aerials at one of the tour’s highest-quality competition arenas, and with some of the greatest spectators on the tour. Lake Placid has been the site of many breakout performances from U.S. athletes, who’ve gone on to establish themselves at the top of the sport, and on many occasions has helped the U.S. Team to generate the momentum to go on to win medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games. This year’s event will be no different, with the World Championships beginning just two weeks later in Utah. The events in Lake Placid will determine the World Championship team in aerials and will be a key selection event in moguls. Our team has its sights set on best in the world performances at the World Championships in Utah, and their performance at the World Cup in Lake Placid will set the tone for what they aim to achieve,” said Chief of Sport for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Luke Bodensteiner.

There will be more than 150 athletes competing across 15 nations. The 2019 Lake Placid Freestyle Cup is an important stop on the FIS Freestyle World Cup circuit for American athletes, as results from this event will impact the 2019 World Championship Freestyle Team nominations. Aerials athletes will be named to the team based on results from this World Cup event, in addition to U.S. Nationals, taking place at Lake Placid on January 26. Moguls athletes will be named to the team based on World Cup standings through January 28, 2019. The Lake Placid Freestyle Cup is the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team’s only domestic stop before the 2019 FIS World Championships in Utah in February.

“We are thrilled that this World Cup event continues to come back to Lake Placid year after year,” added New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) President/CEO Mike Pratt. “Whether it’s moguls at Whiteface or the aerials at the Olympic Jumping Complex, these athletes provide breathtaking excitement that’s hard to match.”

A complete schedule of events can be found at https://www.whiteface.com/events/world-cup-freestyle. Spectators and competitors are encouraged to join in the conversation on social media with #LPWorldCup.

New this year is a VIP experience for Saturday night’s aerials event. Tickets are $75 and will include premier indoor and outdoor viewing areas, dinner and two drinks. A cash bar will also be available. Must be 21 and older to purchase. For all ticketing information, please visit https://www.whiteface.com/events/world-cup-freestyle.

For more information on the 2019 FIS Lake Placid Freestyle Cup, please contact Lara Carlton at [email protected].

Members of the media may apply for an event press credential athttps://www.whiteface.com/sites/default/files/public/forms/2019_Lake_Placid_World_Cup_Freestyle_Media_Credential_Application.pdf. 

Please note that U.S. Ski & Snowboard offices will be closed on Monday, December 24th and Tuesday, December 25th for the Christmas Holiday. Our offices will also be closed on Monday, December 31st and Tuesday, January 1st for the New Year's Holiday.

 Normal business hours will resume on Wednesday, December 26th and Wednesday, January 2nd  8:00 AM - 5:00 PM MST.  U.S. Ski & Snowboard's website will not be affected by this closure.

Season’s Greetings!

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Dec. 18, 2018) – U.S. Ski & Snowboard and PROBAR announced their global partnership today, making PROBAR the official Protein Bar, Nutrition Bar, Energy Bars, Energy Chews and Nut Butters of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. As the creator of delicious, convenient, organic plant-based foods that power active lifestyles, PROBAR’s robust lineup of blended nutrition bars and energy chews will fuel some of the world’s top athletes.

As part of a long-term partnership, U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes will be energized on the mountain, during race day and throughout their training with PROBAR’s portfolio of nutritionally dense bars, including Meal, Base, Bite, live and Bolt energy chews. The Utah based brand will also provide sampling on and off the slopes for fans during the 2018-19 season and beyond.

“We originally created PROBAR to deliver convenient whole-food nutrition to athletes who need fuel for peak performance,” said Jeff Coleman, co-founder and CEO of PROBAR. “With Park City and the Wasatch Range in our backyard, we are proud to partner with U.S. Ski and Snowboard to fuel our country’s most elite skiers and snowboarders on and off the slopes.”

PROBAR will debut its partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard during the 2019 International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, presented by Toyota, taking place in both organizations’ own backyards at Solitude Mountain Resort, Park City Mountain Resort, and Deer Valley, Utah, February 1-10, 2019.

“We always seek partnerships where our brand values align to help us reach our vision of being ‘Best in the World’ in ski and snowboard sports,” said Dan Barnett, U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Our athletes need quick and convenient nutrition when training and competing, and PROBAR’s line will provide them with easy access to organic, whole-food products. This partnership is perfect, as both U.S. Ski & Snowboard and PROBAR share a vision of helping to fuel athletes to perform at their best.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, welcomes the decision announced Friday, December 14, by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to back Salt Lake City as a possible future Olympic Winter Games destination.

“The possibility of having a future Olympic Winter Games in the USA is incredibly exciting,” said Tiger Shaw, President and CEO of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. “Colorado and Utah have created many of the world’s best athletes in our sports and both have been very supportive in hosting world-class events. We are very appreciative of the passion and commitment from both states, Denver and Salt Lake City, and those propelling the bids. Naturally, we are excited that U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s home state of Utah is the home of the USOC’s chosen bid city of Salt Lake City. The 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Legacy Foundation, Utah Sports Commission and generous citizens have kept current and grown the Olympic venues, providing exceptional development opportunities for Olympic hopefuls. This impact will only grow with an Olympic bid. 

“This news also raises excitement levels even higher about the forthcoming 2019 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships, taking place in Utah in February 2019,” Shaw continued. “Those events will include a number of sports that will make their FIS World Championships debut ahead of their first appearance at an Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, 2022, and the opportunity to showcase how ready Utah is to stage world-class snowsports competitions just raises the stakes even higher for the events that will take place from February 1 to 10, 2019. This is truly an incredible time to be part of the winter sports community in the USA!”

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 in 2018, 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 

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tom Webb
Director of Marketing and Communications
[email protected]

PARK CITY, Utah - Those involved in the freeski and snowboard communities probably know that U.S. Ski & Snowboard and the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) have been working together closely for years. What many do not know is the significant contribution to athletes, coaches, and judges that results from the cooperation between these two organizations.
 
U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA have been working together to support snowboarding for more than 20 years. Most recently USASA has also been the number one contributor to the regional freeski event market and is entering its 30th year as an integral piece of the event and development pipeline for both sports. One hundred percent of the regional snowboard events and 82 percent of the regional freeski events are produced by USASA. USASA produces more than 500 events at 120 resorts through their 32 unique series that engage the culture and community of both sports. In addition to the hosting of events, USASA also provides an education structure for the development of coaches, officials and judges in the U.S. hosted through in-person clinics and social outreach.
 
U.S. Ski & Snowboard and USASA both play an important part in the development of sport at every level. The U.S. Freeski and Snowboard Teams have had quite the track record over the last decade. In the past two Olympic Winter Games, the U.S. Freeski slopestyle and halfpipe athletes have earned 10 Olympic medals. Similarly, the U.S. Snowboard Team has amassed 31 Olympic medals dating back to the 1998 Olympics. It is easy to see why in 2012 Bill Marolt awarded the USASA the Russell Wilder Award stating, "without USASA, the U.S would not be able to dominate in the sport of snowboarding as we do today".
 
USASA not only provides opportunities for athletes to compete but also introduces a professional competition structure. As an illustration, USASA provides in excess of $50,000 each year in prize money at the USASA National Championships. Entering into its 30th year, it is the largest competition of its kind in the world. The USASA Nationals are part of a robust pipeline that carries athletes from the USASA Regional events all the way to Olympic level competition.

Athletes get started in one of two ways, by finding a coach or by competing in a USASA regional event. To move up the pipeline, athletes compete in regional USASA events where they vie for the opportunity to qualify for USASA Nationals every April. Athletes looking to continue to progress through the pipeline strive to place at the top of their age group or open class. Every year athletes who place at the top of their competitive group at USASA Nationals are invited to participate in Project Gold (an invite-only camp for the nation's top talent), the Revolution Tour and NorAm-level Elite Revolution Tour events (halfpipe and slopestyle), Holeshot Tour (skicross and snowboardcross), and Race to the Cup (alpine snowboard). Athletes who finish at the top of these events may qualify to attend the FIS Junior World Championships, the Youth Olympic Games, Grand Prix, and World Cup events. Olympic selections take place exclusively from World Cup events in Olympic qualifying years. In addition, Olympic team selection may also include results from World Cup events that are included in the selection criteria at the highest level of competition!

Not only does the organization provide athletic opportunity for advancement, but also education. The USASA foundation contributes $20,000 to 30,000 a year in direct scholarships and grants to USASA athletes. Furthermore, USASA’s contribution does not stop with athletes, they also support coaches to ensure a bright future for the sports of freeskiing and snowboarding - hosting numerous level 100 and 200 coaching clinics across the country annually. 

“The USASA and U.S. Ski & Snowboard partnership is critical to our collective future success in snowboarding and freeskiing on the international stage,” said U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Director Jeremy Forster. “It’s important to highlight that USASA is the competitive starting point for almost every snowboard and freeski athlete. Our organizations are working collaboratively to ensure the sport development pathway is well coordinated and communicated to all stakeholders.”

If you are a coach and are interested in finding a coaching clinic, if you are an athlete or parent looking for an Event Near You, USASA can help! 

Visit USASA.org for more information. 

U.S Ski & Snowboard Athletic Pipeline
Freeski Pipeline
Snowboard Pipeline

About USASA
The United States Snowboard and Freeski Association is the first step in the Olympic pipeline. USASA is represented by 32 regional series and made up of over 5000 athlete members, 1000 + coaches, officials, and judges and hosts over 500 snowboard and freeski events annually at over 120 resorts nationwide. The USASA National Championships are held annually at Copper Mountain, Colorado and span twelve days with over 1,800 participants making it the largest snowboard and freeskiing event in the world and is entering its 30th year. USASA aims to facilitate fun and fair events for all ages across the country, to attract snowboarders and freeskiers, promote their development, provide member education, and influence the future of our sports.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body for ski and snowboard sports in the USA. One of the oldest and most established sports organizations worldwide, directly tracing its roots back to 1905, the organization, based in Park City, UT, provides leadership and direction for elite athletes competing at the highest level worldwide and for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders in the USA, encouraging and supporting all its athletes in achieving excellence wherever they train and compete. 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. U.S. Ski & Snowboard receives no direct government support, operating solely through private donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund athletic programs that directly assist athletes in reaching their dreams and achieving the shared goal of being Best In The World.