Copper Mountain, CO – The sun was shining down on Copper Mountain’s Center Village on Saturday where a crowd of thousands congregated for the 2015 U.S. Alpine Ski Team introduction during Nature Valley First Tracks.
The energy at this Colorado resort, home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, was palpable. Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety (Park City, Utah), Lindsey Vonn (Vail, Colo.), Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.) and Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle, Colo.) were on hand as 42 athletes were named during a public celebration to kick off the start of the 2015 Audi FIS Alpine World Cup and Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 World Championships winter.
A total of 35 athletes were named to the 2015 A, B and C Teams, with another seven to the Development team. The 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships team will be announced on January 27.
“It’s important for us to have a strong U.S. Ski Team as we host the World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek this season,” acknowledged U.S. Ski Team Alpine Director, Patrick Riml. “With Lindsey Vonn’s anticipated return, we will enter the season with six Olympic medalists. We’re also anxious to see the progress anticipated from younger team members this season. Opening with World Cups in Aspen and Beaver Creek will give us a chance to showcase our Team here in America leading up to the World Championships in February.”
The team is coming off a five-medal Olympics, with both Ligety and Shiffrin winning Audi FIS Alpine World Cup titles. Vonn is making a return after an injury at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming took her out of action. She is expecting to start with World Cup speed events Dec. 5-7 in Lake Louise, where she has won 14 times.
Despite challenging early season conditions, the team at Copper Mountain has provided early season training for the U.S. Ski Team since November 1 in preparation for the upcoming season. Copper is home to the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center which, when open, provides U.S. skiers with an Audi FIS Alpine World Cup level training course.
The Audi FIS Alpine World Cup swings through America Nov.29-Dec.1 with a women’s giant slalom and slalom followed by men’s downhill, super G and giant slalom Dec. 5-7 at Beaver Creek, CO – host of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
* denotes Olympian
- David Chodounksy (Crested Butte, CO; Crested Butte Ski Team) Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 6/25/84 *
- Travis Ganong (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 7/14/88
- Jared Goldberg (Holladay, UT; Team Flow) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 6/15/91 *
- Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV; Park City Ski Team) (Stoeckli, Lange, Atomic, Leki, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Leki/Ortema) 1/11/85 *
- Ted Ligety (Park City, UT, Park City Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 8/31/84 *
- Bode Miller (Franconia, NH, Carrabassett Valley Academy) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, Dainese, Dainese) 10/12/77 *
- Andrew Weibrecht (Lake Placid, NY, New York Ski Education Foundation) Head, Head, Head, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech/Ortema) 2/10/86 *
- Stacey Cook (Mammoth Mountain, CA, Mammoth Mountain Ski Team) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Komperdell, POC, POC) 7/3/84 *
- Julia Mancuso (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC) 3/9/84 *
- Alice McKennis (Glenwood Springs, CO, Rowmark Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Shred, Shred) 8/19/89 *
- Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO, Burke Mountain Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Atomic, Oakley) 3/13/95 *
- Leanne Smith (North Conway, NH, Mt. Washington Valley Ski Team) (Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix, POC, POC) 11/28/87 *
- Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO, Buck Hill/Ski and Snowboard Club Vail) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, Briko, Oakley) 10/18/84 *
- Bryce Bennett (Olympic Valley, CA; Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Blizzard, Tecnica, Marker, Leki, POC, POC, POC, Leki/POC) 7/14/92
- Thomas Biesemeyer (Keene, NY; New York Ski Education Foundation) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, Briko, Briko, Ortema) 1/30/89
- Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Starksboro, VT, Cochran’s/Mt. Mansfield Ski and Snowboard Club) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Komperdell, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 3/27/92
- Mark Engel (Truckee, CA, Sugar Bowl Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Komperdell, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Ortema) 10/1/91
- Tommy Ford (Bend, OR, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Swix, Shred, Shred, Shred, Slytech) 3/20/89 *
- Colby Granstrom (Lake Stevens, WA; Mission Ridge Ski Education) Swix, Briko, Briko, Briko) 10/21/90
- Nolan Kasper (Warren, VT, Burke Mountain Academy) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Swix, Briko, Briko, Ortema) 3/27/89 *
- Brennan Rubie (Salt Lake City, UT; Snowbird Ski Team) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Bolle, Bolle, Bolle, Slytech) 5/8/91
- Steven Nyman (Sundance, UT, Park City Ski Team) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Komperdell, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 2/12/82 *
- Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, POC, POC, POC, ) 4/27/80 *
- Abigail Ghent (Edwards, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, Shred, Shred) 2/25/92
- Anna Marno (Steamboat Springs, CO; Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker Swix, Uvex, Uvex) 11/23/92
- Paula Moltzan (Lakeville, MN; Buck Hill Ski Team) (Rossignol, Rossignol, Rossignol, Swix, POC, POC) 5/7/94
- Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR, Mt. Bachelor Ski Education Foundation) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Shred, Shred) 8/17/88 *
- Katie Ryan (Aspen, CO; Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, POC, POC) 1/3/93
- Jacqueline Wiles (Aurora, OR; White Pass Ski Club) (Rossignol, Lange, Rossignol, Swix, Uvex, Uvex) 7/13/92 *
- Nicholas Krause (Northboro, MA; Stratton Mountain School) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC, Leki/Ortema) 5/12/93
- Katharine Irwin (Vail, CO; Ski & Snowboard Club Vail) (Volkl, Lange, Marker, Swix, Shred, Shred) 6/5/94
- Lila Lapanja (Incline Village, NV; Sugar Bowl Academy/Diamond Peak) (Fischer, Lange, Fischer, Leki, POC, POC) 12/3/94
- Erik Avridsson (Woodside, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 9/3/96
- Ronnie Berlack (Franconia, NH, Burke Mountain Academy) (Nordic, Nordic, Marker, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Ortema) 4/21/94
- AJ Ginnis (Waitsfield, VT, Green Mountain Valley School) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Leki, Shred, Shred, Shred, Ortema/Slytech) 11/17/94
- Sam Morse (Carrabassett Valley, ME, Carrabassett Valley Academy) (Fischer, Fischer, Fischer, Swix, Uvex, Uvex, Uvex, Ortema) 5/27/96
- Kipling Weisel (San Francisco, CA, Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) (Nordica, Nordica, Marker, Swix, POC, POC, POC, Slytech/Ortema) 3/26/95
- Breezy Johnson (Victor, ID, Rowmark Ski Academy) (Atomic, Atomic, Atomic, Leki, Shred, Shred) 2/19/97) 1/19/96
- Stephanie Lebby (Big Bear Lake, CA, Squaw Valley Ski Team) (Head, Head, Head, Leki, POC, POC) 2/19/97
- Alpine Director: Patrick Riml
- Men’s Team Manager: Kate Avrin
- Women’s Team Manager: Chelsea Steinbach
- Alpine Press Officer: Megan Harrod
- Head Coach: Sasha Rearick
- Physio Coordinator: Chris Antinori
- World Cup Multi Head Coach: Forest Carey
- Assistant Coach: Mike Kenney and Adam Cole
- Head Ski Service Ted Ligety: Alex Martin
- Head Ski Service Bode Miller: Chris Krause
- Head Coach: Alex Hoedlmoser
- Assistant Coach: Scott Veenis
- Assistant Coach: Pete Anderson
- Conditioning Coach: Tony Beretzki
- Intern Coach: Chris Beckmann
- Pool Ski Service: Sylvain Munsch
- Fischer Ski Service: Leo Mussi
- Atomic Ski Service: Thomas Graggaber
- Rossignol Ski Service: Shawn Gaisford
- Head Ski Service: Guntram Mathis
- Physical Therapist: Tiitu Romar
- Head Coach: Bernd Brunner
- Assistant Coach: Ian Garner
- Conditioning Coach: Bob Poehling
- Pool Ski Service: Matej Cujes
- Pool Ski Service: Alex Petitdemange
- Pool Ski Service: Danijel Andesilic
- Speed Coach: TJ Lanning
- Tech Coach: Ian Lochhead
- Speed Ski Service: Vittorio Boggian
- Tech Ski Service: Nicolo Concari
- Head Coach: Randy Pelkey
- Assistant Coach: Justin Johnson
- Ski Service: Eric Holmer
- World Cup Speed Head Coach: Stefan Abplanalp
- Assistant Coach: Chris Knight
- Assistant Coach: Wade Bishop
- Assistant Coach: Pascal Hasler
- Ski Service: Ales Sopotnik
- Ski Service: Miha Dolinar
- Head Ski Service Lindsey Vonn: Heinz Haemmerle
- Head Ski Service Julia Mancuso: Michael Gmeiner
- Physical Therapist: Lyndsay Young
- Head Coach: Roland Pfeifer
- Assistant Coach: Gary Miller
- Ski Service: Matteo Fattor
- Atomic Ski Service Mikaela Shiffrin: Kim Erlandsson
- Strength and Conditioning Coach: Luca de Marchi
- Physical Therapist: Brie Pike-Sprenger
- Europa Cup Head Coach: Trevor Wagner
- Ski Service: Jonathan Weyant
- Development Head Coach: Frank Kelble
- Assistant Coach: Kris Shampeny