Paula Moltzan Saalbach 2025 World Championships: GEPA pictures
North American women from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and Alpine Canada Alpin made significant strides in World Cup giant slalom this season. From veteran podiums to breakout performances, the 2024-25 campaign strongly proved that both teams are building toward Olympic success in 2026.
Stifel U.S. Ski Team Nearly Tops Nation Standings
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team delivered a breakthrough campaign for the 2024-2025 World Cup giant slalom season. Despite missing their usual lead scorer Mikaela Shiffrin for most of the season, the American women finished second in the Nations Cup GS standings, just 60 points behind Italy and 32 points ahead of Switzerland.
In a season with only nine giant slaloms—down from 10 the season before—Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien, AJ Hurt, and Katie Hensien helped carry the team, all qualifying for the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley. Shiffrin, who missed time after a crash early in the season, contributed 51 points and ranked fifth among U.S. women.
Moltzan Delivers U.S. Podiums and Leads GS Rankings
Paula Moltzan led the North American women in the discipline standings, finishing seventh with 286 points. She delivered the only two North American women’s GS podiums this season, finishing third in Kronplatz and again at the 2025 Saalbach World Championships.
The former NCAA All-American from the University of Vermont continues to climb the elite giant slalom ranks. She jumped from 11th in the GS standings in 2024 to seventh this season and has positioned herself as a serious medal contender for Cortina 2026.
O’Brien Returns to Form After Lost Season
Nina O’Brien returned with remarkable consistency after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. She qualified for the second run in all nine World Cup GS races and scored points in eight of them. Her only non-scoring race came in Sestriere, where she did not finish the second run.
O’Brien cracked the top 15 seven times, including three top 10s, and finished the season ranked 11th with 220 points. Her steady form and resilience suggest she’s ready to deliver at the highest level in the Olympic season.
AJ Hurt Shows Consistency in Every Start
Another comeback story came from AJ Hurt, who missed the early races with a back injury but finished strong. She started in seven races and scored in all of them, earning 152 points and 14th in the standings.
Hurt posted five top-15 finishes, including seventh in Sestriere, reinforcing her potential to fight for an Olympic podium. Last season, she earned her first World Cup GS podium and will be one to watch in Cortina.
Hensien Makes Her Case for Olympic Selection
Katie Hensien immediately impressed this season after her return from injury. The University of Denver All-American had previously scored World Cup GS points just once but started this season with a bang—finishing fourth in her first race back.
She scored in six of the nine GS events, totaled 97 points, and ended the season ranked 22nd, earning a spot at her first World Cup Finals. Her top-15 finish in Killington (13th) increased her credibility as an emerging U.S. giant slalom force.
Bocock and Macuga Add Depth
Elisabeth Bocock, 19, continued developing with a strong second World Cup season. She won bronze at the 2025 World Junior Championships and qualified for the second run in four of the seven World Cup giant slalom races she entered. She finished the season with 34 points, including a career-best 14th in Åre, Sweden.
Lauren Macuga, primarily an elite speed skier, earned the right to start giant slalom at the Finals by surpassing the 500 overall World Cup point total. She capitalized on the opportunity, finishing 15th in Sun Valley and scoring 16 points.
Grenier Returns to Lead Alpine Canada Alpin
Valérie Grenier, a two-time World Cup GS winner, returned from injury this season to once again lead the Alpine Canada Alpin women’s team. She missed the opener but raced the final eight GS events, scoring in six and finishing 12th overall with 174 points.
Her four top-10 finishes, including a season-best fourth in Semmering, prove she is a legitimate podium threat. If she stays healthy, Grenier will be a top Olympic contender for Canada in 2026.
Richardson Continues to Climb
Britt Richardson, the 2024 Junior World GS champion, made a significant step forward in her fourth World Cup season. The 21-year-old scored a career-best 102 points and finished 21st in the giant slalom standings—her career highest rank.
She recorded three top-15 finishes, including a career-best seventh in Kronplatz, and earned a start at the Finals. At the rate she’s improving, Richardson could become a significant force for Canada during the Olympic season.
Gray Adds Points, Completes Canadian Trio
Cassidy Gray was the third Canadian woman to score giant slalom points this season, adding 11 to the national total. Her only result came with a 20th-place finish in Semmering. Though it wasn’t her strongest season, Gray remains a solid presence for the Canadian squad.
The women’s World Cup giant slalom calendar in 2025 featured one fewer race than in 2024, giving athletes fewer opportunities to score points.
More Americans in the Points
One clear sign of progress for the Stifel U.S. Ski Team came in the number of athletes scoring giant slalom World Cup points. In 2024, only four American women—Shiffrin, Moltzan, Hurt, and O’Brien—scored in GS. This season, seven U.S. women reached the points list: Moltzan, O’Brien, Hurt, Hensien, Shiffrin, Bocock, and Macuga. That added depth could prove crucial heading into an Olympic season where team strength and consistency often define medal potential.
2024 vs. 2025: A Season of Resurgence
Compared to 2024, several major shifts took place in the 2025 season. In 2024, Mikaela Shiffrin led the U.S. women with 429 points and finished fifth, while Valérie Grenier scored 327 points and ranked sixth. This season, Moltzan (286) and O’Brien (220) stepped up in Shiffrin’s absence, and Richardson and Hensien climbed into the top 25.
Shiffrin didn’t reach her usual heights after injury, but her teammates filled the gap. And a healthy Shiffrin, the most successful World Cup skier in history, remains a threat to win in any alpine discipline. With Grenier healthy and the young Canadians surging, North America’s women’s GS outlook is as strong as ever heading into the Olympic year.
About the Author: Peter Lange
