The Stifel US Ski Team Bibbo Award Celebrates Epic Leaps

Ring the cowbells for the award presented by the Stifel US Ski Team, called the Stifel Bibbo Award. The Stifel Bibbo Award is given to a World Cup alpine athlete who wears the highest bib number and moves up the most in ranks. This award is calculated with the “Bibbo formula,” and prize money is granted to the winner at the end of the race. The award highlights racers breaking onto the leaderboard and finding their stride on the World Cup circuit. 

The first Bibbo Award was presented last February at the Stifel Palisades Tahoe Cup to Sam Maes from Belgium. In the giant slalom, Maes moved up from bib 37 to 14th place. 

The Bibbo formula is simple: (the athletes starting bib number) MINUS (final placement) EQUALS the Bibbo number. Once the formula is complete for each racer, the athlete with the highest Bibbo number is the Bibbo winner.

Stifel explained, “At Stifel, we view ourselves as the firm ‘Where Success Meets Success,’ and that includes identifying and supporting up-and-coming talent on their road to success.  Our sponsorship of the Stifel Bibbo Award dovetails perfectly with that and is a natural extension of our partnership with U.S. Ski and Snowboard, which we’ve grown significantly since becoming sponsor of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team in October 2022.”  

What do the Racers Receive? 

This Bibbo Award is an exciting perk for the athletes who are making strides in their career. The winner of the Bibbo Award will receive a Stifel US Ski Team cowbell, along with a check for $5,000 USD. But the cowbell gift will remain at home for international events, and the US Ski Team member will receive the prize money. 

Various protocols for the award were adjusted for international and US World Cup events. The award is for international or US athletes at every domestic World Cup event. However, for international races the award will only be presented if a Stifel US Ski Team athlete has earned the overall Bibbo title. The award will not be allocated to the best of the US finishers; it will only be awarded to a US athlete that has won Bibbo. 

At the Killington Cup, two international athletes won the Bibbo Award in both the GS and slalom. Zrinka Ljutic, from Croatia won the Bibbo Award for the giant slalom, and Marion Chevrier, from France won it in slalom. 

In an interview after the Killington World Cup, Mikaela Shiffrin spoke about the money Stifel is awarding to podium victories, and the bibbo winner. She stated, “I have to say thank you and big shout out to Stifel for this. It’s about the work of the athletes and what we do. It takes all of our time, all of our effort, all of our energy. My hope is that other nations, other partners, and other organizations will follow suit. To feel like you are valued for what you do is really incredible.”

Ensuring Recognition

Stifel wants to ensure that these World Cup athletes are being recognized for the hard work that they are putting in and the dedication they continue to have for the sport. The Stifel US Ski Team is working with NBC at every domestic race to highlight the winner of the Stifel Bibbo Award. During the race, NBC will mention the award on air, and afterwards NBC will help spotlight the winner.  

Also, the Stifel US Ski Team will further boast about the winner of the Bibbo Award by posting it on social media outlets. The team wants supporters and fans to applaud this achievement. 

Stifel stated, “We’re excited to broaden our support of these dedicated athletes through the Stifel Bibbo Award as we continue to build awareness of the Stifel brand.”