U.S. Regional Development Program Prepares for Winter

It’s been a warm summer, but snow is starting to arrive in the mountains and winter is just around the corner. The Regional Development Program (RDP) has had a productive preparation period, with camps in Ushuaia, New Zealand, and Corralco. Both the women and men have also been in Europe in recent weeks, training indoors on ice and outdoors on the glaciers to fine-tune their preparation for the upcoming race season.

To date, more than 80 athletes from 25 clubs have been involved in RDP projects, reflecting our commitment to broadening access to high-level development opportunities while supplementing the excellent work being done at the club level. As we move into the competition season, the RDP will shift its focus to the NorAm Cup, with preparation camps before each stop on the tour. U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff will also lead midwinter European exposure trips and support the Project Gold head-to-head racing series.

As we expand our reach, we remain laser-focused on advancing more athletes toward the highest levels of the sport. Last season, the RDP helped increase the number of U.S. junior athletes ranked in the top 300 by more than 20%. The men showed steady gains across all four events, while the women made significant progress in super-G and downhill. In international comparisons, the U.S. men are tied with Italy for No. 1 in the number of junior athletes ranked in the top 300, while the U.S. ranks No. 5 overall across both genders, tied with Austria. These are encouraging indicators of the depth and competitiveness of our development pipeline.

Selection criteria have now been posted for the 2027-28 Stifel U.S. Ski Team, the 2027 World Junior Championships, and the 2027-28 Regional Development Team (RDT). New this year, the RDT criteria include a defined series of head-to-head races at the U23 level, incorporating NCAA collegiate racing, NorAms, and U.S. Nationals. As last year, defined race series are also in place for the U18 and U16 age groups. Additionally, a draft of the RDP project calendar is now available on our website. Please follow the links for more details.

This March, the World Cup Finals will return to Sun Valley. In conjunction with this culminating event of the World Cup season, we are launching a special forerunner project that will give selected male U18 athletes the opportunity to participate throughout the event. This promises to be a uniquely inspirational experience for young athletes, giving them the chance to meet the best ski racers in the world and see firsthand what it takes to compete at the highest level.

Validated SkillsQuest Fitness testing has been happening across the country in recent weeks. Thanks to all the clubs that hosted events for our athletes to show the progress they have made. To wrap up the conditioning season, the High Performance department will host a webinar on November 20 at 9 a.m. MST to present awards, followed by a presentation on how to maintain progress in SkillsQuest Fitness during the season. Please register here and join us!

Lastly, we are sorry to say that Ali Holum has decided to move on from U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Ali has been tremendous to work with over the past two years, greeting nearly every person and situation with a smile and a genuinely helpful response. She has made a significant contribution to the operations of the Western and Rocky/Central regions, as well as the launch of the Regional Development Program. During this transition period, Will Brandenburg (West), Darlene Nolting (Rocky/Central), Spencer Hess (entries), Seth McCadam (W RDP) and Brad Saxe (M RDP) will serve as the primary points of contact for their respective areas. Please join me in thanking Ali and wishing her well in her future endeavors!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on winter snow soon! In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Best,
Chip