Top Five Fridays: February 6, 2026
Breezy Johnson had plenty of reason to celebrate last Saturday, as her first ever Super G podium came just days before the Olympics. More on that below! Image: U.S. Ski Team on Facebook
Hello, and welcome to Top Five Fridays, the February 6, 2026 edition! This week, we have a ton of competitive news to cover, as the final week of the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit before the Olympic break gave us quite a bit to talk about. Meanwhile, the first ever FIS Freeride World Championship was held on Tuesday, and the 2026 Winter Olympics are officially upon us! Thankfully, for those of you who aren’t as interested in the competitive stuff, we have a chance to round things out by sharing significant details surrounding the re-emergence of Peak Skis. With tons to cover this week, there’s no time to waste. Let’s get started.
#1: FIS Results - Vonn Suffers Significant Injury but Pledges to Compete in the Olympics:
When we left off last week, we mentioned that Crans Montana, Switzerland would be hosting the final series of races before the Olympics. To be honest, we might’ve gotten caught looking past these races with the Olympics looming so large on the schedule. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have, because over the course of three races, a lot has changed.
Perhaps the biggest news from the weekend came just mere hours after our written post went live, but just in time for Bob and Matt to discuss it in the video episode: just days before her Olympic return, Lindsey Vonn crashed in the Crans Montana Downhill. In a scary moment that left her tangled up amongst the B-Net, Vonn got caught trying to manage a tricky section of the course when she found herself compressed on the landing of a jump, right at the exact moment in which she was required to change edges ahead of the next turn. Despite her efforts, this combination of forces didn’t work in her favor and Vonn lost control, ultimately spinning around, and ending up in the netting. Fortunately though, after taking a self assessment and checking with event staff, Vonn was able to ski to the finish corral. Later on, she would be airlifted off the mountain, causing great concern about her availability for the Olympics.
As disappointing as this all sounds though, there is some good news. On Tuesday of this week, Vonn announced that she plans to, “do everything in my power to be in that starting gate,” indicating that she hopes to continue her Olympic dream, despite having a torn ACL and bone bruise on her knee. We’ll circle back on this a little more in highlight #3 this week. And as for the rest of the Downhill race in Crans Montana, well, ultimately it was cancelled due to a mixture of poor conditions, after 3 of the first 6 athletes crashed.
Despite the rocky start to the weekend though, Crans Montana ultimately did provide some exciting results for U.S. athletes. A day after the Downhill, the women competed again, this time in a Super G race that went off without a hitch. Once again highlighting the depth of the American team, a U.S. athlete was on the podium, as Breezy Johnson earned the first Super G podium of her career with a third place finish. Following her lead was Mary Bocock in 15th, Jacqueline Wiles in 17th, Tricia Mangan in 19th, and Keely Cashman in 25th.
From there, it was the men’s turn to take the Downhill course in what would be the final alpine race before the Olympics. For the U.S. men’s team, it proved to be a huge opportunity as Ryan Cochran-Siegle charged to a third place finish, marking his second podium of the season after earning a silver medal in the Beaver Creek Downhill back in December. Following his lead, Bryce Bennett also put in a strong result with an 18th place finish, while Wiley Maple snuck into the points with a 29th place finish. All in all, a strong final showing ahead of the Winter Olympics, which we’ll preview shortly.
#2: The First Ever FIS Freeride World Championship Went Down on Tuesday, Readying the Sport for Olympic Consideration:
In other FIS competitive news this week, we’re very excited to bring you the results from the first ever FIS Freeride World Championship. Before we dive into the competition itself, this particular event requires some stage setting as it was somewhat momentous for the sport of freeride. If you’ve been following along with the Freeride World Tour in recent years, you might remember when the FIS bought the league back in 2022. When that happened, the common belief was that the purchase was made in an effort to bring freeride skiing and snowboarding to the Olympics. In order to do that though, the FIS would have to prove that the discipline has worldwide appeal, ample competition, and a valid qualification system. In many ways, the FIS Freeride World Championship was a demonstration that the sport has met that criteria and is ready for Olympic consideration.
Happening as a standalone event, in the same way that other FIS World Championships are held, the Freeride World Championship had a distinctly different feel than the typical stops on the World Tour. For starters, the roster of athletes wasn’t simply a reflection of who’s on the Tour. While there was a selection of athletes who qualified as a result of their Tour results, other athletes got in by way of continental quotas, NSA quotas, and wildcards. This process more closely represents the way the Olympic qualification process works, as it ensures global representation while limiting the quantity of athletes that can represent any one given nation.
And then, of course, there was the venue. Taking place in Ordino Arcalís, Andorra, the venue for this event was simply massive, providing for a wide array of line choices and styles of skiing to be put on full display. From Weitien Ho’s massive closeout air, to Ugo Troubat’s perfect 360 into a couloir, or even Abel Moga’s ultra hairy shelf line, the venue allowed the athletes to show the world just what makes the sport of Freeride so exciting, and so Olympic worthy. Ultimately though, at the end of the men’s division, it was Ben Richards who once again won the gold medal after laying down a perfectly executed run, complete with technical skiing and buttery smooth 360s. For Richards, it marked his third straight gold medal, and while only two count towards his FWT standings, it’s clear as day that he’s currently the man to beat in this sport.
For as glorious as the men’s event was, the women’s side of things unfortunately ended in disappointment. From the jump, it was obvious that the women were here to compete and wanted to impress the world with ambitious runs. While they did just that, and accomplished some amazing skiing, unfortunately 7 of the first 11 athletes either had a major control issue or lost a ski. And then, the clouds rolled in. With 5 of the arguably most exciting athletes left to compete, the event was put on a weather hold as judges were unable to see the venue through the fog. Eventually, when it became clear that the fog wouldn’t lift, the decision was made to invoke the FIS’s two thirds rule, which states that the results of an event can be confirmed if at least two thirds of the field has run. In this case, 11 of the 16 athletes had run - one athlete over the threshold. While our hearts break for the 5 athletes who were left out of such a momentous event, our hats go off to Zuzanna Witych, who took home the gold medal in the inaugural event.
From here, two things happen. First, we wait with great anticipation for the IOC to announce that Freeride skiing will be included in the 2030 Winter Olympics. While many expected that to happen back in September, the current belief is that it should happen at either this summer or next fall’s IOC meetings. Secondly, we turn our attention back to the Freeride World Tour, which is set to resume after the Winter Olympics, sometime between February 22 - 28th in Georgia. For a full recap of this event, check out the coverage from DownDays.eu.
#3: Here Are the 2026 Winter Olympic Storylines From Every Type of Skiing:
Moving onto our third highlight this week, we figure it might be helpful to take a moment to preview the Winter Olympics, focusing on some of the sports and storylines that are set to pique our interest in the coming weeks. This particular highlight might feel a bit atypical for us, but with so many exciting events coming up, it seems useful to try and wrap our heads around it before the excitement begins. With that said, let’s get started.
Alpine Skiing:
Starting with one of the most watched sports of the Winter Games, alpine skiing is set to take place for nearly the entirety of the event, with the first medal race taking place on February 7th, just a day after the opening ceremony. From there, the action doesn’t slow down, as there are medal events set to take place nearly every day between 2/7 - 2/18, with 2/13 and 2/17 being the only exceptions.
As for storylines, where do we even start? The women’s team on the whole has the potential to be dominant, with Mikaela Shiffrin proving to be an absolute force in slalom this season, while Paula Moltzan is also capable of podiuming in both slalom and giant slalom. On the speed side of things, of course there will be questions about Vonn’s readiness, but she too has been dominant this season and has already proven that doubting her is a risky decision. All of this and we haven’t even touched on the slew of other athletes who could potentially podium. Of all the Winter Olympic sports, women’s alpine racing is likely to be one of the more exciting ones.
Of course, let’s not leave out the men. While they’ve had a generally tough season, Ryan Cochran-Siegel has come alive in the last week, with a third place finish in Crans Montana, followed by a first place finish in a training run on the Olympic Downhill slope. Having won a silver medal in the Super G at the last Winter Olympics, it would be foolish to count him out this time around.
You can see the full Alpine Skiing schedule here.
Cross Country Skiing:
Jessie. Diggins. While there are certainly other stories here, such as the potential rise of Gus Schumacher, it’s hard to pretend like the Jessie Diggins story isn’t the one that the entire world will be watching. In what’s set to be her final Olympics, and final season competing, the greatest American XC skier of all time will attempt to write her magnum opus - competing in a total of 6 different events. You can see her schedule here.
Freestyle Skiing:
Always one of the most entertaining sports for general audiences, this year’s Olympic games will feature Halfpipe, Big Air, and Slopestyle, alongside Aerials and Moguls. Amongst these disciplines, Men’s Halfpipe is where Team USA stands the best chance to sweep a podium, while the Chinese team has an excellent chance of doing the same in both Halfpipe and Big Air. That said, there are athletes from all over the world who truly have the potential to take gold in any one of these events, making it one of the most exciting categories not only from an adrenaline standpoint, but also from a medal count perspective as freestyle skiing could be the difference maker at the end of the games. You can check out the Freestyle Skiing schedule here.
Ski Mountaineering:
Finally, last but certainly not least is the sport of ski mountaineering which is making its Olympic debut this time around. While your mind might wander to vast mountain peaks when you hear the name, competitive ski mountaineering in this sense happens much quicker. In the sprint discipline, which is set to take place on 2/19, athletes knock out a quick ascent using skins, take on a brief “portage” section which is a portion of the track that’s an on foot ascension, followed by another quick skin before the athlete finally transitions into downhill mode and skis a course back to the bottom. All in all, a lap is expected to take 2.5-3 minutes. The mixed relay, which is scheduled for 2/21, builds on the sprint concept by making a longer course with more transitions, and asking 2 athletes to complete 2 laps each on the course.
While the expectation is that Skimo’s debut will be dominated by Europeans, where the sport is a bit more embedded in their culture, its addition to the games should still prove plenty exciting. To preview the schedule for these events, click here.
Of course beyond the aforementioned ski events, there are tons of other sports competing. From curling to hockey, the Winter Olympics are always a ton of fun to watch, even if it's a sport you only see once every four years. To see a complete schedule of events, check out this graphic on the official Olympics website.
#4: It’s Official: Peak Skis is Back. This Time it’s About More Than Just the Skis:
Image: Peak Skis
Finally, rounding things out this week with non-competitive news is an update from the story unfolding regarding Peak Skis. As you likely know by now, the company went belly up over the summer, with news breaking in unceremonious fashion. Then, just a few weeks back, the rumor mill started churning once again, with whispers of Peak Skis’ return. Now, this week, we not only have confirmation that the brand is staging a comeback, but also some insights into its new direction.
This week, courtesy of a report from the Colorado Sun, we finally got some real answers to questions that have been brewing for nearly 8 months now. The biggest answer being this: Peak Skis is officially relaunching, using the same patented key-hole technology, alongside a brand new roster of investors and owners. With this refreshed group of stakeholders, the ethos of the brand also seems to be changing. While the initial iteration of Peak Skis spent money freely to put on the optics of being an immediately large, successful ski company, the second iteration will go for a more toned down approach. Formerly, Peak Skis resided in a glamorous show room in Bozeman, Montana. They had a roster of veteran athletes that they lured away from previous sponsors in the form of large signing bonuses (which were never paid). Now, the team behind the brand is smaller. The location is a modest storefront in Park City, where the brand will look to take a more bootstrapped approach to growth rather than spending extravagantly.
Buried within this Colorado Sun article though, there’s another detail regarding the rebirth that might actually be the most interesting aspect of all of this: the manufacturing story behind the skis. At present, existing Peak Skis have been produced in traditional ski factories, like Fischer’s in Ukraine or Elan’s in Slovenia. Looking forward though, company owner Bode Miller hopes to change that. In the article, it’s mentioned that he has “a deal” with Bihler, a German manufacturing company that specializes in automation. That, is where this story gets particularly interesting.
According to Bode Miller, he “was never really enthusiastic about the ski division on its own without the manufacturing solution… I just got pulled into operations and running a business and that was not the economic windfall that we wanted. The opportunity is massive both from the economics and doing something huge for the industry as a whole that really improves the sport. That was the entire point of Peak when we launched.”
In other words, Bode Miller doesn’t want to make a ski company. Peak skis are his trojan horse. Really, Miller wants to develop a process to automate the production of skis, which he hopes will someday be adopted by the industry at large. Ultimately that larger goal is why Peak Skis is back. Whether or not that comes to fruition, and what impact it would have on the ski industry, remains to be seen.
For more on this, check out the report from the Colorado Sun.