Upcoming Event: Skiing at 20K Freestyle (M) on January 8, 2026
Skiing
at 20K Freestyle (M)
The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics
Utah Ski Team Begins 2026 Season on Sunday
1/2/2026 3:07 PM | Skiing
Nordic races on deck as part of RMISA Invitational; alpine competitions set to begin Jan. 12
A brand new season awaits the defending NCAA Champion Utah Ski Team as the Utes begin the 2026 campaign this Sunday.
The Nordic team will be first to begin the new year, racing as part of the U.S. National Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York. Utah will compete in a 10K classic interval start (Sun., Jan. 4), 20K classic mass start (Thu., Jan. 8) and classic sprints (Fri., Jan. 9). Races begin at 8 a.m. MT each day.
All three races count toward NCAA Championships qualification for the athletes, while the 10K classic and classic sprints each will be scored as part of the RMISA Invitational meet. The 20K classic will serve as an RMISA qualifier race, meaning individual results count toward postseason qualification but no team scores will be kept.
Alpine action is also right around the corner; Utah begins that portion of the schedule with both the Denver Invitational and Colorado Invitational from Jan. 12-15. Slalom competitions will take place Jan. 12-13 at Loveland Ski Area in Loveland, Colorado, before teams move to Aspen Highlands for GS on Jan. 14-15.
Follow the @utahskiteam social media accounts for live timing information and race results.
2025 Season Recap
Utah is back on the snow after winning its 17th national championship in program history and fourth NCAA crown in the last five years. The championship meet was highlighted by individual titles for Joe Davies (men's 20K freestyle), Johs Braathen Herland (men's giant slalom) and Erica Lavén (women's 7.5K classic). Seventeen All-American citations went to Utah athletes, the most of any team at the meet.
Despite missing certain members of the team at points due to international competitions, the Utes' depth shined in clinching the 2025 RMISA regular season and regional championships. Lavén swept the conference's women's Nordic MVP honors, Herland shared the men's giant slalom MVP and 17 members of the team were named All-RMISA.
Three alpine members of the team and six Nordic skiers made at least one start in a World Cup, U-23 or Junior World Championships competition.
Utah also swept RMISA Coach of the Year honors for 2025, with JJ Johnson taking home the alpine nod and Pierre Niess being voted Nordic Coach of the Year. Both are back with the Utes this season, as are director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt and assistant alpine coach Mary Joyce.
Welcome to the U
Utah welcomed seven newcomers to the program this past Fall, including three alpine standouts and four Nordic additions. The alpine additions include Scotland native Maisie Blyth, Pierick Charest of the Canadian National Development Team and Christina Jacobsen (Bergen, Norway). On the Nordic side, the Utes have bolstered their lineup with Mons Melbye (Oslo, Norway), Sofia Pedersen (Järpen, Sweden) and Ally Wheeler (Casper, Wyo.), in addition to an RMISA transfer in Selma Andersen (Oslo, Norway).
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
The Nordic team will be first to begin the new year, racing as part of the U.S. National Championships at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, New York. Utah will compete in a 10K classic interval start (Sun., Jan. 4), 20K classic mass start (Thu., Jan. 8) and classic sprints (Fri., Jan. 9). Races begin at 8 a.m. MT each day.
All three races count toward NCAA Championships qualification for the athletes, while the 10K classic and classic sprints each will be scored as part of the RMISA Invitational meet. The 20K classic will serve as an RMISA qualifier race, meaning individual results count toward postseason qualification but no team scores will be kept.
Alpine action is also right around the corner; Utah begins that portion of the schedule with both the Denver Invitational and Colorado Invitational from Jan. 12-15. Slalom competitions will take place Jan. 12-13 at Loveland Ski Area in Loveland, Colorado, before teams move to Aspen Highlands for GS on Jan. 14-15.
Follow the @utahskiteam social media accounts for live timing information and race results.
2025 Season Recap
Utah is back on the snow after winning its 17th national championship in program history and fourth NCAA crown in the last five years. The championship meet was highlighted by individual titles for Joe Davies (men's 20K freestyle), Johs Braathen Herland (men's giant slalom) and Erica Lavén (women's 7.5K classic). Seventeen All-American citations went to Utah athletes, the most of any team at the meet.
Despite missing certain members of the team at points due to international competitions, the Utes' depth shined in clinching the 2025 RMISA regular season and regional championships. Lavén swept the conference's women's Nordic MVP honors, Herland shared the men's giant slalom MVP and 17 members of the team were named All-RMISA.
Three alpine members of the team and six Nordic skiers made at least one start in a World Cup, U-23 or Junior World Championships competition.
Utah also swept RMISA Coach of the Year honors for 2025, with JJ Johnson taking home the alpine nod and Pierre Niess being voted Nordic Coach of the Year. Both are back with the Utes this season, as are director of skiing Fredrik Landstedt and assistant alpine coach Mary Joyce.
Welcome to the U
Utah welcomed seven newcomers to the program this past Fall, including three alpine standouts and four Nordic additions. The alpine additions include Scotland native Maisie Blyth, Pierick Charest of the Canadian National Development Team and Christina Jacobsen (Bergen, Norway). On the Nordic side, the Utes have bolstered their lineup with Mons Melbye (Oslo, Norway), Sofia Pedersen (Järpen, Sweden) and Ally Wheeler (Casper, Wyo.), in addition to an RMISA transfer in Selma Andersen (Oslo, Norway).
Follow the Utah Ski Team on social media @utahskiteam. Download the Utah 360 app here.
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