Sochi ski success for US Ski and Snowboard Teams

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The most expensive Olympics ever is over. The Sochi experiment paid off with the motherload of medals for Mother Russia. Vladimir's Russian athletes won 33 medals -13 of them Golds. While the US was tied for a while, we ended up fourth behind Norway and Canada. Of the 28 US medals, 8 of the 9 Golds were earned in skiing and snowboarding. 

Sage Kotsenburg kicked it off for the US winning the first Gold of the Games, in the first Olympic Snowboard Slopestyle, going huge after Shaun White had second thoughts and withdrew.  Jamie Anderson won Sochi's Snowboard Slopestyle first for the females.

The highlight for me was Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper sweeping the Men's

Slopestyle Skiing for the US in the first ever Olympic ski venue. Devin Logan won Silver on the ladies side. David Wise and Maddie Bowman won Ski Halfpipe for the US, and  Kaitlyn Farrington grabbed Gold in Snowboard Halfpipe. Alex Deibold won Bronze in Snowboard Cross. Mogul Skier Hannah Kearney took Bronze. No US aerial or ski cross medals this time around.

Ted Ligety and Mikaela Shiffrin won Alpine skiing Golds in GS and Slalom. Mikaela filled Lindsey Vonn's fast and fabulous boots with beauty and poise. Andrew Weibrecht took Silver in Super G. Bode Miller got Bronze,gained the the title "oldest Olympic Alpine medalist" at 36, and became the most talked about for his about post race emotions as Christin Cooper probed about his passed brother Chilly. Julia Mancuso brought home Bronze in Combined Slalom.

In my opinion, Ralph Lauren redeemed the US athletes at the Closing Ceremony, the navy pea coat with red stripe was more patriotic and less ugly Christmas sweater party than the Opening outfits. NBC's coverage was trying at times, too many ads - we nicknamed the Games "The Adlympics, and too much talk of Bob Costa's pink eye. To top it off, last night's ludicrous 90-minute rehash of the Tonya Harding Nancy Kerrigan scandal should have been iced, and never aired on Primetime. Really?! to quote Seth Myers.

Russia's $50 billion venues host the Paralympics at Sochi this week. Then the thousands of expensive hotel rooms at Sochi, the ski slopes and gondola cars at Rosa Khutor Ski Resort are wide open. Can you say ski trip to Sochi? Not me... not just yet. More friendly Swiss Alps to ski  first...

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US Ski and Snowboard events at Sochi win most medals

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Freestyle skiing and snowboarding now account for 12 of the 26 Olympic medals at Sochi - putting Americans in the lead for now, with US alpine racing contributing five more to the medal count with Ted Ligety & Mikaela Shiffrin's Gold in GS and Slalom respectively, Andrew Weibrecht's Silver, Bode Miller and Julia Mancuso's Bronze.

 

David Wise and Maddie Bownman won the first ever Olympic Skiing Halfpipe Gold for the US. Joss Christensen, Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper swept the podium in Men's Ski Slopestyle, while Devin Logan won Silver - also the first ever Winters Game to allow Ski Slopestyle as an official medal sport. Sage Kotsenberg won Snowboard Slopestyle, while Kaitlyn Farrington won Snowboard Halfpipe, Kelly Clark grabbed Bronze.

 

The ski and snowboard events at Rosa Khutor have been a stage of sunshine an soft snow with 60 degree temps to start the games, then fog and freezing rain which delayed certain alpine and free skiing events. Some athletes criticized the Extreme Park halfpipe and skier cross courses as dangerous. But the overall medal haul has been worthy!

 

Go Team USA. See more on Family Ski Trips and Luxury Ski Trips