New naming rights for XC, Freeski and Freestyle U.S. Ski Teams and races

Stifel expands team and event naming rights from alpine into cross country, freeski, and freestyle disciplines. Photo: courtesy of US Ski and Snowboard

PARK CITY, Utah — U.S. Ski and Snowboard announced on Wednesday the expansion of its partnership with Stifel Financial Corp. to become the official Team Naming Partner of all of the ski teams under the U.S. Ski and Snowboard brand.

In addition to their title sponsorship of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team, which was established in October 2022, the global wealth management and investment banking firm will now be the title sponsor of the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and Stifel U.S. Freeski Team.

The naming rights of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team are effective immediately until April 2026. Stifel will also become an associate sponsor of the freeski and snowboard Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth and Copper, the cross country Loppet Cup in Minneapolis, the Intermountain Freestyle International at Deer Valley, and the moguls FIS Freestyle World Cup at Steamboat. Each of these events will fall under the banner of the “Stifel U.S. Ski Series.”

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Stifel across all of our ski teams,” said President and CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Sophie Goldschmidt in a statement. “Stifel has been a fantastic partner of the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team this season, providing opportunities from the developmental level to the World Cup level. As we move forward, Stifel will continue to support the alpine team, and now will also support the freestyle, freeski and cross country teams. Partnerships of this level are crucial to the overall success of our programs and initiatives. We look forward to shaping the future of our ski sports with Stifel on our side.”

For over 130 years, Stifel has been a firm that recognizes up-and-coming successes, and helps others pursue their own version of success. By lowering financial obstacles for these talented athletes, there will be more possibilities for success on and off the snow.

The freestyle, cross country and freeski programs will all be receiving more fiscal support, increasing the budget of each team to be put towards all aspects of the sport, including events, waxing, coaching support, travel and more. Stifel believes this partnership is the epitome of success meeting success.

“I’m so excited to have Stifel come on board and support all of the ski teams under U.S. Ski and Snowboard,” said Jessie Diggins in a statement, she’s a three-time Olympic medalist and most decorated American cross country skier in history. “As an athlete on the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski Team, the additional funding will be an enormous lift for our sport across all levels—all the way from the development level to the World Cup level. This type of funding is pivotal for the success of our sport on the national and international level.”

“Having Stifel join forces with U.S. Ski and Snowboard in supporting all disciplines is really exciting news!” said Olympic silver medalist moguls skier Jaelin Kauf in a statement. “On an international level, Stifel’s support will allow us to have the staff and support we need to continue our success and build for the 2026 Olympics. I am very excited about what’s ahead for our sport and how this can help grow the development level of mogul skiing.”

“This partnership is very important to us, as we see a lot of parallels between our two organizations. As a firm where ‘success meets success,’ Stifel prides itself on hiring top talent, investing in and developing that talent, and then promoting that talent from within. In many regards, U.S. Ski and Snowboard takes a similar approach to building its roster of world-class athletes, and we couldn’t be more pleased to further align our brand with theirs,” said Ronald J. Kruszewski, Stifel Chairman and CEO, said in a statement. “We are very excited to expand our partnership across every ski team and their specific disciplines. We hope our increased support will help these tremendous athletes continue on their path to becoming the best in the world.”

Stifel Financial Corp. is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Stifel’s broker-dealer clients are served in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2022, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping.