Vail mogul skier climbs onto podium in 100th-career World Cup start

News | Mar 13, 2025

Ryan Sederquist

**Tess Johnson finished third in the overall moguls standings after getting on the podium in the individual event at the World Cup Finals earlier this week in Livigno, Italy.**
*Rudi Garmisch/FIS*

Tess Johnson made her 100th-career World Cup start extra special.

The Vail mogul star climbed onto the podium for the third time this year, placing third in the individual moguls competition on day 1 of the World Cup Finals in Livigno on Tuesday.

“This is so surreal and a little emotional,” Johnson told U.S. Ski and Snowboard media liaison Ryan Odeja. “I feel like every single World Cup start that I’ve had, all 100 of them, shaped who I am on and off the hill, and to be on this journey with everyone here is just so special.”

Tess Johnson crosses the finish line during the individual moguls World Cup in Livigno, Italy on March 11, 2025.

Johnson, who nabbed her second-career win in Almaty, Kazakhstan at the end of February, rounded out the weekend with a 16th-place finish in the dual moguls competition to finish the 2024-25 campaign as the third-ranked skier in the overall moguls season standings.

“This feels like a dream come true,” Johnson said regarding her overall finish. “My previous best overall [result] was fifth, so to top that and finish top three is really special, and to do that alongside the women on this tour is just even that much better. The level of skiing is incredible across the board from all countries, and it’s just an honor to be a part of it.”

In addition to her third in the overall moguls season standings, Johnson finished fifth in the dual moguls standings and fourth in the individual moguls standings.

Tess Johnson finished third in the individual moguls event in Livigno, Italy on March 11. The competition was the Vail mogul star’s 100th-career World Cup start.

Fellow American Jaelin Kauf completed her dream season, finishing first in the individual and second in the duals — her eighth win and 14th podium of the season — to sweep the overall, moguls and dual moguls crystal globes. She is the first American to win all three and first to win any globe since Hannah Kearney in 2015.

Kauf came through in the clutch in the individual competition. As the last skier in the super final, the American needed to execute to hold off French Olympic champion Perrine Laffont, who posted a 77.07. A mistake likely would have cost Kauf the moguls globe.

“With this course, you are so cut off from the bottom at the top, so I really didn’t know what happened with the other girls’ runs, but it’s safe to assume that Perrine put down a really good run,” Kauf said. “So I was just trying to attack the whole way and not leave anything out there.”

Kauf’s aggressive mentality led to an 81.21 score, which safely secured the win and the overall titles.

“I feel like the emotions are getting the better of me,” the Steamboat Springs skier told FIS. “This was such a fun day, I’m stoked to have my dad, my mom, my stepdad here. This is incredible.”

Jaelin Kauf poses with her three overall crystal globes on Wednesday in Livigno, Italy.

On the men’s wide, SSCV alumnus Dylan Walczyk had a career day in Livigno as well. The 31-year-old was 10th in the individual moguls and fourth in the dual moguls. The U.S. also won the overall Nations Cup title, given to the country with the most total accumulated World Cup points from the entire season.

While the regular season is over, the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships begin next week in Engadin, Switzerland. The men’s and women’s mogul qualifications are set for March 18, with finals following on March 19. The dual moguls event is March 21.

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