Moltzan is ready to make sparks fly with Van Deer, here she is from New Zealand: "Every day I spend on skis, I feel better"

A courageous decision, after a lifetime with Rossignol and, at 32, coming right after another winter that brought her first Olympic medal and five World Cup podiums (half of her total), starting with Soelden, where she finished 2nd behind only an overpowering Julia Scheib.

Paula Moltzan will once again chase her first victory on the top circuit with new equipment, from Van Deer, before heading straight for the Crans-Montana World Championships. She has won medals at each of the last three major events, including the Courchevel Méribel 2023 World Championships (with gold in the team event) and Saalbach 2025, when she took bronze in the giant slalom, while the 1994-born American also collected three fourth-place finishes, in the team parallel, team combined and final slalom.

By now a guarantee in the two technical disciplines, Moltzan is also positioning herself as a leading figure for next season, which will begin on October 24 with the giant slalom on the Rettenbach: from New Zealand comes the voice of the first woman to use skis from the Van Deer-Red Bull Sports brand created five years ago by Marcel Hirscher. Paula has been training since the beginning of August with her national-team teammates between Lake Tekapo, at the Roundhill Ski Area where her “boss” also officially returned to training (it was the summer of 2024), and Ohau in the coming days. “It’s always special to return to the team after such a long time; there’s an incredible positive energy,” says the Minnesota native veteran, who moved to Vermont, where her career was reborn in the NCAA circuit after being left out of the US Team despite having already won the junior world slalom title, through the Salzburg-based brand’s press office. “My first days on snow in New Zealand have been absolutely fantastic.

It’s exciting to ski with new equipment and everything feels different, but every day I feel more and more comfortable. I’m really happy with the progress we’re making”.

Now come more demanding training sessions to recreate World Cup conditions: “The mindset is simple: stay focused, work hard and let the skiing performances speak for themselves. I can say that my team is unique and the support from the Van Deer team is incredibly important”.

Moltzan has, in fact, had a rather particular ski technician for the past decade… her husband Ryan Mooney: “Chronologically, it actually happened the other way around: Ryan has been taking care of my skis since 2016 and we got married four years ago,” the same American champion said a few months ago, when the signing with Van Deer was announced. “We are the only married couple who travel together on the World Cup circuit; at the beginning of our relationship we talked a lot about the pros and cons of love and work. Now I know it’s the best thing that could have happened to me”.

And what does Marcel Hirscher say about his real coup in the sizzling spring-summer 2026 ski market? “We always make sure that personality and performance potential are compatible. Quite simply, Paula possesses both of these qualities”.