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BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — For the fifth year in a row, Beaver Creek is scheduled to hold four World Cup races.
At last week’s International Ski Federation Congress, the governing body confirmed the 2008 World Cup schedule, which includes a full slate of racing on the Birds of Prey, from Dec. 4-7.
“For the past couple years, the initial calendar has come out we’ve only had three races,” said John Dakin, vice president of communications for the Vail Valley Foundation, which puts on the races. “It always tends to be a bit of a fight each year because all of the other countries want more races.”
Since 2004, Beaver Creek has hosted four races. For the 2008-2009 World Cup season, Beaver Creek will be the only site to host four races other than Are, Sweden, which will host the World Cup Finals. Val d’Isere, France is hosting the 2009 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships. At the 2008 Congress, Beaver Creek/Vail lost its bid to host the 2013 World Championships, but the Vail Valley Foundation was simultaneously lobbying for the World Cup races.
“The reason we’ve always been very consistent about having representatives at the fall FIS meetings and spring FIS meetings and the FIS Congresses is that even when you aren’t running (for a World Championship), you need to defend what’s yours.”
At last week’s International Ski Federation Congress, the governing body confirmed the 2008 World Cup schedule, which includes a full slate of racing on the Birds of Prey, from Dec. 4-7.
“For the past couple years, the initial calendar has come out we’ve only had three races,” said John Dakin, vice president of communications for the Vail Valley Foundation, which puts on the races. “It always tends to be a bit of a fight each year because all of the other countries want more races.”
Since 2004, Beaver Creek has hosted four races. For the 2008-2009 World Cup season, Beaver Creek will be the only site to host four races other than Are, Sweden, which will host the World Cup Finals. Val d’Isere, France is hosting the 2009 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships. At the 2008 Congress, Beaver Creek/Vail lost its bid to host the 2013 World Championships, but the Vail Valley Foundation was simultaneously lobbying for the World Cup races.
“The reason we’ve always been very consistent about having representatives at the fall FIS meetings and spring FIS meetings and the FIS Congresses is that even when you aren’t running (for a World Championship), you need to defend what’s yours.”
Speed and tech
The 2008 Bird of Prey schedule includes two days of downhill training, a super-combined, a downhill, a super-G and a giant slalom. Aspen, which hosted three women’s World Cup races last season, including a downhill, will host a pair of technical races this season on Nov. 28 and 29. From 1989 through 2000, Aspen periodically hosted World Cup races.“When Aspen discontinued hosting races, the U.S. Ski Team had to fight for them to get them back,” Dakin said. “There’s a certain segment of the international ski family that would love to never leave Europe.”
World Cup races are awarded to a country’s ski federation, which then awards them to a specific site. For the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, Beaver Creek is an easy choice.
“Aside from the fact that (U.S. skiers) have done pretty well here the past four to five years, there’s nowhere else in the U.S. that has a course like the Birds of Prey. There are very few places in the world that can compare with that hill,” Dakin said.
Along with the alpine World Cup events in Colorado, USSA was awarded freestyle and snowboarding events. Lake Placid, N.Y., and Park City, Utah, will host freestyle World Cup events. Sunday River, Maine, will host snowboarding World Cup events.
Sports Writer Ian Cropp can be reached at 970-748-2935 or icropp@vaildaily.com.
