FIS Confirms Beaver Creek World Cup Dates, adds Super-G

While the buzz over Vail and Beaver Creek’s 2015 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships victory this past June continues throughout the international ski community, the valley’s annual ski racing legacy was further bolstered recently as the World Cup Committee once again confirmed a three-race schedule for Birds of Prey this coming winter at the FIS Fall Meetings in Zurich.

Slated for Dec.3-5, the 2010 Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week will include men’s Downhill, Super-G and Giant Slalom events.  The schedule features Downhill on Friday, Dec. 3; Super-G on Saturday, Dec. 4; and Giant Slalom on Sunday, Dec. 5.
    
“The 2010 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week in Beaver Creek will literally be our first step on the road to the 2015 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships,” explained Michael Imhof, Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation.  “The brand awareness and animation that has been established for Birds of Prey is well recognized and respected throughout the world and these races will be even more closely monitored now that we have secured the 2015 World Championships.”
    
The initial Birds of Prey schedule for 2010 featured Men’s Downhill, Giant Slalom and Slalom, prior to an early summer agreement with France that sent the Beaver Creek Slalom to Val d’Isere in exchange for their Super-G.

“Preparing a Super-G course in Val d’Isere in the second week of December is a real challenge,” Imhof offered, “so the French organizers were very keen on the race trade.  For us, a Super-G is much more of a showcase race for the Birds of Prey track and we were happy to be able to accommodate, in cooperation with the FIS.”
    
Birds of Prey will once again mark the only men’s World Cup event in the United States.  It will also provide U.S. ski racing fans with an early-season men’s preview of the 2011 World Alpine Ski Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
 
“Birds of Prey will mark the only opportunity for U.S. race fans to see 2010 Olympic medalists Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht, along with reigning World Cup Giant Slalom champ Ted Ligety compete on home turf,” Imhof concluded.  “The U.S. Ski Team has always made the most of the home field advantage at Beaver Creek and coming off the tremendous successes of last winter, we’re looking forward to another great week of racing at Birds of Prey.”