USSA announces World Cup plan

By Published On: April 4th, 2017Comments Off on USSA announces World Cup plan

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is moving forward with plans to host Audi FIS Ski World Cup stops at Killington Resort and Beaver Creek Resort during the 2017-18 season. Both resorts are part of a comprehensive USSA event calendar that will be presented to the International Ski Federation during its annual meetings next month in Portoroz, Slovenia.

“Killington and Beaver Creek are both dedicated partners who, along with Aspen and Squaw Valley, have demonstrated their commitment to showcasing our athletes and growing the sport of alpine ski racing,” said USSA President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “We’ve seen strong performances from our athletes at both venues and look forward to giving them the opportunity to ski on home snow as they vie for their Olympic spots.”

USSA saw strong athletic performances, fan attendance and TV audiences throughout its four U.S. World Cup stops in 2016-17, culminating with World Cup Finals in Aspen, one of the biggest showcases of ski racing the U.S. outside of the World Championships. The event at Killington was the first World Cup in New England in over 20 years, drawing more than 30,000 spectators over the course of two days and providing U.S. Ski Team athletes the opportunity to engage with skiers and fans in the New England skiing community. The proposed agreement between the resort and USSA includes World Cup stops in both 2017-18 and 2018-19.

“Our partnership with Killington and POWDR to bring ski racing back to the East Coast produced one of the most successful event weekends we’ve seen,” said Calum Clark, USSA’s vice president of events. “The Killington team worked tirelessly to put on a great event inspire thousands of young athletes. The prospect of returning for events during and after the Olympic season gives us the opportunity to further build on that success and grow the event’s impact.”

Host of the 1989, 1999 and 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, and annual Birds of Prey World Cup, Vail/Beaver Creek has been an integral part of the FIS World Cup since its inception in 1967. Since coming online as a regular downhill tour stop, it has become one of the most acclaimed speed venues in the world.

“The men’s races at Beaver Creek are some of the most highly anticipated races on tour,” said Clark. “The Birds of Prey event is iconic and the community is rich with ski racing history. There is no better venue to showcase our U.S. Ski Team speed stars in an Olympic season.”

USSA anticipates a comprehensive broadcast and live streaming package for both events across NBC and NBC Sports Network.

The final Audi FIS Ski World Cup calendar is expected to be approved after the FIS Calendar Conference meetings, which conclude on May 28.

Release from USSA

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