Killington prepares to ‘kill it’ on the World Cup circuit

By Published On: June 24th, 2016Comments Off on Killington prepares to ‘kill it’ on the World Cup circuit

An alpine World Cup race has not been held in Vermont since 1978 – a year when the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl, Star Wars claimed the Academy Awards for costume design and film editing, and first American supermodel Cheryl Teigs graced the cover of TIME Magazine.

A lot has changed in the world since then, but one thing that hasn’t: The East Coast harbors some of the biggest ski racing fans in the country, and organizers are banking on them coming out in droves for the women’s World Cup slalom and giant slalom races on Nov. 26-27, 2016.

In preparation for the crowds, USSA, FIS and Killington officials gathered at the resort on June 19 to inspect the hill and map out the event, discussing everything from fencing on the course to the route athletes will take to exit the finish area. Spectator seating and standing room locations were also scouted on the inspection.

Vermont Alpine Racing Association President (VARA) and Killington Mountain School Headmaster Tao Smith was part of the group that walked the hill.

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The inspection group descends Superstar, overshadowed by Killington’s snowmaking equipment.

“We talked about starts, and split intervals, timing,” Smith explains. “We talked about fencing, protection, and we talked about training venues. The TV crews were with us, talking about placement of cameras. From a mountain operations standpoint, snowmaking, how we were going to push up the start. Then, we also talked from a spectator standpoint as well … what’s going to make a great viewing area and also a really exciting race.”

FIS Women’s Chief Race Director Atle Skaardal was also on hand to make sure the necessary standards will be met to hold this world class event at a new venue.

“The inspection went really well,” Skaardal shares. “Everything is well prepared. They have done a lot of prework, so I think we’re on a really good way. … There’s no reason for us to be worried. Although it’s a lot of work, of course, and … it’s not so many weeks left until the minus degrees are supposed to come again.”

Atle
Atle Skaardal listens in as event experts talk about the finish area flow for athletes, media and spectators.

Killington Mountain Resort is the largest in the area and certainly has the snowmaking capacity to host an early season event, but Mother Nature will still need to cooperate. Killington traditionally opens its uppermost peak to the public as early as mid-October, temperatures permitting, and skiers and snowboarders have access to trails off the North Ridge Triple chairlift after riding the K-1 Express Gondola to the top of the resort. At the end of the ski day, patrons ascend a staircase known as the Peak Walkway and download to the base area via the gondola.

But the race run for the World Cup, known as Superstar, finishes in a road-accessible base area at roughly 2,500 feet above sea level, significantly lower in elevation than Killington’s typical early season offerings. The slope has never been used for a race of this caliber at any time of the year, according to Chief of Race Ted Sutton, but Killington’s snowmaking abilities are extensive and its team is planning for every possible scenario.

According to Killington Communications Manager Michael Joseph, it will take six non-consecutive days – or 144 hours – of snowmaking throughout the month of November to prepare Superstar for the race. The snowmaking team will measure temperatures and humidity, weighing all the variables necessary to get the hill hard-packed, groomed and ready to go.

“It’s perfect for early opening season races because it’s very well prepared,” Skaardal said. “You don’t need huge amounts of snow to have decent snow coverage, which is always a question in November, of course. From that point of view, it’s perfect.”

The pitch of Superstar, according to Skaardal, is comparable to Maribor, Slovenia, a classic women’s World Cup venue, which should make for a quality event in Vermont.

SuperStarSign_Edits

Aside from snowmaking and hill preparation, the other major variable at stake is spectator turnout. Herwig Demschar, a senior vice president at Powdr Corporation (which owns Killington Mountain Resort), hopes to be brought to tears by the crowds at both days of racing.

“If we have 2,000 people (per day), I’m going to be very sad,” says Demschar, who is also chairman of the Killington World Cup Organizing Committee and a former U.S. Ski Team coach. “If we have 5,000 people, I’ll be satisfied. If we reach – per day – seven to eight thousand people, I’ll be crying, but mainly because I’m going to be so happy.”

While official information regarding tickets will not be released until early July, Demschar shared that the goal is to make attending the race as affordable as possible for ski racing fans in New England. Traditional VIP tickets will be available for those interested in extra perks like special tent access and food, but Demschar hopes families will be able to drive in for a day and watch the best female racers in the world compete for minimal cost.

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The venue, located near the K-1 lodge at Killington, will hopefully be accessible via ski-in, ski-out athlete accommodations at the resort.

In addition to spectators, the organizing committee hopes to have 300-400 volunteers to assist with running the event smoothly. Volunteers will ideally be drawn from the local community to get the surrounding area excited and invested in the event. Vermont ski teams and academies are also likely to be involved in the event.

“There’s a good chance that teams will show up (in Vermont) around the 10th, 11th, 12th of November,” Demschar notes, adding that this, of course, depends on Vermont resorts having enough snow for training.

The organizing committee is in talks with VARA and several academies to strategize ways to offer local training to World Cup athletes in the lead up to the race. Sugarbush, Burke and Stowe are currently exploring what it would take to offer training space in mid-November to some of the world’s best ski racers.

At the end of the day, the organizers hope that this event, which will be accessible to ski fans from major cities like Boston (under three hours by car) and New York (five hours by car), raises awareness of the sport, the ski industry and the resort.

“We want to really do something nice for the ski industry, for the athletes, the kids, the parents, ski clubs, ski academies in this area,” Demschar says. “To give them access to the event again. We want to help the ski industry. We are really excited and honored that we get the chance to do it.”

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About the Author: Gabbi Hall

A California native, Gabbi moved to Vermont to ski on the NCAA circuit for St. Michael’s College, where she served as team captain and studied journalism. Before joining Ski Racing, she worked as a broadcast TV producer and social media manager in higher education. She can be reached via email at gabbi@skiracing.com