The FIS has decided to move the annual Val d'Isere World Cup races to Beaver Creek in Colorado due to unsuitable conditions in the French resort.
Beaver Creek was already due to stage a week of World Cup Events but will now stage two weeks and it will be the first time that the 's the first time that the ladies will race on the resort's new Birds of Prey World Cup Race course will be used. Ladies last raced in Beaver Creek during the 1999 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
FIS Race Director Guenter Hujara announced yesterday afternoon that the resort will host three World Cup men's and ladies' competitions from December 6-8. The races will include Men's Giant Slalom on Tuesday, December 6; Women's Super-G on Wednesday, December 7; and Men's Slalom on Thursday, December 8.
"While we don't ever want to hope for another organizer to lose races," explained Ceil Folz, President of the Vail Valley Foundation, "picking up these events is certainly an added bonus for our community. We have a long track record of hosting transplanted races and it is a pleasure to be able to step in once again and help the FIS in this regard."
Excitement in the surrounding Vail region is particularly high as local girl and World Cup star Lindsey Vonn will be competing. Media interest in the race is particularly strong as Vonn recently announced her separation from her husband, who was also her coach, and there is already much speculation from racing pundits that her racing performance may be affected.
"We all thought that the first time we would see Lindsey Vonn racing in Beaver Creek would be in 2013 with the test event for our new ladies Downhill course ahead of the World Alpine Skiing Championships," said Folz. "We couldn't be more excited about the potential of not only seeing Lindsey compete here this year, but also on Birds of Prey."
Designed by Swiss Olympian Bernhard Russi, Birds of Prey celebrated its coming out party in December of 1997. Since then, only Men's World Cup races have been contested on the renowned racecourse.
The original 2011 Audi Birds of Prey World Cup Race Week (www.bcworldcup.com), scheduled for December 2-4, features a trio of men's World Cup competitions, including Downhill on Friday, December 2; Super-G on Saturday, December 3; and Giant Slalom on Sunday, December 4. American Ted Ligety is the reigning Birds of Prey Giant Slalom champion.
