U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced three U.S. Olympic freeski and snowboard qualifying stops for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022: the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix series and the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota.

The world’s best freeskiers and snowboarders will compete in halfpipe and slopestyle at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events at Copper Mountain in Colorado and Mammoth Mountain in California, and big air at the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Colorado’s Steamboat Ski Resort. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix is the longest-running winter action sports tour and has served as a major part of the U.S. Freeski Team and U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic qualification series since 1998, launching Olympic medalists including Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, Red Gerard, Shaun White, David Wise and Nick Goepper toward medals. The Visa Big Air and Toyota U.S. Grand Prix events are sanctioned by the International Ski Federation (FIS) as World Cups.

“The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix has been the beacon of Olympic qualification fervor for more than two decades, and we are thrilled to bring this series back to Copper and Mammoth’s amazing terrain,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard Freeski & Snowboard Director Jeremy Forster. “Those two resorts combined with the Olympic history and top-notch facilities at Steamboat Ski Resort for the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota will make for an outstanding Olympic qualifying process. We can’t wait to announce the athletes who will represent Team USA in Beijing this winter.”

Steamboat Ski Resort, a longtime U.S. Ski & Snowboard partner with a storied Olympic history, will host the first qualifying event of the season: the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota December 3-4, 2021. It will be the first and only big air qualifying event for the 2022 Olympics as snowboard big air makes its second Olympic appearance and freeski big air makes its Olympic debut.

Next, the world’s best skiers and riders kick off the halfpipe season at the first Toyota U.S. Grand Prix in Copper Mountain’s 22-foot Superpipe December 8-11, 2021. Copper is proving its rebrand as the “athlete’s mountain,” as it readies to host the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Dew Tour in December.

Finally, the skiers and riders descend upon Mammoth Mountain’s famed Unbound Terrain Park January 6-8, 2022 for halfpipe and slopestyle Toyota U.S. Grand Prix competitions. Mammoth has hosted previous Olympic qualifiers over the last two Olympic cycles and has named U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Olympic athletes three times: 1998—the first year the Olympics hosted snowboard halfpipe as an official event—and 2014 and 2018. While Mammoth was scheduled to host the first Olympic qualifying event of the 2022 Olympic cycle in early 2021, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toyota is back as the title sponsor of the U.S. Grand Prix series. Toyota’s long-time commitment to ski and snowboard athletes is ubiquitous, having been the partner before and throughout the 2018 Olympic Games and has now renewed its partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard through 2025. The brand’s individual partnerships will also be shining with Olympic champions such as Chloe Kim and Red Gerard looking to punch their tickets back to the Games.

“We’re excited to partner once again with U.S. Ski & Snowboard for the U.S. Grand Prix series,” said Dedra DeLilli, group manager, sponsorship strategy, integration & activation, Toyota Motor North America. “With less than five months until the start of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, it’s an honor to be a part of the qualifying events that will help determine the elite athletes who will represent Team USA on the world’s biggest stage.”

Visa, the longest-standing partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard of more than 30 years, is the title sponsor of the Visa Big Air and sponsors star athletes such as 2014 and 2018 Olympic champion David Wise. The company has been integral to big air making its Olympic debut in snowboarding in 2018 and will also be supporting the freeski side as freeski big air is unveiled as a new sport in the Beijing Olympics.

“Both Toyota and Visa have been vital partners to U.S. Ski & Snowboard for many years, and we’re thrilled to have these two brands support the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the Visa Big Air,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s Chief Revenue Officer Michael O’Conor. “Both brands’ endorsements of individual athletes and the greater team has allowed for progression and development of the freeski and snowboarding talent as they step on the world’s stage in 2022.”

The first 2022 Winter Olympics qualification events took place at the 2021 U.S. Grand Prix slopestyle and halfpipe competitions at Colorado’s Aspen Snowmass in March. Additional Olympic selection events will be announced prior to the start of the 2021-22 season.

Specific event information will be forthcoming as the local organizing committee works through its detailed protocols with local and state health officials. The Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air are contingent on local and state health department approvals based on existing and future COVID-19 rules and regulations. FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, the local organizing committees and all resort partners are taking a unified approach consistent with guidance from federal, state, and local health authorities.

2021-22 OLYMPIC QUALIFYING SCHEDULE

Visa Big Air presented by Toyota at Steamboat Resort, Colorado
Big Air, December 2-4, 2021
December 2, 2021- snowboard big air qualifications
December 3, 2021- freeski big air qualifications
December 4, 2021 - snowboard big air finals, freeski big air finals

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain, Colorado
Halfpipe, December 8-11, 2021
December 8, 2021 - freeski halfpipe qualifications
December 9, 2021 - snowboard halfpipe qualifications
December 10, 2021 - freeski halfpipe finals 
December 11, 2021 - snowboard halfpipe finals

Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Mammoth Mountain, California 
Halfpipe and slopestyle, January 6-8, 2022
January 6, 2022 - freeski halfpipe qualifications, snowboard slopestyle qualifications 
January 7, 2022 - freeski halfpipe finals, freeski slopestyle qualifications, snowboard halfpipe qualifications
January 8, 2022 - freeski slopestyle finals, snowboard slopestyle finals, snowboard halfpipe finals

RESORT QUOTES

Rob Perlman, President & Chief Operating Officer, Steamboat Ski Resort
"Steamboat’s Olympic heritage runs deep and we’re excited to honor our longstanding partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard in hosting the Visa Big Air presented by Toyota event leading up to the 2022 Olympics. Producing Olympians is part of who we are, so this was a natural fit for Steamboat to kick off the qualifying event calendar ahead of the winter games."

Dustin Lyman, President & General Manager, Copper Mountain
"We couldn't be more excited to host back-to-back freeski and snowboard events at Copper Mountain, including the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Winter Dew Tour. Ski and snowboard athletes have a long history of making their mark on their respective sports at Copper, and as the Athlete's Mountain, we can't wait to welcome them back for world-class competition."

Ron Cohen, President and Chief Operating Officer, Mammoth Mountain
"It is an honor to host another U.S. Olympic qualifying event here in Mammoth and we are extremely proud of all of the athletes on their road to Beijing. Mammoth has hosted over 10 U.S. Grand Prix events and have been fortunate enough to name our Olympic team here three times, including 1998, the first year halfpipe snowboarding was an official Olympic event. The excitement and pride in watching Olympic dreams become a reality is something we look forward to every four years. From elite competition to annual team training, we value our partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard and look forward to executing another world-class event together."

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ABOUT U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2020, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success and the value of team. For more information, visit www.usskiandsnowboard.org.

ABOUT TOYOTA
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.

ABOUT VISA
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of connected commerce on any device, and a driving force behind the dream of a cashless future for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit usa.visa.com/aboutvisa.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrew Gauthier
Marketing & Communications Director
U.S. Ski & Snowboard
andrew.gauthier@usskiandsnowboard.org
 

U.S. Ski Team alumna Lauren Samuels and brother Justin Samuels—Dartmouth College Ski Team alumnus and former U.S. Ski & Snowboard employee—went to Powder Mountain in Utah to participate in a photoshoot with Olympian and X Games standout Errol Kerr, shot by the legendary Stan Evans. As SKI wrote regarding their cover featuring Kerr, "The Cover of Our 2022 Gear Guide is An Important First"...until now, "SKI has never put a Black skier shot by a Black photographer on our cover."

Sierra Shafer, SKI Editor-in-Chief, said in her cover story, 

The cover of the magazine on newsstands and sent to subscribers this week features Olympian and X Games standout Errol Kerr. In many ways, the image looks familiar—SKI has certainly featured its share of skiers gouging formidable trenches into corduroy. But the origin story of this image is unique.

When photographer Stan Evans connected with Kerr and two other skiers for a two-day photo shoot at Utah’s Powder Mountain, it was as standard as any of the hundreds of photoshoots Evans has produced in his 20-plus-year career photographing skiing and snowboarding. It was, however, the first time he’d worked alongside all Black skiers, including Lauren Samuels, the captain of the 2017 NCAA National Championship ski team, and her brother, Justin Samuels.

In fact, it was the first time any of them had been on a ski shoot with another Black skier or photographer—the first time they weren’t, in some way, standing alone. The occasion deserves to be commemorated with this, the cover of our 2022 Gear Guide.

This issue marks a new season in SKI Magazine’s story. With a fresh redesign, new logo, inspired writers, and more, we intend to change what you expect from SKI. We aim to transform what we all think a skier should look like or where a skier should go. By centering and celebrating a broader, more accurate picture of skiing both as we see it now and how we hope to see it in the future, we can be part of protecting the greatest, least important thing in the world: Skiing. (Read More)

 

 

 

 

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In a story entitled "We Can All Learn From the First Ski Shoot Featuring and Shot by BIPOC" that was first published by Outside Business Journal, a partner brand of SKI, Evans poignantly wrote about the project,

This past March, SKI hired me for a stock photo shoot at Utah’s Powder Mountain. In some ways, it was pretty standard—myself and three skiers, knocking off a laundry list of imagery: high speed carving shots, laughing while carrying skis shots, après shots…the usual. On the other hand, it was unlike any photo shoot ever done in the history of skiing.

That’s because all four of us are Black.

I’ve shot skiing and snowboarding for over 20 years, but this was only the second time I’ve done an all-Black shoot. The first was 20 years ago when I organized an all-Black shoot with Keir Dillon, Ahmon Stamps, Damon Morris, and Ben Hinkley for Snowboarder. This time around, as with the first time, what struck me was the conversations we had during our time together. Being on the hill, setting marks and hitting them, creating the imagery—that’s that same as it ever was. But the discussions between shots, the places our conversations went in the evening over a meal—those are not things I’m used to talking about in this context.

Errol Kerr, the former X Games and Olympic skiercross competitor, was one of the skiers with me at Powder Mountain. In his 20 years of skiing, he’d never done a shoot with a single Black person, let alone three of us. We talked about the adversity his family went through to keep him on skis, what we’ve encountered when we’ve pushed for equity in the past, what made us feel bad, what made us feel good. It’s stuff that he’s kept mostly bottled up for his entire career.

The other two skiers were Justin and Lauren Samuels. Lauren, a former member of the U.S. Ski Team development squad, arrived at Powder Mountain in a similar position to a lot of BIPOC outdoor athletes: suddenly in high demand. Prior to the 2018 Winter Olympics, she consulted with and was talent on a Procter & Gamble shoot produced by Wieden + Kennedy. The two of us talked at length about the differences between commercial and editorial production—the pay rates, what’s fair, what’s not; what makes sense from a financial standpoint, and what needs to change from an inclusivity standpoint.

 

 

 

 

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Both Lauren and Justin Samuels participated in a U.S. Ski & Snowboard diversity, equity, and inclusion panel last November entitled "Diversity in Ski Racing: The Athlete Perspective" and are also members of U.S. Ski & Snowboard's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. 

Read the full article at SKIMag.com.

Olympian and "King of the Saslong," Steven Nyman, who suffered a right Achilles tendon injury in August 2020 at Official Training Site Timberline Resort & Ski Area, is currently training with the men's speed team in Zermatt, Switzerland in their second of two late summer camps at the resort. 

Nyman, who caught up recently with Brian Pinelli in an article for Ski Racing Media, is "is pleased with his progress, still battling to overcome the effects of an Achilles tendon injury suffered at Mt. Hood, Oregon, in August 2020. He concedes, now at age 39 and the father of two daughters, recovery and return to racing speed require far greater patience."

 

 

 

 

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Pinelli wrote,

“I’m feeling good – the first camp we had great conditions, beautiful sunshine every day, hard snow, a couple days canceled due to wind, but great conditions and was starting to get back into it, but to be honest I was not fast and out of balance,” Nyman tells Ski Racing Media on a call from Zermatt. “Apparently, it takes a lot longer to recover from Achilles injuries at 39, then at 27, or whenever I did it last.

“I had to realign some things, get equipment dialed again, get back up to speed according to the equipment, but once I knocked the rust off things started coming around. I’ve been fast of late – I feel comfortable and have a good setup.

“Physically, I feel great, but there are still many things to work and improve upon, but I’m really happy with the power that I can produce and overall, everything has gone well.”

Read the full article at SkiRacing.com. 

With a third-place finish in last season's 10km freestyle in Davos, Hailey Swirbul from the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team landed her maiden World Cup podium. Following up on her success, the 23-year-old then impressively completed her first Tour de Ski - landing constant top-20 results. Among others, the young American is part of the future stars of the U.S. Cross Country squad. Paolo Romano from Fondoitalia.com met up with Hailey to get to know what is the driving force behind the cheerful young athlete.

Read The Full Story at FIS-Ski.com

Olympian Travis Ganong was featured in the International Ski Federation's most recent Behind the Scenes feature. “For me, being able to ski for my profession is just a bonus.” As a young kid who grew up skiing basically outside of his back door in Tahoe, speed skier Travis Ganong found his passion in skiing, and that passion is stronger now than ever.
 

*This story was updated on September 22.*

This season was supposed to be Olympian Alice Merryweather's comeback season, after sitting out the 2020-21 season to take the time needed to focus on health and happiness as she pursued intensive treatment for an eating disorder. All signs were pointing towards brighter days, as Merryweather tackled a successful strength and conditioning period as well as return-to-snow camps in Official Training Site Mammoth Mountain, Calif., and then Saas-Fee, Switzerland with many bright moments both on and off the mountain with her teammates. She was skiing strong, showing her teammates, coaches, competitors—and most importantly, herself—how far she had come the last 12 months...and just how much joy she had found in skiing again. 
 

 

 

 

 

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And then, it happened. A crash while going 80mph during a downhill training day this past Wednesday at Saas-Fee towards the bottom of the course, resulted in a broken tibia and fibula, and a scraped-up and swollen face. However, her big heart and brave soul was intact. As the helicopter was approaching, Merryweather remained calm despite the situation and the immense pain. Her serviceman (Dušan) commented that he had never seen an athlete in that situation with such bravery and courage. Merryweather was airlifted to a nearby hospital and has already had a successful surgery. 

 

 

 

 

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Merryweather has been through so much in the last year...but she remains confident that she can overcome the upcoming obstacles. "The recovery to come looks a lot different than my last," she commented, "...but if I can rewire my brain I think I can heal some bone and ligaments too," while she thanked everyone for their ongoing support. She was visited by teammates (bearing gifts M&M cookies, a Saas-Fee cow mug with her name on it, stuffed animals, rose quartz crystals, and lots of tears and hugs) coaches, and her physio Torey Anderson...and was well-taken care of the last few days. 

Merryweather will return home to the United States for further evaluation on her knee and join her family and teammate/boyfriend Sam DuPratt (who is himself recovering from a double leg break sustained at Val Gardena, Italy last December) in the coming days. All of our love and healing energy is with her as she enters this next period of recovery. 

Injury Update: September 22

 

 

 

 

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Jump on in and support the aerial skiers of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team on Friday, September 17 at 9:30 a.m. MDT for a live, virtual fundraiser on the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Facebook page!

Hosted by freestyle legends Trace Worthington and Emily Cook, this virtual event will seek to help raise $50,000 to ensure the U.S. Aerials Ski Team is fully funded for the 2021-22 season. Go behind the scenes of training at Official Training Site Utah Olympic Park, meet the athletes and gain insight into how they’re preparing for the upcoming season. 

The 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing are less than six months away and will provide these athletes with two medal opportunities, including individual and the Olympic debut of the team event. Now is the time to get behind our aerial skiers and support them on this journey.  

“Knowing that people are willing to support me and my team's training is very inspiring. Not everyone who skis is financially stable and to have the support of donors is indescribable. I didn't come from a wealthy family, so I am extremely grateful for everyone who has supported me financially throughout my career. I would not still be doing freestyle aerial skiing if it wasn't for scholarships and donors." Karenna Elliott

To support the U.S. Aerials Ski Team, click here for more information.

The USASA is proud to host the 2nd Annual USASA Golf Classic Sept 17th at McHenry Country Club! The golf fundraiser has two different ways to participate and support the grassroots development of U.S. snowboard and freeski athletes. This fun charity golf event helps support kids in sport, the development of future athletes on the world stage, and the education of coaches, judges, and officials. Participation in sports has been shown to be a critical component in the development of today’s youth. USASA events create a positive environment to help develop self-esteem, encourage problem-solving, teach teamwork and good sportsmanship, and build confidence in young people. 

There are TWO ways to participate! 

• September 17th event at McHenry Country Club in the Chicagoland area. 
• Virtually at any course of your choosing across the country through Sept. 17th.

REGISTER, DONATE, LEARN MORE!
 

While August and September typically mean travel to the Southern Hemisphere—including locations like New Zealand, Chile, and Argentina—for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team, the Team had to relocate and get creative for the second consecutive year due to COVID-19. Ski Racing recently caught up with Alpine Director Jesse Hunt, Head Men's Speed Coach Randy Pelkey, and two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin to see how training is going on the glaciers of Switzerland this summer. 

Ski Racing wrote, 

“This summer’s training plan is very similar to last season’s preparation in terms of volume and training sites,” said Hunt. “We skied a lot in April, May, and June at Squaw Valley, Mammoth and Mount Hood. Now we are training in Europe unless the option to train in Chile becomes available.”

Hunt and the alpine teams are targeting the glaciers that offer the best conditions for this time of year. For World Cup teams, that means Saas Fee and Zermatt, which offer both speed lanes and tech lanes, along with additional venues, such as Stelvio, Hintertux, Soelden, and the indoor facility at Snow Valley. With updated Covid protocols, including vaccinations, regular testing, masking, and social distancing when required, all national teams have traveled to the European glaciers for training alongside the Norwegian, Swedish, and Swiss national teams, to name a few. 

There is a big plus with European training in that most of the athletes across the U.S. Alpine Ski Team are in the same location, which rarely happens for the men and women. Team dinners, hikes, excursions to the Kneipp ice baths, picnics, and more have provided for some solid cross-team bonding experiences. 

Shiffrin shared her camp focus with Ski Racing as well, saying, 

As for her own preparation heading into the all-important Olympic season, Shiffrin said, “I feel like I have some really great skiing and some not-so-consistent skiing, and one of my goals for this camp is to reel in that consistency and mindset that I need not only for training but more importantly for races as well. So aside from simply skiing, that’s a big part of this camp as well for me.”

Read the full article at SkiRacing.com.

BEAVER CREEK, COLO. (Aug. 27, 2021) — If ski racing fans are feeling the need for speed, they will get a triple-dose of it when the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup returns to Beaver Creek Resort Dec. 3-5, 2021.

The nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the Xfinity Birds of Prey races each year, confirmed the men’s Beaver Creek World Cup schedule as follows:

Friday, Dec. 3: Super-G
Saturday, Dec. 4: Downhill
Sunday, Dec. 5: Super-G

*The men’s World Cup calendar has not yet been fully confirmed. FIS will confirm in September. Beaver Creek race times TBD.

All events will be streamed and broadcast live on the networks of NBC Sports.

The races are part of a return of the North American leg of the FIS Ski World Cup tour, including:

Nov. 27-28: HomeLight Killington Cup, USA, Women’s Slalom and Giant Slalom
Nov. 27-28: Lake Louise, Canada, Men’s Downhill and Super-G
Dec. 3-5: Lake Louise, Canada, Women’s Downhill and Super-G

‘Back at one of the best courses in the world’
Ryan Cochran-Siegle is one of many racers excited to return to the Birds of Prey course at Beaver Creek Resort, which is known worldwide for its steep pitch, high speeds, and demanding turns.

“We can’t wait to be back at one of the best courses in the world, here on home soil,” said Cochran-Siegle, who was ranked third overall in the world in downhill before he was sidelined by an injury sustained at the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuehel, Austria, in January for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. “I have this date circled on my calendar. We all love Birds of Prey. It’s everything from the track to the people to the volunteers to the general environment and history of U.S. Ski Team success at Beaver Creek that make this return to home soil something all of us are highly anticipating.”

The weekend of racing marks a major milestone on the way to the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Feb. 4-20, 2022 in Beijing, and serves as a qualifying event for athletes to earn points and placements toward their nomination to the 2022 U.S. Olympic Ski Team.

“We could not be more thrilled to once again welcome the world back to the iconic Birds of Prey course here in Beaver Creek,” said Mike Imhof, President of the Vail Valley Foundation.

Athletes to watch
Among the racers to beat on Saturday’s Downhill will likely be Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), who was the 2020 World Cup overall downhill champ and was leading in the downhill standings and second in the overall standings this past season before he was injured. He will have to fend off Beat Feuz (SUI), who edged out Matthias Mayer (AUT) and Dominik Paris (ITA) to take the overall World Cup Downhill title in the amended 2020 season.

Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) won the overall Super-G crystal globe and placed fourth overall in Downhill Cup standings and is anticipated to lead the charge on Friday and Sunday’s Super-G. He will likely have to fend off top American racers Cochran-Siegle and Travis Ganong, as well as a host of challengers including Kilde,

“Beaver Creek Resort is proud to host Birds of Prey, and we’re excited to showcase our world-class steep terrain and unrivaled hospitality,” Beaver Creek Resort COO Nadia Guerriero said. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for our resort and community to welcome some of the world’s best athletes on their journey to the 2022 Winter Olympics.”

The Xfinity Birds of Prey – and the entire North American leg of the FIS Ski World Cup tour – was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In years past, the weekend in Beaver Creek has typically featured a giant slalom race on Sunday, but this year’s World Cup calendar is designed to minimize potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus by reducing the participants on site. Therefore, speed and tech event groups are being mixed as little as possible.

“In the nearly two years since the first appearance of the virus, we’ve had time to develop sound procedures and protocols,” Imhof said. “We are working closely with the FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort, Eagle County Public Health, and all our other wonderful partners to ensure that we can host these beloved races and that athletics, fans, partners, media, and volunteers can all enjoy and attend the event in as safe and comfortable a manner as possible.”

‘Beers of Prey’ on tap
The Vail Valley Foundation said it is planning music, giveaways, sponsor activations, “Birds of Prey Way” in Beaver Creek Village, and a wide array of celebratory ancillary events, including the highly-popular “Beers of Prey” tasting event, throughout race weekend. Details will be announced this autumn.

Health and safety policies will be in place
With some international travel restrictions still in effect, Beaver Creek and The Vail Valley Foundation continue to work with all appropriate parties ahead of the FIS Ski World Cup. The health and safety of guests, staff, and athletes is a top priority, organizers said, and as the ski racing community returns to hosting international events, heightened health and safety protocols will be in place, as needed, during the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup. Event protocols will comply with local health and safety measures, as well as those mandated by FIS, and may be modified based on evolving standards, public health, and governmental directives.

Learn more at bcworldcup.com.

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About the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup
Ranked as the number one overall stop by the athletes and coaches who participate, the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup at Beaver Creek Resort has become legendary in the ski world.

Beaver Creek Mountain is home to the formidable Birds of Prey racecourse, challenging an international roster of top athletes for one weekend of racing that typically features Men’s Alpine super-G, downhill, and giant slalom competitions. The event is organized by the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, in close partnership with the FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Vail Resorts, the Beaver Creek Resort Company, Beaver Creek Resort, Xfinity, and TIAA Bank.

Learn more at www.bcworldcup.com.

About the Vail Valley Foundation
The Vail Valley Foundation is a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to enhance the quality of life in the Vail Valley and showcase our community to a global audience through arts, athletics, and education.

The organization’s work in education is through YouthPower365, a 501c3 Colorado nonprofit corporation with a mission to provide year-round extended learning opportunities that empower and educate the youth and families of Eagle County from cradle-to-career readiness. The Vail Valley Foundation also provides the Vail Valley with several of its most treasured annual events, such as the GoPro Mountain Games, the Xfinity Birds of Prey FIS Ski World Cup races, the Vail Dance Festival, and the Hot Summer Nights and ShowDown Town free concert series’. The Vail Valley Foundation also manages and operates two performing arts centers, the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek Village and the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail, providing more than 100 Broadway, dance, comedy, classical, rock, pop, jazz, community and family events per year.

Vail Valley Foundation activities and events are in part made possible by cornerstone partners: the Town of Vail, Vail Resorts, Beaver Creek Resort Company, GMC, and TIAA Bank.

To learn more about the Vail Valley Foundation visit www.vvf.org.

About U.S. Ski & Snowboard
U.S. Ski & Snowboard is the Olympic National Governing Body (NGB) of ski and snowboard sports in the USA, based in Park City, Utah. Tracing its roots directly back to 1905, the organization represents nearly 200 elite skiers and snowboarders in 2021, competing in seven teams; alpine, cross country, freeski, freestyle, snowboard, nordic combined, and ski jumping. In addition to the elite teams, U.S. Ski & Snowboard also provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders across the USA, encouraging and supporting them in achieving excellence. By empowering national teams, clubs, coaches, parents, officials, volunteers, and fans, U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to the progression of its sports, athlete success, and the value of team.

Learn more at usskiandsnowboard.org.

About Beaver Creek Resort
Renowned for legendary attention to detail, World-Cup mountain pedigree, intimate alpine village, and reputation as one the world’s best luxury family resorts, Beaver Creek Resort represents incomparable elegance and Rocky Mountain leisure which spoils guests for anywhere else with an unparalleled level of world-class service. Just 30 minutes east of Eagle Airport (EGE) and 2.5 hours west of Denver International Airport (DIA), Beaver Creek offers luxury accommodations throughout three villages and ski-in, ski-out luxury lodges and hotels. More than 40 in-resort and slope-side restaurants, elegant village boutiques, cherished daily traditions and activities such as world-class downhill skiing and snowboarding spanning 2082 acres with 3340 vertical feet of descent, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and ice skating in the Beaver Creek village.

Visit BeaverCreek.com for additional information and vacation planning. 

Release courtesy of the Vail Valley Foundation.