Birds of Prey World Cup downhill at Beaver Creek moves to Thursday
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily
Looming snow in the forecast has led officials to shuffle the schedule for the upcoming Birds of Prey men’s World Cup races at Beaver Creek. The opening downhill, initially scheduled for Friday, has been moved to Thursday at 11 a.m.
Friday will be an off day before racing resumes on Saturday with a super-G, followed by a giant slalom on Sunday. All three races will finish at an updated finish area at the Harrier jump.
Officials made the move to adjust the finish location of the races due to scant coverage at lower elevations, due to an unseasonably warm November and little snowfall. Thursday’s downhill will start at its traditional location, but the start for the super-G will be at the traditional downhill race start, while the GS will begin just below the traditional men’s super-G start.
More than 130 elite skiers from 27 nations will compete in this year’s World Cup races.
Once athletes cross the finish line, they’ll ski down to the traditional finish area, where fans will greet them. All of Friday’s pre-race festivities will now take place on Thursday.
Saturday’s super-G will take flight at 10:30 a.m., while Sunday’s GS will begin with the opening run at 10 a.m. followed by the second run start at 1 p.m., weather permitting.
Officials from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, Vail Valley Foundation, Beaver Creek Resort, and the U.S. ski team decided to move the opening downhill up a day with sunny weather in the forecast for Thursday and snow in the forecast for Friday. Schedules and courses are still subject to change as conditions evolve. For the latest information on the races, visit bcworldcup.com or follow @bcworldcup.
The races are free to attend. There is a public perch viewing area with live DJs before select races, and video screens in the spectator area will capture all of the live race action. Awards ceremonies and media interviews and athlete interactions will also take place in the traditional finish area.
Festivities in the village
Thursday’s festivities include free live music from Buffalo Traffic Jam in Beaver Creek Village and back-to-back showings of Warren Miller’s “SNO-CIETY” at the Vilar Performing Arts Center. The fun continues in the village throughout the weekend with live music every day, athlete autograph sessions and a live bib draw on Friday, the 10th annual Beers of Prey on Saturday, and much more.Learn more and see the complete festival schedule at bcworldcup.com/events.
This story is from Vaildaily.com.
Know before you go: Snowmass trails re-open
As several Snowmass trails re-open this month and next, community members and visitors should familiarize themselves with trail rules in order to best enjoy what Snowmass has to offer.
