American Steven Nyman finished third in the 2006 Birds of Prey downhill race.
Bode Miller won the 2006 downhill race at Beaver Creek. Miller and his fellow Americans have a rich history of soaring in Birds of Prety events.
American Steven Nyman finished third in the 2006 Birds of Prey downhill race.
Despite a broken hand, Ted Ligety took third in the '06 GS at Beaver Creek.
What exactly is the World Cup when it comes to skiing? It’s a big deal. There are many reasons why you should catch at least one of the four men’s races that come to Beaver Creek each year (Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, this time around), the most obvious of which is that the Beav is the only stop in the United States all season for the men’s tour.
In other words, this is likely your only chance to see the best skiers in the world exceed speeds of 80 mph on some of the Beav’s steepest terrain, all of which – as if it weren’t challenging enough – has been injected with chemicals to render it a pure slab of ice. Sound exciting? It is. And it’s free! Grab a cowbell and dive into the hoopla. Shuttles run from Beaver Creek Village to the finish area at Red Tail Camp throughout the event. Rock act Cracker plays a free show to kick things off on Thursday evening. Note the schedule below and, for those of you unversed in ski-racing terminology, a description of each race discipline.
Thursday
10 a.m. Birds Nest seating at Red Tail Camp opens
11 a.m. Men’s World Cup super-combined downhill race (the fastest event in ski racing)
2:30 p.m. Men’s World Cup super- combined slalom race (the most technical event in ski racing, involving the shortest course and the most numerous gates. In the super-combined, the fastest combined downhill time and slalom time wins).
4:30 – 7 p.m. Bid party for the 2013 World Ski Championships and free live performances from epic rock band Cracker (5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.) on Beaver Creek Plaza
Friday
10 a.m. Birds Nest seating at Red Tail Camp opens
11 a.m. Men’s World Cup downhill race. (One shot down, reaching speeds of 80+mph through just a few gates and over a series of jumps and rollers. The fastest to the finish wins)
6 p.m. Black Diamond Ball - Vail Cascade Resort & Spa, Vail
Saturday: Race Cancelled
10 a.m. Birds Nest seating at Red Tail Camp opens
11 a.m. Men’s World Cup super-G race (Super-G is another speed race, involving more gates than downhill but almost as fast).
Sunday
9:45 a.m. Men’s World Cup Giant Slalom race, Run 1
12:45 p.m. Men’s World Cup Giant Slalom race, Run 2. (Often cited by racers as the most difficult discipline, Giant Slalom combines speed and fast, erratic turns around a series of trickily placed gates).
Monday
10 a.m. RE-SCHEDULED from Saturday: Men’s World Cup super-G race (Super-G is another speed race, involving more gates than downhill but almost as fast).
Video
Bode Miller and Ted Ligety were only two of the amazing skiers to attend the the Visa Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek last December. Check out Plum's coverage of the excellent and epic weekend of ski racing.
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