Bring On Raptor - Beaver Creek Crews Successful In Preparing Full Ladies' Course For Inaugural Nature Valley Raptor World Cup Next Week
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado—The world’s fastest women will have a true 2015 World Championships test next week thanks to great early season snowfall and good snowmaking temperatures recently. As a result Beaver Creek Mountain operations crews have successfully prepared the full length of the new Raptor ladies’ Downhill racecourse for the inaugural Nature Valley Raptor Ladies’ World Cup Week.
The official announcement was made Thursday morning following careful analysis of overall mountain conditions and tremendous teamwork between snowmaking, grooming, race operations staff and volunteers.
“Having the ladies be able to run their full course was the ultimate goal for next week’s races,” offered Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation. “Hats off to our partners at Beaver Creek for making this happen. The World Cup ladies are going to be extremely appreciative of the tremendous effort that Beaver Creek Mountain put forth to make this a reality.”
Under the original scenario, the ladies’ were slated to run on a “hybrid” course, comprised of the upper half of the new Raptor track and the lower half of the men’s Birds of Prey course. Optimal early season conditions have allowed the resort to not only complete the hybrid course, but also prepare nearly triple the amount of acreage over last year for mountain guests for next week’s opening. The men will still utilize the hybrid course for their races the following week.
“We’re grateful to our mountain teams as we’re poised to have one of our better openings in recent years,” said Doug Lovell, chief operating officer for Beaver Creek Resort. “We’re thrilled to provide the ladies with their new test track, and offer so much terrain to our guests the first week of our season.”
"It's incredible they were able to get our full course up and running,” added U.S. Ski Team star Julia Mancuso. “We know how hard it is to prepare a hill this early in the season so thanks Beaver Creek. Raptor will be difficult and a good challenge for the first race of the season."
The new Raptor ladies’ speed course was cut over the course of the past two summers in anticipation of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The new Downhill course incorporates portions of Solitude, Peregrine and Golden Eagle, along with two new cuts that have been dubbed Kestrel on the trail map. The course, located skier’s right of Birds of Prey, will join the men’s course at the Red Tail Jump and flows into the current finish arena.
The inaugural Nature Valley Raptor Ladies’ World Cup will get underway Tuesday, November 26, with Downhill Training. Competition kicks off Friday, November 29, with Downhill, followed by Super-G on Saturday, November 30. The weekend’s racing will conclude with Giant Slalom on Sunday, December 1.
For the men, Downhill Training will get underway on Tuesday, December 3, with Super-G on tap for Friday, December 6, Downhill on Saturday, December 7 and Giant Slalom on Sunday, December 8.
The 2013 FIS Beaver Creek World Cup Weeks are project of the Vail Valley Foundation. For additional information on Birds of Prey, visit www.bcworldcup.com.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Canyons in Park City, Utah; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company's subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company, manages casually elegant properties. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development and construction subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.
Contact(s)
John Dakin, Vail Valley Foundation
(970) 777-2015
jdakin@vvf.org