Since 2000, Aspen has been a regular stop for the women's alpine World Cup tour. On Tuesday, April 4, it was announced that Aspen will not host races next season.
Aspen is being replaced by Killington Resort in Vermont during next year's women's alpine World Cup tour. This was announced by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) on Tuesday, April 4. This will be the first time in 17 years that Aspen is not on the docket for the World Cup schedule. The U.S. Ski Team stated that it will propose women's races at Killington and the men's races at Beaver Creek when the International Ski Federation (FIS) approves the World Cup schedule next season. [caption id="attachment_12587" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Mikaela Shiffrin training in Aspen | 2014 (photo courtesy of Jeremy Swanson)[/caption]
USSA President and CEO Tiger Shaw had this to say,
Killington and Beaver Creek are both dedicated partners who, along with Aspen and Squaw Valley, have demonstrated their commitment to showcasing our athletes and growing the sport of alpine ski racing. We've seen strong performances from our athletes at both venues and look forward to giving them the opportunity to ski on home snow as they vie for their Olympic spots."The World Cup Finals for the 2016-17 season saw strong athletic performances, fan attendance and TV audiences during its final stop in Aspen, one of the largest "showcases of ski racing in the U.S. outside of the World Championships." There was also a positive response to the Killington event, which was the first World Cup in New England in 20 years. It drew more than 30,000 spectators over the course of its two day run and gave the U.S. Ski Team the chance to engage with skiers and fans in the New England community.
Since there was so much success with the Killington event, the USSA said their partnership with Killington and POWDR (one of the largest ski organizations in North America) produced one of the most successful weekends the World Cup has seen. This is a huge factor in why they are wanting the tour to return for events during and after the Olympic season.
This partnership means that Aspen could be off the schedule for 2017 and 2018.
The final FIS World Cup schedule should be approved after the FIS Calendar Conference meetings in Slovenia, which will be finished on May 28.
Featured photo courtesy of FIS.
