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It’s official, Killington Resort will host Audi FIS Ski World Cup races Nov. 26-27, 2016, on its Superstar trail. The first World Cup in eastern U.S. in 25 years will include women’s giant slalom and slalom races.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association submitted a bid to host the races. “FIS had their meeting, and we are on the calendar now,” said Killington spokesman Michael Joseph. “It went from being proposed and heavily lobbied for, to now, where we are on the FIS calendar. We couldn’t be more excited about it.”
With the worlds best female ski racers heading to Vermont next fall, it’s likely New England ski resorts will see an increase in revenue from pre-race training. “It’ll be a big economic boost for Killington and central Vermont and probably the whole state as well,” said Joseph.
FIS World Cup’s are broadcasted internationally in over 60 nations including the United States. Previous states that have hosted an FIS World Cup saw economic impacts ranging from $15 million to $20 million.
“An eastern World Cup will have great impact on our sport by bringing the best ski racers in the world close to our largest population of USSA members and fans,” said USSA president and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Powdr Corp. has always been a strong partner for the USSA and we have confidence that Killington is well suited to produce an exceptional early season World Cup.”
The World Cup events, tentatively slated for Nov. 26-27, 2016 (Thanksgiving weekend), would include women’s giant slalom and slalom races. Aspen has traditionally hosted women’s GS and slalom events during this portion of the World Cup calendar, but it is already scheduled to host the World Cup Finals in March 2017, and wants to focus on those events. Among the athletes likely to compete at the proposed Killington races are Julia Mancuso, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.
