Industry News
Unfortunately, all three of the men’s speed races of the FIS World Cup at Beaver Creek, Colorado, have been canceled. Beaver Creek was supposed to host two men’s Downhill and one Super-G race this weekend, December 1-3, 2023, but continuous snowfall made racing impossible on the Birds of Prey race course.
- Related: First FIS World Cup Downhill Race at Beaver Creek, CO, Canceled on Friday Due to Heavy Snow
Unfortunately, the men’s speed opening is not off to a good start this season, with a total of five canceled races. The initial speed opening had been scheduled for November at the Matterhorn Ski Paradise ski area which straddles the border between Switzerland and Italy. The cross-border race had to be canceled due to inclement weather and one of the Downhill races had been moved to Beaver Creek for Friday and one to Val Gardena/Gröden, Italy, for next week Friday. This means a total of three speed events have now got to be rescheduled if this is at all possible.
Racing at the Birds of Prey course was initially delayed, as the Local Organization Committee (‘LOC’) and slip team tried their best to get the course race ready, but ultimately the jury had to call the race off.
The men’s start to the season has been catastrophic, with six of seven races canceled so far. The only men’s event on the World Cup calendar that has been run was a Slalom in Gurgl, Austria. In addition to the speed events, the Giant Slalom in Sölden, Austria, had to be canceled mid-race due to strong winds making racing unsafe and unfair.
- Related: Men’s FIS Alpine World Cup Giant Slalom Race in Sölden, Austria, Canceled Due to Heavy Winds
The Italian ski resort Val Gardena/Gröden will now host the official ‘Speed Opening, with a Super-G and two Downhill events scheduled for December 14-16, 2023. The ski area is located in the north of Italy in the region known as South Tyrol. For 550 years South Tyrol was part of the Habsburg Empire/Germany/Austria, which has led to the region being predominantly German-speaking to this day. The Italian government has tried for the last 100 years to enforce Italian as the official language but has remained unsuccessful, hence the Italian/German name for not just the ski resort but the entire region.
Val Gardena/Gröden is one of the largest and busiest in Europe and spreads out across 115 miles (181km) of groomed slopes serviced by 79 ski lifts and cable cars. The ski area in the Dolomites has been a staple on the FIS circuit for many years and lodged an application to host the 2029 FIS Alpine World Championships. Hopefully, the Weather Gods will be on the FIS athletes’ and LOC’s side in two weeks.
