In a weather dependent sport, total cancellations are surprisingly rare

2023 Birds of Prey was an anomaly but some losses stanched

Despite last year’s race cancellations, attendees at the 2023 Xfinity Birds of Prey events still found diversions such as concerts and the beer festival to occupy their time. The expansion of Birds of Prey to encompass two weekends in 2024 is seen as a positive for the local business community (Chris Kendig/courtesy photo).

BEAVER CREEK — There’s an old adage in ski racing that says if an area needs new snow, it should schedule a downhill race. But too much of a good thing can be as much of an issue as no snow, despite the best efforts of armies of on-mountain course tenders like the Talons crew.

While single race cancellations aren’t uncommon on the FIS World Cup tour, an entire series wipeout, like what happened in December 2023 with the XFinity Birds of Prey races at Beaver Creek, proved unusual and costly, but not devastating.

“I can’t remember the entire event being cancelled,” said John Dakin, who has been involved with the event for decades and in 2022 was inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame.

“We’ve obviously had events cancelled in advance due to not enough snow, but never the entire program after all the teams had arrived and a training run completed,” Dakin said Thursday night.

While pro athletes in weather-dependent sports may take the losses in stride, spectators whose hearts are set on watching elite racing unfold in person, may find the end result to be a major league bummer.

“After traveling from Denver to Vail to watch the races last year it was heartbreaking to find out they were canceled,” said Andrew Tierney, who lives on the Front Range. 

“Vail Pass closed and I was unable to make it back to Denver Saturday evening and was forced to buy another hotel room, which was not cheap. I didn’t bring my ski gear because I have an Ikon Pass so I wasn’t able to enjoy the fresh snow on the slopes,” he said.

While the Vail Valley Foundation has diversified the Birds of Prey weekend with activities including concerts, a beer festival and athlete autograph appearances, it did “incur a financial hit that was approximately double what is typical,” according to Julie Block, VVF’s senior manager of PR & Communications.

”Our partners, sponsors and supporters were also generous last year in their understanding of the weather complications we face,” she added.

‘Broader value’

Even in the best of times, and amid the sunniest of conditions as are expected for the 2024 edition of Birds of Prey, with its new top-line sponsor Stifel, the races operate in the red, according to VVF.

“It’s important to note that even in years with perfect weather conditions and successful races, the Birds of Prey event operates at a financial loss,” Block said. “The broader value of this event extends far beyond immediate monetary considerations.”

The combined economic impact on Beaver Creek and Avon is significant and includes benefits to merchants, hotels and restaurants as well as the marketing and media exposure to the community and partners like Vail Resorts, U.S. Ski and Snowboard, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail and others.

There is insurance available to protect against large losses, Block allowed, but it can be “cost prohibitive.” Besides, she added, since the advent of the Birds of Prey races in 1997, cancellations of this magnitude have been rare.

Dakin, who has been honored for his work as press chief and announcer for three World Alpine Ski Championships and two Olympics, recalled, “As far as other event cancellations that I’ve been a part of that are similar would be the men’s and women’s alpine test events for the Salt Lake Olympics at Snowbasin.

“The women’s races were cancelled due to not enough snow and the men’s races were cancelled due to too much snow,” Dakin said. That led to the women being able to test their courses with a NorAm added to their schedule later in the spring but the men headed into the Winter Olympics without the benefit of a racecourse trial.

VVF’s Block noted that despite last year’s race cancellations, some 2,300 room nights were booked and a $2 million economic impact for Beaver Creek Resort was still generated.

With mild weather on tap for this weekend and an additional World Cup race series  – December 14 and 15 –  planned for women’s events this year, merchants are feeling optimistic.The potential addition of the newly unretired Lindsey Vonn racing on Birds of Prey is also generating excitement.

Colter Barnett, managing partner of R&R Sports, which operates four retail stores in Beaver Creek including Generation BC, said, “With the addition of the women’s races we are hopeful that the two race weekends will bring in more revenue than previously, but it’s hard to tell.”

And Tierney, the race spectator whose plans in December 2023 were foiled by too much snow, said he is giving the Birds of Prey series another try this year and has booked a property in Avon for two nights this weekend.

Editor’s note: Follow Madeleine on Bluesky and X, @Madski99