International Ski Federation confirms 2016-17 schedule loaded with U.S. World Cups

CANCUN, Mexico – The International Ski Federation (FIS) on Saturday wrapped up its biannual FIS Congress with the announcement of the 2016-17 World Cup calendar, including 30 events in the United States and World Cups in Beaver Creek, Aspen and Copper Mountain in Colorado.

Killington Resort, Beaver Creek Resort, Squaw Valley, Aspen Snowmass, Copper Mountain, Mammoth Mountain, Lake Placid and Deer Valley Resort will host the world’s best skiers and riders in alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, freeskiing and snowboarding.

The U.S. will host 16 Audi FIS Ski World Cups this season, the second most ever, with stops in Killington, Beaver Creek, Squaw Valley and Aspen Snowmass. On March 15-19, Aspen will host this year’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals, the first time the event has been held in America since 1996.

The FIS Freestyle World Cup will once again stop in Lake Placid, NY and at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT. Both venues are rich with Olympic history. Last season, Deer Valley Resort successfully hosted an official test event for the 2019 FIS Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships.

The FIS Freeskiing and Snowboard World Cups will make three stops in the U.S. this season. Copper Mountain will play host to halfpipe skiing and snowboarding and big air snowboarding in December.

In March, Mammoth Mountain will host both halfpipe and slopestyle for riders. There is also a snowboardcross and ski cross event on the schedule for 2016-17.

“Our resort partners continue to work with us and the FIS to put on great events showcasing our athletes and our sports,” stated USSA Vice President, Events Calum Clark. “In addition to sites such as Beaver Creek, Deer Valley and Copper Mountain that have been hosting World Cups for many years now, we are looking forward to working with Killington and Squaw Valley to bring the alpine World Cup back to the east and far west. All of these World Cup stops are great opportunities to raise the profile of skiing and snowboarding.”

The USSA, in partnership with NBC and NBCSN, will broadcast over 25 hours from the U.S. World Cups. A complete TV schedule will be announced this summer.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The U.S. will host 30 alpine, freestyle, freeskiing and snowboarding World Cups in 2016-17.
• Killington Resort, Beaver Creek Resort and Squaw Valley will host Audi FIS Ski World Cups.
• Lake Placid and Deer Valley Resort will host moguls and aerials FIS Freestyle World Cups.
• Copper Mountain and Mammoth Mountain will host FIS Snowboard and Freeskiing World Cups.
• Aspen will host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals, the first time the Finals have been held in the U.S. since 1997.
• A snowboardcross and ski cross World Cup is also scheduled to take place in 2017, with site to be announced.
• A full TV schedule for all World Cup coverage will be announced this summer.

 

2016-17 USA WORLD CUP SCHEDULE

Alpine
Nov. 26-27, Audi FIS Ski World Cup (women’s giant slalom, slalom), Killington, VT
Dec. 2-4, Audi FIS Ski World Cup, Audi Birds of Prey Race Week (men’s downhill, super G, giant slalom), Beaver Creek, CO
Mar. 11-12, Audi FIS Ski World Cup (women’s giant slalom, slalom), Squaw Valley, CA
Mar. 15-19, Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals (men’s and women’s slalom, giant slalom, super G, downhill, team), Aspen, CO

Freestyle
Jan. 13-14, Lake Placid Freestyle Cup (moguls, aerials), Lake Placid, NY
Feb. 2-4, Deer Valley Freestyle International (moguls, dual moguls, aerials), Park City, UT

Snowboarding/Freeskiing
Dec. 16-17, Snowboarding and Freeskiing World Cup (men’s and women’s halfpipe, big air snowboarding), Copper Mountain, CO
Jan 17-22, Cross World Cup (men’s and women’s skicross, snowboardcross), TBD
Feb. 3-5, Snowboarding and Freeskiing World Cup (men’s and women’s halfpipe, slopestyle), Mammoth Mountain, CO

 

WORLD CUP SITES

Copper Mountain – Dec. 16-17
Copper Mountain, home of the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, will once again host some of the best skiers and riders in one of the first World Cup events of the 2016-17 season. Copper has partnered with the USSA to host many events across multiple sports and is a classic venue with the first halfpipe to open in North America each season.

Killington Resort – Nov. 26-27
Killington Resort will host the first World Cup in the eastern USA since 1991. Owned by USSA partner Powdr Corp, Killington is one of the premier resorts in the country and close to major eastern metropolitan markets. Powdr has produced World Cup events in the past at other resorts in its portfolio and has significant experience executing large-scale races.

Beaver Creek Resort – Dec. 2-4
Beaver Creek has proven throughout its history of hosting World Cups that it can stand the test of a world premier alpine event. Pulling in viewers from all over the world, it’s home to one of the most difficult downhill courses where skiers face vertical drops as extreme as 757 meters. The events hosted here are many of the American ski racers’ favorite stop on the World Cup tour.

Lake Placid – Jan 13-14
As host of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, Lake Placid is another World Cup stop with Olympic ties. The Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex and Whiteface Mountain will combine to host moguls and aerials competitions. The Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid is home to the USSA’s Elite Aerial Development Program, which has produced multiple World Cup champions, including Mac Bohonnon, Kiley McKinnon and Ashley Caldwell.

Deer Valley Resort – Feb. 2-4
Home to the 2002 Olympic Winter games, Deer Valley’s elite reputation draws in people to its world class venues. Deer Valley will be the site for moguls and aerials at the 2019 World Championships for freestyle, freeskiing and snowboarding in Park City. The easy access to the mountain pulls in up to 5,000 spectators, making it the biggest stop on the World Cup tour.

Mammoth Mountain – Feb. 3-5
Mammoth is a longtime resort partner and official training site of the USSA, hosting World Cups across a variety of sports and disciplines. The resort’s Unbound terrain park is one of the best in the country. Both U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing hold national team spring camps at Mammoth as well as Project Gold development camps.

Squaw Valley – Mar. 11-12 
Built on the legacy of the 1960 Winter Olympics, Squaw Valley has since reared celebrated athletes such as Jonny Moseley, Julia Mancuso, Travis Ganong, Marco Sullivan, JT Holmes, Michelle Parker, Cody Townsend, Jeremy Jones, Ralph Backstrom, Nate Holland and Errol Kerr. The 2016-17 event at Squaw Valley marks the return of the alpine World Cup to California for the first time since 1969.

Aspen – Mar. 15-19
The longtime host of the Aspen Winternational, Aspen Snowmass was awarded the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Finals in 2014. The 2016-17 World Cup Finals will be the first Finals outside Europe since 1997 and the first return of men’s World Cup in Aspen since 2001. Aspen has a long history of World Cup ski racing and hosted the first World Championships outside of Europe in 1950. One of the hallmarks of Aspen’s tenure as an iconic World Cup tour stop is the strong embracing of ski racing by the entire Aspen community.