Despite a spring-like November followed by heavy snow, fog, and strong winds during race week, the Stifel Birds of Prey persevered December 4-7, delivering four days of festivities with three outstanding Audi FIS Ski World Cup races.
The weekend opened on Thursday, December 4 with a modified course for the first men’s downhill of the 2025-26 World Cup season. There were originally two downhills scheduled, but the additional race was removed from the program, and the start and finish lines were adjusted for the weekend’s remaining races, due to a warm early season that created snowmaking challenges in the traditional finish.
The remaining downhill was scheduled for Friday, December 5, but was pushed up to Thursday due to heavy snow in the forecast. The super-G was subsequently moved from Saturday to Friday, and the race was called after the first 31 athletes due to strong winds from the incoming winter storm. The storm continued through Saturday as anticipated, and the skies finally cleared for a chilly but mostly sunny giant slalom to end the weekend.
“This year’s Stifel Birds of Prey was remarkable—not just for the exceptional racing, but for what it took to get there,” said Sarah Franke, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Vail Valley Foundation (VVF), which organizes the event each year. “Mother Nature took her time ushering in winter, and then she threw us curveball after curveball throughout race week. To have successfully hosted these races at all is something we’re incredibly proud of, and it speaks volumes about the resilience and commitment of everyone involved. Combined with all the village festivities, the energy of the fans, and an American on the downhill podium, this weekend was truly something to celebrate.”
Race Highlights
- A record 27 nations were represented at this year’s event as athletes competed for crucial Olympic qualifying points ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Games.
- Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) finished second in the downhill, marking the first American podium finisher in the Birds of Prey downhill since 2014.
- Edwards native River Radamus (USA) came in sixth place in the giant slalom, his best ever finish on the Birds of Prey course.
- World Cup leader Marco Odermatt (SUI) continued to showcase his dominance with wins in both the downhill and giant slalom.
- Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) continued his ski racing comeback, finishing 11th in his first downhill since the early 2024 crash that caused life-threatening injuries.
- Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) moved into second place in the overall World Cup standings for 2025-26 (behind Marco Odermatt) following his win in the condensed super-G.
Festival Highlights
- The festival included nearly 30 total events, from the races themselves to athlete signings, a public bib draw, endless live music, sponsor activations, and more.
- Music filled the mountain with 16 live music and DJ sets throughout the weekend, 13 of which were free.
- We celebrated the 10th Annual Beers of Prey with a record 21 breweries serving 55+ samples.
- Approximately 600 dedicated volunteers contributed to the event, including the first-ever Next-Gen Raptor Volunteer Crew for 14 18-year-olds.
“This weekend’s success is a testament to what can be achieved when we come together,” said Mike Imhof, President of the VVF. “We are enormously grateful to the International Ski & Snowboard Federation, Stifel U.S. Ski Team, Beaver Creek Resort, and Beaver Creek Resort Company for their partnership through this exciting but also challenging week. Bravo and sincere thanks to Bobby Murphy, Ron Rupert, and the Beaver Creek Mountain Operations Team for their incredible effort navigating the myriad of weather conditions this year, as well as to Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and the other local ski clubs who came out to support the races. We would like to again thank John and Karen Arnold for their transformational investment in this project and the John and Karen Arnold Red Tail Stadium. Together, we are sustaining our community’s ski racing legacy.”
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this year’s races. We look forward to hosting the men’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup races again next year, and we hope to also bring back women’s races in 2026, pending confirmation of the FIS calendar.
We’ll see you next year!
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