For the third straight day of planned racing, organizers and the race Jury were forced to cancel Xfinity Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup competition today.
Activities planned for Beaver Creek Village, as well as activities at the Red Tail Finish Area including the VIP Tent, are also cancelled.
Today’s special ceremony recognizing the 2023 Vail Valley Volunteers of the Year, Sara and Bill Fisher, is also cancelled.
The nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, which hosts the event each year, estimates that more than 1,000 people work on the creation and maintenance of the iconic Birds of Prey course. More than 250 of these are volunteers with the Talon Crew, or Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. They work alongside professionals from Beaver Creek Race Department, Beaver Creek Ski Patrol & Course Medical, Beaver Creek Mountain Operations, U.S. Forest Service reps, U.S. Ski & Snowboard officials, FIS Pros and Race officials, and others, to create the best race course in the world.
Many hundreds of others (600+ volunteers overall and many other paid professionals from local, national, and international organizations) take part in the preparations for the weekend of events, festivities, concerts, athlete signings, fireworks, and the celebration of ski racing that lights up our community each year.
The Xfinity Birds of Prey races are part of a heritage that dates back to the first World Cup in 1967 and, in fact, international ski racing dates back to the very first years of the opening of Vail Mountain in the early ’60s.
The legacy of ski racing in Vail/Beaver Creek extends beyond geographic boundaries, and includes volunteers and professionals from near and far, all of whom take great pride in their work.
With any outdoor pursuit comes the uncertainty of weather. Although the weather has been uncooperative this weekend, the Vail Valley Foundation and its partners express their extreme gratitude for the hard work put into this event by the thousands of our friends, partners, and neighbors who prepped for weeks, day and night, often in extreme conditions, to host these races.
Organizers stressed the benefits and importance of strong partnerships, which they enjoy for this event. The Xfinity Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup is organized by the nonprofit Vail Valley Foundation, in close partnership with the FIS, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, Vail Resorts, the Beaver Creek Resort Company, Beaver Creek Resort, the U.S. Forest Service, Xfinity, and CELSIUS energy.
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