The Birds of Prey race course has a long and storied history of prepping athletes for Olympic glory. In fact, every male Olympic medalist dating back to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, has stood on the Birds of Prey podium at one point in his career.
Athletes embarking on the road toward the 2026 Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy, will kick out of the start at the 2025 Stifel Birds of Prey for a downhill, super-G, and giant slalom Dec. 4-7 with two goals in mind: a Birds of Prey victory and Olympic gold.
“An Olympic year puts a bit of extra pressure on Beaver Creek as it’s an opportunity to showcase and gauge personally where you are in your skiing and use that as a launch pad for the year,” said five-time Birds of Prey giant slalom winner and 2014 Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Ted Ligety.
With the 2026 Winter Games taking place in Italy, Feb. 6-22, top results in the first two downhills of the season, the second super-G, and the third giant slalom of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season at Beaver Creek can set the table for a successful Olympic run. For U.S. athletes, success on the famed Birds of Prey track in front of home country fans also adds more pressure to kickstart the season on a high note.
“Beaver Creek was our only ‘home’ race, so I placed extra importance on it, especially with friends and family coming to watch,” Ligety said. “We were lucky to have a few strong prep weeks in Colorado before the race to get used to the grippy man-made early-season snow, and use Birds of Prey as a race to boost confidence and gain momentum for the rest of the season.”
Even non-U S athletes feel the pressure of performing on America’s most challenging downhill track. Just ask Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who is planning his return to downhill racing at Birds of Prey after suffering a near career-ending crash in Wengen, Switzerland, almost two years ago. As the fiancé of Edwards’ resident Mikaela Shiffrin, Kilde is back on snow with his sights set on competing in the first two downhills of the season at Beaver Creek in front of his second-hometown crowd.
“The last four times I’ve raced there, I have won, so I have good memories,” Kilde told Ski Racing Magazine of the Birds of Prey track as he gears up for a run at his first Olympic gold medal. “Also, it’s a good place to start, with good snow. I know the hill really well, and it’s my second home—so why not there? It’s a good start to the season. I’m very excited!”
Now the stage is set with the Birds of Prey weekend serving as an Olympic Team qualifying race. The past four Olympic downhill, super-G, and giant slalom gold medalists have produced dozens of Birds of Prey podiums. Let’s see if history repeats itself.
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