Women’s Birds of Prey, World Cup Finals at Sun Valley Headline 2024-25 U.S. FIS World Cup Calendar
PARK CITY, Utah (June 4, 2024) – The International Federation of Skiing & Snowboarding (FIS) has officially confirmed 11 FIS World Cups in the United States for the 2024-25 season, headlined by the first ever back-to-back men’s and women’s FIS Alpine World Cup speed races on the historic Birds of Prey track at Beaver Creek and the FIS Alpine World Cup Finals at Sun Valley Resort.
In addition to the men’s Birds of Prey that has been hosted by Beaver Creek since 1997, the women will have the chance to race the renowned speed track in December the weekend after the men at the women’s Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines. It will be the first time the women have raced on the iconic Birds of Prey course. The race will mark the first time many of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women will race a World Cup on home snow, including top speed athletes Lauren Macuga and Bella Wright. The resort is also poised to welcome back the winningest alpine skier of all time Mikaela Shiffrin as she chases her 100th World Cup win just a few miles from her home in the Vail Valley.
“I love racing in the States—racing at Killington has been so important for our sport, and now the women get to have several stops in North America,” said Olympic champion and 97-time World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin. “I have a lot of great memories skiing in Beaver Creek, particularly from World Champs in 2015. It’s an iconic World Cup speed track with a best in the world course crew – the Talon Crew – and the surface is always incredible. It’s so great we’ll be closing the season at Sun Valley with Stifel Sun Valley Finals too. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the next generation of skiers seeing and experiencing the World Cup in our country. It is so impactful and essential for the growth of our sport here at home.”
The men will race at Beaver Creek the weekend prior, kicking off their speed season with the annual Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, racing super-G, downhill and giant slalom. The giant slalom race is back in Beaver Creek for the first time since Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Tommy Ford found his first World Cup victory on the track in 2019. The races will highlight local favorite River Radamus, top downhill skier Bryce Bennett and Olympic silver medalist Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
“The opportunity for women to race speed on the historic Birds of Prey course in Beaver Creek is thrilling!” said Olympic gold medalist and most successful U.S. downhiller in history Lindsey Vonn. “I love that the women will be racing on the same track as the men, and I can’t wait to cheer them on in a place that is very special to me.”
The alpine World Cup Finals are also returning to the U.S. for the first time since 2017 with Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort hosting the Stifel Sun Valley Finals. The event invites the top 25 athletes from each alpine discipline, likely including Swiss phenoms Marco Odermatt and Lara Gut-Behrami, Italian force Sofia Goggia, Brazil’s Lucas Braathen, and many Stifel U.S. Ski Team athletes.
“Bringing the World Cup Finals back to the U.S. and to a storied resort like Sun Valley is exciting for the U.S. fan base,” said six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller. “As someone who grew up with World Cup races nearby, having U.S. Ski & Snowboard continue to host events like this and raise the level of competition regularly is crucial for the continuation of our sport and inspiring the next generation of skiers. I can’t wait to watch.”
“Finally a World Cup Finals on home soil!” said two-time World Cup winner Bryce Bennett. “I’m excited to have the Finals in Sun Valley Idaho this season! It couldn’t be in a better location with a community that values and supports World Cup skiing with the same enthusiasm as the Europeans.”
The 2024-25 U.S. FIS World Cup circuit will again begin on the east coast in Vermont with the alpine women racing giant slalom and slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup. 40,000-plus fans are expected to cheer on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team women, including six-time Stifel Killington Cup champion and winningest skier of all time Shiffrin, and tech podium stars AJ Hurt and Paula Moltzan.
In addition to the four alpine events, the United States will have three freestyle World Cups. An aerials World Cup heads to the historic 1980 Olympic site of Lake Placid Jan. 18-19 for the first time since 2019. New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley Resort, known as the birthplace of freestyle skiing, will host a moguls and dual moguls World Cup Jan. 25-26. This comes after the mountain’s successful first freestyle World Cup last season. Competition continues with the fan favorite Intermountain Health Freestyle International at Deer Valley Feb. 6-8 with moguls, aerials and dual moguls World Cups. This event is a staple on the freestyle schedule and draws an enormous crowd year after year. Both events will be headlined by the strong women’s Stifel U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, who regularly finished on the podium throughout the 2023-24 season.
The FIS Ski Jumping World Cup circuit will head to Lake Placid for the third time since 1990, Feb. 8-9. For the first time, the event will feature both men and women for mixed team and individual jumps. The women’s event will be an addition to last season’s calendar. Top U.S. athletes to watch include Erik Belshaw and Josie Johnson, both silver medalists at the 2024 Junior World Championships.
Additionally, there will be three freeski and snowboard World Cups in the U.S. this season, with locations to be confirmed.
“We are thrilled to have a robust domestic World Cup calendar once again,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Sophie Goldschmidt. “To have 11 events on home snow spanning across the country, is a testament to the growth of our sports and the fanbase following our athletes. Plus, the addition of two alpine events, including a two-weekend Birds of Prey with both men’s and women’s races and the Stifel World Finals in Sun Valley, showcases the significant value in bringing the world’s best to the U.S.”
“As a proud supporter of the skiing community, we are thrilled to partner with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to bring more World Cup events to the United States,” said Ron Kruszewski, chairman and CEO of Stifel Financial, the title sponsor of all four alpine events this coming season. “These events not only showcase the incredible talent of athletes from around the globe but also provide an opportunity for American fans to experience the excitement of world class competition on home soil. We are committed to fostering the growth of winter sports in the U.S. and are honored to play a role in making that happen.”
2024-25 U.S. WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
ALPINE
Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2024: Stifel Killington Cup, Killington, Vermont; women’s slalom/giant slalom
Dec. 6-8, 2024: Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, Beaver Creek, Colorado; men’s super-G/downhill/giant slalom
Dec. 14-15, 2024: Stifel Birds of Prey presented by United Airlines, Beaver Creek, Colorado; women’s super-G/downhill
March 22-27, 2025: Stifel Sun Valley Finals, Sun Valley, Idaho; men’s and women’s downhill/super-G/giant slalom/slalom
FREESTYLE
Jan. 18-19, 2025: FIS Freestyle World Cup, Lake Placid, New York; aerials
Jan. 25-26, 2025: Waterville Freestyle Cup, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire; moguls/dual moguls
Feb. 6-8, 2025: Intermountain Health Freestyle International, Deer Valley, Utah; moguls/aerials/dual moguls
FREESKI AND SNOWBOARD
Dec. 14, 2024: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, TBC; halfpipe
Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2025: Visa Big Air presented by Toyota, TBC; big air
Feb. 2-5, 2025: Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, TBC; slopestyle/halfpipe
SKI JUMPING
Feb. 7-9, 2025: FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, Lake Placid, New York; individual large hill HS 128/super team large hill HS 128.
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