The best skier in the world right now – maybe ever – returns to Vermont the weekend after Thanksgiving for the annual World Cup competition at Killington Resort.
The women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup crowds will line up to catch Mikaela Shiffrin, the slalom specialist who’s expected to compete in the Killington Cup and is heading toward 100 career World Cup wins. Vermont played a crucial role in Shiffrin’s ascendency to the top of the literal and figurative mountain, as she attended Burke Mountain Academy in the state’s Northeast Kingdom, graduating in 2013. (World Cup podium skier and University of Vermont graduate Paula Moltzan and U.S. Olympians A.J. Hurt and Nina O’Brien are also due to take part.)
The event from Friday, Nov. 29, through Sunday, Dec. 1, is not just a ski race, however. There will be music galore, movies, fireworks and other events for attendees to enjoy when top-notch athletes aren’t speeding down the mountain.
Oh, and don’t worry about the relative lack of snow in Vermont so far this season. Killington announced Nov. 21 that it was “able to fire up 125 snowmaking guns to lay down enough snow for a world-class show next weekend,” Killington president and CEO Mike Solimano said in a news release. “There’s even a chance Mikaela Shiffrin will notch her 100th win on the slopes of The Beast!”
Here are the details on the World Cup race and the hoopla surrounding it:
5:45 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, the athlete bib presentation is followed by fireworks
On its website, Killington Resort says regarding security that “We strongly suggest that you do not bring bags to the venue” and that all people and bags will be searched before entering the venue. “Do not bring any of the following prohibited items: chairs, alcoholic beverages, glass containers, knives, weapons, laser pointers, pets, illegal drugs, or drones.”
Contact Brent Hallenbeck atbhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
