VAIL/BEAVER CREEK, CO (Oct. 25) – As the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup was just hours away from kickoff, the official countdown clock dropped down to
100 days until the opening of the Feb. 2-15 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek. It will mark the third time the Championships have come to the Colorado resorts. Half a planet away in Soelden, Austria, hometown hero Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO) and her U.S. Ski Team teammates were ready to open the 2014-15 World Cup campaign.
HIGHLIGHTS
- As Mikaela Shiffrin got ready to kick out of the start in the opening Audi FIS Alpine World Cup in Soelden, the countdown clock ticked down to 100 days until the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek.
- Hometown hero Shiffrin will hope to defend her 2013 World Championship slalom title next February.
- Olympic Champion Ted Ligety made history two years ago, becoming the first skier since Jean Claude Killy to win three gold medals in the same Championships.
- Among the starters in Saturday's opener will be Vail's own Sarah Schleper in the first race for her new country of Mexico. With no points profile of note, Schleper will start 68th in the field of 70.
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QUOTES
Ted Ligety
It’s awesome having the World Championships in the U.S., and it’s something I’ve never experienced before. It’s going to be a lot of fun having a big event in the US. It’s always nice to take the Euros out of their element a little bit and have them living in their duffle bags for a couple of weeks as opposed to always being the North Americans. You know, that’s definitely a big mental hurdle for guys racing from the U.S. having to travel all of the time. Beaver Creek has always done an amazing job as far as preparing courses for us and it’s been a place where I’ve had a good amount of success as well. It's a hill I like, so I’m looking forward to it.
Mikaela Shiffrin
Throughout the summer I could feel the energy building – everyone’s really psyched. I can’t wait to get back in November and again in February for the World Championships. It’s going to be big, and special, and like a mini Olympics - I’m really excited to be a part of it.
Moving the GS to the Birds of Prey course was a great decision – I was so excited to ski that hill. I’m excited to get on Birds of Prey and have a little collaboration between the men and women.
Julia Mancuso
The Raptor course at Beaver Creek is really technical. It will be fun to ski it in the middle of the season. People will be well prepared and it will be tight. And Birds of Prey is a great hill and venue for the tech races. Colorado has great snow.
It’s a really great hometown feel in Vail. My aunt and uncle own a deli in Vail so I’ve been going there every year. Finally getting to race a World Championships at home will be nice. It’s great to have family around and show them what you do – show them what ski racing is all about.
Brennan Rubie
It’s a good opportunity for me to make World Championships for the first time, so I’m pretty excited that it’s at home. It’s a long way off, but when it comes around I’m sure it’ll be just as exciting as everyone is hoping for it to be.
Jared Goldberg
I’m looking forward to World Championships on home snow. It’s one of my favorite hills on the world cup, and the snow is going to be really good and it has a lot of good jumps and it’s fast and I’m excited.
