This is the first of a biweekly column about all things skiing and snowboarding in New England.
People have many and varied ways to kick off the skiing and riding season, but for some the start is signaled by the FIS Women’s World Cup races at Killington.
This is the seventh year the best female skiers in the world will assemble at one of Vermont’s largest ski areas on Thanksgiving weekend to compete in giant slalom on Saturday and slalom on Sunday.
When Killington started hosting the event in 2016 no one knew what to expect since it was the first time in 25 years a World Cup race had been held in New England and the first time since 1978 one had been held in Vermont. Fans arrived in droves and it was declared a success – now the event draws at last 30,000 people over the weekend.
At the same time, International Ski and Snowboard Federation officials praised the venue since people, no matter where they are watching from, can see racers come down the final drop of the course and gave Killington kudos for a well-planned event.
The full roster for this year’s Stifel FIS Killington World Cup is not set until a few days before the race but some 100 women from 22 countries will be vying for a win. Some will compete in both races while others will ski in one, said Kristel Killary, communications director for Killington.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who broke the record last year for the most World Cup wins set by Ingemar Stenmark in the late 1980s, is a fan favorite for many reasons including her local ties since she has family in Lanesboro where her beloved grandmother lived until her death in 2019 at the age of 98. She also trained at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont.
She has won five out of the six slalom races held at Killington and earned several medals in giant slalom. Fans will be watching to see if Shiffrin can regain her slalom title and should find it fun to see her battle against Petra Vlhova, of Slovakia, who was on fire last week after she finished by a wide margin in a slalom race in Levi, Finland. An error in the second slalom race held the next day in Levi allowed Shiffrin to capture first place.
But Shiffrin isn’t the only one with local ties, Paula Moltzan, who had a terrific season last year including a second-place slalom finish, will also be competing. She grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Vermont where she raced. She now lives in Charlemont, where her husband Ryan Mooney’s family owns a whitewater rafting company. In earlier years she also worked as a nanny in the summer for the Schaefer family who owns Berkshire East.
Some of the other women to watch will include Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami, who won the giant slalom last year at Killington and Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson and Wendy Holdener, of Switzerland, who finished in an extremely rare tie to win the slalom in 2022.
But one of the best things about watching the race in person is seeing some of the lesser-known and up-and-coming skiers of all countries compete, since they are rarely shown on television.
A ski racer crosses the finish line in a past FIS Women’s World Cup race held at Killington ski area in Vermont. (Jeanette DeForge/Republican staff)
Killington officials, who are celebrating its 65th year of operations this year, have proven their snowmaking prowess year after year by being able to cover the Superstar trail where the race is held with enough snow for two days of safe racing.
It’s not always easy since November weather in Vermont is variable at best. There have been a few years when snowmakers were saying last minute prayers for cold weather but the only time the races had to be canceled was in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year the weather has been cooperative and the trail officially passed inspection on Thursday. To be approved the course must have a minimum of a four-foot base, Killary said.
“It takes 120 hours of snowmaking to cover the trail. We have snowguns placed every 18 feet on the trail when guns are usually set 50 feet apart,” she said.
This year there are a couple of changes to the event. There is now a daily entry fee of $10. It must be paid online but people can buy tickets on race day.
Originally general admittance was free, but when the races resumed in 2021 the $5 entry fee was instituted so organizers could limit crowd size due to the continuing pandemic.
Some of the money raised from ticket sales is put in the Killington World Cup Foundation and over the past four years the organization has donated more than $1 million to support youth skiing and snowboarding programs, Killary said.
As part of that partnership this year the Superstar trail, will remain closed for the week following the World Cup and youth ski teams will be invited to ski the same runs and courses as the pros, Killary said.
“We have never done that before. We are opening it up for teams to train on, it will be such a good opportunity for them,” Killary said.
The organizers are also touting their free music and entertainment lineup this year, which starts with a pre-race party on Friday night featuring 220 KID, a songwriter, producer and remix artist. There will also be fireworks and the bib drawing that will determine who skis first in the two races over the weekend.
On Saturday DJ Mix Master Mike will entertain during the break between the first and second giant slalom run and Young the Giant will play on Saturday evening after the race. On Sunday, Grammy-nominated alternative rock musician Matisyahu will perform in between the slalom runs.
Highlighting a continued effort to promote youth skiing, especially with girls, also new is a “Doing it all” panel discussion with women who are ski racing experts at 6 p.m., Saturday followed by a movie “Advice for Girls” at 7 p.m. Both will be free, open to the public an held in the Snowshed Ballroom, Killary said.
Most information can be found on the Killington World Cup website but here is a little advice for people who are going for the first time:
The first runs begin at 10 a.m. and the second start around 1 p.m. People who want to see the entire competition should leave plenty of time to take a shuttle from one of the free satellite lots and go through the security checkpoints. Parking passes for upper lots have been sold out.
Dress warmly. Warm, waterproof boots are a must since the standing area is snow-covered and can be wet and muddy. Long underwear, a warm hat, thick mittens and a parka are recommended and it doesn’t hurt to stick a few chemical handwarmers in your pocket.
Organizers ask people to avoid bringing bags since they must be searched. A full list of banned items is on the website but some include chairs, alcohol and pets.
Other notes from around New England:
Maine resort Sunday River and Sugarloaf and Vermont areas of Okemo and Stowe and Killington have all opened for skiing in the past week or so. Stratton, in Vermont, announced it would shift its planned opening date to Nov. 22 due to warmer temperatures expected over this weekend. Bromley, also in Vermont, has a projected opening date of Nov. 24 while most others are taking a wait and see attitude.
