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Local & Region A2 | Friday, December 26, 2014 | Vail Daily

WORLDS OF WISDOM

2DO

Lindsey Vonn reflects on World Championships experiences, looks forward to Vail/Beaver Creek 2015

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in 2015 magazine. Vail/Beaver Creek is hosting the Alpine World Ski Championships Feb. 2-15.

AP PHOTO

Lindsey Vonn was a fresh-faced 20-year-old for her first World Championships in 2005 in Bormio, Italy.

By John LaConte jlaconte@vaildaily.com

LINDSEY VONN has been a part of World Championships dating back to the last time Vail and Beaver Creek hosted the event, in 1999, when she was a course slipper. Her first Worlds as a competitor were in 2005, and she has competed at each event through 2013, when she suffered a devastating knee injury in Schladming, Austria. Here are her recollections of her World Championships experiences, and her expectations for 2015, when the Worlds return to her hometown.

Lindsey Vonn will be racing in her sixth World Championships when the event returns in Vail/Beaver Creek in February.

1999

2005

Lindsey Vonn is a 14-year-old ski racer out of Burnsville, Minnesota, who’s showing such promise her family has recently relocated her to Vail, and enrolled her in Ski Club Vail. “I remember how excited I was, how excited the entire community was, and how excited Ski Club Vail was years before we even had the World Championships. We debated who was going to be on the race crew and how were we going to be able to sneak into the finish and get autographs from everyone. It was really cool, and you could see the intensity and enthusiasm that everyone had to be able to host the World Championships.” Through Ski Club Vail, Vonn is given the honor of being a course slipper during the 1999 World Championships. “I remember watching Marco Buechel get a silver medal in the GS. I was slipping right behind him, and I remember watching his style and thinking how amazing it was. It was a beautiful, typical sunny Vail day, the crowds were going crazy and I just thought how amazing it would be to be able to have this experience.”

Lindsey Vonn’s first World Championships as a professional ski racer. She does not make the podium in any events. “In Bormio I was fourth three times, but every time I learned something.”

VAIL/BEAVER CREEK, USA

AP PHOTO

BORMIO, ITALY

2007

AP PHOTO

ARE, SWEDEN

Following a disappointing performance at the 2006 Olympics, Vonn is hungry for glory and ends up earning her first-ever big-event medals, in the downhill and super-G, both silver. “My downhill performance is a really great memory because I had a huge mistake on the top. I was out by a second and a half or something like that, and I just kept fighting and fighting, and I kept making up the time slowly, slowly, slowly, and when I got to the finish I was second place.”

Lindsey Vonn broke through in the 2007 World Championships in Are, Sweden, where she won two medals, both silver.

OUR PICKS FOR THE TOP TWO ACTIVITIES IN THE VAIL VALLEY TODAY

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See Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue — Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will play at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek tonight at 7:30 p.m. A New Orleans native, Trombone Shorty began his career as a bandleader at the tender age of 6 and toured internationally for the first time at age 12 before joining Lenny Kravitz’ horn section at the age of 19 for a 105-date world tour in 2005-06. He’s now the frontman for Orleans Avenue, a hard-edged funk band that employs hip-hop beats, rock dynamics and improvisation in a jazz tradition.

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2009

VAL D’ISERE, FRANCE

The biggest event of Vonn’s career up to this point. She earns two gold medals, in downhill and super-G. “A lot of people were saying, ‘She can’t win at the big events,’ and I knew that wasn’t true at all. In the super-G, I started, I believe it was 21, and it was a completely sunny day, and then after about seven girls, it was a complete whiteout and no one was coming even close to the girls who had started earlier. ... No one thought it was possible to come down and not only be on the podium but be in the lead. So to overcome those conditions and make it down the run that I did with all the pressure I had was definitely an extremely rewarding expeAP PHOTO rience. Being able to execute in Val d’Isere on race day gave me so much confidence going into Vancouver and executing there.”

Lindsey Vonn won her first World

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Championship gold at the 2009 event

VONN, A4 in Val d’Isere, France.

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A4 | Friday, December 26, 2014 | The Vail Daily

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Despite suffering from the effects of a concussion, Lindsey Vonn earned a bronze in Garmisch, Germany, in 2011.

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From page A2

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Lindsey Vonn suffered a devastating knee injury at the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria, while competing in the super-G.

In print Everyday

Page A10

Vonn has now won on every level, taking gold and bronze at the Vancouver Olympics and crediting her confidence from the 2009 World Championship win as a contributing factor in the performance. But she’s not feeling well. “I was suffering from a concussion going in, but progressively got better throughout the World Championships and ended up getting a bronze in the downhill. So that was great, despite having that injury and struggling so badly, I was still able to get a good performance out of it.”

2013

SCHLADMING, AUSTRIA

Tragedy strikes. Vonn is injured in the very first race of the 2013 World Championships. Like 2009, the conditions in the super-G were tough. “They should stop the race. It’s not safe to run,” Vonn tells her coach. She races anyway, and ends up making a mistake with her leg and falling head first over the top of her skis at full speed, tearing her ACL and MCL and fracturing her tibial plateau. Her teammate Julia Mancuso finished in third for the bronze.

Lindsey Vonn celebrates on the podium after winning the women’s World Cup super-G in Beaver Creek in 2011. Vonn hopes to continue her success at Beaver Creek in 2015.

2015

VAIL/BEAVER CREEK, USA

Vonn is excited. With Vail now being her primary residence, they’re her World Championships. “Now, I finally will be able to have my hometown World Championships, and get to race at a pretty unique and special event.” Now that the World Championships have come full circle for Vonn with the event’s return to the Vail Valley, the champion ski racer is reminded of how meaningful those experiences in Vail were to her as a youngster.

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Local & Region A2 | Thursday, January 1, 2015 | Vail Daily

FACES OF

2015 ❱ ❱ Get to know the American skiers hoping to make their mark at Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships

Editor’s note: Vail/Beaver Creek is hosting the Alpine World Ski Championships Feb. 2-15. Here’s a look at the U.S. Ski Team members, many of whom will be competing here in February.

Daily staff report newsroom@vaildaily.com

Andrew Weibrecht

ANDREW WEIBRECHT

Favorite race course: Beaver Creek downhill.

Pre-race ritual: I run every training run and every run all summer in training and try to keep consistent for the race. Before the race, it’s breathing and relaxation techniques.

Item you can’t travel without: Flip-flops.

Celebrity crush: Mila Kunis.

TRAVIS GANONG

Travis Ganong

Tommy Biesemeyer

Favorite race course: Kitzbuhel, Austria, downhill. It’s kind of the Super Bowl of ski racing. It’s the gnarliest, steepest and has the most history.

I’ve had a lot of success there, and I love going back there every year.

Pre-race ritual: I put my left boot on before my right boot always. I have to drink a certain amount of my drink mix and a banana before every run.

I always take a free run before the race and do something that scares me, like jumping off a cat track, to get ready to send it on these big runs.

Item you can’t travel without: Powder skis. My coaches and ski techs always laugh at me.

Celebrity crush: Marie-Michele (Gagnon), she’s a really fast ski racer from Quebec and is also my

2DO

girlfriend. She’s a celebrity in the Great White North.

TOMMY BIESEMEYER

Favorite race course: Beaver Creek downhill — they do the best job in preparation and the crowd is awesome.

Pre-race ritual: Stretching.

Item you can’t travel without: Tennis racket.

Celebrity crush: Jennifer Connelly from “Blood Diamond.”

Ted Ligety

1

TED LIGETY

Favorite race course: Kranjska Gora, Slovenia — that’s one of the first courses that I had a lot of success on.

Pre-race ritual: I think I’m lucky that I don’t have any. We’re an outdoor sport and there are so many changes that it’s hard to maintain true continuity.

Item you can’t travel without: Foam roller.

Celebrity crush: Jessica Alba.

Bode Miller

BODE MILLER

Favorite race course: Wengen (Switzerland).

Pre-race ritual: Nothing. I just try to get my head in the right place.

Item you can’t travel without: Ski boots.

Celebrity crush: My wife, she’s a pro beach volleyball super stud.

JARED GOLDBERG

Favorite race course: I can’t really pick one.

Beaver Creek is up there. It has a little bit of everything. Val Gardena in Italy is incredible.

You leave the ground probably 35 times.

Pre-race ritual: Not really.

Item you can’t travel without: Guitar. I’ve brought it with me everywhere on the road since I was 15 or 16.

Celebrity crush: Alana Blanchard.

STEVE NYMAN

Favorite race course: Beaver Creek downhill. Even just freeskiing Birds of Prey is so much fun.

Pre-race ritual: It’s to have no superstitions.

Item you can’t travel without: Bose headphones.

Celebrity crush: Charlize Theron.

Jared Goldberg

Steven Nyman

TOMMY FORD

Favorite race course: Alta Badia in GS. Pre-race ritual: Just keeping my head clear.

I also buckle my boots the same way most of

SKI TEAM, A8

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Item you can’t travel without: Sketchbook.

Celebrity crush: Beyonce.

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Celebrity crush: McDreamy from “Grey’s Anatomy.”

From page A2

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STACEY COOK

LINDSEY VONN

Favorite race course: Lake Louise (Alberta) in downhill and super-G. Pre-race ritual: I’m particular with my clothes. I wear certain colors, match everything and lay it out the night before. I always wear a piece of jewelry that reminds me of family.

Item you can’t travel without: iPad. Celebrity crush: Tiger Woods.

ALICE MCKENNIS

Favorite race course: Cortina, Italy, in downhill.

Pre-race ritual: I listen to music.

Item you can’t travel without: My phone.

Celebrity crush: Clint Eastwood.

Stacey Cook

ABBY GHENT

Abby Ghent

KATIE RYAN

Katie Ryan

Favorite race course: Aspen is always home base for me.

Pre-race ritual: I dance at the start. I pump up the jams, stuff like Beyonce and hip-hop.

Item you can’t travel without: Ear plugs and eye mask.

Celebrity crush: Blake Griffin.

This week Zack will introduce new bakery items every day at both Northside Kitchen in Avon and our new Northside Grab & Go in West Vail.

This morning he made a fresh batch of English muffins.

We are offering them in six-packs for $5! Quantity is limited, so if you like English muffins, hurry.

Paula Moltzan

Favorite race course: The Aspen downhill and super-G have everything — it’s flat, scary and steep, and crazy at the bottom. It’s a serious downhill.

Pre-race ritual: None.

Item you can’t travel without: A pillow. It’s good having something you know you can get a good night’s sleep on.

Celebrity crush: David Beckham.

LEANNE SMITH

Leanne Smith

PAULA MOLTZAN

Favorite race course: Aspen GS. Pre-race ritual: I listen to music, get in a squat in the start gate and take a deep breath.

Item you can’t travel without: A baby blanket my mom made for me

Favorite race course: Lake Louise (Canada) in downhill. It’s so beautiful and picturesque.

Pre-race ritual: I don’t really have one, but on race day I tend to be quiet and keep to myself.

Item you can’t travel without: Cell phone with international data.

Celebrity crush: Madison Bumgarner.

Favorite race course: Cortina (Italy) in super-G. Pre-race ritual: I make sure I’m warmed up.

Item you can’t travel without: A book.

Celebrity crush: Johnny Depp.

LAURENNE ROSS

Laurenne Ross

Favorite race course: Bansko, Bulgaria.

Pre-race ritual: I don’t have any. If I were to find something and it didn’t work out, I’d psych myself out.

Item you can’t travel without: My guitar or violin.

Celebrity crush: Ryan Gosling’s “Notebook” character.

Share your voice!

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Sports A24 | Wednesday, January 21, 2015 | Vail Daily

Having made history, Vonn looks to future After a record 63 World Cup wins, skier has sights set on Worlds, Olympics

By Melanie Wong mwong@vaildaily.com

After celebrating a record breaking 63rd World Cup win on Monday by wining the super-G at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Lindsey Vonn says she’s focused on what she can accomplish in the future — including at the upcoming FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Beaver Creek and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Vonn told media on Tuesday that she was both elated and humbled to have broken the 62-win record that was held by Annemarie Moser-Proell for 35 years. Moser-Proell’s records were made in the 1970s. The men’s World Cup record of 86 wins continues to be held by Ingemar Stenmark.

“I have so much respect for skiing and the history of the sport,” Vonn said. “With Annemarie Moser-Proell having this record, it’s (mind)-blowing for me that I now have more wins than she does. She’s always been this pinnacle and legend that has been untouchable.”

Moser-Proell called Vonn on Monday to congratulate her for the record. “(Moser-Proell is) a class act, and I’m very proud that my name is spoken in the same sentence as her,” she said.

Vonn took her record win in front of her father and mother,

AP PHOTO

Lindsey Vonn speeds down the course during Monday’s World Cup super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. She won the race becoming the winningest women’s racer in World Cup history with 63 career victories. who attended her first-ever European World Cup race, and boyfriend Tiger Woods, who made a surprise appearance. Speculation swirled when Woods was photographed with a missing front tooth, which the golfer said got knocked out by a camera.

“To have Tiger show up for a few hours to watch me win was

such a surprise and meant so much to me,” Vonn said. “Although he had some bad luck with a photographer knocking his tooth out, I was incredibly thankful he was there.”

A SPECIAL COMEBACK Vonn’s new record comes after two years of recovering from knee

injuries, which will be documented on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the premier of an NBC special “The Climb.”

She said that even through the injuries, she never doubted she’d return to competition. The record means more now than had she not struggled over the last few years, she said.

“The last few years have been filled with lots of ups and downs — a lot of downs — but I never gave up and kept working hard, even after the second crash and not being able to go to the (Sochi) Olympics,” she said. “Breaking this record has much more

VONN, A25

With two weeks to go, a look at the women’s races Lindsey appears ready

Vonn is 3-for-5 in downhills in her comeback season with Maze So anything big happen over the winning in Lake Louise, Alberta, weekend on the women’s World and Italy’s Elena Fanchini taking Cup tour? the top step last weekend in the first downhill on her Lindsey Vonn looks like she has her A-game home snow in Cortina.

We’ve got one more going as we are less set of speed races, than two weeks from the FIS Alpine World downhill on Saturday Ski Championships. and super-G on Sunday, in St. Moritz, SwitzerYep, 13 days from now land, before everyone is the women’s super-G, descends on Beaver the first race of the Championships.

Creek.

Chris Freud Here’s a look at the While all eyes will On Skiing certainly be on Vonn World Cup women’s races as we get closer to come the Worlds downhill — a reminder — there are a Beaver Creek-apalooza 2015. lot of other good racers out there.

Viktoria Rebensburg, of GerDOWNHILL many, is third in the discipline Vonn has returned to the top points, with Austria’s Anna Fenspot in the DH, with a 155-point lead over Slovenia’s Tina Maze. ninger in fifth. Fenninger skied

well at Raptor’s test event back in November 2013, as did Switzerland’s Lara Gut, who won the downhill and super-G. Gut is 13th in the downhill points, but there’s a lot to be said for having a comfort level with a course.

The defending world champion is France’s Marion Rolland, which brings in another variable with regard to reading the tea leaves.

Just when you think you’ve got a handle on things, someone comes from nowhere and wins. That’s Rolland’s one and only victory of her career.

SUPER-G While everyone is buzzing about Vonn’s win in super-G on Monday, she is not the leader in the points. Fenninger hasn’t won an event in the discipline, but she leads with 192 points. Gut, who

won in Lake Louise, is second (190), followed by Vonn (180).

The top five, which serves as a who’s who of women’s speed, is rounded out by Maze, who won the event at 2013 Worlds, and Elizabeth Goergl.

Sunday’s super-G in St. Moritz should shake this up a little more.

A darkhorse here, of course, is Julia Mancuso, currently seventh in the points. Mancuso is always good for punching in at Worlds.

SUPER-COMBINED This is a puzzler since there hasn’t been a combined event yet for the women. Worlds will be the first super-combi of the season.

Only two women on tour have points in both the downhill and slalom — Maze and Nicole Hosp, of Austria. Since Maze is second in the downhill and third in the

slalom, she’s the favorite. (Hosp is 20th in the downhill and seventh in slalom, including a win at Aspen.)

Canada’s Marie-Michelle Gagnon won the only combined of the 2013-14 World Cup season.

Germany’s Maria Hoefl-Riesch, now retired, won the Olympic super-combi, followed by Hosp and Mancuso, last winter.

And now we enter the world of competition speculation. Mancuso will certainly be one of the four Americans in the race here. Does Mikaela Shiffrin give this a shot?

Slalomers usually have the advantage in the combined. Does the U.S. Ski Team/Team Shiffrin tell Mikaela, “Give the downhill a go, come down in one piece and then make up the time in slalom”?

FREUD, A25

The Vail Daily

VONN

From page A24 meaning to me now than it would have two years ago because I’ve been through so much more and I’ve proven a lot to myself and other people.”

Vonn also made it clear that she doesn’t plan to dwell on past victories, but she has big plans for the future.

“I’m a fighter, and I have a lot more left to do in the sport. The last two years have made me a lot more motivated and given me a lot more energy than I had before,” Vonn said.

She admitted that had she not been injured, she probably would have retired after the Vail/Beaver Creek World Championships this February.

Instead, the next Olympics are her ultimate goal.

FREUD

“I think everything happens for a reason, and now my career is going on another three years and who knows what it will bring?” she said.

ON TO BEAVER CREEK Vonn admitted that breaking the women’s World Cup win record was a relief and that she will feel less pressured going into the World Championships in a couple weeks.

“It’s nice having this pressure off of me before going into the Worlds,” she said. “I have back-to-back wins, and I’ll be a lot more relaxed now going in and hopefully that equals a better performance.”

When asked if she was planning to chase Swedish skier Ingemar Stenmark’s men’s record of 86 wins, Vonn said it wasn’t on her mind.

How about Vonn? If she’s done well in the speed events, does she give it a shot? Vonn in the super-combi is probably more likely because of its place in the Worlds calendar. The speed events are done by the time we get to the super-combi, whereas Shiffrin will likely be gearing up for giant slalom and slalom.

(270) and Fenninger (242) top the GS points ahead of Shiffrin (226).

We’ve had five winners in four races in GS this season since Fenninger and Shiffrin tied in the season-opener in Soelden, Austria — Brem, Maze and Switzerland’s Sarah Hector are the others.

A few other names to consider here — Austria’s Kathrin Zettel and Norway’s Jessica Lindell-Vikarby. The latter won the GS on Raptor in 2013.

GIANT SLALOM

SLALOM

Before everyone hops on the Shiffrin bandwagon, just like with Vonn-mania, there are other racers out there. Austrian’s Eva-Maria Brem

Remember the name — Frida Hansdotter of Sweden. She does lead the slalom coming into Worlds.

Hansdotter has bored the world to

From page A24

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death, in a good way, with her consistent finishes this year on the circuit — second, second, third, fourth, fourth, first.

The omnipresent Maze is third in the slalom, and, by the by, the overall leader, since she gets mentioned so many times.

Yes, Shiffrin is the defending World Cup and world champ in slalom, but it’s worth a mention that the field isn’t handing the gold on a silver (would it be silver?) platter to the 19-year-old American.

Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@ vaildaily.com and @cfreud.

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“It’s been nice to have that record talk go away after yesterday’s win.

I’m just focused on tomorrow and the next day, and I’m focused on the coming years. It’s not something I’m thinking about right now. For me, it’s more of a personal goal to get back to the Olympics and get another medal.”

This weekend, the World Cup tour heads to St. Moritz for a downhill and super-G, then on to Vonn’s home base of Vail/Beaver Creek for the Feb. 2-15 World Championships. She is presently leading the FIS World Cup downhill standings.

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| Wednesday, January 21, 2015 | A25

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Rooms available for Championships While thousands will attend the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, there’s still a range of rooms available during those weeks. A3

Jim Garvey, of Chicago, left, is greeted by receptionist Ella Guzik at The Sebastian hotel in Vail Village as he checks in after a day of skiing on Monday. The Sebastian, along with many other local lodges, still has rooms available for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

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Local & Region A2 | Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | Vail Daily

Ted looks for repeat success 2DO

[

[

Ligety comes into World Championships defending three gold medals and five consecutive wins at Beaver Creek

By Shauna Farnell

OUR PICKS FOR THE TOP TWO ACTIVITIES IN THE VAIL VALLEY TODAY

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Special to the Daily

BEAVER CREEK — When Ted Ligety’s parents see their son’s image on all the official graphics for the Birds of Prey World Cup races at Beaver Creek, they can’t help but do a double take.

“It’s pretty crazy. It’s sort of surreal I guess,” said Ted’s mom, Cyndi Sharp, glancing at the VIP credential around her neck that sports the signature graphic of her son ripping around a giant slalom gate. This was in December after Ligety, 30, had just won his fifth consecutive GS race at Beaver Creek — something nobody had ever done and a feat Ligety achieved with a broken wrist.

“It’s really cool to be on the graphic, being the poster boy if you will,” Ligety said after his win. “Being able to respond to that is great.”

Of course, Ligety hopes to do it again on the same hill for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Having dominated the

Beaver Creek giant slalom course, not to mention going into 2015 as the reigning world GS champion and Olympic GS champion, Ligety is unquestionably the favorite.

“We’re really excited to come back here,” Ligety said. “It’s rare we get a race in the U.S. no matter what, much less the World Championships.”

Even though the World Championships only happen every two years and have not been on U.S. snow since 1999, when they again take place at Vail and Beaver Creek, they don’t exactly present a career climax for Ligety, who has landed two Olympic gold medals

LIGETY, A12 Submit a sports tip?

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Ted Ligety has won a giant slalom at Beaver Creek in each of the last five years. He will defend his three gold medals from the last World Championships in Beaver Creek next month.

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Find your center Feeling stressed? At Mind Springs Health in the Lionshead Transportation Center at 6 p.m. tonight learn basic yoga postures, along with breathing techniques, mantras, affirmations, journaling and meditation. The group goes beyond talk therapy and uses mind-body techniques; poses can be adapted for those with body limitations and will be only part of the group.

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Published mornings, seven days a week by Colorado Mountain News Media, 40780 US Hwy 6 & 24, Avon, CO 81620 Postmaster: Send address changes to PO Box 81, Vail, CO 81658 Subscription rates: $164 per year for Sunday edition only by standard mail. $4 per day Sunday only by first class mail. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. All Property rights to any advertisements produced for the advertisers by the Vail Daily using artwork and/or typography furnished or arranged by the Vail Daily shall be property of the Vail Daily. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced or assigned without the consent of the Vail Daily. Vail Daily assumes no financial responsibility for errors beyond the cost of the actual space occupied by the error.

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| Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | A3

Rooms available for Championships weeks Room rates start at less than $200 per night

By Scott N. Miller smiller@vaildaily.com

EAGLE COUNTY — As parties go, the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships will be a big one.

And it looks like there’s still space if you’d like to spend a few nights.

Some of the valley’s biggest hotels have between a handful and several rooms available during the two weeks of the championships.

Other lodges have rooms available, too.

At the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek, general manager Robert Purdy said that hotel is mostly booked through the weekends of the Championships — and is wellbooked throughout February. But, Purdy said, there are weekday rooms available during the Championship weeks.

While there are rooms available, even during the Championships’ weekends — the second of which includes Presidents Day — it looks as if the valley will avoid the syndrome that hit Whistler/

Blackcomb during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

During those events, occupancy at the ski resorts was only about 65 percent, due in large part to people thinking all the rooms had already been booked.

SKI VACATION CONCERNS Purdy said the Hyatt has had a few guests worry whether they’ll be able to get a good ski vacation in during the Championships. Mostly, though, there will be plenty of people at the hotel, which, Purdy noted, is holding the line on room pricing. That means guests are paying normal high-season rates.

At the Four Seasons in Vail, sales and marketing director Scott Gubrud said there are some values available in the lodge’s remaining rooms. It’s a Four Seasons, so rooms are still a premium commodity, but $850 a night is a good rate for a high-season room.

Ann Lynch, the sales and marketing director at The Sebastian hotel in Vail, said that lodge still has rooms available, but guests this year will pay more for their

FOUR OPTIONS If you’re looking for lodging sometime between Feb. 5 and Feb. 8, here are four options available at www.vailonsale.com: X Christie Lodge: $269 per night for a one-bedroom suite.

X Lion Square Lodge: $415 per night.

X Manor Vail Lodge: From $679 per night.

X Park Hyatt Beaver Creek: From $899 per night. rooms than they did last year.

Lynch said the hotel’s reservations are down fractionally from February 2014 but that the lodge’s “average daily rate” has increased from a year ago.

A WEAK EURO

JUSTIN Q. MCCARTY | SPECIAL TO THE DAILY

Besides people possibly staying away because of the Championships, Lynch added that the dollar today is stronger against the Euro than it was a year ago, making a vacation in the U.S. more expensive. That also could affect occupancy somewhat, she said.

In an email, Vail Valley Partnership CEO Chris Romer wrote that

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Andy Kowalski, right, a guest service agent at The Sebastian hotel in Vail, helps David Lee, of Lakewood, load up his skis upon his departure from the hotel on Monday in Vail. While the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will bring thousands of people to the Vail Valley, there are still rooms available at most lodges.

Vail and Beaver Creek are both up in occupancy for the first two weeks of February compared to the same period in 2014.

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ROOMS

MARKETING EFFORTS For the lodges that do have rooms, marketing efforts are focusing not just on the Championships but the events.

Marketing is also focused on the fact that the races will take up very little space on Beaver Creek Mountain and even less at Vail.

“In Vail, we’ll have an empty mountain and concerts every night,” Vail Resort Rentals owner Dale Bugby said.

Bugby added that almost all of the rental units his company manages are booked through the Championships. But, he said, the Vail on Sale website, which is run by the Vail Valley Partnership, is seeking out lodges in the area that still have rooms available. And, Bugby said, those people who do come should enjoy their stay.

“I think folks will go home with a great experience,” he said.

From page A3

even during the two weeks of the Championships.

“We always see ‘last minute’ fill from our friends on the Front Range,” Romer wrote.

“We will see higher occupancies than in years past for this time frame, especially mid-week.”

Even mid-week occupancy numbers could be 10 to 15 percent higher than the same period in 2014, Romer wrote, adding that the numbers “could be even higher if properties have good deals to attract guests during those times.”

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa may be the best-booked hotel in the valley during the championships. Sales and marketing director Kristen Pryor said that hotel is the host media center for the championships, so it’s virtually full for almost the entire two weeks.

“But we have a few holes — we do have a few rooms available,” Pryor said. “We’re hoping the rest of the valley does as well.”

| Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | A5

Introducing two new

LIMITED EDITION LITHOGRAPHS by renowned artist Dawn Beacon

Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at 970-748-2930, smiller@ vaildaily.com and @scottnmiller.

EMERGENCY TEXTS

actually talk to someone on the cell phone,” said Bultman.

She said she also took two text “calls” with Spanish speakers.

“Our first call using texting was from a Spanish speaking caller reporting domestic violence. I don’t speak or understand Spanish, but I was able to use Google translator, and we were able to get the help she needed,” said Bultman.

To find out more about Eagle County’s emergency communications and about texting 911, visit www.vail911.com.

From page A4

were a few situations where it was very handy.

Pitkin County dispatch supervisor Ginny Bultman remembered a call during the summer in which a person was reporting that his friend had fallen and been injured in the Maroon Bells. The person originally made a call, but the reception was so broken that dispatchers were unable to communicate. They asked him to text instead and were able to find out the problem, pinpoint coordinates and send search and rescue to find the injured party.

“What’s nice is that it doesn’t take as much technology to text as it does to

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Assistant Managing Editor Melanie Wong can be reached at 970-748-2927 and mwong@vaildaily.com. Follow her on Twitter @mwongvail.

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From page A2

and a whopping three gold medals from the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria. These are tough acts to follow, indeed. “The last time anyone won three World Championship medals in the same place was Jean-Claude Killy in 1968,� said Ted’s dad, Bill Ligety. “So the chances that Ted can do that again are just about zero. It’s just statistically so slim. He’ll just have to ski his best and see how it all comes out.�

December’s victory at Beaver Creek was Ligety’s most recent coming into the Championships although he did finish second to Austrian powerhouse Marcel Hirscher in Are, Sweden, and in Alta Badia, Italy.

Hirscher and Ligety often go head-to-head and swap the first and second steps on the GS podium. “It’s great for all young skiers to watch him,â€? Hirscher said of Ligety after finishing second to the American in Beaver Creek in December. “It doesn’t matter if he skis with one pole, one ski or no skis. ‌ Ted is the best.â€?

A sizable entourage of friends and family are coming to see Ted defend his World Championship titles this February. Since they missed his triple gold performance

in Schladming, Austria, (“If he had told us what he was going to do, we would have been there!� his dad said.) his parents are especially excited to return with a big crew from Park City. Of course, they will arrive with a solid case of the jitters, too. “It’s nerve-racking on different accounts.

For the speed events we just want him to get through it safely. For the tech events we want him to ‌ well, win,â€? his mom said, laughing. “There’s always pressure. I think he puts a lot of pressure on himself.â€?

When it comes to seeking comfort from Mom and Dad — say, asking or receiving parental advice — Ligety has none of it. “No. Never. Heavens no,� his mom said. “If I go, ‘Why don’t you get a little closer to the gate?’ he goes, ‘Mom, you have no idea what you’re talking about.’�

The last big request Ligety made of his parents was for $10,000 to compete on the U.S. development team, back when few people had hope that he’d ever make waves as a ski racer. That was in 2003, before Ligety won his first Olympic gold medal in 2006 and went on to become the best American giant slalom skier in history. “He’s 30 years old. He has proven that he knows what he’s doing. Besides, what 30-year-old Olympic and world champion asks their parents for advice?� his father said.

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Sports Vail Daily | Tuesday, January 27, 2015 | A21

The importance of family for Lindsey As Lindsey Vonn stood atop the podium in the Olympic village of Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy this weekend, her smile was broader than ever. With a backdrop of the snow-cloaked Dolomites, the 30-year-old ski racer from Minnesota finally had a chance to breathe.

She also had an opportunity to share, surrounded Tom Kelly by family Behind the Gold and friends gathered to celebrate the sacrifices and accomplishments that came with it.

Gone were the tears and the fears that had gripped Lindsey Vonn for nearly two years — not knowing if she would ever race again, much less win.

Now, she stood proudly as the most decorated woman in alpine World Cup history with 63 Audi FIS Ski World Cup wins. But what mattered most to her this day was sharing it with those who made it possible.

Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn has had her share of success from seven Olympic and World Championship medals to 17 Audi FIS Ski World Cup crystal globes.

Her face has adorned magazines around the world. But what meant most to her in Cortina was having her family there to share it.

“The last two years have been pretty tough,” said Vonn. “A lot of people counted me out. But I never stopped believing in myself.

It’s a pretty special moment for my family.”

It was ironic that this day finally came in the heart of the Dolomites in Cortina — which held a special place in her heart. Exactly 11 years earlier from the day she tied the record, a young Lindsey Kildow stood on her first World Cup podium.

“When I won my first podium here I never thought I would make it this far in my career,” she said.

“That was the first time I thought

AP PHOTO

Lindsey Vonn, third from left, poses with, from right, her father Alan Kildow and his wife, Terri Kildow; her sister Laura Kildow; and her mother Lindy Lund and her husband, Todd Lund, after winning the women’s World Cup downhill race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Jan. 18. Vonn won the race to match Annemarie Moser-Proell’s record of 62 World Cup wins, but what mattered most to her was sharing it with her family.

I could be a contender. Never in a million years would I have believed I could tie the record.”

Amidst the beauty of the towering Italian mountains, her mind raced back to those days as a little girl in Minnesota, Mom and Dad bundling her up for after-school trips to night ski. Those were cold nights, fingers and toes freezing. Under the watchful eye of coach Erich Sailer, she would do unending laps up and down the 262-vertical Buck Hill ski area south of Minneapolis. An aspiring young ski racer, she beamed when hero Picabo Street signed a poster for her at a Twin Cities ski shop.

And the day brought back memories of the family packing the car and moving to Vail so that Lindsey could upgrade her skills from a Midwestern hill to a big ski

racing mountain — a new home that would define her career.

Careers are built on stepping stones. And some of those stones are painful. Two near-medals misses at 2005 World Championships, a harrowing fall a year later at the Torino Olympics and the devastating crash to open the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria, each gave her the fortitude to move forward to achieve days like this.

“Words can’t describe my feeling,” she said. “I’m really proud of what I’ve done.”

Life as an injured athlete is lonely. There are no podiums.

There are no replays of the winning run. It’s six, eight, 10, 12 hours every day in the gym or on a physical therapy table. Toughest of all, there’s no knowing if any of

it will be worth it. The only thing you have is your own hope and the belief of those around you.

Then, when you crash again and have to start all over again — well, it just saps your mental toughness!

“It’s been a really long and hard road,” said Vonn. “The last two years have been filled with a lot of ups and downs — mostly downs.

But I never gave up, even after the second crash. I never stopped believing in myself. I’ve proven to a lot of people and myself that I’m tough. I’m a fighter and nothing will slow me down.”

As Lindsey and her family celebrated her success, thoughts drifted back to a young girl with a dream at a tiny ski hill in Minnesota.

“Someone told me this

weekend, ‘You said when you were a kid that you wanted to be the greatest skier of all time,’ said Lindsey with a laugh. “As a kid you want to be an astronaut or a firefighter — those lofty goals that you just blurt out.

“It’s amazing to think about actually achieving something I’ve thought about since I was a kid. I’m very thankful for all the ups and even the downs. They’ve made me who I am today.”

One of the most experienced communications professionals in skiing, Tom Kelly is a veteran of eight Olympics and serves as vice president of communications for the Park City-based U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association. This column first appeared in the Park Record in Park City, Utah.

Stick to the time-tested basics of exercise Last Thursday was the quintMy first run of the morning essential bluebird ski day. It was was unforgettable. I was brutalsunny and cold, and ly hit from behind by the snow was still soft an eager snowboarder and light from previous who appeared blissfully snowfall the Monday bedisengaged, listening fore. The snow must have to music as he failed reignited the stoke from to scan the terrain on the dry spell the previous his heel edge. I never two weeks. Skier traffic saw him as he came was above average for a directly from behind. weekday that perpetuatThe dude hit me hard.

Ryan W. ed a critical mass of ridI double ejected, broke Richards ers in certain bottlenecks the cuff of my ski boot Make it Count and slow zones. and thankfully the rest

was all green pastures. This all happened in the slow zone. You know, the one that most people disrespect and think it doesn’t apply to them.

This article isn’t exclusively about the ongoing problems we have on the mountain with collisions, poor skill and other acts of God that happen on this natural playground. This article is about the current state of the fitness industry. Our fitness landscape is just like the slow zone on the mountain. There are all walks of

life skiing at different skill levels, traveling different speeds in all directions, and some riders are completely oblivious to respecting the basic premise of slowing down and simply making it to the lift unscathed. Our human condition reinforces these problems because we are too impatient and eager; we want the goods right now.

People getting injured in the slow zone or sacrificing basic foundational fitness for long-term health be darned. We can’t respect the slow zone because someone else

might beat us to the top and get to the stash before we do. Performing basic, time tested exercises isn’t fun and exciting. Corrective exercises are boring, and they don’t immediately support the need to get into skinny jeans by next weekend for the bachelorette party. If you don’t get skinny in time for the party, no one’s going to love you and you’re going to die a lonely miserable death.

We all know a great skier

MAKE IT COUNT A23

Local & Region A2 | Wednesday, January 28, 2015 | Vail Daily

Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates her gold medal in Sochi, Russia, in February 2014. Having won Olympic gold and two World Cup slalom titles, Shiffrin will defend her World Championships gold medal at Beaver Creek, just a few miles away from her home.

AP PHOTO

2DO OUR PICKS FOR THE TOP TWO ACTIVITIES IN THE VAIL VALLEY TODAY

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Check out Bearcat Stables Tonight, Bearcat Stables will be hosting a fun social event, their Vail Valley Winter Bonfire Mixer, open to the public at $25 per person. It will feature sleigh rides, a bonfire, hot chocolate, cider, s’mores, an open bar up to $200 and then a cash bar after. It starts at 6 p.m.; Bearcat Stables is located at 2701 Squaw Creek Road in Edwards.

2

THE

champion COMES HOME Eagle-Vail’s Mikaela Shiffrin will defend her World Championships gold at Beaver Creek

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in 2015 magazine. The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships begin Monday.

Tour Vail’s public art collection — Enjoy an art walk and tour of Vail Village with the town of Vail’s Art in Public Places coordinator today; it’s free, meets at 3:30 p.m. at the newly remodeled Vail Village Welcome Center on the top level of the parking structure and lasts about an hour.

By Ed Stoner estoner@vaildaily.com

EAGLE-VAIL — Sometimes, it’s the little things that make the difference.

Mikaela Shiffrin will be enjoying all of those little things when she comes home for the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Like sleeping in her own bed. Lighting a candle in her room.

Cooking her own meals in her own kitchen. And knowing that the World Championships course at Beaver Creek — a hill she loves to ski — is just a few miles away from her Eagle-Vail home.

“I’m just so excited to be able to race on that hill,” Shiffrin said.

SHIFFRIN, A11

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The Vail Daily

SHIFFRIN

From page A2

MIKAELA’S FAVORITES

“It’s my hometown, so I love to spend time there. I’ve thought a lot about what it’s going to be like, and as far I can see, it’s going to be really fun.”

For these World Championships, Shiffrin will be somewhat of a veteran. She’s the defending champ in the World Championship slalom, having won in Schladming, Austria, in 2013.

She also has race experience on the Raptor course. Shiffrin earned her first giant slalom podium at Beaver Creek in 2013, when she finished second.

“It was the one race last season where I woke up in the morning and didn’t feel one ounce of pressure,” Shiffrin said. “I had a smile on my face from the minute I woke up to the minute I went to sleep.”

Shiffrin has seemed to rarely succumb to any type of pressure in her brief yet fruitful career — she’s the two-time defending World Cup slalom title winner and the 2014 slalom Olympic gold medalist. Minutes after winning her gold medal, asked how winning a gold medal would change her life, Shiffrin said, “I’m going to be the same girl and still be looking for more speed on the mountain.”

Sure enough, even after a whirlwind post-Olympics media tour, a visit with President Barack Obama and walking the red carpet at the ESPYs (the one athlete she sought out to chat with was tennis star Maria Sharapova), Shiffrin said her life isn’t much different.

“So far I feel like exactly the same person.

Sometimes I forget I went to Sochi this past winter. I forget I won a gold medal. …

For the most part, unless people ask about it, I don’t think about it.”

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The 19-year-old skiing star doesn’t rest very much. Shortly after wrapping up her second slalom title in March of 2013, Shiffrin was back on Beaver Creek Mountain training on the Raptor course. She has discussed possibly moving into super-G this year, but she has also put a lot of emphasis into developing her GS racing.

She earned her first GS victory in Soelden, Austria, in October.

Shiffrin said the names to watch for during the World Championships, besides herself, are Tina Weirather, Anna Fenninger, Lara Gut and Wendy Holdener.

And, of course, Lindsey Vonn, her fellow Vail hometown favorite.

Shiffrin and the rest of the athletes will be racing in front of thousands of fans, hundreds of reporters and photographers, with an audience of millions on TV. “The World Championships is the pinnacle of ski racing,” Shiffrin said. “It’s a big event. Ski racers think it’s important; anybody who likes ski racing, fans, especially in Europe, think it’s really important.”

And what would it mean to win gold in front of the hometown crowd?

“It’d be really special,” she said. “Winning any World Championships medal anywhere is really special.”

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Team USA named for Worlds No surprises as Vonn, Shiffrin and Ligety get the nod, as does Miller, hoping to return from injury. A24 CORRECTION

Golden Peak Stadium undergoes construction in Vail on Tuesday as part of the preparations for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The Nations Team Event, the Korbel Charity Cup and the men’s giant slalom and slalom qualifying will be held at Golden Peak.

The story on page A13 of Saturday’s Vail Daily, “Hospital plan now online,” contained an early version of the town review schedule for the Vail Valley Medical Center master plan. The updated schedule is: Tuesday: Presentation of the “road map” for the town’s review of the Master Facility Plan, presentation of the proposed plan by VVMC, summary of the planning commission recommendation by the town’s staff.

Feb. 17: Vail Town Council: Helipad location and design.

March 3: Vail Town Council: Parking, build masses and architecture, West Meadow Drive streetscape, employee housing, procedural considerations, traffic circulation, loading and delivery service and land exchange considerations.

March 10: Updated final draft of the plan posted to the town’s website for public review.

March 17: Vail Town Council: Request for final decision.

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Local & Region A2 | Thursday, January 29, 2015 | Vail Daily

MEN’S BIRDS OF PREY COURSE DOWNHILL AND SUPER-G

THE MEN’S BIRDS OF PREY COURSE was built in 1997 in anticipation of the 1999 Alpine World Ski Championships. Designed

by Olympic gold medalist Bernhard Russi, it features a vertical drop of 757 meters, reaching a gradient of 45 percent in the middle of the course and again near the end.

Every downhill course is different on tour, but North America’s Downhill STEVEN NYMAN has it all.

“Beaver Creek is the most well rounded course on tour,” said Steven Nyman, who in his 10-year career has found his way onto the podium in Beaver Creek three times, as well as had two wins in Val Gardena, Italy. “It has the big jumps, it has the glidy sections, it has the high speed, it has the micro terrain, it has the steeps and the flats. It’s just fun to run. Every single time down it.”

1) “Out of the start, it’s flat. Which is kind of funny because it’s such an intense course.

When you’re kicking out of the start, you push, push, push and then you’re getting in your tuck, and it’s just dead flat. It’s not like Kitzbuehel, where 3 seconds in you’re going over 60 miles per hour.”

2) “So you’re in this glidy mode, and the anticipation is building, and you come in to The Brink, where you basically have to just shift gears ahead and be super aggressive and dynamic, and The Brink breaks over and I think that’s the steepest part of the course, right before the Talon Turn.”

MEN’S DOWNHILL & DOWNHILL COMBINED START

one’s kind of a compression turn, and then it goes into a fallaway, basketball-type turn, into a compression-type turn with a dropoff, into a left-footed compression, into an uphill where you jump out, into a fallaway to the right. You’re always adapting.”

1

MEN’S WEATHER DOWNHILL START

5) “Then you come out of Pete’s Arena into Pumphouse, and Pumphouse is the fastest part of the course. Basically, at the end of Pete’s Arena, you just want to let it go into Pumphouse, and we hit probably 85, 90, coming into Pumphouse, and it’s just this light, light, long, left footer into this long right footer, but you just have to stay stacked and searching for more speed because that’s all the speed that’s going to carry you down into the finish, essentially.”

2

MEN’S SUPER-G START

3

4

6) “Then you come into a big left footed turn. It takes a lot of guts to go really, really deep and bring the direction back. If you go deep, deep, deep and whip it back around, then you can carry all that speed into the flats.”

5

MEN’S GIANT SLALOM START

7) “The next jump is Screech Owl. You jump off that and cruise on the flats before Golden Eagle. It’s pretty fun because you’re like ‘I’m there, I made it,’ just searching for aerodynamics, and then the next thing coming up is, depending on how they build it, can be the biggest jump on the course.

All you see is the takeoff.”

6

7

MEN’S SLALOM START

8) “You land and go into the Abyss. It’s a right footer through the Abyss. Some years it’s icy and bumpy. Some years it’s pretty smooth. But the tricky part about that is you have to go uphill and you don’t know where you’re going. You have to just pick a line and trust it.”

8 MEN’S COMBINED SLALOM START

3) “You drop down, everyone sliding over it through the week it basically just turns to a sheet of ice. You’re basically just sliding down not even edging it, and it’s fun because you’re just jamming your edges in, trying to hang on and then take it down.”

9

10

4) “You go through this compression and pop out onto the face, Pete’s Arena. You’re going up and down the turns on Pete’s Arena.

They’re big, swingy, fast turns, which have different terrain in each one of them. The first

● MEN’S FIS ALPINE COURSE ● LADIES’ FIS ALPINE COURSE

1

Map out your route — It’s time to start planning your route to the World Championships next week. If you’re skiing Beaver Creek today, then try getting to the finish area from the top of the Centennial Lift and the top of Strawberry Park Express Lift. See Ross Leonhart’s reports at vaildaily.com/ onthehill for more information.

2

Learn to make bowls — Spend time playing on the potter’s wheel tonight at Alpine Arts Center in Edwards and learn to throw and trim a series of bowl shapes. The class, which starts at 6 p.m., will also touch on surface decoration techniques including incising, stamping, applique and glazing.

Alpine Arts Center is located at 210 Edwards Village Blvd., Unit A10.

10) “Then you’re coming into the big last right footer into Red Tail. And Red Tail’s been, I think, the biggest jump on the course the past few years. And then comes the finish.”

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Sports A24 | Thursday, January 29, 2015 | Vail Daily

Vonn, Shiffrin officially named for Worlds Miller on the squad; is his back ready?

By Chris Freud cfreud@vaildaily.com

PARK CITY, Utah — And to absolutely no one’s surprise, Vail’s Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, along with Ted Ligety, were named to compete in FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Beaver Creek next week by the U.S. Ski Team on Wednesday during a telephone news conference from Park City, Utah.

In minor news, Bode Miller is on the team, a sign that he hopes his back is healthy enough to race.

Add in 2014-15 World Cup race winners Steve Nyman and Travis Ganong, Olympic medalists Julia Mancuso and Andrew Weicbrecht, as well Stacey Cook, who has a downhill podium this season, and the Americans, on paper, have the strongest team they’ve ever had for a World Championships on home snow (1950, 1989 and 1999).

“I think we have an unbelievably strong team with Lindsey, Mikaela, Ted and Bode,” USSA alpine director Patrick Riml said.

“We are very much looking forward to the championships and we have a very competitive team in every single event.”

“I’m obviously excited to compete in my hometown,” said Shiffrin, who was hooked into the call from Avon. “Last (season) competing in the (giant slalom), I had my best GS result to date. Competing in front of a hometown crowd and sleeping in my bed, it felt like a J3 or a U14 race. It took so much pressure off.”

THE STATE OF THE BODE Miller, four times a world champion and with six Olympic medals to his resume, has not competed in a World Cup event this season after having back surgery in November. He did participate in training runs before the races in Wengen, Switzerland, and Kitzbuehel, Austria, the last two weeks.

Most notably, Miller finished sixth in a training run in Kitzbuehel one week ago, generating optimism for his comeback at Beaver Creek.

“With his track record and history, we are very lucky to have him,” Riml said. “We saw how he progressed in Europe, so the second training run (at Kitzbuehel) was very important. It showed that he needs to get more mileage to get back and in form.

Every day is an important day for him to get back into ski condition. We’ll see how the whole thing shakes out.”

AP FILE PHOTO

In a decision shocking no one, Mikaela Shiffrin was named Wednesday to the U.S. team for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Shiffrin will compete in the giant slalom and slalom during the second week of Worlds.

THE 2015 U.S. CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM Men

Women

Will Brandenburg David Chodounsky Tommy Ford Travis Ganong Jared Goldberg Tim Jitloff Ted Ligety Nolan Kaspar Tim Kelley Bode Miller Steve Nyman Brennan Rubie Marco Sullivan Andrew Weibrecht

Stacey Cook Haley Duke Lila Lapjana Julia Mancuso Megan McJames Alice McKennis Paula Moltzan Mikaela Shiffrin Laurenne Ross Resi Stiegler Lindsey Vonn Jackie Wiles

THREE FOR TWO SPOTS With Vonn’s comeback from a right knee injury at the 2013 Worlds in Schladming, Austria, clearly successful to date, her selection was a no-brainer.

“I feel confident. I’m skiing well and hopefully it will be a good World Championships for me,” said Vonn in a statement released by the U.S. Ski Team. “I have a lot of confidence after having a few days of training at Beaver Creek.

It’s a very difficult hill and one

that requires a lot of tactics. I’m going to go in and ski my best like I always have, and hopefully it will work out.”

Vonn and Mancuso, a five-time medalist at Worlds, have locked up two of the U.S. Ski Team’s four spots for the super-G on Tuesday and the downhill Friday after next.

That leaves Cook, Laurenne Ross and Glenwood Springs’ Alice McKennis battling for the other two spots in the speed races. The

AP FILE PHOTO

Lindsey Vonn will make her sixth appearance at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, the U.S. Ski Team announced on Wednesday. Vonn leads the women’s World Cup in both the downhill and super-G. team has a variety of tiebreakers for such situations, including podiums, World Cup points and FIS points.

Coming into Beaver Creek, Cook has a podium — second

TEAM USA, A26

A26 | Thursday, January 29, 2015 | The Vail Daily

A10 A10 A10 A10 A10 VailLive In print Everyday

Page A10

TEAM USA

From page A24

place in the Lake Louise, Alberta, downhill. In World Cup downhill points, it’s Ross (191), Cook (119) and McKennis (62). In super-G points, Ross and Cook are tied at 41, while McKennis has five.

“Laurenne, Alice and Stacey, we’re going to have to get together as a coaching staff to figure out who’s going to go,” Riml said.

Riml would not comment on whether the team will simply have a time trial during training next week to break the deadlock.

WELCOME HOME Shiffrin said that she will not enter the super-combined during the second week of the Championships, but she will be working on some super-G as she feels she needs some speed training for the GS at Beaver Creek.

Shiffrin is thrilled to be having the Worlds at Beaver Creek. Like most of the rest of the team, it’s strange, in a good way, to be stateside in late January, she said.

“Birds of Prey and Raptor are some of the toughest and demanding tracks out there,” Shiffrin said. “It’s the perfect place for the World Championships. Everyone feels that the U.S. Ski Team is really strong and really deep, and we have high goals. I know I feel fortunate to have the World Championships in my hometown, in my home country, during my career.”

NEWS AND NOTES Miller is the senior representative of the

AP FILE PHOTO

Ted Ligety is defending his titles in super-G, super-combined and giant slalom at the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, which start next week in Beaver Creek. team, making his eighth appearance at Worlds, dating back to 1999. Mancuso and Resi Stiegler lead the women with their seventh appearances. … Ligety, defending his world titles in super-G, super-combined and GS, told the Universal Sports Network that in his “head in the clouds world,” he’d like to repeat in all three disciplines but that giant slalom is

his main focus. … While it wasn’t a surprise, the feel-good story of Wednesday’s selections was Nyman. He started the year on the B Team and had to raise $20,000 of his own funds to stay with the team. After a third in downhill at Beaver Creek and a win at that discipline in Val Gardena, Italy, and fifth in Kitzbuehel, he was a lock for team.

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Local & Region A2 | Friday, January 30, 2015 | Vail Daily

RAPTOR COURSE

2DO

DOWNHILL AND SUPER-G

STACEY COOK, of Mammoth, California, has three World Cup podiums and 21 top 10s in her career. She finished 19th in the 2013 test event in Beaver Creek. See STACEY COOK below for her take on the Raptor downhill course.

(S1) “Right out of the start they build a big old ramp at the very top, and the start goes onto a flat. You’re looking at it, you’re not expecting much, but last year the race was actually won or lost on that flat. If you lost time there, there wasn’t much chance to come back from it.”

(S2) “While you’re going through that flat, in the back of your mind that whole time is the pitch coming up, you’re scared, you’re waiting for it, you’re like, ‘I know it’s coming, I know it’s coming.’”

LADIES’ DOWNHILL & DOWNHILL COMBINED START S1

S2 S3 M1

M2 S4 M3

(M1) “The first three gates are kind of like a slow breakover onto the pitch.”

LADIES’ GIANT SLALOM START

(M2) “Then, for the next 15 gates, it’s terrain. And it’s steep. And then there’s this huge, left-footed compression turn, and if you screw it up, you’re in the fencing in half a second.

(S3) “Once you get past that tree island, it’s game on. It gets super steep, super fast and the turns almost become unarcable because of how steep and fast it is in there.”

(S4) “You get a right footer and you catch a little bit of air off of it, and then you drop into this huge compression turn, which is one of the most intimidating turns I’ve ever seen on a course in my life. It’s super narrow, it’s huge forces right up in your face and it takes as much guts as it does skill to get through it.”

(S5) “I think the next flat, coming on to the finish, is one of the most fun sections of the course, because it’s in the shade, it’s bumpy, it’s gnarly, you’re in your tuck, you’re looking for every last hundredth you possibly can, and then you have this last jump and the finish line.”

(M3) “Then you’re kind of like, ‘OK, that’s the tough part of the course,’ and then the right footer is this huge turn where, it’s almost like a GS turn, you have to pull off this incredible radius to get back down into the fall line.”

M4 LADIES’ COMBINED SLALOM START

S5

MIKAELA SHIFFRIN is quickly becoming an authority on the Raptor, which is just a few miles from her EagleMIKAELA SHIFFRIN Vail home.

She’s hit the podium there in the GS, and she’s trained extensively on Raptor during spring sessions. “The Raptor course is amazing,” Shiffrin said. “It’s a really tough hill, probably one of the toughest the women ski. From the starting gate you have to have the mindset that you’re going to attack to the very finish.” Following are her insights on the course.

LADIES’ SLALOM START

(M4) “Then it’s a few big, swingy turns that aren’t too difficult, but you can’t back off at all, because if you do, then you’ll end up flying off the mountain again.”

M5

(M5) Once at the Red Tail jump, Shiffrin says, “Land it, hopefully. And make it to the finish.”

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| Friday, January 30, 2015 | A3

Championships about much more than racing Music, other events will be held in Vail

By Scott N. Miller smiller@vaildaily.com

VAIL — The World Alpine Ski Championships have been held four times on American soil. Vail and Beaver Creek have hosted three of those events. But this year’s Championships have presented a set of very different challenges for event organizers and host communities.

Pam Brandmeyer, who’s now the town of Vail’s assistant town manager, was the town clerk during the 1989 Championships.

She said that first taste of the World Championships helped establish much about Vail as it is now.

“The learning curve was steep back then — it was all new,” Brandmeyer said. “But (that event) was partly responsible for the way we view events today.”

Local, national and international events have grown bigger and more complex in the past 25 years.

TIGHT SECURITY Vail Police Chief Dwight Henninger was a young cop in Los Angeles for the 1984 Summer Olympics. He recalls that security then was far more relaxed than it is now. The Championships in Vail won’t have the drum-tight security of, say, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, but we’re going to notice.

While there are no known security threats for the Championships, it is a high-profile international event. That means there will be plenty of police working.

“You probably don’t want to speed those two weeks,” Henninger said. Those officers will come from local agencies, of course, as well as the Colorado State Patrol. The FBI will be on hand, too, as will the Transportation Security Agency.

Race spectators and guests at events in Vail and elsewhere will be subject to bag checks — weapons, drugs and air horns are among the prohibited items — and Henninger advised people to keep their backpacks with them at all times.

“If you leave your backpack,

you’re likely to come back to see it being torn apart by a dog,” he said.

Security efforts will be bolstered by the presence of security cameras in Vail Village, Lionshead and Beaver Creek. But, Henninger said, a big part of the security equation will be locals. Nearly 1,000 people attended sessions for the “See Something, Say Something” program.

“That’s a real force multiplier,” Henninger said.

Most of us will notice police officers and other security people.

What we may not notice are the results of a town-sponsored effort to have businesses spruce up their spaces. The Vail Community Development Department in 2014 launched a program that rebated permit and application fees for businesses that wanted to upgrade their spaces before the Championships.

Department director George Ruther said that program saved applicants $38,000 in fees. The projects, which ranged from new outdoor awnings to complete interior remodels, added up to $3.3 million in construction costs.

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WHAT’S IN VAIL? X Championship Plaza (Solaris) will be the site of the Opening Ceremonies and concerts every evening.

X Golden Peak will host the Nations Race Feb. 10 at 2:15 p.m.

X Most national teams have their hospitality houses in Vail.

X GoPro will host an athlete autograph session Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Vail’s International Bridge.

CELEBRATION CENTRAL Beyond those and countless other projects, the big stuff is really, really big.

Solaris Plaza has been turned into Championship Plaza for the two weeks of the Championships, with events every day and every night. The plaza has been, and still is, buzzing with activity to build the stage, the giant video screens and, for the Feb. 2 Opening Ceremonies, an LED-lit walkway between the Lodge at Vail and the plaza.

It’s a tremendously complex

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Michael Duque runs tests on Thursday evening on Championship Plaza’s LED video panels in Vail. Construction crews continue to work through the night in order for everything to be ready for the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships next week. project — one that involves numerous teams — and plans seem to shift almost from moment to moment, with everyone aiming to be done with their work in time for the celebrations.

“It’s a matter of trusting that everybody’s going to do what they say,” Vail Special Events Coordinator Sybill Navas said.

Navas was in town for the

EVENT PREP, A15

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JOAN HARNED rate, and we know that Joan will contribute greatly to that growth Harned has served as both a diand our goals.” rector and the chairman of the Vail Board of Realtors. That group in the past honored For questions about the growth of Keller her with its Realtor of the Year designation. Williams or real estate in the Vail Valley, Harned said she is excited about this new Harned can be reached at joan@ teamblackbear.com or 970-476-1600. position, which allows her to continue to Daily staff report

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From page A3

1989 Championships — as a resident, she remembers the bone-chilling cold of the Opening Ceremonies at Ford Park — and was a Vail Town Council member for the Championships in 1999.

The resorts have grown significantly in the years since those Championships, Navas said.

“Everything about Vail and Beaver Creek was smaller,” Navas said.

And the Championships also used to be Vail’s project, with both events and racing.

But the growth of mountainside areas of Vail, and the rise of the Birds of Prey race course at Beaver Creek into one of the world’s premier courses, means the meaningful racing now is all at Beaver Creek.

Brandmeyer said she’s going to miss the excitement of the races at Vail. But, she said, the events at Vail should show off years of work.

“I think we’re going to throw a great party,” Navas said.

| Friday, January 30, 2015 | A15

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Sports A30 | Friday, January 30, 2015 | Vail Daily

Making the picks for the men at Worlds As always: no wagering; really, it’s a bad idea This is really stupid.

(By the way, they teach you in journalism school that your lead should bring the reader into the story, so, perhaps, this wasn’t my best opening to a story.)

Really, the following is a stupid idea, hopelessly misguided, genuine folly.

Yes, these are my preChris Freud dictions for On Skiing the men at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

Seriously don’t try this at home.

SUPER-G (WEDNESDAY) Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud is the favorite here, according to the World Cup points, and the fact that he’s 2-for-4 in the discipline this year with a second-place finish at Beaver Creek in December.

I go with Hannes Reichelt, of Austria, who’s third in the points behind Jansrud and Italy’s Dominik Paris. Some golfers have courses that suit them well, just like hitters have favorite ballparks in which to play.

Reichelt loves Beaver Creek and Birds of Prey. He’s won three super-Gs here and has 28 starts here. This course is in his wheelhouse.

Ted Ligety is the defending champ, but lightning in a bottle doesn’t strike twice. We’re also rooting for American Andrew Weibrecht, but he still has yet to podium in Word Cup race, and Worlds probably isn’t the time.

(A reminder, neither the Olympics, where Weibrecht has two medals, or the Championships count toward World Cup points or finishes.)

Best prediction: This super-G will not end in a tie, as was the case in 1999 with Austria’s Hermann Maier and Norway’s Lasse Kjus.

Gold: Reichelt, Austria Silver: Paris, Italy Bronze: Jansrud, Norway

to return for the Championships.

Stay tuned. But Jansrud is the world’s best speed skier right now.

He already has five wins this season. He’s busting out, and this will be his coronation.

Paris finishes second because he’s just on the podium all the time. Think I’m joking? With the exception of a bad weekend in Wengen, Switzerland, he’s finished fourth, third, fourth, fifth, third, second, first, third and second this season in speed events.

American Travis Ganong is about one year from being “The Man” in downhill. His coming-out party will be during the 2017 Worlds in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Steve Nyman is a trendy pick, and who are we to argue?

Gold: Jansrud, Norway Silver: Paris, Italy Bronze: Nyman, USA

DOWNHILL (FEB. 7)

SUPER-COMBINED (FEB. 10)

OK, Jansrud is also the favorite here. He leads in the points in downhill, and is 3-for-5 so far this season. That Jansrud guy is pretty good, and this is why I get all cranky when fellow members of the media ask him if, “he’s stepping out of Aksel Lund Svindal’s shadow?”

Nothing against Svindal. He’s a great guy. He’s apparently trying

This event could produce the “What the heck?” winner. This is an official category in the World Championships because there is always a winner who comes out of nowhere.

As an example, France’s Marion Rolland won the women’s downhill in 2013, and that’s her only win — World Cup and Championships. Australia’s Zali Steggall

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Looking into our crystal ball, Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud should emerge from the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships with a gold medal in the downhill and bronze in the super-G. won the 1999 slalom here and we’re still recovering from the shock.

It’s not just that this is the combined, but that the course really doesn’t fit the usual suspects well.

Ligety is the defending champ, but this combined is a downhill and a slalom, not a GS. Ted’s had quite an unproductive year in the slalom, and slalom wins combineds. Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, who is a slalom stud, has never looked comfortable here in speed. Same for Germany’s Felix Neureuther.

This really is anyone’s race, but go with Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic, especially if his father is the course-setter for the slalom.

(That’s a little inside World Cup joke.)

Gold: Kostelic, Croatia Silver: Carlo Janka, Switzerland Bronze: Alexis Pinturault, France

GIANT SLALOM (FEB. 13) The GS is known as Ligety Day in Beaver Creek, but I can’t pull the trigger. I’m not hating on the Americans. (My women’s picks will be more red, white and blue.)

Not only has Hirscher gone 4-for-5 in GS races this season, but each of his four wins have been by more than a second. This

TOWNSEND BESSENT | DAILY FILE PHOTO

Ted Ligety has a huge act to follow after winning three golds at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Schladming, Austria, in 2013. As strange as it sounds, he might even have a hard time winning in giant slalom as the Championships come to Beaver Creek next week. is his year.

Hirscher has 460 of a possible 500 points in GS. Can you really bet against that?

Nope. I know Hirscher is seen as the “bad guy” here, but he’s the best tech skier of this era.

Gold: Hirscher, Austria Silver: Ligety, USA Bronze: Thomas Fanara, France

SLALOM (FEB. 15) During the announcement of

the U.S. Ski Team for Worlds, Patrick Riml, director of USSA alpine, said that the Americans could be competitive in every event during the next two weeks.

With respect, this is the exception. This is a coin-flip between Hirscher and Neureuther. They’ve been battling each other all year.

I just flipped a coin.

Gold: Hirscher, Austria Silver: Neureuther, Germany Bronze: Alexander Khoroshilov, Russia

2 DAYS TO GO

‘BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER’ SATURDAY, 1 • 31 • 15 | VAILDAILY.COM | FREE

Volunteers are backbone of Worlds From course prep to guest greeting, more than 2,200 volunteers will help the Alpine World Ski Championships run smoothly. A3

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Volunteers, alongside the Talon Crew, aerate and water the course at Beaver Creek on Friday in order to make the snow faster, more durable and more consistent for each racer. Training on the course will begin Monday.

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Vol. XXXIV, Issue 229

A14 B1 A32 A17

The Vail Daily

| Saturday, January 31, 2015 | A3

Volunteer corps crucial to event success About 700 volunteers work the racecourses

course work to guest service to working the registration tables for media and athletes.

By Scott N. Miller

SERIOUS TIME COMMITMENT

smiller@vaildaily.com

Those volunteers can’t just show up from time to time. Elle Kehoe, the Vail Valley Foundation’s volunteer coordinator, said people had to agree to work at least 60 hours over the two weeks of the Championships. Applicants had to pass both personal interviews and background checks.

Those who volunteered to drive dignitaries and athletes around the valley also had to submit to checks of their driving records.

Again, this is all volunteer work — people working the championships receive jacket shells, pants, goggles and other gear. But the Foundation had more applicants than jobs for the Championships.

Kehoe said about 3,000 people applied, and there’s a waiting list of about 300 people ready to fill in if some volunteers aren’t able to complete their two-week commitments.

Those interviews allow organizers a chance to assign volunteers

EAGLE COUNTY — For nearly a decade, Steve Prawdzik has braved cold, wind and snow to work on a nearly-vertical sheet of ice. And he’s loved nearly every minute of it.

Prawdzik is a member of the Talon Crew, a group of volunteers who maintain the racecourses at Beaver Creek, doing everything from running shovels and rakes to watering the course — racers like their snow slick and fast — and stringing out miles of safety netting.

The Talon Crew is by far the biggest group of volunteers for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships — about 700 people. But the Vail Valley Foundation has rounded up a small army of volunteers for the Championships — about 2,200 in all.

Those volunteers are grouped into 20 teams, and handle jobs from

to the work that best suits them.

After all, someone willing to strap on a pair of crampons and ice up a downhill course might not be the best person to run a registration table, and vice versa.

Some volunteers, such as Prawdzik, are retired. But others willingly take time off of work to participate. Kehoe said people from 38 states and foreign countries are in the valley for their volunteer work. Those people come, and stay, at their own expense.

WHY VOLUNTEER? Which leads to the big question: Why? For Jeanne Cunningham — a “spectator host” for the Championships — volunteering has been a big part of her life since moving to the valley in 1999. Cunningham has been a volunteer at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek, and has worked at the annual Birds of Prey ski races and the American Ski Classic.

She said she’s enjoyed every chance she’s had to contribute.

“I’m 74 now, and as you get older, it’s important to keep active,”

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Cunningham said. Volunteering keeps her out in the community, she said, and has allowed her to make several new friends.

“And there are the people you meet,” she said, adding that she once had the opportunity to meet former President Gerald Ford while working at a Ski Classic hospitality tent.

Prawdzik laughed when asked what draws so many people to the Talon Crew, given the often-harrowing conditions the group works in consistently.

“I think there’s a common passion for the sport, the chance to give back,” Prawdzik said. “And there’s a certain camaraderie on the crew.

Talon Crew in the past few years has established its own website, Prawdzik said. That site has current information, as well as a host of photos and blog entries from members.

The crew also relies on text and email updates for members, a more timely way to communicate than the postcard notices used when Prawdzik worked his first Birds of Prey race nine years ago.

BY THE NUMBERS 2,200: Approximate number of volunteers for the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

700: Approximate volunteer force for the racecourses.

20: Different volunteer groups.

38: Different states and countries that volunteers call home.

“Volunteers will do just about anything if they’re asked,” Prawdzik said. “But it’s about communication more than telling.

You need to be motivating and encouraging teamwork.”

That teamwork and willingness to work shows itself across the volunteer corps. Kehoe said virtually all of the 800 volunteers from the 2014 Birds of Prey races have also committed to the Championships. And veteran volunteers are paired up with rookies.

It all works well, Cunningham said.

“I’m so impressed with the (Foundation’s) organization,” she said. “Even when we picked up our uniforms, it was so organized, so smooth. I’m sure it will be that way through the whole event.”

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Sports A32 | Saturday, January 31, 2015 | Vail Daily

Crystal ball sees success for American women Lindsey and Mikaela should bring home hardware Tiger Woods had an 8 on No. 15 at TPC Scottsdale during the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Friday.

I’ve gotten an 8 on that hole, so that’s really bad news for Tiger.

Many refer to Lindsey Vonn as Tiger’s girlfriend. Leaving aside the sexist view of this — we don’t care with whom Ted Ligety, Andrew Weibrecht, Travis Ganong, Steve Nyman or Bode Chris Freud Miller are On Skiing dating/married — there’s the athletic viewpoint. Right now, Tiger is Vonn’s boyfriend.

As the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships come to town, it’s time to appreciate Vonn’s greatness. This is going to be her showcase. When she was battling back the first time from her blown up right knee, she ended up missing the Raptor test event in 2013 and the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The tiger is ready to go, and, by tiger, we ain’t talking about the golfer.

The picks for the women at the Championships:

SUPER-G (TUESDAY) Good trivia: Who’s the only woman to win a super-G on Birds of Prey? (This is Birds of Prey, not Raptor, so the answer is not Lara Gut, of Switzerland.)

Yep, Vonn. When Europe didn’t have any snow, a super-G got moved here, and the women took to Birds of Prey, without Golden Eagle Jump. (I was the unfortunate one to be the bearer of that news. She wanted to do that, too.

Good thing she didn’t take it out on the messenger.)

Yes, Raptor is a different course, but the pressure is the constant in this experiment. Everyone expected her to win that day in 2011, and she did without her best race.

The results, and there is a big enough sample, indicate her knee is just fine. She’s won the last two super-Gs in the World Cup. Make it three.

Gold: Vonn, USA Silver: Gut, Switzerland Bronze: Anna Fenninger, Austria

DOWNHILL (FRIDAY) It is worth noting that there are a bunch of really good skiers out there, whose names are not Lindsey Vonn. Gut has had success on

ANTHONY THORNTON | DAILY FILE PHOTO

Mikaela Shiffrin should get another warm greeting at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships and, well, look for her on the medal stand.

Raptor. Fenninger is on her way to becoming the next Austrian great.

The person who could be the real party-pooper from an American/Vonn perspective is Tina Maze. Barring something strange, Maze will win the overall World Cup title this year. She leads Fenninger, 985-801, and the two closest pursuers after that are Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, both of whom aren’t participating in all four disciplines.

I’m writing this merely as insurance in the case that Maze busts out and newspapers everywhere run with the headline, “A-Maze-ing.”

Gold: Vonn, USA Silver: Maze, Slovenia Bronze: Fenninger, Austria

SUPER-COMBINED (FEB. 9) OK, I went back and forth on the men’s combined. This is a no-brainer.

Maze.

There’s a reason she’s the overall leader. She does everything well.

What’s more, there are 45 women who have competed in the downhill this season, and only two of them have points in the slalom. Wanna guess who’s one of them?

Maze’s fourth in the downhill with 246 points and third in the slalom with 374. Austria’s Nicole Hosp is the other.

Julia Mancuso grabs bronze just because she always snags a medal at Worlds.

Gold: Maze, Slovenia Silver: Hosp, Austria Bronze: Mancuso, USA

PROJECTED MEDAL COUNT GSB T Austria 5 1 3 — 9 U.S.A. 3 2 3—8 Slovenia 1 2 0 — 3 France 0 0 3 — 3 Norway 1 0 1 — 2 Italy 0 2 0—2 Switzerland 0 2 0 — 2 Croatia 1 0 0 — 1 Germany 0 1 0 — 1 Sweden 0 1 0 — 1 Russia 0 0 1 — 1 Nations Team Event 1. Austria; 2. U.S.A.; 3. France GIANT SLALOM (FEB. 12) The Vonn-Mikaela Shiffrin comparison is odious. It’s not fair to Mikaela for her to be “The Next Lindsey Vonn.” It’s also not correct.

A better comparison is Mikaela and Bode Miller with Mikaela being a slightly more thoughtful and tactful person.

Vonn started in speed and has always been about speed, though, to her credit, she’s won three giant slaloms and two slaloms.

Miller started as a tech skier and then grew through all the disciplines, which seems to be Shiffrin’s course.

Now as to GS, everyone wants to see her strike gold here. She’ll medal, but not the top step. We’ve just got to remember that, despite home snow, there are a lot of good racers out there.

Gold: Fenninger, Austria Silver: Maze, Slovenia Bronze: Shiffrin, USA

AP FILE PHOTO

In our crystal ball, Lindsey Vonn will make it a speed sweep in the downhill and super-G at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.

Races start on Tuesday in Beaver Creek.

SLALOM (FEB. 14) None of this is to say that Shiffrin won’t be leaving Beaver Creek without a gold.

Gold: Shiffrin, USA Silver: Frida Hansdotter,

Sweden Bronze: Kathrin Zettel, Austria Sports Editor Chris Freud can be reached at 970-748-2934, cfreud@ vaildaily.com and @cfreud.