TEAM USA LOOKS TO REGAIN GLORY AT ITS HOME COURSE “It’s our one chance of the year to show our U.S. fans what we can do” 18
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On one of the most challenging courses of the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit, American men have had more success at Beaver Creek than at any other stop in their annual months-long chase for the perfect combination of fitness, tactics, snow conditions, equipment preparation — and perhaps a little luck. Twelve of their 128 victories since the inception of the World Cup in the winter of 1966’67 have occurred at the Birds of Prey. For a handful of those wins, another U.S. racer also stepped up onto the podium; Americans have finished second or third 15 times. Most memorable was a snowy Saturday in 2005, when the U.S. finished first, second and fourth in the giant slalom. Quipped Finland’s Kalle Pallander, who was third, “I felt I was at the American championships.” For a group of men and women who spend the bulk of their competitive ski days on the other side of the planet, it’s both comforting and nerve-wracking to race “at home.” “It’s our one chance of the year to show our U.S. fans what we can do,” said Travis Ganong prior to the 2019 Birds of Prey weekend. Ganong, a resident of Tahoe City, California, was a silver medalist at the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships on the same course, and has two World Cup wins in his career. “I hope it inspires a lot of kids.” The most successful American racer on the Birds of Prey course is Ted Ligety, winner of five consecutive giant slalom races on this hill between 2011 and 2015 — four World Cups plus the gold at the 2015 World Championships. Throw in another World Cup GS win, three GS podiums and a podium each in Super G and
