Avon, CO – The sun has been shining on the famous Birds of Prey downhill track the last three days at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado, but don’t be mistaken – it has been cold and the conditions have been perfect. With some of the steepest pitches, the most difficult terrain and the biggest air on the World Cup circuit, this course is tough.
Ask any nation and they’ll tell you they love Birds of Prey. That buttery smooth, grippy Colorado snow makes the hill that much better – thanks, in part, to the Talon Crew. They’ve done an outstanding job preparing the course after Mother Nature dumped 21 inches of fresh snow over the last week. This is a world-class course crew, and they’re ready for some world-class ski racing to commence.
But before we dive into racing, remember that the American team is on home turf and the guys have the opportunity to connect with their hometown fans and do things like school visits to nearby Homestake Peak School in Vail.
The pre-K to 8th graders oohed and aahed over the crashes and big air in the highlight reel as well as the advice that U.S. Ski Team athletes Marco Sullivan, Bryce Bennett and Nolan Kasper gave them. “Surround yourself with good people that can inspire you every day,” advised Sullivan. “I’m pulling for my teammates because when my teammates do well, it inspires me. We’re all we have over there. We’re a family. It’s us against Europe.”
Training run number one kicked off on Wednesday. Excitement was in the air as Bode Miller was the POV forerunner, grabbing footage for Eurosport and NBC. Miller will be announcing this weekend for NBC, alongside Dan Hicks.
When asked about whether or not he’ll make a career out of it, Miller stated, “I am comfortable [with announcing for NBC]. I’ve done so much talking and I’m comfortable with my knowledge base on skiing, so there are no surprises there and nothing new for me. For me, whether I pursue it further would depend on how I felt about the relationship with Dan Hicks, and the banter. If it’s fun then I would do it. But it’s not really in me to do things that I don’t really enjoy and find exciting and fun. So if it’s work, then don’t expect to see me again.”
The Attacking Viking, Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud came out on top in Wednesday’s training run, with Switzerland’s Carlo Janka in second followed by Germany’s Josef Ferstl in third. The top American was Steven Nyman tied for 11th, with his fellow Utahn Jared Goldberg in 26th, Bennett in 28th and Andrew Weibrecht, of Lake Placid, N.Y., in 29th.
Travis Ganong, who was third and fourth in the Lake Louise downhill and super G, respectively, did some experimenting and ended up in 38th, but looks forward to Friday. “I’m feeling pretty good,” said Ganong. “This is our first look at the hill today, so it’s really important to check out the hill and see what the timing is like and build from there. I have high expectations, but I’m just going to focus on the little things and it will all take care of itself.”
So, why is this course so special? While standing in the finish, Nyman shared with journalists what he remembers most about this course after snagging third on this track last year. “It’s just always cool because you’re just flying, landing and gunning for the next jump,” said Nyman. “It’s just active movement the whole way down. That’s what I remember and what I always love, and what I’m excited to get back to here.”
Bennett came down with the largest smile on his face, and simply stated, “That was fun. I love downhill.” He, along with teammate Goldberg, have been putting some fast runs down, and Bennett has a good chance for a breakthrough performance this weekend.
Along with Friday’s opening downhill, Beaver Creek will play host to a super G on Saturday and GS on Sunday, where Ted Ligety will be going for a historic six straight wins on the Birds of Prey GS track.
TV COVERAGE
2015 Birds of Prey Broadcast and Live Streaming Schedule (times EST)
Friday, Dec. 4
12:30 p.m. – Men’s DH, Beaver Creek – NBCSN – LIVE
12:30 p.m. – Men’s DH, Beaver Creek – NBC Live Extra – LIVE STREAM
Saturday, Dec. 5
1:00 p.m. – Men’s SG, Beaver Creek – NBCSN – LIVE
1:00 p.m. – Men’s SG, Beaver Creek – NBC Live Extra – LIVE STREAM
Sunday, Dec. 6
1:00 p.m. – Women’s SG, Lake Louise – NBC Live Extra – LIVE STREAM
5:00 p.m. – Men’s GS, Beaver Creek – NBC and NBC Live Extra – LIVE STREAM