Kangwonland, Korea –A record number of U.S. World Cup events are on tap as the International Ski Federation (FIS) on Friday announced its 2013 World Cup ski and snowboarding event schedule. Seven experienced American resorts will play host to 33 World Cup competitions in alpine, freeskiing, freestyle and snowboarding.
Many of the events will kickoff the initial phases of international qualifying for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games and will set the stage for U.S. Olympic Team selection in the following 2013-14 season, including integration of new Olympic events in freeskiing and snowboarding into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Sprint U.S. Grand Prix.
“Our U.S. resorts will play a key role in the lead up to the Sochi Olympic Winter Games in 2014 with strong World Cup events that will form the basis for our team selection,” said Bill Marolt, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) President and CEO.
The season will open with a string of 17 World Cup events in Colorado in late November and early December, including the traditional opening Audi FIS Alpine World Cup events in Aspen and Beaver Creek. Telluride Mountain Resort will host both a snowboardcross and skicross World Cup in December, the first U.S. skicross World Cup since 2010 and the first time snowboarding and skiing have been paired together.
Lake Placid, N.Y. and Utah’s Deer Valley Resort will host traditional freestyle World Cup stops in January and February. The Sprint U.S. Grand Prix will return to the World Cup with halfpipe and slopestyle skiing and snowboarding at both Copper Mountain, Colo., in December and Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort in January.
“The additional sanctioning of Sprint U.S. Grand Prix halfpipe and slopestyle events as World Cups brings the Olympic qualifying process to established events in the sport that are among the most highly recognized in the world,” added Luke Bodensteiner, the USSA Executive Vice President of Athletics.
2012-13 U.S. WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
ALPINE
Nov. 24-25 – Nature Valley Aspen Winternational, Aspen, CO, women’s giant slalom, slalom
Nov. 30-Dec. 2 – Audi Birds of Prey, Beaver Creek, CO, men’s downhill, super G, giant slalom
FREESKIING
Dec. 5-8 – Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, CO, halfpipe, slopestyle (slopestyle pending final FIS inspection)
Dec. 13 – Audi FIS Skicross World Cup, Telluride, CO, skicross
Jan. 10-13 – Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix, Park City, UT, halfpipe
FREESTYLE
Jan. 17-19 – Lake Placid Freestyle Cup, Lake Placid, NY, moguls, aerials, aerials
Jan. 31-Feb. 3 – Visa Freestyle International, Deer Valley Resort, Park City, UT, moguls, dual moguls, aerials
SNOWBOARDING
Dec. 5-8 – Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, Copper Mountain, CO, halfpipe, slopestyle (slopestyle pending final FIS inspection)
Dec. 14-15 – U.S. Snowboardcross Cup, Telluride, CO, snowboardcross
Jan. 10-13 – Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix, Park City, UT, halfpipe