Killington , VT. again hosts world’s best women ski racers this weekend

File photo by Bob LoCicero /VTDigger

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Killington, VT again hosts world’s best women ski racers this weekend.

Women’s World Cup ski racing returns to Killington Ski Resort for the third consecutive year this weekend with a crowd of about 40,000 spectators expected to attend.

The Killington event — which attracts the best women’s alpine racers in the world — is the third stop on the International Ski Federation’s women’s circuit, following events in Austria and Finland.

Top skiers from the U.S., Switzerland, Norway, Germany, France and Canada are expected along with spectators from around the globe.

Last year, a crowd of 34,000 spectators descended on Killington, but communications director Courtney DiFiore says that with the presence of live music and the overall festive feeling of the event a turnout of around 40,000 is more likely.

All eyes will be on 23-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin, who learned to ski at Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont, and has become arguably the most dominant female skier on the planet.

Last year, Shiffrin celebrated a first-place slalom race performance and a second-place finish in the giant slalom discipline at Killington.

She will be looking to build on that strong performance in what has been billed as a homecoming for the ski racer.

Killington has been hard at work preparing for this premier ski event, with employees making snow nearly around the clock since Oct. 1, DiFiore said.

In addition to the man-made snow operation, Killington has also received an early winter gift this year in the form of more than 30 inches of natural snow.

The giant slalom race is slated to start at 9:45 a.m. Saturday and continue into the early afternoon. On Sunday, the slalom race will get going at 10 a.m. Further details on the Word Cup event can be found here.

Source: Kit Norton VT. Digger