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The FIS World Cup and all its festivities kicked off in Snowmass Base Village late Thursday afternoon, welcoming back the top Alpine skiers in the world for — hopefully — three races this weekend.
And while last year's races were the more velocity-oriented disciplines of downhill and super-G, this year features the more technical giant slalom and slalom.
“To be able to give the crowd, give the locals and Aspen a taste of what racing is both as a speed and a tech event is going to be awesome,” American River Radamus said at Thursday's bib draw in Snowmass Village. “I think the hill might suit tech better than speed by the nature of what it is as World Cup conditions suggest right now. I think that it really works as a GS and works as a slalom very well. It’s going to be a good show.”
All of the ski events scheduled today through Sunday will be held on Aspen Mountain. Giant slalom races will be today and Saturday and slalom is scheduled for Sunday — though forecasted snow may have something to say about that.
Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt will be front and center once again, having clinched his third consecutive overall World Cup crystal globe last week in Palisades Tahoe. In Aspen last season, Odermatt made history with his fifth gold medal of the season in super-G, setting a new record.
But some of the big names that were present last year are missing, most notably Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who crashed in Wengen, Switzerland in January and suffered a season-ending injury.
Austria’s Manuel Feller comes in as the likely slalom favorite, with four golds in the event this season already and a 204-point lead in the event’s cup chase.
On the American side, Radamus — out of Vail-Edwards — comes in with all the momentum in the world after taking his first career podium with a third place in Tahoe. The 26-year-old became the youngest American male to place on an Alpine World Cup podium since the now-retired Travis Ganong in 2014.
“It’s like any sport. When you’re performing for a home crowd it just heightens intensity,” Radamus said. “It makes you want to reach another level, so every time I get to race in the U.S. is a special moment, you’re in the start with tears in your eyes, you want to be able to throw something down and give the crowd something to cheer for. Palisades (Tahoe), I was obviously able to do that and hopefully I carry that momentum into this weekend because conditions are phenomenal and the crowds are going to be good here as well.”
Other Americans to watch include Tommy Ford — last year’s slalom national champion — and Jett Seymour, a Steamboat Springs resident and the 2019 NCAA national champ.
Radamus said that all of his teammates are pushing him, going so far to say that he was “getting his butt kicked” in Thursday’s training.
“Honestly, everyone’s skiing well,” Radamus said. “I may have been the one to podium last week, but I was getting my butt kicked by my teammates at training today. That’s the deal is I wouldn’t be able to achieve what I’ve achieved without those guys pushing me every day and everybody around our team right now knows it’s a matter of when, not if.”
Radamus highlighted George Steffey, Isaiah Nelson and Brian McLaughlin.
Last year’s top-finishing American was Bryce Bennett, who placed 10th in the downhill.
As the event did last year, the festivities opened in Snowmass Village with a live bib draw. This year, athletes chose a concealed photo at random of a historic Aspen World Cup race, and the number sported by the athlete in the photo was the starting number given to them.
The photos were held and preview of the bibs worn by Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard athletes.
Originally scheduled for just two races, Aspen was the beneficiary of a canceled race in Soelden, Austria, gaining another giant slalom race for Friday to bring the weekend’s race count to three.
That race starts at 10 a.m. today, with second runs starting at 1 p.m. It’s the same start times for the second giant slalom on Saturday, and then Sunday’s slalom will start at 9 a.m. and noon.
Attendance for the event is free, but requires a short hike up to Lift 1A and then up some snow to the finish area. There are also opportunities to watch the race along the course for those with skis/snowboards and lift tickets.
Challenge Aspen is providing Americans with Disabilities Act access with drop-off at the race venue and transfer to the viewing area. Text 970-404-5211 to reach Challenge Aspen — advance notice is recommended.
For those who can’t attend in person, the races will be streamed on Outside+ platforms and live and delayed coverage will be available on NBC and CNBC.
The sun figures to be shining for today’s race, with a chance of showers starting Saturday afternoon and turning to snow at night, carrying through Sunday, according to weather.com.
Last year’s first race was canceled after consistent snowfall that also knocked out one of two training days.