Beaver Creek Mountain is home to the formidable Birds of Prey racecourse.
The 2023 Xfinity Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup races will feature two Downhill and one Super-G races.
Beaver Creek (USA)
December 1st Downhill 10:45 LOC / 18:45 CET
December 2nd Downhill 10:45 LOC / 18:45 CET
December 3rd Super-G 10:45 LOC / 18:45 CET
The Birds of Prey was the Men's racecourse for the 2015 World Championships. It is regarded as one of the most difficult Downhill courses in the world and features a vertical drop of 757 meters. With lower starting gates, it is also used for Super-G, Giant Slalom, and Slalom races.
The Birds of Prey is host to the only Men's Alpine Skiing World Cup event in the United States.
Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey racecourse was built during the summer of 1997 in preparation for the 1999 World Alpine Ski Championships. Designed by Olympic Downhill gold medalist Bernhard Russi of Switzerland, Birds of Prey starts west of the top of Chair 8 and finishes at the bottom of Red Tail at the confluence of Chairs 10 and 11. The course features a vertical drop of 710 meters and contains an average gradient of 27 percent, increasing to 45 percent in the middle of the course and again in the final third of the course.
The first competition on Birds of Prey took place December, 1997, with two Men’s World Cup Downhill races and a Super-G.
The first World Cup race in the Birds of Prey racecourse was won by Italian Kristian Ghedina in December 4, 1997.
The fastest World Cup or World Championships Downhill race time ever recorded on Birds of Prey is 1:39.59, set in 2003 by the U.S. Ski Team’s Daron Rahlves.
Facts Birds of Prey Downhill Racecourse:
The challenging Birds of Prey Downhill racecourse in Beaver Creek is one of the most brilliant tracks in the World Cup in terms of topography. After a decisive flat part (the Flyway) were they must pick up speed, skiers face a technical sharply turning steep track with 6 jumps named after birds of prey (Peregrine, Goshawk, Screech Owl, Golden Eagle, Harrier, and Red Tail). The first section, an iciest and gnarliest plunge called "The Brink", is the most challenging part. skiers are forced to tackle blindly before they face "The Talon" turn.
Altitude at the start: 3,483 m
Altitude at the finish line: 2,730 m
Vertical drop: 753 m
Length of race track: 2,623 m
Steepest section: 63%
Average gradient: 31%
Birds of Prey Downhill and Super-G Winners
1997
DH Kristian Ghedina, ITA
DH Andreas Schifferer, AUT
SG Hermann Maier, AUT
1999
DH Hermann Maier, AUT
SG Hermann Maier, AUT
2000
DH Hermann Maier, AUT
SG Fredrik Nyberg, SWE
2002
DH Stephan Eberharter, AUT
SG Didier Cuche, SUI
2003
DH Daron Rahlves, USA
DH Hermann Maier, AUT
SG Bjarne Solbakken, NOR
2004
DH Bode Miller, USA
SG Stephan Goergl, AUT
GS Lasse Kjus, NOR
2005
DH Daron Rahlves, USA
SG Hannes Reichelt, AUT
2006
DH Bode Miller, USA
2007
DH Michael Walchhofer, AUT
SG Hannes Reichelt, AUT
2008
DH Aksel Lund Svindal, NOR
SG Aksel Lund Svindal, NOR
2009
DH Carlo Janka, SUI
2010
SG Georg Streitberger, AUT
2011
DH Bode Miller, USA
SG Sandro Viletta, SUI
2012
DH Christof Innerhofer, ITA
SG Matteo Marsaglia, ITA
2013
DH Aksel Lund Svindal, NOR
SG Patrick Kueng, SUI
2014
DH Kjetil Jansrud, NOR
SG Hannes Reichelt, AUT
2015
DH Kjetil Jansrud, NOR
SG Marcel Hirscher, AUT
2017
SG Vincent Kriechmayr, AUT
DH Aksel Lund Svindal, NOR
2018
SG Max Franz, AUT
DH Beat Feuz, SUI
2019
DH Beat Feuz, SUI
SG Marco Odermatt, SUI
2021
SG Marco Odermatt, SUI
SG Aleksander Aadmot Kilde, NOR
DH Aleksander Aadmot Kilde, NOR
2022
Beaver Creek Resort is a major ski resort in the western United States, Colorado a few kilometers from Vail. Beaver Creek is one of the most luxurious and best winter sports resorts in America. The resort is owned and operated by Vail Resorts. The ski area has 150 km of slopes and 25 km of ski routes served by 25 ski lifts. The ski domain is located between 2,255 and 3,488 m.
Beaver Creek has also made a name for itself as a race organiser with the “Birds of Prey” Men’s World Cup Races.
Vail Resorts is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher, Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia; Stowe, Mount Snow, Okemo in Vermont; Hunter Mountain in New York; Mount Sunapee, Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Liberty, Roundtop, Whitetail, Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania; Alpine Valley, Boston Mills, Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio; Hidden Valley and Snow Creek in Missouri; Wilmot in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; and Paoli Peaks in Indiana.