Park City won't host early season World Cups; USSA looks for alternative

Park City won’t host early season World Cups; USSA looks for alternative{mosimage}The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is reviewing its World Cup strategy, looking for a new site after the announcement by Park City Mountain Resort that it could no longer host the opening early-season races.

USSA president and CEO Bill Marolt was optimistic about finding a new site, and suggested the organization would use the change as an opportunity to look at new ways to build excitement for ski racing.

“Park City Mountain Resort, under the leadership of the Badami and Cumming families, has been a pioneer in World Cup ski racing,” said Marolt. “We’re disappointed that Park City can no longer host races at that time of year, but we also truly understand the business decision. We plan to continue to be partners with the resort going forward. And we do hope that early-season World Cup ski racing can return to Park City Mountain Resort in the future.”

Park City had been the anchor of the early-season World Cup calendar since the 1980s, showing the world that U.S. resorts had the technology to make snow early for racing and recreation. Since the World Cup moved to a permanent opening in North America in the 1990’s, North American resorts have racked up a track record of over 90 percent success in running events on schedule, compared to less than 60 percent for European sites in pre-holiday races. Park City had been hoping for a mid-season date, but World Cup calendars are fixed for several years out.

“Our task now is to find another U.S. early-season site,” said Marolt. “And at the same time, we want to look at ways to better capitalize on our narrow window of exposure for the sport in America.”

USSA officials had been planning on a 2004-05 calendar with Park City. The Utah resort had been scheduled for a men’s giant slalom and slalom Nov. 20-21, followed by a women’s GS and slalom on Thanksgiving weekend, November 26-27. Beaver Creek, Colo., is on the calendar for a men’s downhill and super G December 4-5.

For its part, Park City said it would like to continue hosting World Cup alpine racing, but not in the early season. “We recently hosted our 17th successful World Cup event and want to continue the tradition of World Cup ski racing at the resort. We like the event and want to see it stay in Park City,” said Vern Greco, president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. “However, the challenges of an early season date are extraordinary. We want to stop short of an outright cancellation of America’s Opening and offer an alternate solution in the form of a later date.”

In a recent meeting with USSA, Park City indicated its desire to continue as a host site if FIS and USSA can offer a date in January or February. Greco acknowledged it is probable that a mid-winter date will not be available immediately and said Park City is willing to forego a World Cup event in the interim.

“When you combine the elements of risk, marketing and the total event cost of $1 million, of which more than $150,000 is the resort’s direct obligation, with the opportunity cost in lost sales, the challenge is nearly insurmountable,” said Greco.

Greco noted that weather had made it impossible to host the event twice in the past five years, and noted that “the negative exposure of a cancellation due to lack of early season snow far outweighs the positive exposure of a successful event. Similarly, if the event is televised and there is little or no snow on the surrounding trails or in the valley that exposure also is damaging.”

Park City continues to play a huge role in U.S. ski and snowboard programs. The resort has played host to one of USSA’s major snowboard events since the late 1990s, which USSA hopes to continue. It also supports regional programs in alpine ski racing, freestyle and snowboard — all of which USSA expects to remain in place at the resort with its unique Eagle Racing Arena.

Former resort owner Nick Badami played a pivotal role over two decades with USSA. New resort chairman John Cumming has also recently joined the board of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team Foundation, and has been extremely active in his support of the sport.

Marolt looks for the sport to still play a large role in the Olympic community of Park City. In addition to events that Park City Mountain Resort will continue to produce, Deer Valley Resort has established itself as a mainstay on the World Cup freestyle circuit, and World Cup ski jumping is returning this year to Utah Olympic Park.

“The Olympic legacy will continue in Park City,” said Marolt. “And in addition to major events, we continue to see Park City as the home base for many of our elite athletes in all sports.”

USSA had no immediate timetable for determining a new World Cup plan. Marolt expects discussions to take place during the remainder of the winter, with the final 2004-05 calendar to be finalized at the FIS Congress in Miami in early June.