Featured Image: James Crawford (CAN) on the Birds of Prey training day. Credit: GEPA pictures/ Mario Buehner-Weinrauch

Who is racing the Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek, when, and how to watch the downhill.

Weather has not been on the men’s side in these early-season races. However, everyone is still holding out hope to get a downhill race off tomorrow on the exhilarating Birds of Prey track. The tremendous support of volunteers and dedicated race crews worked vigorously today while the men inspected, allowing the field to look over the terrain once again. Analyzing and visualization is increasing the field’s confidence for day two.

The three-time winner on the Birds of Prey track, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway, will continue to get ready to push out of the start gate tomorrow morning. Others who are top-ranked, Vincent Kriechmayr (2nd), Marco Odermatt (3rd), Johan Clarey (4th), and James Crawford (5th) are chomping at the bit to run this course and fight for their chance to win gold.

There will be thirteen different nations competing in Beaver Creek tomorrow. The crowd trickled in today, but the Colorado energy fired up the finish area. The events this afternoon and the fireworks display this evening will elevate that crowd’s energy even more as we cheer on the athletes on Saturday!

Current Top Ten Men 2023-24 World Cup DH Standings

Click on images to enlarge

North American Highlights

The North American lineup is extensive for this World Cup, with twelve men from the USA and Canada on the start list. The North American teams have four men ranked top-25 in the world, including James Crawford (5th), Ryan Cochran-Siegle (17th), Jared Goldberg (22nd), and World Championship bronze medalist Cameron Alexander (23rd). They are all capable of a podium position. 

Ryan Cochran-Siegle has placed in the top 10 three times on the Birds of Prey World Cup and is excited to see what he can accomplish this year. 

He stated, “I am most excited this year about how incredible the preparation has been on the slope. The snow is really nice to ski, and the terrain comes into play well. Whenever you can find the flow of the hill, it goes pretty well.”

Jared Goldberg’s best results in DH last season were 4th in Kitzbühel and 9th in Val Gardena, but he is on a mission for a medal this season. He told the American Downhiller Podcast, “I would like to get on the podium for sure. I would like to be consistent.” 

Jeffrey Read, Sam Morse, and Bryce Bennett also found top-10 finishes last season, propelling them to reach greater goals this winter. 

Bennett ended on a high note last season with a 10th-place DH finish in Aspen. He stated, “Generally, I have never started the season off super fast, but I brought the intensity from last season into my summer training and made some good steps in my skiing. I just need to figure out how to bring it out on race day.” He continued with his goal for Beaver Creek, “It would be nice to start the season off with a good feeling and moving forward. That is my goal at the moment, but it is not coming as easy as I wanted it to.” 

Unfortunately, Stifel US Ski Team athlete Erik Arvidsson, ranked 43rd in the world, tore his ACL and LCL in training at Copper Mountain right before the Birds of Prey and will be out for the season. Also, Alpine Canada athlete, Broderick Thompson, ranked 36th in the world, sustained head injuries on the second training day ahead of this weekends World Cup. He is still receiving care at the Denver Health Center.

Kyle Negomir has already raced the Birds of Prey downhill last season, but he will be gunning to break into the top 30 this year. Samuel Dupratt, River Radamus, Isaiah Nelson, and Kyle Alexander are all new to the Beaver Creek World Cup downhill. The three will be looking to take their training runs and visualizations from the training days to do their best on race day. They can score their first World Cup downhill points and will be looking to do so starting this weekend!

There are a total of twelve North Americans on the December 2nd, Birds of Prey DH start list

• Bib 2, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Stifel USST, Mt Mansfield Ski Academy, Cochran’s Ski Club, HEAD
• Bib 3, Jared Goldberg, Stifel USST, Snowbird Sports Educational Foundation, Rossignol, LOOK
• Bib 5, Cameron Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves
• Bib 9, James Crawford, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, HEAD, Level Gloves
• Bib 33, Sam Morse, Stifel USST, Carrabassett Valley Academy, Fischer, TOKO
• Bib 35, Bryce Bennett, Stifel USST, Team Palisades Tahoe, Fischer, Level Gloves
• Bib 51, Kyle Negomir, Stifel USST, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Atomic, Level Gloves
• Bib 55, Jeffrey Read, ACA, Banff Alpine Racers, Atomic, UVEX, Level Gloves
• Bib 58, Isaiah Nelson, Stifel USST, Buck Hill Ski Team, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves
• Bib 59, Kyle Alexander, ACA, Whistler Mountain Ski Club, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves
• Bib 62, Sam Dupratt, Stifel USST, Park City Ski Team, University of Utah, Atomic, Oakley
• Bib 64, River Radamus, Stifel USST, Ski and Snowboard Club Vail, Rossignol, LOOK, Level Gloves

North Americans 2023 season downhill ranks who are racing Saturday, December 2nd, in Beaver Creek

Birds of Prey history

In early December 1997, the Birds of Prey hosted its inaugural World Cups, setting the stage for a venue that would become iconic in alpine skiing. Specifically designed and built for the 1999 Alpine World Championships, this course was the brainchild of Swiss Downhill World Champion Bernhard Russi. Interestingly, Russi not only designed the course but also oversaw its construction, even enrolling his son Ian at the Vail Mountain School during this period. Notably, Russi has been the creative force behind the design of many modern Downhill courses, beginning with the Nakiska DH for the Calgary Olympics. In the first Downhill event on this challenging course, Italian Kristian Ghedina secured victory in 1:41.16, though Austria dominated with 8 skiers in the fastest 15. The highest-placed American was Kyle Rasmussen, finishing 24th.

Initially, Beaver Creek was considered for the 1976 Winter Olympics downhill event. However, the Olympic bid ended when a state referendum stopped the funding. Nevertheless, in July 1977, the construction of Beaver Creek Resort kicked off, marking the beginning of its journey to becoming a top-notch ski destination. On December 15, 1980, the resort welcomed the skiing public for the first time, equipped with six chairlifts and a slope-side lodge. This inaugural season set the foundation for what has grown into a well-loved year-round destination. With its stunning surroundings and top-notch facilities, Beaver Creek Resort has consistently won the admiration of both winter enthusiasts and summer adventurers alike.

Event Schedule and Viewing Guide: Start Times and How to Watch

The men will start the downhill at 10:45 MST and 12:45 EST. The live streaming is set to start at 10:00 AM MST.

Viewing the race

In the US: Outside will have live streaming, NBC Sports and Peacock will have a delayed showings of the race

In Canada: CBC sports will have live streaming

Start list and race program for Saturday, December 2nd, Beaver Creek men’s downhill

Click on the start list and program to download

Program for the December 2nd Birds of Prey men’s downhill