Featured Image: Whiteface Mountain Photo by Eric Brandolini Media
Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, New York, will host the Stifel 2027 FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships March 2-12. The event will return to the United States for the first time in 33 years.
U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced the championships Sept. 1 in coordination with the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.
The world’s top junior alpine racers will compete for world titles at Whiteface, the alpine venue from the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Meanwhile, Lake Placid and communities throughout the surrounding Olympic Region will welcome athletes, teams and visitors from around the world.
Lake Placid last hosted the Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in 1994.
Stifel will serve as title sponsor of the championships. The wealth management and investment banking firm is also the title partner of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and the Stifel Sun Valley Finals. Together, those partnerships show its support across many levels of U.S. alpine racing.
For American athletes, the championships will also offer something uncommon. They will have the opportunity to race for Junior World titles on home snow in front of family, friends and U.S. ski racing fans.
Stifel supports the next generation
Stifel’s title sponsorship adds another major component to the company’s involvement in U.S. alpine ski racing.
Its support already reaches the sport’s highest level through the Stifel U.S. Ski Team and World Cup competition. Now, the 2027 Junior World Championships extend that involvement to athletes progressing toward the World Cup.
“Stifel is proud to be the title sponsor of the 2027 Stifel FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships and to help bring this event back to Lake Placid,” Stifel Chairman and CEO Ron Kruszewski said in the U.S. Ski & Snowboard release.
“Junior Worlds is a platform for the future stars in the sport, and there is no more fitting place than a community with such a rich history in skiing and Olympic competition. We’re excited to be part of this next chapter, watch the races next year and support the athletes who will shape the future of alpine skiing.”
The sponsorship also creates a natural connection between two significant U.S. competitions. Junior World champions at Whiteface can earn the chance to compete only weeks later at the Stifel Sun Valley Finals in Idaho.
Junior World champions can earn World Cup Finals starts
Athletes at Whiteface will compete in six disciplines: downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, team combined and team parallel.
The championships provide more than Junior World titles.
The individual champion in each discipline earns a start at the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup Finals later in the season. As a result, the best junior racers can move immediately into competition at the sport’s highest level.
In 2027, the World Cup Finals will also take place in the United States. The Stifel Sun Valley Finals are scheduled for Sun Valley, Idaho.
Therefore, a skier could win a Junior World title at Whiteface and race against the world’s leading senior athletes only weeks later.
Whiteface brings Olympic history to Junior Worlds
Whiteface Mountain is located in Wilmington and operated by the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority, known as the Olympic Authority.
The mountain hosted the alpine skiing competitions during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Today, it remains an important venue for national and international alpine competition.
Together, Whiteface, Lake Placid and the surrounding Olympic Region have a long history of hosting major winter sports competitions.
FIS Sport and Event Director Sandra Spitz said the region’s history and organizational experience made it a natural choice for Junior Worlds.
“The return of the FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships to Lake Placid in 2027 is a special moment,” Spitz said.
“Thirty-three years after last hosting the event, Lake Placid remains a cornerstone of winter sport in North America, with extensive experience delivering FIS competitions across several disciplines, including the Alpine North American Cup circuit.”
Spitz also emphasized Junior Worlds’ role in developing athletes for the next level.
“The Junior World Championships are one of the most important milestones in the athlete pathway, helping to develop the next generation of champions while contributing to the long-term growth of the sport,” she said. “Lake Placid’s rich sporting heritage and proven organizational expertise make it an ideal host for this prestigious event.”
Chip Knight remembers the 1994 Junior Worlds
The return to the Lake Placid region carries particular significance for U.S. Ski & Snowboard Alpine Development Director Chip Knight.
Knight competed at the 1994 Junior World Championships in Lake Placid. He also stood on the podium in front of the home crowd.
“Thirty-three years ago, I stood on a Junior World Championships podium in Lake Placid and I’ve never forgotten what that home crowd felt like,” Knight said.
“Bringing this event back to Whiteface gives our next generation of racers that same chance to compete for a world title in front of family, friends and a community that’s been part of this sport’s history for decades. Plus, having Stifel on board to support these athletes makes it even more exciting.”
Logan Grosdidier looks forward to racing at home
For Stifel U.S. Ski Team athlete Logan Grosdidier, the championships offer a rare opportunity to compete for a world title on home snow.
Entering her third year as a FIS athlete, Grosdidier earned the Junior World super-G silver medal last season. She will now have the chance to compete at one of the biggest junior events in international ski racing without leaving the United States.
“I’m really excited to race World Juniors in the U.S. this year, especially in a place like Lake Placid,” Grosdidier said in the release. “It’s going to be really special getting to compete in my home country and share the experience with friends and family.”
Her comments reflect one of the defining features of the 2027 championships. American junior racers rarely have the chance to compete for world titles without traveling overseas.
In March, however, they will have that chance at Whiteface.
Junior Worlds races to be streamed online
U.S. Ski & Snowboard said races from the championships will be streamed online for fans.
Veteran Audi FIS Alpine World Cup announcer Nick Fellows will provide commentary.
The championships will begin an important March for U.S. alpine racing. First, Whiteface will showcase many of the sport’s leading junior athletes. Then, several Junior World champions could continue directly to Sun Valley for their first opportunity to compete at a World Cup Finals.
Information for this article was provided by U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
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