What It Takes To Host A World Cup… In November… In Vermont

It’s November in Vermont. Leaves that once flaunted their best reds, oranges, and yellows have fallen to the ground. The days of foliage-crazed visitors leisurely strolling down one dirt road after another – enjoying freshly picked apples and purchasing enough maple syrup to last through an apocalypse – have ended.

And, now, chaos – the good kind of chaos – is coming to the Green Mountain State.

The crowd roars at Killington during the slalom event in 2016. Image Credit: Courtesy of Killington Resort.

At Killington Resort, a long roster of dedicated individuals is rigorously preparing to host a set of women’s World Cup races over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 25-26. This will be the resort’s second go-round at the event, following an incredibly successful debut in 2016. Organizers estimated that about 17,000 total attendees would show up last year, but time would tell that number wasn’t exactly accurate.

“Officially, we had about 30,000 people there over the two days,” says Mike Solimano, president and general manager at Killington. “How many will we expect this year? It’s about anyone’s guess, but it seems like everyone who came last year is coming back and a lot of people that missed it don’t want to miss it this year.”

Some say the Killington races in 2016 were the most highly attended women’s World Cup events of all time. Others say not quite – venues like Flachau, Austria, have perhaps drawn bigger crowds in previous years. There’s room for speculation. But, that’s not the point. The point is, last year went incredibly well and plans are underway to make this year even better. How? By properly anticipating sky-high attendance numbers, as well as the ensuing needs of both spectators and athletes alike.

Improvements for 2017 will start with an emphasis on two not-so-glamorous, but incredibly important, resources: toilets and busses. Solimano and his team expect to carry out a 250 percent increase in bathrooms and a 50 percent increase in transportation. The latter will be supplemented by a large turnaround area for busses where attendees can be swiftly picked up and dropped off. Other priorities include making the venue more accessible for disabled guests and bringing in extra food and beverage vendors.

“As long as people have fun and we do the right things to make everyone happy, it will be a success,” says Herwig Demschar, chair of the local organizing committee and senior vice president of international business development for POWDR Corporation, the umbrella entity that owns Killington. “It’s not about us, the organizers. It’s about promoting ski racing as a whole – particularly in the East.”

Simple changes in scheduling will improve the event this year as well. In 2016, the first and second runs of each race started at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m, respectively. This year, everything will be shifted by a half-hour to accommodate the large crowd; first runs will commence at 10:00 a.m. and second runs will kick off at 1:00 p.m, allowing guests more time to scatter into the venue which will likely be beneficial in managing crowd logistics.

“You can’t pull in a half hour before the event and expect to get into the venue swiftly. It’s just not going to happen,” says Solimano, reflecting on the flood of fans in 2016.

“Come early and dress properly,” adds Demschar. “But, everyone in the East knows how to dress for a ski event anyways. They’re smart people.”

Lessons from the past are being applied to the present and organizers are getting ready to rock. Fans are amped up, too: 4,000 grandstand tickets and 600 VIP tickets sold out within an hour and a half last month. (Disclaimer: Some VIP tickets were reserved for U.S. Ski & Snowboard staff, sponsors, and other big-shots.) Now, the spotlight is on Mother Nature. As the seasons change, fingers are crossed for proper snowmaking temperatures, as well as natural snowfall in Vermont. The forecast calls for both arriving in the area starting next week.

“The biggest challenge and risk, of course, is if can you get enough snow together for the races. If you don’t have a race course, all of the other planning means nothing,” says Solimano. “Our team proved that, even in 2016 – a pretty warm year – we could pull it off. That bodes well that we’ll be able to do the same this year.”

Mikaela Shiffrin races to victory during the slalom in 2016. Image Credit: Courtesy of Killington Resort.

Taking all of these factors into consideration, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Killington World Cups cost a fortune. Solimano says the resort spends north of $1 million to pull everything off from start to finish. And, while many onlookers may think the events are profitable, he assures that’s certainly not the case. Killington loses a lot of dough, but it’s an investment: an investment in ski racing, an investment in Vermont, an investment in all walks of life who enjoy spending a weekend watching the fastest female skiers on Earth compete against one another.

“One of the coolest things about all of this is that I think people realize you don’t need to know anything about ski racing to have an amazing time,” says Solimano. “Going in there, feeling the roar of the crowd, it’s amazing. Obviously, there were a ton of ski racing fans there. But, there were also just a lot of people looking for something fun to do. And, I think most of them were blown away.”

Let’s be clear: Leaf peeping, dirt road strolling, apple picking, and maple syrup shopping are all lovely activities. Just lovely. But, a little chaos – particularly organized chaos – is good for the soul. And that’s exactly what awaits at the 2017 Killington World Cup.

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Full Schedule for the 2017 Killington World Cup

Friday, November 24, 2017

• Expo Village Open – 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. – K-1 Base Area
• Free Concert by Troy Ramey – 4:00 p.m. – Expo Village K-1 Base Area
• Athlete Presentation – 5:45 p.m. – Expo Village K-1 Base Area
• Fireworks – Immediately following athlete presentation – Expo Village K-1 Base Area
• Teton Gravity Research Movie Premier “Rogue Elements” – 7:00 p.m. – Snowshed Base Lodge

Saturday, November 25, 2017

• Expo Village Open – 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. – K-1 Base Area
• VIP Area Open – 8:00 a.m. – Roaring Brook Umbrella Bar
• Opening Parade – 8:45 a.m. – Expo Village, K-1 Base Area
• Giant Slalom Run 1 – 10:00 a.m. – Superstar Trail
• Giant Slalom Run 2 – 1:00 p.m. – Superstar Trail
• Free Concert by Dispatch – Immediately following second race runs – K-1 Base Area
• World Cup Official Post Party – 6:00 p.m. – Wobbly Barn Nightclub
• Warren Miller Movie Premier “Line of Descent” – 7:00 p.m. – Snowshed Lodge, Killington Resort

Sunday, November 26, 2017

• Expo Village Open – 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. – K-1 Base Area
• VIP Area Open – 8:00 a.m. – Roaring Brook Umbrella Bar
• Opening Parade – 8:45 a.m. – Expo Village, K-1 Base Area
• Slalom Run 1 – 10:00 a.m. – Superstar Trail
• Slalom Run 2 – 1:00 p.m. – Superstar Trail