KILLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in eastern North America, hosted the women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup for the eighth time over Thanksgiving weekend. The first day of racing action was marked by a combination of jubilation and heartbreak as U.S. Ski Team members Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan posted their best World Cup giant slalom finishes to date. But as their teammate Mikaela Shiffrin descended the course, on track for her 100th World Cup victory, a dramatic crash took her out of contention for the rest of the event. Shiffrin was cleared of major injury, but her return to snow is to be determined. Sara Hector, of Sweden, won the giant slalom, while Zrinka Ljutic, of Croatia, and Camille Rast, of Switzerland, rounded out the podium.
With Shiffrin out of contention on Sunday, Paula Moltzan was the only member of the U.S. Ski Team to make it to the second run. However, she crashed in her second run and did not finish. Rast took her first career World Cup win in the slalom event, with Anna Swenn Larsson, of Sweden, in second, and Wendy Holdener, of Switzerland, in third.
Although Mother Nature was stingy with cold temperatures this November, the Killington snowmaking team was able to pull off the seemingly impossible, taking advantage of some of the 500 new low-energy snow guns to lay down enough snow for the World Cup race to proceed as scheduled. A nearly two-foot snowstorm on Thanksgiving proved to be the icing on the cake.
The record-breaking crowds totaling 39,000 over the weekend began arriving on Friday for the athlete bib presentation and fireworks display, and filled the grandstands, vendor village, and Great Gulf VIP tent both Saturday and Sunday, as more than 60 of the fastest female alpine ski racers from 19 different countries descended Superstar. A portion of proceeds from all ticket sales benefited the Killington World Cup Foundation. Live performances by Fitz and the Tantrums, Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy, Eve 6, and DJ Ross One punctuated the weekend.
“It’s always a thrill to host the best female alpine skiers at The Beast,” says Killington President and CEO Mike Solimano. “It takes a huge effort from the whole team and volunteers to pull off this event, and I would just like to say thank you to everyone, especially the fans, for making this one to remember.”
This was the first major event for Killington Resort with its new, independent ownership. Leaders of the investment group Michael Ferri and Phil Gross were on hand to cheer on the athletes all weekend.
The 2024 Stifel Killington Cup also highlighted “HERoic,” a women’s initiative by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team, designed to empower and create opportunities for women in the ski industry. Saturday night featured a panel discussion and movie showing of Mikaela Shiffrin’s “Moving Right Along” and “Kindred,” which benefited the Share Winter foundation.
“This race specifically is my favorite race on tour for a number of reasons,” says U.S. Ski Team athlete Paula Moltzan. “A) It’s in Vermont, B) My family can be here, and C) The crowd for sure. Every athlete receives a huge welcome home in the finish line, and you don’t always see that at World Cups. This is my favorite race on the tour for sure. I think we all hope it stays in Killington forever.”