Super G Pow Day helps USA.

The organisers of the Birds of Prey World Cup Races at Beaver Creek have it pretty dialed in.  By the time the racers get on course...everything is in order...except the weather.  Nope, the FIS and Vail Resorts can't control Mother Nature.  It was a FULL-ON POW DAY at BEAVER CREEK on Saturday.  Setting the scene...picture cold blowing winds, flurrying snow...heavy at times, poor visibility and full house of fans stoked to see the world's fastest skiers. The show must go on.   AspenSpin, anticipating a weather hold for the race was out schalping the Beav with a bunch of Doctors from Detroit, but that didn't stop the World Cup.

Austrian star Marcel Hirscher laid down the fastest run.  The U.S. Ski Team held down the next two podium spots.  Ted Ligedy scored the silver and Andrew Weibrecht ripped bronze.   The entire U.S. fared well in the inclement weather (for racing...I loved it).  Travis Ganong finished a very strong 6th and returning veteran Tommy Biesemeyer nabbed 11th.

Sunday's G.S. was a wee bit disappointing>  Ligety going for a 7-peat on the Birds of Prey skidded out for a DNF.  Austria's Hirscher took the win.

Photos:  Courtesy of the U.S. Ski Team.The entire U.S. Ski Team jumped on the podium at Birds of Prey.

Ligety scored a Silver in Super G at Beaver CreekA strong weekend for Weibrecht, He navigated the POW to run third in Super G.

KJUS: Style and Performance

What do Andy Party and Bode Miller have in common?  If you've read AspenSpin over the years the answer should be easy.  Both men ski almost every day,  both men are concerned with style and performance and both men exclusively sport premium ski clothing from KJUS. 

I don't know? What are you wearing?Kjus, a Swiss company is named after Olympic Gold medal winner and World Champion skier Lasse Kjus. It can be found in the finest shops in Aspen and around the World.   Every piece is meticulously designed and extensively tested before it hits the stores.   Known for their clean, crisp, innovative designs and uncompromising vision Kjus has become the gold standard for premium ski wear all over the world. In fact according to an industry insider Kjus has helped shape the future of sportswear.  Their ground breaking  high-tech stretch fabrics allow full freedom of movement on the slopes but also are the most fashionable.  Every stitch, every seam, every design and every garment is flawlessly produced.  Kjus is worn on mountain by champions like Lasse Kjus, Bode Miller, Didier Cuche and Lara Gut. Kjus gear even makes a ski bum like A. Party look fabulous on the snow.

Click 4 Pix:  Kjus, Snow and The Beav

Kjus is not just clothing for skiing.  In recent years Kjus has expanded their horizons to produce a full line of active wear and golf clothing with the same tradition of excellence.  Click KJUS to learn more about the company, their history, the future and to find dealers all over the world.

Last week AspenSpin was lucky enough to attend the grand opening of the very first Kjus boutique in North America at Beaver Creek, Colorado.  Like Kjus clothing, the store has a clean classic design that exudes quality. The store design is beautiful, but it's the merchandise that stands out with distinction.  All the newest styles and colors for ski season 2014/15 are available.  It was a celebration of Kjus and it was a first class event.  VIP's from all over the world attended the opening and the merch was flying off the racks. Nico Serena, Director of Design and Creative and Timo Regier, Global Head of Sales flew in from Switzerland for the event.  I'm sure the soft Colorado POW POW was not a lure for those guys.  North American team leaders Brooke and Chris Mackenzie hosted the Grand Opening and their crew supervised every detail.  Bode Miller and his family were on hand to help celebrate the day.  It was a great party and hopefully the first of many Kjus boutiques in the U.S. and Canada.

If you've been diligently following AspenSpin...you've seen the pix and you know A. Party always looks sharp on the slopes.  As previously reported...we've logged over 1000 ski days in Kjus.  We don't just promote brands and products...we live 'em.  Take it from AspenSpin...Kjus is the World Champion of ski wear.  

While in Beaver Creek AspenSpin also attended a fashion show produced by Snow Magazine and a Ted Ligety autograph signing.  Click 4 pix. 

Click 4 Pix:  Kjus, Snow and The Beav

Nico, Bode, Brooke and the whole Kjus team came out for the Grand Opening in beaver Creek.Nico Serena, Head of Design and Timo Regier , Global Head of Sales came in from HQ in Switzerland.The kids love Bode. Kjus Grand Opening at Beaver Creek. The first store in North America.

U.S. Ski Team has HUGE Weekend at Beaver Creek & Lake Louise.

US Ladies sweep the Downhill Podium at Lake Louise. Vonn, cook and Mancuso. Selfie courtesy of Lindsey Vonn via FacebookAspenSpin ventured over to Beaver Creek this weekend to take in the Birds of Prey Men's FIS World Cup ski races. It was a fantastic weekend of racing, events, parties and skiing.    In a normal year The Beav is the one and only tour stop in the U.S. for the men's world cup skiers.  But in 2015 Birds of Prey is also the site of the FIS WORLD ALPINE SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS in February. So the regularly scheduled WC races were like a warm-up.  The ladies were in Lake Louise, Alberta Canada this weekend.  Both the men's and women's teams had fabulous results.

We've attended several Birds of Prey races in the past and this year's events seemed a little different.  Vail / Beaver Creek is putting on the ritz for the 2015 World Championships so these world cup races almost felt like a test run, or spring training if you will.   All eyes seemed to be looking forward to February when the 2nd most important set of ski races (behind the Olympics) visits the Vail Valley.

Red Tail Stadium, Birds of Prey (from the lift)Birds of Prey has never looked better.   The new Red Tail Stadium at the finish-line which was created for the World's is unbelievable. Much larger than in the past... a massive 10 story scaffolding of bleachers was built primarily for the Worlds. Walking up over 100 steps in ski boots is not an easy task...but thousands of racing fans did it.  A huge deck on the backside of the stands provided for a beautiful sponsor's village with unlimited swag for kids and adults. A newly constructed lodge building houses the new VIP lounge and viewing area.  The former lodge served as a spacious and well organized "press tent".  If I only had on word to describe the finish area...that word would be impressive.  Beaver Creek is clearly ready to host the world's.

The races...while important...seemed to almost take a back seat to the impending rush and anticipation brought by the World Championships. 

Ted Ligety shredded to victory in GS at Birds of PreyNorway's Kjetil Jansrud won the downhill on Friday.  His third win in 7 days.  He described his victory as "the perfect run". "When it runs it runs" explained Jansrud, "it's a German saying" he said.    Jansrud is often considered "the other Norwegian" behind injured teammate Aksel Lund Svindal, but Kjetil has an Olympic Gold and Bronze to his credit and has won the first 3 downhills of the 2014-15 season.   Beat Feuz of Switzerland finished second.  Coming off a series of knee injuries Feuz was thrilled to return to the World Cup Podium.  American Steve Nyman let it rip for a great run finishing third.  Nyman a 32 year old veteran of 13 seasons on the U.S. Ski Team credited the U.S. squad's new conditioning coach Toni Beretzki along with a brand new equipment set-up for the win.  American Travis Ganong had an excellent result finishing 5th.

In the Super G. on Saturday Austrian Hannes Reichelt topped the field for his third Super G. win and 6th podium at Birds of Prey. Norway's Jansrud took second and Frenchman Alexis Pinturault third.   The difficult course set up appeared to throw some racers off their lines...but Reichelt was comfortable enough to take the win.   Andrew Weibrecht aka The War Horse, had a strong run and was the top American finishing 10th.  Ted Ligety nabbed 11th.

The Giant Slalom on Sunday was the race that all the fans were waiting for.   Ted "the Shred" Ligety did not disappoint the crowd taking first place with a super-duper come from behind 2nd run.   This was Ligety's 5th win at Birds of Prey.  Overheard in the press room "thats just Ted being Ted".  Ligety is the reigning Olympic Champ in GS and is now expected to win every week.  At Birds of Prey...Shred lived up to the expectations.  This was his 23rd World Cup win in the disipline and he trails only Ingemar Stenmark all-time.  Stenmark has 46 world cup wins in GS.   Pinturault from France finished 2nd and Austrian Marcel Hirscher took 3rd.   Perhaps the feel good story of the race was American David Chodounsky's 17th place finish.   Chod a slalom specialist started in the 66th position and raised his game to finish strong at 17.

She's Back!!! Lindsey Vonn takes the downhill.The U.S. ladies had it going on at Lake Louise, Alberta.  Lindsey Vonn in her first competition in 22 months since overcoming injuries led a U.S. sweep in the Downhill.  Vonn finished on top of the podium followed by teammates Stacey Cook in 2nd and Julia Mancuso in 3rd.   Vonn also grabbed 2nd in the SuperG.

All in All it was perhaps the best weekend of ski racing in U.S. Ski Team history.   The racers are ready and it appears that Vail / Beaver Creek is ready for the Alpine World Championships...just 60 days away. 

Birds of Prey GS Podium 1 Ligety USA 2 Pinturault Fra 3 Hirscher Aut

 
US ladies sweep the downhill at Lake Louise. Lindsey Vonn, Stacey Cook and Julia Mancuso

The Raptor and Birds of Prey at Beaver Creek.

Both the men and women made FIS World Cup stops in Beaver Creek.  The Womens races were dominated by Lara Gut who won Gold on the new Raptor downhill course and followed that up with another win in the Super G.  America's newest snowsports super-star, 18 year old Mikaela Shiffrin took second in the G.S., her first World Cup podium in that disipline. 

The men showed up with a foot of fresh snow and sub-zero temps.  Not ideal racing conditions...but they put on a show anyway.  The downhill on Friday was shredded by Aksel Lund Svindal.   Fireworks occurred on Sunday for the U.S. Ski Team as Ted Ligety and Bode Miller finished 1-2 in the G.S.  

It was freezing but Vail / Beaver Creek lived up to its status as one of the best ski racing tracks in the world.  Photos and video Courtesy  U.S. Ski Team, FIS, Vail Valley Foundation, Getty Images and ski racing mag.   For all the results click Raptor and Birds of Prey.

Lara Gut wins the Downhill and Super G on The Raptor course at Beaver Creek.Hometown favorite Mikeala Shiffrin raced to a second place finish in the GS at Beaver Creek.Aksel Lund Svindel ripped the fastest lap in the downhill at Beaver Creek.

 Ted Ligety and Bode Miller went 1-2 in the GS on Sunday at Beaver Creek.

First Tracks with the U.S. Ski Team

All the pre-season snow in Colorado has me fired up.  Copper Mountain and Loveland have been open for weeks.   Friday was FIRST TRACKS with the U.S. Ski Team, a pep rally and the official announcement of the Men's and Women's U.S. Alpine Ski Teams for 2013/14.   The skiers are gearing up for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi Russia.    Every year Copper hosts the U.S. Ski Team at their Speed Center.   It's the best full distance (downhill) training facility in the World at this time of year.  Copper pulls out all the stops and devotes the entire Eastern side of the resort, the Super Bee area, to the USSA racers.   In an Olympic year, things get a little bit more serious.  

            Click for pix:  FIRST TRACKS

First Tracks w/ the U.S. Ski TeamMake some turns, shoot some pix, interview Olympians...hellz yeah.  120 miles door-to-door from Aspen to Copper. So I loaded up the cruising vessel, threw the dog in the back and rolled over to Copper.  Boots; check, poles; check, gloves; check, goggles; check, rogain; check.    In addition to hosting the U.S. Ski teams, Copper is probably the epicenter in the U.S. for early season amateur race training.   1000's of kids from all over the U.S.A., Canada, Japan and other places converge on Copper in November. It's probably the largest collection of speed suits in the free world.  Some of the kids skip 2 full weeks of school to hone their ski racing skills.World Champ Mikaela Shiffrin is ready for Sochi 2014

Once the sun came up, a beautiful Colorado bluebird day greeted us.  Walking over to the lift I was surprised to see some familiar faces from Aspen.  Racers, coaches and crew who were at Copper for training.  It felt great to be back on the Mountain.

Booting up for the first day of the season is never pretty.  My feet don't really enjoy the super-tight fit of a ski boot...do yours?   Soon enough I was in the lift line...what a lift line?  It went pretty quick...but lift lines in Aspen are almost unheard of.  First turns...yeeeeeah,  back on snow, albeit man made and wind blown....wooooooooooooooot. The white ribbon of fear was moderately crowded...but it could've been much worse.  A couple of quick top to bottoms...and ski season 2013/14 was underway.

I decided to forgo the advice USSA media contact who said  "you should probably take the bus to the East Village, you're not supposed to ski over there from the top".   Not supposed to ski over there???  I came to shred girl?? Not to ride the shuttle.   So, at the top,  I ducked under the rope and pointed 'em downhill towards the Speed Center at Super Bee. Eventually I got to the starting gate where some of the U.S. Ski Team dudes were preparing for training runs. One of the guys milling around at the start happened to be MR. BODE MILLER.  Wut up, Bode?

Ted "Shred" Ligety getting grilled by Uncle E.An offical looking man, a coach type with a walkie talkie asked me sternly "what are you doing up here?"  I answered in my best Spicoli "skiing laps and takin' pix" and I flashed my super-cool media credential.  "You're not supposed to be up here" he said.  Ooops.  For a split second he thought about making me hike back up the hill, but then Bode jumped into the starting gate, pushed off and all eyes were on him.  After Bode ripped out of sight, the coach-type said into his walkie " I got a media guy up here, he's lost...can i send him down?"    The response took a few moments  "O.K. let him ski it...but tell him to keep his head up".  So while I didn't get to ski the gates...I did get to shred the longest training course in the U.S....which I enjoyed immensely.  At the bottom the entire U.S. team was hanging out doing interviews, taking pix and generally chilling.  Uncle E was there taping an episode of Snow Globe...his show about the U.S. Team.  It was casual and fun.   I actually got to rip a few more laps before the ladies took over the speed course.

Later that day the entire U.S. Ski Team, Alpine Division was introduced to a huge crowd at Burning Stones Plaza at the base of Copper.  Everybody was there, Bode Miller, Ted Ligety, Lindsey Vonn, Mikaela Shiffrin and more. The U.S. Ski Team has very high hopes for Sochi 2014 after their record setting season last year.  It was the best results of all-time with 5 World Championship medals,  33 World Cup podiums from 10 different athletes and 18 victories.   See the official roster here.  U.S. Alpine Team.  90 days to Sochi and the team looks ready.  U.S.A. ! U.S.A. !

I was a great first day.  Click for Pix:  FIRST TRACKS

Bode Miller is 100% healthy and hungry for more hardware. Click 4 pix.

USA's Golden Girl Lindsey Vonn is gearing up and getting healthy.The Men's and Women's U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Expectations are high. See you guys on the podium.