Birds of Prey (ski course)
The Birds of Prey ( Raptors dt ) is a Skirennstrecke in Beaver Creek Resort in Vail in the U.S. state of Colorado. On her downhill and super - G of the Alpine World Skiing Championships 1999 were held. She is also the venue of World Cup races annually. The runway is considered very demanding - the descent part next to the Pista Stelvio in Bormio and the Streif in Kitzbühel to the toughest in the World Cup.
History
The Bird of Prey piste was designed by Bernhard Russi for the 1999 Alpine World Ski Championships in the summer of 1997. At the first race of the championships, the Super -G, were Lasse Kjus and Hermann Maier at the same time world champion. The third, Hans Knauss, only 1/100 second lay back. The departure Maier won before Kjus and Kjetil André Aamodt. The latter won the combination whose departure was also held on the Birds of Prey, before Kjus and Paul Accola. The other contests took place in the nearby Vail. Lasse Kjus succeeded it as the only skier in history to win medals in all five disciplines.
Since the 1997/1998 season, Beaver Creek has established with the Birds of Prey as an annual host of World Cup races. This end of November or early December are usually driven. In addition to downhill and super -G found on the Raptor slopes even World Cup giant slalom, slalom and super outfits instead. The most successful athlete on this route is Hermann Maier, who, besides two gold medals in 1999 and won five World Cup races here. 2009 won Carlo Janka on the Birds of Prey as only the second athlete in the history of the World Cup with three wins in three different disciplines within three days.
On December 7, 2011 for the first time a World Cup race of the ladies on the Birds of Prey took place: Lindsey Vonn won a super -G, which could not be performed at the criterion of the first snow in Val d'Isere.
Winners List Men
The following table shows the winners of all World Cup races, which were previously held on the Birds of Prey. In the years 1997 and 2003 were each two runs, in 2011, two giant slaloms instead.