34,000 people from around the world attend Killington World Cup
By Victoria Gaither
The Stifel Killington Cup, a stop on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup tour, didn’t disappoint the 20,000 fans who came from near and far to watch world-class alpine women’s skiing Nov. 25-26.
“My family came from Pennsylvania to see Mikaela Shiffrin’s race. How many chances do you get to watch a hero in action,” said Bethany Smith.
Shiffrin brought her “A” game on day two of the race when she placed first in the slalom, in front of the home crowd. Shiffrin also earned a spot on the podium in the giant slalom, taking third place.
For Henri Rivers, a Stratton Mountain School ski race team member, being at the World Cup “gives me a good opportunity to see people at the elite level race and interact with fans.”
Andrea Emery, who came to Killington with the Quechee Ski Team, said of the World Cup, “This is the most amazing event to be able to see these fast woman racers from all over the world and have all of these great local teams to come together and show the spirit of Vermont Ski racing.”
She added, “This is the only time in the U.S. where our ski students can witness something like this, and on our home ground.”
Kate Ferguson, a mom and parent coordinator with the Proctor Jr. Ski Race team from Andover, New Hampshire, waited in the parade line with her ski kids.
Ferguson is taking in the day’s events and is happy about the opportunity for Proctor’s ski race team.
“They are so excited to watch the women to see how fast they go and see how intense ski racing can be,” she said.
Proctor only started its ski race team two years ago.
“The kids are going fantastic. We have a bigger crew this year and are ready to ski,”Ferguson said,
World Cup first timer Justin Bibb, who snowboards, said of his experience, “The sport is great, but there is a beauty aspect of the mountain when you are out here.”
Bibb’s father taught him how to snowboard and says it was a struggle, but he kept at it every winter and now enjoys the sport.
“I am at a point now where I am loving it, and it’s one of the best sports around,” he said.
So, being at the World Cup allows Bibb to see elite female racers who have also gone through ups and downs in their careers but keep skiing.
Jimmy Good, in USA gear, was cheering for Slovkian skier Petra Vlhova.
Good explained, “Our day has been fantastic. We root for Petra for our Slovakian friends. We have not missed a World Cup race ever. It’s truly amazing for us to experience the greatest skiers in the world right here in Killington, Vermont.”
Killington local, Kin Huttvanter, and his friends braved the cold to watch the race.
“It’s nice to see everyone out here and having a real good time and enjoying the sunlight and fresh air. We don’t have a ton of events in Vermont. It’s a small place, so it’s nice to see this kind of community,” Hutvanter said.
