Aspen…a place where the beer flows like wine; where beautiful women instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano. A place that’s going to be without a World Cup race in the 2017 season.
On Monday, the Aspen Daily News reported that Aspen will no longer host FIS World Cup races this year, as they will need to make upgrades to the venue.
In question are the 45-year-old Lift 1A double chair on the West Side of Aspen Mountain, which will need to be replaced and the restaurant known as Ruthie’s, which will need to be renovated.
“I completely understand the desire to upgrade the west side of Aspen Mountain and South Aspen Street. It needs a facelift, and we’d like to see an upgrade, for sure,” John Rigney, vice president, sales and events for Aspen Skiing Co. told the Aspen Daily News. “That said, the venue and the races were spectacular, and taking a world class racing site off the calendar, frankly, is ultimately a disservice to the racers, the fans and the sport of skiing.”
Aspen Skiing Co. has the blessing of the U.S. Forest Service to move forward with replacing the lift in question, but are still waiting for approval from the Aspen City Council. In the meantime, FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis says Killington, Vt. is the frontrunner to replace Aspen on the World Cup calendar.
The 2017 Audi FIS World Cup Finals were just held on Aspen Mountain last weekend. Mikaela Shiffrin, who hails from Vail, Colo., captured a crystal globe as the World Cup overall champion at the event.