For ski racing fans, the first weekend in December (Dec 1—3) has been circled on the calendar for months. That’s when the Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Beaver Creek (say that 10 times fast!) takes place and Beaver Creek becomes the epicenter of international ski racing. If you can find the Birds of Prey ski run on Beaver Creek’s trail map, you get a sense of how long that course is, but the place to be is cheering with the raucous crowds in the Red Tail Finish Stadium at the bottom of the run. Tom Boyd, spokesperson for the Vail Valley Foundation, the nonprofit that puts on this event, puts it all into perspective.

VBC: How would you explain World Cup to someone who has never been?

Tom Boyd: “It’s like a window into the Olympics. We get the best racers in the world. Birds of Prey is voted by athletes and coaches as the number one course on the circuit and you get to go to the stadium for free. There are very few places in the world that have the infrastructure, the climate, and the team to put that together. There’s a lot of energy and excitement and tons of languages and international culture all contained in the snow globe village of Beaver Creek.

Alpine ski racing is made up of several different races. What can we expect at Birds of Prey?

It’s all about speed events—downhill and super G. Downhill is a test of fear and strength. How do you manage your fear, and do you have the strength to stay on your feet? The course is super steep and closer to an ice rink than it is a recreational ski run. It’s about the balance between letting the skis run and losing control. Super G is about how well you can carve and strategize at high speed. Some experts say it’s the purest test of skiing ability because it’s technical prowess at high speed.

Who should we keep an eye on?

Everyone is a River Radamus fan for at least one day a year. He grew up in Vail and he’s a technical racer. Last year he went from 57th to 16th in super G. He’s done it before; the question is can he do it again? And hey, how about Mikaela Shiffrin’s boyfriend, Aleksander Kilde from Norway? He’s on course to knock off Ted Ligety as GS champ in terms of the number of wins on hill. 

What else can you tell us?

This is ski racing, and getting to the course is harder than getting to a Broncos game. You want to get here early because you have to go to the Beaver Creek base village and catch a bus up to Red Tail Stadium. Also, don’t miss the parties: There’s Beers of Prey, which is a specialty beer tasting that always sells out. We’ve got ski-related movies at Vilar Center and giveaways from sponsors.