The U.S. Ski Team and Keystone have reached agreement that will allow the team exclusive early season training privileges on North Peak.
Finding training venues often has been a challenge for the team in the weeks leading up to World Cup races in Aspen and Beaver Creek. The new agreement eliminates the uncertainty of the past and allows the team to consolidate all of its training at one venue.
“We’re going to be able to organize the training around our needs,” ski team alpine director Jesse Hunt said. “We’re looking forward to having all of our teams together. Typically at that time of year we’ve been spread out at different sites. Being able to bring the whole team together is really going to add to our team environment and the quality of the training.”
Keystone has installed new snowmaking guns on North Peak’s Starfire trail, and they began operation Thursday morning shortly after midnight. The team expects to begin training there Nov. 5 after season-opening World Cup giant slalom races in Soelden, Austria (Oct 28-29).
The ski team used to train on North Peak but in recent years it has had teams spread out at various Front Range resorts. Often they had to vacate the hill to get out of the way for public skiing when the lifts opened. On North Peak they will be able to train all day.
The agreement is for one year, but both parties hope to make it a long-term relationship.
“It is a story come full circle,” said Chuck Tolton, Keystone director of mountain operations. “However, a variety of things have changed in the interim, not the least of which is changes in technology and snowmaking and what we think Keystone has to offer. The upgrades and the improvements and enhancements in our snowmaking system allow us to eke this out, taking advantage of every window of (low) temperature to be able to get that snow on the ground far more efficiently than ever before.”
North Peak also offers the team a run with lots of variety, which makes for good training.
“It’s challenging,” Hunt said. “It has a little bit of everything. It has medium to steep pitches, it has a little bench just off the top, it’s got a little side hill off to the left at the top, it’s got some knolls, a major breakover just down from the top. It’s offering a lot of different options in terms of terrain, which is something that’s really important for us.”
Aspen will host women’s World Cup giant slalom and slalom races Nov. 28-29. Beaver Creek will host men’s downhill, combined, giant slalom and slalom Nov. 28-Dec. 3. They are the only American stops on the alpine World Cup.
