BEAVER CREEK —
Heavy snowfall forced race organizers to postpone a men’s World Cup super-G originally scheduled for Saturday.
The race has been rescheduled for Monday at 10 a.m.
The falling snow decreased visibility on the slope, posing a danger in the speed events. Skiers racing a super-G on the Birds of Prey course can reach speeds up to 60 mph.
While snowfalls stopped later Saturday morning, six inches of fresh snow was too much for crews to clear from the carefully prepared racing surface in time to stage a race.
Variable snowfalls during Friday’s downhill meant some skiers, such as Steven Nyman of Provo, Utah, had worse visibility than others. Nyman finished runner-up behind Austria’s Michael Walchhofer, ending the U.S. men’s four-year downhill winning streak at home.
“It’s an outdoor sport. This isn’t knitting,” said Bode Miller, when asked about the disruptions weather can cause in ski racing.
The super-G, last staged on the Birds of Prey course two years ago, replaced the slalom this year. Austrian racers won the last two super-G races in Beaver Creek in 2004 and 2005.
No American man has ever won a super-G at Beaver Creek.
Sunday’s giant slalom is expected to run as scheduled.
