Mikaela Shiffrin will get a World Cup on home soil next season, but it won’t be in Killington or Beaver Creek.
The U.S. Alpine Ski Team announced Tuesday that Copper Mountain Resort will host a World Cup Alpine ski race for the first time. The Stifel Copper Cup will showcase women’s slalom and giant slalom events alongside men’s giant slalom and super-G from Nov. 27-30.
“Although I’ll miss racing at Killington this Thanksgiving, I am so excited that World Cup ski racing is coming to Copper Mountain for men and women,” Shiffrin stated in a press release.
The Killington World Cup has been held every year since 2016, with the exception of the COVID cancellation in 2020. Shiffrin, who attended nearby Burke Academy, won the first five slaloms held on the Superstar slope, plus another in 2023. She was leading the giant slalom in Killington on Nov. 30 when she crashed out on her second run and suffered an injury that sidelined her for 60 days.
The Killington event was postponed for 2025 because the resort is replacing the liftwhich services its World Cup venue. The new $12 million six-person Superstar chairlift won’t make its debut until next December. The women’s race is expected to return to Killington in 2026, according to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard press release.
The set of races at Copper Mountain mark the first stop of the World Cup’s North American swing for the men — who will also compete at the Birds of Prey in Beaver Creek Dec. 5-7. It’s also the only World Cup on U.S. soil for the women on the 2025-26 calendar, according to the release. The women competed on the Birds of Prey course for the first time this past December.
“With its top training facilities and proven track record of hosting international events, Copper Mountain represents the ideal venue for showcasing the highest level of alpine racing,” Sophie Goldschmidt, president and CEO of U.S. Ski and Snowboard, stated in the release.
Copper Mountain is home to several other elite snow sports events, including the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, the U.S. Revolution Tour, IFSA Junior Freeride and World Qualifier, and USASA Nationals. It also held World Cup races in 1976, 1999 and 2001, but those opportunities arose when originally chosen venues were unable to host due to poor snow conditions. The races in November are the first where the resort has been designated as the primary venue. Copper Mountain’s general manager Dustin Lyman said hosting is “a natural fit.”
“We are recognized as the athlete’s mountain in part because the world’s elite snow sports athletes train and compete on our venues,” Lyman said. Shiffrin agreed.
“Athletes from all around the globe come to Copper early in the season especially, and in springtime to get the best training in the world and best preparation for World Cup racing,” the Edwards skier added. “It’s so exciting to see Copper as a true World Cup race venue, and I’m particularly excited because it’s so close to home, I can sleep in my own bed and my community can come and experience it.”
Shiffrin is undeniably the woman to watch next November; the marquee man is another Edwards athlete: River Radamus. The 27-year-old, who posted a pair of top-10results at the Birds of Prey World Cup last December, will now have two chances to race his specialty, giant slalom, on Colorado snow.
“I’m so excited to see another U.S. World Cup event,” the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail alumnus stated. “I think this is huge for our sport and awesome, especially for our team. Nothing beats a home crowd!”