SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 21, 2017—FIS should be thrilled with Aspen after the resort hosted a tremendously successful World Cup finals event that drew huge crowds, had excellent TV ratings, and garnered compliments from competitors, right? Not according to FIS secretary general Sarah Lewis.

Lewis said FIS World Cup races wouldn't return to Aspen until some “technical requirements” are resolved, including a new lift to replace the 45-year-old double that serves the race venue, and an improved base area venue. Lewis also noted that Ruthie's restaurant, which hasn't operated in years but was reopened to provide racer support services for the event, was “derelict.” The chairlift and base area issues were reportedly raised by FIS and USSA three years ago.

SkiCo has approval from the U.S. Forest Service for a new quad chairlift, but its installation is tied to the Gorsuch Haus hotel application, which the Aspen City Council will review again next week, according to the Aspen Daily News.

John Rigney, VP of sales and events for SkiCo, said, “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. 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.”

Rigney hoped that the positive feedback organizers received from several race teams about the 2017 finals will be considered in any of the FIS future decisions. “The racing world got to see the experience that Aspen offers, and I got the distinct feeling that athletes and their federations genuinely want to come back again and again,” he said.

Aspen's traditional November dates on the World Cup racing calendar opened up this season since it was hosting the finals, and Killington, Vt., was chosen as the venue for the early-season event. The Killington races were tremendously successful, drawing an estimated 30,000 spectators and the admiration of both FIS and co-organizer USSA.

Now that Aspen has been taken off the calendar for the time being, things are looking good for Killington. “I think as far as I'm aware, Killington is shaping up to be the destination,” Lewis said, praising the resort's “terrific” series over Thanksgiving weekend.

If the World Cup races are to return to Aspen, Lewis said, the lift and other services must be improved.

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