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Copper Mountain set to unveil US Ski Team training hill |
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Tuesday, October 25, 2011 08:19 |
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By John Meyer, The Denver Post
Beaver Creek has long been the U.S. Ski Team's best friend, hosting World Cup downhill races annually and the world alpine ski championships in 1989 and 1999 — with another coming in 2015.
But if U.S. racers perform well in men's races there Dec. 2-4, Copper Mountain could deserve a lot of credit in a supporting role.
Sometime around Nov. 12, the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper will debut with the only full-length downhill training in the world this early in the season. Bill Marolt, the ski team's chief executive, calls the long-term deal a "game changer" for his racers, and it's certainly the most significant news in Colorado ski area improvements this season.
While European downhillers will have to scramble for training slopes that cannot duplicate World Cup downhill conditions, the U.S. team can be in full downhill training mode on a slope nearly two miles long with a 2,300-foot vertical drop. That could give U.S. racers a huge advantage at Beaver Creek and Canada's Lake Louise, traditionally the first downhills of the season.
"It will provide unparalleled training for our elite athletes prior to the World Cup season," Marolt said, "and play an integral role in our strategic development plan for the next generation."
Read more about the new training area at Copper.
PHOTO: Colorado's early snow should be a bonus for the U.S. Team, which will have a "game changer" training run at Copper Mountain. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post
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