FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis said that while Aspen did an "excellent job" hosting the Audi World Cup Finals last week, it must "meet conditions before the ski races will return," according to Scott Condon of the ASPEN TIMES. The FIS has "insisted that Lift 1A be replaced with a faster chair and that other facilities on the mountain and at the base be improved." Lewis was "highly complimentary" of the way the Aspen community and Aspen Skiing "teamed with the U.S. Ski Team and the FIS to put on the finals." USSA VP/Communications Tom Kelly said that an "estimated 30,000 spectators watched" the men's and women's speed and technical races over the five days. Kelly: "It's fair to say we do want to come back to Aspen." But Lewis said that, as it stands now, "no races are scheduled in Aspen" on the '17-18 calendar. Aspen Skiing VP/Sales & Special Events John Rigney said that Aspen is "ready to host World Cup events as soon as next season," and it is "up to the U.S. Ski Team and FIS if that happens." The slow speed of Lift 1A "wasn't an issue during the World Cup Finals because the weather was so warm and skies were clear." Lewis "stressed that the FIS isn't making 'Formula One demands' that need to be made simply for the benefit of sporting competition" (ASPEN TIMES, 3/20).
LIFTED ON HIGH: In Aspen, Madeleine Osberger wrote it "says a lot about Aspen’s renewed love of ski racing" that the opening races "accounted for more than 4,700 scanned lift passes, capacity crowds in the grandstands and spectators who spilled over all sides of the slushy Lift 1A venue." From course preparation to crowd sizes, Aspen "proved unequivocally it could rise up and put its best ski boot forward, that the combined efforts of staffers, volunteers and the public at large could produce an event far greater than the sum of its individual parts" (ASPEN DAILY NEWS, 3/19). Osberger notes Aspen Skiing has "approval from the U.S. Forest Service for a new quad chairlift, but its installation is tied" to a hotel application for the Gorsuch Haus, which the Aspen City Council "will review again next week." Meanwhile, Kelly said that the cumulative TV ratings for this season’s U.S. events were "impressive." There also were a "smattering of other disciplines that could set viewership records" (ASPEN DAILY NEWS, 3/20).
