More than $450,000 raised for the Killington World Cup Foundation as thousands of spectators cheered on the world’s top women ski racers at the 2021 HomeLight Killington Cup
KILLINGTON, Vt. (November 30, 2021) – Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and part of POWDR – an adventure lifestyle company, hosted the Audi FIS Ski Women’s World Cup over Thanksgiving weekend. U.S. Alpine Ski Team member and two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin won the slalom race for the fifth time in a row at Killington Resort in front of a sold-out crowd.
“The crowd here is so amazing. They are just pure ski racing lovers,” said Shiffrin after the race. “That’s something we really missed. I don’t want to take that for granted again. Not getting it last year reminded me how lucky we are to have these World Cup races here and to race in front of a crowd like this.”
The event sold out both days, bringing in 20,000 spectators to Killington Resort over the weekend. While 19 inches of fresh snow and wind canceled the giant slalom race on Saturday after nine racers, the fans stuck around for the World Cup experience, including a raucous festival village and a concert featuring DJ Z-Trip and O.A.R. Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s slalom was a different story, with sunshine and a high-energy crowd cheering on the world’s best ski racers throughout the day, who were thrilled to see hometown hero Shiffrin take the win and her teammate Paula Moltzan—a former University of Vermont racer—score a top-10 result.
“We’re thrilled with our fifth World Cup. Due to lots of work and wonderful help from our staff and volunteers, we were able to battle less than ideal weather conditions on Saturday and still put on a successful slalom race on Sunday,” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort and Pico Mountain. “We’ll carry this momentum into Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 with the Killington Cups return and the unveiling of the new K-1 Base Lodge.”
The HomeLight Killington Cup continues to focus on supporting the regional winter sports community by donating a percentage of ticket sales, including 100% of proceeds from general admission and VIP packages, to support the Killington World Cup Foundation. The foundation plans to give $150,000 to athlete housing and $300,000 in grants for 2022 from this year’s HomeLight Killington Cup. The grant application will open December through March and decisions will be made in June. For more information or to apply for a grant, visit kwcfgivesback.org.
“Hosting the HomeLight Killington Cup is still an honor for us at POWDR,” said Justin Sibley, CEO of POWDR. “Not only does it highlight and celebrate the sport of alpine skiing for female ski racers, it introduces thousands of new kids and families all over the world to the excitement and thrill of winter sports. This is a win for our employees, our community, our partners and all of the fans who are passionate enthusiasts about living an adventure lifestyle in the mountains.”
The HomeLight Killington Cup is slated to return to Killington for the sixth time over Thanksgiving weekend in 2022.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The HomeLight Killington Cup held an estimated 20,000 spectators across two days.
- Through VIP packages and a percentage of ticket sales, the event raised over $450,000 for the Killington World Cup Foundation, which benefits local and regional ski racing programs.
- The HomeLight Killington Cup was broadcast in more than 60 countries worldwide and was live on NBC in the United States.
- The HomeLight Killington Cup returns to Killington Resort on November 26-27, 2022.
- Over 300 volunteers took part in the event over two days.
- Due to inclement weather and high winds, the women’s giant slalom on Saturday, November 27 was canceled after a 30-minute delay and nine racers completing the course. The Festival Village and entertainment by DJ Z-Trip and O.A.R. continued as scheduled.
- 2021 Slalom Results
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- 1st Mikaela Shriffin (USA)
- 2nd Petra Vlhova (SVK)
- 3rd Wendy Holdener (SUI)
Images and b-roll of the HomeLight Killington Cup for media linked here.
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About Killington Resort
Killington Resort is a four-season destination sitting on 3,000 acres in the heart of Central Vermont’s Green Mountains. Known as The Beast of the East, Killington boasts 92 miles of diverse snow sports terrain spread across six peaks including Pico Mountain, served by the most expansive lift network and snowmaking system in Eastern North America. After the snow melts, Killington features an 18-hole championship golf course, the family-friendly Snowshed Adventure Center, 35 miles of mountain biking trails with expansion underway with Gravity Logic, plus 15 miles of hiking trails. The seemingly infinite après, dining, and lodging options have made Killington a world-class destination for East Coast skiers and riders for more than 60 years. Killington is part of the POWDR portfolio. Visit www.killington.com for more information and be social with #beast365.
About Killington World Cup Foundation
The “Killington World Cup Foundation” (KWCF) was created to benefit local and regional youth development programs, and to support the women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup at Killington Resort. KWCF will continue to provide grants to support the winter sports infrastructure and access to winter sports in the northeast, with the goal of creating lifelong participants in the sport. Visit kwcfgivesback.org for more information.
Contact:
Kristel Killary, Killington Resort: 802-422-6115 or kkillary@killington.com
Courtney Harkins, Elevate Communications: 978-314-1019 or charkins@elevatecom.com
