While the Olympic season has officially come to an end, members of the U.S. Women’s speed group got together at Beaver Creek March 25-27 for a late season Super-G session on the new Raptor Women’s Downhill racecourse in anticipation of next winter’s 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.
The Ski Team contingent included Olympic Slalom champion Mikaela Shiffrin, Stacey Cook, Leanne Smith, Laurenne Ross and Julia Ford. Shiffrin also had the opportunity to get in some training runs later in the week on the Raven Ridge track, one of the proposed locations for the World Championships Women’s Giant Slalom.
The Giant Slalom test was run in conjunction with the annual visit by FIS race professionals and a Host Broadcaster television inspection. Shiffrin’s test runs enabled FIS officials to see how a Giant Slalom would flow on the proposed course, as no competitions have been conducted on Raven Ridge, while also allowing broadcasters to plan for possible camera placement and scaffolding.