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Birds of Prey (ski course)

Birds of Prey
Downhill Course
Birds of Prey course in December 2011
Birds of Prey course in December 2011
Birds of PreyDownhill Course is located in the US
Birds of PreyDownhill Course
Birds of Prey
Downhill Course
Location in the United States
Location Eagle County, Colorado
Nearest city Avon, Colorado
Coordinates 39°34′59″N 106°31′23″W / 39.583°N 106.523°W / 39.583; -106.523 (Birds of Prey
Downhill Course
)
Coordinates: 39°34′59″N 106°31′23″W / 39.583°N 106.523°W / 39.583; -106.523 (Birds of Prey
Downhill Course
)
Vertical   2,470 ft (753 m)
Top elevation 11,427 ft (3,483 m)  
Base elevation   8,957 ft (2,730 m)
Snowmaking yes
Website www.bcworldcup.com/birdsofprey/

Birds of Prey is a World Cup downhill ski course in the western United States, located at Beaver Creek, Colorado. A regular stop on the men's World Cup tour, the races in Beaver Creek are usually held in early December. The course hosted the Alpine World Championships in February 1999 and 2015. With lower starting gates, it is also used for Super-G and Giant Slalom races.

The Birds of Prey course was developed for the 1999 World Championships, designed by 1972 Olympic champion Bernhard Russi. The first World Cup race was won by Kristian Ghedina of Italy in December 1997, but the course was then dominated by Austrians, led by the legendary Hermann Maier. He won three consecutive Birds of Prey downhills: the 1999 world title in front of 20,000 spectators, followed by World Cup victories in each of the next two seasons.

In December 2004, Americans Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves won the gold and silver in the World Cup downhill race, the first ever one-two finish for American men in a downhill, and the first in any event in over two decades, since Phil & Steve Mahre in the 1984 Olympic slalom. The two Americans switched positions on the podium the following year, as Rahlves joined Maier as a multiple winner. Miller joined them the next year and gained a third title on the course in December 2011.


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