Cold temperatures are being put to good use at Killington Ski Resort, which is gearing up to host the top female ski racers from 21 countries in the Stifel Killington Cup over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 29-Dec. 1.
Tens of thousands of fans are expected to watch crowd favorites like Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Gut-Behrami and former University of Vermont skier Paula Moltzan slice through slalom and giant slalom courses at break neck speeds.
Greg Gleason, Killington resort’s snowmaking manager, said Superstar, the race trail, needs at least four feet of snow by Nov. 21 to greenlight the competition.
Reached Tuesday, he said he was optimistic it would happen because of the recent cold snap.
“We got temps early this morning so the crews been out since about 7:30 and we’re firing up guns as we speak —250 of them," Gleason said.
On a 20 degree day, with all their guns deployed, Gleason said the resort can cover two acres with one foot of snow per hour.
"When the wind is calm and quite cold, you cannot see the trail," he said. "It’s a whiteout.”
Gleason said new snowmaking guns and continued cold temperatures this week will make his job easier and allow the resort to expand the number of trails it usually opens at the start the season.
More from Grist: Greener snowmaking is helping ski resorts weather climate change
Local business owners say the race is a great way to start the season. Kelly Blair of Peak Performance Ski Shop said the competition is a huge economic driver for the region.
“We see a large increase in the people that are coming through the store," she said. "They want to get a little piece of Killington, and they spend time in the restaurants and the stores and have fun and get to see the area."
She says the international exposure from the event lasts well beyond the weekend and all season. She says visitors will want to see the trail where Shiffrin and the other racers competed.
"Superstar's like the big hit. It's the most visible as you're driving up the access road, and they want to go ski it," Blair said. "You can see it from our store. So it's a kind of inspiration all the time for skiers as they drive up, especially young racers."
This will be the eighth time Killington has hosted the international competition. You can find more information on the races and about how to get tickets here.
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