Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire will host the United States Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) Alpine Ski National Championships in 2019 and 2021. This is the first big event held at this resort in Central New Hampshire since a World Cup event took place in 1991. The Alpine National Championships has alternated between Sun Valley, Idaho and Sugarloaf, Maine the past few years.
“Waterville Valley will host the slalom events — regular, giant, and the newly added parallel slalom — while the downhill, super-G, and Alpine combined events will be contested at a venue to be announced.
Rather than relying on times to determine a winner, skiers race side-by-side in parallel slalom. Under present FIS guidelines, there is a qualifying round, after which 32 skiers compete across five heats.” – Boston Globe
This is big news for the resort and spectators alike. This mountain offers a 2000′ foot vertical drop with excellent snowmaking capabilities. Waterville is just east of Interstate 93 and is very easily accessed from Boston, MA, the closest major city. Waterville is approximately two hours from Boston. Tim Smith, the president and general manager of the resort has high hopes in terms of attendance numbers to the event.
“We have such big excitement around here that we think the numbers we did from the World Cup in the late 80s, early 90s will probably pale in comparison to the numbers we’ll be bringing in for this event,” said Tim Smith, president and general manager of Waterville Valley Resort.” – New Hampshire Public Radio
New England boasts a rich racing history, having served as the proving grounds for many of the teenage ski racers who head onto the World Cup and Olympics. Those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of skiing in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Maine, should know that it is frequently icy, cold, and fast. This creates ideal conditions for racing GS and Slalom.
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