ALPINE:

Winds force cancellation of Birds of Prey downhill

Dec. 3, 2010  — The Canadian Press     ♦ Photo: The Birds of Prey course (U.S. Ski Team)

BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — Strong winds forced the cancellation of a World Cup downhill race on Friday at Beaver Creek, Colo., and it's unclear when or if the run will be rescheduled.

The winds along the demanding Birds of Prey course reached gusts of up to 40 mph in spots Friday, making for unsafe conditions.

"It almost makes you want to cry because you don't get the run in," U.S. coach Sasha Rearick said. "And the snow is perfect, the track is awesome. … But it was blowing pretty hard.

"We like to run in wind. It's an outdoor sport, but safety is an important thing and uphill gusts on a big jump are dangerous."

In hopes of getting the race in, event organizers earlier moved the start of the competition down the hill to where the super-G typically begins, cutting off nearly one-fifth of the course. After a 2½-hour delay, the race was called off.

The organizers were setting the course for the super-G that's scheduled for Saturday, with a concluding giant slalom session on Sunday.

This was the first time the downhill race was canceled at Beaver Creek.

"We lose a race on the home snow, but that's the way it is," Rearick said. "I've been pushing to try to race on Monday, but it seems like that is not going to happen."

Switzerland's Carlo Janka won all three events at Beaver Creek last season. S-Magazine