2, 2015—The “Beast of the East” is one step closer to hosting an Audi FIS Ski World Cup in 2016, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in the eastern U.S. in 25 years. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Powdr Corp. are submitting their bid to the International Ski Federation (FIS) during the FIS fall meetings in Zurich this week.

“An eastern World Cup will have great impact on our sport by bringing the best ski racers in the world close to our largest population of USSA members and fans,” said USSA president and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Powdr Corp. has always been a strong partner for the USSA and we have confidence that Killington is well suited to produce an exceptional early season World Cup.”

The World Cup events, tentatively slated for Nov. 26-27, 2016 (Thanksgiving weekend), would include women’s giant slalom and slalom races. Aspen has traditionally hosted women's GS and slalom events during this portion of the World Cup calendar, but it is already scheduled to host the World Cup Finals in March 2017, and wants to focus on those events. Among the athletes likely to compete at the proposed Killington races are Julia Mancuso, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin.

“Killington is an ideal venue for World Cup skiing’s return to the East Coast, and to be considered for this event is a tremendous honor and opportunity for Killington and the surrounding community. We plan to hold the race on our Superstar trail … Snowmaking infrastructure on this trail received significant upgrades this summer, and this November race will allow us to showcase our world-class snowmaking system. Killington is thrilled to represent the entire state of Vermont to the international ski market,” said Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington.

The 2016-2017 FIS World Cup calendar will be finalized in June.