A 10-day party
While the Stifel Birds of Prey ski races have long established themselves as a tradition in the Valley, 2024’s edition of the event will bring a slew of exciting new changes.
Most notably, we are thrilled to welcome the best women’s Alpine ski racers in the world to Beaver Creek for the first time since 2015, in addition to having the men’s racers back for another year of exhilarating World Cup ski racing. The addition of a subsequent weekend of women’s racing is turning what has been a treasured weekend of men’s racing and events into a massive 10-day festival celebrating ski racing, the Vail Valley, music, and the beginning of another winter in our beautiful community.
The back-to-back weekends of competition will allow for daily giveaways, sponsor activations, FREE live music, and other festival staples to continue all week long from the opening day of men’s racing on Dec. 6 through the final women’s race on December 15. It will be an action-packed event from beginning to end, and you won’t want to miss a moment.
Enjoy plenty of live music
Live music will be ever-present throughout the 10-day festival, including multiple FREE shows along Birds of Prey Way in Beaver Creek Village, featuring performances from Yonder Mountain String Band, Grace Bowers & the Hodge Podge, Sparkle City Disco, and more.
Plus, for the first time ever, Stifel Birds of Prey festivities are coming to Vail! World-renowned DJ Tiësto is bringing his electrifying beats to the Ford Park Parking Lot on Friday, Dec. 13 to hype up the crowd and help kick off Women's Weekend.
Music will also fill the beautiful Vilar Performing Arts Center, with multiple incredible performances to complement the race festivities! On both weekends of the festival, head to the iconic indoor venue to catch shows from Elephant Revival, Big Head Todd & The Monsters, and Grace Potter, plus enjoy film screenings of stoke-inducing ski films such as Teton Gravity Research's 'Beyond the Fantasy,' Warren Miller's '75,' and more.
Double the fun
Two weekends of racing means two of some festival favorites! Beers of Prey is returning to Beaver Creek Village for the 8th year, with craft beer samplings of limited-edition, seasonal, and fan-favorite brews. This year, guests can enjoy two days of libations, with events taking place on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. Tickets go on sale soon.
Looking for some free, family-friendly fun? New for 2024, festival-goers will have the opportunity to "Meet the Cats and Dogs of Beaver Creek!" Beaver Creek Resort's hard-working avalanche dogs will be hanging out by the bus stop at John and Karen Arnold Red Tail Stadium, ready to greet folks as they arrive. Guests will also have the chance to get an up-close look at the Prinoth Snowcats that build the Birds of Prey Course.
Racers to watch
Between the men’s and women’s sides, there will be countless legendary racers and household names competing on the iconic slopes of Beaver Creek.
- Marco Odermatt: Odermatt is no stranger to the Birds of Prey course. The Swiss racer is better now than he was back when he won the Super-G race at both the 2019 and 2021 events — he’s won the last three overall titles, GS titles as well as the 2023 and 2024 Super-G titles and the 2024 downhill. Odermatt is the most dominant male skier on the course right now, and he is sure to be a contender once again at the Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup.
- Aleksander Aamodt Kilde: Another racer with winning experience in Beaver Creek, Kilde is sure to contend for the leaderboard if he is healthy when Birds of Prey rolls around. Sweeping the Super-G and downhill in 2022 and winning the downhill and second Super-G race in 2021, Kilde is very comfortable on this course. The Norwegian has a World Cup Super-G title and a couple of downhill titles to his name as well. If the 31-year-old can recover from a recent injury and get back to racing by December, he will certainly be a fan-favorite to look out for.
- River Radamus: With the addition of giant slalom on the men’s side, keep an eye on Radamus. The Edwards native specializes in the event, just missing the
podium at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics with a fourth-place finish. Radamus secured his first career podium finish on the World Cup circuit in 2024, placing third in GS at Palisades Tahoe in February. With a chance to reach the podium in his best event and a home crowd behind him, the 26-year-old is certainly a racer to watch. - Lara Gut-Behrami: In 2024, this Swiss skier surged to the overall, Super-G and GS titles and finished second in the downhill standings. The outstanding season added to her illustrious career that now includes five Super-G titles and two overall titles. The 33-year-old swept the 2014 World Cup Super-G and downhill in Beaver Creek, took bronze in Super-G on Birds of Prey at the 2015 World Championships and more recently took home gold in the event at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Gut-Behrami is the current queen of Super-G and is the racer to watch come December.
- Bella Wright: Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, Isabella Wright is the top downhiller on the women’s side for the Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team. Wright’s best season of her career came in 2023, where she finished 17th in the downhill standings and nabbed her best career finish with a seventh place in Soldeu, Andorra. Wright likely has the best chance of any American to nab a podium finish in the women’s downhill on December 14th.
- Mikaela Shiffrin: Of course, the star of the show all week long will be Shiffrin. The Edwards native is the indisputable greatest ski racer of all time. Her 97 career World Cup wins are 11 more than any other ski racer — man or woman — and she also owns 16 World Cup titles, five of which are overall globes. Despite specializing in the tech events, Shiffrin has won five World Cup Super-G races and four downhills. She owns three Olympic medals including two golds. She’s the GOAT, and it goes without saying that the crowds will most certainly be out in full force to support Shiffrin at her hometown races in December.
Elevate your experience
The Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup ski races are back once again with enticing VIP packages available for purchase.
Entry to the VIP experience includes incredible perks such as access to the VIP heated tent, prime race viewing from indoor and outdoor viewing areas as well as live television coverage of the races, and an array of food and beverage offerings including brunch and snack offerings, a full lunch buffet, coffee and other non-alcoholic beverages, and a custom bar featuring limited alcoholic beverage selections.
If you are looking for an even more exclusive experience, packages are also available for the Birds Eye View experience.
This incredible offering includes a VIP shuttle service for two to and from the finish area, complimentary valet vehicle parking in Beaver Creek Village, access to gourmet food stations in the VIP tent, VIP gift bags, a dedicated bar service and, of course, access to the private, elevated viewing deck within the main VIP area for the best views of the course available.
The Birds Eye View experience is the premier way to take in Birds of Prey, so don’t miss your chance at such an amazing offering!
