Ski notes: World Pro Ski Tour returns to Aspen Mountain; Oldham named to World Cup team
The World Pro Ski Tour (WPST) is back in town this weekend, with races taking place Saturday and Sunday from the base of Aspen Mountain. This is the first scheduled stop of the 2025 WPST season.
For those unfamiliar, the WPST features head-to-head super slalom ski racing in a bracket-style format, so it’s about beating the racer next to you and not so much a clock. This style of racing was especially popular in the 1970s and ’80s, while the current WPST was launched in 2017 after more than two decades of dormancy.
The history of WPST goes back to 1969, when Aspen’s own Bob Beattie helped found World Pro Skiing, which saw legendary skiers such as Billy Kidd, Spider Sabich, and Jean-Claude Killy compete in races. Many of those races took place in Aspen.
Athlete registration took place on Thursday for the Aspen races, while pro qualifying for both men and women will begin at noon on Friday. Racing really begins Saturday with the Colorado Pro Open and then Sunday with the Aspen Pro Open. Both races begin at 11 a.m. and will go through the afternoon, ending with the awards recognition.
Racers can include just about anyone, from Olympians to current World Cup athletes, to college skiers, and aspiring professionals.
Spectating is free, and the racing can be viewed from both the base area, near the Silver Queen Gondola, and from the ski slope itself, although a lift ticket will be needed to access the mountain via skis or snowboard.
Last January, Michael Ankeny and Christian Soevik won the men’s races in Aspen, while Sara Rask and Erin Mielzynski won the two women’s races.
After Aspen Mountain, the WPST has also announced races at Tenney Mountain Resort in New Hampshire on March 15 and 16. A third event, to be announced later, is likely.
Oldham to compete on Nordic World Cup
Carbondale’s Kate Oldham, a product of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and Colorado Rocky Mountain School, is soon headed to the World Cup for Nordic skiing.
The 22-year-old student at Montana State University won the U.S. national championship in the 10-kilometer freestyle on Jan. 2 in Alaska, part of a strong overall showing that week from the up-and-comer. This included two top-10 finishes in the SuperTour races, notably a third-place in the 1.3km freestyle final on Jan. 7.
Her results mean Oldham will get to compete at the Junior World Championships next month in Italy — she also competed at junior worlds in 2022 — and has officially been named to the women’s World Cup team for Period 3, putting her on a roster that also includes American standouts Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, and Julia Kern, among others.
Buttermilk ready to take center stage
Halfpipe mania is soon to begin in Aspen, with the first of three major pipe and park events scheduled for Buttermilk Ski Area only weeks away.
First will be the return of Winter X Games from Jan. 23-25. The schedule has been adjusted from past years, and it will run from Thursday through Saturday, with no contests on Sunday. Also new this winter is the requirement of purchased tickets to access the venue.
On top of the halfpipe contests for skiers and snowboarders, X Games will feature slopestyle, big air, knuckle huck, and streetstyle competitions. There again are no motorsports this winter.
Following three days of X Games, there will be a few days to reset before the Jan. 30-Feb. 6 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air takes the stage. A World Cup event, these contests will feature a much larger field of athletes with qualifiers determining who advances to finals. Expect to see many of the same X Games athletes stick around for the Grand Prix.
About a month later, Shaun White’s The Snow League will make its worldwide debut at Buttermilk. Scheduled for March 7-8, details are still forthcoming, but many big named athletes have been invited to take part in what is being billed as a radically new format for halfpipe events, featuring more head-to-head style competition.
While freeskiing will be included as part of the Snow League in the future, the Aspen debut will be for snowboarders only.
By: Austin ColbertI Aspen Times I January 10, 2025