Panorama Mountain Village will host Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Ladies Slalom and Giant Slalom races on November 24th and 25th, 2007.

Panorama first welcomed the Ladies World Cup in December 1989. The downhill, which ran the length of popular Skyline and Horseshoe, was then described by Canadian coach, Glenn Thomsen, as the best women’s downhill in North America and top five in the world due to the sheer vertical drop that Panorama is renowned for.

When considered for the return of the World Cup, Panorama Mountain Village was chosen by the International Ski Federation (FIS) not only for its long history in ski racing, but because it is a secure location for early season races.

Current temperatures are below freezing, and the snowmaking team is preparing Old Timer and Hay Fever for the upcoming events.

“The snow crystals we are currently producing have higher moisture content than average. The snow is fast and perfect for ski racing”, explains Snowmaking Manager, Todd Partington.

Grooming Supervisor, Mark Tripps, is working closely with Bruce Hampstead, Executive Director of Canadian World Cup Events, to shape the runs. The biggest challenge is the steeps of Hay Fever, which require the use of winch-cats fixed down by large cables to climb steep pitches.

Although Hay Fever is a challenging run to prepare, it promises to be among this year’s most exciting slalom events on the World Cup circuit. According to Dusan Grasic, Alpine Canada Program Director, “The slalom event will be fantastic. First, it’s a brand new run on the circuit, so racers haven’t had a chance to ski it before. Second, no slalom event is more challenging because Hay Fever is much steeper than what racers are used to on slalom runs. The breakover at the start of the course will be a great feature and will bring some excitement to the course.”