Solitude Mountain Resort Joins Venue Line Up for 2019 World Championships

The World Championships, awarded to Utah in 2014, is scheduled for Feb. 1- 10, 2019 and will bring the best freestyle, freeskiing and snowboarding athletes to three resorts in the Wasatch mountains. In addition to the events at Solitude, Deer Valley Resort will host aerials, moguls and dual moguls, and Park City Mountain will host halfpipe and slopestyle snowboarding and freeskiing.

“Our partner resorts, as well as the communities of Park City, Salt Lake City and the Utah Sports Commission, have been extremely supportive of bringing major international skiing and snowboarding competitions to Utah,” stated USSA Vice President, Events Calum Clark. “Solitude is a great addition to our event partners and we are looking forward to having them as part of the U.S. Grand Prix and hosting a successful test event for 2019.”

The U.S. Grand Prix event will be the first major international skiing and snowboarding competition Solitude has hosted. Officials from the USSA, the International Ski Federation (FIS), Solitude Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort have been on site, inspecting the venue and mapping out the course, which includes a finish right in the Village at Solitude. An official site inspection is scheduled to take place in September.

“Adding Solitude as a third venue to the 2019 World Championships not only demonstrates the variety and access of skiing in Utah but the collaborative efforts of the local industry,” said Kim Mayhew, Solitude Mountain Resort general manager, “We are excited to host our first international event and can’t wait to showcase Solitude.”

Hosted every two years, the FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships is the second largest international skiing and snowboarding event behind the Olympic Winter Games. A full event schedule will be announced by the FIS leading up to the event.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Utah’s Solitude Mountain Resort will host the snowboardcross and ski cross events for the 2019 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships
• The USSA, its partner resorts and the Utah Sports Commission worked together to win the bid for Worlds in 2014  
• In preparation for Worlds, Solitude will host a test event, featuring a snowboardcross World Cup and ski cross exhibition event, Jan. 19 – 22, 2017
• The test event will be the second stop of the U.S. Grand Prix tour for the 2016-17 season
• Solitude joins Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain to host events for the 2019 Worlds, which will feature the world’s best freestyle, snowboarding and freeskiing athletes
• The 2019 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships are scheduled for Feb. 1-10, 2019
• The FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships happens every two years and is the second largest international skiing and snowboarding event behind the Olympic Winter Games

QUOTES

Calum Clark, Vice President, Events, USSA 

Our partner resorts, as well as the communities of Park City, Salt Lake City and the Utah Sports Commission, have been extremely supportive of bringing major international skiing and snowboarding competitions to Utah. Solitude is a great addition to our event partners and we are looking forward to having them as part of the U.S. Grand Prix and hosting a successful test event for 2019.

Kim Mayhew, General Manager, Solitude Mountain Resort 

Adding Solitude as a third venue to the 2019 World Championships not only demonstrates the variety and access of skiing in Utah but the collaborative efforts of the local industry. We are excited to host our first international event and can’t wait to showcase Solitude.

Bob Wheaton, President and General Manager, Deer Valley Resorts 

Deer Valley has been hosting successful international skiing competitions for over 15 years due to our long-standing relationship with both USSA and FIS. We are committed to supporting these organizations, the athletes and the sport and are looking forward to hosting a competition of this caliber at our newest resort.

Bill Rock, Chief Operating Officer, Park City Mountain 

Participating as a host venue for the 2019 World Championships is an honor for Park City Mountain. We are proud to be able to host a competition of this level at the same venue used during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Partnering with the USSA to bring the world’s best athletes to our mountain alongside Deer Valley Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort will mark another historic sporting occasion in the state of Utah.

Jeff Robbins, President & CEO, Utah Sports Commission 

The economic impact and media value coming from around the world to Utah from the 2019 World Championships will be significant. We are pleased to have Solitude join Utah’s portfolio of world-class sporting event venues.

Faye Gulini, Athlete, U.S. Snowboarding 

We travel all over the world for our races, so to have an event like World Champs in the U.S. right in my backyard is awesome. I’m really excited for the opportunity to compete in the U.S. Grand Prix this coming season and ride on the amazing terrain at Solitude.