Back in its heyday, the World Pro Ski Tour (WPST) was a larger production that athletes flocked to in the same way as modern World Cup races.

After more than two decades of dormancy, the WPST returned in 2017 and survived the pandemic and economic instability with hopes of becoming what it used to be. New Chairman Christopher Neary is now at the forefront of making today’s tour every bit as beloved as it used to be, and the skis are in motion to make it reality.

“We are real psyched to be back and be able to connect some of the links with the consumer brands and sponsors that we need in order to make this thing work and allow these athletes to make a career here on the World Pro Ski Tour,” Neary said on Saturday from the base of Aspen Mountain.

“So back in the ’70s and ’80s, this race tour had about 13 races a year,” he continued. “Not only in North America, but in Japan, as well, and South America — Chile to be specific. And we are at this point looking to get back to there.”

The 2025 WPST season kicked off on Saturday with the Mazda Colorado Pro Open, the first of two days of super slalom ski racing from the base of Aspen Mountain. Unlike the World Cup, where skiers race against a clock, the WPST is about head-to-head racing, with skiers battling through a bracket to be the final two racing.

Qualifying took place on Friday. The final brackets on Saturday began with 16 women and 32 men. Skiers were given two runs, one on each course, with the best combined time advancing.

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.

“Aspen is a great spot where we can bring marketing folks from around the world and just the cachet of Aspen is a great place to bring it as an opener every year,” Neary said.

This season will be “abbreviated,” according to Neary, with only two stops planned. After Aspen this weekend, there will be races March 14-16 at Tenney Mountain Resort, located a few hours from Boston, and that will bring the WPST season to an end.

The 2026 campaign, however, could look completely different if Neary has his way.

“What we are doing is taking one step back this year in order to get our grounding, and then we are going to be looking at a 10-race tour going forward after that,” he said. “We are going to give this as much marketing runway so we can.”

He did confirm he hopes to have Aspen as a regular stop, if not the season opener, each year. His team was sticking around on Monday to meet with Aspen Skiing Company officials to lock in dates for next winter.

SkiCo CEO Geoff Buchheister was on hand Saturday and had a few things to say during the podium celebration. Of note, Buchheister is a former University of Colorado ski racer, while his daughter, Stella Buchheister, is currently on the University of Denver ski team.

A majority of Saturday’s field was made of current or former college ski racers, many with international origins.

“There are a lot of NCAA athletes in this field. I was one of them back in the day. Huge congratulations to every single collegiate athlete that is out here making it happen,” Geoff Buchheister said.

“Every day I show up to work, I think about being able to deliver the best skiing experience in the world in the best ski town in the world, and part of that is having the best events in the world,” he continued. “So, we are honored to work with the World Pro Ski Tour and all of these great people coming to Aspen and celebrating athletic achievement.”

Racing to the finish

As for Saturday’s results, Norway’s Christian Soevik outdueled the Czech Republic’s Filip Forejtek for the win in the men’s bracket. Soevik, a current DU racer, was the top seed and has won WPST races multiple times to date, including one of the 2024 Aspen races.

Finishing third among the men was Norway’s Filip Wahlqvist, who beat Glenwood Springs native Cooper Cornelius in the small final. This was the WPST debut for Cornelius, a former U.S. Ski Team member who also currently skis for the Pioneers. Wahlqvist, another WPST newcomer, skis for CU.

“It’s always a good feeling. I love racing at home,” Cornelius said before the semifinals. “It’s one of my favorite places in the entire world. Just happy I can make it this far.”

The women’s winner on Saturday was Sweden’s Sara Rask, another DU skier. She also won one of the two Aspen races in 2024. In the final, Rask beat Canada’s Erin Mielzynski, a three-time Olympian who has won multiple times on the WPST. Mielzynski was the top seed after qualifying, while Rask was third.

Norway’s Tuva Norbye, a past WPST winner in Aspen who now lives and coaches locally, was third, beating Italy’s Giulia Tintorri in the small final.

Another day of racing will take place Sunday, with the same athletes doing it all over again, this time in the Aspen Pro Open, presented by Celsius. Racing begins at 11 a.m. from the base of Aspen Mountain. Spectating is free in person, and races can be watched live from anywhere via the tour’s social media channels.

Organizers expect an easier time of it on Sunday after snowfall overnight on Friday into Saturday left course builders scrambling to make the venue race ready.

“It’s amazing,” Soevik said. “We got a lot of snow today, so thank you to all the volunteers and everyone helping out. It’s been a great race.”

This story is from AspenTimes.com