Rio Tinto Whistler Cup Welcomes World Cup Stars to Celebrate 20th Year | BC Alpine Ski Association


Whistler Cup 2012, presented by Rio Tinto Alcan
20th Anniversary – April 6 to 8 in Whistler

Great news! 

World Cup stars will be on hand to help celebrate 20 years of Whistler Cup.  Watch for appearances by Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Robbie Dixon, Manual Osborne-Paradis and Mike Janyk as well as Erin Mielzynski of Ontario, who gained notoriety this year when she won a World Cup slalom race in Germany.

Organizers are also thrilled to welcome, all the way from Slovenia, multiple World Cup and Olympic medalist Tina Maze!

Opening Ceremonies will take place Friday, April 6th  @ 5:00 PM in Whistler Village

WHISTLER CUP 2012 – 20 Years of Fascinating Facts

  • 113,300 times that course slippers have snowplowed the course to smooth out ruts
  • 24,338 holes drilled into the snow to secure the gates for skiers
  • 4,379 young racers, male and female, have raced in Whistler Cup
  • 284 volunteers are required to run Whistler Cup in a given year
  • 176 Whistler Cup alumni went on to the World Cup circuit skiing
  • 96% of the Canadian Alpine Ski Team came to Whistler Cup
  • 70% of the CDN Ski Cross Team came to Whistler Cup
  • 45 countries have been represented at the Whistler Cup 
  • 3 founding members came up with the idea in 1993 to organize ‘Whistler Cup’
  • 1 country will win the coveted Whistler Cup this year
  • The countries that will be represented in 2012 are Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.
  • Former participants include Tina Maze of Slovenia (won all her races in Whistler Cup 1996 as a K1 skier and in 1998 as a K2), USA’s Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso, Sweden’s Anja Paerson and Austria’s Benjamin Raich.
  • Some of Canada’s biggest stars have also graced the event over the years, including world downhill champion Erik Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Que., Whistler’s Robbie Dixon, Britt and Michael Janyk, Manuel Osborne-Paradis, of Vancouver, B.C., and this season’s breakout stars, Ben Thomsen, of Invermere, B.C., and Erin Mielzynski, of Guelph, Ont.