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If there is such thing as love at first sight, then this goes for Hermann Maier and Beaver Creek. When Vail was proposed to hold the World Championship in 1999, the Americans presented an ambitious project: to build a ski slope bearing the name «Birds of Prey». It was planned to be one of the most difficult slopes in the world alongside Kitzbühel. The International Ski Federation approved the project and the Americans began building, but no-one expected that this slope would change the life of a builder from Flachau, Austria.

When the slope was first tested out in 1997, Hermann Maier was just building his reputation among the Austrian national team. He came to the fashionable resort of Vail with two wins already in the bag, despite the stiff competition. The new slope appeared to be tailored to his physical abilities. He came in second in downhill, won the Super G, and his incredible success story began.

Herman Maier was at the peak of his performance just before the World Cup in 1999, Beaver Creek was the stage where he would win the title of World Champion. The Americans saw Maier as the new Arnold Schwarzenegger, and thought of his possible future on the Hollywood screens, but all he cared about were medals.

Lovers of alpine skiing will always remember the downhill race in Beaver Creek that year. Maier went for a gate, which was positioned on a difficult lateral passage, at a speed of 100kmph and showed the world an amount of determination never before seen in alpine skiing. Even if the gold medal in downhill escaped him, he still won the world championship with a substantial lead compared to the legendary Norwegians Kjus and Aamodt and, on top of that, he was the World Champion in Super G as well.

Next season, the ski caravan stopped amidst the Birds of Prey yet again. The Herminator’s statistics were: three races, three wins. During his career, he won at Beaver Creek 8 times, and came in second another four times. If we can call Wimbledon Roger Federer’s living room, then Beaver Creek was surely home to Hermann Maier.

The legendary Austrian won’t scare the birds of prey any more, since he has retired this year and ended his incredibly successful career. Beaver Creek will never be the same without him.