The Blue Mountains could be a future stop on the World Ski circuit, possibly as early as next January.
Ski cross is a relatively new sport and it will make its Olympic debut at the 2010 Winter Games at Whistler next February.
Mark Kristofic and Chris Robinson are bidding to have a World Cup Race at Blue Mountain Resort in late January — the last stop prior to the 2010 Games.
They’re also hoping to make the event an annual World Cup stop.
Kristofic notes the ski runs on the slopes of the Niagara Escarpment may not be long enough for downhill or giant slalom races — they do meet the criteria for ski cross.
In ski cross, four to six racers compete over a course that combines natural terrain with various man-made features including rollers, jumps and banked turns.
World-class racers will hit speeds up to 70 kilometres an hour.
Kristofic says officials from the Federation Internationale de Ski have already visited the resort and pronounced it an acceptable venue for a ski cross event.
Kristofic and Robinson have a May 30th date to present a formal bid for the proposed event to the FIS.
They need to have about 350 thousand dollars in funding secured by then.
But Kristofic is confident they can put it together with revenue from sponsorships and funding from the federal government.
Blue Mountains Council is expected to give its endorsement at tonight’s meeting.