The women's World Cup skiers all set for inaugural race on demanding Birds of Prey downhill course

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — American ski racer Bella Wright got to the bottom of the Birds of Prey downhill course after a speedy training run and screamed, “Woo-hoo!”

It just slipped out.

“I realized," Wright explained, “that I finally got to ski a dream course of mine.”

This course could be a dream to some, but it may prove to be a nightmare for others as the women’s World Cup takes on the difficult and demanding Birds of Prey downhill for the first time Saturday. The racers have been getting up to speed with the technical turns, steep parts and fast sections all week in training sessions.

So far, so scary — initially, anyway.

“The first time you look at it, it’s very intimidating,” American ski racer Jacqueline Wiles said of the downhill, which will be followed by a super-G on Sunday. “But once you get on it, you realize it’s completely manageable and not as scary as it looks.”

The men have been running the Birds of Prey downhill on the World Cup circuit for decades. But the women really haven't raced this track.

Not the full downhill version.

They did step on part of the terrain for a rescheduled super-G in 2011, when Lindsey Vonn — who's forerunning this weekend in her comeback at age 40 — emerged victorious.

In advance of hosting the 2015 world championships at Beaver Creek, a second course called Raptor was designed for the women. The women ran a super-G and downhill on the Raptor course in 2013, with Swiss racer Lara Gut-Behrami winning both. She finds the extra-grippy snow at Beaver Creek to her liking — she also took bronze in the downhill at the 2015 world championships.

“It’s not easy to find the right mix between letting go and pushing on the edges,” Gut-Behrami said of the Birds of Prey course. “It’s challenging and it’s really aggressive.”

One thing's clear — there's plenty of speed on the Birds of Prey track. Sofia Goggia of Italy posted the top time in the final training session Friday, clocking nearly 79 mph (126.72 kph) in one section. The day before, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie of Norway went more than 80 mph (129.87 kph).

“It’s really fun,” Lie said.

The course that features jumps, bumps and demanding technical sections is about 1.4 miles (2,304 meters) in length with a vertical drop of 2,313 feet (705 meters).

“I like that it’s so busy — busy in a good way. It’s like every turn there’s something,” said Lauren Macuga, who finished runner-up in Friday's training run, 1.10 seconds behind Goggia. “There’s never any time to relax."

There have been plenty of frightful spills on the course.

In 2007, Norwegian great Aksel Lund Svindal suffered a laceration to his abdominal area when he lost control on a jump in a training run and landed in the safety netting. A horror story that turned into a feel-good one as Svindal return to the venue and won several times after his crash.

Bode Miller also crashed in a super-G on the course during the 2015 world championships, and needed surgery to fix a torn right hamstring tendon after his ski appeared to deeply slice him.

Of course, there are so success stories, too. A week ago, Swiss racer Justin Murisier won his first World Cup race in the Beaver Creek downhill, with teammate Marco Odermatt taking second.

Gut-Behrami doesn’t plan on asking Murisier or Odermatt for their secrets to success. She prefers to get to know the course on her own accord.

“We have an inspection," Gut-Behrami said. “It's our job (to get a natural feel for a course).”

Lie took a different approach. She inspected the course Thursday with fellow Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who has a wealth of Birds of Prey knowledge. Kilde, who’s currently sidelined by injury, won two World Cup downhills and two super-Gs at the venue.

“I’m not going to tell any secrets,” Lie said with a laugh when asked what Kilde revealed. “No, it’s just the key points and what to do and what he thinks about when he was there. His talking about it makes it more easy in my head.

“It’s new for everybody. I really like that. Everybody has the same basics on it and it’s just about skiing.”

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Slovenia's Ilka Stuhec skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Switzerland's Corinne Suter skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Italy's Laura Pirovano skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Switzerland's Michelle Gisin skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Italy's Nadia Delago skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

United States' Lauren Macuga skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

United States' Lauren Macuga skis during a women's World Cup downhill training run, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in Beaver Creek, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)