Beaver Creek World Cup downhill canceled due to wind, snow

The first of two World Cup downhill races to be held in Beaver Creek, Colorado, was canceled Friday morning due to strong wind and snowfall.

The course was closed for the day so crew workers could prepare the Birds of Prey track for another downhill race scheduled for Saturday. There's also a super-G event on Sunday.

It's been a challenging season so far for ski racers because of weather conditions. The International Ski Federation (FIS) postponed downhill events in Zermatt, Switzerland, and Cervinia, Italy, that were slated to be held earlier this season. Parallel events for women and men planned for Lech, Austria, also were wiped out due to weather.

In addition, a women's giant slalom that was supposed to open the season in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 22, was postponed because of rainy conditions. It's been rescheduled for Semmering, Austria, in late December.