The 2015 edition of the Swatch Skiers Cup kicks off with the Backcountry Slopestyle event on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. (Central European Time). The iconic big mountain event will take place on the venue prepared below the Hörnli ridge in the Schwarzsee sector of Zermatt, Switzerland. This year’s competition will feature the longest Backcountry Slopestyle event in the world, covering 600 vertical meters (2,000 feet) and a total length of 1,300m (4300 feet).
This year’s event will be accessible to the public. The Backcountry Slopestyle venue has been designed and prepared by the head shaper Arnaud Kugener (FRA) and his team over the past three weeks to give the riders an optimal playground and the spectators a jaw-dropping show. The battle will play out literally just below the Matterhorn on its northern flank. The event can be watched live from the public viewing area directly on the Stafelapl slope (no. 52) down from Schwarzsee.
Related: Honor and respect; the 2015 Swatch Skiers Cup will be a contest to remember
World class athletes including: Seth Morrison, Tanner Rainville, Logan Pehota, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Andy Mahre, Callum Pettit, Dana Flahr, Cody Townsend, Rory Bushfiel, Julien Regnier, Sven Kueenle, Fabien Maierhofer, Sverre Lillequist, Richard Permin, Sam Anthamatten, Loïc Collomb-Patton, Sam Favret and Nicolas Vulgnier can be seen throwing trick after trick while riding down the backcountry terrain. The contest is held as team duals between a team of skiers representing Europe and a team from the Americas (see a breakdown of the teams below).
The Swatch Skiers Cup Event Village opens today (Tuesday) at 3:00 p.m. just in front of the Swatch Shop. The Opening Ceremony will take place here at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, followed by an autograph session with the skiers.
On Wednesday, after the Backcountry Slopestyle event, a flower ceremony will be held in the Event Village showing a recap of the day with spectacular footage captured from the helicopter and on the terrain. The ceremony finishes off with the draw between the two Team Captains, Julien Regnier (Team Europe) and Seth Morrison (Team Americas) deciding the heats for the Big Mountain event.
On Tuesday night there will be a unique screening of MSP’s latest ski movie “Days of My Youth” at the Cinema Vernissage at 9.30pm with guest appearances of Swatch Pro-team athletes including Cody Townsend (USA), Richard Permin (FRA), Sam Anthamatten (SUI).
The Big Mountain event is scheduled for Thursday but is still to be confirmed. To stay updated on the whole event, feel free to visit the Swatch Skiers Cup website and Facebook page.
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Related: Honor and respect; the 2015 Swatch Skiers Cup will be a contest to remember
