Red Bull Cold Rush is one of skiing’s most prestigious and downright badass competitions. The star-studded event blends the big-mountain and slopestyle disciplines through a helicopter access course, featuring cliffs, steeps and man-built booters. After a three-year hiatus, Cold Rush will return this season with an all-star cast, including: Sean Pettit, Sammy Carlson, Kye Petersen, Joe Schuster, Tatum Monod, Angel Collinson, just to name a few.

This year’s event is slated to go down on February 2-5 in the epic terrain of Revelstoke, British Columbia. Yeah, that’s right. Revelstoke. To sweeten the deal for the athletes and us loyal viewers, Red Bull Cold Rush will also have a people’s choice category where fans can vote for their favorite rider online. Following the event, fans will be able to check out video highlights from each athlete on RedBull.com to cast their vote from February 8 – 10 with winners announced on February 11.

For more details and a complete list of invited athletes, see the press release below.

Press Release

After a three-year hiatus, Red Bull Cold Rush is back and set to be better than ever. Fusing the disciplines of backcountry slopestyle, big mountain, cliffs, and alpine ski touring, Red Bull Cold Rush will return to Canada from February 2-5, 2016 at Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia. The event will see a handful of the world’s premier skiers invited to battle it out for a chunk of the $36,000 prize purse awarded in a peer-judged format to the most versatile, well-rounded athletes. This year, fans will also be brought into the action with an all new ‘People’s Choice Award’ that will be determined by online voting in the week following the contest.

Plans to bring back the event in 2015 were cut short by a less than ideal snow season that saw the first Red Bull Cold Rush since the 2012 contest in Colorado being put on hold. While relying on the weather can be frustrating, it also highlights the uniqueness of the event; a big mountain spectacle that truly depends on the good graces of nature. There are no carefully groomed runs, elaborate scaffolding, or cooling systems that would allow a more controlled contest to run in temperatures on the plus side of zero (Celsius). Instead, it is a contest of athlete versus nature in its purest form. With already over 320cm of snowfall in advance of Revelstoke’s November 28th opening day, Mother Nature looks set to deliver in 2016. 

Along with a new location in Revelstoke, the event is being updated with fresh elements including innovative on-mountain features and a competition format that places a greater focus on alpine touring.

“Red Bull Cold Rush is the one and only top tier event that I, and all the other backcountry skiers, have to express our type of skills in a competition format. The fact that this amazing event is coming back to Canada just gets me all fired up! It’s where I spend my winter doing what I do, so I’ll be right at home this year,” says Sean Pettit, professional backcountry freeskier and two-time winner of Red Bull Cold Rush in 2010 and 2011.

The Chosen Ones: Athlete List

Assembling the best of the best in freestyle skiing, the invitation-only event selects 16 men and 5 women from around the world to participate. The RSVPs were quick to come in, and the competitors have been confirmed. Introducing your 2016 Red Bull Cold Rush athletes so far:

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Power To The People: People’s Choice Award:

This year, fans of Red Bull Cold Rush will have a chance to participate in the action for the first time through an all-new ‘People’s Choice Award’ category, allowing them to vote for their favourite rider online. Following the contest, fans will be able to check out video highlights from each athlete on RedBull.com to cast their vote from February 8 – 10 with winners announced on February 11th. More details on voting will be released in January 2016.

In addition to the new ‘People’s Choice Award’, Red Bull Cold Rush will continue its tradition as a peer-judged competition – after all, there’s nothing more important than impressing your friends. Spread across three days, the event focuses on four distinct ski disciplines including backcountry slopestyle, big mountain, cliffs, and alpine touring, in order to find the best all-around freeskier. When the contest wraps, athletes have a chance to sit together to review videos from the three days of competition and cast their votes and evaluate one another based on style, speed, and technique.

Revelstoked! The Mountain

Returning to Canada for the first time since 2010, Revelstoke Mountain Resort was an obvious choice to play host for the return of Red Bull Cold Rush. With the most vertical in North America at 5,620 ft. of lift-accessed terrain, two alpine bowls, and legendary glades, the mountain ticked all the boxes required that would put athletes to the test across a variety of different terrains and disciplines. Holding true to its promise of delivering some of the best powder riding in North America, so far this season, the mountain has seen the most snowfall in North America with over 320cm. The only resort worldwide to offer lift, cat, heli, and backcountry access from one village base, Revelstoke Mountain Resort has become a true ski mecca and synonymous with backcountry adventure.

“With our steep vertical, big annual snowfall, and features to challenge athletes of any level, it almost feels like our mountain was made to be the venue for this event. We can’t wait to host these world-class athletes as they put their skills to the test on our challenging terrain,” says Peter Nielsen, Revelstoke Mountain Resort’s Vice President of Operations.

On average, the mountain receives roughly 30-45 ft. of the fluffy stuff every year. For those in search of the white room, the high altitude and location in BC’s Interior Selkirk Mountains bring some of the most consistent quality snow in the region.