FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tour Leaders and Past Champions Return to the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour North American Freeskiing Championships in Kirkwood February 23 – 26
Live Broadcast set to air Saturday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. at www.freeskiingworldtour.com
KIRKWOOD, CA – February 23, 2011— With two stops left, Lars Chickering-Ayers and 2010 tour champion Angel Collinson leading in the rankings, and a whopping 12 feet of snow at Kirkwood in the last week, the stage is set, the competition is intense, and Kirkwood is set to go off. The longest running and most prestigious competitive big mountain skiing tour in the world, founded by skiing pioneers Shane McConkey and Dave Swanwick, and owned and operated by Mountain Sports International, the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT) continues a storied tradition of bringing the best skiers in the world to the most challenging venues to compete for cash and prizes.
Collinson leads for the women with 284 points, followed by Ashley Maxfield with 191 and Jackson Hole’s Crystal Wright with 144. Following a big win at last week’s Subaru U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships, Chickering-Ayers leads the men with 284, followed by Drew Tabke with 227 and Chile’s Chopo Diaz with 171. With 100 points awarded for a first place finish, it’s still anyone’s game.
With a stacked list of pre-qualified athletes, top up-and-comers, and returning champions including Griiffin Post, Jacqui Edgerly, JT Holmes, Mathieu Imber, Guerlain Chichert, Adrien Coirier, Seb Michaud and Aurelien Ducroz, this week’s competition will be one for the books. Returning champion Chicherit began competing on the tour in 1999, and was crowned Subaru Freeskiing World Tour overall champion in 2006 and 2007, Coirier took 2nd at Kirkwood in 2006, and won the coveted backcountry.com Sickbird award in 2007, Ducroz won the North American Freeskiing Championships at Kirkwood in 2004, and current competitor Julien Lopez was overall tour champion in 2009.
“Kirkwood is excited to host the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships again this year. We have had so much snow over the past week and are expecting conditions to be incredible,” said Michael Dalzell, director of sales & marketing for Kirkwood Mountain Resort. “It’s going to be quite a show to see the world’s best freeskiers hit up The Cirque with the incredibly deep snow we have.”
Finals day is scheduled to take place on the forbidden Cirque; at 10,000 feet, Cirque’s untouched terrain is riddled with steep, technical slopes, 1,500-feet of rock, cliffs, chutes and extreme terrain features. This venue is off-limits, closed to the public, except for limited, guided tours. The Finals, scheduled for Saturday, will be broadcast live at www.freeskiingworldtour.com beginning at 10 a.m. Follow us on Facebook to stay apprised of any weather delays at www.facebook.com/freeskiingworldtour.
About Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT)
The Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is the largest and longest running competitive big mountain freeskiing tour in the history of the sport with an unprecedented six stops. Founded in 1997, the FWT, created and produced by Mountain Sports International, Inc., is heading into its 14th year with alumni including Shane McConkey, Brant Moles, Kent Kreitler, Chris Davenport, Seth Morrison, Dean Cummings, Dave Swanwick, Wendy Fisher, Ingrid Backstrom, Dana Flahr, Kaj Zackrison, Karina Hollekim, Marja Persson, Julien Lopez, Chopo Diaz, Griffin Post, Drew Stoecklein, Crystal Wright and Hannah Whitney. In addition to up to $110,000 in winnings, the world tour champions are awarded the McConkey Cup, honoring legendary skier Shane McConkey, founder of the IFSA. The FWT also features the coveted Sickbird Award, which honors the athlete with the most spirit, style and wow-factor. The 2011 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is supported by Subaru of America, The North Face, Black Diamond Equipment, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Powder Magazine, The Ski Channel, Mountain Sports International, Sportsinsurance.com, Comcast Sportsnet, Las Lenas, El Colorado, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Telluride Ski Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort. For more information, visit www.freeskiingworldtour.com, www.facebook.com/freeskiingworldtour, or follow us on Twitter at @FreeskiingWT.
About Subaru of America, Inc.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. Subaru makes the best-selling All-Wheel Drive car sold in America based on R.L. Polk & Co. new vehicle retail registration statistics.
About MSI
Mountain Sports International is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI owns and produces the
Freeskiing World Tour, in addition to several other properties and concepts. MSI provides event management services for The North Face, Burton, Salomon, and Red Bull and has provided infrastructure and expertise for the NBC Gravity Games and ESPN Action Sports Projects, including the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. MSI specializes in matching clients with events for brand penetration into target demographics, developing product identification and loyalty. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture. For more information, visit www.mtsports.com
About Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort is located atop the Sierra Crest with a geographical advantage that accounts for the lightest and driest snow in the Lake Tahoe region. With an annual snowfall of over 600 inches, it is easy to see why Kirkwood has become synonymous with deep powder skiing and riding. With over 2,300 acres of legendary terrain and an intimate mountain village setting, Kirkwood Mountain Resort provides destination guests a perfect backdrop for an energizing getaway.
Although we strive to update our online offerings as much as possible, please do not hesitate to contact us directly with any media requests. If we can help answer any questions or provide photos/content, feel free to shoot us an email or pick up the phone. If your story idea requires a trip to Kirkwood Mountain Resort, we are happy to host accredited members of the press. Thanks for your interest in covering Kirkwood Mountain Resort and we hope to see you on the slopes soon!
See more videos of the action.
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FOR MEDIA INFORMATION: FOR ATHLETE INFORMATION:
Sara Waldman Randi Williams
Senior Communications Manager Athlete Communications & Registration Manager
Mountain Sports International Mountain Sports International
[email protected] [email protected]
