FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WHISTLER, BC, February 4, 2008 – Having thrown down huge for girlpower with last year’s If Ullr Was a Girl contest, Whistler backs up again with another $25,000 prize purse dedicated to female rippers.

Female riders and skiers have just 2 weeks to join the online community at ifullrwasagirl, by posting their profiles alongside fellow mountain-gals from across North America.

Four wildcard athletes from ifullrwasagirl will join up to 12 invited ski and snowboard pros, to contend for the crown at April’s TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival.

The online voting aspect from 2007 has been nixed, and the four wildcard athletes will be selected by a panel of judges, based on their demonstrated passion for mountain life, to compete alongside the hottest talents on snow today.

Says Michelle Leroux, If Ullr Was A Girl judge and PR & Communications Manager for Whistler Blackcomb, “Four girls will win a seven day, six night trip to Whistler to compete with the pros and we want to see creativity, enthusiasm and proof that these girls rip and deserve to compete for $25,000.”

The women will gather for the most unique women’s only competition ever seen on snow, combining a slopestyle event, a big mountain event, a Superpipe event and Ullr Unleashed, a showcase of arts and culture. It’s all about finding the ultimate mountain woman, worthy of dethroning the god of snow, and taking the crown herself.
“Whistler Blackcomb saw the importance of this competition for women in the ski and snowboard industry and the entire team was thrilled to work on this event again,” says Meredith Armstrong, Whistler Blackcomb’s Brand Marketing Manager. “This year we decided to work creatively with two partners on the project to ensure we could build and improve upon last year’s event.”

Watermark Productions, the producers of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival (TWSSF), has stepped up to take over the management of the event, making the If Ullr Was A Girl competition an official event of the TWSSF. They are also contributing half of the cash prize purse with Whistler Blackcomb making up the remainder. Whistler Blackcomb’s creative agency Origin Design + Communications is stepping up with their marketing and communications expertise to ensure the competition and the athletes get the exposure they deserve.

“The Ullr Girl campaign is really close to our hearts,” says Origin creative director Danielle Kristmanson. “We worked with Whistler Blackcomb to develop the concept last year and were so happy to see that the girls really embraced it. When the opportunity arose this year for us to be part of the team we jumped at the chance.”

Last season Whistler Blackcomb posted 442 online profiles from girls all over North America seeking the Ullr Girl title and the site, ifullrwasagirl, generated, on average, 660 user sessions per day with 20 page views per session. Competing athletes, like Sarah Burke, cited the event as the best of the season because of the camaraderie the girls enjoyed. Skier Grete Eliassen took the crown and donated the entirety of her prize purse to charity.

The comp will once again bring North America’s top women skiers and riders to Whistler in April for the 2008 TWSSF, which excites the Festival’s Communications Director, Lisa Richardson. “The teams behind this event, at Watermark, Origin and Whistler Blackcomb are well-stacked with passionate women who love living and riding in the mountains. So it’s exciting to be part of such a unique event that really encourages female talent.”

Want in on it?

JOIN NOW, create a profile for yourself, add yourself the the “CONTESTANTS” group and start loading your photos, video and comments and rate the posts of everyone else. Wanna hang out here and not compete? No problem. Create a profile but then add yourself to the “COMMUNITY” group instead.