Saas-Fee Freeskiing Competition

On the 19th of July some of the world’s top, best freeskiers competed in the Saas-Fee Ride 08 in the Allain Snow Park on the Saas-Fee Glacier itself.

The event was a complete success, with everyone having fun and it becoming aparent that the recent developments to the snow park have been worth it. Over the course of the last year the snow park has been move further up the glacier allowing space for the development of new jumps, kickers and more.

With riders showing an extreme amount of style and tweaking their tricks to the max, the event was amazing to watch and you will be able to download a video from the official Saas-Fee Freeskiing Competition website.

Swatch TTR Changes

The Swatch TTR board members met in New York City, USA on May 19^th through May 22^nd to devise some changes for the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour 2008-2009 to try and increase the progress snowboarding has been making. Given below are some of the notable changes that have been made.

In the Tour of 08-09 the last 6STR events will consist of two events to determine the Tour Champion. There will be Burton US Open for the men, and Roxy Chicken Jam for the women. Whoever wins the Tour Champion events will receive a 1000 Swatch TTR points. The 25% bonus will be removed.

The prize money will be distributed to all the winners after identifying their rankings at the end of the Burton US Open and the Roxy Chicken Jam. The Top 10 men of the Burton US Open and the Top 5 women of the Roxy Chicken Jam will receive prize money.

Swatch TTR ranking points received by the riders ranked on the final Swatch TTR ranking list at the end of the tour (April 30^th) will be carried over to the tour of the next season, which will instantly be taken as the first result of the new season’s ranking list. The average of eight results will determine a rider’s final ranking. If the rider carries his/her last season’s points, then the average of only seven results will be required to determine the rider’s final ranking.

The number of Swatch TTR points available at each STAR level has been changed to provide a clear distinction between the 1-2 Star, 3-4 Star and 5-6 Star, while still maintaining dignity in the different levels.

Swatch TTR (Swatch Ticket To Ride) was founded by Terje Haakonsen and industry innovators in 2002, and is a non-profit, rider-driven organization. They have the goal “to create the highest quality competitive snowboard environment in the world, using authenticity, accessibility, innovation as guiding principles”. They are one of the most well-known snowboard organizations present today. And they have all unanimously agreed on the above changes at the General Assembly held on May 22^nd, 2008.

Let us hope these changes bring the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour of 2008-2009 even more success.

British Ski Cross Series

For the first time ever, the British Ski Cross series will be on tour this summer. They will be show-casing five events all through the United Kingdom. The Cross series has already visited the SNO!zone in Castelford, and is now getting ready to take on Sno!zone, Scotland. They will be seen in Scotland on the 15^th of June.

This tour has brought a lot of attention towards it since Ski Cross events are rarely held for British skiers. The kinds of skiers on tour are extremely versatile. On one hand there are the racers, and on the other, the freestylers.

The main advantage of this tour is to allow skiers to try out new events. This way they will be able to realize their talent and potential, giving them a chance to further their career and possibly ski at the international level. Snowsports Great Britain will be present at all five of the events offered on tour. They will be there to distribute the prizes to the winners who may have an opportunity to be a part of the British Ski Cross Team.

Emily Sarsfield, Britain’s No. 1 cross skier has been sponsored to ride, and has become a champion for this fairly new event. Sarsfield has a number of titles under her name. She came 2^nd in the Swiss Champs 2007, 6^th in the World University Games 2005, and is a five-time British Ski Cross champion.

So for the entire month of June, we can watch the British Ski Cross series take command of the United Kingdom.

Indoor Terrain Park

In the Olympic city Beijing, China, Burton has signed on as the sponsor for the new indoor terrain park. Touted as one of the most strategic moves in the Chinese snowboarding market, Burton will be the key sponsor of the Burton Qiaobo Mellow Park. This terrain will provide year-round facilities to all the riders.

Burton was first started in 1977 by Jake Burton Carpenter. He found it out of his barn in Vermont. Since then it has boosted the growth of snowboarding around the world. Along with a group of top notch snowboarders, it has made snow sports widely accepted in a number of resorts. In 1996, Jake Burton began expanding by starting a group of brands for board sports and apparel. Burton, which is privately-owned by Jake, has its headquarters in Austria, Australia, California and Japan.

This June 14^th, the snowboarding landscape of China will forever be changed when the new Burton Mellow Park is revealed by Qiaobo Ice and Snow World. This part of the country has one of the most identifiable and highly-reputed indoor snow-domes.

Steve Zdarsky, CEO of Burton Qiaobo Mellow Park recently commented, “The drive behind the project is to get more people on the snow riding and having fun. With Burton as our partner and their LTR program in effect, the new park is really going to draw the crowds. Besides, we are all just super stoked we can now ride in Beijing year-round!”

The Mellow Park which is located right outside the city center, comprises of a kicker line, wallride and rail and box combinations. The designer of the park, Marco Huang has said, “The park will be as sick as we can make it. The snow in Qiaobo is surprisingly good, and the management is stoked to have a new Mellow Park, so it’s going to be a fun area for all levels of riding.”

So apart from the summer Olympics up ahead, one can look forward to the unveiling of the first indoor terrain park in Beijing, China.

Boost Mobile Sno Sho

The Boost Mobile Sno Sho is all set to kick off this 2008 on Terrain Park in Perisher Blue’s Front Valley on Saturday, August 30^th. The Boost Mobile Sno Sho breaks away from the routine snowboarding events and encourages the world’s best snowboarders, extreme maneuvers, illuminating lights, longest rail slides and some intense audience action. Wildcard entry into the event is open to the public with registration going up on the 15th July on www.boostsnosho.com.au. The Wildcard event will be on Friday 29th August.

This will be the Sno Sho’s fourth year running, and they also currently hold the 3 star TTR badge. The Sno Sho comprises of many of the boost team riders including Max Cookes, Mitch Allan and Jye Kearney. Nineteen Australian and inernational invitees are a part of this massive show as well.

Some of the main events that have been scheduled for the August Sno Sho are the 100 metre World’s Longset Rail ‘Game Sho’ style snowboarding event, Big Air Gap and 27 set Stair Jam Rail. A total of 24 snowboarders will participate in these various events, inclusive of two wild-card entries. The winner will walk away with a handsome prize of $30,000 USD.

The Main Event will begin at 6.00 PM on August 30^th, 2008. The Main Event consists of two plays; the ‘World’s Longest Rail Slide’ and the ‘SNOSHO’. In play one, the rider that slides longest along the 100 metre and 75 metre rails will walk away with a cash prize of $10,000 USD. The current record-holder is Jasper Backer (58.5 metres), and even has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

After plays one and two get over, there will be a ‘Jam Session’. This Jam Session will be 30 minutes long and allows the riders to choose from one of two courses; Big Air or Jam Rail. Within the time given, all 24 riders have to compete and try and fish out as many attempts as possible. The top two combined scores are taken, and the six highest-scoring riders will be taken into the Boost Sno Sho Finale.

The Finale will be filled with lots of entertainment and fun. The six riders will have to successfully complete five tricks, which will be selected from what is known as the ‘Sho Wheel’. If the rider successfully completes the given trick, he/she will receive a ‘thumbs up’ from the judges. Each successful trick will earn the rider a letter from the word ‘BOOST’. And the first rider to spell out B-O-O-S-T, will walk away with the huge $30,000 USD cash prize.

So we just have to wait a few more months until this ‘sho’ hits Perisher Blue.

World Championship Dates

Thursday, May 29^th, 2008 will be the day the host venue of the 2013 World Championships is revealed. The announcement will be made in Cape Town, South Africa by the FIS council.

Alongside the announcement of the 2013 World Championships host, the FIS council will also unveil the venue for the 2012 FIS Ski Flying Championships. There are four places competing to play the position of host – Beaver Creek and Vail in the United States, Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, Schladming in Austria and St. Moritz in Switzerland.

All the four above mentioned resorts have hosted World Championships in the past. The Winter Olympics have been hosted by St. Moritz and Cortina, and Schladming has played host to the Special Olympics.

In the United States, Beaver Creek and Vail have been undergoing renovation worth 2.5 million USD. They have also agreed to construct a new downhill course for ladies, if they are selected to be the host.

The 2009 World Championships will be hosted by Val d’Isère, and the Secretary General of FIS, Sarah Lewis, has been immensely happy with the progress the venue has been making. Lewis recently said, “I was very, very impressed by the presentation which was given to us by the World Championship organizers. The progress made these last six months is palpable. The success of the men’s World Cup downhill last February has obviously given confidence to the organizers.”

However, disagreements within the committee have caused skiers such as former ski champion, Jean-Claude Killy, to resign from her position. Val d’Isère has also faced its share of bad publicity, which it has been trying to brush off with promises of free access and travel for spectators, and environmentally-friendly transport.

So let us all hope for a jam-packed 2009 in Val d’Isère, and an equally entertaining 2013.

Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour

All applications have been filled, and the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour is all set to head downunder with over $2,500,000 USD up for grabs as prize money, during a course of ten months.

Swatch TTR has already started the fun-filled snowboarding events in the mountains of Australia. This year we will see two new events being showcased- the Boost Mobile Sno Sho in Perisher Blue, Australia, and the Billabong Snow Stock in Snowpark, New Zealand, have sent their applications to be a part of the Swatch TTR Tour. If the applications are accepted, they will join the Burton New Zealand Open, Oakley Stylewars and the Burton Australian Open, making the chances of international riders traveling downunder higher.

The Southern Hemisphere Tour will begin with the Burton New Zealand Open in none other than NZ. The BNZO is known for one of the world’s best half-pipes, precise slopestyle set up and huge quarter pipe, making it a must for transition riders to take part. This serves as perfect practice for riders wanting to take part in the Northern Hemisphere Tour.

After the BNZO, the tour will stay put in NZ and get ready for the Billabong Snowstock; one of the new events this year. This event will include the Straight Jump and Quarterpipe competitions. After the Billabong Snowstock, the Oakley Stylewars will follow. This will consist of three slopestyle competition days, one night-rail event, seven judged sessions and four nights of music. All the participants will be competing for the title of Stylewars Grandmaster.

The Stylewars will come to a halt as the Boost Sno Sho starts with a huge one-night showdown. This is the world’s longest rail event. The ending of the Southern Hemipshere Tour will be marked with the Burton Australian Open.

One can expect to see top-notch riders such as Torstein Horgmo, Jonas Karlsson, Sani Alibabic etc. And we can also expect to see ten months of jam-packed entertainment!

World Heli Challenge

It has been announced that New Zealand’s legendary World Heli Challenge will return on August 9^th through August 24^th, 2008, after a gap of six years. This challenge is considered on of the most legendary freeriding and freeskiing events to have ever been started.

The World Heli Challenge will bring New Zealand’s Mt. Cook National Park the best riders and skiers in the world along with seven top-notch snowboard brands and ski brands. Each brand will consist of two elite athletes that will compete against one another through the various events.

Three days of helicopter-accessed events will take place on Mt. Cook National Park’s ‘Big Mountain’. This portion of the mountain designed for snowboarding and skiing consists of 3000 feet of terrain and a 50-degree slope average over cliffs. The Backcountry Freestyle realm will allow riders to showcase their potential and talent. And the rules are simple- first one to reach the end of the 3000-foot terrain wins!

But the high-end athletes that will be taking part in the Challenge will not be spending their entire two weeks in snow; they will be treated to jet boating, bungee jumping, golfing, surfing and various other things New Zealand is famous for!

The World Heli Challenge trophy is considered one of the most prized trophies in the world. But winning the trophy is not easy either; one must be the overall winner in all three combined events. Winners from the past include skiers Chris Davenport, Kent Kreitler, Andrea Binning, Seb Michaud and Guerlain Checerit. Among the snowboarders, Matt Godwill, Karleen Jeffery, Gilles Voirol, Steve Graham and David Pujol have bagged prizes in the past. This year, a new World Heli Challenge title for the best overall ski brand and snowboarding brand will also be awarded.

Created by Tony “Harro” Harrington, let’s see if the World Heli Challenge can restore the fire after six years!

West Coast Invitational

For the seventh year in a row, West Coast Invitational (WCI) returned to Mammoth Mountain on May 2^nd and May 3^rd. WCI is an award winning group consisting of all the former Olympians and promising up-coming snowboarders.

The riders of WCI competed in the Vans Fiesta de la Pipa and the Village Rail Jam for a prize purse of $20,000 USD. There were also special performances by My-G and Talib Kweli, ensuring non-stop entertainment for the crowds. They wanted to make sure the weekend would be similar to a spring party with Mammoth Mountain only ready for the best!

WCI generally has a line-up of high-profile riders. The one’s that took part in the event last week were Danny Kass, Mason Aguirre, JJ Thomas and Chaz Guldemond. 30 other riders tore up the slopes on Mammoth Mountain as well. Last year’s Rail Jam champ, Jonas Michilot, was among them.

Prior to the events on May 2^nd and May 3^rd, Oren Tanzer, Director of Youth Action Sports and originator of pipe-rail-music hybrid WCI, said, “I’m super excited about the all-star lineup both on the hill and off the hill. With well-known riders competing against some of the most talented up-and-comers, this year’s event is going to be amazing.”

During the May 2^nd session, Chaz Guldemond etched out a win over Mason Aguirre in the rider judged pipe session. He walked away with a $5,000 share of the WCI prize purse. The other winners during the May 2^nd events were Luke Wynen for a pipe-side piñata, Luke Matrani who performed the best trick with a switch double Micalchuk and Jamie Anderson for her outstanding performances. They walked away with $500, $1,500 and $2000 respectively.

Mammoth Mountain has been rated one of the four-season mountain resorts in California. With such adulation and frequent visitors, we can expect to see this mountain hosting many more such mammoth events in the future.

World Rookie Fest

Swatch TTR came out with yet another successful snowboarding event; the 3-Star Völkl World Rookie Fest which once again showcased an assortment of snowboarding talent. The event took place just last weekend with Norwegian snowboarder Gjermund Braaten cruising away with first place. He received 550 TTR Ranking Points, giving him a TTR World ranking of 53 and also the title of World Rookie Champion 2008.

Braaten showcased impressive riding; awing the judges and crowd with a huge switch BS7 and a Cab 9. In addition to TTR ranking points and a world champion title, Braaten was also awarded with a ticket to the Nokia Air and Style rookie challenge in Munich, a trip to Canada for featuring in the next Pirate Movie Production, ‘Boarbegged’ and a ‘Fresh Meat’ profile in Method Snowboard Magazine.

This event was the last of the season adorned with a slopestyle set up with two kickers and several rails. The judges allotted scores to the riders based on a three-run format. The riders had to give an overall impression on both the kickers and rails.

Despite Braaten winning, the best trick was performed by Petja Piiroinen from Finland. His huge BS 7 on the 20 meter kicker was a visual treat. Italian rider Giorgio Ciancaleoni performed a series of 720s on the kickers, one of the most impressive rail tricks and a 270 on the kink, landing him in the second overall position among the male rookies.

A majority of the finalists walked home with prizes, despite not getting a winning position. They won tickets to the World Rookie Fest 2009 in Livigno. Dimi de Jong and Maria Delfina Maiocco, who were voted upon as the best male groms, received a Golden Card enabling them to join every World Rookie Fest of 2009 for free! Among the female rookies, Kari Maeland of Norway came out victorious with her TTR world ranking now being pushed up to 35.

So the World Rookie Fest 2008 finished things off with a bang!

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