In 1995 Laurent de Kalbermatten started experimenting with various inflatable wing systems with the goal of finding the lightest and least cumbersome possible wing. De Kalbermatten and his test pilot Guy-Bertrand Jaquier started using the inflated wing to prolong ski and snowboard jumps - and thus Woopy Jumping was born!

The principle of Woopy Jump is quite simple. The system utilizes a delta-wing made out of high-quality nylon fabric. The pilot is suspended in a harness connected to a frame of aluminum and glass fiber which spans the entire wing. Two handles, attached to the frame, serve as controls to maneuver the system. Using the forward speed generated by moving down the slope, these crude but effective flight controls are all that’s needed to get you airborn, down the mountain and begging for more!

For more informationa and woopy jumping videos check out: www.woopyjumping.com

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.

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.

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.

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.

Various installments have been made along the terrain park; eight floodlights giving skiers and riders complete access to the east-side Box-run. On Tuesday and Friday evenings from 5 pm to 9 pm, the beginner and intermediate boxes, rails and jumps, will be available for everyone all through July and August.

In collaboration with the Mountain Dew Night Sessions, Snow Park will host a six-night amateur snowboard rail jam series. This will eventually lead to a grand finale which will have $6,000 USD and $3,000 USD up for grabs for men and women respectively.

The manager of Snow Park NZ, Sam Lee, recently said, “For skiers and riders who are time short during the day, they can pop up to Snow Park in the evening to get their turns in. Being on snow at night under flood lights is quite thrilling, and with relatively un-crowded slopes and a hot meal available in the Woolshed it will be a great alternative Friday night out.” He seems extremely enthusiastic about being able to offer skiers and riders ample time on the mountain.

In order to add spice to the offer, the Woolshed Restaurant and Bar will serve hot food to all the riders, and local bands and DJ’s will provide heart-pumping music on Tuesday and Friday nights. This will be available throughout the entire season.

Night skiing and riding will be available as an add-on to the day pass to both kids and adults. The passes are priced at $35 for adults and $20 for kids. Night riding and skiing will be included in the all-season pass.

So for all the snow sports enthusiasts out there, keep July and August open for Snow Park New Zealand.

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.

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.

Kerr is just 22 years of age and was raised near Lake Tahoe. Jamaica’s hopes rest on the shoulders of this one young man, who is also a part of the US ski cross team; the team which has earned him his world ranking of 24. Despite being a part of this team, Kerr wishes to represent his father’s country during the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Kerr has recently made a trip to Jamaica in hopes of raisin $200,000 USD in sponsorship. This is his first trip to Jamaica and he’s hoping to get enough sponsorship to pay for a coach, cover traveling costs and compete as a Jamaican.

The Jamaican Minister for Sport and the head of the Jamaican Ski association have been supporting Kerr towards his dream of taking part in the Vancouver games in 2010. However Kerr has also been told that by June 1^st, he must state his allegiance to Jamaica to the International Ski federation. Unless he does this, he will not be able to ski for Jamaica in the future.

So, all of us can look out for this star cross skier in the Vancouver Winter Olympics of 2010.

Julia Marino, an avid soccer and lacrosse player as well, is a 16-year-old sophomore currently attending Arlington Catholic High School. Out of the four medals the duo won, Julia won three of them- one silver each in slope style and half-pipe, and a bronze in skier cross.

Though Julia has been maintaining consistency in her wins since 2006, she seemed pretty disappointed with her performance during the national championships. She said, “I had won gold in all 14 qualifying events leading up to nationals, so I really expected to sweep. I fell on my chest the day before in a practice round and hurt my sternum. With the altitude change and all, it was really painful. I guess, though, when you take the injury into consideration, my overall finish was satisfying, because after I hurt myself, I really wasn’t even sure if I could compete.” However, after her three-medal win, she was awarded with the title of outstanding performer by the USA Snowboard Association.

Mark Marino is just a year younger than his sister and is a freshman at Arlington Catholic High School. He bagged a bronze in skier cross after earning a berth in the final run by winning two heats against over 80 skiers! Mark said, “I was really nervous because this was my first national, but once I started, I was OK. It was a lot of fun and I met a lot of people from all over the country. Winning a medal in my first try was very exciting.” Apart from skiing, Mark enjoys playing football, and like his sister, lacrosse.

The Marino siblings have been skiing ever since the tender age of five, and hope to win many more medals in the future.