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.

North Face Ski Challenge

The North Face Ski Challenge Tour is an event open to all residents of Europe between the ages of 12 and 18 years. This youth-dedicated event is the only one which mixes free ride and freestyle. The event concluded just last weekend in Val Thorens, with the winner of the final walking away with a two-year sponsorship contract with the North Face.

Throughout winter, 350 hopefuls from Europe gave it their all, hoping to qualify for the tour finals. Over the weeks, the number of participants started increasing rapidly. Finally, 73 young skiers from 11 nations across Europe were selected to take part in the tour finals held on April 12^th and April 13^th. These 11 nations included the UK, Finland, Italy and Switzerland.

Director of the Club des Sports in Val Thorens, Vincent Hudry said, “We believe that the North Face Ski Challenge has the potential to reach a young, new public and demonstrate to the snow sports world how big hidden talents can be. This is, in fact, totally coherent with what we’ve been doing for years during the Boarder Week. This is why this will be our only ski event.”

Sweden’s Tom-Oliver Hedvall was the top finisher in the ‘king’s’ category (16-18 years), and walked away with the sponsorship contract. After hearing the final result, a partly fazed Hedvall said, “I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is like the most magical dream come true. I’m very excited to see what this is going to bring me over the next few years…!” Apart from a kit, the North Face contract also involves helping develop Hedvall’s potential to the fullest, exposing him to the international pro rider scene and gathering support to help him enter other relevant free ski events in the coming winter seasons.

So congratulations Europe, you have once again discovered your skiing ‘king’.

Season Pass Prices Set in Colorado

Most of the major ski resorts in Colorado have announced the prices of their season passes for the 2008 to 2009 winter season.

However, one of the biggest ski resorts, Aspen, has yet to announce it’s prices for the next season, but you can expect them to be similar to this years prices, with the cheapest pass available for around $1,240.

Another large resort, Vail Resorts has given out details of it’s so called “Epic Pass”. The Epic Pass gives skiers and boarders access to all parts of the resort including Vail, Keystone and more. The price that Vail Resorts has given the Epic Pass is $579.

With a wide range of other pass prices being announced by the majority of resorts in Colorado, you will be able to plan your skiing and snowboarding well in advance.