ATHLETES
HAVE UNTIL MARCH 8 TO THROW NAME IN THE RUNNING
FOR
A SPOT IN THE WHISTLER COMPETITIONS
TELUS
World Ski &
Snowboard Festival’s Canadian MVP will win inaugural Pontiac Peak
Performer Award and a hot new ride
WHISTLER,
BC, February 23 2007 –
For 10 days in April,
skiers & snowboarders will
gather for five competitions and the classic end to an incredible
season in
Whistler.
Snowboarders and skiers
will again join forces for the
2007 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, with the Old Spice World Snowboarding Classic
and
the World Skiing Invitational
taking place simultaneously April 12 - 21.
Over 150 riders and skiers
will take on the Stompede, Rail
Session, Superpipe and TWO Big Air
competitions throughout the festival week. In addition to
$100,000
in cash & prizes on the line, athletes will be motivated to go big
by the
opportunity to win the inaugural Pontiac Peak Perfomer Award and the
keys to a
brand new Pontiac G5 GT.
The Canadian skier or
rider who out-spins, out-jumps and
out-grinds their competitors across four events and receives the most
votes at
the on-site Pontiac display will receive the Peak Performer award and
will
squeal out of town in a slick, black Pontiac G5 GT after the April 21
Big Air.
A newly introduced
lottery format will give the
opportunity for emerging athletes to secure a spot in the World Skiing
Invitational and Old Spice World Snowboarding Classic competitions, so
fresh
contenders can mix it up with established pros and previous champions.
Athlete Manager Lindsay
O’Brien said, “Uniting
pros and amateurs through a mixture of invitational and open fields
makes the
festival an event for all levels of riders. It provides an exciting
opportunity for up & comers to size up their skills against the
pros and
help to launch their competitive careers and have a ton of fun in the
process.”
Between now and March
8, athletes can go to www.whistler2007.com
to request an
invitation or enter the lottery. Confirmed competitor lists will be
announced
on March 12.
Event
Low-Down:
April
12-15 Stompede –
With a mix of invitational and open lottery spots, the new &
improved
STOMPEDE Arena will again be built at the top of the Emerald Chair on Whistler Mountain and will consist of a
terrain
park course with specially designed features and rails. Instead of
running the
course in its’ entirety, each heat will session each feature together,
then move on to the next feature.
2006 Winners have received
advance invitations to the
competion. These include skiers Mike Henitiuk, Riley Leboe, Taylor
Felton, Kaya
Turski and Michelle Parker. Snowboarders include Craig Beaulieu,
Brad Martin, Dennis Bannock, Star Quinn and Charmaine
Ironside.
April
13-14 Old Spice Big Air –
The first of TWO Big Air competitions will kick off on Saturday 14,
showcasing
15 snowboarders and 15 skiers in a 2 jump contest. The top 3 scoring
skiers
will advance to a 5,7,9 and beyond super final, and join a charged
field with
2006 ski air winners Jon Olsson,
TJ Schiller and Sammy
Carlson and riders TJ
Schneider,
Mike Page and Travis Williams.
April
18-21 Superpipe – Blackcomb’s
Superpipe will host 4 days of competitions, with Round One starting out
with 85
snowboarders and 95 skiers. Top skiers and riders will move on to the
Semi
Finals, then Finals, where 2006 Superpipe Ski Champions Andreas Hatveit, Mike
Riddle,
Justin Dorey, Marie Martinod and Sarah Burke, and
Snowboard Superpipe Champions Crispin Lipscomb, Takaharu Nakai, Taka
Ishihara, Brad Martin, Soko
Yamaoka and Dominique Vallee
will be waiting to take them on.
April
19 Rail Session Defending
snowboarders Matt Dano and Molly Milligan
will fight off 10 male and 3 female invited challengers. On the ski
side, Corey Vanular and
Kaya Turski will take on 10 male
and 3 females in the one hour action packed Rail Session.
April
21 Big Air –
The Festival’s Grand Finale invites a whole new field of riders to hit
the jump, along with 2006 ski winners Jon Olsson, TJ Schiller and Sammy
Carlson
and snowboard champs TJ Schneider, Mike
Page and Travis Williams. Skiers
and riders will compete in the 5,7,9 and beyond Super Final with the
top placer
winning the much sought after title of Big Air Champion.
