photo: Blake Jorgenson

REVELSTOKE MOUNTAIN RESORT TO HOST THE CANADIAN FREESKIING CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER

Stop two on the 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour, the Canadian Freeskiing Championships returns Jan 6-10, with a stacked athlete field, including 2009 Subaru FWT overall champion Julien Lopez and South American Freeskiing Championships winners Chopo Diaz and Jacqui Edgerly

Salt Lake City, Utah, December 17, 2009—Beginning on January 6, 2010, Revelstoke Mountain Resort will host the Canadian Freeskiing Championships—stop two on the 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour—for the first time in the event’s history. Nearly 150 athletes will compete in the qualifying and World Tour rounds of competition, taking place on Revelstoke’s notorious terrain. Athlete registration for this dramatic on-snow competition sold out in less than seven minutes.

The world-class athlete roster includes 2009 Subaru FWT overall champion Julien Lopez, South American Freeskiing Championships winners Chopo Diaz and Jacqui Edgerly, Cliff Bennett, Mathieu Gagnon, Luke Nelson, Arne Backstrom, and Claudia Bovier, profiled in Powder Magazine’s Oct. 2009 issue as one of skiing’s most well-rounded and promising female skiers.

“Having been involved in the freeskiing scene for so long, I’m particularly stoked to have the Freeskiing World Tour come to our resort,” said former freeskiing competitor and head of Pro Patrol at RMR Joe Lammers.  “The terrain here at RMR is awesome and the comp venues will have everything from high alpine bowls and faces to technical at-treeline pitches that will suit every type of competitor. I hope everybody is training hard, because the vertical here is huge!”

The Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is the largest and longest running competitive big mountain freeskiing tour in the history of the sport, featuring athletes from all over the world and over $100,000 in prize money.

“We are ecstatic to be hosting the Canadian Championships as part of the Subaru Freeskiing World Tour for the next three years and feel this is a significant opportunity for both Revelstoke Mountain Resort and our community. Holding this event in Revelstoke underscores our presence in the global ski industry and is recognition by the freeskiing community that RMR is one of the most sought-after resort destinations world-wide,” says Rod Kessler, VP and Chief Operating Officer of Revelstoke Mountain Resort.

“We are finalizing the venues for each day of competition, but what we can tell you is that the crowd will be wowed at what they see on the mountain! We are giving skiers the chance to showcase their talent on the highest lift-serviced vertical in North America, so it is bound to be good.

“We are thrilled by the level of cooperation from the local community in providing venues and events for the week for both athletes and spectators, and we truly appreciate the sponsorship  of the Revelstoke Accommodation Association. We hope to see some locals participating in the qualifier, and we know that the whole city of Revelstoke will be cheering them on.”

Mountain Sports International will again be producing live HD webcast coverage of the semi-final and final rounds of competition. Check www.freeskiingworldtour.com for exact dates and times.

After Revelstoke, the Subaru FWT continues to Telluride, Colorado, the legendary steeps of Crested Butte, Colorado, and then onto the famed Cirque at Kirkwood, California. Long known as the premier venue on the Subaru FWT, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort will host the 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Championships, with the tour leaders battling for top positions in the final runs of the year down the infamous North Baldy.

For a complete schedule of events, photos, videos, athlete profiles and more, please visit www.freeskiingworldtour.com

For media registration, please go to www.freeskiingworldtour.com, click on the registration button and follow instructions. After creating an account you will be able to choose which event you want to attend.

The 2010 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour is supported by Subaru of America, The North Face, Corona, Powder Magazine, Siege Audio, Mountain Sports International, Sportsinsurance.com, Ski La Parva, Revelstoke Mountain Resort, Telluride Ski Resort, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND ATHLETE INQUIRIES CONTACT

Nicole Greener – Athlete Relations and Communication
Phone: 801.349.4600
Mountain Sports International  – nicole@mtsports.com

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MEDIA INQUIRIES AND FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Estelle Clairoux -  Communications & Media Relations Coordinator

Mountain Sports International – office: 801.349.4638 – estelle@mtsports.com

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ABOUT RMR
Revelstoke Mountain Resort (RMR) is a four-season destination resort located in the Columbia Mountains of British Columbia and just minutes from the established town of Revelstoke. Revelstoke, located 286 miles due north from Spokane, Washington, is North America’s most significant resort development in over a quarter century. In winter, the resort boasts the highest lift-serviced vertical drop in North America and is the only resort in the world that offers lift-skiing, cat-skiing, helicopter-skiing and backcountry skiing right from the village base.

ABOUT SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of approximately 600 dealers across the United States.  Subaru boasts the most fuel efficient line-up of all-wheel drive products sold in the market today based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy standards.  All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.

ABOUT MSI
Mountain Sports International (MSI) is a private company, founded in 1997, to develop and produce action/adventure sports events and programming in North America. MSI owns and produces the U.S. Freeskiing Series, the U.S. Skiercross Series, and the Freeskiing World Tour, in addition to several other properties and concepts.

MSI provides event management services for Burton, Salomon, and Red Bull and has provided infrastructure and expertise for the NBC Gravity Games and ESPN Action Sports Projects, including the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. MSI specializes in matching clients with events for brand penetration into target demographics, developing product identification and loyalty. MSI matches brand and culture, company and credibility to create sought-after events that help to define the action sports culture.