2009 US FREESKIING OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS, PRESENTED BY WOODWARD AT COPPER, RETURNS TO COPPER MOUNTAIN, FEBRUARY 26 - 28, WITH A JUNIOR HALFPIPE JAM MARCH 1
The 12th annual US Freeskiing Open Championships brings professional and amateur skier halfpipe athletes together to compete for $20,000
US Freeskiing Open lottery registration begins today, January 7, 2009 at NOON MST and continues through January 21, 2009
Salt Lake City, Utah, January 7, 2009 –The longest standing open freeskiing event in the world, the US Freeskiing Open (USFO), returns to Copper Mountain, Colorado, February 26-28, 2009, followed by a Junior Halfpipe Jam on March 1, 2009. The world's best professional and amateur skier halfpipe athletes from around the world will battle it out for a prize purse of $20,000. Traditionally a three-discipline event, Mountain Sports International (MSI) has consolidated the 2009 USFO due to the difficult sponsorship sales climate. The 2009 USFO will be more streamlined, providing a world-class event, a first-class halfpipe venue, more athlete practice, increased athlete hospitality, as well as a two full days of live webcast. The USFO remains freeskiing’s ultimate proving ground and will return to its full schedule in the future
“Copper is pleased to be the home of the US Freeskiing Open for the third year,” said Copper President and COO Gary Rodgers. “Copper’s Superpipe will be home to yet another world class competition hosting freeskiing’s top talent, while each competitor gets a taste of Woodward at Copper – the first training facility dedicated to terrain park and pipe progression.”
Due to high demand, registration for the US Freeskiing Open will be conducted via a lottery system. A single entry per person will be allowed and a $5 charge will apply for entering the lottery. Registration begins January 7, 2009, at noon MST and ends on January 21, 2009. Winning lottery participants will be contacted via email on January 23, 2009. Athletes must register via the lottery unless they are pre-qualified. There will be no team, academy or industry registrations. For more information and to register please go to www.usfreeskiingopen.com.
The US Freeskiing Open
Halfpipe - February 26-28, 2009
Junior Halfpipe Jam – March 1, 2009
All athletes over the age of 13 are invited to register for the USFO. Continuing to invest in the future of the sport of freeskiing, MSI has created the Junior Halfpipe Jam, which accepts 6 to 12 year olds. In fostering a new generation of freeskiers and providing a competition platform, even the youngest of athletes is able to gain the experience to someday reach the Olympic Games and beyond.
“The US Open gives aspiring kids the chance to become professional skiers,” said US Open Big Air Champion TJ Schiller. “The event was built and designed so young amateurs could come test their skills against the best. Without the US Open I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I do today.”
Since the early 1980s Camp Woodward has been working with top athletes to design and implement progressive freestyle training methods and tools. Copper Mountain and Camp Woodward have teamed up to offer a first of its kind training facility, winter programs, summer camps and more, all dedicated to terrain park and halfpipe progression. Skiers from around the globe flock to Woodward at Copper to gain awareness and master technique on a series of features including trampolines, foam pits and spring floors before heading out on the hill. Participants in the 2009 USFO will have access to Woodward at Copper facilities.
“We are pleased to have Woodward at Copper as this year’s presenting sponsor of the US Freeskiing Open,” said MSI President Adam Comey. “Woodward at Copper is an innovator of action sports skill-development which makes the partnership between the USFO, the athletes and Camp Woodward a perfect fit. We are also excited to offer athletes access to the world-class Woodward at Copper facilities.”
LIVE WEBCAST
Two full days of live video webcast coverage of the US Freeskiing Open will begin at 10am MST, on February 27, at www.usfreeskiingopen.com, with the finals airing live on Saturday afternoon. Daily photo and blog updates will accompany the webcast, offering fans around the world a virtual multimedia experience.
2009 Pre-Qualified List Women
1 Anais Caradeux
2 Claudia Bouvier
3 Dania Assaly
4 Jen Hudak
5 Jess Cumming
6 Keltie Hansen
7 Manami Mitsuboshi
8 Mirjam Jaeger
9 Miyuki Hatanaka
10 Roz Groenewoud
11 Sarah Burke
12 Virginie Faivre
Men
1 AJ Kempainen
2 Andreas Hatveit
3 Colby West
4 Dan Marion
5 David Wise
6 Jon Marks
7 Jossi Wells
8 JP Solberg
9 Justin Dorey
10 Kalle Leinonen
11 Lyndon Sheehan
12 Mike Riddle
13 Nathan Wood
14 Peter Olenik
15 Sean Field
16 Simon Dumont
17 Stefan Thomas
18 Tanner Hall
19 Taylor Seaton
20 Tony Seibert
21 Tucker Perkins
22 Walter Wood
23 Xavier Bertoni
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Woodward at Copper
Copper Mountain
Skiing Magazine
Skinet.com
The Ski Channel
Mountain Sports International
REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND ATHLETE INQUIRIES CONTACT
Sara Pinsoneault
Athlete Communications
Mountain Sports International
801.349.4650
sarap@mtsports.com
MEDIA INQUIRES AND FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Cara Williams
PR, Communications & Media Manager
Mountain Sports International
801.349.4608
cara@mtsports.com
Justine Chellel
Marketing & Sales Coordinator
Mountain Sports International
801-349.4606
jchellel@mtsports.com
About the US Freeskiing Open
The US Freeskiing Open is the longest running premiere Freeskiing event in North America. Eleven years ago, the inaugural USFO gathered Freeskiing's biggest hopefuls for the first Slopestyle skiing competition ever. The next year, a Halfpipe discipline was added, and scores of unknown skiers poured in to help shape the sport. The event has served as a launching pad for countless new school skiers including Tanner Hall, J.P. Auclair, T.J. Schiller, Sammy Carlson and Copper's own Taylor Seaton.
About SKIING
Designed and edited for those who live to ski, Skiing magazine serves up equal parts inspiration and information; it's the passionate, athletic skier's guidebook to the sport of skiing. Skiing readers love to challenge themselves, whether jumping out of a helicopter, climbing a peak or just going as fast as the patrol will allow. Skiing is a business of Bonnier Corporation's Mountain Sports Media and is based in Boulder, Colorado. Bonnier Corporation is a multi-media company whose enterprises include leading magazines, websites, television and radio programming, feature films, events and exhibitions.
About Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain is a full inclusive resort with three distinct villages (The East Village, The Village at Copper and Union Creek) ideally suited for different personalities, all within easy walking distance of the slopes and activities. Copper has 17 mountain establishments located in the East Village and The Village at Copper for coffee, fine dining, quick bites and grill options. For those guests seeking other recreational pursuits, Copper offers snow tubing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, scenic sleigh rides, snowmobiling, an athletic club and ice skating. For up-to-date weather, photos and more, visit www.coppercolorado.com. For Winter 08/09, Copper introduces Woodward at Copper, a first-of-its-kind year round training facility dedicated to skiing and snowboarding, www.woodwardatcopper.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.
