DAY 1 OF THE FREESKIING WORLD TOUR
For Immediate Release
Dylan Crossman and Hannah Whitney lead
field after first day of Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships at
Crested Butte, Colorado
Watch all of the action from the finals LIVE on www.freeskiingworldtour.com beginnning at noon MST
Crested Butte, Colorado, February 20, 2009-
The first stop of the 2009 Subaru Freeskiing World Tour (FWT) kicked
off with a bang in Crested Butte, Colorado, on Thursday, with the
Juniors finals and the men’s and women’s qualifier day on the Headwall.
Nine junior women and 30 junior boys tested the waters of extreme
freeskiing with a phenomenal showcase of the young talent in the sport.
In the end Alex George of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and North Parker of
Sun Valley, Idaho, took the junior women and junior men’s titles
respectively. Leo Ahrens of Alta/Snowbird, Utah, stomped onto the scene
taking home The North Face Young Gun Award. The Young Gun recognizes
skiers 18 years and younger. Ahrens won this after executing a double
back flip off of Box Rock.
In the FWT qualifier, 19 women and a staggering 95 men lined up on
Headwall for a chance to advance to the main event. After all was said
and done 11 women and 41 men made the cut and joined the list of
pre-qualified skiers for the official start to the FWT today.
It was a stellar day with incredible snow conditions on the
Staircase/Slot Rocks/Body Bag/Dead End Chutes area of Crested Butte
Mountain. Thanks to the work of the Crested Butte Professional Ski
Patrol the venue was closed the day prior to the event offering up soft
snow in the notoriously technical terrain.
The competitors pushed the envelope charging through the area nearing
50-degrees in pitch and rife with rocks and trees all sitting above
cliffs 80-feet high.
Second place finisher of the 2008 FWT Dylan Crossman of Utah picked up
where he left off last year setting the bar high. Crossman flashed the
top of Body Bag and straight-lined the final 100 feet skipping over
rocks and rubbing elbows with trees to rocket himself into first place
with a score of 41.25 and earn a Backcountry.com Sick Bird nomination.
The coveted Backcountry.com Sick Bird buckle is an award, which is
given out at the end of each FWT event, to the athlete with the most
spirited run. These runs usually include super-human talent and
agility.
Canadian Luke Nelson made the most of his first day of skiing in the
Lower 48. Nelson charged into the bottom of Dead End Chutes, hopped
across a shear rock face gully and threw a 50-foot spread eagle off of
Cheeseburger Rock to post a score of 39.38 to take second place on the
day.
“I wanted to ski safe and fast as usual,” said Nelson. “I was planning
a big spread eagle off of Cheeseburger from the top and it worked out
better than I thought.”
Julien Lopez, the Flying Frenchman, of La Plagne, France, earned a
Backcountry.com Sick Bird nomination as well sticking a 60-foot air at
the bottom of his run that put him in third place overall with a score
of 37.75.
Hannah Whitney of Alta, Utah, led the charge in the incredibly tight
women’s field. Having finished second overall in the 2008 Subaru US
Freeskiing Series in, Whitney knows how to impress the judges. Whitney
maintained her steady and smooth style in Body Bag keeping her skis
glued to the snow and moving forward before sending a 15-foot exit air
at the bottom to take first place with a score of 32.75
“It’s always about staying on my feet,” said Whitney. “I wanted to be
at the front of the pack so I feel like I’m in contention but not get
too rowdy.”
Whitney, who fell and hurt herself last year on the final day in the
Bermuda Triangle/Big Hourglass, is looking for retribution this year.
“I’m back for a little redemption,” said Whitney. “I’m super excited to
get back into the finals and get back to the Bermuda Triangle but still
keep it smooth and safe.”
Crested Butte skier Pip Hunt finished the day with a score of 31.13 to
take second place and Ariana Stefano of Whistler, British Columbia,
finished the day in third place with a score of 30.88.
The stage is now set for the super finals. Dubbed Super Saturday,
tomorrow will take competitors to the Bermuda Triangle/Big Hourglass
area of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. It’s only the fourth time in the
Extremes’ 18-year history that the venue has been opened for the
finals.
A total of 12 Women and 62 men will be dropping in tomorrow for a shot
at the title, tour points and possibly the Backcountry.com Sick Bird
Award.
2009 Freeskiing World Tour Schedule of Events
Subaru Telluride Freeskiing World Tour Qualifier, Telluride, CO. February 5-8
Subaru US Extreme Freeskiing Championships, Crested Butte, CO. February 17-22
Subaru US Freeskiing Nationals, Snowbird, UT. March 10-15
Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships, Kirkwood, CA. March 18-22
Subaru Freeskiing World Championships, Alyeska, AK. April 8-12
Mountain Sports International will be satellite broadcasting LIVE from
Crested Butte. Live coverage of the best freeskiing in the world can be
viewed from the comfort of your desk chair. MSI’s content creation team
will be producing and posting same-day, world-class photography on its
newly redesigned website, www.freeskiingworldtour.com and media
partners www.powder.com and www.skipressworld.com.
Special thanks to our sponsors:
Subaru of America
The North Face
Corona
Powder Magazine
Emergen-C
Ski Press Magazine
Sports Insurance
Grabber
Beyond Coastal
IFSA
Special thanks to our resort partners:
Telluride Ski and Summer Resort
Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Alyeska Resort
For more information log onto www.freeskiingworldtour.com
MEDIA INQUIRES AND FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Cara Williams
Media, PR & Communications Manager
Mountain Sports International
801-349-4608
cara@mtsports.com
Justine Chellel
Marketing & Sales Coordinator
Mountain Sports International
801-349-4606
jchellel@mtsports.com
REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND ATHLETE INQUIRIES CONTACT
Sara Pinsoneault
Mountain Sports International
Athlete Communications
801-349-4650
sarap@mtsports.com
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 more than 600
dealers across the United States. Subaru makes the best-selling
All-Wheel Drive car sold in America based on R.L. Polk & Co. new
vehicle retail registration statistics.
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 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.
