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Freeride Competition inches forward |
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Thursday, 04 October 2007 |
Forest Service not settled on final permit answer
By Lara Kirkner
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 SUBMITTED PHOTO
He added that the Forest Service should be making some decisions in the next two-three weeks.
In the meantime, it seems as though the event organizers are going ahead and promoting the Mammoth portion of this international event. A press release was issued stating that the Mammoth dates for the event will be Jan. 22-26.
“They did get a little ahead of themselves, but it won't affect our decision,” Regelbrugge said in regard to the press release.
According to said press release, “The organizers of the Nissan O’Neill Xtreme in Verbier, the Swatch O’Neill Big Mountain Pro and the Nissan Freeride in Tignes as well as their main partners, Nissan, O’Neill and Swatch, are proud to announce the first edition of the Freeride World Tour. This winter, professional freeride skiers and snowboarders will finally go head to head in a Freeride World Tour made up of five events and boasting the biggest prize money ever in the history of this sport.”
Mammoth's own Steve Klassen, who owns Wave Rave and has competed in Freeride Competitions before, is part of the force behind bringing this event to Mammoth. Klassen stated that he has always imagined a Freeride event at McGee Mountain and will participate in the event as long as he is feeling up to it (he recently had knee surgery).
In a hypothetical 2006/2007 world ranking compiled by the PFB, or Pro Freeriders Board, Klassen is rated number seven in the top 14 snowboard men in this event.
In addition to the three existing events, two new ones will be added, completing the tour, which stops in Western and Eastern Europe as well as on the American continent. Stops include the Nissan Mammoth Challenge (U.S.) Jan. 22-26, Nissan Caucasus Classic in Sochi (Russia) Jan. 31-Feb. 5, Swatch O'Neill Big Mountain Pro, a mobile event in the Swiss Alps from Feb. 24-March 2, Nissan Freeride de Tignes (France) March 9-12, and the Nissan O'Neill Xtreme in Verbier from March 14-23. After this final event, the four Freeride World Champions (ski/snowboard/men/women) will be crowned. The Tour boasts a purse of $300,000, the highest sum ever to be paid in ski or snowboard freeride contests.
Until now, the joint participation of skiers and snowboard athletes already existed in individual contests, but their reunion in a World Tour is a new idea. Every rider—on one or on two boards—has a different way of reading and interpreting the possible lines on a slope, but they all share a common approach and the same mountain spirit.
The hypothetical ranking of the 2006/2007 season was based on the most important events and selected the 36 best riders according to a points system. These athletes qualify for the Freeride World Tour 2008.
Riders who are ranked lower than 14 (men) and 4 (women) can enter the events of the Freeride World Qualifying Tour (FWQT). At the FWQT events in Mammoth and Schruns, there will also be a pre-qualification (Open). This gives unknown top-level riders the chance to establish themselves in the freeride hierarchy.
The contestants are judged by a jury, which is trained and certified by the PFB and led by Jean-Yves Michellod (Head Judge: Ski) and Berti Denervaud (Head Judge: Snowboard).
Freeride competitions are judged by the difficulty of the line, aggressiveness, air, fluidity and control, according to Klassen. Stay tuned to find out what the Forest Service decides. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 15 October 2007 )
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