The 10th Annual Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals, the largest freeskiing competition on North American soil, kicked off yesterday under gorgeous, sunny skies on the Silver Fox area of Snowbird Ski Resort. After receiving over four feet of snow prior to the contest, conditions were ripe for competitors to put on an amazing show for the huge crowd which gathered at the base of the venue.

The international field of athletes wowed spectators but it was Jane Somerville of Crested Butte, CO, who took the women’s lead today and Aurelien Ducroz of Chamonix, France, who leads the men’s competition.

As always freeskiing’s elite battled it out for the Tobias Lee Sickbird buckle award. The Sickbird award is presented to the competitor with the most spirited competition run, often involving super-human talent and agility.

The stacked men’s division, which featured freeskiing legends from around the globe, was incredible to watch today and scores reflect just how tight this field of competitors really is. Only 7.8 points separates all 34 men who will advance to tomorrow’s finals. The second competitor of the day, John Witherspoon of Jay Peak, came out of the gate charging this morning, kicking off his run with a huge 40-foot cliff-drop off “tower rock” and continued to ski fast and aggressive launching him into sixth place on the day. Tyson Bolduc of Vail skied a smooth, fluid line with rock exposure landing him in fifth overall. Drew Tabke, the flyin' Hawaiian, pioneered a completely original line which he skied with conviction and included a 60-foot air and a huge 360 over a wind-lip at the bottom of the venue. He was also awarded a Sickbird nomination for his efforts and tied for third with reigning Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Nationals champion Nick Greener. Defending World Tour champion Guerlin Chicherit skied with a broken bone in his neck today and still managed to advance to tomorrow’s finals in 11th place.

“My run went pretty well,” said today’s third place finisher Drew Tabke. “I tried to take the weirdest, most interesting line possible and find the freshest snow on the far side of the venue. It worked out really well.”

The top two spots of the day went to Frenchmen Jean Michel Gouadain sand Aurelien Ducroz. Goudain’s run included a 40-foot air off “tower rock” at the top of the venue and another clean 30-foot air near the bottom. Ducroz, who started late in the field skied an incredible line, free of hesitation, which landed him both a Sickbird nomination and the top spot on the day. Current Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series point’s leader and winner of the first two events on the 2007 roster, Adrien Coirier also of France, had a disappointing crash today, knocking him out of the competition.

“I’m really happy with my run,” said today’s first place finisher Aurelien Ducroz. “I had a really late start number so I was nervous that the landings would all have big holes. I decided to go for it anyway and I landed the two biggest cliffs on the face perfectly. I’ve already found a line for tomorrow that has seven jumps. I just want to play with the cliffs and continue to ski with a big smile on my face like I did today. Not all competition days are fun, but today I had a great time.”

The defending Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series champion Carrie Jo Chernoff of Crested Butte skied a tough line through rock exposure which impressed the judges enough to land her in fifth place on the day. Jess McMillan of Jackson Hole skied a solid line which was popular with the men earning her both the first Sickbird nomination for the women’s field and fourth place going into tomorrow’s finals. Alaina Huestis and Amber Gale both of Snowbird skied fast, aggressive and fluid runs which landed them in third and second respectively. The second last competitor of the day Jane Somerville, who recently won the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open, took command of the women’s field skiing fast through rock exposure and sticking her cliff drops which earned her top spot on the day. A total of 11 women will advance to the next round.

Skier Tyson Bolduc. MSI photo

“I was the bottom of the run list today, the 127th skier to go, so I definitely spent a lot of time thinking about, and trying not to over-process, my run,” said today’s first place finisher Jane Somerville. “So when it was finally time for me to jump out of the start gate, I went insane, left all that nervous energy at the top and just charged. Tomorrow I want to ski smooth and fluid, stay compact and ski fast.”

North Baldy will be the proving ground for contenders tomorrow. The women will run in reverse order from today’s results followed by the men in the same format. Two runs are planned for the finals if time allows.

New in 2007, MSI will be posting same-day video broadcasts on the newly redesigned usfreeskiing.com featuring state of the art video and photo player technology. The daily uploads of video, photos, news and results of each day’s competition action will be available mere hours after each day concludes.

The North Face Young Gun Award returns in 2007, honoring outstanding new talent in competitive freeskiing. Points accumulated throughout the season will crown one lucky under-21-year-old a full sponsorship from The North Face and the honor of becoming only the second Young Gun winner. This year’s front runner is Brady Smedsrud of Red Lodge, MT.

Additional Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series tour stops include the Subaru Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open at Jackson Hole, WY, the Subaru North American Freeskiing Championships at Kirkwood, CA, and past tour stops the Subaru Telluride Freeskiing Open at Telluride, CO, and the Subaru Squaw Valley U.S.A Freeskiing Open, at Squaw Valley U.S.A, CA.

More at www.usfreeskiing.com

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