Doglotion.com - Freeskiing Community - Freeskiing World Tour

Day 1 of Snowbird - And The Leaders are...

J Dogg — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 11:48:01 -0500

Rating

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

Click here for RESULTS

2007 World Tour Schedule

J Dogg — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 01:03:30 -0400

Rating

For all you big mountain rippers who think you have a shot at taking the IFSA World Freeskiing Tour by storm, it's time to get your game face on. The 2007 tour has been posted, and the list of pre-qualified athletes is up. If you're on the list, enjoy. If not, get your ass to the first competition and show'em what you got. Here's the details from MSI.

2007 Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series & Freeskiing World Tour Athlete Information

Winter is fast approaching and that means so is competition season. After a hugely successful tour in 2006, MSI has decided to grow the Subaru U.S. Freesking Series by adding a fifth event. With the new event and expanded programs, such as same-day video, photo, and story coverage, 2007 is set to be the best year yet.

Registration for all events in the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Series will begin on: November 1, 2006.

To register, please log onto www.usfreeskiing.com. To guarantee entry, athletes interested in competing—including World Tour IFSA pre-qualified athletes (see list below)—must register prior to the event and pay in full to be considered officially registered. A partial payment/deposit, will NOT secure you a spot. As always, entries are limited and events sell out within days, so we urge you to register early to avoid disappointment.

On the first morning of each event all athletes must check in at registration and sign waivers, purchase lift tickets, and receive bibs and start order. As a reminder, IFSA (International Freeskiers Association) memberships ARE REQUIRED for all athletes competing in the Subaru U.S. Freeskiing Tour and Freeskiing World Tour. Please go to www.freeskiers.org to sign up. We are working to add a link from usfreeskiing.com to register for membership.

Due to the popularity of the Snowbird and Kirkwood World Tour Qualifiers, the qualifier run has been extended to a two-day event, with each athlete still only getting one run to qualify. This will increase the amount of athletes who are given the chance to qualify for the World Tour event.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007 SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING AND FREESKIING WORLD TOUR SCHEDULE & ENTRY FEES

SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING SERIES (STOP #1)
Telluride Freeskiing Open
Telluride, Colorado
February 8-11
Entry Fee: $150
*Prices do not include lift tickets

FREESKIING WORLD TOUR (STOP #1)
Les Arcs Freeride
Les Arcs, France
Feb 5-9
Entry fee: www.ridetheplanets.com

FREESKIING WORLD TOUR (STOP #2)
Verbier Ride
Verbier, Switzerland
Feb. 22-25
Entry fee: www.verbierride.com

SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING SERIES (STOP #2)
Location and Date TBD
Entry fee: $150
*Prices do not include lift tickets

U.S. FREESKIING SERIES (STOP #3)
FREESKIING WORLD TOUR (STOP #3)
U.S. Freeskiing Nationals
Snowbird, Utah
March 6-11

*Snowbird entry fees:
World Tour Qualifier: $100
(Athletes who qualify will pay an additional $125 for the main event)
World Tour Main Event (pre-qualified athletes): $175
*Prices do not include lift tickets

SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING SERIES (STOP #4)
Jackson Hole Freeskiing Open
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
March 15-18
Entry fee: $150
*Prices do not include lift tickets

SUBARU U.S. FREESKIING SERIES FINALS (STOP #5)
Freeskiing World Tour (Stop #4)
North American Freeskiing Championships
Kirkwood, California
March 26-April 1

*Kirkwood entry fees:
World Tour Qualifier: $100
(Athletes who qualify will pay an additional $125 for the main event)
World Tour Main Event (pre-qualified athletes): $175
*Prices do not include lift tickets

FREESKIING WORLD TOUR FINALS (STOP #5)
Tignes, France
April – Dates TBD
Entry Fee: www.freeskiingworldtour.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRE-QUALIFIED ATHLETES

Based on: Top World Tour point holders, top US series, winners of individual US and NA events, top Euro and NZ standings. Wild Cards may be added at specific events, approved by IFSA official.

**$ Indicates athletes that need to pay 2006 IFSA dues in order to be considered "Pre-Qualified" for 2007.

Men

1 Guerlain Chicherit **$ FRA
2 Mathieu Richard **$ CAN
3 Adrien Coirier FRA
4 Olivier Meynet **$ FRA
5 Nick Greener USA
6 Craig Garbiel USA
7 Rick Greener USA
8 Cedric Pugin **$ FRA
9 Drew Stoecklein **$ USA
10 Julien Gaidet **$ FRA
11 Cliff Bennett USA
12 Justus Meyer USA
13 Justin Modroo CAN
14 Drew Tabke USA
15 Tom Dunbar **$ NZ
16 Jason Dobbs USA
17 Christian Boucher **$ CAN
18 Reine Barkered **$ FRA
19 Jon Mullens AUS
20 Drew Billington USA
21 Jack Nelson USA
22 Victor Galuchot **$ FRA
23 Craig DiPietro **$USA
24 Olinne Glenne USA
25 Wille Lindberg USA
26 Jamie Blair USA
27 Jonny Manwaring USA
28 Chris Paulding USA
29 Aurelien Ducroz **$ FRA
30 Tom Dockter USA
31 Ben Wheeler USA
32 Arron Estrada USA
33 Chris Tatsuno USA
34 Kevin O'Meara USA
35 Chad Sayers CAN
36 Kaj Zackrisson SWE
37 Fred Mooney USA
38 Jonas Delogne **$
39 Thibault Des Camiers **$ FRA
40 Neil Valiton **$ FRA
41 Herve Gouy **$ FRA
42 Mathieu Vigier **$ FRA
43 Tyson Bolduc USA
44 Griffin Post USA
45 Hamish Acland NZ
46 Geoff Small **$ NZ
47 Alastair Eason **$ NZ
48 Ilian Petrov **$ BG
49 Mike Hopkins **$ CAN
50 Joel Jacques CAN

Women

1 Laura Ogden **$ CAN
2 Jess McMillan USA
3 Marte Lise Karlsen NOR
4 Carrie Jo Chernoff USA
5 Lynn Kennen **$ USA
6 Alaina Huestis USA
7 Libby Bittner **$ USA
8 Marie Pieronne **$ FRA
9 Amelie Simond **$ FRA
10 Shelly Robertson **$ USA
11 Andria Huskinson USA
12 Amy Holland **$USA
13 Jen Ashton CAN
14 Katharina Mihaljevic **$
15 Kelly Holland USA
16 Anik Demmers **$ USA
17 Beanie Milne Horne **$ NZ
18 Kirsty Exner **$ CAN
19 Maria Opelz **$
20 Jo Guest **$ UK
21 Camille Imbert **$ FRA
22 Guilia Monego ITA
23 Suzanne Graham USA
24 Galena Gleason **$ USA
25 Tanya Christensen **$ USA
26 Janina Kuzma **$ NZ
27 Kate McDougall NZ
28 Jacobina Home **$ NZ
29 Karolina Ekman CAN
30 Dina Power **$ CAN

Special thanks to our sponsors:
Subaru, TNF, Nordica, Yakima, A-Line, Skull Candy, Tramdock.com, Sports Insurance, Powder Magazine, Emergen-C, Leatherman, Grabber, Ski Press Magazine, IFSA, Snowbird, Jackson, Telluride, Kirkwood